Winners of the 2025 Hamilton Arts Awards

Unfortunately, Hamilton Blues Lovers' marketing guru, Linda Fraser didn't win a 2025 Hamilton Arts Awards at the June 12th ceremony. her category was Arts Champion. We are very proud of her at HBL.

Below is a complete list of winners. Music-related winners are bolded.

Creator Awards

• Luckystickz (musician)
  
  
  
  Links: Luckystickz, More Luckystickz Stories, Video above courtesy of Lucky Stickz
  
  
• Rollie Pemberton aka Cadence Weapon (musician, author)
  
  
  
  Links: Cadence Weapon, More Cadence Weapon Stories, Video above courtesy of Cadence Weapon
  
  
• Priyanka Tope (dancer, choreographer, vocalist, and educator)
• Adrien Crossman (artist, educator, and curator)
• Clarence A. Porter (artist)
• Hexe Noire (drag artist)
• Lester Coloma (artist)
• Sonali Menezes (artist, writer)
• Tanis Sydney Macarthur (costumer, dance artist, choreographer, aerialist, stilt walker, prop maker and creature designer)

Arts Champion Awards

• Lisa La Rocca (Chair of the Hamilton Music Advisory Team and Co-chair of the new Women in Music Hamilton/Halton chapter)+
• Rachel Conduit (runs art gallery, music venue, two bars, a restaurant, and two artist studio spaces)
• Smokestack (limited-edition prints)
• Steven Hilliard (curator and organizer)

Lifetime Achievement Award: John Terpstra (Writer, poet, publisher)

Links: Hamilton Arts Awards, More Hamilton Arts Awards Stories

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Edmonton's Cadence Weapon Wins 2021 Polaris Music Prize

Edmonton's Cadence Weapon won the 2021 Polaris Music Prize.

From the Polaris Prize news release:

Cadence Weapon has won the 2021 Polaris Music Prize for the album Parallel World.

This is Cadence Weapon’s first Polaris Music Prize win.

The Prize, which was presented by CBC Music, goes to the best Canadian album of the year based on artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation. It was determined by a Grand Jury of 11 music media professionals drawn from the greater Polaris jury pool of 199 writers, editors, broadcasters, DJs and personalities from across the country. This was the 16th edition of the Polaris Music Prize.

“If I won this, I wanted to announce that next year I’ll be using some of my resources to organize some voter registration events around the Toronto municipal election, as well as the Ontario provincial election because we need some changes to our leadership and we need to make things more equitable for people in this city to be able to vote. I also just want to take this time to mention that Justin Trudeau has worn Blackface so many times he can’t even remember how many times, and he was just given a third term. That’s exactly why I need to be making rap records that are political, that are about these subjects because that’s still a fact today,” said Cadence Weapon in his acceptance speech.

“Finally, this goes out to everybody in Edmonton and Alberta! I’m from Edmonton, 780, we’ve never been here before. I want to show everybody, all the young artists listening right now, and watching this, you don’t have to be from Toronto. Your experience is valuable. Your art matters. Coming from Edmonton, I don’t want you to forget that. The prairies got something to say. E-town.”

Cadence Weapon’s victory came with a $50,000 monetary reward. The nine other Short List nominees each received $3,000 courtesy of Slaight Music. Additionally, Play MPE awarded Cadence Weapon with a global music promotion distribution package for one release (single or album) worth up to $3,025 CAD. Play MPE will also gift all nine remaining Short List artists with distribution packages worth up to $1,000 CAD each.

Links: Cadence Weapon, More Cadence Weapon Stories, Videos above courtesy of Cadence Weapon

Links: Polaris Music Prize, More Polaris Stories

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2021 Polaris Short List (including Hamilton's Zoon)

The Polaris Prize Shortlist was unveiled on July 15, 2021and talented Hamilton musician Zoon made the cut. a date hasn't been set yet for the grand prize.

We will post the Short List ceremony video here when it become available.

Complete list (local artists are bolded)

• Zoon (Hamilton) – Bleached Wavves
  
  
  
  Links: Zoon, Video above courtesy of Paper Bag Records
  
  
• Cadence Weapon – Parallel World
• DijahSB – Head Above The Waters
• Dominique Fils-Aimé – Three Little Words
• Klô Pelgag – Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
• Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – Theory of Ice
• Mustafa – When Smoke Rises
• The OBGMs – The Ends
• The Weather Station – Ignorance
• TOBi – ELEMENTS Vol. 1

Click here to see the winner

Links: Polaris Music Prize, More Polaris Stories

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GOOD LUCK! 2021 Polaris Music Prize Long List (incl local artists)

From the Polaris Music Prize website:

In total, 204 albums were considered for the Long List by the 199 member jury.

This year’s Long List was unveiled in a video broadcast via the Polaris Facebook page and YouTube channels. 

The 10 album Short List will be unveiled live on July 15 as part of a two-hour special during Drive on CBC Music. An encore broadcast of the special will be available on CBC Music, Sunday, July 18 at 10 p.m. The 2021 Polaris Music Prize-winning album will be revealed in the fall via CBC Music. More details on this will be announced in the coming weeks. Leading up to the reveal of the Short List, CBC Music will have a retrospective special on Sunday, July 11 at 10 p.m.

The Polaris Music Prize awards $50,000 to the artist who creates the Canadian Album of the Year, judged solely on artistic merit, without consideration for genre or record sales. Additionally, the nine other nominated acts whose albums make the 2021 Short List will receive $3,000 each courtesy of Slaight Music.

Below is the Long List Reveal video

Links: Polaris Music Prize, More Polaris Stories, Video above courtesy of polarismusicprize

Complete list (local artists are bolded)

• Kathleen Edwards (Hamilton) – Total Freedom
  
  
  
  Links: Kathleen Edwards, More Kathleen Edwards Stories, Video above courtesy of Kathleen Edwards
  
  
• Daniel Lanois (Hamilton) – Heavy Sun
  
  
  
  Links: Daniel Lanois, More Daniel Lanois Stories, Video above courtesy of Daniel Lanois - Topic
  
  
• Zoon (Hamilton) – Bleached Wavves
  
  
  
  Links: Zoon, Video above courtesy of Paper Bag Records
  
  
• Art Bergmann – Late Stage Empire Dementia
• Bernice – Eau De Bonjourno
• The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings
• Leanne Betasamosake Simpson – Theory of Ice
• BIG|BRAVE – Vital
• Cadence Weapon – Parallel World
• Charlotte Cardin – Phoenix
• CFCF – memoryland
• Clairmont The Second – IT’S NOT HOW IT SOUNDS
• Helena Deland – Someone New
• DijahSB – Head Above The Waters
• Dominique Fils-Aimé – Three Little Words
• Fiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition – Fiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition
• Thanya Iyer – KIND
• Yves Jarvis – Sundry Rock Song Stock
• Rochelle Jordan – Play With the Changes
• LAL – Meteors Could Come Down
• Thierry Larose – Cantalou
• Russell Louder – Humor
• Elliot Maginot – Easy Morning
• Mustafa – When Smoke Rises
• Laura Niquay – Waska Matisiwin
• Nyssa – Girls Like Me
• The OBGMs – The Ends
• Dorothea Paas – Anything Can’t Happen
• Klô Pelgag – Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
• Savannah Ré – Opia
• Allison Russell – Outside Child
• Julien Sagot – Sagot
• Sargeant X Comrade – Magic Radio
• Shabason, Krgovich & Harris – Philadelphia
• Yu Su – Yellow River Blue
• Julian Taylor – The Ridge
• TEKE::TEKE – Shirushi
• TOBi – ELEMENTS Vol. 1
• Vagina Witchcraft – Vagina Witchcraft
• The Weather Station – Ignorance

Click here to see the Short List

Click here to see the winner

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GOOD LUCK! Local 2019 Indie Awards Nominees

We are keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that some of the local nominees for the The 19th Annual Independent Music Awards will win a couple of the trophies! The ceremony's part of Canadian Music Week festivities and will take place May 11, 2019 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto.

Hamilton has a number of artists in the game: Whitehorse (Album of the Year), Dundas rockers The Dirty Nil (Group of the Year), the Trews (Songwriter of the Year, Rock Artist or Group of the Year), Ellevator (Alternative Artist or Group of the Year) and Iskwē (Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year).



Links: Whitehorse, More Whitehorse Stories, Video above courtesy of Whitehorse



Links: Dirty Nil, More Dirty Nil Stories, Video above courtesy of The Dirty Nil



Links: The Trews, More Trews Stories, Video above courtesy of THE TREWS



Links: Ellevator, Video above courtesy of Arts Crafts



Links: Iskwé, More Iskwé Stories, Video above courtesy of iskwe

St. Catharines Country superstar Tim Hicks is also in the running for Video of the Year.



Links: Tim Hicks, More Tim Hicks Stories, Lindsay Ell, More Lindsay Ell Stories, Video above courtesy of Tim Hicks

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Here's a complete list of nominees.

Album

• Whitehorse - A Whitehorse Winter Classic
• Aaron Pritchett - Out On The Town
• Alexandra Stréliski – INSCAPE
• Suuns - Felt - Secret City Records
• U.S. Girls - In A Poem Unlimited

Group

• The Dirty Nil
• Suuns
• The Dead South
• Tokyo Police Club
• U.S. Girls

Songwriter

• The Trews
• Dizzy
• Donovan Woods
• La Force
• Sarah MacDougall

Rock Artist or Group

• The Trews
• Crown Lands
• The Barr Brothers
• The Elwins
• The Glorious Sons

Alternative Artist or Group

• Ellevator
• Born Ruffians
• Nap Eyes
• MONOWHALES
• La Force

Indigenous Artist or Group

• Iskwē 
• Elisapie
• Jeremy Dutcher
• Midnight Shine
• Nêhiyawak

Singer-Songwriter Artist or Group

• Great Lake Swimmers (Wainfleet)
• Dan Mangan
• Megan Bonnell
• Joshua Hyslop
• Sarah MacDougall

Video

• Tim Hicks - The Worst Kind (feat. Lindsay Ell)
• Chromeo - Must've Been (feat. DRAM)
• DVBBS - IDWK (feat. Blackbear)
• Loud Luxury - Body (feat. Brando)
• Suuns - Watch You, Watch Me

Single

• DVBBS – IDWK
• Loud Luxury - Love No More
• Lucky Rose - Lost ft. Jordan Hart
• MONOWHALES - Take it Back
• Patrick Watson - Mélody Noir

Artist

• Born Ruffians
• Jeremy Dutcher
• Lindi Ortega
• Neko Case
• Tanya Tagaq

Electronic/Dance Artist or Group

• Caracol
• DVBBS
• Keys N Krates
• Milk and Bone
• REZZ

Francophone Artist or Group

• Choses Sauvages
• Jean-Michel Blais
• Jesuslesfilles
• Pierre Lapointe
• Safia Nolin

Pop Artist or Group

• Chromeo
• Emilie Kahn
• Ralph
• Said The Whale
• Soran

Rap/RnB Artist or Group

• Cadence Weapon
• Evil Ebenezer x JYAY
• Killy
• Shad
• Zaki Ibrahim

Links: Indie Awards, More Indie Awards Stories

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News Roundup, Part 2: The Awards (Prism Prize, International Folk Music Awards)

Prism Prize Top 20

• Arkells: People's Champ
  
  
  
  Links: Arkells, More Arkells Stories, Video above courtesy of Arkells Music
  
  
• Bahamas: No Depression
• Belle Game: Low
• Blue Hawaii: Do You Need Me
• Cadence Weapon: High Rise
• Chad Vangaalen: Host Body
• Charlotte Cardin: The Kids
• Clairmont The Second: Gheeze
• Classified: Powerless
• Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.: Best Part, A Visual
• Deadmau5: Monophobia (Feat. Rob Swire)
• Drake: Nice For What
• Jean-Michel Blais: Dans Ma Main
• Harrison ft. Ralph: Your Girl
• Jessie Reyez: Body Count
• Rich Aucoin: The Middle
• Said The Whale: Unamerican
• So Loki: Athletes World
• SonReal: Have A Nice Day
• The Weather Station: Impossible

Links: Prism Prize, More Prism Prize Stories

International Folk Music Award Winners

Canadian winners bolded

• Album: Mary Gauthier - Rifles and Rosary Beads
• Song: Joan Baez - The President Sang Amazing Grace (written by Zoe Mulford)
  
  
  
  Links: Joan Baez, More Joan Baez Stories, Video above courtesy of The Atlantic
  
  
• Artist: I’m With Her
• Spirit of Folk Awards: Alfredo Caxaj, Ellen Hamilton, Gilles Garand, Matt Smith, Michael Wrycraft, ShoShona Kish, Sonny Ochs and Sofia Rei
• The People’s Voice Award: Buffy Sainte-Marie
• The Clearwater Award: Hillside Festival (Guelph)
• Folk DJ Hall of Fame Inductees: Bob Harris, Matt Watroba, Wanda Fischer
• Lifetime Achievement Awards: Leonard Cohen (Legacy), Joni Mitchell (Living)

Links: International Folk Music Awards, More IFMA Stories

MORE NEWS ROUNDUPS

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