According to their web site The Little Mermaid, The Musical is set to make a stop in Brandon for a performance on Wednesday July the 12th. The show, geared towards children aged 1-10, lasts approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes and “features many songs as well as numerous decor and costume changes in order to keep young and old surprised and amazed all the way through the show”. More than 10 magical characters are featured throughout the performance including The Little Mermaid, Prince Frederick, Bernard, and Captain Rolf. All performers will be available at the end of the show for a meet and greet with the children. The show is produced by Tohu-Bohu, out of Montreal. Advance tickets, with a special pre-sale offer, are available on their web site. Show time is scheduled for 7:00 pm inside the Keystone Centre Amphitheater.

 "As a result of the Manitoba weather and road closures that prevented the Huron Carole cast and crew from arriving this past Tuesday, it has become a win-win for Westman!! Tom Jackson has offered to fly back from Calgary, at the conclusion of the tour, to perform for us here, in Brandon, on December 20th. This generosity means that the show will be a different one, but certainly a wonderful one! Our local artists are all still on board to delight us for the first half of the show. Then, we have Tom, all to ourselves, for a full, one man, up close and personal concert. Rather like having Tom Jackson singing to you in your living room!! This will be Tom Jackson as we have not had an opportunity to see him for many years! Please hang on to your tickets. If you don't have your tickets yet, please call the WMCA Box Office at 204-728-9510 or visit www.WMCA.ca. Brandon, let's get out and show our appreciation for this Officer of the Order of Canada and recipient of the Governor General's award for lifetime artistic achievement!"

When he`s not keeping time for The New Meanies or The Travellin`Band, he helps bands keep busy in the Winnipeg music scene. Jason Kane has not only managed to make this key segue in his music career, he`s developed his agency into a full-fledged career. Travellin` Band is one of the better CCR Tribute bands you`ll ever witness and they`re playing this Friday night (December 9th) at The 40. Playing in bands has been Kane’s night time gig for over 25 years. He’s also been enjoying his day job as an Entertainment Agent for Radius Entertainment, an agency he created and has operated since its inception. Travelling Band for the most part is his creation as well. Like any talent agent worth his salt, Kane figures you need to have likeable and talented acts that can be booked in a variety of markets for a variety of reasons. Mass appeal is essential for any musical unit that wants to stay active. In this edition of 20 questions we ask Jason about the bands he’s played in over the years, how to start an agency and what the most important elements are to making a living in the Entertainment Industry. First off, thanks a bunch for doing this Jason!  It’s a huge privilege to chat with someone who has had a career in music as long as you have. I appreciate the opportunity. Let’s start at the beginning. 1. When did you decide that you were going to be a drummer? I started playing when I lost internet in piano and singing lessons at age 12. 2. What was the band you first played in? The band was called bent Outta Shape from Charleswood in Wpg 3. Where was your first gig? The Pakwest Motor Hotel in Winnipeg. 4. How many bands have you been in?  Can you list them here for us. Bnt outta shape The Shrill Blue Meanies Travellin Band Red Ram 5. For working musicians to stay active and support themselves financially by doing what they love, it’s common to play in a multitude of bands. Have you ever been in more than one band at any point in your career? Not really, they have all been in different time frames 6. You were in the New Meanies for many years. The Meanies recorded and toured and were on the cusp of making it. Can you give us a brief Cole’s notes overview of how it all transpired? On our first trip to Toronto we hooked up with an agent who asked us to hang in T.O for a showcase. Within 6 months of that we had signed touring, management, recording and distribution contracts. Note: The New Meanies are still playing roughly 3 to 4 shows a year and will performing at the Pyramid Cabaret Dec 23rd. 7. It’s hard to believe that was all around 20 years ago! I recall opening up for you guys at Suds on the B.U. campus with my band The Attic just after you guys had wrapped up a tour with Deep Purple. I must take this opportunity to give a shout out to my band mates Mike and Rob! I remember chatting briefly with you guys about your tour with Deep Purple just before we played that night. That tour must have been an amazing experience! What were some of the highlights for you? We did a run with Deep Purple through numerous House of Blues venues. The shows were sold out and it was a thrill to be on those shows and meet a band that was always a favorite of mine, a surreal experience. 8. When did you decide to branch out and start an agency? I started in 2002. 9. How many bands do you have on your roster at Radius? My roster so to speak is always changing as this business does. I have a large library of acts that I work with some exclusive, some not. 10. Are you always on the hunt for new acts? I do enjoy seeing new acts and developing new relationships, for sure. 11. What are the main advantages for bands having an agent and management as opposed to be self-managed? The internal business aspects of bands is different for everyone, some acts enjoy being in control of their own destiny, others aren’t as motivated in that way. Having a third party working for you can help by fast tracking you to the right venues and pricing to get deals done faster. 12. For any bands out there looking to get more bookings, what are the most important aspects that agents are looking for? I think ultimately agents are looking for acts that have long term goals, and are easy to work on personal level, As well technically proficient like having a solid frontman that interacts with the crowd and good stage presence. 13. Is it easier to book a cover band, a tribute band or an all originals band? It wouldn’t be one or the other, both have challenges and bonuses 14. What was the biggest event that you ever booked an act for? I have booked a few larger scale events involving Trooper, Glass Tiger, Kentucky Headhunters. 15. You’ve been doing the Travelling Band tribute show for many years. How long has this act been active? The original act was formed in 2001 16. What sets Travelling Band apart from all the other CCR tribute acts out there? I think because it’s an act that covers a broad range of music styles and genres. From Country to Blues to Rock to R & B and has upbeat tempos and great guitar playing. 17. Do you perform three sets throughout an evening or is it a different format? We've done everything from 1 concert style show up to 5 sets in a night. 18. Ultimate Classic Rock recently created a list of CCR’s top 10 songs which are as follows: 1. Fortunate Son 2. Born on the Bayou 3. Proud Mary 4. Who’ll Stop The Rain 5. Bad Moon Rising 6. Looking Out My Back Door 7. Green River 8. Down on the Corner 9. Have You Ever Seen The Rain 10. Up Around The Ben How many songs on this list does Travelling Band play and are any of your favorites on there? We play all of these. Have you ever seen the rain is my personal fave. 19. Are there any there any deeper CCR cuts that you guys play? Put a Candle in the Window  I Put a spell on you Hey tonite 20. What CCR selections usually get the best response? Bad Moon Hey Tonite *** Catch Travellin` Band this Friday night (December 9th) at the 40. Advance tickets are available at the front desk of the trails west inn. Or reserve yours by calling 727-3800.

Prairie Dawg Entertainment has a trio of upcoming events in Brandon scheduled over the next few months, including a great Charity show coming up on Dec 23rd at The North Hill Inn headlining Loyal'T' out of BC. There is also some great local support on this show by Manitoba rappers Dilajintz and Paragon, Paradicemusic, IMO ( K Dot and MC Rush ), Arrow C, and Jacob Troopa and Sketch Williams Djing. For this event they have partnered with Brandon Battleaxe Warriors, and all proceeds and donations are being given to The Brandon Samaritan House. It's not the first time the group has lent a hand to the Brandon Samaritan House. At their Beats N' Treats show in October, headlining Charlie Fettah, they raised over $200 for the Samaritan House, as well as a decent amount of non perishable goods. Giving back is nothing new to the company as they are also part of the Brandon Battleaxe Warriors Division, a new local charity group aimed at recruiting younger members and giving them a positive outlook. Some great sponsors lined up for the show on the 23rd include: R DUBZ smoking accessories, FIRED Pizza, and C.R.E.A.M. Clothing. Each sponsor will either be donating a prize for a raffle, or in FIRED Pizzas case, giving them a bunch of pizzas which they will giving away FREE starting at 9 pm.. C.R.E.A.M. Clothing have sponsored every one of the shows so far and have been with Prairie Dog Entertainment since day 1.     Prairie Dawg Entertainment is the brainchild of owners Chris Macaluso, and Dallas Lamont, who started the company back in March of 2015, when they were only 23 years of age. To date they have promoted eight shows with their largest show being Snak The Ripper, on June 2nd at Houstons. According to co-owner Chris Macaluso they started company as “we really noticed a complete lack of support for these local artists as well as a lack of quality hip hop shows coming through Brandon “. One of the biggest obstacles that they face when trying to putting on a show is that due to Brandon's small size they often have an issue picking up the better days on the tours when artists are coming through. “Usually Winnipeg or Regina get the weekend days and we are stuck with a Wednesday or Thursday. While this isn't always the case it definitely makes it harder to convince people to come out when they have to work the next day.” added Chris. So far they have only done Hip-Hop shows but plan on branching out into other genres and already have a rave planned at the Double Decker on Jan 21st. It will be their first EDM show and they have partnered with DJ Dirtybird and Sketch Williams on this one to bring Brandon the craziest event it's had in a long time. Four different Dj's, on 4 different floors, at The Double Decker with a different vibe on every floor. Hip Hop groups will be there as well including Nicole Havs, Peshanakwut and "330". Praire Dawg is also promoting. Bring your glowsticks, and put on your game faces, because they're about to get crazy!! They've also got Alpha Omega on Dec 15th at The North Hill Inn. Alpha Omega is a relatively new group comprised of Prevail from Swollen Members and Cory "Neph".     For 2017 they have some amazing shows planned for the new year but your all just gonna have to wait to hear about them. The guys have also started making merchandise so people can rep Prairie Dawg. So far they have white tees and white snapbacks, as well as stickers and window decals. A brand new line of Prairie Dawg merchandise is also going to be released in the new year so stay tuned for that! The guys over at Prairie Dawg Entertainment would really like to thank all the companies and individuals who has ever helped them with their shows . They would also like to thank everyone who has ever had attended one of their events because really its all about them and shows couldn't happen with out their attendance.

To quote an April Wine song from 1978: He recorded a song that made us sing along, and he was on the road again Isn't it a pity, isn't it a shame No one ever warned the boy Rock n' roll is a vicious game Once upon a time being a “roadie" or crew member on a tour it was simply a guy tuning a guitar, or drum set, and then trying to keep back the groupies from jumping on the stage. Today, on a major tour, the world of the roadie, or crew member, is very different. Enter Brandon born and raised Barrie Roney. “Willis or Willy or The Tub” kind of stumbled into the role of a roadie about 15 years ago. Prior to that he had spent time working as a bartender for The Unwinder, doing cable television installations for Westman Communications Group, and selling hockey cards in the Mall back in the day when it was more fashionable.   BDNMB: Now Willy, for people that don’t know you, lets rattle off a list of acts you have worked with over the years? Barenaked Ladies Avril Tragically Hip Kiss Nine Inch Nails Bette Middler The Weeknd Prince Elton John Macklemore Tiesto Michael Buble Aerosmith Huge outdoor country and rock festivals.     BDNMB: And, your last gig was with the Bryan Adams tour of Western Canada, North Dakota and Minnesota.  Now lets talk about that tour, it was 5 shows in 5 days and included plenty of travel including stops in Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Brandon, Bismarck and Duluth. Doesn’t sound like much fun with zero chance for sleep. BARRIE - it was a lot of smaller venues...lots of labor with inexperience, so you don't have a chance to sneak away to go for a nap on the bus.   BDNMB: It appeared from feedback on Facebook, and this website, that it seemed like everyone thought Bryan Adams and the show itself was amazing. BARRIE - Adams has lots of hits, and he puts together a big show for these smaller venues... not many tours carry video and big screens.   BDNMB: Explain, what is your job on the tour? BARRIE - I work for a video company that provides video gear for bands on tour, and we do some corporate shows as well.   BDNMB: Explain a time-line of a typical day...of course problems will happen. BARRIE - Every building is different, but normally I start my day between 7 and 8 am and have a few hours off in the afternoon before the show starts. Following the show we have to rip it down and try to get on the road by midnight.   BDNMB: A common thing that I hear when I travel for work is “oh you are so lucky”...and I kind of think to myself, well it isn’t glamorous”. Would you tend to agree with that statement? BARRIE - To come extent I see lots of things, and now I have been to lots of places, so everything is starting to become the same old, same old.   BDNMB: How did you get your start in this business, didn’t your brother kind of help out? BARRIE - I had been laid off with the job I was working at the time. I went to to visit my brother, who lived in New York, because I had never been there before. He had worked in this industry since the early 80's and had built up a network within it. So when he met me at the baggage claim in New York his first words were. "We gotta hurry I got us tickets to see Conan O'Brien, tickets for the Rangers game and oh, yeah I got you a new job” Three weeks later I was on Avril Lavigne's first tour.   BDNMB: Best thing and worst thing about this business / job ? BARRIE - For me I would say the worst part is the travel and the amount of time away from home. The best part in some ways is the perks: free ticket to events, the places I've been, and the people I have met along the way.   BDNMB: Would you recommend this profession to friends or their kids? BARRIE - This job isn't for everyone. I would recommend it to someone younger with less responsibilities. There are long hours and sometimes you could be away from home for multiple months at a time. You live in close quarters with a group of people with little privacy at times. So if you can handle that then it could be the job for you.   BDNMB: Would you say that Michael Buble would be one of the most down to earth and cool guys to work for? BARRIE - I've worked with Michael on his tours since 2005. He is an absolute genuine guy. He takes care of his crew like no other. I would say he would be the top of my list for entertainers I have worked with. BDNMB:Dream Gig? BARRIE - One day I will do a tour with Iron Maiden and get to fly on ed force one.   YouTube clip of Backstage Secrets featuring Canada’s Rush https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdwOOuqV4xU