Advice The Case for Regional Music Scenes And Why Becoming a Hometown Favourite Can Be Bigger Than Chasing National Fame The Tragically Hip once played a show in Kingston, Ontario, for 13 people. Their next hometown performance attracted 28, and the one after that drew six. Decades later, the band returned to the same city for a final concert watched by more than 11.7 million Canadians. Thousands gathered in
Music Your Band Is a Brand: What Your Look Says Before You Play a Note Before you play a single note, the audience has already made up its mind about you. Here's how to make sure your look tells the right story.
Music How to Own the Stage When You're Not the Front Person The singer gets the spotlight, but the audience is watching the whole band. Here's how drummers, bass players, keyboard players and guitarists can own their part of the stage.
Music Yes, It's a Real Job: Answering the Question Every Musician Hears "So what do you do for a real job?" Every musician, tech and crew member has heard it. Here's why the question misses the point, and how to answer it with confidence.
Music Building a Recognizable Image as a Solo Artist When you're a solo artist, you are the brand. Here's how to build an image people recognize at a glance, on stage, online and everywhere in between.
Music Stage Presence Lessons from a Career in Music Talent gets you on the stage. Presence is what makes people remember you. Ten lessons on stage presence from a career in the entertainment business.
Music What the Audience Notices First (It's Not the Music) You spend hours perfecting the songs. But the audience is picking up on a dozen other things before the music even registers. Here's what they're really looking at.
Music Packing List for Your First Tour Heading out on your first tour? Here's what to pack, what to leave home, and the small things that make life on the road a lot easier.
Music Survival Tips for Long Gig Days Load-in at noon, soundcheck at four, show at ten, load-out at one. Here's how musicians and crew stay sharp through a gig day that never seems to end.
Music How to Get More Gigs Talent alone doesn't fill a calendar. Here's how working musicians make themselves easy to book, build the relationships that lead to more dates, and keep getting called back.
Music Networking Tips for Musicians and Crew In the entertainment business, who you know really does matter. Here's how musicians and crew can build genuine connections that lead to work, without feeling like a salesperson.
Music Gift Ideas for Musicians and Crew Shopping for a musician, sound engineer or road crew member? Here are thoughtful gift ideas they'll actually use, from practical road essentials to experiences they'll remember.
Music Gifts for the Crew Who Make the Show Happen Sound engineers, lighting designers, techs and stagehands make every show possible, and rarely get thanked. Here are gift ideas for the people behind the scenes.
Music Holiday Gifts Under $40 for Musicians and Entertainment Pros You don't need a big budget to make a musician or crew member happy. Here are thoughtful, useful holiday gifts that won't break the bank.
Music Last-Minute Gifts for the Musician Who Has Everything Out of time and shopping for someone who already owns every piece of equipment they need? Here are last-minute gifts you can still pull off, many of them without leaving home.
Music What to Wear to a Gig, a Session and a Music Industry Meeting The right outfit depends on where you're going. Here's a practical guide to dressing for club gigs, private events, festivals, studio sessions, crew calls and music industry meetings.
Music No Show Without the Crew: The People the Audience Never Sees The audience sees the artist. Behind every show is a team of skilled professionals who make it happen. Here's a look at the crew, and why they deserve more credit.
Music Hero of the House: A Salute to Front of House Engineers Every note the audience hears passes through one person's hands. Here's a salute to the front of house engineer, and what it really takes to do the job.
Music The Unofficial Dress Code of the Crew Nobody hands crew members a dress code, but everyone in the business knows it. Here's what to wear when you work behind the scenes, and why it matters.
Music How To Stand Out An artist finishes a set and someone asks, “How would you describe your music?” For musicians who find that question harder than the performance itself, Toronto vocal, performance and career coach Lorraine Lawson is offering How to Stand Out, a live Zoom workshop on November 28 and 29. “Success starts
Music Arkells 9X JUNO Award winners Arkells release their surprise single “Handshake Thugs”. The track marks their first new music since their latest album, Between Us, arrived earlier this spring. Featuring the No. 1 singles “Next Summer” and “Money,” Between Us asks blunt questions about the noise of modern life and where
Music CON THE ARTIST Following a cross-Canada tour with LØLØ and being named the iHeartRadio Future Star earlier this summer, alt-pop upstart CON THE ARTIST makes his full-length debut with THIS IS A BREAKUP ALBUM, a candid, colourful look at love coming undone and life carrying on. Out now via Wax
Music Why Your Band's Origin Story Is Marketing, Not Just Trivia In 1981, a young drummer named Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper looking for musicians who shared his enthusiasm for heavy metal. James Hetfield responded, and the two began playing together. What started with a classified ad eventually became Metallica, one of the biggest bands in
Music Chantal Kreviazuk GRAMMY and JUNO Award-winning artist and internationally acclaimed songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk has released Rockstar Joy via Wax Records, an emotionally charged collection of ten new original songs that captures the passion, complexity and contradictions of love and life in the spotlight. With her unmistakable voice and expressive piano at
Music Tia McGraff's Brand New Adventure Book Not long ago, Jake was waiting in an animal shelter in Nashville, Tennessee. Today the Husky rides shotgun on tour with two of Canada’s most celebrated folk musicians, and now he’s the star of his own book series. ‘In Your Dreams, Jake: The Trail Goes On,’ the second
