With its rugged landscapes and laid-back vibe, B.C. is known to be a hub for music and folk art.
This year, sixteen B.C. nominees, including a Victoria-based producer and singer/songwriters, are up for awards at the 18th Canadian Folk Music Awards.
The event, running March 31 to April 2 in Vancouver, gives out awards in 19 categories, as selected by over 100 jurors from across Canada.
B.C. had the third-highest number of nominees (16) by province this year, trailing Quebec (17) and Ontario (42).
Victoria-based Joby Baker of Baker Studios Ltd. is nominated together with the high-quality folk string quartet The Fretless for Producer/s of the Year due to his work on The Fretless’ album Open House. Baker has produced a number of Juno and Grammy winning tracks. Songs from the album will be played at The Fretless show at Hermann’s Upstairs on April 19.
Single of the Year is a considerable nomination, and the music video for one nominated single is set at a familiar location: Irish Times Pub in downtown Victoria. The Irish Rovers filmed the video at the bar for their boisterous single Hey Boys Sing us a Song, inspired by two years of pandemic frustrations with the belting refrain of “We all need some happiness back in our lives!”
The other Victoria-based nominee is Matt Stern (Rien qu’un animal) for French Songwriter(s) of the Year. Stern performs pop-soul-intimate music in both French and English and has been praised by Radio-Canada International for promoting body positivity and diversity.
Some honourable mentions from the rest of the province include Barney Bentall, up for both Contemporary Singer of the Year and Solo Artist of the Year, and Salt Spring-based Yael Wand, nominated for English Songwriter(s) and Producer/s of the Year, for her comeback 2021 album Saltwater Heartwood.
Barney Bentall, known globally for his Juno-award-winning, Vancouver-based band the Legendary Hearts, released his latest solo album Cosmic Dreamer in 2022, featuring original acoustic Americana and traditional folk songs alongside Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot covers.
Islanders might be familiar with Bentall for his annual Barney Bentall & The Cariboo Express fundraiser for the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank, which has cumulatively raised over $300,000.
READ MORE: Barney Bentall & The Cariboo Express food bank fundraiser promises a one-of-a-kind show
The Official Awards Concerts will be held at the Mel Lehan Hall in Vancouver on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2 from 6-8:30 p.m. PST. There will be live performances from five CFMA nominees and the presentation of 10 awards nightly during the annual celebration.
Three Nominee Showcase Concerts will feature 2023 CFMA nominated performers – a Traditional Music Showcase, Songwriters Showcase and Children and Family Music Showcase.
Learn more at folkawards.ca.
A full list of B.C. nominees:
Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves (Hurricane Clarice), Instrumental Group of the Year, Vancouver
Hurricane Clarice by Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, Traditional Album of the year, Vancouver
Barney Bentall (Cosmic Dreamer), Contemporary Singer of the Year, Vancouver
Barney Bentall (Cosmic Dreamer), Solo Artist of the year, Vancouver
RanchWriters (RanchWriters), Instrumental Group of the Year, Vancouver
Suzie Ungerleider (My Name Is Suzie Ungerleider), Solo Artist of the year, Vancouver
Fiddelium (Fiddelium), Young Performer(s) of the year, Nanaimo
Jocelyn Pettit (Wind Rose), Solo Artist of the year, Squamish
John Reischman (New Time & Old Acoustic), Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year, New Westminster
Matt Stern (Rien qu’un animal), French Songwriter(s) of the Year, Victoria
Hey Boys Sing Us A Song by The Irish Rovers, Single of the Year, Victoria
The Fretless & Joby Baker (Open House – The Fretless), Producer(s) of the Year, Toronto and Victoria
Ponderosa Bunchgrass and the Golden Rule by The Oot n’ Oots, Children’s Album of the Year, Kelowna
The Oot n’ Oots (Ponderosa Bunchgrass and the Golden Rule), Young Performer(s) of the year, Kelowna
Yael Wand (Saltwater Heartwood), English Songwriter(s), Salt Spring Island
Corwin Fox & Yael Wand (Saltwater Heartwood - Yael Wand), Producer(s) of the Year, Salt Spring Island
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