Local music and nominations
This past Saturday I ventured to Governor’s to catch some tunes and songs from Megan Sams and Tom Mills.
Sams is a 19-year-old fiddler and singer from Lawrencetown who is studying at the Canadian Coast Guard College while Mills is a singer-songwriter-guitarist from here who has been playing in the area for years. They made for an interesting and enjoyable combination.
And speaking of enjoyable, after I left Governor’s I caught some tunes at Ziggy’s from Rosa. The Dingwall sisters were in fine voice and I regretted having to move along to a dinner engagement.
My plan was to finish the night at the Cedars Club dance, but I wore out before the night did. I understand that the music from Colin Grant and Joel Chiasson was great with a good crowd in attendance.
The next dance is on March 3 so why not join Donna Marie DeWolfe, Gillian Head and Hilda Chiasson for more great tunes.
I want to send out congratulations to all the Cape Bretoners who have received nominations for the upcoming East Coast Music Awards, May 2-8 in Halifax.
Led by Port Cities and Matt Minglewood, the list includes musicians of many stripes, technical people, a business and an event.
From Minglewood (who has been in the business for a long time) to Mitchell Bailey (a rapper who is at the beginning of his career), the music nominations include blues, pop, rock, roots-traditional, Francophone, Indigenous and more. We’re an eclectic lot. There are also some Juno nominations to brag about as both Còig and Alvvays have received the nod.
Juno Week runs from March 19- 25 in Vancouver, B.C.
And this week it was announced that “Maxim Cormier Plays J.S. Bach,” the second last CD released by the talented Cheticamp native, has
received a nomination for EP instrumental of the year in the U.S.-based Independent Music Awards. The winners will be announced on March 31 at the Lincoln Centre in New York.
The CBC Searchlight competition is on again, trying to find another great musical act that may not be receiving the national attention it deserves.
There are 2,073 entries from across the country and 100 are from Nova Scotia with 20 of those from Cape Breton.
There are some well-known and respected artists here — Curtis Matheson, Keith Mullins, Terry Edmunds, Sheldon
Aucoin, Adrianne and Mike, Fire Valley Fire, Whiskey Jack — and there are others that I wasn’t as familiar with — Seth Williams, Greg O’Neill, Terry MacQuarrie, Wayside Travelers, Magnetic North, Rodney Morgan, The Planetary (Terry D. A. Brown), Rudy Pace, Rob Murphy, Quentin Boone, SHiFT FROM THA 902, The Misfit Boys, Sarah Morrison, Kevin Davison.
Having listened to all the entries, I’m impressed with the level of talent here, and like the ECMA nominations, I have to say that it’s quite an eclectic lot.
It’s going to be a difficult choice. Why not go on the site, www.cbcmusic.ca/searchlight/ entries/1/0/21/24/, and see for yourself.
Vote for those you know and those that interest you. Vote early and vote often.
And good luck to one and all.
“Having listened to all the entries, I’m impressed with the level of talent here, and like the ECMA nominations, I have to say that it’s quite an eclectic lot.”