Down With the Butterfly are all over the place this weekend. One of the city’s most dynamic bands in the city right now as well as hardest working that’s only appropriate.

Not content with just playing an official ECMA showcase, they went out and found one of the many so called no cases taking place and jumped on board for one of those. Still feeling like there had to be more options they decided to put their own show on. Hardworking great people! Playing great music! What more could you ask for really? Free booze? Ask them to buy you a beer, they just might!

This is in addition to half the band [drummer Jason Burns and guitarist Kris Pope] being in the bands for Jenn Grant and Tanya Davis [both playing the Church show and something that seems like a dozen shows combined].

In keeping with the DWTB themed weekend, Shannon Webb-Campbell pulls a two for one with interviews from Down With the Butterfly for the Coast in regards to the St Matthew’s Church show as well as a profile on the band for Chartattack.com

You can catch Down With the Butterfly at the following shows this weekend:
Feb 15 2007 Saint Matthew’s Church Halifax [you’re already late]
Feb 15 2007 The Marquee- ECMA Rock Stage Showcase Playing at 10PM
Feb 17 2007 Pogue Fado- Super Showcases - not sure what time.

Ok, so that doesn’t seem like as many shows as I first though but sue me. Great guys, great band, still two chances to see them.

For a taste of what might be in store [they like to mix things up, experiment and so on], check out their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/downwiththebutterfly

There are soooooo many shows being promoted this year as “no cases” you might not even realize that no cases are a small institution in these here parts.

From www.nocases.org:

The No-cases (or East Coast Unauthorized –> ECUAs) are showcases that happen every year during ECMA week (usually just last weekend) but are not affiliated with the East Coast Music Association. They’re put on by local independent promoters who would like to focus more on the music and less on the industry side of things.

Accept no substitutes.

And just for the hell of it, the whole history, abbreviated, because it’s good to know these things:

Waye said
Rod Gale and the people at CAPR in 1994 or so called them “no” cases as in “not showcases.” It happened to be the year after No Records started in Halifax, but it is by and large a coincidence…

Darryl said
no-cases was coined by either Gerard Baldwin (of Stranger To Julian) or Jaysin Dauphinee (of Hedge) for the 1995 unauthorized event during the ECMA’s in Sydney. Waye used it the following October for his No Records showcase during Halifax Pop Explosion and credited the capers in his program guides.

Shelley said
The No-cases were named by me and Rod on the phone. He was crazy anxious to have something going on in Sydney during the ECMA. I was telling him how people like himself ran side shocases around Music West and gave him the inside track on how they ran them and guerilla marketed them to all of the Music West delegates. We came up with No Cases because as Waye said it meant not showcases and it rhymed with shoecases. Stranger to Julian and Hedge were two of the first bands told about the No Cases because my cousin was in Hedge and I was recording a demo with Stranger to Julian.

Darryl said
Hey shelley….thats wicked, sorry for mis-crediting (?) the naming of this whole thing. Coincidentally enough, Gobblefest was named by me on the phone with Rod.

Shelley said
hey darryl, no offense taken or anything like that, I’m enjoying going through the history and I like to bring Rod’s name up. He was exactly the best person to meet with all of the energy I left the west coast music scene with and went home to Cape Breton, his energy and drive was perfect, and so it seems, remains so.

Rod said
Sheesh.

or something like that….

So there’s your history.

THE No Cases shows this year:

Site link above has full details on all shows as well if you need additional info.
Cheers

Mark Black, Johnston Farrow, Chris McCluskey, Tara Thorne and Shannon Webb-Campbell make their predictions on who’s winning what at this weekend’s ECMAs for the Coast. Good read.

Even better title.

There’s a lot happening in Halifax this weekend.
Every bar, venue, restaurant, barbershop and vacant lot [but not the Commons] will have music blasting from it this weekend.

We’ll keep this post to official ECMA events and shows for simplicity’s sake.

Thursday
Carmen Townsend and the Shakey Deals kicked off the 72 Hour Jam this afternoon at 4PM that will be running non stop now until Sunday afternoon at 4PM. View the complete 72 Hour Jam Schedule

Actually I was just hit with a wave of not caring. For real. There’s just too much happening.
The whole weekend schedule can be found HERE. It is interactive and quite handy actually [I suppose].

Bands/managers/local label folk should try and take in some of the conference panels though [complete list and times are in the above schedule]. I took in an international touring one this after noon with folk from the UK, the States and Germany and it was quite insightful.

They also have a number of panelists in town this weekend that will likely be at least somewhat familiar to you including Jeremy Morrison (Cooking Vinyl), Blair Purda (Endearing Records and Publishing), Derek Sivers (CD Baby), Bob Baker (music marketing expert) and Jim Schultz (Sonicbids). Someone from IODA is also in town. The keynote on Saturday will be from Bob Ezrin [Canadian who produced Pink Floyd’s The Wall + a lot of other stuff].

One of the sessions from live performance coach Tom Jackson should also be caught if you are a performer.

OK - I’m caring again, but only a bit: here’s the line up for the Marquee stage shows as if you read this blog those shows are probably the ones you’d be most interested in that the ECMA’s are putting on:

Tonight
10:00 - 10:30 PM - Down with the Butterfly
10:40 - 11:10 PM - Alert the Medic
11:20 PM - 12:10 AM - Brian Byrne
12:20 - 1:00 AM - Caledonia
1:10 - 1:50 AM - Jon Epworth and the Improvements

Friday
10:00 - 10:30 PM - On Vinyl
10:40 - 11:10 PM - Mardeen
11:20 PM - 12:10 AM - In-Flight Safety
12:20 - 1:00 AM - Carmen Townsend and the Shakey Deals
1:10 - 1:50 AM - Mark Bragg

Saturday
10:00 - 10:30 PM - Jenn Grant
10:40 - 11:10 PM - Two Hours Traffic
11:20 PM - 12:10 AM - The Novaks
12:20 - 1:00 AM - Slowcoaster
1:10 - 1:50 AM - Chris Colepaugh and the Cosmic Crew

On Sunday it’s the actual awards show. Woot!! the Trailer Park Boys are hosting. Again. How original. Yay. Or, even better, as one Miss Shannon Webb-Campbell said in today’s ECMA issue of the Coast:

Let’s get this rant out of the way first—I absolutely loathe the lowbrow menial humour of the Trailer Park Boys. I can’t believe they are hosting AGAIN this year.

I don’t mind their humor so much but….what she said in BOLD.

This show starts any minute now [technically at 7pm] so part one of DWTB rules this weekend is simply saying go to this show if you don’t see this too late!!

Playing a cozy and intimate show at the Just Us! Cafe on Barrington St.

Starts soon though, 6:30! Go now!!

www.myspace.com/richaucoin
http://www.myspace.com/tttimothy

The content below was suppose to be for a post last week in regards to Rich Aucoin’s CD release show at St. Matthew’s Church. I was away and missed the show and posting but here is some press to entice you out tonight.
Coast article on Rich Aucoin

With word spreading quickly about the project, and plans developing to tour with the idea, this Grinch could keep lingering until it comes right back into season again.

From the Chronicle Herald:

From the sparse and haunting sounds of Julie Doiron, we move to the opposite end of the spectrum with Rich Aucoin’s ornate Personal Publication, which gets a full-scale launch on Saturday at St. Matthew’s United Church on Barrington Street.

Aucoin gave a preview of the project — which is performed in synch with Chuck Jones’ animated version of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas — before the holidays at Tribeca. Now that the disc is ready for public consumption, Aucoin is skipping the crowded bar setting for the roomier vibe of St. Matt’s. There he can properly present Personal Publication with a 20-ft. video screen, a host of instruments (he plays roughly 25 on the disc, from a toy Star Wars blaster to the St. Mary’s Basilica pipe organ) and a 20-voice choir.

Joining Aucoin for this fun and festive evening are the busy Ms. Peek, Brent Randall and Jess Lewis, and Hopeful Monster’s Jason Ball. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m., and admission is $10.

Divorce Records and friends bring you a mixed media night of greatness

Dog Day + Movie by Seth Smith, Nancy Urich, KC + Crystal Spidle
Torso + Evil puppet type show with Adam O’reilly
Husband and Knife + Eleanor King wizardry
Be Bad + Stacey Ho living art installation attack
Attack Mode + TBA

Bands start at 9pm with the following order:
1st = Husband and Knife
2nd = Torso
3rd = Attack Mode
4th = Be Bad
5th = Dog Day

Any remaining copies of the limited edition Dog Day+Husband/Knife tape will also be available tonight for $6

Get your crossdress on!

Featuring:
The Whiskey Kisses
Telecommando
Great Plains
Trouble Rocket
Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees
Benefit Party
Stephen Cooke and the Respected Halifax Journalist Wolf

Details:
Your host for the evening will be the incredibly lewd and ultratalented DEBBIE DIAMOND!!!
Showtime will be roughly 11pm running until 2am.
Cover is $3 or $1 if you come in drag.
Wednesday, February 14.
Reflections Cabaret.

Be careful picking up at this tonight - could be in for a nasty surprise later.

Radio3 puts together a great selection of east coast acts in honor of the ECMAs this week/end.

A focus on the down-home, done-right East Coast Music Awards, featuring an array of Atlantic Canadian nominees and festival participants such as Classified, Ruth Minnikin, and Jon Epworth and the Improvements.

The podcast includes music from:
Jon Epworth & the Improvements
Chucky Danger Band
Tom Fun Orchestra
Old Man Luedecke
Ruth Minnikin
Hey Rosetta
On Vinyl
Down With the Butterfly
Classified w/ Maestro
Jesse Dangerously
Jay Bizzy
Slowcoaster

Download an mp3 of the podcast: http://dawn.cbcr3.com/podcast/CBCR3_2007-02-09.mp3
Other formats available on the Radio3 site.

Taken from Australian Daniel Boud’s personal website Boudist I thought this was a pretty great article for anyone interested in capturing live performances [or as noted, the info is applicable to any low light or stage photography situation].

For issue 46 of Digital Photographer magazine i wrote an article about concert photography.

Covering 5 pages and titled Stage Shooting Masterclass, it gave an overview of everything an aspiring live music photographer might want to know. I’ll be republishing the article in full here over two parts.

I’ll outline the preparation you’ll need to do before you get to the venue, the process for acquiring a photo pass, the gear you’ll need, the settings you might want to use, some thoughts on technique, etiquette and editing.

Concert Photography Masterclass : Part 1
Concert Photography Masterclass : Part 2

Here’s an example of a pic included in the article as well: