Preview! Canadian Music Week 2017
Canadian Music Week is back, and has moved from its May slot back a few weeks into April. This year’s edition is April 18 to 23, and promises to be another good one. Following our coverage in 2013 (where we interviewed CHVRCHES and attended tons of shows), and 2014, 2015, and 2016 (where we saw tons of shows every day), we look forward to pushing our bodies to the extreme in 2017.
So, who is gracing Toronto for the 2017 edition? You could look at the poster above, or I can tell you that might see Big Sean, Earl Sweatshirt, Wolf Parade, Melissa Etheridge, Tanya Tagaq, 54-40, and a mix of international and Canadian bands. As before, you can buy a wristband and go from venue to venue discovering tons of great bands you didn’t know existed (and some bars/clubs that you also didn’t know existed).
You spent a lot of your bitcoins buying tickets, so who should you see? Let us present you 5 bands that you may or may not know, and would be worth your time.
Explosions in the Sky – Sunday, April 23 @ Rebel: One of those bands that I’ll see every time they come into town. They make instrumental and ambient rock, including movie soundtracks, and they do it well. Check out our interview from a few years ago, and check them out as they close CMW.
Basement Revolver – oddly no info on time or venue: This Hamilton band is a recent discovery of mine. I have no idea how their live show is, but that’s the beauty of Canadian Music Week.
The Strumbellas – Friday, April 21 @ Rebel: There were arguably the best show I saw last year at CMW 2016, just as they were taking over North American radio and Internet bandwidth for streams. They’re playing as part of IHEARTRADIO FEST with Big Sean and others, and will likely end up performing at a headliner’s level.
Beliefs – Saturday, April 22 @ Garrison: Playing as part of the Bunz showcase, perhaps you can trade something in for admission or free beers?
Labs – Thursday, April 20 @ Piston: An upbeat electropop vibe with good vocals. Playing along with Born Cages, Oh Geronimo and more.
Head to the CMW website to get the latest festival news, see the keynote speakers, and buy wristbands. I’ll see you around town – I’ll be the guy frantically running from venue to venue, looking at his Google Maps and the TTC schedule.
Follow us on Twitter @PeteHatesMusic for tons of CMW 2017 tweets and reviews. You also might get a bunch of Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto FC tweets, but they will be worth it.
Spotify playlist with bonus songs below:
