Port Cities – band members Dylan Guthro, Breagh MacKinnon, Carleton Stone, and their co-writer Thomas ”Tawgs” Salter – won the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year honour for their song “Montreal” at the 2019 Music Nova Scotia Awards, held Nov. 10, 2019, at the Holiday Inn in Truro. SOCAN Board of Directors President Marc Ouellette presented the honour to Port Cities, who also earned an award for Digital Artist of the Year.
Erin Costelo was the big winner of the night, with four awards: Recording, Solo Recording, Americana Bluegrass Recording, and Producer of the Year, all for her album Sweet Marie.
Five nominated artists earned two awards each:
- Leanne Hoffman won New Artist Recording and Pop Recording of the Year, for What Remains;
- Wintersleep took Alternative Recording (for In The Land Of) and Music Video of the Year (for “Forest Fires”);
- Keith Mullins won for Traditional/Roots Recording of the Year, for Upward (Howlin’ at the Moon), and Educator of the Year, which he shared with Shannon Quinn;
- Thomas Stajcer took home Country Recording of the Year for Will I Learn To Love Again?, and Studio Engineer of the Year; and
- PINEO & LOEB won DJ and Electronic Artist of The Year.
Music Nova Scotia presented Gordie Sampson with the first-ever Director’s Choice Award, recognizing an outstanding individual from the Nova Scotia music community. And Maxim Cormier earned the Acadian/Francophone Artist of the Year Award.
Various SOCAN licensees also won awards in the industry categories, including the Marigold Cultural Centre, for Community Presenter of the Year; The Halifax Jazz Festival, for Event of the Year: Andrew Jackson (of the Halifax Jazz Festival), for Promoter of the Year; The Marquee Ballroom, The Seahorse Tavern, and The Local, a three-way tie for Venue of the Year; Halifax Is Burning (CKDU-FM, 88.1 FM), for Radio Program of the Year; and CKDU itself, for Radio Station of the Year.
SOCAN was also on the scene throuhgout the pre-awards conference, connecting with our many East Coast members, and attending daily conference panels and nightly festival showcase performances.
For a complete winners list, click here.