A Retrospective

First year of the MJ program finished two weeks ago and I'm desperate to write again already. So back to my comfort blog. I'm about to start an internship on CBC Radio's Q with Jian Ghomeshi and just bought my Ottawa Bluesfest pass... so music is on the mind.

It's fun looking back on yesteryear's up-and-coming bands/artists and seeing what progress they've made. Especially those featured on Turn It Up, Jane. Some have made it big. Others... not so much. A sampling:

Darling DeMaes

- THEN: had small following in Montreal, awarded grant to make more music

- NOW: produced a new album, got some press, but I haven't heard their name since leaving the Montreal bubble.

Charlotte Cornfield

- THEN: getting some well-deserved hype. Four Ns in Toronto's NOW magazine, called the next Kathleen Edwards.

- NOW: Slow and steady. Playing C'est What in Toronto this week. Still not widely known.

The Tallest Man on Earth

- THEN: virtually unknown. I had to scour the web for information about him.

- NOW: Indie folk god. Touring internationally with sold out shows, new record featured prominently in every independent record store in the city, Pitchfork approved.

Brasstronaut

- THEN: Myspace songs had under 250 hits. British Columbia bubble.

- NOW: More than 30,000 hits, played CBC Radio 3, and booked for the Hillside Festival in Guelph. Promising!

Anyway. Lots of new talent and tunes to talk about! Let's see how long this blogging streak lasts.