Countless musicians, performances and booming East Coast energy will light up the town of Sydney, N.S. for this year’s East Coast Music Week from April 13 to April 17. What started in a small Halifax bar as the East Coast Music Awards is now East Coast Music Week – five days of musical event and awards ceremonies, ending in a final handing over of the musical torch to the city of Saint John for next year’s ECMW at a special event.
“It’s going to be an amazing week up there. The office is really busy – it’s running around the clock at the moment,” said Andy Mclean, Executive Director of the East Coast Music Association.
Wednesday night kicks off ECMW with Aboriginal opening ceremonies – a special event put on by APTN network and the Membertou Heritage Park. The Membertou Trade Centre will host the ceremonies with aboriginal art, culture and music.
Newfoundland’s Hey Rosetta!, Fredericton’s Andy Brown and Nova Scotia’s Old Man Luedecke are just a handful of over 400 artists set to play. Nominations for Aboriginal Artist of the Year include hip-hop group City Natives, hailing from both N.B. and N.S. and rising fast.
St. Thomas University Fine Arts professor Martin Kutnowski is up for Classical Composition of the Year for his piano piece “Peter Emberley’s Dream”, inspired by a New Brunswick folk song.
East Coast Music Week will serve as a platform for artists looking to take their work international. Agents and promoters will be around all week as an opportunity for musicians ready for the next professional step, with an official export buyer’s showcase on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re bringing about a hundred buyers from all over the world to book East Coast Canadian artists,” said McLean. “The business side is really key. We’re generating a ton of business for our East Coast artists and the program. “We’ve created our own independent production company that’s shooting the gala this year – a very much more rock ‘n roll background,” said McLean.
The gala will also be streamed live from four different venues throughout the week. The awards ceremony will be more like a concert than a T.V. show so everyone can enjoy – whether out-of-province or country. The Association is planning to catch extensive B-roll and extra footage for an online stream to run year-round.
East Coast Music Week started out small but grew into an international attraction. It’s a lot like the artists the gala showcases – and that’s what the festival intends. McLean has managed bands in the past and sees ECMW as an invaluable opening for artists either big or small.
“We want local people to feel proud of what’s coming from the East Coast but it’s about bringing the spotlight back to artists.”
