The Juno Awards - Best New Band Over the years

The Juno Awards are happening in Winnipeg this year, and Robin Thicke was supposed to come but dropped out at the last minute. A fellow I know tweeted, "Thicke's absence opens the door for 13 Engines". I wish.

I went swimming through some history on the Juno Awards, mostly on the category which began as Most Promising Group and morphed into Best New Group/New Group of the Year/Breakthrough Group of the Year. It's easy to find fault in hindsight, but I still think there have been a few odd choices. Some nuggets for ya:

 In 1977, Burton Cummings won for most promising male vocalist. One of the his competitors? Winestoned Plowboy Nestor Pistor.


In 1980 and 1981, Bryan Adams lost out for most promising male vocalist, to Walter Rossi in '80 and Graham Shaw in '81.

Graham Shaw is pretty good though.


In 1998, Age of Electric received a nomination for Best New Group. The band had been releasing albums since 1990. Strangely enough, AOE members Ryan and Kurt Dahle formed a side project called Limblifter, put out a self-titled album in 1996, and managed to get nominated for the Best New Group award - the year BEFORE their old band did.

Age of Electric


Limblifter


1983 saw Rational Youth, The Box, and Images in Vogue lose out to Idle Eyes for Most Promising New Group.

Rational Youth




The Box




Images in Vogue


In 1979, Max Webster lost out for Most Promising Group of the Year to some group called Hometown Band.

Max Webster


Martha & the Muffins and Red Rider lost out in '81 AND '82. One year they lost to Powder Blues Band.

Martha & the Muffins


Red Rider


In 1991, Spirit of the West, Crash Vegas and National Velvet lost out to Leslie Spit Treeo.

Spirit of the West


Crash Vegas


National Velvet


Have the Junos ever gotten this award right? Maybe. Like The Stills and Wintersleep, for example. Rush, Skydiggers, The Hip and The Payolas won, so I am sure some people feel that there have been a few worthy wins.

The Stills


Wintersleep


Skydiggers



However, in 1986 Chalk Circle went up against Cats Can Fly, Eye Eye, One to One, and Glass Tiger. Chalk Circle was robbed, robbed I tell ya.

Chalk Circle
 

Justin Rutledge gets Tragically Hip, Covers Courage and 9 More

I have been thinking for quite a while about getting some artists to cover some particular Tragically Hip songs. Since Sarah Polley reeled off a haunting version of Courage so many years ago, I figured it would be a fun exercise. Well, wouldn't ya know it, someone beat me to it. On April 22, Justin Rutledge is releasing 10 Hip covers on an album entitled Daredevil, with people like Skydiggers' Andy Maize, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Brendan Canning, and Jenn Grant. Here's one song as a sample with Andy Maize chiming in on vocals.

Courage (for Hugh Maclennan)


Daredevil:

1. Looking For A Place to Happen
2. Springtime in Vienna
3. Thugs
4. Escape Is At Hand for the Travellin' Man
5. Grace, Too
6. Locked in the Trunk of a Car
7. Courage (for Hugh Maclennan)
8. Long Time Running
9. Put it Off
10. Fiddler's Green



Tragically Hip versions of songs Rutledge has recorded:

1. Looking For A Place to Happen


2. Springtime in Vienna

3. Thugs


4. Escape Is At Hand for the Travellin' Man


5. Grace, Too


6. Locked in the Trunk of a Car


7. Courage (for Hugh Maclennan)


8. Long Time Running


9. Put it Off


10. Fiddler's Green


Aaaaand some Hip covers for ya:

Sarah Polley - Courage


Blow at High Dough for Orchestra


c!c!c! - Ahead By a Century


Justin Rutledge has been unafraid to cover popular artists in the past, here's a cover of a Bob Dylan track you might know.

Tomorrow is a Long Time


Your reward for making it this far down the post is a couple of free mp3s, and the first is a cover of the Pogues' Dirty Old Town.

Kapuskasing Coffee.