CCMA OFF COUNTRY Women in Song Showcase: AVA WILD, Cold Little Crow, Amy Nelson, Cynthia Hamar

Join us for the CCMA OFF COUNTRY Music Festival, happening September 8-11 during Country Music Week! Over 60 artists will be performing in a variety of unique spaces along the Music Mile and in various venues across Calgary.

We can’t wait to bring you two free nights of live music featuring artists who play country music on the fringes. On September 8, visit the historic King Eddy for a legendary lineup of talented women including AVA WILD, Cold Little Crow, Amy Nelson, and Cynthia Hamar.

About AVA WILD

AVA WILD, aka ‘your-wild-friend’, has been playing music and performing across the country for 10 years. Through songwriting, musical production and collaborations, she has been able to experiment with her voice and express her authenticity.

Over the last year or so AVA WILD has been producing and recording an album from the room she was literally born in. Developing her abilities as a music producer through experimenting with different sounds. Drawing influence from the likes of Sade, St. Vincent, Kate Bush, David Byrne and Lhasa De Sela. AVA WILD’s honey sweet voice and red shoe attitude won her the SOCAN songwriter of the year award, as well as some nomintations for a SIFA and a SMA (placing top 10 albums of the year in 2021). Having toured festivals and venues across Canada and the UK, she looks forward to doing so again!

About Cold Little Crow

Cold Little Crow is a songwriting, storytelling venture of Whitehorse, Yukon’s Christina Renee. Raised in a place known for long winters and early sunsets, Christina spent many an evening with a guitar, a note pad and an old recorder to capture ideas, melodies and songs. She left the territory in 2008 to study music and pad her creative resume as a vocalist and front-person for a number of projects south of the 60th Parallel.

Over the years, her solo offerings have been performed under several monikers, though the songs themselves – somber, minor key with a touch of swaying folk – have always carried her unique character. Mid-2019 brought a strong focus to one outlet; Cold Little Crow.

In Spring 2019, Cold Little Crow released a debut EP. In the the time since the project has grown to include other members dedicated to complimenting what’s already on the table. Warm acoustic melodies are now built upon by some Telecaster twang, mandolin and a solid rhythm section, comprised of musicians, friends and those you can share a drink with. December 2021 brought their latest release, “Come & Go,” recorded at Echobase Studios, in Calgary AB.

About Amy Nelson

Calgary’s Amy Nelson is a conduit of voices from the past, reverentially channeling the sounds of depression-era blues and Appalachian mountain music through the raw reality of an Albertan feminist. Haunting and honest, gritty and passionate, Nelson finger-picks her way through guitar and banjo tunes that bind together wit, beauty, and truth.

The sweet, sad longing and play of words and phrases, delivered in a voice from days far gone; reaching through the ages and channeled through. Amy Nelson began her music career as an old time banjoist, singing songs older than the hills. As time wore on, she began to dedicate herself to not only the preservation of the folk music she became known for, but by writing songs that reflected her own view of the world too. 1st place winner of the Ship and Anchor song competition, numerous radio play for her recordings, and marked as a festival stand out, Amy’s songs display a veracity and rawness that is uniquely her own.

Amy’s debut album ‘Educated Woman’ released in 2019 was named top ten albums of the year by Beatroute magazine and CJSW.

About Cynthia Hamar

Cynthia Hamar writes haunting, commanding, and introspective folk music. She is an Alberta-born Métis singer-songwriter with four studio albums that prove her dedication to her craft. Hamar can execute timeless songs that will stand up with the sounds of Buffy St. Marie, Tom Waits, and Feist and she is currently completing a Bachelor of Music at MacEwan University majoring in Recording and Production. Cynthia was the recipient of the Victor-Osten Performing Arts Award (2022) as well as the winner of the 2021 Bent River Records Songwriting Competition, and was recently invited to represent MacEwan as a performer at their 50 year celebration. Cynthia has performed her music across Canada, including Pembina River Nights Festival (2018), Jasper Folk Festival (2016) and a live performance on City TV Edmonton. She was the Artist in Residence at Keno City Yukon (2019) and SOCAN Song House (2017) and has participated in art showcases in Vancouver and Toronto while touring across the country through the Via Rail Artists on Board program (2018).

Cynthia Hamar’s upcoming album “Joint & Marrow” was produced by Paul Johnston and features acclaimed session musicians Chris Andrews, Jamie Cooper and Paul Johnston, as well as Toronto producer and guitarist Joel Schwartz. The record has proven her growth as a writer and performer, and the audience she has garnered from past work has made this release a highly anticipated one. Joint & Marrow is set to be released on Neon Moon Records fall 2022.

Sound production equipment for the King Eddy provided by PK Sound.