#MusicalNooners at the CBC Plaza - August 11 - 21, 2015

CBC Vancouver has released the next round of artists performing for their #MusicalNooners series. All concerts start at noon and run til 1pm on the CBC Plaza at 700 Hamilton Street. Here's what you can expect:

Tuesday, August 11 – Van Django
Van Django honours the Hot Club of France tradition of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli while mashing up influences of rock, film scores, and anything else that tickles the fancy of these four gifted string players from the west coast.

Wednesday, August 12 -Jordan Hart
Catch him at the beginning of his musical ascent! Jordan Hart will impress with his fine voice and pop musicality.

Thursday, August 13 – Savvie
Savvie is a new group with a new record produced by Matt Rogers (Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer). Led by vocalist and songwriter Savannah Leigh Wellman, Savvie's sound is meticulously crafted with swelling and seductive vocal lines and multi-layered grooves.

Friday, August 14 - Tonye Aganaba 
Inspired by Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, Tonye Aganaba has travelled the world making music. Her soulful voice, wicked guitar chops and magnetic stage presence defy category. 

Monday, August 17 -  Hanggai
They're back!  Beijing's Hanggai returns to the Musical Nooners stage after their enormously popular show here in 2013. They build an intoxicating mix of Mongolian folk music, including throat singing, with rock. Rave reviews on the festival circuit this summer make this a must-see event. 

Tuesday, August 18 - Twin Bandit 
Intimate folk/roots with strong harmonies and original songs - that's Twin Bandit featuring Hannah Walker and Jamie Elliott.

Wednesday, August 19 – Sister Speak 
These regional finalists in CBC's Searchlight talent competition bring a grounded energy, strong vocals and compelling song writing to their audiences every time they step on stage. With roots in both BC and California, they create a serious west coast vibe. 

Thursday, August 20 - Bodhi Jones
Bodhi Jones is the sound of the singer/songwriter today - fresh takes on stories from the heart.

Friday, August 21 - Mariachi Los Dorados
This all-star collection of musical talent plays the finest of Mexican traditional music, with their own unique northern twist.

STORYHIVE - Music Video Voting Now Open

The STORYHIVE Music Videos have been released and the second round of voting has begun. Not only are there some amazing videos and songs to view, you can help two of them win additional grant money to film some more!

There are 20 videos in total up now to view, and you just have to login to be able to vote for your favourites. Voting closes on August 12th (in one week) and the two winners are announced on August 17th.

Here are a few of the videos that I really loved, and the links to their individual pages. Which ones are you voting for? Tell us in the comments below!

Windmills "Shame" - STORYHIVE Link
Video:

Twin Bandit "Tides" - STORYHIVE Link
Video:

HUMANS "Ennio" - STORYHIVE Link
Video:

Keys To The Streets - Video #1 ft. Tariq "Radio Song"

For the second year Big Smoke has teamed up with Keys To The Streets to film musicians performing intimate concerts on the public pianos located throughout the city.

The first video this year features Tariq on the piano in the Strathcona community garden.

To see where all the pianos are located, click here. To see the archive of all the performances from this year and last, click here.

Here's what Adam Sharp of Big Smoke has to say about this video:
Tariq Hussain has been a huge part of the Vancouver music industry for some time now, and it’s an honour to have him open up this year’s series of Big Smoke x Keys to the Streets videos with "Radio Song.”

Between his time as a touring artist and as an active industry member he’s made a sterling effort to further the scene here in Vancouver, and seemed like a natural choice to open this project up with.

When I approached Tariq, he expressed a little concern at his piano playing skills - his ‘instrument of choice’ being guitar - but this simple and sparse arrangement jives so well with the calm mood inside Strathcona’s beautiful community garden. We shot this at 10am on a Friday, and the gentle ringing in the background from one of the community lots serves as a sweet accompaniment to this thoughtful tune.