And just as the title implies the eOne/Gibson All Star 2015 JUNO EXTRAVAGANZA was spectacular!
Where do I even start? How about at the hotel where I picked up our VIP laminates. The hotel was full of musicians and music industry people doing the same things any of us would be doing, in a hotel. Hanging out, having tea, talking to each other, socializing and getting ready for the next event. It was pretty cool and that was just the warm up.
Ok. I may have had a little tip the night before from a certain someone’s mom (true story). I knew who one of the performers would be. You’ll find out!
Let’s get started, there’s quite a list to get through! To pull off something like this you can’t possibly be swapping out all the equipment between acts. No chance. So we had the pleasure of a house band, The Julian Taylor Band. Julian was engaging and the band had the challenge of learning songs for almost everyone. We posted an instagram video and you can see it here – https://instagram.com/p/0O3tdnrzJn/?taken-by=trishca.
First up was Dallas Smith, hot off his Juno win for Best Country Album of the year. He played Wasting Gas and took a bow. He’s been working very hard!
Next up the one artist I knew was going to be there, Meghan Patrick. Currently unsigned, but not for long, Meghan killed the performance. We’ve been singing her praises, we think she’s talented and genuine and we think she’s going to be a big star. She sang “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, “Son of a Preacherman”, and a recently recorded track. We hope it’s released soon?
Newly recorded @MegPatrickMusic #GibsonAtJUNOs2015 @gibsonguitarsca pic.twitter.com/3K2MrRQnkY
— Trish Cassling (@trishca) March 15, 2015
Next up was The Once. They were fun and quirky and I really liked them.
Alysha Brilla nominated for Adult Contemporary Album. Alysha was new to me. I really liked her.
Nominated for Roots and Traditional album was Amelia Curran, she was joined on the stage by Harlan Pepper. They had five guitars! It was spectacular.
They cleared the stage and a DJ set up and Kardinal Offishall came on. It was loud, really loud, and I needed to drink so I wandered into the lobby at this point. Sorry, no Kardinal photo.
Tom Wilson, Matt Anderson, Steve Strongman, Colin Linden. It was so good! I’m sure I’ve missed someone.
2014 Juno nominee Amanda Rheaume put on a compelling performance.
The Dead South, I loved this band! I’d never heard of them, and I’m not sure why, but I’ve been listening to them all day and I may have a little crush on their banjo player.
It was getting late, but we weren’t done yet. Up next was Lindsay Broughton. She was another crowd pleaser. Her rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams may not have been perfect but it was lovely.
And the last act I saw was The Wild! It takes a special kind of band to get the crowd going past 2:00am! The Wild! is that kind of band. Wow! Loved them!
It was an amazing evening, with amazing performances. Liuna Station is a beautiful building, the staff were friendly and accommodating. It was a great choice for this event and we’re glad we were a part of it.