UAR News
The Train is warming up..
This site has been purely a labour of love. M any of our friends knew our intention in creating it..we want to service the incredible people who are working touring and promoting music across Canada.For a few years now we have been working running the Ymir Schoolhouse, running a stage at the Amazing Artswells festival in and this year we created our own little festival
Tiny Lights.. we have been lost as to how to best run this site.
Suddenly a light came on.. a spark.. we crowd sourced the solution to our conundrum and the answer came.
We have magic in the works behind the scenes.. stayed tuned
Tiny Lights Festival
We are super proud to announce that we are taking on an amazing project this summer.On June 16th 2012 we are putting on The Tiny Lights Festival in Ymir BC. For years now Shawn and I have been running a stage at Artswells (our favorite festival). We have been so inspired by the amazing music, collaborations, visual art, and theatre that we have seen there that we thought we spread the love.
We have brought together friends old and new to present, art, music, theatre, dance, sustainability workshops and so much more!
We are super happy to announce our musical line up.... Maria in the Shower, E.s.l., Steve Brockley Band, Hannah Epperson, Craig Korth,and many more.
Tickets are on sale now!
www.tinylightsfestival.com
September.. great shows!
Yes my favorite season is upon us.. fall. We are going through some huge changes as a family. Shawn our resident touring musician has decided go to music school. He has been working as a touring musician and sound guy for over 10 years, has 3 albums under his belt, but he really wants to study music.This is a huge life change for us. I am finally feeling better enough to begin work again.. so Underground will get some much needed attention.
We are also in the process of booking our fall/winter/spring season at the Ymir schoolhouse. Look out Kootenays, we have Steve Brockley, Linda McRae, Seth and Shara of Mamagroove, and many more..
An amazing thing happened at Artswells this year, well many many amazing happened, but one of my favorites was hearing the divine.. Hannah Epperson. This woman does things with a violin and a loop station that would make your head spin. We have the pleasure of being able to bring her to Ymir on September 28th.. Dont miss this show!! More soon..
CRAZY RIDE
Yes it was a validation to be in the top 20 music websites in Canada! It was also pretty stressful to keep getting people to vote for us, but what an amazing ride. I guess the best part was feeling like there was actually some kind of recognition for all that we have been doing.I know that people appreciate it but sometimes it feels like we are fairly alone out here in cyberspace.
This year has brought us so much joy. We have been able to bring such great acts to our little town and put Ymir (why am I here) on the map. My favorite moments are the day after a show, seeing the glow on people's faces when they say,"That was such an amazing show, I can't believe it was in Ymir."
It is the magic of live performance that this site was built on and the buzz that keeps us going.
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to vote. Our hearts are full. This weekend we have the melodic and funky (yes it is possible to be embodied in one man)
Ari Neufeld.
We are in the TOP 20!
We are super grateful to be in the top 20 music websites in Canada! Thank you to all of you who continue to vote! Shawn and I are super excited, but mostly I am so glad that we are bringing more attention to the amazing artists, venues and festivals on this site!It is our intention to create a real space for Canadian music, to help musicians get gigs and to show you people that you may not have seen before!
Keep voting..it would be great to get into the TOP 10!!!
PS we have the incredible Ari Nuefeld in Ymir on Friday March 4th at the schoolhouse. Tickets are $10!
LAST DAY FOR VOTING!!
Thank you so much to everyone who has been voting everyday for our site!Today is the last day to vote. Thursday we will find out if we have made the Top 20 Music Websites in Canada. You can vote at radio3.cbc.ca/searchlight or follow the link in the banner above!
We are also getting very excited about the amazing Ari Neufeld coming to Ymir on March 4th. Let me know if you would like tickets!
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
TOP 30 WE DID IT!!!
I am amazed at this but somehow we made it into the top 30. Thank you so much for everyone who voted! We are going to keep it going for you! We are working our butts off trying to as Alan Cross says.. "keep current" our goal is to create a tool for musicians.. there are a lot of these sites that are about promoting new music, our goal is to get musicians on the road doing what they love.Thank you CBC Searchlight for shining some light our way!
WE ARE IN THE TOP 60!
Hey guys! We are in the top 60 of the CBC Radio 3 Searchlight best website in Canada!You can help to get us to the next level by voting!
http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/searchlight/
We are incredibly grateful for those of you who have been voting to get us this far. PS.. The legendary Leo Kottke is coming to Nelson of May 25th! I will update about tickets as soon as I know!
WE ARE BACK!!
Hey Everyone.. we were offline there for a few days while we did a server migration.. in English it essentially means that we moved. All was in an attempt to serve you better.CBC SEARCHLIGHT CONTEST!
CBC is looking for the best indie music website in Canada, We would love your nomination.If you love our site and have a moment please go to CBC Radio 3 website and follow the links! They are looking for independent Canadian sites with heart. I think that we fit the bill..
YMIR SPARKLE PARTY!
Was a blast!! Thanks to Blackberry Wood for keeping the energy high! Check back soon for more music coming your way!
YMIR SPARKLE PARTY!
Blackberry Wood is coming back to Ymir!January 29th - come and join us for a community fundraiser! Tickets $10. This is a costume party.
Get your sparkle on! Tickets available at the Ymir store. If you dont know what a Sparkle party is check this out. German Sparkle Party.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-jN3vH26NQ
See you there!
YMIR SPARKLE PARTY!
Blackberry Wood is coming back to Ymir!January 29th - come and join us for a community fundraiser! Tickets $10. This is a costume party.
Get your sparkle on! Tickets available at the Ymir store. If you dont know what a Sparkle party is check this out. German Sparkle Party.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-jN3vH26NQ
See you there!
Juno Nominees- Bahamas coming to Ymir- December 7th in Ymir
Hey everyone. We have the Juno nominated band Bahamas playing at the schoolhouse on December 7th! That is next Tuesday. Tickets are available at the Ymir Store, Eddy Music in Nelson or by emailing mecarla@undergroundartsrailroad.com! This show is going to be awesome. Shawn describes their music as somewhere between Ron Sexsmith and Nick Drake.. I just know that after one listen I am haunted..
See you there!
New Mobile Website
Hey everyone on an iphone or blackberry or ipod... check out our new mobile web site!It is easy and fun www.theuar.mobi.
See some of our favorite artists, see upcoming events and more! Would you like your event featured on it? Drop me a line carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com.
WE WON!!!!
Last night we won the Community Futures award in the catagory of Overcoming Challenges! I am so grateful that our site is facilitating 100 of independent Canadian Artists to live their dreams! We put on an incredible series of shows last year at the Ymir Schoolhouse and we are continuing this season. CR Avery played to an awesome audience last week. Friday November 19th we have Steve Brockley back in the Koots! Let me know if you you would like tickets!carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Win tickets to CR Avery in Ymir
Hey there! Want to see the incredible CR Avery live at the Ymir Schoolhouse on October 26th? This will be an incredible show not to be missed.All that you have to do is write to me at carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com and tell me what alcohol did CR review in a past issue of BC musician magazine..
Good Luck
SCOTTY DUNBAR SEPT 21
We are having a special show entitled "5 bucks or F#ck off" on Cherry Street in Ymir tomorrow night.The amazing Scott Dunbar will be playing. Usually we would have this amazing musician at the Ymir Schoolhouse but it is a bit busy at the moment with the filming of the movie Tall Man. So we have moved the show to our neighbours garage. Come and join us. It will be a blast...
Movie magic is coming to Ymir!!!
Yes it is true, Jessica Biel will be filming Tall Man in Ymir. In fact the movie crew is taking over our little schoolhouse and transforming it. Our first show of the year will now be on October 26th. We are thrilled to bring back the incomparable CR AVERY!Other great shows coming up this year are Linda McRae and Steve Brockley and we have Juno nominee Bahamas!! I am booking now for the winter season so let me know if you are interested!
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Shambhala bliss
Well I had to see first hand what Shambhala was all about. I live only 15 minutes away and I run a music website but I have never gone.. until now. I really never thought I would get into the scene because it is not really my favorite music, but my curiosity was piqued.We went Sunday night and the first thing that struck me upon arrival at the site was how incredible a feat it is to organize 10 000 people.
These guys have it dialed in. There were plenty of parking attendants and lots of keepers to help a newbie like me. I guess the thing that impressed me most were how happy people were to be there. Everyone from the ticket taker to the audience were so excited to be part of creating such a great event.
The stages are incredible and and the transformation of a farm into a wonderland is truly amazing. People were friendly and welcoming on the dance floors and everyone was happy to just get their freak on.
Say what you will about the music.. I was able to see Beardyman live.. WOW what a treat and Five Alarm Funk an amazing 11 piece energy machine. I was super surprised and loved Beats Antique, and I loved most the freedom and the magic that came from attending an event that is so well loved and co-created by audience and planners.
ARTSWELLS IS ON!!
Last night after a smoky drive through central B.C. we arrived in Wells. Coming to this festival is like coming home. So many friends, amazing musicians and volunteers make this a unique experience. Last night we were able to catch Canada's songwriting maven Linda McRae at the Bears Paw Cafe.The best part was looking around the audience, Corwin Fox, Kia Kadiri, Scott Dunbar, Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, we saw Ari Neufeld driving into town.. and the festival hasn't even begun yet. If you can possibly make your way to Wells this weekend you will not be disappointed!
See you in Wells
Inspired again by music
Last night Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra graced our little town of 300 with an incredible high energy performance that blew me away. It still amazes me that incredible bands drive all night to perform to little but extremely appreciative audiences.I just read a business book called "Raving Fans". It was all about the necessity of businesses to create raving fans in today's economy who will sell their product for them by telling their friends how amazing a product is. Well, I think businesses have a lot to learn from touring musicians. I will pay money..(buy merch) to promote an amazing artist. I will blog about them and certainly tell all my friends..and I will gladly wear their logo on my body and be proud to do it.
What company wouldn't love that kind of brand loyalty. See big business even us humble musicians have a trick or two up our sleeves. On that note, if you get a chance to check out TMO on this crazy cross-Canada tour, you will not be disappointed! Fabulous people making fabulous music!!!
CONTEST!!!!
Okay everyone.. Underground is trying to marry its love of language and Canadian Music.So I am creating a contest..I am looking for the best use of an uncommon word in an Canadian musician's song.. an example would be from Sarah Harmer's "Escarpment Blues" in which she uses the word -AQUIFERS "we are two thirds water that the AQUIFERS provide"
Just send me your choice.. song and artist.. I will send EVERYONE who enters a free Underground sticker and special surprise.. plus the winning 3 entries will receive a CD of your choice from our wonderful stash.. enter as often as you like!
email your nominations to carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Praise for the Ymir Schoolhouse
Vish Khanna of CBC Radio 3 comment on Ymir.. and the Hear some evil tour.Here is an little of his blog.. you can check out the whole article and follow the whole tour at www.radio3.cbc.ca under the "Wrath of Khanna" Shawn and I will be on the show today! Read on....
"We've had some really, really inspiring experiences on the Hear Some Evil Tour so far and, as of this moment, our time in Bruno, SK has only been rivaled by the amazing experience we had in Ymir, BC on Sunday. The small town has some wonderful people in it and two of them in particular are doing amazing things. Carla and Shawn Stephenson are not only putting on cool shows (like ours at the Ymir Schoolhouse) but they're working on an intricate database for Canadian musicians called the Underground Arts Railroad. It's an ambitious enterprise but only one of many for these energetic people. I was honoured to meet them (and their pets) and you'll hear from them on the show today.
Then there was Banff. What was originally a day off turned into a weird show where we played to a crowd of loud, drunken Aussies and Brits all staying at the Banff Alpine Centre hostel. The hostel is awesome and we got treated well by the people who organized the show. But man, the 15 people in attendance were soooo loud and obnoxious. And then they actually bought merch! So weird. You'll hear about them on the show today..."
Check out our blog!!
I feel like an explanation is in order.. This website has some amazing functionality that is hard to see from first glance. As a result it does some things really well.. like connect musicians and venues across Canada and sort the whole country regionally BUT as a result, some things are harder to do.Posting awesome videos and pictures are easier on our blog so you may want to check that too.. www.undergroundartsrailroad.blogspot.com
Here you can see great videos of past performances at the Ymir schoolhouse and find all kinds of treasure.. enjoy..
THANK YOU YMIR!!!
Wax Mannequin and the Burning Hell played tonight to another awesome crowd in Ymir..This is truly the beauty of an amazing small venue. We are doing all we can to encourage other small venues in Canada.. it is great to be a musician playing in your own little world but to bring music to real fans in little towns is amazing..
you can check them out on our blog. www.undergroundartsrailroad.blogspot.com
CONGRATS TO ARTSWELLS !!!!
To my complete astonishment, ArtsWells has made it to the CBC3 top ten "Best Festival in Canada!" From the bottom of my heart I thank you for your tremendous support. I only hope that this summer's festival can live up to this honourable designation!And as I celebrate that this little festival, produced in the little t...own of Wells, by the little (yet mighty) non-profit society - Island Mountain Arts, which has been running on a wing and prayer since 1977 - has received such accolades, I also worry for the future of such organizations in light of the recent budget announcements by the provincial government which cuts funding to the arts by 50%.The real heroes in all of this are the artists who have made the festival the success that it is, and who continue to create in light of the lack of support. The work that artists do in our society is profound, providing a connection to something that is not easily defined, but is inextricably linked to enjoying a quality of life. It is easy to take artists for granted since there is no clear formula to explain the value of art (music, performance, writing etc) in monetary terms (the way that most things are defined especially for our current government). But can you imagine a world without art - what would the olympics have been without art! Thank you for supporting artists! Thank you for supporting ArtsWells. Tell your friends, tell your neighbours! Go to a concert of an artist you've never heard of, host a house concert, check out your local art gallery, buy a piece of art, check out some local theatre, go to a festival in northern BC (there are a lot more than just ArtsWells - Arts on the Fly (Horsefly), Robson Valley Music Festival (Dunster), Kispiox Music Festival (near Smithers), Cottonwood Music Festival and Music on the Mountain (Fort St. James), Discovery Coast Music Festival (Bella Coola), Edge of the World (Haida Gwaii), Atlin Music Festival (taking a year off in 2010), Cold Snap (Prince George) . If the government isn't going to support the arts and culture of the province we need to make sure that we all do and that we encourage others to as well. and get you kids and your neighbours kids out to experience the arts in all its forms, because most of the arts programming has been cut out of the schools as well. I know it has made my life so much richer and probably yours as well. Lets make sure ART SWELLS!!!!!!!!Julie Fowler
WIVES OF MUSICIANS
There is an amazing comradarie that happens at festivals..there is a moment where I recognize one of my own kind; the partners of touring musicians.There is a mutual understanding of what this means, a shared experience. I am not talking about the "flavours of the month" that inevitably follow musicians around in the summertime working merch tables and displaying band names across perky upturned breasts. I am talking about men and women who have commited to trying to build a life with touring musician. (and yes in all fairness maybe some of them started out as merch table girls)
I remember last year shooting the shit with a few lifers as we chased our children around a festival and made sure that they were fed, safe, occupied, and happy.
Musicians lead crazy double lives. (I can only speak for those I know but I think that this is fairly universal)
At home they are devoted husbands and fathers, usually very present in their kids lives, usually also employed by some other means than music. They leave their socks on the floor, wake up with bad breath, are grumpy sometimes; they are human.
On tour something else happens. They are treated differently. It must be very difficult to come from a domestic life of screaming babies and carpooling the kids to school to a life on stage with 100's even thousands of people watching you.. but that is another story...
This story is that of the partners. Usually it begins months before the tour doing promo and getting everything ready for the musician. Most partners that I know have been involved at some point in organizing tours.
Then, in festival season anyway, making sure that everything is ready for the musician but also for the rest of the family.
I remember after a huge day of kids and chaos and soundchecks and all of us partners performing miracles of multitasking..without our musical partners who were otherwise engaged in getting ready to perform....
We were all feeling a little resentful for the lack of assistance but kept our distance. We sat quietly in the audience, anonymous and watched them perform.. then our dear friend invited his 6 year old daughter on stage to perform with him. As much as it was sweet and lovely.. I locked eyes with her mom and saw the inevitably eye roll.
Every woman heart in the audience was melting. I heard women audibly sigh and could almost hear their thoughts..."Wow, what a great dad he is" "he really understands me"
Of course as soon as he was off the stage he was surrounded by tons of women...
Being a lifer I have long since gotten over the adoring women fan thing but I have to admit is still pisses me off when the idolizing happens...
There was certainly no recognition of what it took to get that 6 year old ready that day.. to make sure they were well behaved and sat through yet another one of daddy's shows..We become invisible. Often overlooked even as we are constantly trying to promote how great the performer is...
It takes a lot of inner stregth to to be okay with this, to not let your mind wander to crazy places...visions of naked adoring fans mauling your man..who still leaves his socks on the floor....
There is one thing I know...if a couple has a touring musician in the family, and are together for a long time, it is work...on both their parts.
Both have had to learn to let go a little..and just know that their private lives are what is important....
So much love to all of my sisters and fellow lifers out there...
Between a rock and a hardplace
The Olympics have been such a double edged sword topic in our house. It all started with Jeff Berner performing this song at Artswells this year. The whole room erupted into a rousing chorus. This started serious protest in our house.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j144LxkEBZg
The cuts to arts funding have affected our business, Shawn's music and even our access to our library . This year our kids had to pay to have access to the "public" library. Heated debate has ensued.
On the other side of this debate,
our son Tajo's class is in the magical year of Waldorf school when all of the Waldorf schools in get together and celebrate the Olympics. All year they practice, throwing javelins with grace, and learning ideals of sportsmanship and dedication.
It was an incredible opportunity for the class to see the torch running through the streets of Nelson.. even Ymir..
However the scantily clad dancing girls on the float pumping shitty music and thowing out plastic made-in-China-flashing-Coke lights was not exactly what we had in mind when showing our kids the float..
Shawn and many other awesome artists that we know had the opportunity to perform at the torch ceremonies and even at the opening ceremonies..
This was a really dificult catch 22..with all the cuts we are hurting, so the opportunity for exposure was great with all the media, yet the funding cuts have been devasting to the arts and if artists dont lead the protests who will?
Some of our friends (Shawn included) did not perform;some did... with great publicity.. dont know who was right just that this brings up a lot of deep thinking..
A man who we also admire greatly Shane Koyczan performed at the opening ceremonies last night.. here is his offering... when else will you see a poet touting Canada on NBC?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQbQGn_rqTw
Sound sound sound
I was thinking about the show on Sunday and really appreciating how great it sounded.Sound can be a really thankless job. It is one of the jobs that few people will go out of their way to tell you when you doing right and EVERYONE will tell you if you are doing wrong.
I have tremendous admiration for my husband Shawn. He has mixed more artists that I can count, Tom Hooper, Don Alder, Celso Muchado,CR Avery, Geoff Berner, Kris Demeanor,Jambanja...the list in the hundreds and reads like a whose who of Canadian music.
He has a great ear and is able to work on the fly to adjust to whatever anyone needs.I have watched him do the most incredible job at Artswells each year, switching between 40 different acts on the fly... with lots with super complex needs.
So many musiciana have said that their experience at Wells and at the Ymir schoolhouse with sound was the best on their tour. This is the greatest compliment.
What I most admire about Shawn however is the sense of calm he brings to what he does. I know that he is stressed inside but he always exudes patience,and is relaxed so that the musician can feel at ease. He listens not only to the sound but also to what the musician needs.
I just want to thank all of wonderful sound people in the world who work so hard to bring the music to you....
Sound sound sound
I was thinking about the show on Sunday and really appreciating how great it sounded.Sound can be a really thankless job. It is one of the jobs that few people will go out of their way to tell you when you doing right and EVERYONE will tell you if you are doing wrong.
I have tremendous admiration for my husband Shawn. He has mixed more artists that I can count, Tom Hooper, Don Alder, Celso Muchado,CR Avery, Geoff Berner, Kris Demeanor,Jambanja...the list in the hundreds and reads like a who's who of Canadian music.
He has a great ear and is able to work on the fly to adjust to whatever anyone needs.I have watched him do the most incredible job at Artswells each year, switching between 40 different acts on the fly... with lots with super complex needs.
So many musiciana have said that their experience at Wells and at the Ymir schoolhouse with sound was the best on their tour. This is the greatest compliment.
What I most admire about Shawn however is the sense of calm he brings to what he does. I know that he is stressed inside but he always exudes patience,and is relaxed so that the musician can feel at ease. He listens not only to the sound but also to what the musician needs.
I just want to thank all of wonderful sound people in the world who work so hard to bring the music to you....
C.R.Avery in Ymir - Feb 7th!
We are always trying to bring you awesome shows,this week is no exception. We have C.R.Avery, beatboxing,piano playing harmonica,genius, poet.. at the Ymir Schoolhouse. C.R. will not be playing Nelson this time through,so this a great opportunity to see him live.We have special V.I.P. tix available in our classifieds or drop me a line if you would like tix.
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
P.S. reno on the site are almost done! February 6th we relaunch the site1
RENOVATION TIME!!!
Hey everyone,We just wanted to let you know that we are under a major renovation. Until January 30th I will be working day and night to update the site, revamp the user profiles and make sure that all of our resources are up to date to serve you for the upcoming season....
January 24 brings the incredible Scott Dunbar to Ymir. Show 8pm tix $10 drop me a line if you would like tix..
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
You can check on daily progress of our biz at our blog
www.undergroundartsrailroad.blogspot.com
Renovation Time!!
Hey everyone,We just wanted to let you know that we are under a major renovation. Until January 20th I will be working day and night to update the site, revamp the user profiles and make sure that all of our resources are up to date to serve you for the upcoming season....
January 12 brings James Lamb and David Newberry to Ymir. Show 8pm tix $10 drop me a line if you would like tix..
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
You can check on daily progress of our biz at our blog
www.undergroundartsrailroad.blogspot.com
FANTASTIC SHOWS COMING TO THE KOOTENAYS
The Ymir Schoolhouse is hosting some incredible shows this January. James Lamb, David Newberry and the Crooked Brothers and Scott Dunbar... check out our events calendar for details..FANTASTIC SHOWS COMING TO THE KOOTENAYS
The Ymir Schoolhouse is hosting some incredible shows this January. James Lamb, David Newberry and the Crooked Brothers and Scott Dunbar... check out our events calendar for details..FANTASTIC SHOWS COMING TO THE KOOTENAYS
The Ymir Schoolhouse is hosting some incredible shows this January. James Lamb, David Newberry and the Crooked Brothers and Scott Dunbar... check out our events calendar for details..DO YOU KNOW OF ANY VENUES THAT WE DONT?
Do you know of any venues that we are missing? We would love to hear from you. We just recieved a grant today that will allow us to work full time on this site. So we are looking for help. Do you know of any great venue or festival that we are missing. Do you a great idea for an article? Any suggestions for the site.Please let me know. Drop me a line!!
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Vous Parlez Francais? Espanol?
Hey everyone did you know you can translate this whole site toalmost any language that you want just go to
www.babelfish.yahoo.com....
Type in www.undergroundartsrailroad.com and it will translate the whole site into french, spanish,japanese..... try it! It is fun and free!
Parlez-vous Francais? Espanol?
Hey everyone did you know you can translate this whole site toalmost any language that you want just go to
www.babelfish.yahoo.com....
Type in www.undergroundartsrailroad.com and it will translate the whole site into french, spanish,japanese..... try it! It is fun and free and not entirely accurate!
Parlez-vous Francais? Espanol?
Hey everyone did you know you can translate this whole site toalmost any language that you want just go to
www.babelfish.yahoo.com....
Type in www.undergroundartsrailroad.com and it will translate the whole site into french, spanish,japanese..... try it! It is fun and free and not entirely accurate!
Buy awesome stuff and support musicians!!
A while ago, my friend Paul Crawford and I were coming up with new ways to fund musicians...we came up with this idea, now you can be part of it.We would get great musicians and supporters to donate cool stuff to our site. We would list it in our classified section for a fraction of its actual value.
People could then buy it and we would put the money in a micro granting fund for musicians who were members of the site..
Sound cool?
check it out
http://undergroundartsrailroad.com/classifieds/category/awesome-things/ or go to our classifieds and click on awesome stuff.
enjoy
carla
First Penguin In...
I just read a great book called "the last lecture".. in it the professor who wrote it explains that every year he gave out an award each year call the First Penguin to the student who took on the most far out project...way beyond their abilities and challenged themselves to reach the goal..but fell flat on their face and did not accomplish it...His theory is that these are the innovators..they may not succeed out of the gate but they will or someone will imitate them who will get it right...
It is based on the notion of all of the penguins all sitting on an ice flow and one of them jumps into the water first..sometimes he gets the fish but sometimes he gets eaten by an orca or a seal...
Well we are certainly penguins...the independent bookstore/music venue that we opened up in a town of fishermen and loggers was the first penguin move....
Starting a website to help musicians when neither of us had any computer background and live in a place where you can only get dial-up is number 2......
Are you curious at least if we can pull it off?
I am....
Last night was a beautiful show...Coco is the quinticential entertainer and we were delighted to hear Rob Wilson.. a new friend and looper...
Shawn was so happy to talk the geeky-looper gear talk with him.. it goes something like this..."blah blah blah.. syncing issues.. lay down a percussion track...try to get the machines to talk to each other.. sequencing...blah,blah,blah...
But however the talk sounds the product is incredible..
Coco never ceases to amaze me.. it was an intimate crowd and there were kids there ..as she sang one of her bicycle songs all of the kids were singing along and knew all of the words.. I think she was really moved..
What an amazing feeling to create something and have other people enjoy it and repeat it...
THAT IS THE REASON I LOVE TO SUPPORT ARTISTS.... THEY MAKE OUR WORLD A RICHER, WAY MORE INTERESTING PLACE.
So I am off today to be the first penguin in....and finish this plan to get some funding for the underground...
GREAT NEWS AT UNDERGROUND
Hey everyone.. just a few updates for you..Coming up in the next few months in the School house we have reports of James Lamb, Dave Newberry, Miss Emily Brown,Corwin Fox,Morlove,and Wax Mannequin.. and more coming...
As far as the site goes. We are in the process of applying for some pretty major funding.. so all of our energies have been there.. We will find out the outcome soon... Then it is time to put all of our energies behind this awesome site and make it all that it can be... stay tuned!
Carla
Buy awesome stuff and support musicians!!
A while ago, my friend Paul Crawford and I were coming up with new ways to fund musicians...we came up with this idea, now you can be part of it.We would get great musicians and supporters to donate cool stuff to our site. We would list it in our classified section for a fraction of its actual value.
People could then buy it and we would put the money in a micro granting fund for musicians who were members of the site..
Sound cool?
check it out
http://undergroundartsrailroad.com/classifieds/category/awesome-things/ or go to our classifieds and click on awesome stuff.
enjoy
carla
YMIR SCHOOLHOUSE IS NOW BOOKING ITS WINTER CONCERT SERIES
Hey all of you awesome talented peeps looking for gigs in the Kootenays. The Ymir School house is now booking our winter concert series. If you would like an awesome gig in a great venue with a supportive crowd and great acoustics.. Drop me a line. We just had two sold out shows.. Coco Love Alcorn and Fish and Bird.. dont miss your chance.drop me a line
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
VOTE FOR WASSABI!!
Hey everyone..we want to congratulate our friends the Wassabi Collective for being finalists in the Peak Performance Project.Nelson, BC's Wassabi Collective are currently one of the Top 19 finalists in The PEAK Performance Project, which is a seven-year, $5.29 million contest open to all musicians in British Columbia, created by 100.5 The PEAK and Music BC to develop BC based emerging artists. The three PEAK Performer of
the Year will share $275,000 in cash for sustained career development. Forreal!! This could really change their lives!! You can only vote once per computer, unless its a laptop than you can vote every time you log on in a
different place. Voting began on Monday Oct 5th at 10:05AM PST and ends on
Nov 30th at Midnight. Go to http://www.peakperformanceproject.com to vote and also help them by spreading the word and getting your friends and family
to vote too!!!
You don't have to sign up or give any personal information, you just click on the band and then hit vote, its thateasy! It is all part of the judging for the competition, to see how many
people vote for them. Your votes rock
Who are the people behind this site anyway?
The Underground Arts Railroad was created with the intention of connecting amazing people in the independant Candian music industry to each other.
Who are the people behind this site anyway?
We are a young couple with kids that, for five years had a small music venue/bookstore/café on the far west coast of Vancouver Island and also have a touring musician in our family. We operated Words End with determination and it became known for having fantastic gigs with a wonderful audience that paid musicians well. We were blessed to have so many fabulous people share our stage and our town. We lived literally at the end of the earth so it was a difficult sell to get musicians to our part of the country. It became a big part of our job trying to find other gigs for musicians to make the trip to the remote coast worth the journey.
We began to connect with other remote, tiny venues and a mini circuit was born.
Through this process we realized that there were so many people like us, working hard for the love of live music and trying to bring it to small communities across Canada. Each one had its own little scene and each one was powered by amazing people making extraordinary efforts to get great artists on their stages.
As musicians we realized that some of the best venues in Canada were little known places with incredible community support. We created the Underground Arts Railroad with the intention of connecting artists to each other and to great venues and festivals across Canada.
We have seen many sides of the music community and recognize the difficulties of being an independent musician or a venue in this shifting time. We also realized how difficult and time comsuming it is to find information on every aspect of performing and trying to maintain as well as promote a creative music career. We wanted to make it easier for musicians so they could spend their time making music, not searching the internet for information.
We also wanted to make it easy on venues so that they were not spending so much time
wading through profiles, phone calls and press kits, searching for suitable musicians and trying to find them other gigs as well.
Ultimately we would like everyone to have an easier time getting live music to people who appreciate it. This site was created with these needs in mind.
Our intention is to offer an alternative, to help musicians get organized, help venues and festivals find musicians and help everyone learn to market themselves easily and efficiently, leaving more time for creating music…and getting it out there.
So, we have compiled as much information as we can for you right here on this amazingly comprehensive website.
For venues and festivals looking for new talent, we provide access to new and established independent Canadian musicians.
For musicians, our incredible sort fuctionality makes it easy to find venues anywhere in Canada that are most suited to your music. Our Direct Conect funtionalty allows you to directly contact the venues that would be most interested in you.
Our classifieds and forums are a great way to connect with everyone in this community.
Get On Board and Get Connected!!
YMIR SCHOOLHOUSE IS NOW BOOKING ITS WINTER CONCERT SERIES
Hey all of you awesome talented peeps looking for gigs in the Kootenays. The Ymir School house is now booking our winter concert series. If you would like an awesome gig in a great venue with a supportive crowd and great acoustics.. Drop me a line. We just had two sold out shows.. Coco Love Alcorn and Fish and Bird.. dont miss your chance.drop me a line
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Fish and Bird coming to Ymir
Once again Ymir is blessed to have an amazing show at the Schoolhouse. Come out and see this incredible band in an awesome venue.."Fish & Bird are Taylor Ashton and Adam Iredale-Gray, though not necessarily in that order. These tunesmiths hail from the west coast of Canada and compose melodious concoctions steeped in folk, brewed in the dense coniferous backwoods of their strange minds. Between them, they play banjo, fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, and even guitar. "
For advance tickets email me carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
A simple way to Protest funding cuts to the arts in BC
The funding cuts to the arts in British Columbia were shocking and unprecidented.. get mad.. get busy.. here is an easy and effective protest.. for every one letter that a politician recievies it represents the opinions of approx 75 constiutents.. get busy everyone!!Write to the BC Liberals about their ill-advised slashing of arts and culture funding.
Use one of these sample letters of protest.
Adapt or even just copy one of the letters below. Note: if you have time, it's always better to put things at least partially into your own words, so that these don't read as form letters.
Then either fax or email your letter to the Premier and the two ministers listed below, as well as to your own MLA, your local municipal politicians, business leaders and anyone else you can think of.
Note: Faxing your letter is better than email; if you don't have fax, email is way better than nothing.
If you have other sample letters you'd like to see collected here, send them in and they will be added.
Write to:
Premier Gordon Campbell: Fax: 250 387-0087
gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca
MLA: Hon. Kevin Krueger: Fax: 250 953-4250
kevin.krueger.mla@leg.bc.ca
MLA: Hon. Rich Coleman: Fax: 250 356-7292
rich.coleman.mla@leg.bc.ca
The three emails together are:
gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca, kevin.krueger.mla@leg.bc.ca, rich.coleman.mla@leg.bc.ca
_____________________________________________
1. Somewhat shorter letter:
Dear Premier Campbell, Ministers Krueger and Coleman,
I am writing to protest your cuts to arts funding in British Columbia. These cuts are not only socially and economically destructive, they represent a contradiction of the BC Liberals' own stated policies and election platform, and they constitute last-minute broken monetary promises to workers and organizations in BC.
Before these cuts, the cultural sector in BC employed well over 75,000 people. The arts funds that you had promised to arts groups supported the employment of cultural workers who, despite wages chronically close to the poverty line, consistently contribute nearly 5 billion annually to BC's economy. You are forcing layoffs of some of the most productive workers in the province, in a time of recession.
Minister Krueger said in July's annual report that B.C.'s creative industries are strong economic drivers, and Statscan backs this up. For every dollar spent on the arts, $1.36 comes back to the BC government in general revenue. Furthermore, it's said that this sector actually contributes much more than that if you take into account culture's key contribution to other industries such as tourism, IT, video gaming, and many other unexpected benefits.
Quite apart from the compelling economic arguments for supporting culture, there are the equally convincing social arguments. Studies worldwide, including your own, have definitively proven that a healthy cultural sector is absolutely key to the liveability of cities and towns, to public well-being, peace and tolerance, to general levels of creativity and innovation, to the education and motivation of children, to psychological health and to a general sense of pride and direction.
The province of British Columbia has a long legacy of artistic excellence and its artists have a disproportionately high international reputation. Your cuts will destroy the arts, will harm an extremely lucrative cultural tourism industry, and will cause a creative brain drain that will economically cripple the large, productive growth industries named above, because these draw heavily on BC's pool of artists when they need to hire creative and innovative workers. Furthemore, private funding, if BC even had a culture of that, does not produce the culture of excellence and the quality of training that public funding does. You need to go back and do your homework.
Your own documents state "[r]esearch has revealed that 75 per cent of Canadians consider the arts and heritage essential to their quality of life, and that community quality of life is the second-most important factor people consider (after salaries) when choosing jobs."
A majority of the people of BC are offended in the extreme by Rich Coleman's cynical argument that giving money to artists takes food out of the mouths of hungry children. Since 2001 it's your own policies that have accomplished a well-publicized increase in child poverty. BC gives less money to the arts than almost any Canadian province, meanwhile its child poverty record has deteriorated ever since your party came to power, even as you have cut personal taxes.
I insist that you reinstate the retracted gaming funds as well as the general revenue funds that support the arts. Stimulus works in a recession, and BC's cultural sector, once dismantled, will not easily be rebuilt.
Sincerely,
__________________________________________________________
2. Longer Letter:
Dear Premier Campbell, Ministers Krueger and Coleman,
I am writing to condemn your cuts to arts funding in British Columbia. These cuts are not only both socially and economically unwise, they represent a contradiction of the BC Liberals' own stated policies and election platform, and they constitute last-minute broken monetary promises to workers and organizations in BC.
Arts and culture workers in BC constitute an extremely significant employment and economic sector. Before the cuts, the arts employed well over 75,000 people in BC. The arts funds you promised - both the gaming funds and general revenue funds distributed through the BC Arts Council - supported the salaries of a very significant number of workers. These singularly underpaid yet highly productive workers contribute nearly 5 billion annually to the GDP. This contribution dwarfs the tiny subsidy you are giving the arts this year, which has already been slashed from 47 to 19 million, and will be slashed to a paltry 3.8 million next year. Meanwhile you continue to heavily subsidize other industries which show less productivity and growth. You are forcing the layoffs of some of the most productive workers in the province, in a time of recession.
As Minister Krueger said in July's annual report, B.C.'s creative industries are strong economic drivers; studies by Statistics Canada have demonstrated that money spent on Arts and Culture is a smart investment. For every dollar spent on the arts, $1.36 comes back to the BC government in general revenue; probably much more when you take into account culture's contribution to other industries. For example, the arts play a central role in attracting tourists to our province, and cultural tourists are wealthier and spend more than regular tourists. Your own studies document the fact that most cultural tourists don't visit us to see single events; they come to visit regions that contain culturally vibrant cities.
Quite apart from the convincing economic arguments, including your own, there are the equally convincing social arguments. Studies produced by the federal government, many nations, the UN and your own ministry have definitively proved that a healthy cultural sector is absolutely key to the liveability of cities and towns, to public well-being, peace and tolerance, to general levels of creativity and innovation, to the education and motivation of children, to psychological health and to a general sense of pride and direction.
The province of British Columbia has a long legacy of artistic excellence. Considering our relatively small population, our cultural exports enjoy a disproportionately high status nationally and internationally. Cuts like these will not only destroy our ability to prove ourself on the world stage and attract visitors, they will also result in a creative brain drain that will impoverish our region, harm tourism, and destroy the chances of related growth industries such as film, television, IT and video gaming to choose from a pool of highly creative and productive workers. Furthermore, private funding, if BC even had a culture of that, does not produce the culture of excellence and the quality of training that public funding does. You need to go back and read your own research.
This is a quote from one of your own service plans: "Research has revealed that 75 per cent of Canadians consider the arts and heritage essential to their quality of life, and that community quality of life is the second-most important factor people consider (after salaries) when choosing jobs."
Stimulus works in a recession, and in this case it will ensure BC's best creative minds stay in the province. Once you have devastate the BC cultural sector, it will take a very long time to rebuild it, and all of the industries it feeds will suffer. There is no culture of private arts funding in BC, and in any case, private funding does not produce the excellence that even a small amount of public funding does.
I insist that you reinstate the retracted gaming funds as well as the general revenue funds that support the arts. This is what a majority of British Columbians demand.
Yours sincerely,
__________________________________________________________
One writer added this introductory paragraph, mentioning the Olympics - put this into your own words and use it!:
I am writing to strongly oppose your cuts to the arts in British Columbia. I find it unconscionable that you would go back on your promises to fund the arts from gaming money. By your actions it appears that the whole issue of the importance of the arts to our culture and our quality of life in BC seems to have escaped you entirely. I am shocked by these actions. It appears to me and so many others that only the Olympics matter to your government, a bottomless pit for our tax dollars, for a two week extravaganza. This is not acceptable or sustainable.
__________________________________________________________
Great informative links on this issue:
To understand why the kind of economic policies the BC Liberals have adopted are outdated and are being abandoned almost everywhere else thanks to this financial crash and recession, read this article by Nobel Award-winning economist Paul Krugman in the New York Times titled "How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?"
Facebook group - Organizing against Campbell's Cuts to the Arts
Facebook group - Save BC Arts and Culture
The Tyee - Flex Your Muscles, BC Arts
Georgia Straight on the Independent Media Arts Alliance statement
Restore Arts Funding Now!
Georgia Straight - Ministers in Hiding
A MESSAGE TO ALL ARTISTS - JULIE FOWLER
The arts are a catalyst for economic growth, as well as make communities livable and vibrant. Island Mountain Arts, the arts organization that I work for is a integral part of the economy of Wells and Barkerville, BC where it has been operating a School of the Arts since 1977, a Public Gallery since 1988 and the ArtsWells Festival Of All Things Art since 2004.Every dollar that the government invests in our organization brings in double that in terms of money spent at hotels, motels, restaurants, galleries, gas stations and other attractions. We also employ and provide amazing training opportunities for our workers who get the chance to learn great business skills from administration and computer skills to public relations and marketing. More than once I have had past employees ask me to be a reference as they go on to other work in places like banks and other parts of the corporate sector, as they can inevitably make more money there. Arts organizations invest lots of money and resources in training workers, who they can most often not hang on to b/c of the wage being so small. Its frustrating to be subsidizing the corporate sector, by offering up trained workers for there use. We also hire hundreds of professional artists again sending the government grant money back into the economy. Investing in the arts is investing in our HUMAN resources - a renewable resource!
Of course beyond the economic benefits of supporting arts and culture, there is the social benefit. This is often intangible in terms of dollars and cents, but it would be a pretty poor world if we did not have song and dance and art. These pursuits build community, provide inspiration and connect humans to a side of themselves that is inexplicable and mysterious. It is important to have these experiences to understand what it is to be human.
Island Mountain Arts lost its gaming grant, which was roughly 10% of its overall budget. What makes this worse is that there was no warning or time to plan. In the arts we are used to surviving against all odds, having to volunteer our time, and fundraising, fundraising, fundraising - but this kind of a cut, from a source that has been stable for twenty or more years will send our organization into a tail spin.
I advocate for 1% for the arts! Give arts groups 1% of the PST collected on arts and culture in British Columbia. Then only those that go to concerts, movies, museums, art galleries, art auctions, festivals and so on would be paying for the grants that go towards the arts. I would gander the amount of money the provincial government gives in the form of grants to the arts is only a drop in the bucket compared to what arts and culture brings into the government through taxes.
Julie Fowler- Island Mountain Arts, Wells BC
Our cups are full
Hey everyone.. we are back from Artswells- the greatest indie festival in Canada. For us it is like going home, it is the only chance we have in the year to have so many incredible musicians in one town for three days. This year the festival grew and everyone was afraid that this might be the year where the numbers would change the nature of the event.There were so many magic moments.. an accordians in the round with Geoff Berner, Ana Bon Bon, Raghu Lokanathan..and so many more..
New to us was Scott Dunbar.. an incredible one man maniac..
Karmetik.. Wax Mannequin... Morlove and SOOO many more.
Our only problem was too many incredible people scheduled at the same time and having to make heartbreaking choices...
My favorite moments of the festival though are dancing our butts off to Los Rastrillos and looking around me to see the guys from Traveller, Corwin Fox.. Yael Wand and so many others getting down too..
I love also the intimate surprises. The Kettle Black.. had a small audience but when I looked around the room.. the guys and girl from Karmetik and Shawn were rivited...
I am so so greatful.. to everyone who puts in so much effort to make festival what it is. We feel recharged and ready take on another year of building this site into something incredible!!!
ArtsWells time!!!!!
Once again we at the UAR are off to celebrate and participate in the the best indie festival in Canada. From July 31st to August 3rd, musicians, artists, dancers, music lovers and many other art types will gather in Wells B.C. to celebrate all things art. With over fifty up and coming musical acts across 7 stages and two towns plus workshops and gallery displays, the only problem is taking in all you can. This is truly a festival not to be missed and if you get a chance make it happen for yourself and tell your friends. See you there!!!FREE CLASSIFIEDS FOR MUSICIANS AND MUSIC LOVERS!!
Got some old gear you need to sell. Looking for accomodation for your tour? Post an ad for FREE on our site and get results!Looking for awesome cd deals, got a place for a travelling musicians to lay their head down.. let us know..
You can view all of our classfieds by area..all you need to do to respond is to join our site for free..
Check it all out..
If you have any questions or suggestions.. let me know
carla@undergroundartrailroad.com
You can also look for rides to festivals and talk shop on our free forum!!
CANADIAN INDEPENDENT MUSIC!
We would like to invite you to experience Northern British Columbia’s most unique summer arts and music festival where we guarantee that you can always expect the unexpected! The sixth annual ArtsWells Festival will take place from July 31 - August 3, 2009 in the historic towns of Wells and Barkerville, British Columbia.The ArtsWells Festival is fast gaining national acclaim as British Columbia’s largest and best independent arts festival where everyone from the performers to the audience become part of the magic.
Ticket Prices for the 2009 ArtsWells Festival
Four Day Weekend Pass includes all workshops and special discounts to local attractions and businesses including Barkerville Historic Town.
Also new this year, with the purchase of an adult weekend pass we will also include a voucher for a CD of your choice from the ArtsWells Merchandise Booth. The ArtsWells Festival will then pay the retail value of that CD to the artist, giving festival-goers the chance to support their favourite artist directly through the purchase of their weekend pass.
Early Bird tickets are now available for sale:
This year’s Early Bird Tickets are now available for purchase and are priced at only $60 for the four-day weekend pass. Due to the increasing interest in the ArtsWells festival this year’s festival will have only a limited number of tickets available and they are expected to sell out fast.
Three ways to purchase your tickets:
Through PayPal at: http://artswells.com/tickets/
Toll free: 1-800-442-2787
By e-mail: info@imarts.com
Adults Early Bird ~ $60 (Purchases before June 15th)
Adult Regular ~ $80 (After June 15th)
Youth Early Bird (13 - 18 years old)~ $25 (Purchases before June 15th)
Youth Regular ~ $35 (After June 15th)
Children 12 and under ~ (Always Free with an Adult Guradian)
The 2009 ArtsWells line up is looking better than ever and a complete listing of this year’s acts will be posted as they are confirmed and many more will be listed shortly. Thank you for your support and for helping make the ArtWells Festival, Northern British Columbia’s largest showcase of independent art and artists. Line up subject to change without notice …
Please check out our myspace site for links to this years acts .... www.myspace.com/artswells
Aaron Goodwin and the Circle of Stones, Penticton, B.C.
Adrienne Pierce, Horseshoe Bay, B.C.
Alin Coen, Hamburg, Germany
Anna Bon Bon, Vancouver, B.C.
Ari Neufeld, Penticton, B.C.
Ari Shine, California, USA
Blackberry Wood, Vancouver, B.C.
Blind Mule, Hamilton, Ont.
Carolyn Mark, Victoria, B.C.
Chloe Hall, Melbourne, Australia
Clinton John Leon, Vancouver, B.C.
Corbin Keep, Bowen Island, B.C.
Corwin Fox, Victoria, B.C.
Craig Werth, Newmarket, New Hampshire USA
Creeking Planks, Vancouver, B.C.
Darylectones, Penticton, B.C.
Dave Lang, Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Dave Newberry, Vancouver, B.C.
David Francey, Ottawa, Ont.
Drum & Belltower, Williams Lake, B.C.
Erin Arding & the 60 Hz Hum, Prince George, B.C.
Fish & Bird, Victoria, B.C.
Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Geoff Berner, Vancouver, B.C.
Ghengis Gandhis, Ashcroft, B.C.
Gordie Tentrees, Whitehorse, Yukon
James Lamb, Montreal, PQ
Jeff Andrew, Victoria, B.C.
Jeremy Stewart, Prince George, B.C.
Jess Hill, Vancouver, B.C.
Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, Edmonton, AB.
Joey Only, Vancouver, B.C.
KarmetiK::Bhutan, Victoria, B.C.
Kia Kadiri, Victoria, B.C.
Kirby, Hamilton, Ont.
La La Boom Boom, Vancouver, B.C.
Ladybug the Rambler, Vancouver, B.C.
Lily Come Down, Vancouver, B.C.
Linda McRae, Nashville, TN, USA
Los Gringos Salvajes, Smithers, B.C.
Los Rastrillos, Mexico City
Morag Northey, Calgary, AB
Melisa Devost, Hornby Island, B.C.
Miss Emily Brown, Montreal, PQ
Morlove, Victoria, B.C. & Montreal, PQ.
Nikole Texidor, Victoria, B.C.
Ory No Man, Toronto, Ont.
Paul Mosley, London, UK
Perfarmers with Aaron Ablemonk, United States
RadaR, Vancouver, B.C.
Rae Spoon, Montreal, PQ
Raghu Lokanathan, Victoria, B.C.
Rob Szabo, Toronto, Ont.
Ruthie Tabata, Vancouver, B.C.
Tariq Hussain, Vancouver, B.C.
Sarah Burton, Toronto, Ont.
Sarah Noni Metzner, Toronto, Ont.
Scott Cook, Edmonton, AB
Scott Dunbar, Montreal, PQ
Shayne Avec I Grec, Victoria, B.C.
Shawn Stephenson, Ymir, B.C.
The Tenbrooks Two, Wells, B.C.
The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Victoria, B.C.
Traveler, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Yael Wand, Wells, B.C.
Wingdam Ramblers, Wells, B.C.
10th Annual International One Minute Play Festival
CANADIAN INDEPENDANT MUSIC!
We would like to invite you to experience Northern British Columbia’s most unique summer arts and music festival where we guarantee that you can always expect the unexpected! The sixth annual ArtsWells Festival will take place from July 31 - August 3, 2009 in the historic towns of Wells and Barkerville, British Columbia.The ArtsWells Festival is fast gaining national acclaim as British Columbia’s largest and best independent arts festival where everyone from the performers to the audience become part of the magic.
Ticket Prices for the 2009 ArtsWells Festival
Four Day Weekend Pass includes all workshops and special discounts to local attractions and businesses including Barkerville Historic Town.
Also new this year, with the purchase of an adult weekend pass we will also include a voucher for a CD of your choice from the ArtsWells Merchandise Booth. The ArtsWells Festival will then pay the retail value of that CD to the artist, giving festival-goers the chance to support their favourite artist directly through the purchase of their weekend pass.
Early Bird tickets are now available for sale:
This year’s Early Bird Tickets are now available for purchase and are priced at only $60 for the four-day weekend pass. Due to the increasing interest in the ArtsWells festival this year’s festival will have only a limited number of tickets available and they are expected to sell out fast.
Three ways to purchase your tickets:
Through PayPal at: http://artswells.com/tickets/
Toll free: 1-800-442-2787
By e-mail: info@imarts.com
Adults Early Bird ~ $60 (Purchases before June 15th)
Adult Regular ~ $80 (After June 15th)
Youth Early Bird (13 - 18 years old)~ $25 (Purchases before June 15th)
Youth Regular ~ $35 (After June 15th)
Children 12 and under ~ (Always Free with an Adult Guradian)
The 2009 ArtsWells line up is looking better than ever and a complete listing of this year’s acts will be posted as they are confirmed and many more will be listed shortly. Thank you for your support and for helping make the ArtWells Festival, Northern British Columbia’s largest showcase of independent art and artists. Line up subject to change without notice …
Please check out our myspace site for links to this years acts .... www.myspace.com/artswells
Aaron Goodwin and the Circle of Stones, Penticton, B.C.
Adrienne Pierce, Horseshoe Bay, B.C.
Alin Coen, Hamburg, Germany
Anna Bon Bon, Vancouver, B.C.
Ari Neufeld, Penticton, B.C.
Ari Shine, California, USA
Blackberry Wood, Vancouver, B.C.
Blind Mule, Hamilton, Ont.
Carolyn Mark, Victoria, B.C.
Chloe Hall, Melbourne, Australia
Clinton John Leon, Vancouver, B.C.
Corbin Keep, Bowen Island, B.C.
Corwin Fox, Victoria, B.C.
Craig Werth, Newmarket, New Hampshire USA
Creeking Planks, Vancouver, B.C.
Darylectones, Penticton, B.C.
Dave Lang, Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Dave Newberry, Vancouver, B.C.
David Francey, Ottawa, Ont.
Drum & Belltower, Williams Lake, B.C.
Erin Arding & the 60 Hz Hum, Prince George, B.C.
Fish & Bird, Victoria, B.C.
Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Geoff Berner, Vancouver, B.C.
Ghengis Gandhis, Ashcroft, B.C.
Gordie Tentrees, Whitehorse, Yukon
James Lamb, Montreal, PQ
Jeff Andrew, Victoria, B.C.
Jeremy Stewart, Prince George, B.C.
Jess Hill, Vancouver, B.C.
Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, Edmonton, AB.
Joey Only, Vancouver, B.C.
KarmetiK::Bhutan, Victoria, B.C.
Kia Kadiri, Victoria, B.C.
Kirby, Hamilton, Ont.
La La Boom Boom, Vancouver, B.C.
Ladybug the Rambler, Vancouver, B.C.
Lily Come Down, Vancouver, B.C.
Linda McRae, Nashville, TN, USA
Los Gringos Salvajes, Smithers, B.C.
Los Rastrillos, Mexico City
Morag Northey, Calgary, AB
Melisa Devost, Hornby Island, B.C.
Miss Emily Brown, Montreal, PQ
Morlove, Victoria, B.C. & Montreal, PQ.
Nikole Texidor, Victoria, B.C.
Ory No Man, Toronto, Ont.
Paul Mosley, London, UK
Perfarmers with Aaron Ablemonk, United States
RadaR, Vancouver, B.C.
Rae Spoon, Montreal, PQ
Raghu Lokanathan, Victoria, B.C.
Rob Szabo, Toronto, Ont.
Ruthie Tabata, Vancouver, B.C.
Tariq Hussain, Vancouver, B.C.
Sarah Burton, Toronto, Ont.
Sarah Noni Metzner, Toronto, Ont.
Scott Cook, Edmonton, AB
Scott Dunbar, Montreal, PQ
Shayne Avec I Grec, Victoria, B.C.
Shawn Stephenson, Ymir, B.C.
The Tenbrooks Two, Wells, B.C.
The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Victoria, B.C.
Traveler, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Yael Wand, Wells, B.C.
Wingdam Ramblers, Wells, B.C.
10th Annual International One Minute Play Festival
CANADIAN INDEPENDENT MUSIC!
We would like to invite you to experience Northern British Columbia’s most unique summer arts and music festival where we guarantee that you can always expect the unexpected! The sixth annual ArtsWells Festival will take place from July 31 - August 3, 2009 in the historic towns of Wells and Barkerville, British Columbia.The ArtsWells Festival is fast gaining national acclaim as British Columbia’s largest and best independent arts festival where everyone from the performers to the audience become part of the magic.
Ticket Prices for the 2009 ArtsWells Festival
Four Day Weekend Pass includes all workshops and special discounts to local attractions and businesses including Barkerville Historic Town.
Also new this year, with the purchase of an adult weekend pass we will also include a voucher for a CD of your choice from the ArtsWells Merchandise Booth. The ArtsWells Festival will then pay the retail value of that CD to the artist, giving festival-goers the chance to support their favourite artist directly through the purchase of their weekend pass.
Early Bird tickets are now available for sale:
This year’s Early Bird Tickets are now available for purchase and are priced at only $60 for the four-day weekend pass. Due to the increasing interest in the ArtsWells festival this year’s festival will have only a limited number of tickets available and they are expected to sell out fast.
Three ways to purchase your tickets:
Through PayPal at: http://artswells.com/tickets/
Toll free: 1-800-442-2787
By e-mail: info@imarts.com
Adults Early Bird ~ $60 (Purchases before June 15th)
Adult Regular ~ $80 (After June 15th)
Youth Early Bird (13 - 18 years old)~ $25 (Purchases before June 15th)
Youth Regular ~ $35 (After June 15th)
Children 12 and under ~ (Always Free with an Adult Guradian)
The 2009 ArtsWells line up is looking better than ever and a complete listing of this year’s acts will be posted as they are confirmed and many more will be listed shortly. Thank you for your support and for helping make the ArtWells Festival, Northern British Columbia’s largest showcase of independent art and artists. Line up subject to change without notice …
Please check out our myspace site for links to this years acts .... www.myspace.com/artswells
Aaron Goodwin and the Circle of Stones, Penticton, B.C.
Adrienne Pierce, Horseshoe Bay, B.C.
Alin Coen, Hamburg, Germany
Anna Bon Bon, Vancouver, B.C.
Ari Neufeld, Penticton, B.C.
Ari Shine, California, USA
Blackberry Wood, Vancouver, B.C.
Blind Mule, Hamilton, Ont.
Carolyn Mark, Victoria, B.C.
Chloe Hall, Melbourne, Australia
Clinton John Leon, Vancouver, B.C.
Corbin Keep, Bowen Island, B.C.
Corwin Fox, Victoria, B.C.
Craig Werth, Newmarket, New Hampshire USA
Creeking Planks, Vancouver, B.C.
Darylectones, Penticton, B.C.
Dave Lang, Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Dave Newberry, Vancouver, B.C.
David Francey, Ottawa, Ont.
Drum & Belltower, Williams Lake, B.C.
Erin Arding & the 60 Hz Hum, Prince George, B.C.
Fish & Bird, Victoria, B.C.
Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Geoff Berner, Vancouver, B.C.
Ghengis Gandhis, Ashcroft, B.C.
Gordie Tentrees, Whitehorse, Yukon
James Lamb, Montreal, PQ
Jeff Andrew, Victoria, B.C.
Jeremy Stewart, Prince George, B.C.
Jess Hill, Vancouver, B.C.
Jesse Dee & Jacquie B, Edmonton, AB.
Joey Only, Vancouver, B.C.
KarmetiK::Bhutan, Victoria, B.C.
Kia Kadiri, Victoria, B.C.
Kirby, Hamilton, Ont.
La La Boom Boom, Vancouver, B.C.
Ladybug the Rambler, Vancouver, B.C.
Lily Come Down, Vancouver, B.C.
Linda McRae, Nashville, TN, USA
Los Gringos Salvajes, Smithers, B.C.
Los Rastrillos, Mexico City
Morag Northey, Calgary, AB
Melisa Devost, Hornby Island, B.C.
Miss Emily Brown, Montreal, PQ
Morlove, Victoria, B.C. & Montreal, PQ.
Nikole Texidor, Victoria, B.C.
Ory No Man, Toronto, Ont.
Paul Mosley, London, UK
Perfarmers with Aaron Ablemonk, United States
RadaR, Vancouver, B.C.
Rae Spoon, Montreal, PQ
Raghu Lokanathan, Victoria, B.C.
Rob Szabo, Toronto, Ont.
Ruthie Tabata, Vancouver, B.C.
Tariq Hussain, Vancouver, B.C.
Sarah Burton, Toronto, Ont.
Sarah Noni Metzner, Toronto, Ont.
Scott Cook, Edmonton, AB
Scott Dunbar, Montreal, PQ
Shayne Avec I Grec, Victoria, B.C.
Shawn Stephenson, Ymir, B.C.
The Tenbrooks Two, Wells, B.C.
The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, Victoria, B.C.
Traveler, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Yael Wand, Wells, B.C.
Wingdam Ramblers, Wells, B.C.
10th Annual International One Minute Play Festival
CANADIAN MUSIC TRIVIA
What tiny Canadian town (population 300) has hosted these famous Musicians this year?Michael Franti and Spearhead-
David Grisman-
Coco Love Alcorn-
Wax Mannequin-
The Kettle Black-
Shane Phillip-
Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo-
and many many more?
Answer - YMIR BC
Come and see what everyone is talking about....
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Underground Books Great Shows For Canadian Musicians!!
Many great shows have been booked using this site. Coco Love Alcorn, Corwin Fox, Yael Wand, Jeff Andrews, and Wax Mannequin have all used this site to get great shows and to find gigs in remote locations!!Get on board we get results!!
Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo fame will be playing the Ymir Schoolhouse on May 10.2009 Tickets are only $10 each and available right here.
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Underground Books Great Shows
Many great shows have been booked using this site. Coco Love Alcorn, Corwin Fox, Yael Wand, Jeff Andrews, and Wax Mannequin have all used this site to get great shows and to find gigs in remote locations!!Get on board we get results!!
Underground Books Great Shows For Canadian Musicians!!
Many great shows have been booked using this site. Coco Love Alcorn, Corwin Fox, Yael Wand, Jeff Andrews, and Wax Mannequin have all used this site to get great shows and to find gigs in remote locations!!Get on board we get results!!
Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo fame will be playing the Ymir Schoolhouse on May 10.2009 Tickets are only $10 each and available right here.
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Coco Rocks Nelson
Coco Love Alcorn, Ian Sherwood and Lindsay Alcorn, gave an incredible show Saturday night.If you missed them, you can catch them again at the Sugar Shack on Friday April 10th..
See you there!
We are back on track
That is right everyone!! We have fixed our media player and we are back! We will be launching a whole new plan to get everyone on board for FREE!!!If you would like to upgrade your account to a headliner for free, drop me a line!!
carla@undergroundartsrailroad.com
Tell your friends
WE ARE ABOUT TO UNDERGO A MASSIVE CHANGE!! GET READY!!
We created this site with the intention of helping our fellow musicians get on the road and get touring.. also we really wanted to create connections for Canadian musicians and venues. We have been playing with different formats and we have come up with something incredible..stayed tuned we will be unleashing it soon..More features, more fun and more ways to make better connections for you..
THE WINNERS ARE!!!!
After a fantastic ceremony.. the winners have been anounced.. lots of them are already on board the Railroad!!!And The Winners are:
Single of the Year
Lack Of Control-Sleddogs
Songwriter of the Year
Kenny Byrka-Sleddogs
Instrumental Group/Artist of the Year
Shawn Stephenson
Hip Hop Group/Artist of the Year
7th Generation
Blues Artist/Group of the Year **Sponsored by Memphis Blues BBQ
Sherman Doucette
Bluegrass Artist/Group of the Year
Blu Hopkins & Silvercreek
Folk Artist/Group of the Year
Ryan Donn
Peoples Choice **Sponsored by The City of Kelowna Cultural Services
Paul Filek
Male Performer of the Year
Ari Neufeld
Female Performer of the Year
Melissa Meretsky
Country Group/Artist of the Year
The Cruzeros
Rock or Pop Group/Artist of the Year
Sleddogs
Special Achievement **Sponsored by Music BC
Daniel Powter
New Group/Artist of the Year**Sponsored by eVent! Magazine
Andrew Allen
Jazz Artist/Group of the Year
Olga Osipova
Engineer of the Year
Steve Todd/Mike Ohman
Producer of the Year
Daryl O’Neill-Of All The Things That Never Was-Darylectones
CD/DVD Design of the Year**Sponsored by C.A.T.O.
Scott Gamble -Velvet and Lace-Olga Osipova
Metal Artist/Group of the Year
The Murderous
Roots Group/Artist of the Year **Sponsored by Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival
The Cruzeros
Gospel Artist/Group of the Year
Greg Sczebel
Album of the Year**Sponsored by The Blue Grotto
*TIE* Wassabi Collective-Stories Not Forgotten and Redfish-De Profundis
Best Venue Supporting Live Music**Sponsored by Rose’s Waterfront Pub
The Habitat
Group Of The Year
Sleddogs
THE NOMINEES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED
Ladies and Gentlemen these are the nominees for the 2008 BCIMA's
Congratulations.. we are stoked to see so much support for indie Canadian Musicians!!
Group of the Year
Wassabi Collective
Cruzeros
Sleddogs
Country Artist/Group of the Year
Roger Gabriel
Cruzeros
Folk Artist/Group of the Year
Ryan Donn
Ari Neufeld
Blu Hopkins and Silvercreek
Gospel Artist/Group of the Year
Greg Sczebel
Hip Hop Artist/Group of the Year
Earthbound
7th Generation
Metal Artist/Group of the Year
The Murderous
Atre Este
Rock or Pop Group of the Year
Sleddogs
Redfish
Earthbound
Jazz Artist/Group of the Year
Flora Ware
Olga Osipova
Danny Sameshama
Blues Artist/Group of the Year
Sherman Doucette
Blackdog Blue
Roots Artist/Group of the Year
Darylectones
Wassabi Collective
Cruzeros
Bluegrass Artist/Group of the Year
Blu Hopkins and Silvercreek
Small Change
Instrumental Artist/Group of the Year
Shawn Stephenson
Steve Bifford
Best New Artist of the Year
Andrew Allen
Paul Filek
Moments
Graphic Designer of the Year
Scott Gamble - Velevet & Lace
Chad Gosselin - Earthbound
Scott Gamble - Bronze and Blue - Lindsay May
Venue of the Year
Blue Grotto
Blue Gator
The Habitat
Producer of the Year
Daryl Oneil
Steve Tod/Mike Ohman
Engineer of the Year
Kaylub
Steve Tod/Mike Ohman
Jim LeGuilloux
Album of the Year
Wassabi Collective - Stories Not Forgotten
Olga Osipova - Velvet and Lace
Earthbound - Earthbound
Redfish - De Profundis
Single of the Year
Sleddogs
Earthbound
Sleddogs
Male Performer of the Year
Ari Neufeld
Paul Filek
Kenny Byrka
Female Performer of the Year
Olga Osipova
Melissa Meretsky
Maiya Robbie
Songwriter of the Year
Kenny Byrka (Sleddogs)
Paul Filek
Daryl O'Neil (Darylectones)
People's Choice of the Year
Paul Filek
Wassabai Collective
Sleddogs
Special Acheivement Award 2008
Daniel Powter
BCIMA update
2008 BC Interior Music Awards~ Nominations Overwhelming!The BC Interior Music Awards nominations are now closed but the excitement is just
building for the show to be held Sept 30th. Although there is a new name (formerly
the Okanagan Music Awards) with new producers and processes that forced a shorter
nomination period, the response from public nominations have far outweighed previous
years. There have been nominations coming in from all over the Interior as bands in
Kamloops, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon & Nelson have notified fans in a call to
action! “Over 2200 nominations have been submitted by public ballot to over 24
different Award Categories” says Mark Greenhalgh, producer, “and they are coming
in from all areas of the province. This really shows the marketing ability of the
bands that are touring and building up their fan bases.”
This leaves quite a task for the Nomination Panel of Judges, (impartial industry
experts) which now search each submission for consideration as one of the three
final nominees in each category. The submissions will be screened to ensure that
each meets the eligibility requirements as well as demonstrate a professional media
kit, website, quality recording and marketability! The Top 3 in each category will
be announced next week and then another panel of jurors - chosen for their
demonstrated knowledge, impartiality and expertise in their fields - will select a
winner in each category.
The Awards show is starting to shape up as the Sponsors are announced and their
roles take shape. Tree Brewing has come on board as the Presenting Sponsor and are
giving away a VIP Awards Package to be won at the online contest at
www.treebeer.com. Shelly Vida, sponsorship/marketing / promotions coordinator for
the 2008 Tree Brewing BC Interior Music Awards, has been busy inviting involvement
the past few weeks. “I am so encouraged by the amount of businesses in Kelowna,
Kamloops & Salmon Arm who are stepping up to say they believe in this industry and
want to see this event go forward”
“We want to welcome SPL Audio, Memphis BBQ Blues, City of Kelowna Cultural District,
Salmon Arm Roots & Blues, Centre for Arts & Technology, Rose’s Waterfront Pub,
Event! and the Blue Grotto Nightclub who will be presenting the beautiful awards
they have sponsored.” This Awards show will also have some help from Wentworth
Music, Volta Designs, Music BC, the Trophy Den, Le Chateau and media sponsors from
Kamloops Daily News, Off –Centre Magazine, SHAW TV, CBC, Power 104, B103, 98.3 CIFM,
Sun FM, SILK FM, and AM 1150. BC Musician will be publishing the winners after the
show.
Habitat has come forward to host the VIP afterparty when all of the bands who
receive an award come to mingle and meet the sponsors, judges, production team,
volunteers and performers such as the Sleddogs who will entertain!
Two of the band who were multiple winners of last years Okanagan Music Awards will
take the Awards stage with performances by Sleddogs and Cold Driven. In between the
24 award presentations, we will also see more great original music by the
Darylectones, Earthbound, Blu Hopkins & Silvercreek, Redfish & Nixie. “The audience
is always in for a treat being able to experience such variety and talent on one
stage” says Vida.
Liz McKinney, Power 104’s favourite DJ, will add sparkle with her stage persona as
she again hosts the Awards.
The BC Interior Music Awards will be held at the Kelowna Community Theatre on Sept
30th at 7:30PM although doors will open at 6Pm for those who wish to check out the
different industry tidbits on display and experts in place.
Thank you to all the artists and community members who have come together to support
and submit nominees for the Awards.
Please visit www.bcima.org for further information.
Tickets at Ticketmaster
© BCIMA 2008.
SPEARHEAD WAS GREAT
It was incredible to see the little town of Ymir pull off such a fantasitic show.. so many beautiful people working together to make a fantastic event.. Thank you thank you thank you..ARE YOU COMING TO SEE SPEARHEAD PLAY YMIR?
Hey everyone if you are planning on seeing Spearhead there are a few things that you should know...1.There will be no tix available at the gate.. so get them at Eddy Music.. soon
2. Dress warmly it is getting really cold at night here.
3. There is no camping available so set up your carpooling orplaces to stay well in advance.
4.No Dogs are allowed..please leave your pets at home.
5.Kids get in for free...So you can bring your little ones..
Please keep in mind that we are a little town, try to carpool and please respect our town so we can keep getting great bands to come and play here.
See you there..
ARE YOU COMING TO SEE SPEARHEAD PLAY YMIR TOMORROW?
Hey everyone if you are planning on seeing Spearhead there are a few things that you should know...1.There will be no tix available at the gate.. so get them at Eddy Music.. soon
2. Dress warmly it is getting really cold at night here.
3. There is no camping available so set up your carpooling orplaces to stay well in advance.
4.No Dogs are allowed..please leave your pets at home.
5.Kids get in for free...So you can bring your little ones..
Please keep in mind that we are a little town, try to carpool and please respect our town so we can keep getting great bands to come and play here.
See you there..
MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD PLAY YMIR SEPTEMBER 10
Dont miss this awesome show in the intimate town of Ymir.. Dance your face off in the field... Tix available at Eddy Music in Nelson...If you are anywhere in the Kootenays.. beg, borrow or steal a car to get here.. this will be one to remember.
Mister Something Something ROCKED the Royal in Nelson... beautiful people shaking their booties..
Wax Mannequin and Mister Six continue to Rock across Canada.. this is a ticket worth seeing.. check out our event calendar for details..
The Robson Valley Music Fest is this Weekend and it is going to be FABULOUS!!!! Fantastic people and a great music.. all swirling around the incredible energy that is Mamaguroove...
Enjoy.. the awesome Canadian music just keeps coming!!!!
MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD PLAY YMIR
Yes that is right.. the little town of Ymir just hosted the legendary David Grisman and now on September 10th .. in the ball field.. SPEARHEAD!!!!Wells was incredible!!! The most incredible musicians, venues and sooo much fun.. my heart is full for another year..
Wax Mannequin and Mister Six start their cross Canada tour... Pentiction at Voodoos on August 8th then on August 14th catch this dynamic duo at the YMIR SCHOOLHOUSE!!!
The Greatest Show I Know..
We are heading to Wells for the greatest festival we know...Incredible musicians in an amazing intimate setting. The hospitality of this town is unsurpassed and the music is enough to feed your soul for a whole year..
Check out this lineup..
www.artswells.com
LITTLEFEST IS BEST!!!!!
If you are in or near the Kootenays this weekend... you need to check out Littlefest.. an amazing venue and intimate space with some of our favorite Canadian legends Juno award winner Sarah Harmer , Corwin Fox, David P Smith, Jackstraw, The Stolen Organ Family band.... and so many more..One day only.. Saturday July 26th.. this event is not to be missed...