Canadian Blast BBQ @ SXSW 2016
Wednesday, March 16th @ the Big Top in Brush Square
TORONTO, February 10, 2016 – With just over a month left till SXSW Music kicks off, fans, bands, and industry are starting to get excited for the annual pilgrimage to Austin, TX.
With everyone ready to kick off the celebrations, our friends to the North will once again offer up a hearty welcome with the much-anticipated Canadian Blast BBQ, now in its 11th year at Brush Square on Wednesday, March 16th.
The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) is excited to announce a stellar lineup of Canadian talent that will showcase at this annual epic blowout party, the perfect start to an unforgettable week. Come grab a bite, mingle with some of Canada’s best and brightest and listen to your future-favorite artists while thawing out in the Texas sunshine.
The Canadian Blast BBQ is the official kick off of four days and nights of performances, networking and business development activities led by the Canadian Independent Music Industry Association (CIMA).
2:00PM: The Zolas
The Zolas are a band from Vancouver. Their upcoming album is about how strange “it feels to step out for a cigarette and a quiet moment at a party, read about disease and climate catastrophe on your phone, finish your cigarette and go back in to dance”. Swooner will be out later this year via Light Organ Records.
2:40PM: Terra Lightfoot
Whether you’re talking about her as a songwriter, guitarist or vocalist, Hamilton’s Terra Lightfoot is a ferocious talent. Terra’s songs tap into the raw emotion of hearts supercharged by love, lust, loneliness and temptation. Her playing melds expert finger-picking and distorted, hook-heavy melodies, and her voice commands attention and awe, whether on slow-burning soul ballads or hard-charging rock numbers.
3:20PM: The Lytics
Proudly committed to making music “real people” can relate to, the Lytics have never been much for empty boasts and bravado, preferring instead to promote the same brand of street-level optimism espoused by early influences Mos Def, The Pharcyde, and A Tribe Called Quest.
4:00PM: Royal Canoe
Royal Canoe give you everything, but on their own maniacally hybrid terms. A six-piece ensemble from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Royal Canoe’s dedication to crafting a seamless musical pastiche is obsessive. Their big off-kilter beats and hooks are nestled in inventive sounds, and the band is currently mixing their next album with Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkely, Animal Collective).
4:40PM: Milk & Bone
Formed by Laurence Lafond-Beaulne and Camille Poliquin, Milk & Bone released their debut album, Little Mourning, in early 2015 via Bonsound. By combining their voices and talents, the two friends create electro-pop melodies that are both dreamy and harrowing. Made up of electronic textures and layered synths, their sonic universe distinguishes itself from the electro-pop genre thanks to their perfectly-paired vocal colours. Their mesmerizing harmonies look into the darker aspects of love, friendship, and lust.
5:20PM: Arkells
High Noon, the latest album from Arkells was recently certified Gold in Canada. The band has been touring across the country to sold out audiences of 1000+. They’ve played all major festivals and won 4 Juno Awards, most recently ‘Rock Album of the Year’ and ‘Group of the Year’ during an album cycle which had them touring internationally to some of their bigger crowds to date.
CIMA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our Canadian partners and sponsors: Canadian Music Week (CMW), Corus Entertainment, the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR), the Government of Canada (Canadian Heritage/Canadian Music Fund), Harvard Broadcasting, Music Managers Forum Canada, Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), Stingray Music, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) and the Radio Starmaker Fund.
About CIMA:
Established in 1975, CIMA is the not-for-profit national trade association representing the English-language, Canadian-owned sector of the music industry, and is the first organization of its kind in the world. CIMA represents a diverse membership consisting of Canadian-owned companies and their ambassadors, all of whom are involved in every aspect of the music, sound recording and music-related industries. They are exclusively small businesses which include: record producers, record labels, recording studios, managers, agents, licensors, music video producers and directors, creative content owners, artists and others professionally involved in the sound recording industry. CIMA’s mandate is to develop and advocate policies and services that serve to support a strong and economically stable Canadian independent music and sound recording industry, ensuring the long-term development of the sector and to raise the profile of Canadian independent music both in Canada and around the world.
About Music Export Canada:
Music Export Canada is the newly established alliance between some of Canada’s most active national and provincial talent exporters, importers and stakeholders. With a common goal of showcasing bright up-and-coming talent and developing emerging industry professionals, Music Export Canada will service many of the nation’s export needs and will grow to be an internationally trusted resource for the all things related to the independent Canadian music community.