Meet The Trews[pictured right], a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia who are heading to Australia for the first time in October 2010 to perform as part of the One Movement industry showcases. (For the full industry showcase + music festival line-up, click here.)
The Trews’ career-so-far includes four albums in seven years; ten top-10 singles in Canada (two of them #1, and one gold); multiple awards (for best single, video and live group) and close to 800 live shows under their belt, including support slots for heavy-hitters like The Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Nickelback and KISS.
The quartet - who are currently based in Toronto, Ontario - include lead vocalist Colin MacDonald; his brother, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald; cousin, drummer Sean Dalton, and long-time friend, bassist Jack Syperek.
The band have been nominated for ‘Best New Band’ by SPIN.com, ‘Best New Band’ by the UK-based magazine Classic Rock, and have received five Juno Award nominations (including ‘Group Of The Year’ and ‘Rock Album Of The Year’ in 2009).
In 2008, The Trews won ‘Hard Rock Song of the Year’ at the US Independent Music Awards for ‘Hold Me In Your Arms‘ [music video embedded below].
Ahead of their appearance at the One Movement industry showcases in October, guitarist John-Angus MacDonald answered some questions for One Movement Word to help us get to know The Trews.
I like making music, I like performing music, I like traveling, I like meeting new people, I like having a good time… this job fits the bill.
Favourite song of 2010 so far?
Slash featuring Andrew Stockdale - ‘By The Sword‘ [embedded below]‘. Great Slash riff, and I love the 70s-inspired lyrical imagery.
What’s more important to you: living comfortably from your art, or artistic integrity? Is it possible to have both?
I think it’s possible to have both. We’re making the music we wanna make and living comfortably. We don’t have mansions on the hill or anything like that, but we not starving artists either. I think there’s space in the middle.
Favourite musical moment of 2010 so far?
For my band it was playing in Dubai, ‘cuz we’d never played the Middle East before.
As a spectator, it was watching Ray Davis (of The Kinks) live at SXSW in Austin this year - an unstoppable set of amazing songs. [live footage of Ray Davies playing 'This Is Where I Belong' at SXSW embedded below]
Social media for musicians: friend or foe?
Time will tell. I think we’d be fools not to try and surf the tidal wave of new technology that has swamped the music industry and the world over the last 10/15 years. I don’t have a personal Facebook account, but as a band we use Facebook, Twitter and other such sites to get the word out. The jury is still out on whether all that info and access will serve to draw people in closer, or overwhelm them into tuning out.
Your recorded music is an advertisement for your live show. You shouldn’t expect that people will buy your music. Agree/disagree?
Disagree. They are different animals. The recorded music is a snap shot in time. The performance of that music is an organic growing thing that ebbs and flows and changes night after night. Very often the live performance of one of the songs from our albums is totally different from how we recorded it. If you’re a fan and want both, buy a record and a ticket… I certainly do for my favorite bands.
Favourite music video of all time?
I don’t really have a favorite of all time. I’m not a huge fan of the form, but today I’m gonna say ‘Time To Pretend‘ by MGMT [embedded below]. I like the cheap campiness of it.
What do you know about Perth, Australia? Got any plans for your Australian trip, aside from playing One Movement?
I know nothing about Perth but am very much looking forward to getting over there and checking things out. I know a few of us plan on getting out and testing our horrendous surfing skills while we’re there…
What do you hope to achieve as a result of playing at One Movement?
We wanna turn Australia into a country we can revisit many times over in the future. We wanna plant the seeds of a new fan base that we can nurture into a following over the coming years.
Finally, please recommend our readers an amazing band/artist from your hometown, and tell us why you love their music.
We are from an extremely small town on the east coast of Canada called Antigonish in the province of Nova Scotia. As far as I know there are no other bands from there…
However, from the east coast - Newfoundland to be more precise, home province to our drummer Sean - there’s a great rock band called The Novaks that are well worth checking out. [Music video for The Novaks' 'There Goes The Night' embedded below]
Thanks for your time, John.
The Trews are playing for the first time in Australia as part of the One Movement industry showcases in October 2010. For more details on the showcases and music festival, including artist and ticketing details, click here. Visit The Trews on MySpace here.
A parting tip: check out the video for their song ‘Highway Of Heroes‘ below, which was inspired by the 2006 death of Captain Nichola Goddard from The Trews’ hometown of Antigonish. Canada’s ‘Highway of Heroes’ is the section of the MacDonald-Cartier freeway named to honour those who have sacrificed all in service of their country.
Mandar Thakur [pictured right] is a digital music and media consultant on behalf of MT Consulting. Mandar has been in diverse roles at the forefront of the evolving music business over the past 19 years. For ten years he was part of the senior management team at Soundbuzz , which was Asia / India’s largest online and mobile music distribution company and directly held responsibility for the Indian music market. (Motorola acquired Soundbuzz at the start of 2008; by July 2009, online stores in India and Singapore had been shut down.)
Prior to working with Soundbuzz, Mandar was part of the start up-team and management at NewsCorp’s Channel [V], and at the early stages of his career he was involved in the concert promotion business in the region.
How did you start working in the music industry, Mandar?
I started being a roadie for a band and then moved up the food chain: I became a junior assistant to a well known concert lighting director. After that, I started doing lights for many concerts on my own and began managing a band successfully and co-promoting small gigs. These years were my ’school of hard knocks’.. (All this was way back in the late 80s to early 90s!)
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
My assignment at Soundbuzz over the last decade was definitely the highlight of my career! We pioneered the Asian/Indian digital music industry and created many of the rules. Apart from that, Soundbuzz was a challenging task to me - to start an outfit from scratch in an industry that did not exist yet (in 2000) in a market (Asia/India) that had lot less to do with the internet than most parts of the world and hope like hell we make it a success… that was definitely the wildest ride of my life!
What’s your favourite song of 2010 so far, and why?
My current favourite is Slash’s ‘Beautiful Dangerous‘ from his new album with Fergie doing the vocals [audio embedded below].
This is a dream song and a dream album.
Any parting words of wisdom?
The best thing artists can do is write amazingly inspired and great songs that people will die for - and pay money to purchase!
Born and raised in Toronto, Sebastian Mair [pictured right] started his music industry career in Canada before relocating to Tokyo in 1996. Since that time and co-founding Music Solutions (Hong Kong-Macau / Tokyo), he has been a fixture in the Japanese music community, consulting for a who’s who of the industry including Fujipacific Music, JVC/Victor Entertainment, Maple Music, Chris Smith Management, Roadrunner Records, Syn Entertainment, Export Music Sweden, and Rykodisc, among others.
On top of that, Sebastian is often a music supervisor for film, television and DVD projects as well as numerous music compilations for companies like Starbucks, Hilton Hotels, Ritz Carlton, and Shangri-la Hotels. He is also the Cultural Officer for Music at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.
How did you start working in the music industry, Sebastian?
Started full-time just after university, though worked summer jobs as a kid at places like EMI Canada and CAPAC (now SOCAN - the Canadian APRA). My father ran Canadian indie Attic Records while I was growing-up so I was lucky to see early how it all came together.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Adapting to the changing landscape of the music industry and applying different models to the Asian marketplace. That’s also the most fun.
Got any hot tips for artists that you believe will break through later this year?
There are a few foreign artists who’ve made noise overseas that should work in Japan, though it will be a question of all the stars aligning. So it’s hard to make the call.
What’s your favourite song by an Australian artist, and why?
I’ll throw out ‘Jailbreak‘ by AC/DC. Almost 35 years old and like most AC/DC tracks, not dated in the least.
As Worldwide Executive and President of EA Music Group for Electronic Arts, Steve Schnur [pictured right] is responsible for the pursuit, creation and continuous development of the global vision for music in EA games. He has brought established stars, breakthrough new artists and award-winning composers to top-selling EA franchises, changing the industry’s perception of video games from simple licensing opportunities to a series of groundbreaking and award-winning scores and soundtracks. His hands-on approach with composer selection and score production has earned EA over 50 soundtrack nominations over the last 9 years.
In 2005, Steve created EA Recordings, a digital record label focused on the distribution of EA’s enormous collection of scores and songs. In 2008, he formed Artwerk Music Group through EA, which now directly signs, develops and launches artists for publishing, master recordings, sync deals and distribution.
Prior to joining EA in 2001, Steve held various executive positions with the Warner Music Group, MTV, EMI and BMG, and has supervised and produced music for films including Cruel Intentions and Miss Congeniality (which garnered a Golden Globe nomination for best original song).
How did you start working in the music industry, Steve?
I began playing in bands as a teenager, became part of the original MTV programming team while still in university, then worked at major labels for nearly 20 years as an executive in radio promotion, A&R and music marketing. I’ve handled every genre of music, was a music supervisor for several major movies, and spearheaded the breaking of artists who ranged from Metallica and Bjork to Tracy Chapman and Sarah McLachlan. But my last 10 years at EA has been the most challenging, surprising and creatively rewarding period of my entire career.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
The highlight is how EA has single-handedly re-invented the videogame experience to become what radio and MTV used to be yet could never achieve on a global scale: the one true destination where fans from all over the world can suddenly discover their favorite new artists or songs. We promote all genres. We recognize no borders. We instantaneously introduce new music to billions. No other medium can come close to what we’ve accomplished. We’ve re-written the rules, re-wired the culture and changed the game forever.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Trying to top ourselves with every soundtrack we create, all while staying true to the respective audio personalities of the best-produced games in the industry. We work more than a year in advance on some titles, consulting with artists, labels, composers, publishers, game developers, league executives and our international EA offices to make sure that every game – especially annual editions of sports games – will always move music forward.
Radio stations have the ability to drop songs from their playlists after only a few weeks, but our music stays in a game until the new version becomes available. We have to believe that when we put a new artist in our soundtracks, they have the growth potential to make an impression for the entire year ahead. It is the ultimate A&R challenge, and one that I relish daily.
What’s your favourite song of 2010 so far?
I’m knocked out by everything Matt & Kim are doing, so much so that I signed them to our publishing company, Artwerk. There are some amazing songs on their new album being released this fall, but I especially love the track ‘Cameras’. [A video for 'Cameras' hasn't been released yet - video for earlier single 'Lessons Learned' embedded below]
Got any hot tips for artists that you believe will break through later this year?
What’s your favourite song by an Australian artist?
I love so many Australian artists: AC/DC (both Bon and Brian eras), The Church (who I worked with at Arista in the ‘90s), The Temper Trap, Nick Cave, Jonathan Boulet (who we placed in the FIFA World Cup ’10 game), The Veronicas, Wolfmother (who we put in games every chance we get), Howling Bells and more.
But when I worked for Elektra Records in the ‘80s, I flipped for the Hoodoo Gurus and worked my ass off to break them in America. They had so many great songs: ‘What’s My Scene‘, ‘Like Wow Wipeout‘ and of course ‘Bittersweet‘. But my absolute favorite track by far is ‘Dig It Up‘[live video embedded below].
There’s still a hardcore cult of Gurus fans here in America, and I’m enormously proud to have helped make that happen.
Based in Mumbai, India, Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar [pictured right] is a lawyer by qualification who specializes in media and entertainment law. Bobby is a founding director of Only Much Louder, an event and artist management company who also act as booking agents for about 150 acts. Only Much Louder also includes OML Digital, a technology initiative that creates software, online solutions and mobile apps to service the music industry.
In addition to his role as founding director of both Counter Culture Records, a record label and PR firm, and Babble Fish Productions, who specialise in creating music videos and covering live events, Bobby also runs NH7, a new online portal for independent musicians in India to directly reach out to their fans.
Bobby is also bassist and a founding member of the popular Indian rock band Zero, who were active between 1998-2008 and played over 200 live shows in India and abroad. Check out the instrumental song ‘Spitleaf‘ by Zero, embedded below.
How did you start working in the music industry, Bobby?
While I was a musician playing in a band for 10 years and playing over 350 gigs in all parts of India, I was simultaneously a lawyer heading the media and entertainment practice of a law firm. The business of music thus came very naturally.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Playing in front of 15,000 people in a place called Koima (in the north east of India)
Getting our bands to perform at stages like the Glastonbury festival, the Womad Festival and the Love Box Festival
Hussain Yoosuf - better known by his stage name ‘Spek‘ - is a former Canadian hip-hop artist who’s best known for his singles ‘Smell The Coffee‘ and ‘I’m A Hippie‘, and as a member of Canadian hip-hop pioneers, Dream Warriors. Nowadays he’s the managing director of Fairwood Music (Arabia), the Middle East’s leading independent music publisher.
Nicknamed ‘Spek’ since childhood, Hussain Yoosuf began his musical career in Canada with the world-renowned Dream Warriors at the age of 17. He went on to tour with multi-million selling British jazz rap band Us3. During his years in London, Spek worked with members of Jamiroquai and Nitin Sawhney among many others. Spek guested on a track (’The Pilgrim‘) on Sawhney’s breakthrough album, Beyond Skin, which was highly-touted by Sting and Madonna; it won the South Bank Album award and went on to be nominated for the coveted Mercury Music Prize. Spek’s music has been featured on long-running UK television favourite Eastenders and used in worldwide marketing campaigns by Nokia, Fox and DreamWorks Films, among others.
In 2005 Spek became the UK & European representative for Ole, a Canadian-owned multinational music publisher with over $100 million in initial financing. Based in London, Spek was responsible for sourcing acquisitions, new business development and heading the company’s growing European presence. In this position he was instrumental in signing high profile deals with clients such as global TV giant DiC Entertainment, Amberwood Entertainment, Sound Ventures and leading UK music publisher Bucks Music Group.
Now based in Dubai, Spek leads several of BKP’s new ventures, including heading up Fairwood Music (Arabia), the leading music publisher operating in the region.
How did you start working in the music industry, Spek?
I was 14 years old when I started a hip hop group in highschool- and later that year met the Dream Warriors at an autograph session at a local record store. We became friends and a few years later - aged 17 - they asked me to join their band. We signed with EMI Music that year, so I started as a songwriter and recording artist. Years later, I made the shift into music publishing.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Moving to Dubai to set up a new publishing company (Fairwood), and within 7 months of launching, signing a sub-publishing deal with Universal.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Trying to move industry initiatives forward in a regional industry whose development has been largely stagnant for many years.
What’s your favourite song of 2010 so far, and why?
‘As We Enter‘ by Nas and Damien Marley. [video embedded below]
I just love the old school hip-hop vibe it has. I also love both artists.
Got any hot tips for artists that you believe will break through later this year?
K-OS, a brilliant Canadian hip-hop artist who has a following but I think will breakout and crossover internationally soon. [video for 'I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman' by K-OS embedded below]
What’s your favourite song by an Australian artist, and why?
‘Frontier Psychiatrist’ by The Avalanches, because I’ve never heard anything quite like that before or since. They’re a very creative and innovative act. [video embedded below]
Xfm Head of Music Mike Walsh [pictured right] has sixteen years of industry experience in both the radio and music industries. After a stint at college radio in both the US and the UK Mike joined the Promotions Department at Parlophone Records where he worked the likes of Radiohead, Coldplay and Blur.
Mike returned to radio in 2001, becoming Head of Music for Capital Radio Group’s A/C Network, where he was part of the team that produced the highest-ever RAJAR results and profits for the group. He now holds a similar position for Xfm Network, where some of the initiatives he launched include: the Xfm New Music Award, Xfm’s emerging new talent network Xfm Uploaded, The Xfm Residency the pioneering deal with The Charlatans to give their album away for free through Xfm. A Sony Radio Awards judge, Mike has also been nominated for Music Week’s Radio Programmer of the Year and is on the Brits’ Critics Choice and Live panels.
How did you start working in the music industry, Mike?
I used to hang out at my local BBC radio station when I was a little kid as my Mum was, and still is, a presenter there. That gave me the bug for music and radio very early on. I then went on to student radio in the UK, college radio in the US and eventually Parlophone Records before moving back into radio 10 years ago.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
Honestly too many to mention just one but putting on an exclusive Xfm listener gig at London’s Roundhouse with Red Hot Chili Peppers when they were arguably the biggest band in the world 4 years ago was pretty exciting. Doing similar gigs more recently with Kings of Leon and Kasabian were also a big buzz. Also, being the first radio station in the world to play Mumford & Sons, and then watch their national and international success has been very rewarding.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Being part of such a small and extremely busy team, I often feel guilty about not being able to get through the sheer volume of new music that we get sent.
As is Kele’s debut solo single ‘Tenderoni‘. [video embedded below]
Got any hot tips for artists that you believe will break through later this year?
There is a band from the North West of England called Kids On Bridges, just signed to the uber-cool Wall of Sound label. Massive pop songs with a cool electro delivery. [video for 'Check Your Head' embedded below]
Finally, what’s your favourite song by an Australian artist?
Again, that’s a tough one - it’s either INXS ‘New Sensation‘ for just being one of the greatest balls-out pop songs of all time; [video embedded below]
…Powderfinger’s ‘These Days‘ for a particular time in my life; [video embedded below]
…or AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black‘ for being the greatest rock n roll song ever - so I guess it has to be DC! [video embedded below]
One of One Movement’s friends, Antonio Corea, has released a four minute video highlighting his experiences at One Movement For Music in 2009. His footage includes clips from the festival, industry showcases, the MUSEXPO conference, interviews with performers, and everything in between.
To get an idea of what the first One Movement was like - and what you have to look forward to in 2010 - check out Antonio’s video below.
Franz Schuller [pictured right] is head A&R and president of Montreal, Canada based label Indica Records. Indica was founded in 1997 by DIY rock band Grimskunk. Fiercely independent and fueled by artist-driven passion, Indica has grown into one of Canada’s hottest indie labels. As head of Indica’s artist development Franz has signed, worked with and developed young talent from both Canada (Priestess, Dobacaracol, Les Trois Accords) and abroad (The Cat Empire, John Butler Trio, Tryo, Joseph Arthur) since 1997.
Franz is also a founding partner at Iguana Management, handling artistic and international career development for young Canadian acts (Caracol, Final Flash, Colin Moore), as well as American band Phantogram in Canada. Lastly, as founding member of legendary alt-rock-punk band Grimskunk, he has been touring and networking internationally for 20 years now.
How did you start working in the music industry, Franz?
I started as a teenage singer-guitarist in DIY alt-punk band called Grimskunk. The label and management stuff came later as an extension of the DIY artist-first approach.
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
It’s been a collection of great moments, from touring the world and meeting wonderful passionate music people to helping young artists achieve their dreams, both here in Canada and abroad.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Balancing giving advice and guiding artists to make the right decisions without over-stepping into their artistic space and hindering their artistic instinct.
What’s your favourite song of 2010 so far?
It’s actually from 2009, but has come to the fore this year with the World Cup: ‘Waving Flag‘ by K’naan. [video embedded below]
It’s a great song. I saw K’naan perform it last summer and told him it was a massive song. He chuckled. Now it’s a huge hit. Great hook, lyrics and sung with K’naan’s unique voice and his natural authenticity.
Got any hot tips for artists that you believe will break through later this year?
I would keep an eye on Phantogram and Mr Valaire as far as new acts. The Drums are looking set for good things as well.
Finally, what’s your favourite song by an Australian artist?
Currently, ‘The Chariot‘ by The Cat Empire is a favourite - great hooks and energy and anthemic lyrics, and ‘Ocean‘ by John Butler Trio as well. [video embedded below]
It’s just a beautiful, soulful piece - no one does it better than JBT.
Following the success of the first One Movement For Music last year - check out the stats on the right for a snapshot - we’re aiming for bigger and better in 2010.
This year, One Movement will be held October 6-10 in Perth, Australia. We’re pleased to announce the key dates and events for OMFM 2010 as follows:
Phew. That’s going to be one massive week, for both Perth music fans and visiting international music industry guests. Luckily One Movement Word is here once again to help shed some light on the people appearing at the event.
We’re now under three months out from the One Movement 2010; in the coming weeks, we’ll get to know both MUSEXPO panelists and music festival performers through a series of profile interviews. Stay tuned!
For a brief overview of some of the exciting musical outcomes and success stories that emerged for bands as a result of One Movement 2009, check out the below video.
Meet The Trews [pictured right], a Canadian rock band from Antigonish, Nova Scotia who are heading to Australia for the first time in October 2010 to perform as part of the One Movement industry showcases. (For the full industry showcase + music festival line-up, click here.)
Mandar Thakur [pictured right] is a digital music and media consultant on behalf of MT Consulting. Mandar has been in diverse roles at the forefront of the evolving music business over the past 19 years. For ten years he was part of the senior management team at Soundbuzz , which was Asia / India’s largest online and mobile music distribution company and directly held responsibility for the Indian music market. (Motorola 
Born and raised in Toronto, Sebastian Mair [pictured right] started his music industry career in Canada before relocating to Tokyo in 1996. Since that time and co-founding Music Solutions (Hong Kong-Macau / Tokyo), he has been a fixture in the Japanese music community, consulting for a who’s who of the industry including Fujipacific Music, JVC/Victor Entertainment, Maple Music, Chris Smith Management, Roadrunner Records, Syn Entertainment, Export Music Sweden, and Rykodisc, among others.
As Worldwide Executive and President of EA Music Group for 
Based in Mumbai, India, Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar [pictured right] is a lawyer by qualification who specializes in media and entertainment law. Bobby is a founding director of 
Franz Schuller [pictured right] is head A&R and president of Montreal, Canada based label 
We’re back!
