BRING Q TO HAMILTON
If you haven’t already heard, there’s a bit of a contest happening over at CBC Radio.
It has come to light that the arts and culture show Q, with host Jian Ghomeshi, has never done a show in Ontario outside of Toronto. They are thus on the hunt and trying to choose a community for a February 2012 broadcast. A mass of online campaigns responded. From small towns to big cities, people are trying to convince Jian and the gang to visit their communities.
This is our go for Hamilton.
From where we stand, Hamilton is at the forefront of a renaissance in Canadian arts and culture. And, what’s more, is that the people in this city are fully behind our burgeoning arts scene. This city sees artistic endeavor as the next great offering from Hamilton to the world.
James Street North and their monthly art crawl is at the ground floor of this revival. Although it is something that has to be experienced in order to really comprehend our Hamilton, click here for Kristin’s take on the November art crawl to get a sense. It is here where the surrounding streets are lined with people from all walks of life. Everyone goes in and out of the galleries, shops, music venues, and cafes. Art shows and concerts happen, and you are surrounded by people who are there to experience a community of arts, culture, and other people. Honestly, it is this kind of environment that gets people out and into the streets. It is these types of events that create the very foundations for the inclusive community that everyone wants Hamilton to be. And all of this is happening on the basis of the arts scene.
Importantly, the art crawl culminates in the annual Supercrawl, which gets bigger and better every year. This year saw headliners Broken Social Scene, amongst other great Canadian acts, tearing up the stage. As the third Supercrawl, it was a day that, without exaggeration, changed the city. There was an undeniable feeling that something was in the air - we were on the verge of something new and witnessing the start of something big. This event, and others like it, solidify Hamilton’s presence as a prominent city for arts and culture. It brings people together. Its effects continue to ripple throughout the city. It is the inspiration that pushes this community forward.
The Hamilton music scene has a lot to offer, too. Simply, the talent is here and the venues know how to book a great show. There is always an effort to showcase a local act on the bill, and new artists collaborating with legendary performers is a constant occurrence. The kind of show that was the Light of Day fundraiser is pretty definitive of some of the best that Hamilton has to offer. With The Casbah and This Ain’t Hollywood as the standout joints, you can catch an amazing live show almost every night of the week. The number of great bands that we have seen live in these two venues go from Hannah Georgas, Hollerado, K-Os and Malajube to local talents Trevor Howard, Max Wray, Amberley B and Xo.Ex.Oh’s. We take great pride in the talent and diversity of our local bands and singer-songwriters. Arkells, The Reason, Young Rival, San Sebastian, Junior Boys, and Canadian Winter are just some of our local acts who are making waves on the national Canadian music scene. Hamilton also hosts one of Canada’s largest independent record labels, Sonic Unyon, which is a major force behind Supercrawl. Every revolution needs a soundtrack, and Hamilton’s venues and artists are rarin’ to make it heard for this one.
Importantly, we do have a great community radio station that comes out to these events and gets the word out. INDI 101 is always there. It gets out to the concerts, goes to the art shows, and plays the music that is representative of our community.
The thing is, however, that too many people outside of Hamilton (and even people within the city itself) have no idea that any of this is going on. It’s under everyone’s noses, still seemingly an underground movement happening beneath their feet. From touring our hometown as we have been (check out our raison d’etre and summer project turned ever-expanding blog here), however, we have seen firsthand the incredible sense of community and the innovative, creative, passionate individuals that comprise it. Getting to know your city means that you get to meet the incredible people that have a hand in shaping its everyday characteristics. And it means that we have been privy to fall in love with our Hamilton as a center of arts and culture.
We want Q to come here because we want someone to acknowledge, on a national stage, that Hamilton is where it’s at. We want a Q radio broadcast as a springboard to bringing more than just a CBC webservice to the city. We want a CBC Radio station for Hamilton. We want to get our city’s story out there, for the entire country and the greater world, to know what is in our Hamilton. We want to get our Hamilton story out there, to all Canadians, to push that this city has heart, creates art, and is full of culture. It has a history, a people, and a community that the rest of the country cannot, for some reason, even fathom that Hamilton is capable of. Thus, it is time for the CBC to get down here, on the ground, and be at the grassroots of a community that is truly coming into its own.
xoxo Carly and Kristin
