Amazing April Tours, CD Release Parties and SXSW 2010

Spring Tours and Album Releases!

What better way to celebrate Easter (well, wy not celebrate it this way?) than by checking out the TOUR DATES and CD RELEASE PARTIES upcoming in Canadian music! Some fabulous albums are being released this month including Ruth Purves Smith and the 581’s debut “Out In The Storm” and the Joey Only Outlaw Band’s long awaited “Transgression Trail”. CD Releasing on the road in Alberta is favorite Billy Manzik, hurtling forward with his new brand of classic rock on “AllTogetherNow”. Also rollin’ down the road in April we say farewell to loved country darlings The Gruff, and welcome BC’s Fish & Bird back across Canada! Wandering Minstrel Jeff Andrew finishes off his spring tour, and playing weekends across western Canada are the shiveringly good ARCTIC. Check out their tour dates below:

THE GRUFF
ARCTIC

FISH & BIRD
JEFF ANDREW
THE JOEY ONLY OUTLAW BAND
RUTH PURVES SMITH AND THE 581
BILLY MANZIK

Watch out for a brand new folk festival called FOLKWEST! in Victoria, BC for 2011 (click the link to join the Facebook group & learn more!), and check out the Mountain View Music Fest in Carstairs, AB going into its 5th festival year, both of which ModMay is a member. Check out these wonderful events if you haven’t already!

SXSW 2010

What a time was had by all at South by Southwest! Austin Texas was positively lit up for the largest industry based festival in North America! Interactve, Film and Music all combine for 10 days of madness, happiness and business connections, smack dab in the live music capital of the USA, and ModMay Promotions was there taking in the music, making connections and learning that old “Hollywood hustle”. The huge highlight of which of course was the connection made with infamous Hollywood record producer, manager, provocateur, and self professed hustler for money, Kim Fowley, while manning the Canadian Independent Music Association’s CANADIAN BLAST booth. It was only a matter of hours before my supposed itinerary for the festival got turned on its head, agreeing to attend the premiere of the film Kim was promoting at SXSW, the story of one of his many musical successes (however brief), “The Runaways, and follow up the premiere with the stars Kristen Stewart (who played Joan Jett), Dakota Fanning (Cherie Currie) and Cherie Currie. Good portions of the week I raced to keep up to the 70 yr old bloodhound-esque business man. Highlights of the entire fest however, include not the just the red carpet premiere and the Austin Music Awards, but of course the MUSIC! Austin’s own Paul Renna Band at Darwin’s Pub, Vancouver’s Brasstronaut and many other amazing Canadian bands at the Canadian Blast Showcase and BBQ, and of course ModMay client Clea Roddick at the Red Gorilla Showcase. I had hoped to check out more bands than I got a chance to, but the trade up for meeting record label execs, festival directors, media personalities, publishers and the like, from the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand will suffice, for this year anyway 😉 -JM

KIM FOWLEY AND JOELLE MAY AT THE RUNAWAYS PREMIERE RED CARPET

Thanks to Alberta Music and X92.9FM in their assistance to ModMay Promotions for SXSW!