ECMA 2023: Celebrating the Best in East Coast Music

WRITTEN BY: KATIE GORDON & MITCHELL JODREY  // THE BOOM AT NOON

The 35th annual East Coast Music Awards: Festival and Conference are happening in Halifax, May 3-7. A true celebration of East Coast music, the East Coast Music Association was created to promote and enhance East Coast artists and further their careers and their work is done year-round.

Andy McLean, CEO of the East Coast Music Association, says the festival and conference are a great way to bring musicians together. “Awards are given out, there are showcases, business gets done, we bring in international buyers, there’s a conference where people can talk about the issues that they're facing, and it's the largest gathering of the Atlantic music industry annually and continues to be a national and worldwide brand,” he says.

back to where it all started

The last time the awards and festival were in Halifax was in 2018 and 35 years ago, the first-ever ECMAs kicked off in the city. “I'm really excited as to how music will be fully integrated because it is a music destination. There's so much talent here on the East Coast and Halifax has the most diversity in terms of music, I think. It seems like the perfect backdrop,” Andy says. ”In the next few days, if you want to go out and find music that you like, I'm pretty sure you’ll be able to find it somewhere with the 200 showcases that are taking place,” he adds.

A four-day celebration of Indigenous culture

On Weds, May 3, at noon, the festival kicks off with the Wije’winen (Come With Us) Cultural Circle with an opening blessing. “The ECMA is really keen to develop partnerships in the city that we go to,” says Andy. “In Halifax, we’re working with the Mi'kmaw Friendship Centre and they are putting on a four-day celebration of Indigenous culture right here at a Grand Parade,” he adds. There will be lit teepees, a sacred fire and an on-site firekeeper. On Sat., May 6, the Cultural Circle will include a showcase of Indigenous dance, drumming and song. “To have such a strong Indigenous representation there, I think it opens people's eyes and the more we can understand the culture and the more we can appreciate and celebrate it, the better for everybody,” Andy adds.

Charity sporting events

The festival also has two sporting events this year. New this year is the ECMA All-Star Charity Basketball Game, taking place at Saint Mary’s University Homburg Centre on Weds., May 3. The game is raising money for Hot Cocoa Boys, a Halifax-based social enterprise within the Hope Blooms organization. “They are trying to raise money for a mobile recording studio,” says Andy. “The basketball is going to be a great addition and something that I think we will continue with moving forward.” The third annual ECMA Cup, a charity hockey game taking place on Sat., May 6, at the Forum. The game features musicians playing and celebrity coaches behind the bench, with proceeds supporting Sound Minds, a named grant through the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. Both sporting events are all ages and free to attend, with donations accepted at the door. 

Mental health supports

For a number of years, the association has offered a robust mental health program for its members. “Choosing music as your profession is a wonderful thing to do, but it comes with its own challenges,” notes Andy. “You're dealing with touring and there's a lot of lifestyle challenges to deal with, certain addictions, and it’s just generally very disruptive to a good family life,” he says, adding that they offer opportunities to speak to a clinical therapist at no charge, an opportunity to study and become a peer counsellor and more. At the festival this year, there will be a wellness centre at the hotel for artists to take advantage of. “It's a very pressurized time - they're playing multiple shows, and there are people coming from all over the world to see them. If they need time to chill and just be grounded again,” he says.

The artist experience

With various activations and experiences happening throughout the five-day festival, artists have countless opportunities to take advantage of. “Every artist is an entrepreneur or ‘artist-preneur,’ as we call them,” laughs Andy. “They're all at different levels of career development and the ECMA offers multiple levels of career enhancement,” he says. “The Export Buyers Program this year has 42 artists deemed to be export ready. They will play 20-minute showcases in front of buyers from nine different countries. “You can literally have your calendar booked up by playing those shows and developing all of those special contacts to move your career forward from an international perspective and there are also national bookers that are here too that can help you if you're looking to go across the country,” Andy adds.

The fan experience

The ECMAs are different than your traditional festivals, with curated stages, artists performing 20-minute sets, a conference, award shows, songwriter circles and other events taking place throughout the host city. “We're putting on a huge musical adventure,” says Andy. “It's like a buffet of great music to go out and enjoy and remind yourself if you haven't been out for live music for a while now, come out and remember just how great it feels to be in a venue with musicians who are banging it on the stage. There's nothing that replaces that,” he smiles. 

To get the most out of the festival and conference experience, you should download the ECMA app, which features schedules, maps, tickets, artist information, playlists and more. “Do a little bit of planning, listen to the artists, see where they’re playing,” Andy says. “Go see some of the ones that you may know already, but go discover something that you haven’t or just stumble into something. Share that with your friends and that becomes, I think, just the most amazing experience.”

There are also free events happening throughout the week, including the family-friendly Dairy Farmers of Canada ECMA Fan Fest happening on Argyle Street on Sat., May 6. There will be live performances, meet and greet opportunities, activities, games and more. “I think everybody should benefit from going out and taking it in,” says Andy. “Music kind of changes your opinion, it changes your mood. It changes the way you think, and who doesn't need that these days?”

Buy tickets and passes to the 2023 ECMAs.