Thursday, February 13th, 1997
I must admit that I did have a strong urge to check out some of the No-Kayze Sho-Kayze but the lack of Cape Breton content really had me bummed out. We all know the nocase is a concept pioneered here on the Island by the countless volunteers at CAPR under the spiritual guidance of the wild man Rod Gale, but the big flaw this year was that they were occurring at five different liquor-infested venues around town and only one show was an all ages gig. Of course, it wasn’t a lack of talent that left the Capers home, it had more to do with timing and money. This was the same weekend that Mastadon Ridge was releasing their upsplit 7inch “Warm Mourning/The Fall” at a show with Rakad Ko and Gauge and the finals for the Music Spirit East Contest were staged (which I hear was as cutting edge as commercial radio can get). Next year the whole show will be heading’ for Halifax, so I hope that will make it easier for all of the talented Capers to showcase their stuff…not just the folks that are considered ‘good investments’ by the powers that be.
I.K.’s editorial Rant
The East Coast Music Association grew from a small clique of musicians and friends to a somewhat larger clique of musicians and friends over the last ten years. Despite controversy concerning nominations, showcases etc., the awards show and conference has become an important part of our local music industry. If you are at all interested in making things happen, you should act early. Make your concerns known by either becoming a member or by making sure the bands you like get their applications in. The Celtic and pop bands seem to have their acts together… the r&b, blues and barbershop quartets just need that extra push to get front and centre next year. Now, on with the show.
