Originally Published: 2010-02-28

THE BESNARD LAKES

Long the most important music industry conference in the country, Canadian Music Week has expanded its live music component (Canadian Music Fest) considerably, and the lineup this year looks very promising. Now's a good time then to preview some potential highlights.
The sheer amount of activity is impressive. Some 700 artists will be featured in 45 clubs over five nights (March 10-14). For the serious festival-goer, the festival wristband is recommended, as this also allows access to some high-profile CMF-affiliated shows. Examples of those include Massey Hall shows by Jamie Cullum (March 9) and rockers Marianas Trench (March 11) and the March 10 Copeland gig at The Opera House. A full festival wristband is $60, with one-day bands for $30.
Lee’s Palace traditionally has strong festival lineups, and this year’s no exception. On March 10, local heroes Jason Collett (Broken Social Scene), Zeus and Bahamas are featured. Mercury Prize-winner Speech Debelle headlines on March 11 (as well as playing a March 10 gig at Revival), and acclaimed bands The Acorn, Russian Futurists and Plants & Animals are in on March 12.
Equally impressive are The Horseshoe shows. Montreal’s atmospheric rockers Besnard Lakes will unveil songs from their fine new CD on March 11 (Hollerado are also featured), with Vancouver new-wavers Hot Hot Heat, Montreal hard rock heroine Melissa Auf der Maur, and rockers Jets Overhead in on March 12. Two Hours Traffic and The Wooden Sky appear on March 13. Get there early for all these shows.
The Mod Club hosts a CMW kickoff party on March 10, headlined by a reunion of ‘80s new-wavers Platinum Blonde (The Mission District are also featured).
On March 12, top Canadian band Bedouin Soundclash appear, supported by highly touted Brit Charlie Winston. On March 13, Mod Club presents The Songwriters Café, with a high-profile lineup comprising The Trews, Default, Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) and Joel Plaskett. This bill leans more to generic rock than the usual roots-oriented singer/songwriters found in this format.

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