With East Coast Music Week fast approaching, you’re probably thinking “there are so many bands playing that I don’t know, how will I know which bands I shouldn’t miss?“. Well, we’re here to help you with that. We hear a lot of great music and see a lot of great shows working with Canadian Beats, so I’ve gone through the showcasing artist list and while I’d love to list them all, I’ve narrowed it down to my top 10 acts that you shouldn’t miss in Saint John.
10. Tyler Hache
Tyler Hache just had a busy time in Nashville when he headed out to audition for a music management company but he’s back in time for you to check him out
Playing at:
Folk Stage – 8pm – Saturday April 29 – St. Andrew and St. David Church
9. David In The Dark
Gearing up to play some summer shows across the country, this is your chance to catch David In The Dark and you definitely shouldn’t miss it.
Playing at:
Pop Stage – 9pm – Friday April 28 – Saint John Trade and Convention Centre Great Hall
8. Adam Baldwin
No one can deny a good rock show and Adam Baldwin can definitely put one off. When he played in St. John’s just a few months ago, social media was buzzing with great reviews of his show.
Playing at:
Awards Gala – Thursday, April 28 – Harbour Station
Export Buyers Rock Showcase – 4pm – Saturday April 29 – Delta Royal Ballroom A&B
UPS Rock Stage – 10:30pm – Saturday April 29 – Saint John Trade and Convention Centre Great Hall
7. Tristan Horncastle
You know we love country music over here at Canadian Beats, and Tristan Horncastle is definitely one of our favourites. Nominated for Country Recording of the year,
Playing at:
Country Stage – Saturday April 29 – 12:30am – Delta Royal Ballroom A,B,C
Songwriters Circle – Sunday April 30 – St. Andrew and St. David United Church
6. Port Cities
When 3 successful musicians join together to make a trio, you know it’s going to be good and Port Cities are no exception to this. They’ve got a brand new album to share with you at their showcase.
Playing at:
Roots Room – 8pm – Friday April 28 – St. Andrew and St. David Church
5. Dylan Menzie
Placing in the top 4 of CBC’s Searchlight competition in 2016 should be enough to convince you to catch this up and coming talent from PEI. If that isn’t enough, his latest EP send 8 weeks on the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 and two of those were at number one. If you want to know, who’s going to be the next big thing, check out his showcases.
Playing at:
Pop Rock Stage – 11:50pm – Friday April 28 – Club Rewind
Bluebird North Stage – 8pm – Saturday April 29 – Sanctuary Theatre
4. Hillsburn
Hillsburn recently played a string of shows in Newfoundland and while I missed it due to a crazy wind storm, social media was buzzing about all of the shows.
Playing at:
Export Buyers Electric Showcase – 3:30pm – Friday April 28 – Delta Royal Ballroom A&B
Folk Stage – 11pm – Friday April 28 – Sanctuary Theatre
3. Tomato/Tomato
The first time I heard of Tomato/Tomato was at ECMW 2015 in St. John’s and to this day, I still think about their set. It was like nothing I had ever seen before and it was incredible. If you’re looking for something different, this is the band to catch.
Awards Gala – Thursday, April 28 – Harbour Station
Export Buyers Roots Showcase – 3:30pm – Friday April 28 – Delta Trinity Royalfolk stage Folk Stage – 12:20am – Friday April 28 – Sanctuary Theatre
Songwriters Circle – Sunday April 30 – St. Andrew and St. David United Church
2. Paper Lions
Full Colour has a pretty prominent spot in my playlist for the last few months of 2016 and I was very excited to start my 2017 concert run with my first Paper Lions show. I know I won’t be missing them anytime they come through my city and I definitely won’t miss them at ECMW either.
Playing at:
Awards Gala – Thursday, April 28 – Harbour Station
Export Buyers Electric Showcase – 4pm – Friday April 28 – Delta Ballroom A&B
Pop Stage – 12:20am – Friday April 28 – Saint John Trade and Convention Centre Great Hall
1. The Motorleage
The Motorleague are hands down one of my favourite bands from the East Coast and probably my favourite band to see live. They put on one of the most high energy shows. With four nominations this year, it’s easy to tell they’re a band you shouldn’t miss.
Playing at:
Awards Gala – Thursday, April 28 – Harbour Station
Export Buyers Electric Showcase – 5pm – Saturday April 29 – Delta Ballroom A&B
UPS Rock Stage – 11:50pm – Saturday April 29 – Saint John Trade and Convention Centre Great Hall