Author Archives: Shitao Yang

Rick Sward Give Out His Personal Favourite Songs

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Rick Sward, a Whitehorse musician. He is a legend in Yukon. He has been contributing to Yukon’s music career all these years. Especially during this pandemic. Because of the social distancing regulations, all of the big music events have been cancelled. However, Rick Sward still hosting a series of small concerts and other small pop-ups events. Rick said he will do everything to keep music alive during the pandemic.

In his busy schedule, he takes some time to share some of his favourite songs. Well, you know what they will say: music is an indispensable part of life. Music can heal people’s hearts, lead people to find their way in life, and lead people out of the haze. Especially during this period, people need and desire the comfort and confidence that music brings.

The first song is “Country Home” by Neil Young. The first song reminded him of the working in Lake Louise back in the 1990s. The next song is “Me And My Guitar” by Tony Rice. It is made him remember going to the Canmore Folk Festival. The next one “Jesus on the Mainline” and it is also a song that evokes his memories of the Dawson City Music Festival. The number four song is Rick’s favourite bands called “Old and In the Way”. His final choice is a Vancouver band Roots Roundup. This band usually go to Yukon for performances. After that, Rick and they became fans and friends. I hope everyone can enjoy these five songs and remember music is the medicine of life.

Live Music Performance During Pandemic

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Every summer, the most exciting thing for music fans is a live music show. However, this summer is different than any others. Almost all live music show has been postponed or cancelled. Some of the small music groups found the alternative way, which holds a small pop-up event that complies with the social distancing regulations; or, they move their show online to keep music fans connected.

There have some small music groups that have a successful format for dealing with small audience events. Although it is a hard time for both artists and fans, there are still possibilities for live performance options. Do not worry, my lovely music fans. Here are some music projects and events you can enjoy now and look forward to it.

The first one is a streaming session, it is an online event. You can get tickets and more information through earlymusic.bc.ca or vanrecital.com. This is a mini-season of the streaming event featuring Persian classical music, lieder and chamber music. The second event is called”Music on Main” that will behold one October.20. It is also an online event. You can find the tickets and information on musiconmain.ca. This streaming session will include new songs by Jeffrey Ryan and music by Whitney George and Jessie Montgomery. Hope all my lovely music fans enjoy these two online live show and enjoy the rest of the year.

Vinyl record become famous again in Canada

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Do you want to listen to authentic music? Most people will tell you the vinyl record is your best choice. Unfortunately, CDs dominance the industry after the 1980s. The reason might be CDs are much easier to carry and store than vinyl records. The other reason is vinyl record players are much expensive than CD players. People can only listen to vinyl records at home due to the player is big and heavy.

In another hand, CDs can be carried on the person and also can play in the car. After entering the 21st century, the music of the digital format surpasses the formers, and I believe the reason is the rise of the smartphone. However, according to the Recording Industry Association, people spent $232.1 million on the vinyl records in the first half-year of 2020. So, the question is, why vinyl records all suddenly become popular again?

Of course, they will, the vinyl records are the most authentic way to listen to music. The sound effects and texture of the vinyl records are unmated by other music formats. Songs played on vinyl records can be heard with a delicate and moving texture. And right now, to use vinyl records is slowly becoming a standard for people who pursue the quality of life. And another obvious reason is people have more free time and spend more time at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, think about this question and ask yourself. Have you bought vinyl records recently? If the answer is yes, enjoy the vinyl records at home with your family and remember to stay positive and stay safe.

Elektra Women’s Choir Adapting During COVID-19

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It is a hard time for music artists during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for classical music groups. Like any other music group. Elektra Women’s Choir also faces the same problem.

However, they have found some alternative ways to produce new music. Of course, the internet is their best choice. Elektra Women’s Choir new album “Fire Flower” just released and it is online-only, which means fans can download on iTunes and through other online music platforms. “Fire Flowers” is Elektra Women’s Choir 17th cd and was recorded back in March. Elektra Women’s Choir connects to each other through the internet and they have many online projects is ongoing. And they will release more album in the future. This classical group is from Vancouver, but the group members are from all over the world. Although they can not meet face to face, this group of artists can use the network to communicate in different countries, like the US and Sweden.

Every group member has a ZOOM meeting each week hold by Elektra. The ZOOM meeting usually takes about 50 minutes to 1 hour. Elektra said the meeting is the highlight of her week. They will use the meeting time to dealing with inspirations and new ideas about their music.

After the meeting, they will be working on music with those new ideas that just talked about. Everyone should see the contributions those musicians have made to the society during the epidemic. Let us all look forward to the arrival of spring. Until then, stay well and stay safe.

Academy of Country Music Awards

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As we know, because of the pandemic of COVID-19, all of the large events have been postponed or cancelled. This of course also includes music events. The good news is after five months of delayed, the Country Music Awards show finally held at Nashville, Tennessee on September 16. The host of the 55th Country Music Awards was Keith Lionel Urban. He is an Australian singer, record producer and songwriter. A total of four people won two awards. Luke Combs, who is an American country music singer and songwriter. The song “Six Feet Apart” became popular during the pandemic. The remaining three people are Maren Morris; Tomas Rhett and Tenille Townes. The most nominated person is Tomas Rhett, he has been nominated four times in total. Tomas Rhett is an American country music singer and songwriter. The album called”Life Changes” and”Center Point Road” was nominated for a Grammy Award of Best Country Album in 2017 and 2019. This show had many great artists to performed like Taylor Swift, Carrie  Underwood and more.

Although the pandemic of COVID-19 hit the music industry very badly, the organizer hopes to encourage musicians through this show. Every music artist believes that as long as they stay together, they can all get through this pandemic.