Saskatchewan gets the shaft.

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Okay, may not be of interest to anyone, but what the hey-na-na...

The Prairie Music Awards, which have been making inroads in recent years gaining national profile for music made in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, have recently merged with the West Coast Music Awards (basically BC) to form the Western Canadian Music Awards.
So this means that smaller artists who might have had a shot at some much deserved exposure are now up against (potentially) the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado, Swollen Members, Rascalz & New Pornagraphers.
To me, it feels like a big surrender.
The pay-off, I suppose, is that now there will be big-ticket people at the Awards, but at the cost of cutting out the very people the Awards were supposed to be spotlighting in the very first place.
What a big fuck-off to Prairie musicians.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:35 (twenty-three years ago)

It's possibly a bit of a tradeoff; now there's less chance of these artists from the prairies actually winning something, if they're up against the Vancouver music industry, which undoubtedly produces some really slick music that's basically geared to win awards. On the other hand, how would winning a Prairie Music Award actually generate any real exposure for these artists outside the prairies? One could argue that an artist from small-town Saskatchewan or Manitoba isn't likely going to get any real exposure from the rest of the country unless there's some added incentive to watch the ceremony or read the article...the kind of incentive that someone like Sarah or Nelly would provide. (Sadly, I can't name too many artists from the prairies any more. Nickelback is from Alberta, right? But are they even still there? After that it's just small bands featuring people I know, like Das Macht Show, The Hummers or TOM CRUISE MISSILE).

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:44 (twenty-three years ago)

TOM CRUISE MISSILE

If these bastards are a 'joke' band like the Barenaked Ladies, I'll come up there and destroy their equipment myself.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Ask 'em yourself, Ned, one of them is a regular here. (note: I don't know, because I still haven't heard them. Rumour has it they're GREBT though!)

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:48 (twenty-three years ago)

Speak up, regular, wherever you are!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:49 (twenty-three years ago)

it's me.

and it's THE tom cruise missile.

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:52 (twenty-three years ago)

bring it on you hippy.

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Oopsie. I still want to hear your band, though. When's your CD coming out? (Or is it out already?)

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:54 (twenty-three years ago)

A big part of the problem is that Prairie Musicians have a depressingly low profile on the Prairies even. But the PMAs were working at at least helping out at home.
Of course the Bizz folks always win, last year the big winners were N'back and Remy Shand. But at the same time, people like Greg MacPherson and the Weakerthans (both Man) were getting in. Saskatchewan always does piss-poor, largely because our Recording Industry Association is run by people who would rather be "professional" than "creative" and the good bands here tend to not get involved in their BS.
But I had such high hopes for this year, in terms of Prairie Music coming out of its ghetto, but it just leapt back in there. Hell damn indeed.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 20:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Oooh, yeah, the Weakerthans, can't wait for their next one.

I have to admit that I don't know of any artists from Saskatchewan, off the top of my head, apart from the ones that have been around for forever, like Northern Pikes (debatable, they're probably in Toronto now) and Widemouth Mason, etc. Who's new and good, Horace?

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 21:06 (twenty-three years ago)

horace, if you're pissed off at lack of saskatchewan representation you should examine the population stats of your province. saskatchewan music isn't going to win any awards if there's nobody left living there to make it.

seriously though, i did see a band from regina called sylvie who were quite good but very young. they played a sort of dense, atmospheric math/emo that i really liked.

the juni0r pantherz from saskatoon who opened for us a couple of months back are tight as hell and have a very professional recording out.

some people are nuts about a band called filmmaker who i think are from estevan sk ... they've gotten some big ups in rags like exclaim as far as i know. likely punk/emo type of stuff though i haven't gone to see them (they seem to come through town every other week though).

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 21:18 (twenty-three years ago)

bring it on you hippy.

Man. JUST because I have long hair...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 16 January 2003 02:44 (twenty-three years ago)

'Music geared to win awards'!!!

― dave q, Thursday, 16 January 2003 11:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Good SK bands;

Fight the Monster (http://www.fightthemonster.com)
Sylvie
Ghosts of Modern Man (formerly Pillar, http://www.ghostsofmodernman.com)
Bullmarket (formerly Bullmarket, formerly Bluebeard, defunct)
Junior Pantherz (they're way better live than on their CD, unless they have a newer one than the one I got, which is OK, but not as good as them live)
Tyler Banadyga
Jesse Matheson
lotsa poppy-punko's
Elvis Costoiko & the Distraction (aka Mr. Fu-Q)
Almost Transparent Blue (cranked up jazz trio now [big] in Japan)

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 16 January 2003 16:23 (twenty-three years ago)

my old bass player used to regale us with tales of the heyday of saskatoon music scene -- he would constantly bring up the bands "mustard punt" and "pork sword" as he believed them both to be amazing live acts. generally any reference to either of these bands was enough to cause me to go into a fit of hysterical laughter.

can anyone confirm/deny the existence of these bands? it would have been late 80's early 90's ...

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Thursday, 16 January 2003 16:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I remember Pork Sword, though I think they were just Porksword, early to mid 90s
Mustard Punt, no clue.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 16 January 2003 16:39 (twenty-three years ago)

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