Dan Mangan, NMC Top WCMA Trophy List

By FYI Staff

On Saturday, the Western Canadian Music Alliance (WCMA) announced the recipients of the 2019 Western Canadian Music Industry Awards at the Industry Awards Brunch, hosted at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse as part of BreakOut West 2019.

BC rock singer/songwriter Dan Mangan and Calgary's National Music Centre (NMC) were the big winners at the event. Mangan was awarded Recording of the Year, accompanied by a $2,000 honorarium, courtesy of Stingray’s Stingray Rising Stars program, as well as the Impact in Live Music Award, in addition to two trophies collected at the Artistic Awards ceremony held Thursday. The NMC earned three.

Honourees included local Yukon legend and musician Hank Karr, presented with the 2019 Heritage Award, and the Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award recipient, Duncan Sinclair – head of Jazz Yukon and long-time supporter and pillar of the music communities in the Yukon. Attendees were treated to performances by Sebastian Gaskin, Amelie Patterson, and Del Barber.

The 2019 WCMAs featured nominee representation from all four western Canadian provinces and three northern territories and a strong showing of female/female-identifying winners in the artistic categories.

BreakOut West 2019 featured over 84 Canadian speakers, presenters and mentors, 41 international delegates – coming from Australia, Mexico, Germany and the US, thanks to funding support from FACTOR, the Government of Canada, the Canadian Private Radio Broadcasters, and Musication.

The event featured 35 conference sessions, 600+ one-on-one meetings, countless business opportunities, and over 65 showcasing musical acts. A notable number of Francophone performers showcased and found themselves warmly welcomed by the strong local Francophone presence in Whitehorse.

Music Yukon piloted an Artist Preparedness Program, where showcasing performers were given the training to prepare for their upcoming appearances at BreakOut West 2019. Select performers were welcomed to BOW through a mentorship program organized by Association franco-yukonnaise, and were given a crash-course in the music industry, under the guidance of award-winning musician, Jocelyne Baribeau.

BreakOut West 2019 was supported by the Government of Yukon – who invested in the week’s events and have supported training and community initiatives to anchor the experience well beyond BreakOut West – Air North, Stingray, Yukon Brewing, and the host committee – Association franco-yukonnaise, Claire Ness, Jazz Yukon, MacBride Museum, OutCrop, Yukon Arts Centre, Yukon First Nation Culture and Tourism, and Music Yukon – as well as partnership from local and national sponsors.

“We are excited to once again host BreakOut West in Whitehorse and it was fantastic to see performances in Yukon communities leading up to the festival this year,” says Ranj Pillai, Minister of Economic Development, Government of Yukon. “This is a major celebration of western Canadian music and a tremendous opportunity to showcase the diversity of musical talent here in the North. The Yukon government appreciates the contributions of the creative and cultural sectors to the diversification of the economy. We are proud to support BreakOut West and help those involved in the music industry advance their careers.”

“The Whitehorse Host Committee and Music Yukon would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the team at WCMA and Yukon Media Development for the work they did to support BreakOut West 2019 in Whitehorse," says Elyssia Sasaki, Special Project Coordinator for Music Yukon, and Whitehorse Host Committee Member. “Events like this breathe the most incredible life into our city. It's been a pleasure to host both new friends and old and showcase the incredible Yukon artists that contribute to the western Canadian music scene. Congratulations to all of the artists showcasing, and to the award nominees and winners!”

Winnipeg has been named host city for Breakout West 2020.

Here is a full list of WCMA winners.

2019 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARDS INDUSTRY WINNERS

Audio Engineering Award

Ben Kaplan, Fader Mountain Sound – BC

Community Excellence Award (Sponsored by Air North)

National Music Centre – AB

Excellence in Visual Design

Jadyn Klassen – MB

Impact in Artistic Development

National Music Centre – AB

Impact in Live Music (Sponsored by Canadian Live Music Association)

Dan Mangan – Side Door – BC

Impact in Music Marketing

National Music Centre – AB

Producer of the Year

Rayannah & Mario Lepage – MB / SK

Recording of the Year (Sponsored by Stingray)

Dan Mangan – BC

Video Director of the Year

Johnny Jansen - Said The Whale, UnAmerican – BC

2019 Kevin Walters Industry Builder Award – Duncan Sinclair

2019 Heritage Award – Hank Karr

2019 Western Canadian Music Hall Of Fame inductee – Susan Aglukark

2019 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC ARTISTIC AWARD WINNERS:

Blues Artist of the Year

Ndidi O – BC

BreakOut Artist

Snotty Nose Rez Kids – BC

Children’s Artist

Raffi – BC

Classical Artist / Ensemble (Sponsored by Canadian Music Centre)

Manitoba Chamber Orchestra – MB

Classical Composer

Carmen Braden – NT

Country Artist

Brett Kissel – AB

Electronic / Dance Artist

I M U R – BC

Francophone Artist (Sponsored by Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique)

Rayannah – MB

Indigenous Artist (Sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network)

Northern Haze – NV

Instrumental Artist

Five Alarm Funk – BC 

Jazz Artist

Jodi Proznick – BC

Metal / Hard Music Artist

Striker – AB

Pop Artist

Begonia – MB

Rap / Hip Hop Artist  (Sponsored by Northern Touch Music Festival)

Vials – BC

Rock Artist

Dan Mangan – BC

Roots Duo / Group

Rosie & the Riveters – SK

Roots Solo Artist

Mariel Buckley – AB

Songwriter(s) (Sponsored by SOCAN)

Dan Mangan, Cold In The Summer – BC

Spiritual Artist

Warren Dean Flandez – BC

Urban Artist

LOA – SK

Visual Media Composer

Jeffery Straker, The Storm Orchestral – SK

World Artist

Buckman Coe – BC