CMW Preview: Audio Blood Showcase

Chiara recommends the Audio Blood Showcase:
Thursday March 21 @ The Dakota Tavern

A lesson I’ve quickly learned when creating my festival schedule is this: When in doubt, check out what Audio Blood has going on. They’ve gone all out for this year’s Canadian Music Week, setting up in-store performances at Sonic Boom, June Records, Of A Kind, Model Citizen, and Goorin Brothers Hat Shop. A whole slew of bands – from Mad Ones and Statue Park to Ponctuation and ATTAGIRL – will be scattered throughout the city over the course of the week. These are open to all ages and better yet, they are FREE.

As for the main event however, on Thursday March 21, the artist and brand development company will take over The Dakota Tavern for the Official Totally Unreal Audio Blood Showcase that you are totally not going to want to miss. Come early, stay late, have a few drinks, and maybe even eat some mac n’ cheese. With a lineup like this, you won’t be going anywhere else.

9pm – Cai.ro
A band I fell hard for during last year’s festival, local band Cai.ro’s intensely dark orchestral folk is sure to steal your heart early.

10pm – Miesha and the Spanks
Calgary rough-and-tumble grungy garage-rock duo Miesha and the Spanks is one I’m really excited to check out for the first time.

11pm – Acres of Lions
This B.C. band takes the best parts of the 90’s, sings it with heart and makes you want to move your feet. After spending much of the past year on the road, Acres of Lions has a new record Home(s) on the horizon and you’ll get to hear some of the new material before it hits stores.

12am – The Mohawk Lodge
An interesting mix of lo-fi indie and higher energy punk rock, frontman Ryder Havdale’s vocals are highly reminiscent of Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner. The combination definitely makes The Mohawk Lodge a band you want to experience live.

1am – Amos the Transparent
Having recently announced a newly reduced lineup, the Ottawa band has dropped from 7 to 5 members. They might take up less room on the stage now but Amos the Transparent are still one of the best live acts of the country. At 1am, expect drunken sing-alongs.

2am – The Town Heroes
It might be a Thursday night, but even if you have to work the next morning, don’t leave before Halifax duo The Town Heroes comes on. Once they hit the stage, their catchy blend of danceable pop/alt-rock should give you that burst of energy you need to power through the rest of the night.

Doors open at 8:30PM. Tickets are $10 or bring your wristband. Full details can be found here.
Until then, get your fill by downloading the AB mixtape!