2025 Juno Winners, Including Local Artists

The 2025 Juno Awards were handed out on March 29 & 30 in Vancouver.

Here's a video of the televised ceremony.

Links: Juno Awards, More Juno Stories, Video above courtesy of CBC Music

Below is the Gala from Saturday

Video above courtesy of CBC Music

Below is the complete list of winners. Local artists are bolded.

• ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Verbathim - Nemahsis (Milton)
  Click here for the acceptance speech
  
  
  
  Links: Nemahsis, More Nemahsis Stories, Video above courtesy of nemahsis
  
  
• BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR: This Old Life - Big Dave McLean (ft Jesse O'Brien on keys)
  
  
  
  Links: Big Dave McLean, More Big Dave McLean Stories, Jesse O'Brien, More Jesse O'Brien Stories, Video above courtesy of Big Dave McLean - Topic
  
  
• BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR: Nemahsis (Milton)
  Click here for acceptance speech
  
  
• HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Sarah Harmer (Burlington)
  
  
  
  Links: Sarah Harmer, More Sarah Harmer Stories, Video above courtesy of CBC Music
  
  
• COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Complicated - Josh Ross (Waterdown/Burlington)
  Click here for acceptance speech
  
  
  
  Links: Josh Ross, More Josh Ross Stories, Video above courtesy of JOSS ROSS
  
  
• ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Inuktitut - Elisapie  
• ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR : Lovers’ Gothic - Maïa Davies 
• ALBUM ARTWORK OF THE YEAR: Keenan Gregory (Art Director): Altruistic – Royal Tusk 
• ALBUM OF THE YEAR: THINK LATER - Tate McRae 
• ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Tate McRae
• CANADIAN MUSIC HALL OF FAME: Sum 41
• CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Penny Penguin - Raffi & Good Lovelies 
• CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SOLO ARTIST): Freezing - Emily D’Angelo
• CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SMALL ENSEMBLE) : Rituæls - collectif9 
• CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (LARGE ENSEMBLE): Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie - Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Gimeno featuring Marc-André Hamelin and Nathalie Forget 
• CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR: Angmalukisaa - Deantha Edmunds 
• COMEDY ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Honourable Intentions - Debra DiGiovanni 
• CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Restore - Ryan Ofei 
• CONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR: Brown Man - Sebastian Gaskin 
• CONTEMPORARY R&B RECORDING OF THE YEAR: Bloom - Aqyila 
• CONTEMPORARY ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Strange Medicine - Kaia Kater 
• DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR: No Time - Interplanetary Criminal & SadBoi 
• ELECTRONIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR: This But More - Priori 
• FAN'S CHOICE: bbno$ 
• FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Abracadabra - Klô Pelgag 
• GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR : Dankoroba - Djely Tapa 
• GROUP OF THE YEAR: The Beaches
• INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Memory Palace - Intervals 
• INTERNATIOANL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Boi1da
• JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SOLO): Montreal Jazz Series 1 (Échanges Synaptiques) - André Leroux  
• JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR (GROUP): Gravity - Jeremy Ledbetter Trio 
• LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Anne Murray
• METAL/HARD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Beyond the Reach of the Sun - Anciients 
• MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Name of God - Mustafa 
• POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Think Later - Tate McRae 
• PRODUCER OF THE YEAR: Jack Rochon
• RAP ALBUM/EP OF THE YEAR/ALBUM: Red Future - Snotty Nose Rez Kids 
• RAP SINGLE OF THE YEAR: Shut Up - Jessie Reyez 
• RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR: Serban Ghenea
• REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR: Born to Be Free - Exco Levi 
• ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Set Your Pussy Free - NOBRO 
• SINGLE OF THE YEAR: exes - Tate McRae 
• SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: Mustafa
• SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (Non-Performer): Lowell
• SOUTH ASIAN MUSIC RECORDING OF THE YEAR: The Brownprint - AP Dhillon 
• TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Jeannie Hunter
• TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR: New Comings - Black Bear Singers 
• TRADITIONAL ROOTS ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Retro Man … More and More (Expanded Edition) - Jake Vaadeland 
• TRADITIONAL R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR: Velvet Soul- THEHONESTGUY 
• UNDERGROUND DANCE SINGLE OF THE YEAR: Bamboo - Ciel 
• VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR : Hello! How Are You? - Caity Gyorgy 

Local Artist Performances at Ceremonies

• Nemahsis: Stick of Gum
• Josh Ross: Leave Me Too

Links: Juno Awards, More Juno Stories

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Winners of the 2024 Ontario Folk Music Awards Including Guelph's Samir Baijal

The 2024 Ontario Folk Music Awards were handed out at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ontario on Sunday, October 6, 2024 following the Folk Music Ontario Conference. 

Below is a complete list of winners

• Lifetime Achievement Award: Samir Baijal (Hillside Festival)
• Album of the Year: Payadora Tango Ensemble featuring Lenka Lichtenberg and Aviva Chernick​ - "Silent Tears, The Last Yiddish Tango"
• Community Builder Award: Pat O’Gorman and Julie Schryer
• Performing Artist of the Year: The Angelique Francis Band
• Song of the Year:  “Annie’s Daughter” - The Pairs (written by Renée Coughlin, Noelle Frances Coughlin, Hillary Watson)
• Recording Artist of the Year: Good Lovelies
• Songwriting Award: Leah Holtom
• Taylor Mitchell Bursary: All of the Developing Artist Program participants at this year’s Folk Music Ontario conference

A number of area artist were showcased at the conference including:

• Will Gillespie
• Janice Jo Lee
• Spencer Mackenzie
• Minuscule
• Kristin Nicholls
• Sultans of String
  

Links: Will Gillespie, More Will Gillespie Stories, Video above courtesy of Will Gillespie

Links: Saltwater Hank, Video above courtesy of Richard Garvey

Links: Ontario Folk Music Awards, More OFMA Stories 

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GOOD LUCK! Local Artists Earn 2015 Canadian Folk Music Award Nominations

A number of talented local artists have earned 2015 Canadian Folk Music Award Nominations. Hopefully, some of them will be bringing home the hardware on November 6-8, 2015 in Edmonton, Alberta after the ceremony.

Hamilton's Whitehorse duo is up for the English Songwriter, Pushing the Boundaries and Ensemble categories. Two more area musicians were nominated for Pushing the Boundaries: Hamilton singer/songwriter Dana Sipos and Elora's Kevin Breit.



Links: Dana Sipos, More Dana Sipos Stories, Video above courtesy of Jacob Frese



Links: Kevin Breit, More Kevin Breit Stories, Video above courtesy of Richard Sugarman

Brantford's Benjamin Dakota Rogers and Oakville songstress  Mira Meikle earned nods for Young Performer of the Year as well.  The Lucky Sisters, a trio featuring Guelph's Tannis Slimmon, Cambridge's Allison Lupton, and Toronto's Rosemary Philan) is also up for Vocal Group of the Year. Lastly Dundas native Les Cooper was recognized for his producing work on the new Good Lovelies CD, Burn the Plan.



Links: Mira Meikle, Video above courtesy of StarWorld617

Here is the complete list:

Pushing the Boundaries

• Dana Sipos
• Whitehorse
• Kevin Breit
• The Shoeless
• The Jerry Cans

English Songwriter

• Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland (Whitehorse)
• Catherine Allan and Andrew James O'Brien (Fortunate Ones)
• Jenn Grant
• Amelia Curran
• Jon Brooks

Ensemble

• Whitehorse
• The Sweet Lowdown
• Big Little Lions
• The Once
• Jayme Stone

Vocal Group

• Lucky Sisters (ft Tannis Slimmon, Allison Lupton, Rosemary Philan)
• Pharis and Jason Romero
• Fortunate Ones
• The Young Novelists
• Good Lovelies

Young Performer

• Mira Meikle
• Benjamin Dakota Rogers
• Coastline
• Robbie Bankes
• Rebecca Lappa

Producer 

• Les Cooper - Burn The Plan (Good Lovelies)
• Pharis and Jason Romero, David Travers-Smith - A Wanderer I'll Stay (Pharis and Jason Romero)
• Jory Nash and Chris Stringer - The Many Hats of Jory Nash (Jory Nash)
• Daniel Ledwell - Compostela (Jenn Grant)
• Murray Pulver, Dave Zeglinski, Steve Bell - Pilgrimage (Steve Bell)

Traditional Album

• Pharis and Jason Romero: A Wanderer I'll Stay
• Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy: ONE
• Jayme Stone's Lomax Project
• Le Vent du Nord: Têtu
• Matthew Byrne: Hearts and Heroes

Contemporary Album

• Jenn Grant: Compostela
• The Once: Departures
• Jon Brooks: The Smiling And Beautiful Countryside
• Gabrielle Papillon: The Tempest of Old
• Catherine MacLellan: The Raven's Sun

Children’s Album

• The Swinging Belles: More Sheep, Less Sleep
• Stella Swanson: I'm Not a Bunny
• Hilary Grist: Tomorrow is a Chance to Start Over
• Henri Godon: La vie rêvée!
• Ginalina: Forest Friends' Nature Club Album

Traditional Singer

• Annie Lou
• Pharis and Jason Romero
• Ventanas
• Michael Jerome Browne
• Matthew Byrne

Contemporary Singer

• Jory Nash
• Amelia Curran
• Peter Katz
• Catherine MacLellan
• Sarah MacDougall

Instrumental Solo Artist

• Patti Kusturok 
• Jean-François Bélanger
• Adrianna Ciccone
• Wendy MacIsaac
• Nick Hornbuckle

Instrumental Group

• Lemon Bucket Orkestra
• Coastline
• Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy:
• Shane Cook and Jake Charron
• Monsoon

French Songwriter

• Benoit Pinette (Tire le Coyote) 
• Dany Placard
• Louis-Jean Cormier
• Geneviève Toupin (Willows)
• Jocelyne Baribeau

Aboriginal Songwriter

• Miranda Currie
• Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Laura Vinson and Free Spirit
• The Jerry Cans
• Raven Kanatakta and ShoShona Kish (Digging Roots)

Solo Artist

• Lizzy Hoyt
• Oh Susanna
• Amelia Curran
• Michael Jerome Browne
• Catherine MacLellan

World Solo Artist 

• Emmanuel Jal
• Kiran Ahluwalia
• Wagner Petrilli
• Jean-François Bélanger
• Elage

World Group

• Lemon Bucket Orkestra
• Ventanas
• Ayrad
• Alex Cuba
• Monsoon

New/Emerging Artist

• Fortunate Ones
• The Young Novelists
• The Harpoonist and The Axe Murderer
• The River And The Road
• Crooked Brothers

Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

Links: CFMA, More CFMA Stories

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Beautiful Harmonies on the New Ash and Bloom Album: Let the Storm Come

The first thing you'll notice while listening to Hamilton folk duo Ash and Bloom's first full-length album, Let the Storm Come, is how amazing their vocal harmonies are.  These two fabulous singer/songwriters work extremely well together.

You'll bask in the harmonies, the melodies, the musicianship and the superb songwriting.  They show a great sense of humour on a couple of tracks as well.  The album includes great co-writes with  Peter Katz, Caroline Brooks (Good Lovelies), Julie Crochetiere, Karen Kosowski, and Rob Szabo.

You can purchase a physical CD at their incredible live shows or though cdbaby. The album can also be downloaded through iTunes and cdbaby.







Videos above courtesy of Ash and Bloom

Blast From the Past: Ash and Bloom YouTube Videos

Links: Ash and Bloom,  More Ash and Bloom Stories, More Releases

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2013 Canadian Folk Music Award Winners

On November 10, 2013 in Calgary there was a wonderful celebration of the great roots music this country has to offer.  The Canadian Folk Music Awards were handed out to some very deserving musicians.

The big winners were the Good Lovelies and Jaron Freeman-Fox with two awards each. Congratulations to everyone!



Links: Good Lovelies, More Good Lovelies Stories, Video courtesy of the Good Lovelies



Links: Jaron Freeman-Fox, More Jaron Freeman-Fox Stories, Video courtesy of Humple Empire


Here is a complete list of winners.

• Vocal Group of the Year: Good Lovelies
• New/Emerging Artist: Mo Kenney
• Pushing The Boundaries: Jaron Freeman-­Fox & The Opposite of Everything
• English Songwriter: David Francey
• French Songwriter: Dany Placard  
• Aboriginal Songwriter: Nancy Mike  
• World Solo Artist: Jorge Miguel
• World Group: Jaffa Road  
• Traditional Album: Seinn (Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac)
• Traditional Singer: Pharis Romero
• Contemporary Album: Valleyheart (Justin Rutledge) 
• Contemporary Singer: Ian Sherwood 
• Instrumental Group: Jaron Freeman-­Fox & The Opposite of Everything
• Instrumental Solo Artist: Chrissy Crowley 
• Ensemble: Good Lovelies
• Solo Artist: Lynn Miles
• Young Performer: Kierah
• Children’s Album: Helen Austin (Always Be A Unicorn)
• Producer: David Travers-­Smith (Ruth Moody & Jaron Freeman-­Fox and The Opposite of Everything)
• Unsung Hero: Mitch Podolak
• Innovator: Daniel Lapp  

Click here for about the Folk Awards

Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

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Harrison Kennedy Nominated for Juno

Hamilton Blues legend Harrison Kennedy has received a nomination for the upcoming 2012 Juno Awards. His latest CD, Shame the Devil is up for the Blues album of the year.

Harrison is up against David Gogo, Bill Johnson, MonkeyJunk and Suzie Vinnick. We wish him luck!

For the Roots category, we have Bruce Cockburn, Craig Cardiff, Dave Gunning, David Francey, and Lindi Ortega vying for the Best Solo CD. The Good Lovelies, The Deep Dark Woods, The Once, The Wailin' Jennys, and Twilight Hotel are up for best Roots Group CD.

Other Hamilton-area nominees include the Arkells (Group, Rock CD), David Braid (Traditional Jazz), Diana Panton (Jazz Vocal), Junior Boys (Electronic).

The award ceremony will be broadcast live from Ottawa on April 1 on CTV.

Click here for the complete list of nominees

Click here for the Spectator article

Blasts from the Past: Our review of Shame the Devil, 2009 Juno Award Winners, Jack DeKeyzer Wins 2010 Juno, Daniel Lanois Wins 2011 Juno, All of our Juno Stories

Links: Harrison Kennedy, More Harrison Kennedy Stories

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Canadian Folk Music Awards Winners

The Canadian Folk Music Awards were handed out on Sunday, December 4, 2011. Below is a list of the winners. Congratulations everyone!

Traditional Album of the Year

• Genticorum - Nagez Rameurs

Contemporary Album of the Year

• Bruce Cockburn - Small Source of Comfort

Children’s Album of the Year

• Benoît Archambault - Les pourquoi

Traditional Singer of the Year

• Dave Gunning

Contemporary Singer of the Year

• Suzie Vinnick

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year

• Jayme Stone

Instrumental Group of the Year

• The Creaking Tree String Quartet

English Songwriter of the Year

• Lynn Miles

French Songwriter of the Year

• Alexandre Poulin

Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year

• Vince Fontaine

Vocal Group of the Year

• Good Lovelies

Ensemble of the Year

• Genticorum

Solo Artist of the Year

• Bruce Cockburn

World Solo Artist of the Year

• Kiran Ahluwalia

World Group of the Year

• Minor Empire

New/Emerging Artist of the Year

• Dave Gunning

Producer of the Year

• Mark Howard & David Travers-Smith (The Wailin' Jennys)

Pushing the Boundaries

• Geoff Berner

Young Performer of the Year

• Molly Thomason

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