Musical Border Crossing

[Alasdair MacGillean]

Well we kept Martha Stewart out of Canada when she was to row one of Howard Dill's pumpkins. We can't have such a dangerous ex-con criminal roaming around with a paddle, I guess. Sometime later those same border folk had no problem letting in a punk rapper (with a record a mile long) to perform in Halifax. Go figure...............

> Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:37:50 -0400
> From: dmacdona at syd.eastlink.ca
> Subject: Re: Musical Border Crossing
> To: cbmusic at locals.ca
> 
> This has become a continuing pain for most artists, on both sides of the 
> border.  I could be wrong but I believe that Canada has applied the same 
> rules in response to the US rules.
> 
> Such a shame.
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mike LITTLE" <mike.little at ns.sympatico.ca>
> To: <cbmusic at locals.ca>
> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 7:09 PM
> Subject: Musical Border Crossing
> 
> 
> [this info is a blend of two sources]-Not Getting any better!!! worse!
> 
> Mairi Rankin concert at the Skye Theatre in Maine on Sunday was
> cancelled;
> because she was refused admission at the border because of some
> stupid paperwork irregularities. I think she was also playing at a
> few house concerts too, which will now have to also be cancelled.
> What a crock! As the cancelled concert shows, she surely wasn’t
> putting anyone else out of work—on the contrary, two fine Maine
> musicians, Don and Cindy Roy, were also on the bill with her at the
> Skye and they now won’t be paid either.
>   Cultural exchanges should be privileged, not penalized!
> 
>   Mairi was interrogated by US guards at the border and turned back,
> and her driving companion was banned for attempting to "smuggle an
> illegal alien" into the country.
> 
> Musicians are regularly hassled at the border crossing by U.S.
> guards.  Canadians welcome U.S. musicians but the US is not
> interested in Canadian musicians.  Even Americans are harrassed when
> returning to the U.S., often because the guards presume musicians
> might be smuggling drugs.
> 
> I'd like to contact our senators and congressman about returning the
> musician visa process to pre-9/11 status--let me know if you would be
> interested in signing on to a petition.
> 
> It used to take 30 days for musicians to get visas after the Canadian
> musician's union verified that the applicant was a bonafide musician,
> and musicians could adjust their itinerary to accommodate additional
> gigs.  Now it takes 4 months to process a visa request (unless you
> pay a $1000 rush fee, which doesn't always help), and musicians
> cannot alter their itinerary.  This, of course, favors large
> entertainment companies which plan major tours far in advance and
> have resources to process the paperwork.
> 
> Sorry to bother some of you about this, but enough people have asked
> that I thought I'd send info to everyone, and save someone the
> trouble of showing up at the cancelled events.
> 
> take care
> Mike & Marg  www.cbchoices.com
> mike.little at ns.sympatico.ca
> cbchoices at gmail.com
> 
> 
> 
> On 24-Dec-08, at 12:11 PM, Will Richardson wrote:
> 
> A very Merry Christmas to everyone from down here in Texas.
> 
> Will Richardson
> Allen, TX
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cbmusic-bounces at locals.ca [mailto:cbmusic-bounces at locals.ca] On
> Behalf
> Of Mike LITTLE
> Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 5:50 AM
> To: cbmusic at locals.ca
> Subject: Re: universal season's greetings
> 
> And Season Greetings from the Western Side of Cape Breton Island
> 
> 
> Mike & Marg  www.cbchoices.com
> mike.little at ns.sympatico.ca
> 
> 
> 
> On 24-Dec-08, at 4:47 AM, marcello wrote:
> 
> I would like to spread my best whishes for a Merry Christmas and an
> Happy
> New Year
> to all cbmusic friends!
> 
> Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo da Roma, Italia
> 
> Marcello
> 
> 
> marcello.grillini at enea.it
> 
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