Music News Digest: Nelly Furtado & Noah Kahan play Vancouver's Invictus Games, Ontario Folk Music Awards Turn 30
Also this week: Polaris Heritage Prize nominees, Nova Scotia Music Week, Grey Cup music lineup, Jake Vaadeland's road success and the jazz invasion of Toronto's Kensington Market.
Noah Kahan.
Awards news
Saskatchewan country/folk singer-songwriter Jake Vaadeland has just been named the youngest ever recipient of the Road Gold Certification from CIMA (the Canadian Independent Music Association). Established in 2015, CIMA's Road Gold Certification program recognizes the perseverance and dedication of Canadian touring artists who expand their fan bases through public performances. Artists need to demonstrate sales of 25,000 tickets or more during Canadian tours over any 12-month period. Fresh from a European tour, Vaadeland received the honour at Toronto's Dakota Tavern on Sept. 23.
Signed to a publishing deal with Toronto based Arts & Crafts Publishing, Vaadeland recently won the Emerging Artist Contest at Edmonton Folk Festival, and has already won four Saskatchewan Country Music Awards.
– The annual Folk Music Ontario Conference is described as the largest gathering of the professional folk music community in Canada. Now celebrating its 30th year, the Ontario Folk Music Awards will take place at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga on Sunday, October 6, the final event of the Conference. The impressive lineup of performers comprises Sultans of String, The Angelique Francis Band, Adrian Sutherland, Mimi O’Bonsawin, Payadora Tango Ensemble and Jessica Pearson and the East Wind.
Hosted by Janice Jo Lee, the event includes a special presentation of the Estelle Klein Award to recipients Pat O’Gorman and Julie Schryer, and Samir (Sam) Baijal. This Award honours the contributions of an individual or group to Ontario’s folk music community. Baijal, the Artistic Director of Hillside Festival for the past 26 years, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while O'Gorman and Schryer share the Community Builder Award, for their work as both musicians and with charitable org AlgomaTrad. Check out the full list of nominees here.
– Voting for the 2024 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize has opened. The companion award to the Polaris Music Prize, it is considered a hall of fame honouring meritorious Canadian albums that pre-date when Polaris began in 2006. Two of this year’s 12 nominated albums will receive Heritage Prize designation. One album will be chosen by public vote campaign and a second will be determined by a Heritage Prize jury made up of music media and music historians.
The 2024 Polaris Heritage Prize nominated albums are:
- Robert Charlebois & Louise Forestier, Lindberg
- Julie Doiron & the Wooden Stars, Julie Doiron & the Wooden Stars
- Sarah Harmer, You Were Here
- The Inbreds, Kombinator,
- Daniel Lanois, Acadie
- Jean Leloup, Le Dôme
- Jackie Mittoo, Macka Fat
- The Oscar Peterson Trio, Canadiana Suite
- Robbie Robertson, Robbie Robertson
- Slow, Against The Glass
- Tegan And Sara, So Jealous
- Robert Charlebois & Louise Forestier,Lindberg
- The Weakerthans, Reconstruction Site.
Go here to vote.
Festivals news
– The upcoming 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver has just announced the music component of its week-long festivities, Nov. 13-17, and some major names are featured in both free and ticketed concerts. The prestigious halftime show slot goes to American stars The Jonas Brothers this year, while major Canadian names participating include The Sam Roberts Band, The Trews, Bif Naked, Felix Cartal, Delhi 2 Dublin, Jordan Klassen, Garret T. Willie, Dear Rouge, Shawn Austin, Tebey, Chad Brownlee and Devon Cole. More info here.
– Music Nova Scotia recently announced the full lineup performing at Nova Scotia Music Week, from November 7-10 in Wolfville/Mtapan. Notable names featured include Jah'Mila, Kristen Martell, Sahara Jane, Alan Syliboy and the Thundermakers, Alana Yorke, Braden Lam, Devarrow, Jon Hines Trio, Norma MacDonald, P'tit Belliveau, Pat LePoidevin, Pretty Archie, Reeny, Rich Aucoin and T. Thomason. Tix on sale at nsmw.ca/tickets. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door ($15, cash only) until sold out.
– Now in its 9th year, the Kensington Market Jazz Festival (KMJF) returns to that historic district in downtown Toronto, Sept. 27-29. It features a large number of paid (cash only at the door) and free shows at multiple outdoor and indoor venues. The A-list lineup of local and regional artists comprises Juno winners and Grammy nominees, and includes Hilario Duran, Robi Botos, Lou Pomanti, Richard Underhill, Alex Pangman, Elizabeth Shepherd, Marc Jordan, Amanda Martinez, Joe Sealy, Barbra Lica, Billy Newton-Davis, Adi Braun and more. Check out the full schedule here.
– Following sold-out shows headlined by Tim Hicks & The Trews Acoustic Trio, the SandPines Campfire Concert series closes out on Oct. 5 in Port Rowan & LongPoint, ON, with a concert headlined by Steven Page, with Chris Murphy of Sloan in support. Tickets here.
Industry news
– CINARS, FolQuébec, Folk Music Canada, Global Toronto / Small World Music, International Indigenous Music Summit, Mundial Montréal and Sunfest are calling for applications from Canadian artists interested in participating in an unofficial Northern Turtle Island Collective showcase at the next Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), to be held January 10-14, 2025 in New York City. The event's mandate is to provide support for the performing arts sector. Artists must meet the criteria of the “Showcase production for export-ready artist” component of FACTOR's Collective Initiatives program or Musicaction's Événement à l'international program. Apply here by Sept. 29.
– The three headliners for the opening ceremony of the upcoming Invictus Games in Vancouver next February are Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado, Quebec alt-pop artist Roxane Bruneau and hit American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan. They’ll be part of the show that opens the multi-sport event in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., running Feb. 8-16. The Invictus Games sees wounded, injured, and sick military service members and Veterans compete in 11 disciplines.
– Submissions for next year’s Toronto Jazz Festival, scheduled for June 20-29, 2025, are now being accepted. Apply here by Dec. 15.
– Last week, we teased the arrival of positive news for Toronto music venue and roots/folk music hub Hugh's Room Live. It is now official that HRL has received a transformative, multi-year gift from the Green Sanderson Family Foundation. According to a statement, "this significant donation allowed us to repay a mortgage falling due last June. Future tranches in 2025 and 2026 will also be applied to reduce our debt, which in turn, will reduce our debt servicing costs, and ensure Hugh’s Room live at 296 Broadview Avenue has a permanent sustainable home." Donna Green is a community activist, a working musician, a real estate investor and a philanthropist, and this gift is recognised by the newly named Green Sanderson Hall at HRL. The venue is also celebrating the successful completion of its $1.3M community bond campaign.
Artists news
– The Gold Dust Women Songwriter Tour features three highly-regarded singer-songwriters; country-folk veteran Lori Yates, East Coast folk-Canadiana artist Kylie Fox, and soulful Ontario songstress Paige Warner. They're heading out on an Ontario trek that begins in Owen Sound on Sept. 25 and closes out in Norfolk, on Oct. 6. In between are shows in Woodstock, Waterloo, Ottawa, Oakville, Toronto, Stratford and Hamilton. Tickets and info here.
– Mosaic is a new jazz quartet comprising noted Canadian and German jazz players. An eponymous debut release is coming out on Oct. 4 on Cornerstone Records, and it comprises original compositions recorded live at two concerts in Germany in 2023. The album is co-produced by veteran Toronto drummer Terry Clarke and German vibraharpist Stefan Bauer, and Mosaic will launch it via shows at Toronto's Jazz Bistro (Oct. 4 and 5), The Hare Winery in Niagara, Oct. 7, Hirut in Toronto (Oct. 8) and The Jazz Room in Kitchener/Waterloo (Nov. 6). Here is a short taste of the new record.
– Last week, Hamilton’s Casbah Lounge hosted a potent tri-city triple bill of eloquent singer-songwriters. In from Brantford was Scott Bradshaw (aka Scott B.), Adam Faux and his band Luck Factory came in from Toronto, while Daryl Gould repped the hometown. Via (respectively) Scott B Sympathy and Pigfarm, Bradshaw and Faux were prominent members of Toronto’s fertile Queen Street West scene in the late '80s and '90s, and their sets here showed they remain formidable talents.
