2016 JUNO Awards now accepting submissions for Aboriginal Album of the Year

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Submissions to the 2016 JUNO Awards are now open! The Aboriginal Album of the Year award celebrates the best music from Indigenous artists in Canada. Get in there!

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced on October 1 that the JUNO Awards is now accepting submissions for Aboriginal Album of the Year (sponsored by Aboriginal Peoples Television Network).

The category is open to albums released by Canadian citizens between September 1, 2014 and November 13, 2015. With respect to album length, a project that is 20 minutes or six unique songs is now considered a full album and is eligible for the Aboriginal Album of the Year category. The early bird submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST on October 23, 2015. The final submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. EST on November 13, 2015.

From our friends at ammb.ca:

"Winning the Aboriginal Album of the Year at the JUNOS was a long standing dream of mine," says 2015 category winner Tanya Tagaq. "Being nominated among my peers gives a sense of warmth, celebration, and team work that is rarely found in a competition based system. Support our communities by submitting yourself or a friend. Our music is crucial."

Eligible music styles include all traditional Aboriginal music: Iroquois, Social Pow Wow Drum (I.e. Sioux, Assiniboine, Cree, Ojibway & Blackfoot, etc.); all Hand Drums (e.g. Inuit, Dene, Cree, Mic Mak, West Coast, etc.); Inuit Throat Singing; Traditional Flutes; Metis, Cree & Mic Mac Fiddling. In addition, fusions of all genres of contemporary music that incorporate the above and/or reflect the unique Aboriginal experience in Canada, by virtue of words or music.

Visit junoawards.ca/submissions for details and to complete your online submission.

Nominees will be announced on February 2, 2016 at the JUNO Nominee Press Conference, the 2016 festivities will be hosted in Calgary with JUNO Week running from March 28 to April 3, and the awards will be broadcast on CTV from The Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday, April 3, 2016. See you there!

The 2014 Aboriginal People's Choice Music Award Nominees

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Inez Jasper garnered the most nominations (five!) followed by Indian City and Shy-Anne (four each!) at the 2014 APCMA nominee announcement. With over 25 Indigenous artists nominated over all, this year is looking as exciting as ever

At Portage Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Manito Ahbee Festival announced the 2014 Aboriginal People's Choice Music Award Nominees. Voting is open now until July 19th - get your vote on at aboriginalpeopleschoice.com - and enormous congratulations from RPM to all the nominees, keep making music!

Best Music Video

Best New Artist

Best Peyote CD

  • Delbert Blackhorse -Friends & Family
  • Joe Tohonnie Jr. - Apache Peyote Songs
  • Keving Yazzie - Charity
  • Meewasin Oma - God Saw it Was
  • Utin Machiskinie and Lance Crowe - Life of Happiness

Best Pop CD

  • Indian City - Colors
  • Inez Japer - Burn Me Down
  • JB the First Lady - Indigenous Girl LifeStyle
  • Moodie x 2 - Never Alone
  • Red Rockerz - Electronic Gangster

Best Pow Wow CD - Contemporary

  • Bear Creek - Kaagige - Forever
  • Eastern Eagle - Twenty Years of Powwow
  • North Bear - #NBallday
  • Northern Cree - Loyalty to the Drum
  • Northern Voice - Dance of the Moon
  • Young Bear - Live

Best Producer/Engineer

Best Rap/Hip Hop CD

  • KASP - K.A.S.P. #Livingthegoodlife
  • Mike Bone - Rain Dance
  • Shawn Bertrand - Livin Like Stars
  • Supaman - Gorilla
  • Winnipeg Boyz - Ab Initio

Best Rock CD

  • Ghost Town Orchestra - Dead Wait
  • Iceis Rain - The Queen
  • Kickin Krotch - Kickin Krotch
  • Kristi Lane Sinclair - The Sea Alone
  • When Darkness Falls - The Power

Single of the Year

  • Desiree Dorion - Turn to Me
  • Elisapie Isaac - Life is What You Make It
  • Inez Jasper - Dancin on the Run
  • Samantha Crain - Somewhere All the Time
  • Shy-Anne - Be Your Girl

Best Television Program of Aboriginal Music

  • Live From the Hundred Years Cafe
  • The Candy Show
  • Wabanaagig

Aboriginal Entertainer of the Year

  • Cary Morin
  • Dallas Arcand
  • Gary Sappier
  • Kasp
  • Shy-Anne

Aboriginal Songwriter of the Year

  • Desiree Dorion - Mama Got a Shotgun
  • Donny Parenteau - Sun Shower
  • Genevieve Fisher - Bad Enough
  • Indian City - Colors
  • Janet Panic - Somewhere Warm

Best Album Cover Design

  • Indian City - Colors
  • Inez Jasper - Burn Me Down
  • JB the First Lady - Indigenous Girl LifeStyle
  • Shy-Anne - Bones
  • Utin Machiskinie and Lance Crowe - Life of Happiness

Best Blues CD

  • Cary Morin - Streamline
  • Gary Sappier - Who Ya Foolin
  • Joel Johnson - Blues Joose Volume II
  • Young Medicine - Be Your Own Person

Best Country CD

  • Genevieve Fisher - Bad Enough
  • Kelly Derrickson - Warriors of Love
  • Leanne Goose - This Time
  • Nelson Little - The Little Things
  • Shy-Anne - Bones

Best Fiddle CD

  • Boyd Benjamin - The FLying Gwitch in Fiddler
  • Jason Lepine - Drivin' Force
  • Midnight Mist - Still Going

Best Folk/Acoustic CD

  • Diyet - When You Were King
  • Janet Panic - Most of What Follows is True...
  • Jasmine Netsena - Take You With Me
  • Leonard Sumner - Rez Poetry
  • Samantha Crain - Kid Face

Best Group or Duo

  • Garry Sappier
  • Ohiwisha
  • Winnipeg Boyz
  • Young Medicine

Best Hand Drum CD

  • Cree Confederation - Piciciwin - Cree Round Dance Songs
  • Fawn & Dalla - Blessings
  • Nitanis 'Kit' Largo - Serenity
  • Northern Cree - Ewipihcihk
  • Poundmaker - The Way It Used to Be

Best International Indigenous Release

  • Adonis Puentes - Sabor a Cafe
  • H'Sao - Oria
  • Laetitia Zonzambe - Sanza
  • Saina & Geo- Songs of Gaia
  • The Imbayakunas - Andean Sol

Western Canadian Music Awards: Aboriginal Recording of the Year Nominees 2014

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This year's "Aboriginal Recording of the Year" category at the Western Canadian Music Awards is a smokin' list!

The annual BreakOut West conference also hosts the Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMAs) which celebrates the best and brightest from artists in British Columbia, Alberta, Saksatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

The nominees for "Aboriginal Recording of the Year" are:

Cassidy Mann - Blue Skies and Bright Eyes (MB) Desiree Dorion - Small Town Stories (MB) Federal Lights - We Were Found In The Fog (MB) Head of the Herd - By This Time Tomorrow (BC) Inez Jasper - Burn Me Down (BC)

All fantastic! See for yourself - watch the nominee playlist and toast to their success!

This year's event will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, October 2-5th

APCMA 2014 Submissions Now Open

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Attention all artists! The 2014 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards has opened its doors to submissions. 

The Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, aka the annual celebration of Aboriginal music and musicians, as voted by the public, will take place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, September 11th and 12th later this year. Now is the time to submit work in consideration for nomination.

The awards honours the best blues, country, gospel, rock, pop and rap albums, as well as single, songwriter, female entertainer and male entertainers of the year, and more, in what amounts to the biggest glitzy musical bash in Indian Country each year. Submit your work now!

The eligibility period is May 1, 2012 to April 30, 2014. Download the submission form and read all the rules at  aboriginalpeopleschoice.com. Deadline April 30, 2014, 5:00 P.M. Central.

Good luck!

APCMA 2012 Nominees - Best Music Video

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We have an RPM YouTube playlist of the 2012 Aboriginal People's Choice Awards nominees for Best Music Video.

We've once again reached this chilly part of the year where we choose our favorites in the Aboriginal People's Choice Awards, and this year packs a great selection in all categories. Today we'll look at the nominees for Best Music Video in the 2012 APCMAs.

Beatrice Love - Dirty Game Donny Parenteau - Fiddle Back Cris Derksen - Pow.Wow.Wow Shy-Anne Hovorka - Too Young, Too Late Winnipeg's Most - Winnipeg Boy 

APCMA Nominees 2012

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At a press conference in Winnipeg this morning, the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award nominees were announced. Read the full list of nominees here.

Following a first round of industry votes, the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards (APCMA) announced the official nominees and opened the polls to public voting this morning. To vote for your favourite artists, go to aboriginalpeopleschoice.com. Voting closes September 3rd, and the awards take place November 1st and 2nd in Winnipeg.

Congratulations to all the nominees from RPM! They are:

Best Album Cover Design Chippewa Travellers - Love/Zaagidwin Dallas Arcand - Cedar Flute Electronica: Modern Day Warrior Indian City - Supernation Janet Rogers - Got Your Back Lena Recollet - I Am Woman, Kwe Shy-Anne - Interwoven Roots

Best Blues CD Derek Miller - Derek Miller With Double Trouble Gary Farmer And The Troublemakers - Under The Watertower Joel Johnson - Blues Joose Vol. 1 Murray Porter - Songs Lived & Life Played Priscilla’s Revenge - 3rd Gear

Best Country CD Jerry Sereda - Turn The Country On Ron Loutit - Where I Come From Shy-Anne - Interwoven Roots Terri Clark - Roots And Wings Tracy Bone - Woman Of Red

Best Fiddle CD Blain Constant - Listening From Above Dallas Boyer - Music Metis Fiddler Quartet - North West Voyage Nord Ouest Midnite Mist - A Tribute To Bill Bryant Wesley Hardisty - 12:12

Best Flute CD Dallas Arcand - Sacred Sweetgrass Herman Edward - It’s About Time Tony Duncan - Earth Warrior

Best Folk / Acoustic CD Dark Water Rising - Dark Water Rising Dylan Rysstad - Ghost House Ghostkeeper - Ghostkeeper Janet Panic  - Samples Phyllis Sinclair - Dreams Of The Washerwomen

Best Gospel CD Becky Thomas - Sacred Ground Cheryl Bear - A’ba Dean Powder - Living Proof Yvonne St. Germaine  - Tennessee Sky

Best Group Or Duo Cree Confederation C-Weed Band Indian City Northern Cree Priscilla's Revenge

Best Hand Drum Cd Big River Cree - The Old Way Eastern Eagle - Softer Side Fawn Wood - Iskwewak Indigie Femme - Grandmother Earth, Grandfather Sky Nakoa Heavyrunner & Rocky Morin  - Medicine Line

Best Instrumental Cd Curt Young - Northern Equinox Dallas Arcand - Cedar Flute Electronica: Modern Day Warrior Gabriel Ayala - Shades Of Blue Jeari Czapla - Dear Leonardo Rev Hank - Longhorn

Best International Indigenous Artist Adam James Kiran Ahluwahlia Nrg Rising Steele

Best Music Video Beatrice Love - Dirty Game Donny Parenteau - Fiddleback Cris Derksen  - Pow Wow Wow Shy-Anne - Too Young, Too Late Winnipeg’s Most - Winnipeg Boy

Best New Artist Bruthers Of Different Muthers Indian City Jb The First Lady Kristi Lane Sinclair Lena Recollet

Best Pop Cd Don Amero - The Long Way Home Holly Mcnarland  - Run Body Run Indian City - Supernation Lena Recollet - I Am Woman, Kwe Will Belcourt - Epoch

Best Pow Wow Cd - Contemporary Black Bear - Spring Medicine Cree Confederation - Horse Dance - Mistatim Simoowin Northern Cree - Drum Boy - Mistikwaskink Napesis River Cree - River Cree Young Spirit - Live In Hinckley 2011

Best Pow Wow Cd - Traditional Chippewa Travellers - Love/Zaagidwin High Noon - Live In Brandon Mandaree Singers  - Mandaree Revisited Wild Band Of Comanches  - Wild Band Of Comanches Young Bear - Keeping It Old Style

Best Producer/Engineer Donny Parenteau Indian City Leanne Goose Shy-Anne Vince Fontaine

Best Rap / Hip Hop Cd Blu - No Way No How Lightning Cloud - Lightning Cloud Rellik - Mighty Mouth Tha Link - Tha Link Vibez - On My Way

Best Rock Cd Charles “Chucky” Keelan - Chucky ? Federal Lights - Carbon Quinton Moody - Worldwide Services Sinuupa - Culture Shock Tonemah - Mulligan

Single Of The Year Don Amero - Turn These Grey Skies Blue Indian City - Supernation Iskwe - Wandering Murray Porter - Rez Bluez Shy-Anne - The Glue

Aboriginal Songwriter Of The Year Bruthers Of Different Muthers - Speakers Of Tomorrow Donny Parenteau - Play On Holly Mcnarland - Alone’s Just Fine Indian City - Supernation Murray Porter - Is Sorry Enough? Tracy Bone - Woman Of Red

Aboriginal Female Entertainer Of The Year Phyllis Sinclair Shy-Anne Tagaq Terri Clark Tracy Bone

Aboriginal Male Entertainer Of The Year Dallas Boyer Don Amero Jerry Sereda Kasp Murray Porter

Vote now at aboriginalpeopleschoice.com!

RPM Wins United Nations Gold Medal in New York

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The New York Festivals Radio Program and Promotion awards, recognizing the World’s Best radio and podcast programs, took place last night in New York. We are thrilled to announce that Electric Pow Wow from the RPM podcast series has been selected as the recipient of the United Nations DPI Gold Medal as well as being awarded a Silver Medal in the Culture & The Arts, Audio Podcast category.

Holy smokes!

RPM/MBM Digital Inc.  is proud to be among this year’s winners, culled from entrants from 27 countries by an international jury of award-winning radio and podcast producers and industry experts. The United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) Awards, juried separately from the festival by members of the UN, honour programming that “best exemplifies the aims and ideals of the United Nations.”

Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island have been dancing and drumming for generations but, in the 21st century, that rhythmic spirit is finding new forms of creative expression. In the RPM podcast episode Electric Pow Wow, the powwow gets plugged in, mashed up and remixed, through an exploration of the work of three Indigenous artists – A Tribe Called Red¸the Ottawa-based DJ collective whose eponymous debut album was long-listed for the Polaris prize last week, Cris Derksen, the classically trained, Cree electro-cellist, and Indian Nick, aka Tlingit/Aleut visual artist and musician Nicholas Galanin.

We're so proud of our team! The podcast is produced by Paolo Pietropaolo¸ hosted by Ron Dean Harris, aka Ostwelve, with executive producer Lynn Booth, creative producer Jarrett Martineau, production manager Christa Couture and the amazing team at MBM Digital Inc.

You can read the official press release here: rpm.fm/NYGold.

DOWNLOAD: RPM Podcast #010: "Electric Pow Wow"

Subscribe via your favorite RSS reader

Woot!

WCMA 2012 Nominees Announced

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The Western Canadian Music Awards - aka WCMAs - announced the 2012 nominations today and here are the nominees for Aboriginal Recording of the Year.

The 2012 Western Canadian Music Award winners will be presented September 30 in Regina, Saskatchewan, as part of the BreakOut West weekend. In the running for Aborginal Recording of the Year are:

Jerry Sereda – Turn The Country Murray Porter – Songs Lived & Life Played Rellik – Mighty Mouth Tanya Tagaq – Anuraaqtuq Vince Fontaine’s Indian City – Supernation

Murray Porter also received a nomination for Best Blues Recording of the Year.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

For more information visit breakoutwest.ca.

Rockwired Radio Music Award Winners 2012

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In this digital age, it makes sense that the latest music awards on the scene were announced in a podcast and spread across the Twitterverse. Rockwired.com - the online radio station out of Albequerque, New Mexico - broadcast the winners of their 2012 Radio Music Award Winners earlier this week, and a few our our favourite Indigenous artists were among the winners.

The announcement of winners came at the end of a five-week polling campaign that closed on Friday March 9th. This year, the winners have been awarded the "G-Chord" award – a symbol of artistic excellence, sheer industriousness and a spirit of independence.

“These awards do more than reward artists for making great music,” says Rockwired founder Brian Lush (Yankton Sioux). “These awards also acknowledge the fact that these artists have navigated the rough waters of the music industry and have managed to maintain their musical vision despite a lack of major record label support. It is all about celebrating the music maker and all of the artistry and the business smarts that it takes to remain a music maker.”

Three Indigenous artists were among the winners - Mohawk blues rocker Derek Miller garnered both Best Male Artist and Best Recording by an American Indian Recording Artist, Lumbee singer-songwriter Jana Mashonee won Best Female Artist and Nake Nula Waun was honoured with Best Band.

Listeners were tuned into the podcast and word of the winners spread across Twitter:

 

 

The Best Recording by an American Indian Recording Artist was one of two new categories this year, along with Best Jazz Recording. Lush aknowledged that the Grammy®'s recent decision to do away with its Native American Music category was a factor in instituting a category for this year. “It's a slap in the face to ignore the musical achievements of Indian people. There are a lot of great Native artists out there and they deserve recognition.”

In addition to the G-Chord Certificate, winners of the 2012 Rockwired Radio Music Awards are free to advertise any new mp3s. LPs, EPs, or upcoming tours at absolutely no charge up until the next award season.

For a full list of winners, visit rockwired.com/2012winners.html and congrats to all!

2012 Juno Awards and Aboriginal Nominees

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Canada's annual celebration of artistic and technical achievements in music, the JUNOS, announced the 2012 nominees yesterday. Here are the Indigenous artists in the running!

The "Canadian Grammys" - chosen by members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences or determined by sales or a panel of experts - cover 44 "best of" categories. This year, the celebration will be hosted by William Shatner at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario.

The most notable Aboriginal presence at the JUNOs is the Aboriginal Album of the Year award - the existence of which is at times contentious in the community as, unlike the other award categories, it is not genre specific. It does however acknowledge and celebrate music made by Aboriginal artists, in any genre, and we're sending heartfelt congratulations to those nominated this year!

That said, Métis country star Terri Clarke is nominated in the Country Album of the Year category - congrats Terri!

Here are the nominees for Aboriginal Album of the Year, 2012:

Bruthers of Different Muthers Speakers of Tomorrow

Donny Parenteau To Whom It May Concern

Flying Down Thunder and Rise Ashen One Nation

Murray Porter Songs Lived & Life Played

Randy Wood The Gift of Life

2011 APCMA Nominees - Best New Artist

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The first installment in a series of close-ups on the 2011 Aboriginal People's Choice Awards nominees by category.

Another year has passed and here we are at the second round of voting for the Aboriginal People's Choice Awards. In honour of the organizers, all the artists and the many loyal voters, we bring to you a playlist of and introduction to the artists involved in the second round of voting.

First, the category of Best New Artist.

Ali Fontaine - Ali is a 17 year old Country artist from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, Canada. Managed by Errol Ranville, a prominent veteran musician out of Manitoba and front for the legendary C-Weed Band, she is set to make some waves in the music scene this year. This is Ali's first time as a nominee in the APCMA's but we're quite sure we'll be seeing a lot more of her in the future.

CerAmony - Coming from the James Bay Cree, CerAmony have done their people proud as ambassadors by winning a 2011 Juno for Best Aboriginal Artist. Using their musical talent to bring light to social and political issues in their community, they have become hometown heroes and a driving force behind Canadian Indigenous music.

Cris Derksen - Hailing from the North Tall Cree Reserve in Alberta, Cris Derksen is a classically trained cellist earning herself a Bachelor Of Music in Cello Performance at the University of British Columbia. Alongside her academic achievements, she has toured the world with her unique style of cello artistry and has shared the stage with many great artists such as Tanya Tagaq, played at the 2010 Winter Olympics and maintains a steady touring schedule around Turtle Island and beyond.

Diyet - A member of the Kluane First Nation in the Yukon of Canada, Diyet is an accomplished songwriter from the community of Burwash Landing. Her songs have been heard all over the world and she has worked hard to earn a degree in music from the University of Victoria. Sticking close to her roots, Diyet brings us  a blend of rock and traditional music that is a pure commentary on the future of  contemporary Indigenous music.

Ghostkeeper- Based out of Calgary, Ghostkeeper unites the genres of Blues and Pop, creating an original sound that has impacted the music scene in a huge way in the last couple of years. Focusing on strong storytelling and song writing, they have polished their sound to where they want it and are pushing ahead in the music world.

Congrats from RPM.fm to all the artists for making it to the second round!

Stay tuned for more info and playlists from the 2011 Aboriginal People's Choice Awards nominees in the coming weeks.

Who do you think will win the 2011 APCMA Best New Artist Award? Leave a comment below.

NIMA 2011 Finalists Announced: The National Indigenous Music Awards

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Australia’s National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA) have announced the finalists in the running for 2011′s accolades.

This year is the first time the event goes national after its first seven years had purely focused on the Northern Territory.

Nominations include:

Song of the Year:

  • Diamonds on the Water, Stiff Gins
  • September Song, Leah Flanagan
  • Beggars, The Medics
  • Calling Your Name, Frank Yamma
  • Gathu Mawala, Gurrumul Yunupingu
  • Mala Rrakala, Gurrumul Yunupingu

Album of the Year:

  • Nirvana Nights, Leah Flanagan
  • Malk, Saltwater Band
  • Rrakala, Gurrumul Yunupingu
  • Get em girls, Jessica Mauboy
  • Country Man, Frank Yamma

Act of the Year:

  • Jessica Mauboy
  • Gurrumul Yunupingu
  • Dan Sultan

A full list of finalists can be found here.

Watch the extraordinary Gurrumul Yunupingu, singing in the Yolngu language.