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Fall music makers

By Chantal Tranchemontagne

The best live music from coast to coast.

If a live act is music to your ears, we suggest the following festivals and shows from East to West.

Boom town
The do: Halifax Pop Explosion
The details: October 16 to 20, 2007, various venues in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Musical notes: For five full days (and nights), this eastern seaboard city buzzes as 100 bands and their 10,000-plus fans descend on HPX. The festival has been known as a great testing site for emerging artists, featuring every genre, from Hali’s signature indie pop to punk to hip hop. For the 15th anniversary of this big bang event, the menu of local and national acts includes In-Flight Safety, Joel Plaskett, United Steel Workers of Montreal, Two-Minute Miracles, AIDS Wolf and Old Time Relijun.
halifaxpopexplosion.com

The hills are alive…
The do: La Féerie Musicale Tremblant
The details: September 1 to 3, 2007, Mont Tremblant Ski Resort, 1½ hours north of Montréal, Québec.
Musical notes: The Laurentian Mountains were made for music and mingling. Catch jazz, classical and a smattering of other genres on stages set up in the resort’s great squares (like our favorite venue, Place Saint-Bernard). This year, the annual Labor Day weekend event will headline the likes of Gino Quilico, Marc Jordan and Stéphane Moccio.
tremblant.ca/feerie

Rush hour
The do: Rush live!
The details: September 19 and 22, 2007, Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario.
Musical notes: Four months after their May 2007 album, Snakes & Arrows, bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart are getting off the bus in their hometown of Toronto. The country’s kings of prog-rock have been around since 1968 and were invested into the Order of Canada in 1997. What we’re getting at is this: If you haven’t seen the legendary power trio on their native turf, now’s the time.
rush.com, ticketmaster.ca

Best western
The do: Country Music Week
The details: September 7 to 10, 2007, Regina, Saskatchewan.
Musical notes: It’s a homegrown showdown of country musicians. Last year’s lineup included Canucks-turned-Nashville-stars George Canyon, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Emerson Drive. This year, expect a few repeat performers plus a gaggle of up-and-comers. See the singers up close and personal at FanFest, a meet-and-greet session, head to Open Mic nights showcasing newbies and oldies of the industry and get your tickets for the CCMA Awards Show to see who brings home the most trophies.
ccma.org

Art meets environment
The do: Green Planet Concert Series featuring Art Garfunkel
The details: September 16, 2007, Edmonton, Alberta; September 18, 2007, Calgary, Alberta; September 20, 2007, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Musical notes: To celebrate the series’ second year, Mr. Garfunkel lends a helping hand – and his pipes – to the Canadian Pembina Institute. For his three nights in the West, the master lyricist will draw from his 12th solo album, Some Enchanted Evening, released earlier this year. The organization promotes sustainable energy through education, research and development. This is a great way to get music for your soul while supporting a good cause.
pembina.org

Getting here

Edmonton Tourism, 1-800-463-4667, edmonton.com/tourism
Tourism Calgary, 1-800-661-1678, tourismcalgary.com
Tourism Vancouver, 1-877-826-1717, tourismvancouver.com
Tourism Regina, 1-800-661-5099, tourismregina.com
Toronto Tourism, 1-800-499-2514, torontotourism.com
Tourisme Montréal, 1-877-BONJOUR (1-877-266-5687), tourisme-montreal.org
Halifax Tourism, halifaxinfo.com
Tourism British Columbia, 1-800-HELLO-BC (1-800-435-5622), hellobc.com
Tourism Saskatchewan, 1-877-2ESCAPE (1-877-237-2273), sasktourism.com
Travel Alberta, 1-800-ALBERTA (1-8-00-252-3782), www.travelalberta.com
Ontario Tourism, 1-800-ONTARIO (1-800-668-2746), ontariotravel.net
Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 1-800-565-0000, novascotia.com
Tourisme Québec, 1-877-BONJOUR (1-877-266-5687), bonjourquebec.com

Chantal Tranchemontagne is a Montréal freelance writer.