2011 CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards

Today CBC Radio 3 announced the Bucky Awards Long List, honouring the very best in Canadian music for the past year. Each category in the long list has seven nominees and by the end of the week, fan voting will whittle each category down to five to form the shortlist. Voting will be open until November 27th at midnight (PST) and the winners will be announced by Grant Lawrence at the big Bucky Awards extravaganza, on Wednesday Dec 7th at 11am (also PST).

The nominees (with my pick[s] **'d) are these:

UPDATE: They cut down the categories to a short list of five:

DOUBLE UPDATE: Winners in bold! Awards for some, miniature congratulations for others!

Best Song
**Dan Mangan - Rows of Houses
**Mother Mother - The Stand
**Hey Rosetta! - Yer Spring
Austra - Lose It
The Rural Alberta Advantage - Stamp
Young Galaxy - We Have Everything
D-Sisive - No More Words

Most Canadian Song
**Elliott Brood - Northern Air
**Library Voices - The Prime Minister's Daughter
Joel Plaskett - On The Rail
Ohbijou - Niagara
Harlan Pepper - Great Lakes
Will Currie and The Country French - Tommy Douglas
The Warped 45s - Grampa Carl

Best Vocals
Austra - Lose It
**Imaginary Cities - Ride This Out
**Elliott BROOD - If I Get Old
Kathleen Edwards - Change the Sheets
Jenn Grant - Getcha Good
K-OS - Holy Cow

Best Live Act
**Arkells
**Rich Aucoin
**Library Voices
The Sheepdogs
Best Reason To Learn French
Oh No! Yoko
**Rococode
HONHEEHONHEE
Purity Ring
Grimes
Odonis Odonis
Teen Daze

Best Lyric
“Soon you're 33 / And everything you tried to be / Is pulled apart by fear and greed.”
**Hey Rosetta! from Welcome
“No I’m not here waiting on anyone… especially not Jessica.”
**We Are The City from Happy New Year
“It’s like paradise spread out with a butter knife.”
**Mother Mother from The Stand
“If you only got one leg then shake it / If you don’t wanna smile then fake it / If you got a potato, bake it.”
SOCALLED from Work With What You Got
“Barbra Streisand.”
Duck Sauce from Barbra Streisand
“Tchaikovsky and Mozart, Debussy and Brahms / If born at the right time would've driven TransAms.”
Snailhouse from Airwaves
“Speaking of Adidas, maybe one day you’ll carry my fetus / If he has your genes he'd be a genius / Even as son or a daughter hotter than Phoenix.”
Cadence Weapon from Baby I'm Yours (feat.Shad)

Sexiest Artist

Shows of November

Beginning of the month means a quick look at some of the shows I am excited to see. I say "quick", but it's pretty stacked, so let's get to it. Here are the four I am looking forward to the most, and then a lot more below.

Imaginary Cities at the Biltmore on November 24th. 
I think I am most looking forward to. I saw them a couple times at the Folk Fest (see left, not my video), but one short set and a few workshops had me hungry for more. I am definitely looking forward to them headlining the Biltmore.

An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer at the Vogue on November 6th.
I have only recently gotten into Amanda Palmer's music, but Gaiman is one of my absolute favourite writers, so whatever they are going for their evening together should be amazing.

Feist at the Centre for Performing Arts on November 18th
It's been way too long since seeing Feist, and while I feel like I should be more excited about this, Feist has never failed to be anything less than stellarlive, so this is bound to be good.

Death From Above 1979 at the Commodore on November 20th and 21st
I never did get to see DFA1979 while they still existed, and I was very, very sad about that. This is a pricey one, but will it be worth it? Spoiler: probably yes.


As early as tonight, there is Little Red with Sex With Strangers at the Media Club on November 2nd,
and there is a great lineup this weekend for Adaline CD release party, as she's joined by In Medias Res & Rococode at the Biltmore on November 5th.

Then the insanity begins next week with a huge decision, Dan Mangan at the Orpheum or Elliott BROOD at the Commodore, both on November 9th. Following that, Yukon Blonde at the Biltmore on November 10th, Arkells are at the Commodore on November 11th and then Hey Rosetta! at the Commodore on November 12th. That is going to be some week.

We can't forget about the Peak Performance Project finale, featuring The Matinée, Current Swell & The Boom Booms at the Commodore on November 17th. I am definitely pulling for The Matinée, and while I am, admittedly, not a huge fan of the other two bands, it's sure to be one hell of a fun show.

The following weekend is pretty busy, too, with Maurice and Ciseaux at the Media Club on November 25th and all the Grey Cup festivities. I am most looking forward to November 26th which will feature The Belle Game, The Matinée, The Zolas, Hey Ocean! and Said the Whale. All in one night!

And wrapping up the month is an important show, the Movember Mo-Off. Featuring Redbird, Portage & Main and The Matinée (these guys again?) it's the end to the month long raising awareness and money to fight prostate cancer, by sporting 'staches. Which I am partaking in this year, and you can help by donating here.

Whew. All that, and I am positive I am missing some. This is going to be a busy month.

Contest! Win Arkells Michigan Left & limited edition vinyl.

Michigan Left, the much anticipated second album from Hamilton's Arkells dropped last week and, spoiler alert: it's pretty awesome. So in celebration of that, I just so happen to have some Arkells swag to give away!

Two lucky winners will snag themselves a copy of Michigan Left, and one luckier winner will get the grand prize pack consisting of:
  • One (1) limited edition double sided vinyl with the two singles "Whistleblower" and "Kiss Cam" signed by the band, and
  • One (1) 18 x 24" poster, and
  • One (1) copy of Michigan Left.
To make it fun, all you have to do to win is come up with an Arkells Haiku.

For example:
The boss is coming
You had better look busy
No room for error

It's just that easy. You have until November 11th (which is, coincidentally, the day of their show here at the Commodore) to either email me at 3amrevelations at gmail.com with the subject "I Love Arkells" or leave a comment with your haiku (make sure you leave a way to get back to you, otherwise you're out of luck!).
Don't forget your 5-7-5 and GOOD LUCK!