Strong Showing for Manitoba Artists and Entrepreneurs at 2016 Western Canadian Music Awards Nominees Announcement

Manitoba will have a strong presence when the Western Canadian Music Awards are handed out in Regina this fall. Artists and music companies picked up 27 nominations in 21 categories for the 14th annual celebration of music from the western provinces and territories, with talented acts from Manitoba’s Aboriginal and Francophone communities dominating their respective categories. This year’s WCMAs feature revamped category names along with some new categories, allowing for an updated and more inclusive approach to recognizing the artists, music industry, and music organizations in western Canada. The winners will be revealed at the awards show on October 13 at Casino Regina, which kicks off the 2016 BreakOut West festivities. 

Duo Nadia Gaudet & Jason Burnstick leads this year with three nominations for bilingual album Fais de beaux rêves, petit ange / Dream Big Little One, landing nods for Aboriginal, Francophone, and Children’s Artist of the year.

Emerging singer/songwriter William Prince is a double nominee for his debut album, Earthly Days, picking up honours for Roots Solo and Aboriginal Artist of the Year.

Manitoba’s Aboriginal music community is a strong leader yet again, landing three out of five nods for Aboriginal Artist of the Year, including nods for Gaudet & Burnstick, Prince, and Don Amero, who picked up two JUNO Award nods in 2016 for his latest album, Refined.

The Franco-Manitoban scene shines again this year, with three locals up for Francophone Artist of the Year, including Gaudet & Burnstick, singer/songwriter Jocelyne Baribeau, and genre-bending act Justin Lacroix Band.

Other artistic award nominees include globetrotting JUNO winners The Bros. Landreth for BreakOut  Artist of the Year; Romi Mayes for Blues Artist of the Year; Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for Classical Artist/Ensemble of the Year; Sid Robinovitch for Classical Composition of the Year; Keith and Renee for Country Artist of the Year; Ghost Twin for Electronic/Dance Artist of the Year; Daniel Koulack for Instrumental Recording of the Year; another 2016 JUNO nominee, Curtis Nowosad Quintet for Jazz Artist of the Year; also a JUNO nominee KEN mode for Metal/Hard Music Artist of the Year; JP Hoe for Pop Artist of the Year; trios Crooked Brothers and Sweet Alibi for Roots Duo/Group Recording of the Year; Dana “Rusty” Matyas is up for Producer of the Year for his work on Federal Lights’ Coeur de Lion; and Graham Epp landed Visual Media Composer of the Year for his work on FM Youth.

The West End Cultural Centre is a double nominee this year for the Industry Awards, landing nods for Impact in Live Music and the Community Excellent Award. Winnipeg Folk Festival is also up for Impact Live Music, while Paquin Artist Agency landed a nomination for Impact in Artist Development, and JUNO-winning artist and designer Roberta Hansen is up for Excellence in Visual Design for her work on The Small Glories’ Wondrous Traveller.

BreakOut West will be held October 13-16, 2016. In addition to the awards show, the event features a conference and music festival with over 50 showcasing acts, offering an incredible opportunity for emerging and established artists to be a part of the Western Canadian music community. Participating artists and other music professionals have the chance to meet key industry stakeholders creating opportunities for a new wave of exciting industry developments from record deals to international tours.

For a complete list of 2016 WCMA nominees, please visit breakoutwest.ca.

ARTISTIC AWARD NOMINEES

ABORIGINAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Don Amero
Nadia Gaudet & Jason Burnstick
William Prince

BLUES ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Romi Mayes

BREAKOUT ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Bros. Landreth

CHILDREN'S ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Nadia Gaudet & Jason Burnstick

CLASSICAL ARTIST/ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
Of Heart and Tide - Sid Robinovitch

COUNTRY ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Keith and Renee

ELECTRONIC/DANCE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ghost Twin

FRANCOPHONE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Jocelyne Baribeau
Justin Lacroix Band
Nadia Gaudet & Jason Burnstick

INSTRUMENTAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Daniel Koulack

JAZZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Curtis Nowosad Quintet

METAL/HARD MUSIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR
KEN mode

POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR
JP Hoe

ROOTS DUO/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Crooked Brothers
Sweet Alibi

ROOTS SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR
William Prince

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Dana "Rusty" Matyas - Federal Lights, Coeur de Lion

VISUAL MEDIA COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Graham Epp - FM Youth

INDUSTRY NOMINEES

COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARD
West End Cultural Centre

EXCELLENCE IN VISUAL DESIGN
Roberta Hansen - The Small Glories

IMPACT IN ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
Paquin Artists Agency

IMPACT IN LIVE MUSIC
West End Cultural Centre
Winnipeg Folk Festival