Canadian Music Week Schedule now available

Canadian Music Week has posted the CMW 2006 schedule
for the festival running March 1st through 4th. Wristbands for the 2006 CMW Festival Showcases are available now for $35 and are available for purchase at all Ticketmaster outlets or 416.870.8000 to charge by phone, and on the Canadian Music Week web site. The wristband gets you in any of the shows on a first-come, first-served basis and is the best value for your money; otherwise shows are $10 - $15 each.

Over 150 new artists are featured this year, all looking to make a name for themselves. Bars and clubs host showcases each night, with each showcase made of 4 or 5 bands performing over the night. This festival is heavily populated by A&R representatives (an acronym for Artists and Repertoire) who are record company personnel whose job it is to discover new talent and sign bands to their label. And of course, keep an eye out for Queen Street Man and his kind.

Having done the festival, I can advise you:

1. Wear comfortable footwear. You'll be standing in line or running for a cab/streetcar.


2. Avoid the heavy coat, you won't want to gamble on a coatcheck. Layer up and bring a bag to stash your layers in.


3. Map out which shows you want to hit, leave yourself enough time to get to and from each show and have a back up plan in case it's full up (The Horseshoe showcases always have a line-up at showtime).


4. Hang in there if there is a lineup. People are coming and going from the showcases all the time because, like you, they are on the move to check out a band or two from each showcase.

CMW 2006 schedule