TUNING UP FOR THE JUNO AWARDS
Where to find the music, stars in Ottawa
When Juno boss Allan Reid spoke at the mayor’s breakfast a couple of months ago, he was careful to avoid saying the Juno Awards would take over Ottawa.
Instead, he predicted it would “ignite” the city. He wasn’t kidding. Juno-related events have already been happening across the region, including two exhibits at Ottawa City Hall and a display of Juno-related artifacts set up at the Canada Council offices across the street.
As we get closer to the big night, there will be an opportunity to meet-and-greet your favourite artists and get their autographs at Rideau Centre.
Marianas Trench, Arkells, July Talk, Ruth B and The Strumbellas are all part of the FanFare on April 1. Another contingent of musicians, including Amanda Rheaume, Barney Bentall and Sam Roberts, to name a few, will be lacing their skates for the Juno Cup hockey game on March 31, facing off against a team of NHL alumni.
New this year is a Saturdaymorning Junior Junos concert, part of the Kidsfest at EY Centre, featuring children’s music nominees Diana Panton, Kattam, Splash’N Boots and Will Stroet.
Rounding out the official program of fan-friendly events is the Sunday-afternoon songwriter circle hosted by Ottawa’s songwriting legend Bruce Cockburn.
He’ll be trading songs with his old pal, Colin Linden, as well as Chantal Kreviazuk, Daniel Caesar, Donovan Woods, Lisa LeBlanc and Wintersleep’s Paul Murphy.
And then there’s JunoFest, the mega club crawl that serves as the host city’s focal point for the festivities.
Booked by the Ottawa concert-promotion company Spectrasonic, it features more than 120 artists performing in more than 20 venues. Thirty-five of the acts are nominees.
By the time the red carpet is rolled out for the broadcast on April 2 at Canadian Tire Centre, hundreds of artists, managers, label execs and other industry types will be in town. Most of the awards are handed out during a gala dinner at Shaw Centre on April 1.
Although it’s not likely that we’ll see big stars such as Drake, The Weeknd or Justin Bieber roaming around the ByWard Market — Biebs and Weeknd are both on tour in South America, while Drake is not expected — those who are confirmed to appear include Alessia Cara, Shawn Mendes, Billy Talent, A Tribe Called Red, July Talk, Sarah McLachlan and Bryan Adams, to name a few.
Two Juno trains are ferrying folks to Ottawa, one from Toronto and one from Montreal. School bands are lined up to welcome visitors to the airport and train station. Hotel rooms have been booked for months, restaurants will be hopping and certain bars can stay open until 4 a.m.
All of the activity is part of a concerted effort on the part of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to engage fans.
Like every music awards show, the Junos are designed to reward worthy recordings, and are supported by the major labels. A handful of categories are determined through sales, while others go through a juried listening process.
Fifteen years ago, the folks at CARAS first decided to bring the Junos to other cities, holding the first roadshow party in St. John’s, N.L. It was a big hit with both the city and television viewers and it’s been travelling ever since.
It’s proven to be a clever strategy. Although sales of recorded music have declined dramatically in recent years, the Junos’ travelling circus never fails to generate excitement in each city, as well as some $10 million in economic benefits, according to CARAS’ figures.
There’s nothing like having the music industry descend on your city. Fans look forward to finding out who’s hosting and who’s performing, both on the televised gala and in the clubs.
“When we took the show on the road in 2002, we did it mainly because we were motivated to bring music to fans but we also saw how it can affect communities across our country, and leave an impactful legacy,” said Reid, president of CARAS. “For the longest time, the music industry has celebrated its successes with gold and platinum records, but we rarely talk about the effect music can have on a city.”
Of course, this is not our first Juno bash. Ottawa will be the first city to host the Juno party a third time in the 15 years it’s been on the road.
In 2003, superstar Shania Twain hosted the Ottawa broadcast, dazzling viewers in an array of NHL-themed ball gowns. In 2012, the gig went to actor William Shatner.
This year, comedian Russell Peters and rocker Bryan Adams are sharing the host’s microphone, the unlikely pair replacing Michael Buble. (The crooner has stepped away from the spotlight to focus on the health of his toddler son, who was diagnosed with cancer last fall.)
One major difference between this year’s festivities and those of 2012 is the funding available to make things happen.
“This one is much easier,” said Guy Laflamme, who’s heading the Juno committee for the third time. “In 2012, we had very little resources in terms of things the host committee could deliver. This time around, we’ve been extremely successful in raising local partners and getting (government) support early on.”
For example, about $30,000 in grant money was handed out to 37 organizations to help out with smaller concerts and events that showcase local talent in every ward of the city. Organizers received these one-time micro-grants to present events such as the recent showcase of female Muslim singer-songwriters at Centrepointe Theatre and this week’s two-day LOUDottawa rock blowout at Brass Monkey.
Another series of locally organized events is aimed at cultivating the Ottawa music industry.
The daylong Ottawa Music Summit takes place March 30, presented by Megaphono, featuring 12 music-industry delegates from outside Canada sharing their expertise on topics such as selling music to film and television and developing an international market.
The next day is a panel discussion entitled Ottawa as a Music City, with a roster of participants that includes Amy Terrill, executive vice-president of Music Canada, Small Halls’ general manager Kelly Symes and artist/entrepreneur Kathleen Edwards.
It takes place at the Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards.
In the year of Canada’s 150th birthday, there’s plenty of buzz about coming to Ottawa. “I can tell you there is a lot of excitement,” said Erin Benjamin, the Ottawabased executive director of Music Canada Live, as she travelled home from a recent industry event in Toronto. She’s also a vice-chair on Ottawa’s Juno host committee.
“It’s always exciting for the Toronto music industry to travel to another city, and the fact that the 150th celebrations are happening is really enticing for folks. I feel it’s Ottawa’s time to come out and demonstrate what it’s got, not just in terms of musicians but also the industry.”