Excitement in the air as ECMAs kick off on P.E.I.
Volunteers, crew, and performers were busy Wednesday getting ready for the biggest day of the year for East Coast artists: the East Coast Music Awards.
There will be stages across the Charlottetown. It’s a weekend about music, but it’s also a chance for local artists to make important connections.
Artists like Nick Doneff, who will take the stage with local favorite Two Hours Traffic for the opening ceremony Wednesday evening.
“There are just so many peers and contemporary musicians around as well,” said Doneff, guitarist for the band. “It just brings everybody together, and for me that’s the most exciting part.”
Acts have a chance to show off their stuff for concert promoters and festival organizers from around the world.
“From Saskatoon to Cambridge in the UK,” said Rob Oakie, Music PEI’s executive director. “That’s a huge opportunity.”
The festivities are happening in Charlottetown and across the Island for the next five days, which could be a huge boon for the local scene.
“Great for the venues, they love to have full houses when the ECMA is here,” said Oakie. “There’s a lot of different shows going on, so a lot of the venues are being used.”
Many of the shows are ticketed, but there are some free events, including kids’ performances at the Charlottetown Library. Organizers say they hope to share the excitement with as many people as possible.
At the same time, it’s a weekend for the artists.
“To have the opportunity to get heard about, noticed, talked about in the media,” said Blanche Israël, CEO of the East Coast Music Association. “When you can say that you were nominated for an ECMA, or that you won an ECMA, it is a big deal.”
The awards are a place for up-and-comers to rub shoulders with the greats.
““I’m going to try and take in a little bit of the music because there’s just so much going on,” said Doneff. “There’s official shows, unofficial shows, and all kinds of stuff happening.”
Hardware will be handed out over the weekend and the 36th annual ECMAs will come to a close on Sunday with a songwriters circle.
For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cellphone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
'Endless Shrimp' just one misstep for Red Lobster as it eyes bankruptcy protection
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
B.C. man shot sex worker in the back during drug-fuelled birthday, court hears
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
'Inhumane conditions': 68 dogs pulled from Winnipeg home
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.