Steve Jordan is the founder and Executive Director of the Polaris Music Prize. Steve is a former A&R Executive with Warner Music Canada and True North Records.
MISSION STATEMENT
The operation of a not-for-profit organization that annually honours, celebrates and rewards creativity and diversity in Canadian recorded music by recognizing, then marketing the albums of the highest artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history, as judged by a panel of selected critics and experts.
$20,000 Polaris Music Prize to be decided and awarded - on September 18, 2006 in toronto - to the artist deemed to have recorded the Canadian album of the year.
2006 NOMINEES
Broken Social Scene, Cadence Weapon, The Deadly Snakes, Final Fantasy, Sarah Harmer, K\'Naan, Malajube, Metric, The New Pornographers, Wolf Parade
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tim Baker, Sunrise Records / Retail Music Association of Canada
Terry Canham, Canham Ross
Kim Cooke, MapleMusic Recordings
Steve Kane, Warner Music Canada
Liisa Ladouceur, journalist
Jack Ross, The Agency Group
Jacob Smid, Emerge Entertainment
Chris Taylor, Sanderson Mitsopolis...
One of Canada\'s best and most respected music venues is getting a new lease on life. The West End Cultural Centre (WECC), a converted 80-year-old church, has developed significant structural problems over the years and the building has become too small to house the types of events and community programming the WECC undertakes. For years, the staff and board of the WECC have wrestled with whether or not to relocate or rebuild. Firmly committed to its inner city location, it was announced on June 20 that the WECC\'s current building will be knocked down to make way for a the most environmentally conscious community arts centre in North America, putting an end to months of speculation.
Since it opened in 1987, the WECC has been home to some of the most exciting, innovative, and amazing music in a variety of genres from local, national, and international touring artists. The WECC has helped to create an involved community through outreach, programming and events. The WECC has also played a considerable role in the development and fostering of one of Canada\'s most vibrant music scenes.
With $2 million in funding from sources including Canadian Heritage, Winnipeg...
Manitoba band Novillero is set to appear on an upcoming episode of the USA Network award-winning series Monk, starring Tony Shalhoub, performing their song “Gaining Ground/Losing Sight.” Monk will air throughout the summer beginning on Friday, July 7 at 9PM ET/PT on USA Network.
The Winnipeg-based indie-pop quartet travels to Los Angeles in late June for taping where they will appear on the show as themselves performing at a music festival, a gig that won’t require much acting from Rod Slaughter (vocals/keyboards), Sean Stevens (guitar), Dave Berthiaume (vocals/drums) and Grant Johnson (vocals/bass) who are all veterans of the festival and touring scene.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Novillero and Manitoba music in general,” says Carole Vivier, CEO of MANITOBA FILM & SOUND, which provided funding support to Novillero and their recent projects.
“Novillero has been a mainstay of the Manitoba music scene and their appearance on Monk will open a lot of doors for them and bring attention to the great music coming out of our province,” says Sam Baardman, Executive Director of the MARIA, which has helped Novillero get to industry events and showcases through MARIA...
Winnipeg rock act Eagle & Hawk was honoured at the Native American Music Awards (Nammys), where its album Mother Earth was named Best Pop/Rock Recording. The Nammys, which took place in Florida on June 8, are North American’s most prestigious awards honouring achievements by Aboriginal artists across the globe.
Eagle & Hawk has been riding on a wave of success from both Mother Earth and its latest release, Life Is..., which was nominated for a 2006 JUNO Award for Best Aboriginal Recording. The quintet has won two Indian Summer Music Awards (2004 and 2005), three Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (2004) and has been recognized by Junos and the Western Canadian Music Awards in the last two years alone.
Eagle & Hawk’s hit “Sundancer” was also up for a Nammy for Song/Single of the Year. Audiences in Florida were treated to a live performance of the nominated song at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Eagle & Hawk was the only Canadian act to perform at the eighth annual awards show.
Two other local acts were up for Nammys this year, including multiple Canadian Aboriginal Music Award-winning folk artist Little Hawk and the Red Shadow Singers, nominated for Native...
Local artists are packing up their gear and heading to Toronto to showcase at Canada’s largest music conference and festival. Fourteen Manitoba acts will showcase at North by Northeast (NXNE), which runs June 8-10 and features over 400 bands and an extensive industry conference.
This year’s event has a stellar line-up including young buzz band Inward Eye, Juno-nominated rock act The Waking Eyes, up-and-coming singer/songwriter Cat Jahnke, and roots duo Twilight Hotel. Joining them in Toronto will be rock quartet Burnthe8track, bluegrass misfits the D.Rangers, acoustic pop duo Easily Amused, indie popsters Paper Moon, singer/songwriter Katelyn Dawn, and rock bands Floor Thirteen, Novillero, Quinzy, The Nods, and Tele.
Three Manitoba service providers will also be heading east for the conference, including Danielle Strueby from RaceDay Promotions, Brandon Friesen of 441 Studios and Arbor Records, Jack Shapira from Unison Studios, and Glen Willows from Burning Circus Management and manager of Inward Eye, The Nods and Tele.
To help the Manitobans in attendance reach their goals at industry events, NXNE, MARIA and MANITOBA FILM & SOUND provide grants from their jointly...
Winnipeg producer Darcy Ataman has been working for years to produce a song that follows in the “We Are the World” tradition and helps to educate Canadian youth about the AIDS crisis in Africa. It has finally happened. He has put together a video featuring some of Canada's top artists including Ian Thornley, Danny Greaves (The Watchmen), Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady), Kyle Riabko, Ian D'Sa (Billy Talent), Choclair, Easily Amused and many more for "Song for Africa."
Ataman came up with the idea several years ago, but it was only in the last year that the project really started to take shape. After the 2005 JUNO Awards in Winnipeg, Ataman met with then Prime Minister Paul Martin in Ottawa. “I decided I wasn't going to get many more opportunities like this so I opened my big mouth,” explains Ataman. “I literally cornered then Minister of International Cooperation Aileen Carroll in the hallway of Parliament and said we have to do something to educate Canadian youth on AIDS in Africa. I told her about my idea and she put me onto the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and after a year of daily hard work, here I am”
Manitoba’s “Heavy Techno Pow Wow” signature, X-Status has won the honor of representing our province on the new Dig Your Roots – Aboriginal compilation CD. The group’s crunching ode to the resilience of First Nations people, Still Around, is one of 15 tracks on the new disc.
“Of course we’re definitely glad we were selected,” explains X-Status frontman Jesse Green. “We’re always looking to promote nationally and the Dig Your Roots CD will give us national exposure.”
Congratulations are also in order for two of our AMP Camp alumni. Edward Snowball (aka Sinuupa) and Sandy Scofield were also included on the compilation.
The Dig Your Roots – Aboriginal CD features three representatives from a five region split of the country. There is a fantastic range of talent on the disc and a number of genres are represented quite well. The disc includes:
Winnipeg-based rock trio Quinzy has snagged a prominent producer to helm upcoming recordings for a promotional demo and possibly their sophomore full-length release. Michael Phillip Wojewoda will bring Quinzy into Metalworks Studios in Mississauga next month to produce three songs which Quinzy will use to shop its music to labels.
Wojewoda is recognized as one of Canada’s most influential producers and engineers, having worked with top bands including Barenaked Ladies, Rheostatics, Ashley MacIsaac, Jane Siberry and Great Big Sea. Wojewoda has recorded over 70 albums and won back-to-back Juno Awards in 1994 and 1995 for Best Engineer. He is also known for his work as a composer and musician, notably as keyboardist for Rheostatics.
“He'll bring years and years and years of experience producing and performing on a lot of the best albums to come out of Canada,” says Quinzy drummer David Pankratz. “Also that he's going to be able to bring out the best in whatever songs we choose to record. It's very exciting to have someone with his talent come into a project with fresh ears.”
Wojewoda has been on Quinzy’s wish list of producers. The band sent him its acclaimed debut...
Juno-winning rock act Eagle & Hawk will be making its way to the Native American Music Awards or NAMMYS next month. The group is the only Canadian act scheduled to perform during the show, which will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on June 8, 2006.
“We’re really excited to go down there for a couple of reasons,” explains bandleader Vince Fontaine. “It gives us an opportunity to play in front of a new audience, access the US market and network.”
The NAMMYS are in their eighth year of operation and according to their official website, the show has been earning a great reputation in the American music industry. Their latest press release includes a quote from the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, which compares their production value and professionalism to those of the Grammy Awards and American Music Awards.
These sentiments were echoed to Fontaine by an established Native American recording artist who has attended the event in the past. “I spoke with Keith Secola (known for the Native American classic “Indian Car”) and he was saying that the NAMMYS are really picking up momentum,” Fontaine says. “A lot of...
MANITOBA FILM & SOUND’s Kevin Walters, Manager of Sound Recording Programs, has taken on the role of Managing Director of the 2006 Grey Cup Festival. As such, he will need to focus more time and energy on these festivities as the event draws nearer.
Walters, who chaired the Winnipeg Juno Host Committee in 2005, will continue working full-time with MANITOBA FILM & SOUND until the week of June 26, 2006.
From June 26th to August 31st, 2006 Kevin will only be in the MANITOBA FILM & SOUND offices on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
From September 1st until the end of November, 2006 Kevin will be full-time with the Grey Cup Festival.
During Kevin's absence, people will be able to contact the following in regards to Sound Recording matters:
Anna Walker at 947-2040 ext. 24, regarding:
- General program questions
- Specific contract questions
- Specific project status questions
Carole Vivier at 947-2040 ext. 13, regarding:
- Program policy issues
- Industry related issues
“We wish Kevin the best of luck planning the Grey Cup Festival,” says Carole Vivier, CEO and Film Commissioner for MANITOBA FILM & SOUND. “Kevin did an outstanding job as Chair of the Juno...
Music and fashion go together naturally. Artists are well-established trendsetters and plenty of them have come out with their own clothing lines. Local singer/songwriter Jodi King is now joining the ranks of artists who have mixed music with fashion by solidifying a relationship with Roots, the world’s leading athletic lifestyle clothing brand.
Several months ago, King was doing an in-store performance at a Toronto clothing shop. Roots owner Don Green happened to be in the shop for the show and approached King about bringing her music to Roots. One thing lead to another and King is now set to do a September tour performing in all major Roots stores across Canada. King’s music will be featured on Roots Radio (the only music that plays in Canadian Roots stores), her clothing merchandise will be manufactured by and displayed in Roots and her upcoming CD will be sold in Roots stores.
"This has been my goal to combine the fashion world with the music world and it is happening," says King, who pays careful attention to her audience. "A lot of people who come to my shows are the people that read fashion magazines.”
King has a history of mixing her love for fashion with...
Strongfront Audio/Visual recently picked up shop and moved to some new digs in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. The company, owned and operated by the indestructible rocker Jesse Green, produces video and provides a full range of services to Aboriginal recording artists.
“I’m excited about the business expansion and getting into our new space,” says Green. “We just got about $80,000 in new equipment and we’re looking forward serving the Aboriginal economy across Canada.”
Strongfront has been in operation for the last 5 years. Its video production work includes broadcast, industrial video, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Its sound recording includes full services for Aboriginal blues, country, rock, folk and even hip hop.
The Strongfront brand is currently expanding and now includes a record label. “We plan to record, market and distributed Aboriginal Canada’s top artists,” he says. “Only the best will be released.”
Under Strongfront Records, full albums for Billy Joe Green, JC Campbell and X-Status are in the works along with a demo for hip hop artist, Wab Kinew of Dead Indians and Slangblossom accolades.
In recognition of World Intellectual Property Day, some of Canada's leading musicians, songwriters, and producers announced the creation of A New Voice: The Canadian Music Creators Coalition (CMCC) in Montreal on April 26. The CMCC is a growing coalition of Canadian music creators who share the common goal of having their voices heard about the laws and policies that affect their livelihoods.
In a press release, the CMCC states: "Multinational record labels are vocal in their desire for changes to copyright laws that would facilitate lawsuits against our fans and increase their control over the enjoyment of music. To our alarm, the labels advance these demands not merely on their own behalf, but in our names as necessary for the well-being of individual Canadian musicians in the digital age. Today the people who actually create Canadian music are speaking out for themselves."
"As artists, we need to take control of our work and stop letting lobbyists that may not have our bests interests in mind continue to speak for us," says CMCC founding member John K. Samson of Winnipeg punk poets The Weakerthans. "The government is making decisions that will seriously impact the...
AMP Camp was recently profiled in the spring issue of the Spirit of Aboriginal Youth Magazine (SAY). The article is entitled “AMP Camp: Amplify your life!” and it provides an overview of the project. The submission process, workshop topics and music industry veterans who shared their experience and expertise with the group over the course of the week are identified along with the host organizations, MARIA’s Aboriginal Music Program and the Canada Council for the Arts.
“AMP Camp provided 23 Aboriginal recording artists with a chance to participate in songwriting circles, further develop their understanding of music and chord theory and learn how to deal with a number of music industry challenges,” explains Aboriginal Music Program Coordinator Alan Greyeyes. “I’m glad we had the opportunity to share a bit about what happened during the week with SAY Magazine and Aboriginal youth across the country.”
The photos of Don Amero (Manitoba), Leanne Goose (Northwest Territories), Curtis Peeteetuce (Saskatchewan) and Gail Obediah (Ontario) are featured in the article along with testimonials from each of them about their experience at AMP Camp. The AMP Camp group photo is included...
The Dead Indians and Team Rezofficial recently completed a week-long tour of Native American communities in the southwestern United States in late April. In the spirit of hip-hop’s efforts to reclaim socio-economic labels, the tour was titled “The CIB Tour,” standing for Certificate of Indian Blood, a U.S. Government classification for Native American status.
Team Rezofficial performed at all the shows, which included stops in Los Angeles, Tucson, Tempe, Flagstaff, Kayenta, Farmington and Albuquerque, while the Dead Indians left a little piece of Winnipeg’s Westend everywhere but LA. Tom Crier (Team Rezofficial), Wab Kinew (Dead Indians) and Kenny Ross (Dead Indians) also participated in two speaking panels about Native people and hip-hop at the Arizona State University and the Northern Arizona University.
Both groups represented Manitoba and Canada very well, often headlining or marking the high points of each show. “We got a huge fan base down there,” explains Kinew. “We would sensor ourselves at the all ages shows, but all the kids already knew the words and filled them in for each song. It was pretty deadly.”
The tour included one other Canadian act and up...
Local rock act Tele has been impressing audiences across the country with its powerful live performances since it formed in 2003. The band recently caught the ear of three-time Grammy Award-winning record producer David Bottrill and headed to DNA Studios in Toronto to record.
Bottrill will be recording three new songs and potentially a follow-up full album with the band, which has put on showstoppers at JunoFest, North By Northeast, and Canadian Music Week. Bottrill has an amazing track record of diverse and successful artists. He began by working with Daniel Lanois (U2) at Grant Avenue Studios, working on Peter Gabriel\'s tremendously successful So, Us and Passion albums. With Gabriel he helped create Real World Studios, and went on to a wildly successful career as a producer recording seminal albums by Tool, Muse, Silverchair, Godsmack, Staind and many more.
"David Bottrill was at the very top of the band\'s wish-list of producers and they are over the moon to be in the studio with him," manager Glen Willows (who also works with Inward Eye) said in a press release. "I feel that he understands the band and will finally capture their sound in all its shadings, which up...
Winnipeg will be home to a new music awards show celebrating the best in Aboriginal music from Canada, it was announced on April 18. The Manitoba Aboriginal Music Host Committee (MAMHC) announced the creation of the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards (APCMA) at a press conference. APCMA will take place during Manito Ahbee: A Festival For All Nations on November 3, 2006 at the MTS Centre.
Manito Ahbee runs November 2 to 5 in Winnipeg at the MTS Centre, and consists of five main components – International Competition Pow Wow, Education Day, Music Festival, Indigenous Marketplace & Trade Show, and the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards.
“We are thrilled to be launching the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards – the first awards show of its kind – and the opportunity to showcase Aboriginal music to the rest of the world,” sais Errol Ranville, Executive Producer of Manito Ahbee, in a press release.
“The goal of the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards is to expose Aboriginal recording artists to a national fan base, music industry, and media. Our intent is to give Aboriginal artists increased profile, and bring the artists, industry and fans closer together....
Two local acts are up for trophies at the Native American Music Awards (NAMMY), a U.S. awards show. Juno-winning rock outfit Eagle & Hawk and multiple Canadian Aboriginal Music Award-winning folk artist Little Hawk are both up for awards at the 8th annual celebrations.
Eagle & Hawk, which was nominated for another Juno this year for Best Aboriginal Recording, is up for two NAMMYs, for Best Pop/Rock Recording for its latest effort Mother Earth and Song/Single of the Year for "Sundancer."
Little Hawk, who recently took home two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards for 1492-1975, is up for the Native Heart award.
The NAMMYs feature a diverse group of over 125 nominees with origins as far as Alaska and Hawaii and New Zealand in 25 categories. NAMMY is a leading membership-based association composed of artists, music industry professionals, and other professionals dedicated to promoting and preserving Aboriginal music through the United States and around the world. The NAMMYs will take place in Florida on June 8.
With planning well underway for Manito Ahbee: A Festival For All Nations, the Manitoba Aboriginal Music Host Committee announced that an inaugural music awards event will take place at the festival.
Manito Ahbee runs November 2 to November 5 in Winnipeg at the MTS Centre, and consists of five main components – International Competition Pow Wow, Education Day, Music Festival, Indigenous Marketplace & Tradeshow, and the new awards program.
“The Manito Ahbee Festival, including the new awards program, will be of a scope that hasn’t been seen in Winnipeg before,” according to the Festival’s Executive Producer Errol Ranville. “We will be taking public awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal music and culture to a whole new level.”
Manito Ahbee is adding the new awards event after the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (CAMA) organization in Ontario was unable to bring the CAMAs to Winnipeg in 2006. “With November fast approaching, we are excited to move forward with plans for Manito Ahbee including the new awards program. CAMA has advised us that they need more time to wrestle with the challenges of moving their awards show outside of Toronto, and we respect their decision...
Manitoba acts are bringing home three glass trophies from Halifax. The Duhks, Burnt and Amanda Falk were each triumphant in their respective categories at the non-televised 2006 Juno Gala Dinner and Awards on April 1, making 2006 the best year for Manitoba in more than six years.
Celtic roots darlings The Duhks kept Manitoba\'s folk reputation going this year by picking up Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Group), which was won by Winnipeg\'s own Wailin\' Jennys last year.
Christian singer/songwriter Amanda Falk, a relative newcomer, won Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year for her self-titled debut.
Burnt\'s album Hometown was named Aboriginal Recording of the Year over fellow Manitoba competitors bluesman Billy Joe Green and past Juno winning rock act Eagle & Hawk.
Manitoba netted eight nods at this years\' Juno Awards and sent three acts to perform at JunoFest, a two-night music festival featuring over 100 bands.
Other 2006 nominees included composer Robert Turner, acclaimed violinist James Ehnes and blue rock trio The Perpetrators. The televised portion of the 35th Annual Juno Awards will take place on April 2nd in Halifax, Nova Scotia and...
The Junos might not be in Winnipeg this year but there are still plenty of Manitobans participating in the festivities. Eight local acts will be heading to Halifax for the 2006 JUNO Awards and its two-day music festival, JunoFest, which runs March 31-April 1. This year, Manitoba has netted eight Juno nods and three spots at JunoFest, which features over 100 artists – half of them from the Atlantic region.
2006 JUNO Award nominated act The Duhks will perform at JunoFest this year. The internationally-acclaimed Celtic fusion quintet is up for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Group) for its self-titled release on Sugar Hill Records. Also performing at JunoFest is 2006 JUNO Award nominated blues rock trio The Perpetrators, up for Best Blues Album for The Gas & The Clutch. Aboriginal Recording of the Year nominee Billy Joe Green will perform as part of the Aboriginal Honouring Ceremony. Acclaimed rock trio Inward Eye, who recently inked a record deal with American label J Records, is the sole Manitoba act performing at JunoFest not nominated for a Juno this year.
Other 2006 nominees will head to Halifax to attend the Juno Gala & Dinner Awards on April 1,...
For those not lucky enough to be heading east for the 2006 JUNO Awards, a couple of ambitious local promoters have an alternative awards show for you. Paulette LaFortune of Sweet Spot Productions and Broose Tulloch of CKUW 95.9 FM\'s Beer For Breakfast are celebrating the second anniversary of Definitely Not The Junos (DNTJ), known affectionately as The Brewnos because the trophy is a bottle of locally-made Fort Garry Dark Ale.
Last year\'s Brewnos were popular enough to pack the Regal Beagle with both artists and music fans, which the promoters hope to duplicate again this year. The "awards" were created that recognizes creative artists and beautiful music, presenting a definite non-mainstream attitude and emphasising collaboration rather than competition. Rather than voting, winners are drawn from a hat by a colleague on stage, which gives the event a sense of fun and focuses everything on the artists themselves and their performances.
The Brewnos will take place over two nights at the Regal Begal in the Ramada Marlborough Inn. Several local acts are slated to perform, including Fascade@137db, Vav Jungle, Unravalled Broken Orchestra, and Blayze on March 31. On...
Five Manitoba acts are heading south and making Texas home for a few days in March during the prestigious South By Southwest (SXSW). In 2006, Manitoba will enjoy one of its strongest showings at the premier event, sending some of its best acts to showcase in front of some of the most influential industry professionals in the business.
Now in its 19th year, SXSW - which runs March 15-19 in Austin – is one of the world’s biggest music festivals and conferences, featuring over 1300 acts from across the globe performing in every imaginable genre.
This year’s list of local showcasing acts includes rock acts Novillero and Inward Eye, roots singer/songwriter Romi Mayes, avante-folk act Christine Fellows, and folk singer/songwriter Lindsay Jane. Manitoba acts will have the opportunity perform for some of the industry\'s top names as well as rabid audiences in several Austin venues. While Novillero and Christine Fellows have showcased before, the rest of this year’s local acts are new to SXSW.
For the ninth year, MARIA and MANITOBA FILM & SOUND joins forces with North By Northeast in presenting the hottest party at SXSW at the Caswell House - a gorgeous mansion in...
Nine Manitoba acts are heading to Toronto this week to showcase at one of Canada’s biggest music conferences. Some of Manitoba’s leading artists as well as developing acts will represent their home province in front of fans, industry and media with performances at Toronto’s Canadian Music Week (CMW) running March 1-4, which gathers together some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Featured this year are rock trio Inward Eye, pop act Paper Moon, country pop chanteuse Amanda Stott, pop singer singer/songwriters Mia Kulba and Jodi King, instrumental rockers Red Blanket, electronic artist Lampshade, pop/rock trio Quinzy, and country band a href="http://www.afteralltheseyears.net"> After All These Years. Joining the Manitoba delegation this year are some prominent local industry professionals including Burning Circus Management’s Glen Willows, Unison Studio’s Jack Shapira, Avante Records’ Marshall Zacharias, Vinyl Republik Records’ Jesse Tottle, and representatives from Race Day Promotions and Kray Industries.
Manitoba artists and industry professionals were able to access financial support for their showcasing at CMW through the Market Access Program, a...
The Western Canadian Music Alliance (WCMA) has recently announced the appointment of Dean Brokop as its Executive Director effective February 1, 2006.
Brokop, brother of country singer Lisa Brokop,brings a wealth of entertainment experience to the position and most recently was Executive Producer of the 2005 WCMA Awards, Conference and Festival in Vancouver in October 2005. Brokop is a principal in entertainment management firm, Big Fish Management Inc., and will continue to work out of his Vancouver office.
“I am excited to be involved with the WCMA in this position,” said Brokop in a WCMA press release. “I look forward to working with the music industry associations of the west to ensure that our music is recognized nationwide. The annual WCMA Awards, Festival and Conference is, and will continue to be, a destination music event in Canada.”
“As our organization moves to the next level of development and maturity I can think of no other person more capable of directing that evolution than Dean Brokop” said J.P. Ellson, President of the WCMA, from his office in Regina.
The 2006 Western Canadian Music Awards, Conference and Festival will take place October 19-22 in...
Eight local artists have been nominated for the 2006 JUNO Awards, The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced on February 15, making this another strong year for the Manitoba music industry. The 35th Annual Juno Awards will take place on April 2 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and will be broadcast nationwide live on CTV.
Internationally-acclaimed Celtic fusion quintet The Duhks is up for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Group) for its self-titled release on Sugar Hill Records. The Duhks have been riding a wave of success for the last three years, including a song contribution to Grammy-winning multi-artist compilation Beautiful Dreamer. The band - which took home a 2005 Western Canadian Music Award in October for Outstanding Roots Recording - has been in Nashville recording its third album co-produced by Grammy-winning Gary Paczosa (Dixie Chicks, Allison Krauss, Dolly Parton). Folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys brought home the award last year.
No stranger to the Juno nominations, Brandon violinist James Ehnes is up for Best Classical Album (Solo or Chamber Ensemble) which he brought home in 2003 and 2001. Acclaimed composer Robert Turner, another...
Six Manitoba acts are heading to Austin, Texas this week to showcase to the folk and roots music industry at the North American Folk Alliance Conference (NAFA). The annual event, now in its eighteenth year, is the premier professional development conference focused on folk, roots, multicultural and world music in North America and runs February 10 through 14.
Showcasing acts include some of Manitoba’s best up-and-coming as well as established artists, including popular Celtic fusion quintet The Duhks, world music a capella septet Madrigaia, bluegrass buzz band House of Doc, Juno-nominated roots quartet Nathan, bluesy roots act Scott Nolan, and singer/songwriter duo Twilight Hotel.
The Duhks will use the trip south to head to Nashville to work with co-producers Tim O\'Brien and Gary Paczosa for the band’s third album, a follow-up to its critical and public success Your Daughters and Your Sons (Sugar Hill Records, 2004). Critical acclaim is not isolated to The Duhks. The remaining five local showcasing acts have all released successful albums in the last year.
These Manitoba artists will all perform to audiences that include folk festival buyers, agents, record...
Prominent local hip-hop artist Fresh I.E. is headed to Los Angeles to attend the 28th Annual Grammy Awards this week. Fresh I.E., a.k.a. Rob Wilson, is up for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album for his acclaimed album Truth Is Fallin\' In Tha Streetz. This is his second nomination in two years. His album Red Letterz was up for the same award two years ago.
A 15-year veteran of the hip-hop scene, this is Fresh I.E.’s fifth album. The album was released by New Mexico-based label SOAR (Sound of America Records). Fresh I.E. is no stranger to awards, with a 2005 Juno Award nomination for Red Letterz as well as Vibe and Covenant Awards. The rapper is also well-known for his inspiring work with youth.
Winnipeg Mayor, Sam Katz, held a special press conference on February 6 as an ethusiastic send-off for one of Manitoba\'s brightest stars. Fresh I.E. is Manitoba\'s only artist to receive Grammy nominations for two consecutive albums.
The rapper held The 48th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 8, 2006 in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in an international broadcast watched by millions.
Two local singer songwriters are finalists in one of the world\'s most presigious songwriting competitions. "The Wind" by Keri Latimer of Juno-nominated roots quartet Nathan is one of 14 finalists in the AAA/Roots/Americana category for the International Songwriting Competition. Cat Jahnke\'s song "None Of Those Things" is up in the Performance category. Several Manitoba artists made it to the semi-final round, including Juno-winner Cara Luft (formerly of The Wailin\' Jennys), Ruth Moody (of The Wailin’ Jennys), Mia Kulba (with Ben Dunk, Rob Patterson and Rob Wells), Robert Reimer, Scott Nolan, Abelardo Sarao (Project Overdrive) and Piet Shaw/Hazy Bright (The Revolutionary Theatre).
Finalists were selected out of almost 15,000 entries from 80 countries and represent the top 1.4% of all entries submitted. The finalists\' songs are currently in the judges\' hands. Winners will be announced in March when the ISC judges have made their decision. ISC\'s judges include the presidents of 10 record labels and well-known artists such as Loretta Lynn, Sonny Rollins, Tom Waits, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Steve Vai, Darryl McDaniels (RUN DMC) and many more.
Winter may be warmer than usual right now, but it\'s nowhere near as nice as the palm trees of Cannes, France. Representatives from Smallman Records, Arbor Records, Balanced Records, C12 Records, Rising Sun Productions and Olesia Records are enjoying the French coast while creating and solidifying new business opportunities. For the 40th year, Cannes plays host to the world’s largest international music market, MIDEM, where about 10,000 music professionals from across the globe converge, network, do business and attend daily conferences. And if the Manitoban delegation wants to get a good night’s sleep, it might want to skip out on MIDEM’s non-stop tradeshow and impressive concerts.
The sheer number of music-related people and businesses in attendance is can be an overwhelming element of MIDEM, but many of this year’s Manitoban participants are experiencing MIDEM for the second or third time. This allows such labels as Smallman to maximize developing business relationships by meeting many of their international contacts in person after extensive electronic dealings. MIDEM has proved key to Manitoba labels in continuing to export local music beyond our Canadian borders...
