Winnipeg is full of great musicians (as many towns are, I suppose), but there’s something interesting about our music scene – everyone gets along so damn well. There’s no competition in this town, we all seem to be one big happy family. The clearest evidence I have is that there are a bunch of great musicians who seem to play with just about everybody, all the time. I don’t know how they do it, but I seem to see them in many different incarnations, and they’re amazing, no matter what they’re doing. These aren’t necessarily the “best” players in town (although they’re all amazing), they just seem to be the most in-demand (and for good reason).

In the spirit of recognizing some great players who, it seems, nobody can live without, I present to you my Winnipeg Music All-Star Team:

Joanna Miller – drums & vocals
Gilles Fournier – bass
Damon Mitchell – guitar & vocals
Chris Carmichael – guitar
Bill Western – Pedal Steel
Jaxon Haldane – banjo & vocals
Joanne Rodriguez? Andrina Turenne? – lead vocals
John Scoles – bullhorn

or something like that. Who did I miss? Who would make your all-star team (whether you’re from Winnipeg or elsewhere). Leave a comment!