Photo by courtesy of/courtoisie de www.suefoley.com.

Vote now for 2018 Maple Blues Awards!

Story by Howard Druckman | Friday November 2nd, 2018

Voting is now open for the 22nd annual Maple Blues Awards, recognizing Canada’s best in blues music, which takes place Feb. 4, 2019, at Koerner Hall in Toronto.

Sue Foley and Colin James are at the top of the list with six nominations apiece, while Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar tally four nominations, as do perennial Maple Blues winners MonkeyJunk, and Dawn Tyler Watson earns two.

Among the nominations for Foley, Martin, and James are those for the SOCAN-sponsored Songwriter of the Year Award – in Martin’s case, for co-writing with Curtis Chaffey. The other nominees in the category are David Vest, and Ken Kawashima (with co-writer Sugar Brown).

For a complete list of nominees, click here. Visit the Maple Blues Awards website for further details, or register to cast your vote before Dec. 1, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. PST.
The Awards will be hosted by bluesman/actor Raoul Bhaneja. Tickets are available online at www.rcmusic.com, at the Koerner Hall box office, or by phone at (416) 408-0208.

Photo by Brad Ardley

How does Dan Mangan write his songs?

Story by Howard Druckman | Friday November 2nd, 2018

In a SOCAN video interview, two-time JUNO Award winner Dan Mangan discusses how becoming a father has affected his songwriting, how he wrote “Just Fear,” and the roles of vulnerability and authenticity in creating a connection with listeners.

Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard

ADISQ Awards 2018: Lapointe & Moreau, a winning combination

Story by Eric Parazelli | Thursday November 1st, 2018

The 40th edition of the ADISQ Awards had Montréal’s Place des Arts buzzing on Oct. 28, 2018. Pierre Lapointe has already won many Félix Awards, and this year was no exception, as he walked away from the ADISQ gala with the Adult Contemporary Album of the Year for La science du cœur. The album was co- created in close collaboration with composer and arranger David François Moreau, from France – so it only made sense that both would accept the prize together. We met the pair backstage, in the media room, to discuss their craftsmanship with words and music, and the similarities between the album’s reception in both Québec and France.