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CMEAS has booking opportunities at many British clubs and Arts Council funded venues.
Pubs are the backbone of live music in Britain. Almost every British band of note started in the national pub circuit. CMEAS books and promotes gigs at some of the friendliest, busiest, best ale & food serving jewels of musical iniquity the Isles can offer

Started in 2004, CMEAS is partnering with several local school districts to provide interactive musical workshops with local schools. This program is set to be a significant part of our UK events.
In addition to pub, club, and workshop events, CMEAS has teamed up with a private record label based in Devon that does superb 24 track live recording at the Palladium Club. CMEAS offers a full show recording as part of the UK events.
   
If you are a band at home with a solid gig base and want to play abroad, there will probably be a bands abroad that want to play your gigs too. CMEAS can facilitate such international (or national) gig swaps.
Starting in 2005, CMEAS will be creating a video record of the tour so that bands have both a sound and visual record of their trip, and hopefully a work of art that they can use on return to their native countries.
Plans in the works include a recording and site seeing tour in Costa Rica, blues and roots festivals in Romania, a weekend trip to Rio de Janeiro, the International Film Festival in Prague, a tour of Dutch cities, a tour of French vineyard parties, and an island hopping tour of the US and UK Virgin Islands.

March 2008: Two new events in the UK, the One Planet Festival and the Pewsey Music Festival partnering with CMEAS. Two new music events for 2008 will be announced on this site in the next couple of months. Watch this space for more news.

March 2008: Participants for the Spring UK Tour 2008 to be announced shortly. The Spring UK tour received a number of highly talented applications from new acts two to three of whom will be selected for this event. The result of the peer review is expected over the next few days.

August 7th, 2007: The UK Oct. Tour 2007 finalists have been selected. The highest scoring acts from our review panel were Curly and the Rocket from Washington DC, and Steepwater Band from Chicago (by way of Indiana) who will join NYC funksters extraordinaire Banooba for this, our flagship tour of the British Isles. Banooba were invited to co-host this tour after their sensational performance at the CMEAS Costa Rican Tour 2007 in conjunction with previous shortlisted applicants for our 2005 Oct. tour, Gandhi, and the UK group the Convulsions. Artists wishing to correspond regarding this tour are welcome to do so by email.

May 7th, 2007: Due to the popularity of both our UK tours, the UK Spring Tour event is being rebooked for 2008.
We are taking applications for the next UK Spring tour in 2008, starting May 7th, that will run from May 16th - June 1st 2008 (for information see Spring UK Tour 2008 and to apply click <HERE>). EARLY APPLICATION FEE APPLIES

April 10th, 2007: The acts for the Spring UK Tour have been selected!! Ebony Tay from Canada and Transport from Australia will join Brother Big Bad from Minneapolis (USA) and Fluttr Effect from Boston (USA) on a 15 day tour around the UK. Thanks so much for all the wonderful acts that applied. If you were shortlisted PLEASE be a friend of ours on our MySpace account (www.myspace.com/cmeas) for more international gig contacts.

April 2nd, 2007: All the applications for our Spring UK tour are now in and we hope to announce the selection by the end of the first week in April, or very shortly thereafter. There were some superb acts that applied, and we will invite those acts to be on our MySpace account (www.myspace.com/cmeas) and to consider networking with our other friends to set up tour exchanges (with or without our assistance). Also, those acts that have applied three times for our events will be offered a free application for any other event we put on. Our review board is different for each event to reflect the parties involved.

Feb. 5th, 2007: CMEAS in conjunction with EGREM records of Cuba are booking three international acts for the 2nd Annual MUSICUBA Festival, Havana, Cuba taking place October 4th - 7th at some of the finest music venues in Havana with some of Cuba's most revered and talented musicians. For more information, please click <HERE>.

Jan. 15 th, 2007: CMEAS is delighted to announce that BANOOBA from NYC have been chosen for the first annual 2007 Costa Rican Tour . Also on the tour will be that country's top band, GANDHI, and the UK group, the CONVULSIONS. We received many fine applications. Those in our top ten will be offered the chance to apply for another CMEAS event for free.

Actually, we receive many fine applications for all of our events. All excellent (in our opinion) acts that have ever applied for our events are being invited to join our band exchange forum on our MySpace account. We will also link you on our link page.

Serbia / Romania / Montenegro Tour in negotiation for JULY 2007 (EXIT Festival in Belgrade will be the focal point of this event)

UK Oct. Tour 2007 launched for applications.

Past CME participants, Wabash Cannonballs from Chicago (Sept. 2006) and Big Baby Ernie (Oct. 2006) asked back to tour in UK again in summer 2007.

Oct. 2006 participants, Kalvin Koolidge and Big Baby Ernie on returning to the USA collaborated on tours in New Jersey and NYC together. That is what this is all about:

"You've been successful at linking us and KK together. They'll be joining us on stage in a week or two in our home town. And they've invited us to play at one of their shows in NYC on the 25th of Nov. Which is great. I know that linking musicians from around the world, is part of CMEAS's mission statement, so it should make you happy to know that you've done what you've set out to do.

Thanks so much again and please be as frequently in touch as you possibly can.

Cheers!
Love, Your Friend for life,
Ernie"

Sonicbids announce CMEAS as featured partner in December 2006. Quite an honour from an organis(z)ation that has over 500 partners. No wonder we needed an intern (See below)

CMEAS has hired an intern. We realised that with the increasing number of events we are running and the large interest in those events that we often become a bit swamped (and sometimes running behind our correspondence which we dislike as much as you dislike being kept waiting for personal replies from us). Also, just about everyone is bugging us to join MySpace! Our website update skills were sketchy at best too. It was time to seek assistance!

Our requirements were:

"If you are a music savvy person with some website design, event promotion skills, and preferably some music marketing experience, or you are a particularly enthusiastic person wanting to become proficient in all these areas, CMEAS is taking up CVs and references. We recommend someone who shares our philosophy first and foremost (see International Adventure and FAQ, especially the section on reviewing, for guidance on that).

If you are a self-centered self-interested egotist who can't write a decent lyric to save your life and is simply hoping to push your own agenda without due consideration of other musician's desires (and frustrations), please don't bother to apply. Owing to the marvelousness of the web, you don't have to be based in CMEAS HQ's either in Chicago or England to become involved. Please email CV and references to intern@cmeas.com.

Initially, we anticipate this position to be task based with remuneration based on the nature of the task (setting up a CMEAS MySpace account, corresponding with artists etc) so this is not a salaried position but if we keep growing there is the possibility of inclusion in our team (if you're that balmy)."

We would like to welcome Nathalie Ménétrier (the "Minstrel" - how appropriate is that!). Nathalie has designed our MySpace account, and taken on enough responsibilities to allow the rest of us to plan even more international tours for musicians around the world. If you have read this so far the CME MySpace (the partnering side of our organis(z)ation) is now residing at www.MySpace/ChicagoMusicExplosion. Nathalie does web site design in many mediums: NathMenetrier@aol.com.

 Updated Nov. 18th, 2006
Wabash Cannonballs from Chicago started touring UK Sept. 14th. See for press release. Superb tour and they will be back July 2007!  
Dutch Tour 2006 started Oct. 5th with Dutch band Cafebar 401 and Brazz Tree and Boatzz. See for tour poster. This tour also a success - thanks to Jo, Henk and Cafebar.  
UK Oct. Tour 2006 started Oct. 10th with Big Baby Ernie (New Jersey), Kalvin Koolidge (Boston) and Laura Younger (Colchester, England) (see below), see a preliminary review from our friends at Blues Bunny (cheers Craig), see for press release and for tour poster. Another success. Big Baby Ernie invited back for August 2007!  
CMEAS announces 6th annual UK Fall Tour. Applications start March 20th. Early applications receive a 20% discount, click on the Sonicbids logo above to apply. Updated March 15th, 2006
CMEAS confirms Costa Rica 10 date tour for Dec. 2006 with that country's most popular band, Gandhi, and includes free professional recording at the studio that produced US and Latin Grammy Award winning album Mundo as well as many features of this beautiful country (diving, gig in rainforest, volcano visits, beach side gigs etc) Updated Sept 26th, 2005
CMEAS confirms Dutch tour with Dutch band Cafe Bar 401 in June 2006. Cafe Bar will also be booking in the UK for early summer Updated Sept. 16th, 2005
CMEAS partners with the International Songwriting Competition, the Boston NEMO Conference (with a slot available to CMEAS applicants), and TVMJ Productions (who will provide video coverage of the tour). Posted April 22nd, 2005
CMEAS confirms the East Anglia ten date tour with resident funksters the Groove Doctors for April 28th - May 28th 2006 - (Click <HERE> for more information). Applications will be accepted starting July 1th. Updated May 23rd, 2005
CMEAS has now added a professional live recording session to the Oct. UK Tour at a professional 16 track studio located at the Palladium Club for Fri. Oct. 7th. Updated April. 22nd, 2005
To learn more about more CMEAS events click on events. For questions about our events please see FAQ above ("frequently asked questions") or drop us an email at info@cmeas.com
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