The CCMA Awards’ 2021 Winners

The fabulous Robyn Ottolini (see above) took home a trophy for country music’s biggest rising star. Tonight the Canadian Country Music Association presented awards to what were deemed the finest artists and works in the green fields of country music. The show took place this year in London. Find a list of winners below. Additional awards were given out for Top Selling Canadian Single of the Year (Can’t Help Myself by Dean Brody and The Reklaws) and Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year (Timeless by Dallas Smith).

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dallas Smith

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Lemonade Stand – Tenille Townes

FANS’ CHOICE
Brett Kissel

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Tenille Arts

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Reklaws

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dallas Smith

RISING STAR AWARD
Robyn Ottolini

ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Agricultural Tragic – Corb Lund

SINGLE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Like A Man – Dallas Smith

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR AWARD
Patricia Conroy, Ester Dean, Andrew DeRoberts, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Shane McAnally, Madeline Merlo, Tina Parol, Hillary Scott, Ryan Tedder, Dave Thomson, Song: Champagne Night (Performed By: Lady A)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR AWARD
Make A Life, Not A Living – Brett Kissel

2021 CCMA Nominations

The Canadian Country Music Association has announced nominees for the 2021 awards which will be announced from London on November 29. Find them below.

Since this same time last year, homegrown artists have scored 10 number one hits at country radio. They are as follows:

“Canadian Summer” by Dean Brody
“I Would Be Over Me Too” by Tyler Joe Miller
“Want Me Back” by Lindsay Ell
“A Few Good Stories” by Brett Kissel
“Some Things Never Change” by Dallas Smith Canada feat. Hardy
“Boys” by Dean Brody feat. Mickey Guyton
“River’s Still Running” by High Valley
“All Night to Figure It Out” by Jade Eagleson
“Make a Life, Not a Living” by Brett Kissel
“Over All Over Again” by James Barker Band

THE NOMINATIONS

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dean Brody
Brett Kissel
MacKenzie Porter
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Demos – Jess Moskaluke
heart theory – Lindsay Ell
The Lemonade Stand – Tenille Townes
Sometimes I Don’t, But Sometimes I Do – Tyler Joe Miller
Timeless – Dallas Smith
What Is Life? – Brett Kissel

FANS’ CHOICE
Tenille Arts
Dean Brody
Jade Eagleson
High Valley
Brett Kissel
Tyler Joe Miller
MacKenzie Porter
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith
Tenille Townes

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Tenille Arts
Lindsay Ell
Jess Moskaluke
MacKenzie Porter
Tenille Townes

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR AWARD
High Valley
Hunter Brothers
The Reklaws
Tim & The Glory Boys
The Washboard Union

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell
Aaron Goodvin
James Barker Band
Nice Horse
The Reklaws

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dean Brody
Jade Eagleson
Brett Kissel
Tyler Joe Miller
Dallas Smith

RISING STAR AWARD
Shawn Austin
Andrew Hyatt
Tyler Joe Miller
Robyn Ottolini
Tim & The Glory Boys

ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
After Midnight – Callie McCullough
Agricultural Tragic – Corb Lund
The Ride – Ryan Lindsay
Who I Am – Cory Marks
Without People – Donovan Woods

SINGLE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Can’t Help Myself – Dean Brody & The Reklaws
Grew Up On That – High Valley
Like A Man – Dallas Smith
No Truck Song – Tim Hicks
Where I’m From – The Reklaws

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR AWARD

• Patricia Conroy, Ester Dean, Andrew DeRoberts, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Shane McAnally, Madeline Merlo, Tina Parol, Hillary Scott, Ryan Tedder, Dave Thomson, Song: Champagne Night (Performed By: Lady A)
• Marc Beeson, Daniel Tashian, Tenille Townes, Song: Come As You Are (Performed By: Tenille Townes)
• Aaron Goodvin, Ed Hill, Jimmy Ritchey, Song: Every Time You Take Your Time (Performed By: Aaron Goodvin)
• Lindsay Ell, Sam Ellis, Micah Premnath, Song: good on you (Performed By: Lindsay Ell)
• Zach Abend, Jess Moskaluke, Liz Rose, Song: Mapdot (Performed By: Jess Moskaluke)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR AWARD
Drinkin’ Songs – MacKenzie Porter
Hard Dirt – Hunter Brothers
Make A Life, Not A Living – Brett Kissel
Mapdot – Jess Moskaluke
wAnt me back – Lindsay Ell

3 More Medals Light the Prism

A steady stream of medals is being won by Team Canada at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Jessica Klimkait takes home bronze in judo 57 kg. She is the first Canadian woman to ever win an Olympic medal in judo.

And how about that Kylie Masse! She came through in women’s 100m backstroke edged out of gold by the world record holder. Kylie won bronze in Brazil and now a silver in Japan.

Finally, Team Canada has its first Olympic medal in softball! We defeated Mexico 3-2 for the bronze.

In music news, the 2021 winner of the annual Prism Prize was announced. The award recognizes artistry in Canadian music videos. A jury of 130+ media professionals chose the animated “Thirteen” from rapper Haviah Mighty, directed by Theo Kapodistrias, as the Grand Prize winner and recipient of the $20,000 cash prize. The fan-voted Audience Award was won by directors Evan Elliot and Lance Sampson for “Pay it Forward” by Aquakultre. For more info, visit the official website here.

Polaris Prize Unveils 2021 Short List

The Polaris Music Prize short list was unveiled today. Pared down from the initial 40, the 10 albums listed below are up for the $50,000 cash prize to be announced in the fall. Three of them are EPs. The genres represented, loosely speaking, include alternative, rap, soul-jazz, shoegaze, punk, singer-songwriter, and folk-rock. Only half of the discs are free of foul language. Seven of them are available for purchase on CD. Seven of the artists are from Ontario and two from Quebec. Cadence Weapon grew up in Alberta but is now based in Toronto. Two of the artists are JUNO award winners and two have received nominations. Nine of the albums are performed in the English language, one in French, and none in other tongues. Two of the artists are bands, eight are soloists (four male, four female). Half of the albums came out in 2020 and half this year.

Theory of Ice, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Parallel World, Cadence Weapon
Head Above the Waters, DijahSB
Three Little Words, Dominique Fils-Aimé (JW)
When Smoke Rises, Mustafa
The Ends, The OBGMs
Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, Klô Pelgag (JN)
Elements Vol. 1, Tobi (JW)
Ignorance, the Weather Station (JN)
Bleached Wavves, Zoon

CCMA Awards 2020: Townes and Kissel Score Hat Tricks

Pre-taped from two countries, the Canadian Country Music Association awards gala was broadcast tonight. Brett Kissel, who picked up multiple trophies, opened the show with a heartfelt reminder of the importance of music, and its power to strengthen the heart, which rings true more than even in these troublesome times. The Albertan’s disc Now or Never, one of the first releases of 2020, was named Album of the Year, something that will keep Exclaim magazine’s Anthony Easton from getting any sleep tonight. Kissel was also crowned Male Artist of the Year and won the Fans’ Choice award by receiving the most votes of the ten nominees.

Portions of the show were recorded near Barrie, Ontario, with other parts taped from the rooftop of a hotel in the U.S. city of Nashville. Early performances featured sis-bro duo The Reklaws and slayer Tenille Townes. The later recently won two awards at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in the United States: Music Event of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year, an award that has not been won by a Canadian since Carolyn Dawn Johnson in 2002, 18 years ago! Alberta’s Townes went into the CCMA gala with the most nominations and did not leave empty handed. She won Female Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Video of the Year (for “Jersey on the Wall”). Her namesake Tenille Arts of Saskatchewan won the Rising Star CCMA award. Another cowgirl lassoing stars and stripes these days is Lindsay Ell who was named Interactive Artist of the Year. The Single of the Year award went to James Barker Band for “Keep It Simple”. The Washboard Union won a pair: Group or Duo of the Year and Roots Album of the Year (for Everbound). Dallas Smith now has another trophy to add to his collection, as he won the Entertainer of the Year award. Find nominations in the various categories below with the winners in bold, green type. Note that some of the award winners were announced prior to the broadcast. But first, here is the Video of the Year winner:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dean Brody
Brett Kissel
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith
Tenille Townes

ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Black Sheep – Dean Brody
Love, Heartbreak, & Everything In Between – Tenille Arts
Now or Never – Brett Kissel
Singles Only – James Barker Band
Wild as Me – Meghan Patrick

FANS’ CHOICE AWARD
Dean Brody
Jade Eagleson
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel
MacKenzie Porter
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith
Tebey
Tenille Townes

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Lindsay Ell
Jess Moskaluke
Meghan Patrick
MacKenzie Porter
Tenille Townes

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR AWARD
High Valley
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
The Reklaws
The Washboard Union

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Dan Davidson
Lindsay Ell
Aaron Goodvin
Nice Horse
Tenille Townes

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dean Brody
Jade Eagleson
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith
Tebey

RISING STAR AWARD
Tenille Arts
Matt Lang
Tyler Joe Miller
Emily Reid
Sons of Daughters

ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Everbound – The Washboard Union
Fingers Crossed – JJ Shiplett
Kalsey Kulyk – Kalsey Kulyk
Love Wins – Kelly Prescott
The Other Way – Donovan Woods

SINGLE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Count the Ways – Jade Eagleson
Drop – Dallas Smith
Keep It Simple – James Barker Band
Single Man – High Valley
Whiskey in A Teacup – Dean Brody

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR AWARD
Skip Black, Aaron Goodvin, Matt Nolen
  Song: Good Ol’ Bad Days (Performed By: Aaron Goodvin)
Brad Rempel, Ben Stennis, Jenna Walker, Stuart Walker
  Song: I Do Too (Performed By: The Reklaws)
Tina Parol, Gordie Sampson, Tenille Townes
  Song: Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking) (Performed By: Tenille Townes)
Jeff Coplan, Tim Hicks, Bruce Wallace
  Song: No Truck Song (Performed By: Tim Hicks)
MacKenzie Porter, Jordan Sapp, Parker Welling
  Song: These Days (Performed By: MacKenzie Porter)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR AWARD
Country Thunder – The Washboard Union
Drink About Me – Brett Kissel
Jersey on The Wall (I’m Just Asking) – Tenille Townes
No Truck Song – Tim Hicks
Silver Lining – Hunter Brothers

Tenille Townes Leads 2020 CCMA Nominations

In 2019, a cool dozen tracks from homegrown artists topped the Billboard Country Radio charts. This welcome trend shows no signs of hanging up its hat, as to date in 2020, nine songs have lassoed the distinction. It is in such a fertile field that the Canadian Country Music Association has announced nominees for the annual 2020 awards gala. The contingent of nominated artists is being led by red hot ace Tenille Townes from Grande Prairie, Alberta. This flag bearer is up for six awards. Gents Dean Brody and Brett Kissel have five nods apiece. The shindig is set to air on Global September 27 at 9 p.m.

Country Music’s biggest celebration, the 2020 CCMA Awards, will be filmed through August at two locations, Burl’s Creek Event Grounds (Ontario) and Nashville (Tennessee) and will showcase the biggest names in Canadian country music with performances and collaborations. Find all artist award nominations below. Find a complete listing of Musician, Radio, and Industry nominees here. Be sure to vote for the Fans’ Choice award here. When it comes to country music, the secret is … Canadians do it better.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dean Brody
Brett Kissel
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith
Tenille Townes

ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Black Sheep – Dean Brody
Love, Heartbreak, & Everything In Between – Tenille Arts
Now or Never – Brett Kissel
Singles Only – James Barker Band
Wild as Me – Meghan Patrick

FANS’ CHOICE AWARD
Dean Brody
Jade Eagleson
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel
MacKenzie Porter
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith
Tebey
Tenille Townes

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Lindsay Ell
Jess Moskaluke
Meghan Patrick
MacKenzie Porter
Tenille Townes

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR AWARD
High Valley
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
The Reklaws
The Washboard Union

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Dan Davidson
Lindsay Ell
Aaron Goodvin
Nice Horse
Tenille Townes

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dean Brody
Jade Eagleson
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith
Tebey

RISING STAR AWARD
Tenille Arts
Matt Lang
Tyler Joe Miller
Emily Reid
Sons of Daughters

ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Everbound – The Washboard Union
Fingers Crossed – JJ Shiplett
Kalsey Kulyk – Kalsey Kulyk
Love Wins – Kelly Prescott
The Other Way – Donovan Woods

SINGLE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Count the Ways – Jade Eagleson
Drop – Dallas Smith
Keep It Simple – James Barker Band
Single Man – High Valley
Whiskey in A Teacup – Dean Brody

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR AWARD
Skip Black, Aaron Goodvin, Matt Nolen
   Song: Good Ol’ Bad Days (Performed By: Aaron Goodvin)
Brad Rempel, Ben Stennis, Jenna Walker, Stuart Walker
   Song: I Do Too (Performed By: The Reklaws)
Tina Parol, Gordie Sampson, Tenille Townes
   Song: Jersey On The Wall (I’m Just Asking) (Performed By: Tenille Townes)
Jeff Coplan, Tim Hicks, Bruce Wallace
   Song: No Truck Song (Performed By: Tim Hicks)
MacKenzie Porter, Jordan Sapp, Parker Welling
   Song: These Days (Performed By: MacKenzie Porter)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR AWARD
Country Thunder – The Washboard Union
Drink About Me – Brett Kissel
Jersey on The Wall (I’m Just Asking) – Tenille Townes
No Truck Song – Tim Hicks
Silver Lining – Hunter Brothers

2020 Polaris Short List Includes Works from Pantayo and Witch Prophet

The Polaris Music Prize jurors, groupies of electronic craftsman Caribou, chillout master Kaytanada, and Colombian import Lido Pimienta, have named their albums Suddenly, Bubba, and Miss Colombia respectively as short listers up for the cash reward of $50,000 to be awarded October 19. Those three artists have nabbed the honour for past works. The other seven discs that have made the 2020 cut are Backxwash‘s expletives-ridden God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It, Junia T‘s featured artist strewn Studio Monk, nêhiyawak‘s alternative tour de force nipiy, Pantayo‘s eclectic Pantayo, Jessie Reyez‘s mainstream R&B celebration Before Love Came to Kill Us, non-Canadian citizen U.S. Girls‘ (i.e. Meghan Remy) Heavy Light, and Witch Prophet‘s bass-inflected, Afrojazzy DNA Activation.

No francophone album made the list.

The albums were part of a collection of 40 that comprised a previously announced long list which were pared down from 223 recommended albums. The Prize focusses not on how good the singing, music, songwriting, production, or lyrics are but on how different or unique the work is, referred to as “artistic merit”. Although jurors are allowed to select music of any genre, many styles of music get excluded, and the “alternative” designation is branded on most albums that get selected. The strange brews here will not tickle everyone’s palate, especially those partial to meat and potatoes, but will satisfy exotic lovers with adventurous appetites, and that is the function of the Polaris Music Prize. These 10 albums are definitely artistic, and they just might grow on you. Enjoy.

Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2020 Longlist

Above: Alberta progressive band nêhiyawak makes the Polaris longlist with nipiy.

Organizers of The Polaris Music Prize, a cash award to what is deemed by appointed judges as the best artistic album of the year, have whisked off the veil to reveal the 40 contenders in the so–called longlist. These will be whittled down to a “shortlist” of 10 on July 15. The eligibility period for the 2020 prize is albums released from May 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. A few Canadian Music Blog picks made the Polaris cut. In the list below, we have identified picks for the very good and superpicks for the excellent – all in good fun to give the CMB some personality. If we were to name the best of the bunch, it would probably be Jacques Greene’s superb effort Dawn Chorus, but we’ll let the Polaris judges sort things out. The winner will be announced sometime in the fall (to be announced).

Allie X – Cape God
Anachnid – Dreamweaver
Aquakultre – Legacy
Marie–Pierre Arthur – Des feux pour voir (CMB superpick)
Backxwash – God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It
Badge Époque Ensemble – Badge Époque Ensemble (CMB pick)
Begonia – Fear
P’tit Belliveau – Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Caribou – Suddenly
Daniel Caesar – Case Study 01
Chocolat – Jazz engagé
Louis–Jean Cormier – Quand la nuit tombe (CMB superpick)
Corridor – Junior
dvsn – A Muse in Her Feelings
Jacques Greene – Dawn Chorus (CMB superpick)
Sarah Harmer – Are You Gone
Ice Cream – Fed Up
Junia–T – Studio Monk
Kaytranada – Bubba (CMB pick)
Flore Laurentienne – Volume 1
Cindy Lee – What’s Tonight to Eternity?
Men I Trust – Oncle Jazz (CMB pick)
nêhiyawak – nipiy (CMB pick)
OBUXUM – Re–Birth
Owen Pallett – Island
Pantayo – Pantayo
Lido Pimienta – Miss Colombia
Joel Plaskett – 44
William Prince – Reliever
Jessie Reyez – Before Love Came to Kill Us
Riit – ataataga
Andy Shauf – The Neon Skyline
Super Duty Tough Work – Studies in Grey
U.S. Girls – Heavy Light
Leif Vollebekk – New Ways (CMB pick)
Wares – Survival
The Weeknd – After Hours (CMB pick)
WHOOP–Szo – Warrior Down
Witch Prophet – DNA Activation
Zen Bamboo – GLU

Haviah Mighty Finds $50K Polaris Prize on 13th Floor

Judges for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize decided to honour women in rap by presenting Brampton’s Haviah Mighty with the $50,000 cheque for her album 13th Floor. Her work was chosen by 11 people and announced at the annual gala held as usual at The Carlu in Toronto attended by about a thousand. The album was deemed a mightier work than the other nine shortlisters: Dominique Fils-Aimé’s Stay Tuned, Elisapie’s The Ballad of the Runaway Girl, FET.NAT’s Le Mal, Jessie Reyez’s Being Human in Public, Les Louanges‘ La nuit est une panthère, Marie Davidson’s Working Class Woman, PUP’s Morbid Stuff, Shad’s A Short Story About a War, and Snotty Nose Rez Kids’ Trapline. For being shortlisted, these nine each received a cash prize of $3,000. This was the 14th installment of the prize which began in 2006.

Tenille Townes Cleans Up at the 2019 CCMA Gala

Grande Prairie, Alberta’s Tenille Townes took Calgary by storm during the city’s hosting of the 2019 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) awards tonight. The gala was co-hosted by Dallas Smith and American achy breaky man Billy Rae Cyrus. Tenille’s #1 country radio hit “Somebody’s Daughter” took both Single of the Year and Video of the Year. And for this Top 30 US country hit, Tenille and her co-writers snatched the Songwriter(s) of the Year award. Townes picked up a fourth trophy for Female Artist of the Year. Find all award recipients below.

“Somebody’s Daughter” has picked up more than 2.3 million views.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Paul Brandt
Dean Brody
Tim Hicks
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith (Winner)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Fall – Dallas Smith
Feels Like That – The Reklaws (Winner)
The Journey BNA Vol. 2 – Paul Brandt
Love A Girl – Tebey
New Tattoo – Tim Hicks
State Of Mind – Hunter Brothers

FANS’ CHOICE
Gord Bamford
Paul Brandt
Dean Brody
Tim Hicks
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel (Winner)
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith
Guylaine Tanguay

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell
Jess Moskaluke
Meghan Patrick
Guylaine Tanguay
Tenille Townes (Winner)

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
High Valley
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
The Reklaws
The Washboard Union (Winner)

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell (Winner)
Aaron Goodvin
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel
Nice Horse

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Paul Brandt
Dean Brody
Tim Hicks
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith (Winner)

RISING STAR
Shawn Austin
Jade Eagleson (Winner)
Eric Ethridge
JoJo Mason
Sons of Daughters

ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion – Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion
Both Ways – Donovan Woods (Winner)
Heart Of Glass – Jessica Mitchell
Juliet – Dan Davidson
What We’re Made Of – The Washboard Union

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Criminal – Lindsay Ell
Dive Bar – Gord Bamford
Good Together – James Barker Band
Somebody’s Daughter – Tenille Townes (Winner)
Walls Come Down – Meghan Patrick

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR

Brett Kissel, Seth Mosley, Brad Rempel
Song: Cecilia (Performed By: Brett Kissel)

Gord Bamford, Bart Butler, Brice Long
Song: Down (Performed By: Gord Bamford)

James Barker, Todd Clark, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood
Song: Keep It Simple (Performed By: James Barker Band)

Corey Crowder, Jess Moskaluke, Jared Mullins
Song: Save Some Of That Whiskey (Performed By: Jess Moskaluke)

Barry Dean, Luke Laird, Tenille Townes
Song: Somebody’s Daughter (Performed By: Tenille Townes) (Winner)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Camouflage – Jess Moskaluke
Criminal – Lindsay Ell
Feels Like That – The Reklaws
Somebody’s Daughter – Tenille Townes (Winner)
Walls Come Down – Meghan Patrick

The Polaris Prize Short List For 2019 Is Out Now

Stay Tuned! Quebec’s Dominique Fils-Aimé heralds the slate alphabetically with her R&B album. It is one of 10 Canadian records that have been shortlisted for the annual Polaris Music Prize, a cash reward of $50,000 presented to the disc of music deemed by judges to have the most artistic merit. Dominique’s provincial cohorts Elisapie and FET.NAT join her with singer-songwriter disc The Ballad of the Runaway Girl and alternative album Le Mal respectively.

Ontario’s Haviah Mighty caught the judges’ ears rapping on the 13th Floor. Also from the province of black flies and horseshoe falls is R&B JUNO winner Jessie Reyez who gets the nod for Being Human in Public.

The CMB’s pick of the batch is Les Louanges‘ alternative LP La nuit est une panthère. Working Class Woman Marie Davidson follows with another alternative effort. Both artists hail from Montreal. Toronto alt-rock outfit PUP attracted attention with some Morbid Stuff. Well-known rapper Shad, a JUNO winner, is shortlisted for A Short Story About a War. Finally, BC’s Snotty Nose Rez Kids make the grade with Trapline, another rap album.

Unlike the past couple of years, there is no clear frontrunner for the 2019 award. Any of these could find themselves 50 grand richer. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Toronto on September 16.

CCMA Announces Nominations for 2019 Country Music Awards

The annual CCMA Awards takes place this year in our 4th largest city – Calgary – on September 8. Two performers have thus far been announced – Alberta’s Tenille Townes (pictured above) and Old Dominion. Local lad Paul Brandt will be receiving a humanitarian award. The Canadian Country Music Association has unveiled the artist nominees, and they are as below. Find musician, radio, and industry nominees at the CCMA website. You can vote for the Fans’ Choice award here.

The gentlemen rule in most categories, while the ladies fare better in the Single of the Year and, most especially, Video of the Year sets.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Paul Brandt
Dean Brody
Tim Hicks
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Fall – Dallas Smith
Feels Like That – The Reklaws
The Journey BNA Vol. 2 – Paul Brandt
Love A Girl – Tebey
New Tattoo – Tim Hicks
State Of Mind – Hunter Brothers

FANS’ CHOICE
Gord Bamford
Paul Brandt
Dean Brody
Tim Hicks
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel
The Reklaws
Dallas Smith
Guylaine Tanguay

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell
Jess Moskaluke
Meghan Patrick
Guylaine Tanguay
Tenille Townes

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR
High Valley
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
The Reklaws
The Washboard Union

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Ell
Aaron Goodvin
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel
Nice Horse

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Paul Brandt
Dean Brody
Tim Hicks
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith

RISING STAR
Shawn Austin
Jade Eagleson
Eric Ethridge
JoJo Mason
Sons of Daughters

ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion – Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion
Both Ways – Donovan Woods
Heart Of Glass – Jessica Mitchell
Juliet – Dan Davidson
What We’re Made Of – The Washboard Union

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Criminal – Lindsay Ell
Dive Bar – Gord Bamford
Good Together – James Barker Band
Somebody’s Daughter – Tenille Townes
Walls Come Down – Meghan Patrick

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR

Brett Kissel, Seth Mosley, Brad Rempel
Song: Cecilia (Performed By: Brett Kissel)

Gord Bamford, Bart Butler, Brice Long
Song: Down (Performed By: Gord Bamford)

James Barker, Todd Clark, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood
Song: Keep It Simple (Performed By: James Barker Band)

Corey Crowder, Jess Moskaluke, Jared Mullins
Song: Save Some Of That Whiskey (Performed By: Jess Moskaluke)

Barry Dean, Luke Laird, Tenille Townes
Song: Somebody’s Daughter (Performed By: Tenille Townes)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Camouflage – Jess Moskaluke
Criminal – Lindsay Ell
Feels Like That – The Reklaws
Somebody’s Daughter – Tenille Townes
Walls Come Down – Meghan Patrick

2019 Polaris Music Prize Long List Includes Laurence-Anne, Shay Lia,…

Slayers Carly Rae Jepsen, Jean Leloup, Loud, and Shawn Mendes find their albums longlisted for 2019’s Polaris Music Prize, a smattering of 40 great Canadian albums. The prize looks at both LPs and EPs released between May 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019. In fact, 19 are 2018 albums and 21 are 2019 works. The list includes 10 JUNO award winners plus nine nominees. Unlike last year, there is no clear frontrunner in this year’s batch making for an exciting run to the cash award of $50,000. The jury of 199 members considered a mere 233 albums. The Short List of 10 albums will be unveiled on July 16 and the winner announced at the annual gala in Toronto on September 16. Find the longlisted albums below.

TITLE	ARTIST	GENRE
Inscape	Alexandra Streliski	Classical
Dedicated	Carly Rae Jepsen (JW)	Pop
Shape of Your Name	Charlotte Cornfield	S-S/Folk
Do You Drive?	Clairmont the Second (JN)	Rap
Heaven	Dilly Dally (JN)	Alternative
Baby Teeth	Dizzy (JW)	Alternative
Nameless	Dominique Fils-Aimé	R&B
Ballad of the Runaway Girl	Elisapie (JN)	S-S/Folk
Le Mal	FET.NAT	Alternative
Dose Your Dreams	F–d Up (JN)	Punk
13th Floor	Haviah Mighty	Rap
L’étrange pays	Jean Leloup (JW)	S-S/Folk
Being Human in Public	Jessie Reyez (JW)	R&B
Grenades	Kaia Kater (JN)	S-S/Folk
X Marks the Swirl	Kimmortal	Rap
La Force	La Force	Alternative
Dark Beings	LAL	Alternative
Premiere apparition	Laurence-Anne	Alternative
Mohawk	Lee Harvey Osmond (JN)	S-S/Folk
The Steal City EP	Lee Reed	Rap
La nuit est une panthere	Les Louanges	Alternative
Tout ça pour ça	Loud (JW)	Rap
Working Class Woman	Marie Davidson	Alternative
Radiant Dawn	Operators	Alternative
Pony	Orville Peck	Alternative
Morbid Stuff	PUP (JN)	Alternative
Les choses exterieures	Salome Leclerc	S-S/Folk
In Another Life	Sandro Perri	Alternative
A Short Story About a War	Shad (JW)	Rap
Shawn Mendes	Shawn Mendes (JW)	Pop
Dangerous	Shay Lia	R&B/Soul
Trapline	Snotty Nose Rez Kids (JN)	Rap
999	sydanie	Rap
The Gumption	Tanika Charles (JN)	R&B/Soul
Master Volume	The Dirty Nil (JW)	Rock
Forever Overhead	Tim Baker	S-S/Folk
Still	TOBi	Rap
The Wake	Voivod (JW)	Metal
In the Land Of	Wintersleep (JW)	Alternative
The Same but by Different Means	Yves Jarvis	Alternative

New Brunswicker Jeremy Dutcher Wins 2018 Polaris Prize

As we predicted, Jeremy Dutcher was awarded the $50,000 Polaris Music Prize for his album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, a work recorded in his First Nations language of Wolastoq. The disc was made following a research project on archival recordings of traditional Maliseet songs at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in an attempt to preserve the music, culture, and language of his people. The announcement of his victory was made last night at Toronto’s Carlu following performances by eight of the 10 short-listed nominees. The nine others will be receiving monetary prizes of $3,000 each.

2018 CCMA Awards Winners List

The 2018 Canadian Country Music Association awards took place in Hamilton Sunday, September 9, a gala hosted by double diamond superstar Shania Twain who was presented with the Generation Award by Alessia Cara. The evening was packed with inspiring speeches and of course powerhouse performances. Below is a list of nominations with award winners in red, bold type.

FANS’ CHOICE AWARD

Gord Bamford
Dean Brody
Chad Brownlee
Tim Hicks
High Valley
James Barker Band
Brett Kissel
Jess Moskaluke
Dallas Smith
Shania Twain

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Country Music Made Me Do It – Meghan Patrick
Past The Past – Jess Moskaluke
The Project – Lindsay Ell
We Were That Song – Brett Kissel
What We’re Made Of – The Washboard Union

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Lindsay Ell
Madeline Merlo
Jess Moskaluke
Meghan Patrick
Shania Twain

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Gord Bamford
Chad Brownlee
Brett Kissel
Dallas Smith
Bobby Wills

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR

High Valley
Hunter Brothers
James Barker Band
The Reklaws
The Washboard Union

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

The Lovelocks
Jessica Mitchell
Lindi Ortega
The Washboard Union
Donovan Woods

RISING STAR

Dan Davidson
Aaron Goodvin
Hunter Brothers
Leaving Thomas
The Reklaws

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

Chills – James Barker Band
Country Music Made Me Do It – Meghan Patrick
Drive Me Away – Jess Moskaluke
Lonely Drum – Aaron Goodvin
Side Effects – Dallas Smith

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

The Bad Guy – Meghan Patrick
Drive Me Away – Jess Moskaluke
Hometown Kids – The Reklaws
Sky Stays This Blue – Dallas Smith
We Were That Song – Brett Kissel

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR

Dean Brody, Matt Rovey
Song: 8th Day (Performed By: Dean Brody)

Dan Isbell, Meghan Patrick, Jeremy Stover
Song: Country Music Made Me Do It (Performed By: Meghan Patrick)

Zach Abend, Corey Crowder, Jess Moskaluke
Song: Drive Me Away (Performed By: Jess Moskaluke)

James Barker, Gavin Slate, Travis Wood
Song: It’s Working (Performed By: James Barker Band)

Alexander Black, Aaron Goodvin, Cathy Gravitt
Song: Lonely Drum (Performed By: Aaron Goodvin)

INTERACTIVE ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR

Tenille Arts
Hunter Brothers
Brett Kissel
Leaving Thomas
Nice Horse