CMW DISCOVERY SERIES 2018:
“Our focus with ‘The Discovery Series’ has always been on songs, first and foremost. And second to that would be the spotlight – that is, whether the artist is ready for it… That’s a lot right there in those two things.”
~ Music + Sound, The Painted Lady ~
The Painted Lady and CMW are officially partnered once again to bring you the 2018 Discovery Series. This is an important series that is a carefully curated preview of select Toronto and GTA based artists that have been invited to perform at CMW 2018.
H A V E L I N
“One great original song after the other… Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Havelin traverses a Folk/Roots/Pop/Rock idiom spun on records by artists like Simon & Garfunkel through to Ed Sheeran. Listen up – Havelin will sit you down and tell you a story sculpted by careful observation, consideration, and heart. And his gift for melody and the word make that story cut through.”
~ Music + Sound, The Painted Lady ~
B E N H U D S O N
“Massive, deep, ‘Class-A’ Country-voiced artist with songwriting and guitar chops, Ben Hudson slings a seriously rockin’ country set that has you partying and singin’ along from the get-go. Ben’s got a knack for the chorus, and massive country star potential.”
~ Music + Sound, The Painted Lady ~
“A voice as deep as the south and a personality and heart as big as our great land of Canada”
~ Linda Heldman, Canadian Beats ~
Ben Hudson is a country singer-songwriter from Uxbridge, Ontario. His smooth, rich vocals have been compared to Josh Turner and Brothers Osborne although his country-rock influenced songwriting is similar to that of Eric Church and Aaron Lewis. His self-titled EP was released in early 2016, gaining the attention of CMT Canada who made him their “Fresh Face” artist and also earned him a nomination at the 2016 CMAO Awards for “Rising Star.”
In June of 2016, he released his first single “Redneck Summer” to country radio. In its first week, the single was in the top 5 DMDS downloads and added into rotation at many major market stations across Canada. This strong debut helped secured a spot at the inaugural CMT Music Fest. Topcountry.ca named him one of their top artists to watch in 2017 and the Country Music Association of Ontario selected him as their January 2017 “Artist of the Month.”
Ben recently opened for Juno Award Winner Brett Kissel on his 2017 “Ice, Snow & 30 Below” tour and his 2018 “We Were That Song” tour. He is currently in studio working on his debut full length album set for release in early 2018.
C O L I N R E S P O N S E
“Undeniable – Feel-good vibes and electricity radiate off this guy. ColinResponse is a star. Oh, and did I mention, he’s got a song or three.”
~ Music + Sound, The Painted Lady ~
Pop-soul artist ColinResponse released his new self-titled EP on November 27th, 2017. Reminiscent of Bruno Mars and André 3000, this pop-soul phenom placed first in the industry-vetted, fan driven Hennessy Artistry’s International Talent Quest after “She Dances in the Rain” (from his debut EP) was selected over 2,000 applicants around the globe.
Hailing from Toronto, ColinResponse has been steadily gaining international momentum as a pop-soul artist and performer having shared the stage with industry heavy-weights, including DJ Jazzy Jeff, Wyclef Jean and Erykah Badu, to name a few.
ColinResponse presents a full, dance-worthy sound backed by his five-piece band and horn section.
