Nathan Brings Home a Juno

Roots quartet Nathan has added yet another accolade to its resume. On April 5, the band picked up the Juno for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year at the private Juno Gala Dinner and Awards in Calgary for its latest release on Nettwerk, Key Principles.

This is the third time in four years that a Manitoba act has brought the roots award home; The Wailin' Jennys won in 2005 and The Duhks won in 2006.

The Juno adds to an otherwise stellar year for the act, which was nominated for the roots Juno in 2005. Band member Keri Latimer, who writes many of Nathan's songs, worked on the score and contributed two songs to The Frozen River, a movie that picked up  the top prize for drama at this year's Sundance Film Festival. As well, Latimer is currently a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition for "Bad Ideas" and the band was nominated for the prestigious ECHO Songwriting Prize for its song "Scarecrow."

Two Nathan members, vocalist/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Shelley Marshall and drummer Damon Mitchell, were on hand in Calgary to accept the award. Nathan's other two members, Keri and Devin Latimer, stayed in Winnipeg with their second child, who was born earlier this week.

Click here to watch the video for "Trans Am" off Key Principles.

Brandon-born violinist James Ehnes and his Grammy Award-winning album Korngold, Barber & Walton Concertos, with former Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra maestro Bramwell Tovey, picked up a Juno for Classical Album of the Year - Large Ensemble or Soloist(s). This is Ehnes' fifth Juno.

Winnipeg-based label Arbor Records had one of its artists, Derek Miller, pick up the Aboriginal Recording of the Year Derek Miller.