SaskMusic is pleased to announce, in partnership and with funding support from Creative Saskatchewan, a series of upcoming export missions for our artists. These events are produced with the goal of attracting commercial market interest in the showcase artists, as well as providing opportunities for SaskMusic to network with industry professionals in attendance, promoting the Saskatchewan music industry as a whole.
London England, October 13-18, 2014
We will present official showcases with Zachary Lucky and The Pistolwhips as part of an international trade mission to London. Several other Saskatchewan cultural industry associations will also be represented including crafts, art, galleries and books. The mission will feature an extensive art gallery installation, two concerts, three receptions and special events with London’s arts and business community. Concerts will be preceded by a VIP music industry mixer and augmented by dozens of business-to-business meetings.
The UK is a key international music market for our artists and we have been working with our in-market consultant, Sound Diplomacy, to maximize performance and networking opportunities for our export-ready artists.
Halifax NS, October 21-25, 2014
We will present an official showcase with Dagan Harding at the Canadian Blast event during Halifax Pop Explosion on October 25 at Reflections Cabaret, Halifax. The event is a partnership between the Canadian Independent Music Association, Music Ontario, SaskMusic and Creative Saskatchewan.
HPX (halifaxpopexplosion.com) is an international music festival and conference that presents 200 bands in 20 venues over 5 days to over 30,000 fans and industry delegates from around the world.
Bilbao Spain, October 29-31, 2014
We will present official showcases with Slow Down Molasses and We Were Lovers as part of an international trade mission centred around the Bizkaia International Music Experience (BIME). Several other Saskatchewan cultural industry associations will also be represented. Showcases will take place at two of Bilbao’s best venues, Sala Azkena and Kafe Antzokia.
BIME (www.bime.net) is Europe’s leading music conference and festival dedicated to exploring new opportunities between the music industry and tech, gaming, sync and new technologies. In addition, BIME hosts Europe’s first Latin and South American Networking Summit, bringing together top buyers and sellers from these markets across festivals, sync and brands. Showcases will be coordinated so artists perform in front of targeted buyers across music, tech, sync, gaming and other sectors from Europe, North and South America.
In 2013, artists showcased in front of festivals (Lollapalooza, Sonar, SXSW, Arenal Sound, Eurosonic Noordeslag), labels (Sony Music, The Orchard, Believe, Omnifone), brand agencies (BBH, Cord, MUWOM) and sync representatives (Clippers, Elephant, ThinkSync, Nimrod Productions) with a lineup that included We Were Evergreen, London Grammar, Treetop Flyers, The Excitements, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Rich Aucoin, Japanese Girls, We are standard, Tremor and many more. Showcasing at BIME has helped many artists to secure booking and licensing deals.
For more information on these events, please contact Derek Bachman, Executive Director, SaskMusic: 1-800-347-0676 or derek@saskmusic.org.
About Dagan Harding
Dagan is setting out on a solo career, having earned his industry stripes as member of acclaimed groups Despistado and Geronimo. Spending the last four years honing his musical ability in Montreal PQ, he has recently returned to the prairies with a new batch of songs and his unique approach to writing, singing and playing - all influenced by his neighbour Leonard Cohen, and bands The Smiths, The Sonics and early punk legends Fugazi. With over a decade of experience under his belt, Dagan’s musical ideas host sensitive and experimental arrangements with a pop-delivery.
Showcase:
October 25: Reflections Cabaret, Halifax Canada
About The Pistolships
This Saskatoon band infuses indie rock songs with bluesy guitars, driving rhythms, and hooky vocals. Singer/guitarist Rylan Schultz, bassist Zach Davies, drummer Tallus Scott, and guitarist Paul Kuzbik draw their audiences in with their collective vibe, catchy songs, and soulful rock-out sessions. Taking influence from bands like Kings Of Leon, The Arctic Monkeys, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, their sound balances pop choruses painted over syncopated and driving indie rock. Having recently showcased at Canadian Music Week, JUNOfest, and the SaskTel Jazz Fest (Canada), The Pistolwhips continue to play to larger crowds with each show.
The Pistolwhips Upcoming Dates:
October 13: The Windmill, London UK
October 14: Birthdays, London UK
October 16: Dublin Castle, London UK
About Slow Down Molasses (www.slowdownmolasses.com)
Saskatoon’s Slow Down Molasses is a four-piece indie rock collective that feature a rotating cast of collaborating musicians joining them on stage and in the studio. Called “the Broken Social Scene of the prairies” by Toronto’s Exclaim! Magazine, the group takes cues from the wide open spaces of their home, crafting expansive, texture-heavy pop songs that are prone to breaking into storm squalls of drone, delay and feedback. Working with producer Jace Lasek of Besnard Lakes for their yet-to-be-titled upcoming album, Slow Down Molasses have taken the dreamy-vocal arrangements of their sophomore full-length album Walk Into The Sea and sharpened the songwriting into concise blasts of synth-melodies and full-on rock choruses.
Slow Down Molasses Upcoming Dates:
October 29: Bilbao Exhibition Centre, Barakaldo Spain
October 29: Sala Azkena, Bilbao Spain
October 31: BEC Bilbao Exhibition Centre, Barakaldo Spain
October 31: L’international, Paris France
(see website for additional dates)
About We Were Lovers
Dancey beats, swirling atmospheric guitars, and dynamic synths convey a wide array of moods and themes, as strong female vocals wrap stories of love and loss around catchy melodies. With comparisons such as “...Stevie Nicks-meets-The Cure pop" by The Austinist.com, Ash Lamothe and Elsa Gebremichael have mastered a pop balance infusing electro, dreamy, rock and disco elements. Known for their heart-pumping, high energy live show, this duo’s undeniable connection radiates from the stage. WWL has spent many months on tour across Canada and much of the U.S., and recorded their upcoming self-titled EP with Engineer / Producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio, Beach House, Grizzly Bear).
We Were Lovers Upcoming Dates:
October 23: Fat Baby, CMJ New Music Festival, New York USA
October 30: Kafe Antzoki, Bilbao Spain
About Zachary Lucky (www.zacharylucky.com)
Hearing Zachary Lucky’s songs, or reading or writing about this emerging and indelible Canadian artist’s past, it would seem impossible to separate the singer-songwriter from his prairie origins. With his sixth and latest release, The Ballad Of Losing You, Lucky has constructed an earnest and personal narrative about the uncertainty of loss and of transformation; he has drifted from his folk beginnings into a country and English ballad tradition. Lucky maintains a relentless touring schedule, crisscrossing Canada and the U.S., with recent highlights including the Mariposa Folk Festival (Canada), Folk Alliance International and a small tour in Finland.
Zachary Lucky Upcoming Dates:
October 13: Tin Music and Art, Coventry, UK
October 14: Birthdays, London UK
October 15: Servant Jazz Quarters, London UK
October 17: Riverside Café, Sheffield UK
October 18: A Room With A View, Glasgow UK
October 20: Gaslight Club - Oporto, Leeds UK
October 23: Hugh's Room, Toronto Canada
October 28: The Local, Toronto Canada
October 29: Casa Del Popolo, Montreal Canada
October 30: The Black Sheep Inn, Wakefield, Canada
October 31: The Spill, Peterborough Canada
(see website for additional dates)
