Boots & Hearts Hot Shots CMW Showcase
This week we had a little pre-Boots & Hearts party during Canadian Music week at the Pheonix concert theatre in Toronto. The kind folks at BH put on this awesome party and showcased some really great talented artists and they gave all of us ticket holders to boots free tickets to this little shindig.
Now I have to be honest, I have been understandably a little preoccupied and distracted with our fellow Canadian’s in Alberta especially Fort MacMurray this week. After watching the incredible disaster unfold for me it has been difficult to write and put things into words. The amazing thing country does, our amazing & talented artists put our lives and thoughts into words and songs. For me and so many other Canadians we live our life through a country song! Well the words were meaningful when Dani Strong and her band took the stage for the CMW Hotshots pre-Boots & Hearts festival this past week in Toronto and acknowledged what was taking place in Fort Mac and asked us all to pray for them and rain, as she is especially attached to there being a Western girl herself. Dani then kicked off her set with a little Purple Rain tribute and her voice gave me goosebumbs! Dani and her band then rocked the stage from start to finish! Even doing a little “didi” for us that she has written for Coleman and highlighting the great outdoors. I gotta say though I was loving her onstage presence you could tell she was so happy to be up their preforming for us. Dani is a very talented artist with a very powerful voice and an absolute beautiful smile!
I shouldn’t leave out that an up and coming band out of Barrie, Ont. Kansas Stone took the stage prior to Dani Strong and these guys are definitely talented and someone to look out for! Front leader Brian Vain’s voice is incredible, his voice is deep and powerful and he definitely can capture a crowd! They are really energetic and a fun band!
Eric Ethridge followed Dani Stone and he just like Dani rocked the stage! We Got A Little Crazy with him as he kicked up things. Eric from Sarnia Ont, even though he has had some great country hits already is brand new to the country scene. He’s a talented young artist with a smooth country voice and can really rock his guitar! I am sure we will be hearing lots more from him!
Next up was the James Barker Band. The four guys took the stage and they were there for the party! They took over the stage and they too rocked from start to finish. They are so upbeat and fun and you could tell they were really enjoying themselves on stage! I sure enjoyed watching their performance! The band was the winning band to the 2015 Boots & Hearts emerging artist showcase. Which then earned them the spot to open for Thomas Rhett on the main stage. We will be seeing these guys back there this year and I’m definitely looking forward to it!
Next up to now a really geared up crowed thanks to the previous awesome bands was brand new up and coming country artist Meghan Patrick from Bomanville, ON. Having just released her brand new Album Grace & Grit Megan took the stage full of energy! Meghan is the real deal she’s truly got it all going on for her. The place was stompin to her single release Bow Chicka Wow Wow. This girl really knows how to rock that stage and we will be hearing lots from her! Meghan Patrick will too be at BH this year!
The final band of the night was Black Jack Billy and no stranger to Boots and Hearts as they kicked off the party last year for us at Boots, they know how we party and knew we were all there for a good time and we definitely had one with them! We went on a Booze Cruise and sang along to Tim Hicks’s Stronger Beer which was produced by guitarist Jeff Coplan. The boys are a lot of fun and have great stage energy and I had the great pleasure of meeting them and they really are a great group of guys!
It was one hell of a party for a Tuesday night! It really was a great night, tons of fun with great country music! I truly really enjoyed all of the artists performances and know geared up and looking forward to Boots!
TheCountryMill 
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