In Local Music News...Romi Mayes Live Recording @ The WECC; Keri Latimer Reps MB In This Year's Great CDN Song Quest; And More!

First up, on January 14th resident roots-rocker Romi Mayes (above) is recording a live album at our city’s finest soundroom: the West End Cultural Centre. After successful live recordings at the WECC by Danny Michel and JP Hoe, one can only assume this album will sound nothing short of amazing. Tickets currently on sale.

Second, the annual Great Canadian Song Quest is well underway; this year, there’s a new, inventive, and kinda confusing twist (I had to read the press-release twice). First, users are to nominate a favourite road/highway in their respective province; second, the top five roads per province will be published on September 22nd; third, users then vote on their favourite from the top five roads per province with the final 13 (one per province/territory) being published on October 1st; Last, 13 musicians – one from each province/territory, natch – will bunker down and pen a brand new tune by October 22nd, immortalizing their home province's road/highway.

Manitoba’s representative is…drumroll please…Chantal Kreviaziuk Keri Latimer (above pic)! Suggest a road here. I nominated Highway 8 since it takes me to Gimli, and Gimli rocks the party every August. Plus I just love the quaint little pub on Main Street.



Third, upstart singer-songwriter Jenny Berkel has a gorgeously shot new video for her stripped-down, intimate song “You Don’t Hesitate,” off her record, Gather Your Bones . The track is performed live by Berkel and co. in an abandoned old house. Check it out. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

And finally, another local band worth following on Twitter: indie-rockers The Details!