aaamusic | On 22, Apr 2012

Canada is making its biggest splash ever at The Great Escape Festival this May in Brighton, UK. For three days, 24 Canadian bands will travel to the United Kingdom, showcasing music from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Vancouver, British Columbia.

To celebrate, the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA, in conjunction with The Great Escape, is hosting it’s inaugural Canada House at TGE at the Blind Tiger Club (52-54 Grand Parade), starting at 11AM on Thursday 10th May. Canada House will feature four showcasing partners and twelve bands over three afternoons 10th – 12th May 2012.

Acts range from Hot Panda’s angular indie, Gold & Youth’s tender synth pop to Misteur Valaire’s glitchy electronica and Slow Down, Molasses’ grassroots rock and much more, showcasing a cornacopia of Canadian talent. Full details of the event are below, including links to all the bands.

Showcasing partners will host VIP Networking Brunches for TGE Delegates at the Blind Tiger Club daily starting at 11AM on Thursday, 12PM on Friday and 11:30AM on Saturday. Afterwards, the doors open to general admission for the Canadian showcases. Alberta Music and SaskMusic will host a Western Canadian Showcase on Thursday, 10th May. Music Nova Scotia will host a showcase on Friday, 11th May and M for Montreal and FACTOR will host showcases on Saturday, 12th May. In addition, the 24 Canadian bands will perform throughout the festival across Brighton.

Canada House is presented by Canadian Blast, an initiative of the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA).

Basic Info & Line-up Details:

Canada House at Blind Tiger Club

Thursday 10th May – Saturday 12th May

12PM – 4PM (Brunches for TGE Delegates beforehand – see schedule below)

THURSDAY 10th MAY:

‘Western Canadian Showcase’
Presented by Alberta Music and SaskMusic
Networking Brunch (delegates only) – 11:00AM – 12:00PM
General Doors for Showcase – 11:45AM
Slow Down, Molasses – 12:00 – 12:30PM
Hot Panda – 12:45 – 13:15PM
Jordan Cook aka Reignwolf – 13:30 – 14:00PM
Born Gold – 14:30 – 15:00PM
The Sheepdogs – 15:15 – 15:45PM

FRIDAY 11th MAY:

‘Bangers and Mosh’
Presented by Music Nova Scotia
Networking Brunch (delegates only) – 12:00 – 13:00PM
General Doors for Showcase – 12:45PM
The Town Heroes – 13:00 – 13:30PM
Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers – 14:00 – 14:30PM
Rich Aucoin – 15:00 – 15:30PM

SATURDAY 12th MAY:

FACTOR Networking Brunch (delegates only) – 11:30AM – 12:30PM
‘M on the Road’

Presented by M for Montreal

General Doors for Showcase – 12:15PM
Alexandre Désilets – 12:30PM – 13:00PM
Misteur Valaire – 13:30 – 14:00PM
‘Northern Lights’

Presented by FACTOR

Hooded Fang – 14:15 – 14:45PM
Gold & Youth – 15:15 – 15:45PM

Full rundown of all Canadian bands performing at The Great Escape:
Alexandre Désilets
Barr Brothers
Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers
Born Gold
Doldrums
Donovan Woods
Eight and a Half
Gold & Youth
Grimes
Half Moon Run
Hooded Fang
Hot Panda
Jordan Cook aka Reignwolf
Misteur Valaire
New Look
October Sky (alternative escape)
Odonis Odonis
Rich Aucoin
Slow Down, Molasses
The Darcys
The Sheepdogs
The Town Heroes
Trust
Yukon Blonde

Canadian programming continues with M for Montreal (FRIDAY 11th May – Coalition) and Arts & Crafts (SATURDAY 12th May – Above Audio) curating their own evening showcases. CIMA will coordinate an official Canadian matchmaking session on Friday, 11th May. For the full band schedule, visit www.canadianblast.com/tge2012

In addition to CIMA, the following Canadian companies will be in attendance: Avalanche Productions (M For Montreal), Bedlam Music Management, Sonic Entertainment, Arts & Crafts Records, Dine Alone Records, Amelia Artists, Mr. Management, PopGuru Sound and Vision, Indica Records, Paper Bag Records, Go Kartz Management, Aporia Records, FACTOR, Music Nova Scotia, Alberta Music Industry Association, Break Out West, SaskMusic, Polaris Music Prize and others.

CIMA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our partners and sponsors: the Radio Starmaker Fund, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Harvard Broadcasting, Audio-Video Licensing Agency Inc. (AVLA), the Government of Canada, the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), Astral Radio, Canadian Music Week (CMW), and the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR). CIMA would like to thank our showcasing partners at TGE: Alberta Music, FACTOR, M for Montreal, Music Nova Scotia, and SaskMusic.