vintage

Last week (sorry, I’ve been a bit slow) saw the announcement of the East Coast Music Award winners, and boy … were there some real winners. Allow me – here are some highlights:

Recording of the Year: Joel Plaskett Emergency, Ashtray Rock
Group Recording of the Year: Joel Plaskett Emergency, Ashtray Rock
Single of the Year: Joel Plaskett Emergency, “Fashionable People”
Songwriter of the Year: Joel Plaskett, for “Fashionable People”
Rock Recording of the Year: Joel Plaskett Emergency, Ashtray Rock
Video of the Year: Joel Plaskett Emergency, Fashionable People (Randall Thorne)

I think I’m seeing a pattern here.

I guess there’s little to comment on, as the slew of awards speak for themselves. Joel is certainly well-deserving of attention, and lately he’s getting it in spades; the Polaris Prize nomination for this same album brought him a great deal of recognition that was, previously, sorely lacking. Not that the East Coast didn’t know about the Halifax native before, but I guess everyone can do with a few reminders.

Other notable award winners, though, include Prince Edward Island’s sweet foursome Two Hours Traffic for pop album of the year. Little Jabs was on my pick of the top 10 records of 2007, and while sometimes the sugar can grate a little, the album is tight and hooky and certainly deserving of the award. They seem destined for great things (and, coincidentally, opened for Plaskett for the final two nights of his Horseshoe residency); I wouldn’t be surprised if we heard a lot more about them in 2008.

There were few surprises at the East Coast Music Awards this year. George Canyon took the fan choice award for the fourth straight year, Classified came out with the best hip-hop recording, and the Rankin Family took the best DVD award (a category in which former Haligonians Sloan were also nominated, for a tour DVD filmed by Small Sins‘ Kevin Hilliard). Nothing came close to Joel Plaskett’s 6 awards, but quite frankly, not a whole lot came close to Ashtray Rock, either.

Next awards: the Junos, from my hometown of good old Calgary! Stay tuned.

… I solemnly swear not to post about the Joel Plaskett Emergency for the next little while. What can I say? He’s been a busy guy.