CMW 2015 Country Friday ft. Kira Isabella
Friday night we went full country at Canadian Music Week.
Starting at Boots & Bourbon on Queen St. E, and finishing the night at the Cadillac Lounge on Queen St. W, we got to check out three acts as they each put on their set to show CMW fans exactly what they had to offer.
As country music fans, this was a fun night. As music fans in general, it was great to see 3 acts all put on a show they can be proud of.
CMW Friday Country Lineup
Ashley Robertson
River Town Saints
Kira Isabella
Here we go…
Ashley Robertson
Making the trip all the way from Winnipeg to play CMW, Ashley made the most of her 2am set at the Cadillac be mixing her original songs with a couple covers, and entertaining the music fans with the stamina to enjoy her.
Ashley brings a true country voice to her music. Twangy without being cartoonish, classic without drawing an immediate comparison or looking like a copy of a country music legend. Added to her full 5 piece band (2 guitars, bass, fiddle, drums) her voice fills her songs. It was also strong enough to carry the load when songs were broken down to their roots.
With original songs like Woman in the White Dress (the title track from her 2nd album, released in 2008) and How Are You My Love (which can be found on the “We Canada Walk” album) Robertson shows that she has chops. She can craft a song as well as sing it.
And when she decided to turn to covers, she picked good ones. Little Big Town’s Girl Crush was a prime example of her voice carrying a stripped down song, and her set closing version of The Guess Who’s American Woman was a fun way to close out a late night set of music.
Stay tuned, we’re pretty sure Ashley Robertson’s going to be around for a while.
note: It was great to see Cadence and Ann from Runaway Angel in the crowd even as the 2am set was going on. These girls are proud to be part of the country music community in Canada, and it’s encouraging to see emerging artists supporting each other.
River Town Saints
These 5 country rockers from Ottawa made the drive down on Friday to play the Boots & Bourbon stage and show Toronto what they’ve got.
They didn’t screw it up.
With great harmonies they make party songs sound more complete than your average rock song. And when the boys stripped it down to an acoustic offering, those same harmonies became even clearer, and stronger.
The pop from the crowd was impressive. Perhaps a testament to the country music fans in Toronto (don’t underestimate our country girls in the city) but more likely because the River Town Saints put on a really fun show on a Friday night.
Their mix of original songs (keep an ear open for Cherry Bomb over the next few months, the boys have a strong lead single with this one) and covers (Eric Church’s Drink In My Hand was a lot of fun) allowed the band to control the crowd and have a good time. Also we need to give a high five for their medley that included…
- Dust On The Bottle – David Lee Murphy
- Sun Daze – Florida Georgia Line
- The Lazy Song – Bruno Mars
- Get Back – Ludacris
- Thrift Shop – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
- Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
River Town Saints are ready for their break. The sound is right, the live show is fun, they’re TV ready, and they’ve got a busy summer coming up. Keep an eye out for them at a fair or festival near you.
Kira Isabella
And now… the main event.
Kira has been referred to as Canada’s country music sweetheart, and she certainly showed why on Friday night at Boots & Bourbon. Between her waves and blown kisses to the crowd, she put on a great set that showed off the huge voice that comes from the little Ottawa girl.
The packed house was ready for Kira even before she took the stage, cheering the second her band came on, and immediately falling in love with the live show. Kira’s audience control and performances continue to improve every time we see her, and last night was no exception. Bringing the crowd up with songs like Real Good Radio (a personal favourite) and back down with Quarterback (her biggest hit to date and Spin Magazine’s top country song of 2014) was impressive to see. From hands in the air, to couples slow dancing, and back to a party again with the next song, this audience was hers.
Kira also gave the crowd a little medley action, breaking into a 5 song combo that included…
- Counting Stars – One Republic
- Jackson – Johnny Cash and June Carter
- Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars
- Fishin’ In The Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton
Already in the upper echelon of Canada’s country music community, Kira Isabella looks like she’s going to be around for a very long time, and if she continues to grow the way she has over the last 4 years, we’ll be very okay with that.
Author profile
creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.
(Click Image)
Black Lives Matter. Learn. Donate.
CMW 2015 Country Friday ft. Kira Isabella
By Joshua Murray
Friday night we went full country at Canadian Music Week.
Starting at Boots & Bourbon on Queen St. E, and finishing the night at the Cadillac Lounge on Queen St. W, we got to check out three acts as they each put on their set to show CMW fans exactly what they had to offer.
As country music fans, this was a fun night. As music fans in general, it was great to see 3 acts all put on a show they can be proud of.
CMW Friday Country Lineup
Ashley Robertson
River Town Saints
Kira Isabella
Here we go…
Ashley Robertson
Making the trip all the way from Winnipeg to play CMW, Ashley made the most of her 2am set at the Cadillac be mixing her original songs with a couple covers, and entertaining the music fans with the stamina to enjoy her.
Ashley brings a true country voice to her music. Twangy without being cartoonish, classic without drawing an immediate comparison or looking like a copy of a country music legend. Added to her full 5 piece band (2 guitars, bass, fiddle, drums) her voice fills her songs. It was also strong enough to carry the load when songs were broken down to their roots.
With original songs like Woman in the White Dress (the title track from her 2nd album, released in 2008) and How Are You My Love (which can be found on the “We Canada Walk” album) Robertson shows that she has chops. She can craft a song as well as sing it.
And when she decided to turn to covers, she picked good ones. Little Big Town’s Girl Crush was a prime example of her voice carrying a stripped down song, and her set closing version of The Guess Who’s American Woman was a fun way to close out a late night set of music.
Stay tuned, we’re pretty sure Ashley Robertson’s going to be around for a while.
note: It was great to see Cadence and Ann from Runaway Angel in the crowd even as the 2am set was going on. These girls are proud to be part of the country music community in Canada, and it’s encouraging to see emerging artists supporting each other.
River Town Saints
These 5 country rockers from Ottawa made the drive down on Friday to play the Boots & Bourbon stage and show Toronto what they’ve got.
They didn’t screw it up.
With great harmonies they make party songs sound more complete than your average rock song. And when the boys stripped it down to an acoustic offering, those same harmonies became even clearer, and stronger.
The pop from the crowd was impressive. Perhaps a testament to the country music fans in Toronto (don’t underestimate our country girls in the city) but more likely because the River Town Saints put on a really fun show on a Friday night.
Their mix of original songs (keep an ear open for Cherry Bomb over the next few months, the boys have a strong lead single with this one) and covers (Eric Church’s Drink In My Hand was a lot of fun) allowed the band to control the crowd and have a good time. Also we need to give a high five for their medley that included…
- Dust On The Bottle – David Lee Murphy
- Sun Daze – Florida Georgia Line
- The Lazy Song – Bruno Mars
- Get Back – Ludacris
- Thrift Shop – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
- Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard
River Town Saints are ready for their break. The sound is right, the live show is fun, they’re TV ready, and they’ve got a busy summer coming up. Keep an eye out for them at a fair or festival near you.
Kira Isabella
And now… the main event.
Kira has been referred to as Canada’s country music sweetheart, and she certainly showed why on Friday night at Boots & Bourbon. Between her waves and blown kisses to the crowd, she put on a great set that showed off the huge voice that comes from the little Ottawa girl.
The packed house was ready for Kira even before she took the stage, cheering the second her band came on, and immediately falling in love with the live show. Kira’s audience control and performances continue to improve every time we see her, and last night was no exception. Bringing the crowd up with songs like Real Good Radio (a personal favourite) and back down with Quarterback (her biggest hit to date and Spin Magazine’s top country song of 2014) was impressive to see. From hands in the air, to couples slow dancing, and back to a party again with the next song, this audience was hers.
Kira also gave the crowd a little medley action, breaking into a 5 song combo that included…
- Counting Stars – One Republic
- Jackson – Johnny Cash and June Carter
- Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars
- Fishin’ In The Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Can’t Hold Us – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton
Already in the upper echelon of Canada’s country music community, Kira Isabella looks like she’s going to be around for a very long time, and if she continues to grow the way she has over the last 4 years, we’ll be very okay with that.
Author profile
creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.
One comment on “CMW 2015 Country Friday ft. Kira Isabella”