The Canadian Folk Music Awards 2014
The Canadian Folk Music Awards are now open for submissions! Make sure to submit your work by the deadline to be eligible for recognition at the 2014 awards.
Introduction
The Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMA) is an annual awards show to recognize, promote and celebrate Canadian folk, roots and world music. The CFMA is the first and only dedicated awards show of its kind in Canada. The CFMA are open to both solo artists and ensembles from across the country, in both official languages. Albums and artists are nominated and voted on by a jury of Canadian music industry professionals. Winners are announced at an annual awards show and gala presentation held in Toronto every December.
Awards Ceremony
The Canadian Folk Music Awards are given out annually to recognize the achievements of Canadian Folk musicians. The Awards ceremony is typically held in the fall, and this year it will be taking place on November 8th in Toronto.
Winners
The Winners of the 2014 Canadian Folk Music Awards were announced on Saturday night November 8, at a Ceremony in St. John’s Newfoundland. Andrew Collins took home two awards, one for Instrumental Album of the Year and the other for Traditional Album of the Year for his collaborations with Old Man Luedecke and Bruce Molsky respectively. Christine Fellows was awarded Contemporary Singer of the Year, while Zachary Lucky was named Young Performer of the Year. The full list of winners is as follows:
Best Album
-None Other – Andy Shauf
-Weights & Measures – Joy Destroyers
-When The Angels Came – The Wailin’ Jennys
-Woodface – David Francey
-You Are Here – Del Barber
Best Artist
-Del Barber
-David Francey
-Mike Plume
-The Wailin’ Jennys
Best Traditional Album
-Andrew Collins & Bruce Molsky – Betting On The Muse
-Cécile Doo-Kingue – Anybody Listening? Pt. 1: Monologues Of Love, Loss And Liuying
Best Contemporary Singer
Christine Fellows
Performances
This year’s Canadian Folk Music Awards will feature several well-known performers. Among them are:
• Kobo Town: Winner of the 2013 CFMA for World Group of the Year, this Toronto-based band is fronted by Trinidadian singer and songwriter Drew Gonsalves. Kobo Town’s music is a unique mix of indie rock, Calypso, and folk.
• The Willy Mason Trio: Willy Mason is an American singer-songwriter who rose to prominence with the release of his debut album Where the Humans Eat in 2004. His music has been described as “a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.” The Willy Mason Trio is comprised of Willy on guitar and vocals, his brother Sam on bass, and Neal Casal on guitar.
• David Myles: David Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia. His music has been described as a mix of “jazz, pop, rockabilly, and folk.” He has released six albums, the most recent of which is Turn Time Off.
• Garnet Rogers: Garnet Rogers is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario. He is the brother of folksinger Stan Rogers. Garnet’s music ranges from folk to jazz to pop, and his live performances are known for their high energy level.
Aftermath
The Canadian Folk Music Awards were held in Ottawa on November 8, 2014 and the results are in! This was the first year the awards were held in the nation’s capital and it was a huge success. Over 700 people attended the event and there were many fantastic performances.
Reactions
Aftermath is a song by Canadian folk singer-songwriter Jubal (real name Andrew Nina Thériault). The song was released as a single on March 4, 2014, and won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Best English Songwriter at the 2014 CFMA ceremony, which was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
The song is about the aftermath of a relationship, and the reactions of the people involved. Jubal has said that he wrote the song after going through a difficult break-up.
The CFMA ceremony was held on November 8, 2014, and Aftermath was announced as the winner of the Best English Songwriter award. Jubal was not present at the ceremony, but released a statement saying that he was “humbled and honoured” to receive the award.
Criticism
The Canadian Folk Music Awards were criticized in late 2014 for failing to recognize artists outside the mainstream “English singer-songwriter” genre. In particular, few Francophone or Indigenous artists were nominated or won in any category.
