From grassroots to polished venues

Max Greenwood
Contributor
Canadian music talent has achieved mega-stardom thanks to releases critically acclaimed around the world. For Canadian bands who haven’t reached Grammy status yet, it remains very tough to propel yourself onto the radar of what’s “hot” in the music scene.
This is why events like the Canadian Music Fest exist. The festival is an opportunity for everyone to show off their chops to crowds more than willing to listen to new, upcoming musicians. This year’s festival took place March 9 through 13 as part of the Canadian Music Week (CMW) and featured a virtual who’s who of the indie music scene. Shows took place at just about every live venue Toronto has to offer, from dives like Sneaky Dee’s to polished rooms that have hosted greats, like the Phoenix Concert Theatre.

Canadian Music Week, now in its 29th year, is not only about live music. It also touches on the music business, sound recording, new technology and broadcasting. It features a film festival, award shows and a cutting edge trade exposition. All totalled, CMW attracts over 800 bands featured at over 55 venues in Toronto.
B.C.’s Mother Mother was one of the headliners of CMW, who played to a sold-out crowd at the Phoenix March 9. Although CMW gives both obscure and popular bands the opportunity to strut their stuff, Mother Mother vocalist Ryan Guldemond sees both sides of the coin, describing how events and festivals like this can also have negative side effects.
“Well I think [festivals like CMW can increase band recognition], but it can also be counterproductive,” said Guldemond. “Our first time at [Texas music festival] South by Southwest, we felt like we got swallowed up in a sea of bands and activity that perhaps was a little beyond us.”
With a lot of great Canadian content swirling around, it can be a challenge to make your band stand out at CMW. This becomes especially difficult when pitted against talent like Mother Mother, Protest the Hero and Big Sugar. But there is a silver lining.
“I think, above anything, just getting out there and exercising your craft inevitably makes you better and inevitably makes you more powerful and stronger, so it can never be a bad thing,” Guldemond said.
As the adage goes, any publicity is good publicity, and securing a gig at CMW is definitely a good way to increase exposure for any band. This is how Mother Mother made a name for themselves early on.
“We’re pretty promiscuous in our opportunities – we jumped on everything,” said Guldemond. “We were playing three times a month and were really trying to build up some recognition locally, in Vancouver. Sort of working at a grassroots level, then creating a snowball effect.” You won’t be world famous until you’re famous locally, said Guldemond.
Mother Mother themselves have been no strangers to success, and their third album, Eureka, delivers on their early efforts and development. The lead single, “The Stand,” has been regularly played on CFNY, “the Edge,” 102.1FM.
The song features a driving rhythm section and some of the catchiest call-and-response vocals heard in a while, courtesy of Ryan’s sister Molly, who also assumes keyboard duties. Eureka is a unique blend of folk-rock and pop, and also has some hip-hop flavour with immaculate wordplay.
“Try to make good music, put on good shows, work hard – the rest should follow,” said Guldemond. “You’ll end up somewhere, you know?”
With this release, 2011 is sure to be a big year. Let’s hope Guldemond is right and Mother Mother is set to end up somewhere good.
All in all, Ryan and the group enjoyed their CMW experience and are now setting their sights on the future. “Let’s just get on with it now,” Guldemond said. “We’ve been living with a finished thing. I’m glad that people now have it, so when we play shows there’s less of a disconnect when we play the new songs.”
What does he say to more lips singing along in the audience?
“Totally,” he laughed. “They can mask our pitchiness.”