.jpg)
If you’ve been hearing about the Junos, you might be a bit confused about what the Ruckus on the Edge has to do with Juno Fest has to do with the Junos. And I don’t think anyone would blame you. I’ve written about it here and there, but before we get into the meat of this week’s installment, I thought I should clear it up, so here goes.
The Ruckus on the Edge is from Monday April 12th (less than two weeks to away!) through Thursday the 15th. It’s been put together by the host committee, and it is meant to get the party ball rolling, while showcasing local music. It is not, in point of fact, the Junos. Think of it as a hanging out in the apartment knocking a few back before heading down to George St.
JunoFest is on Friday and Saturday the 16th and 17th. It includes a bunch of preplanned events (which I talked about last week) and also a boat load of concerts at local venues.
But if you mean the big red carpet award ceremony, that’s the Junos, and that is on Sunday night April 18th.
Now that that’s cleared up, let’s get on with it.
This week I sat down with Gene Browne, who owns The Levee and plays lead guitar for a band called Overlay. Overlay just won the Ruckus on the Edge theme song contest, which means they will perform at the Juno Cup on Friday, April 16th and will receive a one year membership in Music NL, two four hour recording sessions courtesy of Record Time Productions, and a mentoring session with Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea.
“We tried to put together something that was exactly what they were looking for,” says Browne. “Something with lots of energy – poppy enough for people to get into but still very much rock and roll.” With just days to go before the deadline Brown heard about the song contest from a friend, and the band was able to re-write the lyrics of a recent song between takes at the recording studio. “We were shocked to actually win,” says Browne, “people usually stick with traditional music around here, and were were up against a bunch of trad songs in the contest. But we were actually different, and that appealed to a lot of people.” It doesn’t hurt that Browne runs a popular bar that sees good business even on week nights. “We have a lot of friends,” he admits.
Browne has owned The Levee for just under a year, and he’s quickly turned it into a go-to destination for live music. His business strategy is reminiscent of Dave Petten’s. “I just treat everyone with respect, you know?” he says. “And I’ve never had to kick anyone out, in almost a year. Now that’s amazing.”
With his feet firmly planted on each side of the businesses-art divide, Browne is looking forward to the Junos. “There’s so much talent in this city,” he says, “having all this industry representation will be really great – it’ll certainly be a good way to get noticed.” If you try. Originally from Placentia Bay, Browne didn’t end up owning his own bar by hanging out hoping to be noticed. “It’s really up to you. If you want to make [the Junos] a lasting opportunity, you will,” he says. “if not, sure it’ll be a good week, but that will be it.”
So there you go. Good advice and a song to go with it:
