Photo by Courtesy of/courtoise des Prix Gémaux. SOCAN’s Karine Melchior/de la SOCAN (far right/droite) with/avec (L to R/G à D) lauréats de Prix Gémeaux/ Award winners Martin Roy, Luc St-Pierre, Luc Sicard. (Absent: Daniel Bélanger)

Four SOCAN #ComposersWhoScore win Gémeaux Awards

Story by Eric Parazelli | Monday September 17th, 2018

The Technical and Documentary Gala of the 33rd edition of the Gémeaux Awards was held Sept. 13, 2018. Among the 14 SOCAN members nominated in the music categories of this celebration of the Québec television industry, Martin Roy, Luc Sicard, Luc St-Pierre and Daniel Bélanger each walked away with a Gémeaux for their exceptional screen composition work. Here are the winners in the music categories:

Best Original Score: Fiction
MARTIN ROY & LUC SICARD
Marche à l’ombre — Season 3, Episode 121 — “Héroïne »

Best Original Score: Documentary
LUC SAINT-PIERRE
Espions parmi nous — Épisode 4 — “Konon Molody »
Publisher: Éditions Amalga Music

Best Musical Theme: All Categories
DANIEL BÉLANGER
Info, sexe et mensonges — Épisode 34
Publisher: Éditions Achille Cassel

SOCAN congratulates all of its nominated and winning members. For more information on the various categories and the nomination process, visit the Gémeaux website.

Photo by Courtesy of/courtoisie de Polaris Music Prize.

Jeremy Dutcher wins 2018 edition of $50,000 Polaris Prize

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday September 18th, 2018

SOCAN member Jeremy Dutcher won the 2018 edition of the $50,000 Polaris Prize for the best album in Canada, on Sept. 17, 2018, at The Carlu in downtown Toronto.

The music on Dutcher’s album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa is sung in the Indigenous Wolastoq language, with his own operatically-trained voice accompanying those found on 100-year-old archival recordings of his Native ancestors. Dutcher, raised partly in the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, spent five years researching the recordings and sang in Wolastoq in an effort to preserve the endangered language.

Graciously accepting the award onstage from last year’s winner Lido Pimienta, Dutcher said, “Canada, you are in the midst of an Indigenous renaissance. Are you ready to hear the truth that needs to be told? Are you ready to hear the sound that needs to be heard?… What you see on the stage tonight is the future… This is the greatest night of my life!” He also deeply thanked his elder Maggie Paul, for mentoring him toward the archival recordings, and welcomed all to join him on his journey forward.

The 2018 gala featured captivating live performances from eight of the 10 short-list nominees, each of whom received a $3,000 prize: Dutcher, Jean-Michel Blais (who earned a standing ovation), Hubert Lenoir (whose live-wire antics electrified the crowd), Pierre Kwenders, Partner (who won the SOCAN Songwriting Prize earlier this year), Snotty Nose Rez Kids, U.S. Girls, and Weaves. Nominee Daniel Ceasar attended the event, but was represented by a live-taped video performance. Nominee Alvvays, unable to attend the Polaris Gala due to touring commitments, were represented by Deep Vvaters, a band from Toronto’s Girls’ Rock Camp (who also earned a standing ovation).

Earlier in the evening, at the pre-show reception, SOCAN sponsored each attendee’s first glass of beer or wine, as well as all of their light food, including fish tacos, grilled cheese sandwiches, meatballs with mashed potatoes, and cold noodles with vegetables.

SOCAN congratulates Jeremy Dutcher, and all of the nominees, on these great career achievements!

Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard

ADISQ Award nominations unveiled

Story by Eric Parazelli | Friday September 14th, 2018

On Sept. 12, ADISQ unveiled the nominations for the 40th edition of its awards gala, which will be hosted by comedian Louis-Josée Houde for the 13th consecutive year. The ceremony will be held in Montréal on October 28, and be televised live by ICI Radio-Canada from Place des Arts’ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.

The numerous SOCAN members having received multiple nominations include Philippe Brach and Loud, with six nominations each, closely followed by Pierre Lapointe, Hubert Lenoir, Isabelle Boulay and Marc Dupré, who received a total of five nominations apiece. The most nominated female artists are Isabelle Boulay, Lydia Képinski and Fanny Bloom, the only woman songwriter being nominated in this year’s Songwriter or Composer of the Year category.

In total, more than 109 artists and 76 professional music industry craftspeople have been nominated. They’ll be competing for a prize in one of ADISQ’s three 2018 awards ceremonies – the Gala de l’industrie, held on Oct. 24 at Club Soda; the Premier Gala de l’ADISQ, held on Oct. 24; and the final televised ceremony, the Gala de l’ADISQ, held on Oct. 28 at Place des Arts.

Once again this year, SOCAN’s songwriter and composer members will have an opportunity to shine in a number of award categories, including Songwriter or Composer of the Year:

SONGWRITER OR COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

  • Fanny Bloom and Tōkinoise, for “Liqueur” – Fanny Bloom
  • Philippe Brach and Gabriel Desjardins, for “Le silence des troupeaux” – Philippe Brach
  • Pierre Lapointe, Félix Dyotte, David-François Moreau and Daniel Bélanger, for “La science du cœur“ – Pierre Lapointe
  • Loud, Ruffsound, Realmind and Neo Maestro, for “Une année record” – Loud
  • Benoit Pinette, for “Désherbage“ – Tire le coyote

The public will also be invited to vote for their favourite piece of music among the 10 songs that have been nominated in the Song of the Year category:

SONG OF THE YEAR
“Comme avant“ – 2Frères
Songwriter: Steve Marin
Éditions du Baume / Les Éditions Marcha

“J’en ai plein mon cass” – Émile Bilodeau
Songwriter: Émile Bilodeau
Les Éditions Dare to Care

“Faufile” – Charlotte Cardin
Songwriter: Charlotte Cardin
Corico Arts Inc

“Une raison d’exister” – Marc Dupré
Songwriters: Nelson Minville / MarcDupré / GautierMarinof
Éditions Chansons du Suisse / Les Éditions Dama

“Fille de personne” – Hubert Lenoir
Songwriter: Hubert Chiasson

“Pour que tu m’aimes encore ” – Les sœurs Boulay
Songwriter: Jean-Jacques Goldman (SACEM)
Sony Music Publishing Canada / Zapiti Music

“Toutes les femmes savent danser” – Loud
Songwriters: S. Cliche Trudeau / P.-L. Rioux, A. Guay, M. Vincent / J.M.M. Lebron
Joy Ride Records

“Fou” – Andréanne A. Malette
Songwriters: Andréanne A. Malette / Manuel Gasse
Productions Nia / David Murphy et cie.

“La saison des pluies” – Patrice Michaud
Songwriters: Patrice Michaud / Mark Hébert

“À hauteur d’homme“ – Vincent Vallières
Songwriters: Vincent Vallières / François Plante
Les Éditions Trente Arpents

SOCAN congratulates all of its nominated members, and wishes them good luck!

For a complete list of ADISQ’s 2018 nominations, please visit palmaresadisq.ca