Our Picks for Must-See Shows This Canadian Music Week

Canadian Music Week kicks off today, meaning that there's going to be more good, live music to enjoy than you are physically able (seriously, there's just no way to do it all) for the next six days. Since its inception in 1981, CMW has grown to become one of Canada’s largest media and music conferences, drawing artists, industry professionals and music lovers alike together to network, exchange ideas and of course, share music.

During CMW, artists will be performing at venues both big and small—from concert halls to smaller bars—so it's a great time to see your favourite bubbling artist in an intimate setting before they hit the big time. It's also the unofficial kick off to Toronto's music festival season, and a signal that summer is just around the corner, so it's a great time for more than a few reasons. Here's our day-by-day picks of who—and where, when and why—you can see this week during CMW.

The Soulection-affiliated artist formerly known as SPZRKT is bringing his brand of hybrid R&B to the Velvet Underground tonight with support from Chris LaRocca, Ebhoni and TOBi. He's worked with producers such as Sango, Esta and Jahkoy, and has experimented with fusing smooth R&B flavours with a plethora of other genres from alternative to pop to dance and even Christian hip-hop—which he notably "broke up" with in a 2015 open letter.

Details

Date: Tuesday April 18th

Venue: Velvet Underground 508 Queen Street West

Doors: 7:00 PM

Tickets

It was only a year ago that Charlotte Day Wilson opened for Daniel Caesar at his sold out show at the Mod Club, and now she's back to headline her own. If that wasn't impressive enough, the demand was so great for her CMW showcase that a second show was added, with both shows selling out. On the strength of her own EP CDWand an appearance on BADBADNOTGOOD's acclaimed album, Wilson has had an amazing year overall, and her shows this week will surely be a homecoming celebration of sorts. Get ready to get deep in your feels thanks to her aching brand of jazz-infused R&B, as well as wowed by her multi-instrumentalism (she plays piano, guitar, bass and saxophone).

Details

Date: Wednesday April 19th

Venue: Mod Club, 722 College St

Doors: 8:00 PM

Advanced tickets are sold out

While at first glance Chaz Bundick Meets the Mattson 2 might seem like an overly-long and try-hard hipster band name, it's actually pretty accurate and explanatory of what to expect when seeing this group. Chaz Bundick, otherwise known as Toro y Moi, and twins Jared and Jonathan Mattson, aka the Mattson 2, join forces to form a trio whose music dances between psych-rock, indie disco and modern jazz (yup, not sure how that works either, but it does). The trio's stage show promises a true live instrumental experience of their recent album Star Stuff, and should be one of the more off-the-cuff and interesting shows of the week.

Details

Date: Thursday April 20th

Venue: Great Hall; 1087 Queen Street West

Doors: 8:00 PM

Tickets

The 20-year-old rapper from the Bronx has had a breakout year, in between releasing his debut mixtape Artist and landing on numerous "ones to watch in 2017" lists. He was born and raised in Highbridge in the Bronx and Boogie is poised to be the next big rapper out of New York, following a long lineage of spitters from the birthplace of hiphop. You can expect high energy performance and a pretty impressive catalog of songs from a newcomer—thanks to his release of both Artist and Highbridge the Label: The Takeover Vol. 1—as well as lyrics that merge his experiences growing up in the hood with a perhaps unexpected vulnerability and sensitivity. Local heroes Derek Wise and Puffy L'z are also on the bill, so you can expect a turnt up crowd.

Details

Date: Thursday April 20th

Venue: Danforth Music Hall; 147 Danforth Ave

Doors: 7:00 PM

Tickets

This is one of the biggest events of the week and a good chance to see Big Sean, an artist who regularly performs at stadiums, in the relatively small 8,000 person room that is Rebel. He'll be performing hits from his catalog including his number one album I Decided, with support from an eclectic lineup that includes reggae-fusion band MAGIC!, alt-pop group The Strumbellas and UK X-Factor winner James Arthur.

Details

Date: Friday April 21st

Venue: Rebel; 11 Polson St

Doors: 6:30 PM

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Toronto events collective The Academy Presents brings their Hustle series to Revival for CMW and the lineup includes a number of Canadian talents that we've profiled here on Complex in the past: K. Forest is best known widely for his work with Travis Scott on the song "Guidance" which appeared on Scott's Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight but is known and respected for his slew of other solo work; Liza is slowly creating a buzz in the blogosphere with her recent EP February 29 where she shows a maturity beyond both her years; and Yoko Old just released his first single "Gone" to positive response. They'll be joined by New York-based songstress Tangina Stone, alongside host Crossword and DJ Dre Ngozi.

Details

Date: Saturday April 22nd

Venue: Revival; 783 College St.

Doors: 9:00 PM

Tickets

At just 19 years old, New Jersey rapper 070 Shake has had a pretty incredible year: From rising the ranks of SoundCloud to catching the attention of YesJulz (who later became her manager) to eventually inking a deal with G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam, her rise has been nothing less than meteoric. Before she catapults any higher this is your chance to catch her perform, including personal favourite "Trust Nobody," live. Yes Yes Y'all's Nino Brown will also be in the house warming things up.

Details

Date: Saturday April 22nd

Venue: StudioBar; 824 Dundas Street West

Doors: 7:00 PM

Ticket Price: $16.50

There was a time when Earl Sweatshirt was basically one of the most mysterious figures in hip-hop when, between 2010 and 2012, the young rapper was sent to Samoa by his mother for bad behavior, and halting his rap career as part of buzzing collective Odd Future. Since his return the rapper/producer has carved out an impressive niche for himself in the increasingly competitive world by staying away from the trendy world of trap beats and lazy flows and sticking close to the alternative stylings and clever lyrics that made him so famous. He'll be joined at the Phoenix Concert Theatre by Juno-nominated Tasha the Amazon who is a force in her own right, so you know this show will be one of the best of the week.

Details

Date: Saturday April 22nd

Venue: Phoenix Concert Theatre; 410 Sherbourne St.

Doors: 8:00 PM

Tickets

While No Ceilings doesn't feature any Canadian talent, the Pigeons and Planes sponsored showcase does feature four amazing underground talents from South of the border who will surely put on a show, considering this CMW date is just one on a nine-city tour the group is currently in the midst of. L.A. rapper Boogie, Florida's Kaiydo, New York's Kemba, and Boston artist Michael Christmas will be rolling through the Velvet Underground on Saturday, and it'll be a nice cap on the end of the week (if you have any energy left).

Details

Date: Saturday April 22nd

Venue: Velvet Underground; 508 Queen Street West

Doors: 9:00 PM

Tickets