Sunday
Sep142008
Winnipeg Whirlwind
Sunday, September 14, 2008 at 08:26PM
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Photo by Mike Norman"]
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It's been just about a week and the dust has settled after an exciting weekend at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Winnipeg, MB.
The big stories have already been widely published and probably wouldn't benefit from me writing about them again, but the headlines are essentially as follows: Doc Walker cleaned up, winning every award category in which they were nominated, Johnny Reid won in Male Artist of the Year and Best Selling Album, and Jessie Farrell, whom I refer to affectionately as "boss", won 3 out of her 7 nominations - Best New Female, Rising Star Award, and Female Artist of the Year.
I was watching on a monitor at the side of the stage at MTS Centre with Kylee for the most of the awards ceremony, except for when Jesse Tucker and I performed with Jessie her nominated song "Best Of Me" with the stellar CCMA house band. I was thrilled at Jessie's wins, and even a bit surprised despite my high hopes. Jessie is relatively new to the country music scene and was up against some veterans with dozens of albums under their belts and awards already on their mantles. Awards or no awards, this year's CCMAs clearly indicated that Jessie has made her mark, she has been recognized and welcomed, and that it's now up to her and her team to continue building the momentum.
On the day before and the day of the broadcast we met at MTS to rehearse the tune with the band and so the stage crew and TV crew could rehearse all of their camera moves, lights, and transitions. Working in a venue that size, with the added complexity of a live national broadcast, means that a lot needs to happen in the three-and-a-half minute duration of a song.
Do you know what else happens? A whole lot of waiting around. Now, I accept the fact that my job is not really any different than when we perform the song at other shows. The differences are that I'm dressed a bit nicer, that I'm wearing a bunch of makeup, and that I'm trying harder to not screw anything up. In other words, not really difficult. We went through the song about five times on Sunday, worked out the kinks, and then again once on Monday afternoon at the dress-rehearsal for the broadcast. The rhythm of any soundcheck tends to be a lot of waiting for whoever is before you, waiting for the change-over after they have finished, setting up, waiting for everyone else to set up, making a bit of noise, waiting for other people to make noise, waiting while people fix things that are making noise that aren't supposed to make noise or while they fix things that are supposed to make noise that aren't making any noise at all. And I love every minute of it, in the grand scheme of things. Everybody is doing something and building up to a performance and contributing to a show where musicians get to make music and fans get to experience it, and that's a great thing. The theory that the cream rises to the top is given further corroboration by the fact that the people working on a show as big as the CCMAs are not only really great at their jobs, but really fantastic and helpful people to work with. This fact is enough motivation in and of itself to keep working hard and to get better so that the big shows are the only ones that I do.
Photo by Lisa Bettany
To be completely honest, though, the "work" was not the only thing on the agenda for the CCMAs, because when you get a bunch of artists and industry types to together in a room and toss a couple cocktails into the mix, lo and behold, you got a party on your hands. That's actually a bit misleading, because these parties weren't accidents. Record labels and management companies hosted these parties at great expense, showcasing their artists, recognizing and praising their people for significant accomplishment, and generally trying to impress everyone. I was impressed with myself that I was able to keep going given the sleep deprivation and ruined vocal chords from trying to carry on conversations in noisy bars. It was unavoidable, however, because it seemed like somewhat of a luxury to have in my immediate vicinity at once a whole lot of people who I had met in different parts of the country over the last two years, plus a whole lot of interesting and talented people whom I had never met before.
And that is the best part about all the waiting around. Because you're not waiting by yourself, you're waiting around with Emerson Drive, George Canyon, Deric Ruttan and The Wilkinsons. You're talking shop with Dave Cohen and John Dymond and Matty McKay. There are worse things than being in the midst of talented people such as these, even if we glance at our watches and cell phones from time to time.
It's true that I was nominated for Bass Player of the Year, and that Tucker and J-Go were nominated for their instruments as well. It is also true that our egos shall, for now, remain at their current disproportionate, yet not ungainly, size until next year when the possibility of nomination presents itself again. The CCMAs are here in Vancouver next year. The West Coast contingent of country artists, Aaron Pritchett, The Higgins, and Jessie among others will play host to the whirlwind weekend, and that will certainly be something to look forward to.
One last thing: I am an idiot and didn't take any decent pictures last weekend at all. So there's that.
Also, next month we're doing six dates with Aaron Pritchett and Toby Keith, so I'll have something to say about that sometime soon.
[/caption]
It's been just about a week and the dust has settled after an exciting weekend at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Winnipeg, MB.
The big stories have already been widely published and probably wouldn't benefit from me writing about them again, but the headlines are essentially as follows: Doc Walker cleaned up, winning every award category in which they were nominated, Johnny Reid won in Male Artist of the Year and Best Selling Album, and Jessie Farrell, whom I refer to affectionately as "boss", won 3 out of her 7 nominations - Best New Female, Rising Star Award, and Female Artist of the Year.
I was watching on a monitor at the side of the stage at MTS Centre with Kylee for the most of the awards ceremony, except for when Jesse Tucker and I performed with Jessie her nominated song "Best Of Me" with the stellar CCMA house band. I was thrilled at Jessie's wins, and even a bit surprised despite my high hopes. Jessie is relatively new to the country music scene and was up against some veterans with dozens of albums under their belts and awards already on their mantles. Awards or no awards, this year's CCMAs clearly indicated that Jessie has made her mark, she has been recognized and welcomed, and that it's now up to her and her team to continue building the momentum.
On the day before and the day of the broadcast we met at MTS to rehearse the tune with the band and so the stage crew and TV crew could rehearse all of their camera moves, lights, and transitions. Working in a venue that size, with the added complexity of a live national broadcast, means that a lot needs to happen in the three-and-a-half minute duration of a song.
Do you know what else happens? A whole lot of waiting around. Now, I accept the fact that my job is not really any different than when we perform the song at other shows. The differences are that I'm dressed a bit nicer, that I'm wearing a bunch of makeup, and that I'm trying harder to not screw anything up. In other words, not really difficult. We went through the song about five times on Sunday, worked out the kinks, and then again once on Monday afternoon at the dress-rehearsal for the broadcast. The rhythm of any soundcheck tends to be a lot of waiting for whoever is before you, waiting for the change-over after they have finished, setting up, waiting for everyone else to set up, making a bit of noise, waiting for other people to make noise, waiting while people fix things that are making noise that aren't supposed to make noise or while they fix things that are supposed to make noise that aren't making any noise at all. And I love every minute of it, in the grand scheme of things. Everybody is doing something and building up to a performance and contributing to a show where musicians get to make music and fans get to experience it, and that's a great thing. The theory that the cream rises to the top is given further corroboration by the fact that the people working on a show as big as the CCMAs are not only really great at their jobs, but really fantastic and helpful people to work with. This fact is enough motivation in and of itself to keep working hard and to get better so that the big shows are the only ones that I do.
Photo by Lisa BettanyTo be completely honest, though, the "work" was not the only thing on the agenda for the CCMAs, because when you get a bunch of artists and industry types to together in a room and toss a couple cocktails into the mix, lo and behold, you got a party on your hands. That's actually a bit misleading, because these parties weren't accidents. Record labels and management companies hosted these parties at great expense, showcasing their artists, recognizing and praising their people for significant accomplishment, and generally trying to impress everyone. I was impressed with myself that I was able to keep going given the sleep deprivation and ruined vocal chords from trying to carry on conversations in noisy bars. It was unavoidable, however, because it seemed like somewhat of a luxury to have in my immediate vicinity at once a whole lot of people who I had met in different parts of the country over the last two years, plus a whole lot of interesting and talented people whom I had never met before.
And that is the best part about all the waiting around. Because you're not waiting by yourself, you're waiting around with Emerson Drive, George Canyon, Deric Ruttan and The Wilkinsons. You're talking shop with Dave Cohen and John Dymond and Matty McKay. There are worse things than being in the midst of talented people such as these, even if we glance at our watches and cell phones from time to time.
It's true that I was nominated for Bass Player of the Year, and that Tucker and J-Go were nominated for their instruments as well. It is also true that our egos shall, for now, remain at their current disproportionate, yet not ungainly, size until next year when the possibility of nomination presents itself again. The CCMAs are here in Vancouver next year. The West Coast contingent of country artists, Aaron Pritchett, The Higgins, and Jessie among others will play host to the whirlwind weekend, and that will certainly be something to look forward to.
One last thing: I am an idiot and didn't take any decent pictures last weekend at all. So there's that.
Also, next month we're doing six dates with Aaron Pritchett and Toby Keith, so I'll have something to say about that sometime soon.
in CCMAs, Gigs, Manitoba, News, TV, Winnipeg, cbc, country, jesse godin, jesse tucker, jessie farrell, kylee epp, music, tour
CCMAs, Gigs, Manitoba, News, TV, Winnipeg, cbc, country, jesse godin, jesse tucker, jessie farrell, kylee epp, music, tour
Reader Comments (4)
Not even a single picture?!
The television thing is awesome. Must be odd being in the middle of a set with a junkload of sound guys and camera crew when you are usually producing and capturing that stuff.
I'm jealous of the people you are exposed to!
Well, on a TV gig, one is exposed to a lot of guys with ponytails and baggy cargo shorts full of all sorts of jangly stuff that will probably save your ass minutes before you're on the air. Those guys are pretty cool.
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