News Article

Eastlink East Coast Music Week wrapped up on Sunday night with the Awards Show Gala and the four day festival garnered a lot of interest for many Island artists who not only showcased their talents for many national and international delegates but were nominated for numerous awards.

Singer-songwriter Tim Chaisson picked up his first-ever ECMA award on Thursday night for Roots Traditional Solo Recording of the Year for “The Other Side”. It was also a night of firsts for English Words who picked up their first ECMA on Friday for Electronic Recording of the Year for “Red Potion”.

Jon Matthews and Teresa Doyle received very special honours from the East Coast Music Association this weekend. Matthews received the prestigious Stompin’ Tom Connors award which was made even more poignant with the passing of Connors earlier this week. Doyle was one of thirteen artists honoured with the 25th Anniversary Artist award. This award was handed out by the ECMA Board of Directors which recognized individuals and groups who have consistently contributed to the East Coast Music Association through their support, membership and involvement over the past 25 years. Rawlins Cross (Joey Kitson) and Lennie Gallant also received this honour and both have ties to PEI.

Rock group Coyote won the first ever People’s Choice Rising Star Award and along with it comes fights to Toronto and an invitation to play a showcase at the North By Northeast Music and Film Festival & Conference which takes place in June.

Other artists with ties to PEI also picked up some hardware. Rose Cousins, who is a native of PEI, picked up three awards for her album “We Have Made a Spark”. Jenn Grant won for Pop Recording of the Year for her album “The Beautiful Wild”. Vishtèn, the Acadian powerhouse trio, won for Francophone Recording of the Year for “Mōsaїk”. Daniel Ledwell won for Producer of the Year

Music PEI Executive Director, Rob Oakie says “Congratulations to all of the PEI nominees and winners. There was a significant buzz around many of the Island artists. The Music PEI stage at Durty Nelly’s was one of the busiest places on Friday and Saturday night with hour long line-ups all night to get in and our artists delivered fantastic performances”.

March is a busy month for many Island musicians. Paper Lions, Tim Chaisson and Two Hours Traffic are attending South By Southwest this week which is one of the largest music festivals in North America.

Coyote, John Connolly, Racoon Bandit, Tim Chaisson, The Danks and The Meds are all showcasing at the Music PEI stage at the El Mocambo on Friday, March 22nd at Canadian Music Week which runs from March 19-23. Visit the Facebook Event for full details. Two Hours Traffic and North Lakes are also showcasing at the festival.