News Article

Music PEI 2018 Award Nomination Announcement-
Ashley Condon, The East Pointers and Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling lead the way with 6 nominations each

Music PEI is very proud to announce the nominees of the 2018 Music PEI Awards. The awards will be handed out during Credit Union Music PEI Week taking place between January 25th and the 28th, 2018. The majority of the awards will be handed out during the Music PEI Awards Party, Sunday afternoon January 28th at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel Ballroom.

Credit Union Music PEI Week will also have 3 concerts including the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year Concert, Music Mosaic and the Closing Concert along with Friday and Saturday night shows at Baba’s Lounge, Hunter’s Ale House, The Pour House and the Old Triangle and Fishbones Oyster Bar. Details of show performers will be announced in December but the focus will be on the nominees.

Doug Bridges, Marketing and Communications Officer with the Provincial Credit Union said “As we’ve come to expect…the nominees for the 2018 Music PEI Awards include well known Island artists who perform regularly here on Prince Edward Island and many of whom tour the world.  At the same time the nominees include a number of emerging artists, and we look forward to supporting them and watching their careers develop in the years to come.” 

The East Pointers, Ashley Condon and the duo of Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling lead the pack with 6 nominations each. And the nominees for the 2018 Music PEI Awards are:

Album of the Year –
● Catherine MacLellan “If It’s Alright With You – The Songs of Gene MacLellan”
● The East Pointers “What We Leave Behind”
● Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling “Everyone Needs to Chill Out”
● Liam Corcoran “Nevahland”
● Ashley Condon “Can You Hear Me”

Country Recording of the Year –
● Danny Drouin “It’s Been A Long Week”
● Marcella Richard “Marcella Richard Sings Roy MacCaull”
● Small Town Jokurs “Our Little Piece of Heaven”

Female Solo Recording of the Year –
● Alicia Toner “I Learned The Hard Way”
● Ashley Condon “Can You Hear Me”
● Catherine MacLellan “If It’s Alright With You – The Songs of Gene MacLellan”
● Marcella Richard “Marcella Richard Sings Roy MacCaull”

Group Recording of the Year –
● Amanda Jackson Band “Fire in the Blue”
● Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling “Everyone Needs to Chill Out”
● The East Pointers “What We Leave Behind”
● Stabbing Joy “Loved It More Than You Could Ever Know”
● Small Town Jokurs “Our Little Piece of Heaven”

New Artist of the Year –
● Alicia Toner I Learned The Hard Way
● Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling Everyone Needs To Chill Out
● Amanda Jackson Band Fire In The Blue
● Aaron Hastelow Aaron Hastelow
● Stabbing Joy Loved It More Than You Could Ever Know

Male Solo Recording of the Year –
● Liam Corcoran Nevahland
● Rick Sparkes Dirty, Little Love Songs
● Element & Broadbent Safe Spaces
● Danny Drouin It’s Been a Long Week
● Aaron Hastelow Aaron Hastelow

Pop Recording of the Year –
● Aaron Hastelow “Aaron Hastelow”
● Liam Corcoran “Nevahland”
● Stabbing Joy “Loved It More Than You Could Ever Know ”

Urban Recording of the Year –
● Amanda Jackson Band “Fire in the Blue”
● Element & Broadbent “Safe Spaces”
● Norm Strangely “Owlephant”

Roots Contemporary Recording of the Year –
● Catherine MacLellan If It’s Alright With You – The Songs of Gene MacLellan
● The East Pointers What We Leave Behind
● Ashley Condon Can You Hear Me
● Alicia Toner I Learned The Hard Way
● Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling Everyone Needs To Chill Out

SOCAN Songwriter of the Year –
● Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling “Panorama High”
● Nick Doneff “Old Dog”
● Ashley Condon “Oh MY Love”
● Alicia Toner “Back to Fine”
● Liam Corcoran “Tick Tock”

Song of the Year
• The East Pointers “Two Weeks”
• Nick Doneff “Old Dog”
• Ashley Condon “Oh My Love”
• Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling “Panorama High”
• Liam Corcoran “Tick Tock”
• Calm Baretta “Chilly Bones”

Entertainer of the Year (Publicly Voted Award hosted on the Bell Aliant Website) –
● The East Pointers
● Dylan Menzie
● Ashley Condon
● Catherine MacLellan
● The Royal North

Event of the Year –
● Cavendish Beach Music Festival
● Mont-Carmel Summer Concert Series
● PEI Mutual Festival of Small Halls

Producer of the Year –
● Andrew A Melzer
● Jon Matthews
● Brent Chaisson

Touring Artist of the Year –
● Catherine MacLellan
● Dylan Menzie
● The East Pointers

Video of the Year –
● Alicia Toner “I Learned the Hard Way”
● Nick Doneff “Old Dog”
● Norm Strangely “Autismatic”
● Rick Sparkes “Western Wind”

Jennifer Campbell, the President of Music PEI is excited with the diversity of the nominees and said “I would encourage everyone to come out to support our local artists as we celebrate their success and achievements. The awards are often an important stepping stone as our artists develop their careers and public support is crucial to that development.”

Member voting for about half of the awards will be open November 29th on the Music PEI website. The other half will be decided by a jury and all will be announced during Credit Union Music PEI Week.

Music PEI would like to thank FACTOR and financial support of the Government of Canada and Canada’s private radio broadcasters, the Province of Prince Edward Island and ACOA for their ongoing support, Skills PEI, the City of Charlottetown, and our title sponsor the Provincial Credit Union for their generous support. Other sponsors include Downtown Charlottetown, Phillips Agri Service, Holland College, Maritime Electric, Fly PEI, The Hopyard and Beltone. Partners include The Buzz, Long & McQuade, CFCY, Q93 & Spud FM and Synergy Screens.

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As follows, is a full list of nominees, including the number of awards they have been nominated for in descending order, as well as which awards each one is nominated for:

● The East Pointers (6): Album OTY, Entertainer OTY, Group Recording OTY, Roots Contemporary Recording OTY, Song OTY, Touring Artist
● Ashley Condon (6): Album OTY, Entertainer OTY, Female Solo Recording OTY, Roots Contemporary Recording OTY, SOCAN Songwriter OTY, Song OTY
● Dennis Ellsworth & Kinley Dowling (6): Album OTY, Group Recording OTY, New Artist OTY, Roots Contemporary Recording OTY, SOCAN Songwriter OTY, Song OTY
● Catherine MacLellan (5): Album OTY, Entertainer OTY, Female Solo Recording OTY, Roots Contemporary Recording OTY, Touring Artist OTY
● Liam Corcoran (5): Album OTY, Male Solo Recording OTY, Pop Recording OTY, SOCAN Songwriter OTY, Song OTY
● Alicia Toner (5): Female Solo Recording OTY, New Artist OTY, Roots Contemporary Recording OTY, SOCAN Songwriter OTY, Video OTY
● Amanda Jackson Band (3): Group Recording OTY, New Artist OTY, Urban Recording OTY
● Aaron Hastelow (3): Male Solo Recording OTY, New Artist OTY, Pop Recording OTY
● Nick Doneff (3): SOCAN Songwriter OTY, Song OTY, Video OTY
● Stabbing Joy (3): Group Recording OTY, New Artist OTY, Pop Recording OTY
● Dylan Menzie (2): Entertainer OTY, Touring Artist OTY
● Marcella Richard (2): Country Recording OTY, Female Solo Recording OTY
● Danny Drouin (2): Country Recording OTY, Male Solo Recording OTY
● Rick Sparkes (2): Male Solo Recording OTY, Video OTY
● Small Town Jokurs (2): Country Recording OTY, Group Recording OTY
● Element & Broadbent (2): Male Solo Recording OTY, Urban Recording OTY
● Norm Strangely (2): Urban Recording OTY, Video OTY
● Andrew Melzer (1): Producer OTY
● Calm Baretta (1): Song OTY
● Brent Chaisson (1): Producer OTY
● Jon Matthews (1): Producer OTY
● The Royal North (1): Entertainer OTY
● Cavendish Beach Music Festival (1): Event OTY
● Mont-Carmel Summer Concert Series (1): Event OTY
● PEI Mutual Festival Of Small Halls (1): Event OTY

For more information contact:
Rob Oakie
Executive Director
[email protected]
902-894-6734