The LYNNeS and Buffy Sainte-Marie lead Canadian Folk Music Awards Nominations

The Canadian Folk Music Awards announced the nominees for their 14th edition today, celebrating this year’s 96 nominees. The nominees hail from across Canada – from Paradise, Newfoundland to Ross River, Yukon – celebrating the breadth and depth of folk music in Canada.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards take place Nov 30 – Dec 1, 2018 in Calgary, Alberta at The Gateway (a.k.a. “The Gate”.) The weekend’s focus events will take shape as two hosted Awards Weekend Concerts, which are open to the public. Tickets and wristbands go on sale October 1, 2018. Tickets are $35 for each night. A wristband will get you into any and all workshops as well as both nights and is only $60. More information about the gala performance and the line-up will be announced shortly.

Awards will be presented throughout both evenings, Nov 30 and Dec 1, at the Awards Weekend Concerts. These concerts combine the most loved events of the Canadian Folk Music Awards’ first fourteen years – the vibrant energy of the live music showcases and the awards gala –  the Awards Weekend Concerts will capture the true heart of the folk community, while celebrating the 2018 nominees and the category recipients.

Established by Canada’s burgeoning and internationally-recognized folk music community, the awards currently boast 19 categories. Five nominees are chosen for each category unless there is a tie in which 6 are chosen. A two stage jury process by 100 jurors located across Canada representing all official provinces, territories and languages determine the official recipients in each category.


The 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award Nominees are:

TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR / ALBUM TRADITIONNEL DE L’ANNÉE
Avant l’orage par/by Genticorum
Gigues à 2 faces par/by Alexis Chartrand, Nicolas Babineau
Horizon Lines by/par Matthew Byrne
Live from the Art Farm by/par The Fretless
Medicine Songs by/par Buffy Sainte-Marie

CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR / ALBUM CONTEMPORAIN DE L’ANNÉE
Both Ways by/par Donovan Woods
Fifteen by/par The Wailin’ Jennys
Heartbreak Song For The Radio by/par The LYNNeS
Keep the Fire by/par Gabrielle Papillon
Two by/par Gunning & Cormier

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR /  ALBUM JEUNESSE DE L’ANNÉE
Electric Jellyfish Boogaloo by/par The Oot n’ Oots
Grand tintamarre! Chansons et comptines acadiennes par/by Joseph Edgar, Lisa LeBlanc, Robin-Joël Cool, Wanabi Farmeur, Vishtèn, Caroline Savoie, Édith Butler
Highway To Spell by/par Jeremy Fisher Junior
Love, Kisses and Hugs by/par Splash’N Boots
The Superstar Sibling Detective Agency by/par The Swinging Belles

TRADITIONAL SINGER OF THE YEAR / CHANTEUR TRADITIONNEL DE L’ANNÉE
Matthew Byrne for/pour Horizon Lines
Diana Erb of/de Twas Now for/pour Old Fashioned Way
Lenka Lichtenberg for/pour Masaryk: Národní písně
Pharis Romero of/de Pharis & Jason Romero for/pour Sweet Old Religion
Buffy Sainte-Marie for/pour Medicine Songs  

CONTEMPORARY SINGER OF THE YEAR / CHANTEUR CONTEMPORAIN DE L’ANNÉE
Kellie Loder for/pour Benefit of the Doubt
Rob Lutes for/pour Walk in the Dark
Catherine MacLellan for/pour If It’s Alright With You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan
Dylan Menzie for/pour As The Clock Rewinds
Dana Wylie for/pour The Earth That You’re Made Of

INSTRUMENTAL SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR / INSTRUMENTISTE SOLO DE L’ANNÉE
Jean-François Bélanger pour/for Les entrailles de la montagne
Andrea Bettger for/pour Snappy Day
Holly Blazina for/pour Transcendencia
Justin Gray of/de Synthesis for/pour New Horizons
Dan MacDonald for/pour Rural/Urban

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR / GROUPE INSTRUMENTAL DE L’ANNÉE
Andrew Collins Trio for/pour Groove
The Fretless for/pour Live from the Art Farm
Miller | MacDonald | Cormier for/pour South Haven
So Long Seven for/pour Kala Kalo
West of Mabou for/pour The Bridge

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR / GROUPE VOCAL DE L’ANNÉE
The Fugitives for/pour The Promise Of Strangers
Good Lovelies for/pour Shapeshifters
Gunning & Cormier for/pour Two
The LYNNeS for/pour Heartbreak Song For The Radio
Pharis & Jason Romero for/pour Sweet Old Religion

ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR / GROUPE DE L’ANNÉE
The East Pointers for/pour What We Leave Behind
The Fretless for/pour Live from the Art Farm
Genticorum pour/for Avant l’orage
The LYNNeS for/pour Heartbreak Song For The Radio
Pharis & Jason Romero for/pour Sweet Old Religion

SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR / ARTISTE SOLO DE L’ANNÉE
Bruce Cockburn for/pour Bone On Bone
David Francey for/pour The Broken Heart Of Everything
Jolene Higgins (Little Miss Higgins) for/pour My Home, My Heart
Catherine MacLellan for/pour If It’s Alright With You: The Songs of Gene MacLellan
Buffy Sainte-Marie for/pour Medicine Songs  

ENGLISH SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR / AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR(S) ANGLOPHONE DE L’ANNÉE
Bruce Cockburn for/pour Bone On Bone
Lynne Hanson, Lynn Miles of/de The LYNNeS for/pour Heartbreak Song For The Radio
Dana Sipos for/pour Trick Of The Light
Noosa Al-Sarraj (Winona Wilde) for/pour Wasted Time
Donovan Woods for/pour Both Ways  

FRENCH SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR /AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR(S) FRANCOPHONE DE L’ANNÉE
Anik Bérubé, Natalie Byrns of/de Ancolie pour/for Le soleil en bulle
Danny Boudreau pour/for Mon été
Étienne Fletcher pour/for Face A
Benoit Pinette (Tire le Coyote) pour/for Désherbage
Kristine St-Pierre pour/for La promesse

INDIGENOUS SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR / AUTEUR-COMPOSITEUR(S) AUTOCHTONE DE L’ANNÉE
Tiffany Ayalik, Greyson Gritt of/de Quantum Tangle for/pour Shelter as we go…
Buffy Sainte-Marie for/pour Medicine Songs
Shauit for/pour Apu peikussiakᵘ
Dennis Shorty for/pour Gucho Hin
Sandra Sutter for/pour Cluster Stars   

WORLD SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR / ARTISTE DE L’ANNÉE MUSIQUE DU MONDE – SOLO
Jean-François Bélanger pour/for Les entrailles de la montagne
Daniel Bellegarde of/de Bellegarde pour/for Anba Tonèl
Eliana Cuevas for/pour Golpes Y Flores
Lenka Lichtenberg for/pour Masaryk: Národní písně
Buffy Sainte-Marie for/pour Medicine Songs

WORLD GROUP OF THE YEAR / GROUPE DE MUSIQUE DE MONDE DE L’ANNÉ
Autorickshaw for/pour Meter
Lemon Bucket Orkestra for/pour If I Had The Strength
Minor Empire for/pour Uprooted
Near East for/pour Near East
Oktopus for/pour Hapax

NEW/EMERGING ARTIST(S) OF THE YEAR / ARTISTE(S) DE LA RELÈVE
Aerialists for/pour Group Manoeuvre
Raine Hamilton for/pour Night Sky
Jack Pine and The Fire for/pour Left To Our Own Devices
Mattie Leon for/pour Signal Hill
The Lifers for/pour Honey Suite
Annie Sumi for/pour In the Unknown

PRODUCER(S) OF THE YEAR / RÉALISATEUR(S) DE L’ANNÉE
Ozan Boz for/pour Uprooted by/par Minor Empire
Steve Dawson for/pour Same As I Ever Have Been by/par Matt Patershuk
Jean-François Bélanger pour/for Les entrailles de la montagne   Lynne Hanson, Lynn Miles for/pour Heartbreak Song For The Radio by/par The LYNNeS
Chris Mckhool, John “Beetle” Bailey for/pour Christmas Caravan by/par Sultan of String
Suzie Vinnick, Mark Lalama for/pour Shake The Love Around by/par Suzie Vinnick

OLIVER SCHROER PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES AWARD / PRIX INNOVATION MUSICALE
Beatrice Deer for/pour My All To You
Cindy Doire for/pour Panorama
Quantum Tangle for/pour Shelter as we go…
La Suite pour/for Inventions pour deux violoneux   

YOUNG PERFORMER(S) OF THE YEAR / JEUNE ARTISTE(S) DE L’ANNÉE
Nick Earle, Joseph Coffin of/de Earle and Coffin for/pour A Day in July
Ben Heffernan for/pour Home
Christian Howse for/pour We Were
Marley Mullan for/pour Fiddle Dance
Jessica Wedden for/pour One More Time

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters

CFMA 2018 event details:
The 14th Edition of the Canadian Folk Music Awards takes place over the weekend of Nov 30 – Dec 1, 2018 at The Gateway (a.k.a. “The Gate”),  in the Campus Centre of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) at 1301 16th Avenue. Tickets and wristbands go on sale October 1, 2018. Tickets will be $35 per night.Wristbands will be $60, and will get you into any and all workshops as well as both nights.