Photo by Brad Ardley (of/de Brett Kissel, left/gauche), Jeff Knights (of/de Jess Moskaluke, right/droite)

Nominees announced for 2018 Canadian Country Music Association Awards

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday July 12th, 2018

The Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) has announced its full list of nominees for the 2018 CCMA Awards, and leading the race with six nominations each are three-time Female Artist of the Year winner Jess Moskaluke, and reigning Male Artist of the Year Brett Kissel.

Reigning SiriusXM Rising Star and Female Artist of the Year Meghan Patrick has earned five 2018 CCMA Award nominations. Taking home three awards in 2017, Dallas Smith has earned four 2018 CCMA Award nominations. Smith has also been announced as a performer for the 2018 CCMA Awards show.

Nominees for Songwriter(s) of the Year are:

  • Dean Brody and Matt Rovey, for the song “8th Day,” performed by Brody;
  • Dan Isbell, Meghan Patrick, and Jeremy Stover, for “Country Music Made Me Do It,” performed by Patrick;
  • Zach Abend, Corey Crowder, and Jess Moskaluke, for “Drive Me Away,” written by performed by Moskaluke;
  • James Barker, Gavin Slate, and Travis Wood, for “It’s Working,” performed by The James Barker Band; and
  • Alexander Black, Aaron Goodvin, and Cathy Gravitt, for “Lonely Drum,” perfomed by Goodvin.

The 2018 CCMA Award Show will be hosted by Shania Twain, and broadcast live from Hamilton on CBC and www.cbcmusic.ca/ccmas on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018,  at 8:00 p.m. EST. For more informatoion, and a complete list of nominees, visit the CCMA website.

Photo by courtesy of/courtoisie de U.S. Girls.

SOCAN members rule 2018 Polaris Music Prize Short List

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday July 17th, 2018

SOCAN congratulates all of its members who’ve been short-listed for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. All of the solo artists on the short list, announced July 17, 2018, are SOCAN members, and all of the listed bands include at least one singer-songwriter who’s a SOCAN member. Also, Partner’s “Play the Field” has already won the 2018 SOCAN Songwriting Prize.

The short list, by artist and album, is (in alphabetical order):

  • Alvvays – Antisocialites
  • Jean-Michel Blais – Dans ma main
  • Daniel Caesar – Freudian
  • Jeremy Dutcher – Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
  • Pierre Kwenders – MAKANDA at the End of Space, the Beginning of Time
  • Hubert Lenoir – Darlène
  • Partner – In Search Of Lost Time
  • Snotty Nose Rez Kids – The Average Savage
  • U.S. Girls – In A Poem Unlimited
  • Weaves – Wide Open

For more information, visit the Polaris Music Prize website.

Photo by Dane Collison

Apply now for Good Vibes song camp in Toronto with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds

Story by Howard Druckman | Tuesday July 10th, 2018

Undiscovered and unpublished songwriters and producers are invited to apply for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be mentored by prolific hit-maker and multi-platinum recording artist Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, and other elite guest mentors, at the Good Vibes Discovery Song Camp in Toronto from Sept. 24-28, 2018.

The deadline for applications is Sept. 2, 2018, at 11:59 PDT. Good Vibes has already hosted Discovery Song Camp (DSC) events in LA and Nashville, and will do so in Atlanta and London later in the fall. Unlike many song camps, which tend to focus on the finished product, DSC is about Babyface giving back to the songwriter and producer community, and inspiring the next generation with insight on what it takes to create quality music.

Babyface is an 11-time Grammy Award winner who’s nurtured the careers of such artists as TLC, OutKast, Usher, and Toni Braxton. He’s produced, and written or co-written hits for, Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Ty Dolla $ign, and Ariana Grande, among others.

Jason Murray, who co-founded Good Vibes with Babyface, is also the co-founder and President of Black Box Music, an independent record label, management company, and publishing operation whose roster includes multi-platinum sellers, JUNO Award winners and Polaris Music Prize Short List nominees, such as The Glorious Sons, SonReal, and Classified.

Interested songwriters and producers can apply here. When answering the application question, “How did you hear about the Discovery Song Camp?” please select “SOCAN.” To see a few video clips of Babyface discussing the DSC, visit the Good Vibes Instagram.