Music P.E.I. week expands, moves to spring

Details were announced Tuesday for a new and improved Music P.E.I. week and awards.

For the past 14 years, the festival has been celebrated at the end of January. The new event is called the Credit Union May Run Music Festival.

It'll be held May 14 to 17, the Victoria Day weekend, sometimes referred to on P.E.I. as the May Run weekend. The four-day festival will feature concerts and showcases of all different genres of Island and Canadian artists.

"Music PEI Week, which is usually held in the depths of winter, is moving to a spring date with a goal of drawing a larger audience and some folks from off-Island," said Shannon Pratt, Board vice-president for Music PEI.

Events planned for the week include:

• Bluegrass at the Brewery: featuring The Spinney Brothers of Nova Scotia and Montreal's Notre Dame de Grass at the P.E.I. Brewing Company in Charlottetown, May 14.
• Songwriters' Concert: hosted by Canadian folk icon Murray McLauchlan at Harmony House Theatre in Hunter River, May 15. It will feature Amy and Rachel Beck, Catherine MacLellan, Katie McGarry, Ten Strings and a Goatskin, and the Meds, all of whom are are nominated for 2015 P.E.I. Songwriter of the Year.
• The Dockside Concert: Murray McLauchlan will headline at the P.E.I. Convention Centre in Charlottetown, May 16. He'll be joined by B.C.'sDan Manganand local talent yetto be announced.
• The Cavendish Beach Music Festival Country Jubilee: Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside, May 15.
• TheClosing Concert Sunday May 17 will besplit into two shows. The early portion features Dan Mangan (BC), Tim Hus (AB), Jay Semko of The Northern Pikes (SK), The Small Glories (MB), and their PEI counterparts from PEI in the Canadian Song Challenge.
  The late show finale sees Montreal indie pop/rockersStars and Plants and Animals, along with Island artists.

Nominees for this year's Music PEI awards were also announced Tuesday. A complete list can be found on the Music P.E.I. website. The Meds lead the pack with six nods.