Wander, Experience and Indulge at Maple Run Tour

Wander, Experience and Indulge at Maple Run Tour - theHumm February 2017

By Rob Riendeau

In the InstaSnapTwitFace-app-ified world we all currently live in, we here at theHumm like to think of ourselves as the original social media. We try to provide content that is local, timely and relevant to our readers. Ideally, our signal to noise ratio is quite high. For example, when you read an article or spot a calendar entry that piques your interest, you can be certain that it is happening in theHumm’s coverage area which is also hopefully close to where you are.

Now imagine that you are visiting a town without a publication like theHumm. What do you do to find out what’s happening locally? You probably turn to Google and online social media but, unless you are very lucky, you will face a great deal of frustration and effort sorting the wheat from the chaff. What’s a live music lover to do?

BandsInTown to the Rescue!

BandsInTown is a free app that cuts right to the chase of helping you find local live music. It can scan your music collection (and your Spotify, last.fm, etc. accounts) to figure out which bands you like and then, based on your location, it recommends live concerts you might enjoy. There are a couple of easy settings that you can adjust to control the recommendations that you see. You can also ask to see all of the concerts happening in your area, which is a great way to discover cool new bands.

Once it is set up on your device, you will also be notified (if you so choose) when bands you like announce new shows in your area. According to Julien Mitelberg, CEO of BandsInTown: “Today, people are expecting to hear about concerts by receiving information, not going to look for information.” It is one of the few apps on my phone that I allow to send me notifications because I find them to be high-value and relevant. For example, I was delighted when I received an alert that David Wilcox had announced a show this summer in Kemptville.

For you musicians, BandsInTown makes it easy to enter your gig information in one place and have it sync Facebook, Twitter, and your website or blog. It also handles sending reminders to all your friends and fans who are tracking you in the app. It’s a win-win for bands and fans.

I encourage you all to spend the zero dollars it costs to check out this excellent app. Bands — let your fans know that they should track you (and send me a quick email). Fans — tell your bands to start posting their shows to this cool platform. More music lovers and music makers will just make it better!

Rocking the Brave New World

So, while we’re discussing the intersection of the digital world and the real world, let me tell you about another cool crossover. Red Heaven is a project of Almonte musician Corey Tamas, who performs a unique blend of experimental rock, ambient ballads, and a whole lot of diverse, textured music. And, while live shows in bricks-and-mortar establishments like the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield are definitely part of what the band does, you can also catch a show from the comfort of your desk chair by checking out one of the frequent live-streaming shows Corey puts on. Simply by visiting redheaven.ca/stream you can tune in and hear the concert. Visit the website or follow Red Heaven on Facebook /redheavenlive to find out about upcoming shows online and offline.

The Naked Composer

We frequently get press releases here at theHumm, but seldom do we get a release as intriguing as the one that came in recently: “New music needs to get written and shared. [I am] happy to announce some new music out there in the inter-ether for you all to listen to and share. New tunes are YouTube accessible under the Glorius Frump or The Naked Composer Channel, or from the home website. Here are a couple YouTube links of the last 2 releases to get you started:

Your Skin — seriously sweet love song

Knockin — deep bass, slow funk”

Needless to say, I checked them out and they are good! Which is hardly surprising given the composer’s background: “Alan Marsden, aka The Naked Composer, is an Almonte, Ontario based musician, raised by woodpeckers, wind, and several generations of St. Bernard in the rolling hills of the Gatineau Park near Hull, Quebec. He writes music for classical guitar, techno, pop, folk, and anything his hungry little creative mind gets attached to. All releases are carefully crafted and mixed arrangements, unique to themselves, but fitting together stylistically somehow... if you use your imagination a whole bunch. His website is thenakedcomposer.com which serves as a blog for his creative output.”

I highly encourage you to visit his site and check out his inventive and original creations.

Paddye Mann —Speaking theLanguage of Clothing - theHumm February 2017

By — Bruce Anderson (submitted Jeff Mills)

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Wander, Experience and Indulge at Maple Run Tour - theHumm February 2017