Music Mondays goes virtual

HAMILTON, ON – In partnership with the Hamilton Music Advisory Team (HMAT), the City of Hamilton is pleased to launch the Music Mondays virtual music series beginning Monday, May 3, 2021. The series will feature pre-recorded performances by 15 local musicians.

Each Monday in May, a new video will be released on Facebook and on the City of Hamilton’s YouTube channel. Each video will feature three Hamilton musicians, all of whom perform in a similar musical genre. All videos were pre-recorded by musicians at home following COVID-19 safety regulations.

In addition to the performing musicians, volunteers from the HMAT Team and local music industry representatives will introduce each video. HMAT is a group of volunteers representing the local music industry who advise the City on Music Strategy related actions.

The Music Mondays series started in 2018 and supports the City of Hamilton’s Music Strategy with the goal of cultivating music creation and talent along with increasing access to music experiences.

Music Mondays Details

Date: Every Monday in May at 12 noon
Watch/Listen: Facebook @HamOntMusic and the City of Hamilton’s YouTube channel
2021 Lineup:

• May 3 - R&B performances from Angela Nethersole, Granny Smith, and Whitness
• May 10 - Blues performances from Nicole Christian featuring Alfie Smith, J.Harvey & the Inner Demons, and Steve Strongman
• May 17 - Hip Hop performances from Jr Bebble, Elley Jeeze, and Paulo Leon feat. Malaz
• May 24 - Instrumental performances from All of Her Sound, Emilio Bonito and Azuline Duo
• May 31-  Rock performances from Boxcar Ben, Los Chukos, and The Barettas

Quick Facts

• 2021 is the third year for the Music Mondays performance series. Previous performances were presented as a free, outdoor lunch time concert series at Hamilton City Hall.
• Music plays a role in a strong vibrant city.  Music is part of Hamilton’s economic prosperity and identity – locally, nationally and internationally.
• Hamilton’s music scene includes a growing and dynamic eclectic mix of songwriters, musicians, venues, producers, performers and live performances. They have been severely impacted by COVID 19.
• Hamilton is identified as 7th in the world for independent musicians per capita. This means Hamilton has more independent musicians per capita than many top tier cities with large local music scenes including Toronto, Montreal and New York.

“This new approach to Music Mondays is an innovative way to celebrate Hamilton’s music industry, encourage community members to discover new music genres and support local artists. Our community benefits from a strong and vibrant music scene. With unprecedented challenges facing our musical artists due to the pandemic, I am pleased this program is returning in a new format to showcase our wonderful local talent.”

- Mayor Fred Eisenberger

“The music industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors during COVID 19 with venues closing and the ability to tour and perform live made impossible. In these difficult days, HMAT feels a responsibility to provide an opportunity to showcase local musical talent here in Hamilton where possible. These are paid gigs and what makes them more special is that they will be presented intimately from each musician’s home.”

- Tricia LeClair, Chair of the Hamilton Music Advisory Team.

“Keeping our Music Monday series going, albeit in a virtual format, is important to the City and important to our music industry. It creates an opportunity for our musicians to perform, and earn much needed income, and it gives Hamiltonians a chance to enjoy some of the most talented musicians anywhere in the country. While music is certainly a strong part of Hamilton’s economy and culture; we should also remember that music itself has mental health benefits for the audience and the performer, which is something that is also very important in today’s environment.”

Jason Thorne, General Manager, Planning and Economic Development Department.

Additional Resources

• www.hamilton.ca/music 
• Musician biographies, websites, and social media: www.hamilton.ca/musicmondays
• City of Hamilton YouTube: www.youtube.com/InsideCityofHamilton
• Social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram