R&B singer Keshia Chanté, jazz songstress Molly Johnson, and crooner Matt Dusk are among the artists who will be performing the soundtrack to this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
Back for the second year, the Canadian Music Café will be turning down the lights and turning up the volume on some of Canada's best up-and-coming and established artists.
"Last year we showcased the Canadian music scene for members of the film industry through the innovative Canadian Music Café, with artists including K'naan and Chantal Kreviazuk," TIFF managing director Michele Maheux said at the inaugural festival press conference.
"The pilot project was so successful that we are bringing it back this year."
Taking its inspiration from a similar initiative at the Sundance film festival, the project aims to provide film industry's leading influential tastemakers with the opportunity to plug into Canada's vibrant music scene.
The idea is that leading members of the film industry will be encouraged to use Canadian artists when selecting the music to give voice to their pictures.
"By bringing together talent from both music and film, the Canadian Music Café facilitates the exchange of ideas, culture and knowledge," said Diane Samek, manager, Communications & Marketing, Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).
"As we have seen by the successes of last year's artists, we're confident that the potential of this venture will continue to extend well beyond the walls of the Café, and will resonate in the future work of both performers and attending film producers and music supervisors."
In 2005, the café put Canadian music squarely on the radar of cool hunters attending the debut showcase and delivered film and television placements for Broken Social Scene, Jorane, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Andy Stochansky, said Director of Public Affairs for Toronto International Film Festival Group maxine bailey (who requests that her name is spelled in lowercase letters).
"This is a great way to engage a new audience for TIFF, and also a great way to showcase the Canadian talent that's here, that's fantastic but not everyone knows about," bailey told CTV.ca.
This year's lineup also includes: dbClifford, Easily Amused, Mobile, Magneta Lane, Melissa McClelland, Paul Reddick, Stabilo, Tomi Swick, The Road Hammers, The Russian Futurists, and The Trews.
"One of the real rewards was being able to discover artists that I hadn't heard before, and in a setting that made their performances that much more memorable. The quality was consistent through and through," American music supervisor John Bissell said in a written statement released by Café organizers.
The Canadian Music Café is an initiative by the Canadian music industry and is produced in collaboration by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), SOCAN, the Canadian Independent Record Production Association (CIRPA), and the Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA), in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival Group and in association with the Government of Canada.
"Music is an integral part of a film as a whole so the Canadian Music Café was a great opportunity to showcase emerging and established music talent in an intimate setting," Amy Fritz, director of music supervision for SL Feldman & Associates said in a statement.
"With label reps and publishers in attendance, the Café was ideal for furthering industry relationships with the focus on placing their artists' music in films," Fritz said.
The Café will set up shop in the heart of the city's trendy Entertainment District at the Rivoli with daily performances from September 12 to the 14.
But members of the public who are interested in catching the performances are out of luck. Though the shows are free, they are open exclusively to festival press and industry delegates.
Canadian Music Café Schedule:
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
12:30 p.m.: Doors Open
1:00 p.m.: dbClifford
1:50 p.m.: Molly Johnson
2:40 p.m.: Matt Dusk
3:30 p.m.: Champion
4:20 p.m.: The Trews
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
12:30 p.m.: Doors Open
1:00 p.m.: Easily Amused
1:50 p.m.: Stabilo
2:40 p.m.: The Russian Futurists
3:30 p.m.: Keshia Chanté
4:20 p.m.: Mobile
Thursday, September 14, 2006
12:30 p.m.: Doors Open
1:00 p.m.: Tomi Swick
1:50 p.m.: Melissa McClelland
2:40 p.m.: Paul Reddick
3:30 p.m.: Magneta Lane
4:20 p.m.: The Road Hammers