More Stars In Vancouver For Junos

03/10/09 2:39pm

First things first: Former Vancouver Canucks players Garth Butcher, Troy Crowder and Gino Odjick (one of the 150 finalists for the prestigious most influential British Columbian of all time title won earlier this year by D.O.A. frontman Joey "Shithead" Keithley) will be part of the Juno Awards weekend festivities.

The three hockey players join a squad coached by Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor in the March 27 Juno Cup game against The Rockers team captained by Keelor's bandmate, Jim Cuddy.

The Rockers have also bolstered their lineup by adding country artist George Canyon, 54-40's Matt Johnson, Hot Hot Heat's Paul Hawley and 99.3 The Fox radio personality Captain Scotty. TSN's Off The Record host Michael Landsberg will deliver smug play-by-play during the game and its accompanying skills competition.

If you're looking for autographs, but your tastes run more towards singers than skaters, the lineup for the March 28 Juno Fan Fare at the Granville Street Party has also been expanded.

Carly Rae Jepsen, Cancer Bats, Deborah Cox, Faber Drive, Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Marianas Trench, The Midway State and The Stills will appear to raise the number of confirmed artists who'll be on hand to meet fans to 20. Juno-nominated DJ Hatiras will spin tunes throughout the 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. free event.

The four-day street party will also include educational workshops, vendors, live broadcasts and "Canada's largest indie music merch both featuring CDs and shirts from top Canadian artists."

It begins on March 26 with a free 4 p.m. concert (with tickets given away on March 21 at local Best Buy locations) by Hot Hot Heat, Hey Rosetta!, Said The Whale, Jon & Roy, The Dudes and others who've yet to be announced.

The March 27 afternoon lineup will cater to pop fans with Elise Estrada, Divine Brown, Eva Avila and other still unnamed artists. Tickets are $15, the same price for that night's concert with The Trews, Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Daniel Wesley and Incura.

State Of Shock, Faber Drive, The Midway State and The Latency will take the stage after Fan Fare winds down on March 28, with tickets again going for $15 for the 7:30 p.m. show.

Country music fans with 15 bucks to spare can check out a 1 p.m. performance on March 29 by Doc Walker, Canadian Idol's Jaydee Bixby and Damian Marshall.

Coach Keelor and Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard will join Cuddy, Ndidi Onukwulu, Sarah Slean, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Doc Walker's Chris Thorsteinson and Dave Wasyliw that same afternoon at the songwriters' circle at The Centre In Vancouver For Performing Arts.

More than 50 acts have been added to the March 27 and 28 JunoFest lineup that will showcase Canadian talent in venues throughout the city. Here are the newbies:

A Grey Medium
Armchair Cynics
Barney Bentall & The Legendary Hearts
Beast
Bel Riose
Ben Sigston
Black Betty
Chris Donnelly
Cold Driven
Cousin Harley
David Blair
Divine Brown
DL Incognito
Doc Walker
D-Sisive
Dustin Bentall
Eccodek
Em
Famous
Fluffy Starr
Francois Bourassa Quartet
Free City Collective
Gord Grdina
Grass City
Humble
Inhabitants
Jackalope
Jane Bunnett
Jim Byrnes & The Sojourners
John Lee Sanders
Jon-Rae Fletcher
Ko Kapches
Matt Walker
Michael Occhipinti And The Sicilian Jazz Project
Michelle Lee
Mobadass
Mohawk Lodge
Murray Atkinson
Mani Khaira
Ndidi Onukwulu
Odds
Olliebollen Trio
On Holiday
Outlaw Social
Plants And Animals
Quinzy
Ridley Bent
Run GMC
Savannah Leigh Band
Sherry St. Germain
Shiloh
Sleddogs
Souljah Fyah
Swan
Tara Oram
Tanya Tagaq
The Bleeding Horse Express
The Februarys
The Latency
The Midway State
Warren Dean
Wide Mouth Mason
Yvette Tollar
Zaki Ibrahim

The weekend will be capped with the March 29 Juno Awards show at General Motors Place. It begins at 5 p.m. PST and will be broadcast live across the country by CTV.

More detailed information on all of these events can be accessed via the Juno website.