Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 42

C8 CALGARY HERALD Friday, March 9, 2007 ENTERTAINMENT Calgary's Top 10 Music Country Alternative Current Hard Rock This Last This Last This Last ms Last This Last week National Artist week week National Artist week week National Artist week week National Artist week week National Artist week 1 1 Dixie Chicks 111 Fall Out Boy 1 1 Norah Jones 1 1 1 Daughtry 1 11 Justin Timberlake 1 Taking The Long Way Infinity On High Not Too Late Daughtry FuturesexLovesounds 2 3 Rascal Flatts 2 2 2 Daughtry 3 2 6 Fail Out Boy 2 2 2 Nlckelback 2 2 2 Akon 2 Me My Gang Daughtry Infinity On High All The Right Reasons Konvicted 3 2 Carrie Underwood 3 3 3 GwenStefani 2 3 7 JannArden 3 3 5 Rise Against 3 3 3 Corinne Bailey Rae 3 Some Hearts Sweet Escape Uncover Me Sufferer The Witness Corinne Bailey Rae 4 4 Keith Urban 4 4 6 John Mayer 4 4 4 Grammy Nominees 4 4 3 Billy Talent 4 4 4 Various Artists 4 Love Pain The Whole Crazy Thing Continuum 2007 Grammy Nominees Billy Talent II Eminem Presents: The RE-UP 5 5 Lucinda Williams 5 5 4 Nlckelback 8 5 5 Justin Timberlake 5 5 4 Red Hot Chili Peppers 5 5 9 Various Artists 10 West All The Right Reasons FuturesexLovesounds Stadium Arcadium 15 Years On Death Row 6 11 Keith Urban 9 6 11 Killers 7 6 10 Daughtry 11 6 7 Three Days Grace 6 6 7 Dreamgirls Be Here Sam's Town Daughtry One-X Soundtrack 7 6 Various Artists 8 7 13 Shins 6 7 9 Akon 9 7 6 Evanescence 8 7 5 Christina Aguilera 5 Best Of Country Hits 2007 Wincing The Night Away Konvicted Open Door Back To Basics 8 10 Taylor Swift 8 15 Snow Patrol 8 12 Dixie Chicks 6 8 13 Disturbed 10 8 6 Fergle 6 Taylor Swift Eyes Open Taking The Long Way Ten Thousand Fists Dutchess 9 8 Johnny Cash 6 9 5 James Blunt 5 9 11 GwenStefani 10 9 12 Anberlin 9 8 Beyonce 7 Legend Of Johnny Cash Back To Bedlam Sweet Escape Cities B'Day 10 17 Rascal Flatts 7 10 10 My Chemical Romance 9 10 8 Nelly Furtado 7 10 8 Guns N' Roses 10 12 Snoop Dogg Feels Like Today The Black Parade Loose Greatest Hits Blue Carpet Treatment Emerson Drive keeps eye on prize PETER NORTH For Can West News Service Waking up in a bunk on a tour bus never felt as good as it did Monday morning for singer Brad Mates and the rest of Emerson Drive. The Academy of Country Music had just nominated the Grande Supremes' Wilson seeks protection from cover bands MUSIC A member of the legendary Motown group the Supremes pushed Thursday for a change in Missouri law to prevent cover bands from promoting themselves as the real thing. Mary Wilson, who has been fighting for better legal protection for musical groups, serenaded the state Senate committee with a few lines from Stop in the Name of Love. She then spoke about her legal battles costing a few million dollars to shut down at least five groups calling themselves the Supremes. She said the public does not realize legendary performers do not already have such protection.

"They're taking our history, they're taking our legacies," Wilson said. "I want the Supremes to go down in history, just like the Beatles." The Missouri legislation would make it illegal for people to make a false or misleading connection to the real group in their advertising or musical performance, with some exceptions applying. The Associated Press It 1 "They say one door closes and another opens, and that's what happened when Teddy and Josh made us the flagship act of Midas Records. As producers, they were able to capture the energy of our live shows in the studio, which is an impressive thing to do in an eight-foot-by-eight-foot room where the act is looking through glass at an engineer and the producers instead of an audience. "So we've gained that foothold at radio again," The sessions, also teamed the band with a hero in Charlie Daniels, who guested on a remake of his signature tune, The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

"Devil Went Down to Georgia was actually the first song Emerson Drive ever learned 12 years ago. It was something to get a pat on the back from someone we have so much respect for." Mates expects Midas will blow for the sextet. After having some bona fide success at radio and CMT with Fall Into Me and I Should Be Sleeping, and taking home the Canadian Country Music Association's Group of the Year honours in 2002 and 2003, Emerson Drive found themselves on the outside looking in. In late 2004, the band was unceremoniously dropped by the DreamWorks label after the release of a second album, What If. Such events might have signalled the end for many young bands, but Emerson Drive's members come from the school of hard knocks.

"Because we had formed in high school and travelled for seven years, we knew how to get through things. And despite losing our deal, we were still booked for 200 dates a year, even though we didn't have a label home for a year and a half." Today, Mates's voice is all over country radio PREVIEW Emerson Drive perform Friday and Saturday with Shane Yellowbirdatthe Deerfoot Inn Casino Prairie band for vocal group of the year confirmation that another summit has been Calgary Herald Archive Emerson Drive soldiered on after their label dropped them. theatres and cabarets is wonderful, and then it's hard at it in the States for the spring and summer." pull one more single from the Countrified album for U.S. radio before the group records another set of tunes. "The great thing about being Canadian is that we release two singles here for every one in the States.

To come home to Canada and play to sold-out reached in what has been a long and winding road. "It's very tough to be nominated in that category, the competition is stiff; there are a lot of great acts out there right now," Mates said as the tour bus wound its way out of a mountain range in the B.C. Interior. The band was heading toward Alberta as part of its coast-to-coast Countrified tour. "It was 2003 that we were nominated for best new vocal group by the ACM and like that, this is another important step in our career." Only a year and a half ago, Mates could have been excused for wondering which way the wind was going to if!" thanks to a hot single tided Moments.

Being shown the door by DreamWorks ended up being a blessing in disguise. One day, Alabama's guitar player Teddy Gentry and producer Josh Leo (Jimmy Bufifett, Lyn-ryd Skynyrd) came calling and led them through another. -in ir-n Tei 1" 1 MUn 5., rr Cgri34a House Gallery Allen Sapp RCA Artist Reception 1-3 pm Sat Mar 10 i til Check Theatre Directory or www.trlbuts.ca for Showtime MAKld lUliAl. SUNRIDGE SPECTRUM rmJK fir a- C3nad3boUSe.com 201 Bear St Banff 800 419. 1298 -iff if m.m 1 a.

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