Music News Digest, June 21, 2021

By Kerry Doole

Canadian Music Week’s annual Jim Beam National Talent Search will take place virtually June 21-July 10. Hosted by comedian Darrin Rose, the Search will include 18 finalists, with three finalists from each of the participating provinces British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The  winner will perform at next year's Indie Awards in Toronto. See the list of finalists here. 

– Two classics of the Franco-Ontarian group Cano, Dimanche après-midi (written by André Paiement) and Baie Sainte-Marie (co-written by Marcel Aymar, David Burt, John Doerr, and Wasyl Kohut), have been inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. A medley of the songs was performed at a gala by the duo Geneviève et Alain, with surviving Cano members Marcel Aymar, John Doerr, and Jason Hutt.

– Drive-in concerts are shifting into gear again, and Toronto’s CityView Drive-In has a varied slate of upcoming shows that include Big Wreck (July 3), The Reklaws (July 8), Matt Dusk (July 22), Chad Brownlee (July 24), Tokyo Police Club and Born Ruffians (Aug. 12), and Skratch Bastid, Shad, k-os, and Haviah Mighty (Aug. 27). More info here 

– Last week, the SOCAN Foundation, with support of TD Bank Group and Indigenous Music Awards, presented the 3rd annual TD Indigenous Songwriter Award to Manitoba singer/songwriter Leonard Sumner who collects a $10K cash award and a crafted hand drum, mentorship and a showcase facilitated by Indigenous Music Awards and SOCAN Foundation.

–  Leslie Feist premieres new music in Multitudes, a show co-produced with TO Live. The singer debuts the show at thes Kampnagel Festival in Hamburg in August.. Canadian dates include the NAT followed by Meridian Hall in Toronto..

– Noted roots singer/songwriter David Owen’s life was shattered in 2019 when his wife and the mother of his three children, Suzana Brito was killed in a boating accident in the Muskokas. That cataclysmic tragedy is now the subject of a much-publicised court case involving TV celebrity Kevin O’Leary's wife. Using music as a way to regroup, Owen has just released a new song, Stella Marie.

– Montreal-based artist Cedric Noel has announced signing with Forward Music Group and Joyful Noise Recordings. On Friday, he shared his Bandcamp-single, Nighttime (Skin), with the proceeds going to support the Nia Centre for the Arts. The track will migrate to streaming services on July 9. Of note: Noel also plays bass for Dana Gavanski and Ada Lea.

-- Last week, US independent music trade org A2IM held its Libera Awards with performances (and wins) from Phoebe Bridgers, Fantastic Negrito, and Arlo Parks. The show streamed on A2IM’s YouTube channel, included Mavis Staples who was honoured with the Independent Icon Awardand Stax Records founders were honoured with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award.

--  Acclaimed roots singer/songwriter Slow Leaves, an Allan Slaight Juno Master Class alumnus, released a new self-produced single, Did It Again, on Friday, via Birthday Cake Records.

– The Music PEI AGM takes place July 20. To put your name forward to stand for election to the Board, submit here by June 30. 

RIP

Patrick Thabo Mokoka, a South African jazz bassist and co-founder of the Malopoets, passed away early this month. 

Malopoets were a musical group formed in 1978 in Johannesburg and inspired by John Coltrane.. The group produced three studio albums: Fire (1982), Malopoets (1985) and Life is for Living (1988), released after the band broke up. Sources: News24, Wikipedia