CMW 2013: Chum Fanfest ft. Hedley, Marianas Trench, and Serena Ryder

Anybody who reads these blogs or knows me in some form or another knows my love for Hedley. So when I was approved for media for Chum's Fanfest 2013 at Danforth Music Hall on March 22, I was just a little unprofessionally excited.

Fanfest, as many of you probably already know, bring in some of the top selling musicians in the country and in the world for CMW and it's only win to get in. I felt privileged that the staff and crew at Chum FM allowed me to attend their event and was thoroughly impressed with the talent provided as well as the way things ran. I think the only downfall for me was it wasn't nearly enough music - I wanted more!

photo property of Chum FM

Unfortunately due to timing my co-blogger and I were unfortunate to miss Tyler Shaw, the first act of the night. Tyler became known after winning last year's Much Music and Coca Cola Cover contest. Since then he's been working hard on getting his voice out there and known. His current single "Kiss Goodnight" can be heard on radio stations across Canada!

Arriving with moments to spare, I was able to check out the crowd and the surroundings. The Danforth
Music Hall has a lot of history and is a gorgeous building; it was my first time in this music venue, so I was excited to check it out. The crowd was packed with excited winners of all ages (ranging from 19 and up). Everybody was excited to be in the crowd and you could feel their anticipation.

photo property of Chum FM

Serena Ryder is a musician that has been around for some time. She has always been on my radar but never at the forefront - until now. She performed with such zest and enthusiasm that you couldn't help but "Stompa" your feet. Her quirky and catchy tunes had everybody engaged and excited to sing along. "Stompa" was the only song I knew (because of listening to Chum FM - duh!) but because she so graciously intro'd every song, everyone knew what she was singing. Sticking to songs mainly off of her newly released album Harmony - she rocked the crowd and kept them entertained for almost an hour. Something tells me they had her play longer due to the fact that the next act, Marianas Trench, was still MIA (they were at the Indie Awards accepting awards for Video of the Year for Fallout and Pop Group of the Year), but she put on a fantastic performance. Kudos Serena! And congrats on your recent Juno!

Next on the block was Marianas Trench. I have been a MT fan since my high school years (so going on 10 years) and I usually have nothing but great things to say - this time is no different. Although I often find that

property of Chum FM

no performance of theirs can beat the one I saw in Vancouver at the Commodore, they usually never fail when it comes to pleasing their fans. Being someone who has seen them work super small stages to super large ones, over the years I have noticed minor and major differences with the band. Their music is and will always be fantastically done. The vocals are impeccable 90 per cent of the time and they always sound fantastic. What bothers me, and I noticed it this evening, was their lack of interaction with each other. Josh was fantastic with the crowd but when it came to his band mates, they barely spoke to each other. I found that because of this, it wasn't as good of a show. I wish they acted more like brothers having fun then guys on the stage doing their job. I don't know if anybody else noticed that, but it was definitely something that stood out to me.

As for the music, playing my favourites definitely puts me into a good mood. It's hard to act professional as a writer/media representative when the music is just so damn good. I was definitely singing along to favourites like "Haven't Had Enough", "Stutter", "Celebrity Status", and "Desperate Measures" among many others. It's hard being a fan for so many years and not having so many favourite songs. I was happy they mixed it up a bit for those who have known them longer than their last two albums. I hope their current tour finishing up in Canada is going well and I wish them all the best of luck with their upcoming tour in the US!

photo property of Chum FM

Last but not least we get to Hedley. These boys are a fantastic group of guys and picture perfect when it comes to treating their fans like gold on and off the stage. I can't count how many times I've seen them over the last eight years but each and every time has been a fantastic memory. They never fail to amaze me with their talent for singing, playing their instruments and the energy that they all have on the stage. Each one of them brings such joy and you can definitely tell by the way they interact with each other the camaraderie they have behind the scenes.

Being the headliner meant the longest and most interactive set. Singing songs from all four of their albums, they definitely didn't lead a boring hour. Singing radio favourites like "Invincible", "Cha-ching", and "Perfect" were just the start. I think the song that I loved the most - I'm a little biased, it's my favourite - was "Never Too Late". This is the song I can never record because I get too excited; it's one that I can never get sick of. There is just something about this song that makes my heart swell every time  I listen to it - and no it's not because of the cheesy video remake they did of it a few years back. It's uplifting and hold promises that it's never too late to make things right and start

photo property of Chum FM

fresh. It's worth the listen if you haven't heard it already. Ending it off with "Kiss You Inside Out" was the perfect reminder that they always have something new up their sleeves. Even through twitter they have been hinting new music will be dropped  VERY soon and this makes for one happy girl!

Overall the evening spent with hundreds of Chum FM and music's closest fans was a complete success. They were fun, courteous and enjoyed spending time with those who love music as much as they do. In a world full of crazy, it's nice to get away for awhile and forget all the troubles.

Thanks Chum FM for letting me be one of your guests! I thoroughly enjoyed the night and I'm sure I can say the same for each and every person who attended the event during CMW.

Much Love,
Taryn

CMW 2013: Eleven Past One

Canadian Music Week is somewhat of a staple in Toronto and Canadian culture, and over the years has produced some big names in the music industry and attracted the best of the best in the business. Whether you're a musician, a mogul, or a student training to become one, the conferences and key notes held information that was vital and - because no other words can replace it - informative. 

CMW for a writer is a lot like that of everyone else: hectic, disorganized and exhausting. This year was my first after taking 2012 off, and I'd forgotten just how crazy it could actually get. With venues scattering Toronto, cab rides, subway trips and walking was a commonality when getting to any and all venues. It was sometimes hard to keep track of where and when you had to be there in order not to miss sets.

This year I toned down who I saw strictly because I was transporting myself to and from Mississauga via public transit and that in itself was an adventure. Thursday, March 21, was the first of three days of great music that feasted my ears.

1:11

The first act of the evening was held at The Rivoli, a tiny restaurant/pool hall/music venue, tucked into the uniqueness of Queen Street West. Coming in just before the set of Eleven Past One, my partners-in-crime for the evening caught the tail end of Stef Lang's set for The Feldmen Agency showcase. It was literally one and a half of a song but her energy and passion for music was noticeable. I thoroughly enjoyed her use of the  

drum. She has an indie-pop sound that kind of reminded me of Lights. Obviously they sounded differently but if I were to put her in a category, it'd be the same one as Lights.

Eleven Past One has been on my my radar for quite some time now. I'm not entirely sure how it came about but eventually we were in contact via Facebook and it went forth from there. They were always making music and having fun but one day I heard they were Chum FM's Artist of the Month and they blew up on the radio. Their song "The World is Ours" is catchy, fun to dance to and easy to memorize. So when I heard they were playing CMW, I knew I had to check them out in person.

I can't place ages on these boys because I'm not entirely sure how old they all are, but what I do know is that they're young. Since their conception since 2007, these guys have been working mercilessly to get their foot in the door and get noticed. While somewhat unknown to the majority of the population, their devoted fans, aka "Timebombs", were out in full-force at both shows I attended during CMW.  

Singing songs like "Fate Love", " Tonight's the Night" (their soon to be released new single), and of course

 

"The World is Ours", they had the crowd dancing and singing along. Personally, I believe when lead singer Daniel belted out "Fate Love" while playing the keys,  I truly became a fan. Eleven Past One may be categorized as "just another pop band" but this song made me believe otherwise. Daniel put so much passion into the song you could almost feel it. His vocals were on par and practically spotless (to my untrained ears) and I couldn't help but be enthralled. They're most definitely made for bigger things and I look forward to hearing their album when it gets released.

CMW 2013 update

Hey guys! Posts for CMW will be up as soon as physically possible! Right at this moment I am typing this from my iPhone because my computer battery is shot - to the point it won't even turn on. I am waiting for a new one but until then I must refrain from posting. I'm mainly scared of grammar mistakes and I feel it would be a little bit of a letdown.

Fear not though, you will be getting show reviews and overall thoughts on CMW as well as news on CMW 2014 in the following weeks!

You can expect to see reviews for : Eleven Past One, Morgan Cameron Ross, Treble Charger, Serena Ryder, Marianas Trench, Hedley (Chum Fanfest), and Trouble and Daughter!

I recently got a new camera and I am super excited to show you all my pictures. I am nowhere near a professional but I'm happy to have a camera that is functioning and takes great photos!

Anyways, ta ta for now!
Taryn