Western Canadian Music Awards 2010 Nominees

The Western Canadian Music Awards were developed out of the All Indie Weekend Festival, which eventually evolved into Prairie Music Week. In 2003, the Western Canadian Music Awards was hosted in its current form for the first time, and was hosted in various venues and cities each year following. Now the awards are seen as a prestigious accomplishment, and just recently, the nominees for the 2010 Western Canadian Music Awards were released. With so many worthy contenders on the lists, it is going to be a very interesting awards ceremony.

The 2010 Western Canadian Music Awards will be held on 24 October 2010, and it will be the first show to be broadcast. It will be hosted in Kelowna, and the Hall of Fame award for this year will be handed over to Chilliwack. The categories and nominees for this year’s event, are as follows:

Pop Recording of the Year
Laurell – Can’t Stop Falling – B.C.
Maurice – Young People With Faces – B.C.
Quinzy – Self-Defense – MB
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald – The MBF Love LP – AB
The Latency – The Latency – B.C.

Rock Recording of the Year
Bif Naked – The Promise – B.C.
The Dudes – Blood Guts Bruises Cuts – AB
Said the Whale – Islands Disappear – B.C.
Yukon Blonde – Yukon Blonde – B.C.
The Weakerthans – Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre – MB
You Say Party – XXXX – B.C.

Rap/Hip Hop Recording of the Year
Cityreal – The Beginning – B.C.
Def 3 and Factor – Drumbo – SK
Grand Analog – Metropolis Is Burning – MB
MAGNUM K.I. – MAGNUM K.I. – MB
The Lytics – The Lytics – MB

Live Music Venue of the Year
Biltmore Cabaret – B.C.
The Habitat – B.C.
Starlite Room – AB
The Commodore Ballroom – B.C.
West End Cultural Centre – MB

Roots Solo Recording of the Year
Del Barber – Where the City Ends – MB
Gordie Tentrees – Mercy or Sin – YT
Corb Lund – Losin’ Lately Gambler – AB
Dan Mangan – Nice, Nice, Very Nice – B.C.
John Wort Hannam – Queen’s Hotel – AB

Roots Duo/Group Recording of the Year
Annie Lou – Annie Lou – YT
Dustin Bentall – Six Shooter – B.C.
The Sojourners – The Sojourners – B.C.
Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle – Let’s Just Stay Here – B.C.
The Wailin’ Jennys – Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House – MB

Songwriter of the Year
Dan Mangan – B.C.
Doc Walker (Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw, and Murray Pulver) – MB
Colin James – B.C.
Corb Lund – AB
Dustin Bentall – B.C.
The Weakerthans (John K Samson and The Weakerthans) – MB

Blues Recording of the Year
David Gogo – Different Views – B.C.
Colin James – Rooftops and Satellites – B.C.
Rich Hope & His Evil Doers – Rich Hope Is Gonna Whip It On Ya – B.C.
Jim Byrnes – My Walking Stick – B.C.
The Jimmy Zee Band – Devil Take Me Down – B.C.

Aboriginal Recording of the Year
Eagle & Hawk – The Great Unknown – MB
Lost Priority – All That We Are – MB
Shane Yellowbird – It’s About Time – AB
Leela Gilday – Calling All Warriors – YT
Wayne Lavallee – Trail of Tears – B.C.

Classical Composition of the Year
Malcolm Forsyth – Steps – AB
Sid Robinovitch – Adieu Babylon – MB
Elizabeth Raum – Prayer and Dance of Praise – AB
Jocelyn Morlock – Exaudi – B.C.
Stephen Chatman – Earth Songs – B.C.

Classical Recording of the Year
Mark Takeshi McGregor – Different Stones: Canadian Music for Multiple Flutes – B.C.
Musica Intima – Into Light – B.C.
Fringe Percussion – Fringe Percussion – B.C.
Jeremy S. Brown – Rubbing Stone – AB
University of British Columbia Singers – A Chatman Christmas – B.C.

Children’s Recording of the Year
Gogo Bonkers – Love the Land – B.C.
Norman Foote – Love My New Shirt – B.C.
Duplex! – Worser – B.C.
Peter Puffin’s Whale Tales – Proud Like A Mountain – AB
The Kerplunks – Walk On – B.C.

Country Recording of the Year
Doc Walker – Go – MB
Shane Yellowbird – It’s About Time – AB
Six West – Beautiful Something – B.C.
Shane Chisholm – Hitchhiking Buddha – AB
Whiskey Jane – Things Left Unsaid – B.C.

Contemporary Christian/Gospel Recording of the Year
Amanda Falk – In Between the Now & Then – MB
Jon Buller – Light Up the Sky – B.C.
Carolyn Arends – Love Was Here First – B.C.
FRESH IE – Inside – MB
Sandon – Sonic Synthesis – SK

Independent Album of the Year
Colin James – Rooftops and Satellites – B.C.
Dojo Workhorse – Weapons Grade Romantic – AB
Corb Lund – Losin’ Lately Gambler – AB
Dan Mangan – Nice, Nice, Very Nice – B.C.
Library Voices – Denim On Denim – SK

Instrumental Recording of the Year
Birds of Paradox – Birds of Paradox – B.C.
Hot Club Edmonton – Hot Club Edmonton – AB
Inhabitants – A Vacant Lot – B.C.
Ed Henderson – Intimate – B.C.
The Rakish Angles – The Rakish Angles – B.C.

Francophone Recording of the Year
Madame Diva – Madame Diva – MB
Shawn Jobin – Le premier pas (The First Step) – SK
Geneviève Toupin – Geneviève Toupin – MB
LuLu et le Matou – Le dragon Gaston – MB
Ariane Mahrÿke Lemire – Décousue – AB
Will Stroet – Dans mon jardin – B.C.

Jazz Recording of the Year
Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet – Melodia – AB
Sandro Dominelli – The Alvo Sessions – AB
John Hyde – John Hyde Quartet – AB
Karl Schwonik Quartet – Visions from the Farm – AB
Will Bonness – Subtle Fire – MB

World Recording of the Year
Alpha YaYa Diallo – Immé – B.C.
George Koufogiannakis – Generations – Greek Oud Jazz – AB
Bomba – Cuatro Caminos – AB
Casimiro Nhussi – Makonde – MB
Ivan Tucakov and Tambura Rasa – Tambura Rasa Beats – B.C.

Urban Recording of the Year
Ian Alleyne – Dying To Be Free – AB
Politic Live/Mahogany Public – JALI Volume 1 – AB
Maiko Watson – Sweet Vibration – MB
Sonal – Lovely Day – AB
The Soulicitors – What you need – AB

Independent Record Label of the Year
Mint Records – B.C.
On Ramp Records – SK
Arbor Records – MB
Black Hen Music – B.C.
Stony Plain Records – AB

Agency of the Year
Magnum Opus Management – YT
PM GIGS Inc – AB
Paquin Entertainment – MB
SL Feldman & Associates – B.C.

Manager of the Year
Bruce Allen – B.C.
Louis O’Reilly – SK
Stephen Carroll – MB
Gilles Paquin – MB
Vince R. Ditrich – B.C.

Producer of the Year
Ben Kaplan – B.C.
Ryan Dahle – B.C.
Dale Penner – MB
Gordie Johnson – AB
Vince R. Ditrich – B.C.

Best Album Design of the Year
Brooke Nelson – Where the City Ends (Del Barber)
Michelle Zieske – Washed Out Roads (Patrick Keenan)
Ron Sawchuk – Live At The Mauch Chunk Opera House (The Wailin’ Jennys)
Craig Medwyduk (Guppy Design ) – In The Lonesome Hours (Oh My Darling)
Michael Carroll and Greg Smith – Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre (The Weakerthans)
Skylar Challand – Denim on Denim (Library Voices)

Engineer of the Year
Dean Maher – B.C.
Ryan Dahle – B.C.
Mike Petkau – MB
Paul Silveira – B.C.
Steve Dawson and Sheldon Zaharko – B.C.

Multi Media
“More Than A Man” video by Scatterheart (Scatterheart)
‘This Is It” video by Greg Gillespie (The Wheat Pool)
“AO” video by Greendale Productions (TV HEART ATTACK)
“Live At The West End” video by Low Budget Productions
‘Tungijuq” video– Tanya Tagaq and Zacharias Kunuk (Tanya Tagaq)

Talent Buyer of the Year
Chris Frayer – MB
Erik Hoffman – B.C.
Alex Grigg and Robyn Stewart – B.C.
Brent Oliver – AB
Harvey Cohen – AB