Five local artists up for Juno awards

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This article was published 02/02/2011 (5373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEL Barber wasn’t sure why his phone kept ringing Tuesday morning.

The local singer-songwriter was on the Yellowhead Highway driving to the Yukon for a tour when his BlackBerry started buzzing non-stop.

“I started getting alerts. I just got a BlackBerry, which I’m very poor at using. I had someone help me connect to all my social media outlets, so I started getting messages saying congratulations and I didn’t know what it was for. I called my sister and she didn’t know what was going on, then through the minutiae I started adding up the facts before someone just came out and said it: “You’re nominated for a Juno,” he said.

Specifically, Barber’s independent sophomore album, Love Songs for the Last Twenty, was named a Juno Award nominee in the roots & traditional album of the year: solo category.

“I feel like the ultimate underdog,” says the first time nominee. “I have no record label. I don’t even have a website. It’s very humbling to get a nod like that.”

The 27-year-old was one of five local artists and numerous expats whose names were read during the Juno nomination press conference in Toronto Tuesday.

Facing off against Barber in the solo roots album category is Wailin’ Jennys member Ruth Moody, who received a nod for her debut solo album The Garden.

“I’m very excited. It’s wonderful to have something recognized in this way, and it’s really a bit different because it’s a solo album. I’m thrilled and I’m honoured and I’m a fan of all of the songwriters in this category: Justin (Rutledge), Lynn (Miles), Old Man Luedecke and Del. I just think that is some über talent,” said a cheerful Moody, 35, who was told of the announcement by her producer David Travers-Smith, also a nominee in the recording engineer of the year category, in part for his work on her album.

Other local artists up for Junos are a capella group Chic Gamine for roots & traditional album of the year: group for their sophomore release, City City; and Eagle & Hawk and Little Hawk, who will face off against each other in the aboriginal album of the year category for Rising Sun and Vigilance, respectively.

Moody won a Juno for her work with the Wailin’ Jennys in 2005, Chic Gamine took home a trophy in 2009 and Eagle & Hawk scored an award in 2002.

Some former Manitobans are also up for awards.

Neil Young is nominated for artist of the year while his album Le Noise is up for adult alternative album of the year. Additionally, he is being honoured with the 2011 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award.

Luke Doucet’s album, Steel City Trawler, is up against Young’s in the adult alternative album of the year category; Starfield’s The Saving One is a finalist for contemporary Christian/gospel album of the year; multiple-award winner James Ehnes is up for classical album of the year: large ensemble for his Mendelssohn Violin Concerto; Jocelyn Morlock’s Exaudi is shortlisted for classical composition of the year; and pianist Earl MacDonald’s Re: Visions, Works for Jazz Orchestra vies for traditional jazz album of the year.

rob.williams@freepress.mb.ca