12 April 2004

The Canadian Value of Music Coalition and Harris Institute for the Arts announce the Opening Act results, a national competition for Canadian musical talent

(Toronto) - The Canadian Value of Music Coalition (CVOMC) and Toronto's Harris Institute for the Arts announced today the results of their national talent competition, Opening Act. 12 songs by unsigned artists/bands have been chosen and will be featured on www.keepmusiccoming.com™.

Launched late in 2003, Opening Act gave unsigned artists and bands an opportunity to submit their best original song to the competition. Confidential Records (a non-profit label operated by Harris students) evaluated the entries: assessing each song's originality, production quality, overall performance and the quality of musical composition. This covered melody, lyrics, hook, production and saleability.

The 12 successful artists/bands will have their songs streamed on the www.keepmusiccoming.com Web site. In addition, they will receive 100 copies of a compilation CD featuring the 12 tracks.

"It was a tough competition," reflects Kevin Shea, instructor at Harris Institute. "The students had a hard time deciding on the final 12 tracks - it goes to show that Canada really is a hot-spot for up-and-coming musicians!"

• Candlelight Opera
• Evaristo
• Fidget
• Fifth Business
• Hats Off To Mary
• Shawn Hlookoff
• The Immigrants
• The J. Rowley Band
• Reid Jamieson
• Kim Jarrett
• Julia McLeod
• jP Sunga

"The Opening Act results are impressive," remarked Brian Robertson, Chair of the Canadian Value of Music Coalition. "This is a great opportunity for new and emerging artists to not only bring their work to the attention of record labels but also to a national audience."

The 12 songs have been divided into three track lists, one of which will be streamed each successive month, the first beginning today, the second in April and the final in May. Visit www.keepmusiccoming.com to hear some of the best unsigned artists and bands Canada has to offer!

About the bands -

Candlelight Opera - Toronto, ON
Candlelight Opera is poised for success with its unique combination of ethereal potency and live performances that are both enlightening and inspired. Founded in 1996 by singer-songwriter Amanda Harris and guitarist-songwriter Shawn Slater, Candlelight Opera has performed across Canada. Drummer Julian Vardy and guitarist Darren Young joined the ensemble in 2003, while bassist Rees Pepperell completed the group in 2004.

Evaristo - Toronto, ON
After many years singing and performing shows with bands in Cuba and around the world, Evaristo now lives in Toronto where he has developed his own band to showcase his original songs. Evaristo writes both music and lyrics for a combination of salsa, traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms and flamenco. He performed at the former du Maurier Theatre (currently the Harbourfront Centre Theatre) with Memo Acevedo in 1998, and has been a regular singer with the Pablo Terry Band (Sol de Cuba), Klavey Kongo and Son Ache.

Fidget - Riverview, NB
Fidget, Krista Acheson's alias, is an independent New Brunswick artist with a new wave punk style. Krista has played showcases and competitions a cross Canada; and with the support of local radio stations, has decided to make music her full-time career.

Fifth Business - Toronto, ON
Fifth Business is committed to songcraft, to letting each musical story take centre stage. Even their signature term "gadget-rock" is merely a red herring: it might imply that technical wizardry is their focus. But as 5B guitarist/vocalist Adam Bolduc explains, "Gadget-rock is essentially us using unlikely sounds, exploiting as many techniques as we need, and blending improbable styles and sounds together to further the plot and the song."

Hats Off To Mary - North Bay, ON
Hats Off To Mary is an independent hard rock, alternative band from Northern Ontario formed in 1997. Headed by singer/songwriter Vince Thornton, H.O.T. Mary also includes Aaron Armstrong on drums, Aurel Ducharme on bass and Rob Thornton on lead guitar. H.O.T. Mary released its second EP in 2003, and have been featured on compilation discs for Northern Ontario artists numerous times as well as the soundtrack to an independent short-film entitled So Screams the Pleasant Malcontent (2002).

Shawn Hlookoff - South Slocan, BC
Introduced to music at an early age, Shawn has always had a penchant for melody and rhythm. He started studying piano with The Royal Conservatory of Music at the age of four, and has since excelled at a number of other instruments including trombone, guitar and voice. Shawn's current interest is experimenting with computer software and music composition.

The Immigrants - Hamilton, ON
The Immigrants are a fiercely independent Hamilton-based group. Over the past nine years The Immigrants' eight radio singles and four music videos have received substantial airplay on Canadian rock radio and MuchMusic. One career highlight was achieving a top 20 BDS Rock Chart position with the single "Feel," from their album "Out On a Limb" in 2000. That recording was also recognized at the first annual Indie Awards during Canadia n Music Week (CMW) in 2001 as the Pop Album of the Year.

The J. Rowley Band - Toronto, ON
Singer/songwriter John Rowley quit the legal profession in 2001 to pursue music full-time. In 2002, John put together a band including drummer Rob Gomm erman (Rainbow Butt Monkeys, Finger Eleven), and played CMW and North by Nor theast (NXNE) 2002. The band, with a new lineup, is now finishing a sophomore album to be released in the spring of 2004. Working with a harder sound, John's songs crackle with wry humour and intelligence.

Reid Jamieson - Toronto, ON
Reid Jamieson is an old fashioned heartbreaker with a knack for writing classic songs and delivering them with a rare vocal intensity. His second solo album will showcase Reid's choirboy ways, therapeutic lyrics & country-flavoured pop hooks. The Unavoidable Truth was recorded in Guelph with Lewis Melville and producer Josh Finlayson (Skydiggers, Gord Downie) featuring Sarah Harmer, Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco), Dave Clark and much more.

Kim Jarrett - Toronto, ON
With her natural and melodic voice, combined with a smart and pervasive live presence, Kim Jarrett is well on her way to becoming a truly respected talent unto her own. Kim continues to perform regularly throughout Toronto, while preparing material for her next release - getting into the 'folktronic' realm? producing a very fresh, yet sincere sound.

Julia McLeod - Ajax, ON
Julia does not want to be mistaken as a sappy, sweet girl. She mixes thoughtful, personal lyrics with catchy hooks and a musical style that ranges from soft, acoustic ballads to upbeat, playful rock. Julia's main goal is to make an imprint on people through her music, sharing her lifelong passion and talent with the whole world.

jP Sunga - Markham, ON
Hailing from the creatively charged suburban outskirts of Toronto, jP Sunga passes his time crafting, performing and mastering his own twistedly pop-centric tunes. When asked to describe his music, jP says, "Soul music is rooted from within. Whether it bears fruit as jazz, rock or rhythm and blues, it's still soul music. My music is soul music."

About Harris Institute for the Arts -
Harris Institute for the Arts (www.harrisinstitute.com) is a private, post secondary school dedicated to excellence in music industry educat ion. The school offers one-year diploma programs in the business, technologi cal and creative aspects of music. Confidential Records is a non-profit record label managed by students in the Recording Arts Management Program at Harris Institute for the Arts.

About Canadian Value of Music Coalition -
CVOMC (www.keepmusiccoming.com) is a coalition of concerned music industry individuals and organizations supporting a public awareness and educational program for young people.

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Copies of the 12 chosen tracks are available upon request.

Media contacts:

Catherine Allman & Kendra Michael
hawkestone communications - public Affairs
Tel. (416) 485-4606     Email. info@hawkestone.com.