At this very moment, bands from across our frozen land are attempting to make the death-defying trek to Canadian Music Week, one of the country's premiere music festivals... that just happens to be scheduled at a nasty time of year.
Very specifically, Vancouver bands seem the most naive to what lies east of the balmy West Coast. Check out our photo gallery above for the graphic proof of what they have endured.
Here's a quick run down:
Portage and Main: Rescued a woman from an overturned car on the side of the Trans-Canada in a Saskatchewan blizzard, then drove her to work at Pizza Hut in Swift Current.
No Sinner: Totaled their van in a roll over just outside of Golden BC, forcing the cancellation of several prairie shows. The luckily unharmed band members flew to Toronto and the tour continues.
JP Maurice: Trapped outside of a closed Manitoba gas station at 3am in a snowstorm, forced to wait until it opened at 7am. Van then broke down outside of Thunder Bay, stranding all the gear while they eventually flew to Toronto.
The Matinee: Once they hit Rogers Pass, they admitted they needed snow tires. Once it started snowing, they admitted they needed long underwear. Once it hit -36, they admitted they had to button up their shirts above their navels for the first time in their career.
Do you venture out in winter conditions to enjoy live music or do you hibernate?
Let me know by commenting on our blog, emailing grant.lawrence@cbc.ca, or tweet me up @grantlawrence.
Listen to the music and live conversation today on CBC Radio 3 w/ Grant Lawrence, noon ET / 9am PT.
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Top 5 buzz bands of Canadian Music Week
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