So I spent last week in Charlottetown to participate in the 2011 ECMA conference. This was hands down the best ECMA experience I've ever had and the first time that I feel like I took advantage of everything this conference has to offer.
My week started on Tuesday night when I picked up a gig for the next evening in Stratford playing for the ECMA Soundwaves finale where 4 (four!!) finalists ranging from 13-16 years old would compete for the top prize. My role was to entertain as the votes were tallied and to act as some sort of special guest as an 'established artist" (obviously someone must've backed out last minute). Anyway, this was a great event to be part of. The talent was astonishing despite their ages. Really glad I got to be part of it.
After that show I made my way across the bridge (much smaller than the Confederation one....thank God) to Charlottetown and met up with Chuck Teed at The Delta Hotel, which was the epi-centre of the week's activity. Chuck was able to hook me up that evening with a show in the ECMA Membership Lounge which was an unexpected surprise. We followed that with an interview and performance on Radio-Free ECMA which was a great experience that drew a small crowd to the lobby of the hotel. All in all, not bad for a Wednesday and certainly a fine start to my ECMA weekend.
Thursday was a somewhat free day for me as the only commitment on my agenda was a one-on-one meeting with a festival organizer. So I spent the morning very casually sipping on coffee and catching some live music at the membership lounge. My first one-on-one meeting started very shakey but ended with having lunch with the organizer (and making a new friend). Thursday night was spent eating, drinking and making new friends (and prepping for the five meetings I had the next day). Chuck and I also took in some great music that night as well (Mike, the bartender at The Membership Lounge was getting to be familiar site).
Friday morning started as a whirlwind since I woke up late and had to rush to look somewhat presentable for that day's one-on-one's. My first meeting that morning was with a lady I had met the night before who added some perk-me-up to the coffee she generously had brought for me. Just what I needed! The other four meetings went well also and were easier once I realized that both Jason Ogden and Mark Marshall were in the same room (finally, some familiar faces!!!). We followed the one-on-one's with a conference on exporting your music to the UK which was both well-presented and very informative. It was mid-afternoon before that presentation let out and lunch was overdue, so Mark, Jason and I ventured out to a local pub for some grub and giggles (both were in abundance).
Friday evening we all wandered around the town and were soon joined by Adam Kierstead and his lovely lady-friend Barb. Sean Boyer and Chris Braydon were not far behind and soon this foreign town started to feel like a big party. I split from the group to join Sean and Chris as they checked into their hotel and got themselves ready for the Penny Blacks' showcase at 1am.
Time slipped away on us and before I knew it, Chris and I were rushing to get to The Murphy Recreation Centre to make it for our first ECMA showcae of the weekend with Penny Blacks. After venturing 12 or so blocks to the Delta to retrieve my stick bag, we decided to cab it to the venue. The Murphy is basically a gymnasium and while the stage looked impressive with jumbo-trons and a great light show, I was worried about the sound. Penny Blacks went on at 1am and put on a good set for the 50 or so in attendance. By all accounts, the sound was not the best but I do feel we played well and I think the material is strong enough to speak for itself. one showcase down, two to go.
So after the Penny Blacks' showcase we should have gone to bed....but we didn't. I left the gang at 3:30am in the Music NB suite at The Delta and they were still gong very strong. I crashed HARD.
So Saturday was a big day for my music as I had two showcases to play. The first was an ECMA Discovery Stage Showcase at 1pm with The Formers. The night before I had asked that everyone assemble at 12:15 at the venue as the change-overs are quick and I had hoped to get some semblance of a soundcheck. The night before had taken it's toll on some and it was literally last minute before the whole band was assembled in the hallway and ready to take the stage. You'd never know it though! The band played great, and while the crowd wasn't the largest, we impressed a select few and felt really good about our performance. One to go!
Saturday afternoon was spent wandering around Charlottetown and relaxing in the room before our 10pm Music NB MIAfest Showcase. I was extremely thrilled with the timeslot and even more excited that we would be on only two acts after Hey! Rosetta, which pretty much guarenteed us a great crowd. I was not dissapointed when the band and I arrived at the venue to find the place packed. We put on a great set that I feel might be one of the best sets we've ever played. We got some interest from some great people and after some hand-shaking and a few drinks, we headed back to The Delta.
Saturday was a crazy night in Charlottetown and Sean, Chris and I certainly added to the mayhem. After catching some music with Mark at the Delta Ballroom, we decided to find some grub and polish off anything we could get our hands (which was a lot). The night ended in a wonderful fit of giggles sometime after 5am.
Sunday was leaving day and, while I couldn't wait to see my wife and daughter, I couldn't help but feel a sadness at leaving this wonderful musical life I had been living for five days. The weather echoed my mood with rain and extremely high winds which made for one hellish drive over that God-damn bridge. A quick stop at the Aulac Big-Stop for chicken and chips and then I was back to the everyday grind.
So to sum up, I had an amazing time! I really enjoyed learning the business, meeting new people, seeing so much live music and having the honour of playing some myself. In the past few years I have been really sour to the ECMA experience but this sparked a new passion for the event that has me counting down the days until Moncton in 2012.
Some highlight performances I saw include:
- Amelia Curran solo-acoustic in the Roots-Room. She was just stunning with only guitar and songs. A true talent that girl.
- Babette Hayward at The Selkirk Lounge. I think "Babs" created quite a stir this weekend and it's more than well-deserved. Watch for her new disc later this month.
- Ruby Jean & The Thoughtful Bees at The Membership Lounge. Killer performance by a stripped down three piece. This reminded of just how talented Jason Vautour is.