| The 2010 Jack Richardson Music Awards |
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Written by Sophie Sheldrick
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Sunday, April 11th The Music Hall
As guests and presenters filed into the Music Hall, music from last year’s Jack Richardson Music Awards (JRMA) compilation CD played in the background, setting the tone for an evening filled with exceptionally diverse local music.
The Dennis Brown Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to drummer Graham Lear, who has played for a variety of big-name acts such as Carlos Santana, REO Speedwagon and Paul Anka. He commented, as he accepted his award, “Tonight is a reminder of how deep my roots run in this great city,” and reminisced about his favourite hot-spots “back in the day”. The remainder of the evening continued with the handing out of twenty three awards, including two fan favourite categories (original and tribute/cover). Each award was given out by the category’s 2009 winner, as last year’s winners were ineligible to be nominated for the same category this year. We were treated to incredibly diverse and entertaining The Blues Masters entertained the crowd with their soulful sound while Allison Brown delighted spectators with a composition from Unfortunately for the performers and for the audience, almost every performance was plagued with sound difficulties, from malfunctioning microphones and lengthy sessions of “check...one...two” to feedback noises. These difficulties could also be felt during the award portion of the night, which did cause lots of unnecessary distraction, but also managed to provide a bit of a chuckle when a It truly was a fantastic evening, and if technical difficulties hindered at all, the incredible talent and spirit of camaraderie that could be felt all throughout the night certainly made up for it. We were treated to a taste of I have to make a special mention of the amazing sponsors and volunteers whose hard work and support was apparent all throughout the evening. Thank you for giving Londoners the opportunity to discover, recognize and enjoy local talent in a beautiful venue, free of charge. The nominees and recipients of this year’s awards are listed below, and I encourage you to make note of their names and keep an eye open for any of their upcoming live performances. If Sunday night’s showcase of talent was any indication, you certainly won’t regret it.
Blues/R&B Bill Durst The Blues Masters Chris Murphy Band (winner, not present to accept) Rick Taylor Sam Hurrie Teddy Leonard
Country Chris Hart (winner) Rev. Freddie Sarah and Jeff Slugfest Stacey Zegers The Strugglers
Bluegrass James Cummins Lonesome Wind New Cumberland The Dixie Flyers (winner)
Traditional Folk/Roots Claire Danaher Fraser Lady o’Lakes Leah Morise Olenka and the Autumn Lovers (winner) Simple Joy
World Music The Alfredo Caxaj Latin Ensemble (winner) Chasaya Jennifer White Light of East Ensemble Rant Maggie Rant Three Penny Piece
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter Allison Brown (winner) Andy Magoffin Bob Reid - Bobnoxious Chris Hart Jason Hakin Tom and Tara Dunphy
Punk 120 & the fighting 68’s The Alcohollys (winner) The Clydesdales Disleksick The Filthy Radicals Johnny Terrien and the Bad Lieutenants
Electronic Artist Flora Gesumm John Roman Noise Level (winner, not present to accept) Rishi le Roca The Vaya Project
Club DJ David Sternberg DJ Hush Incredible Melting Man (winner, not present to accept) Jonathan Coe BJ Shiloh DJ Sugar Ray
Hip-Hop Ngajuana E-Mortal MC Moore Orlando Valencia (winner, not present to accept) Paperchasers Provizion
Jazz After Four Charles Rallo Chris Norley John Noubarian (winner, not present to accept)
Classical (Voice) Anita Krause John Tessier Patricia Green Sherry Steele Sonja Gustafson (winner)
Classical (Instrumental) John Hess Joseph Lanza (winner, not present to accept) Ralph Aldrich Robert Riseling Ron George Thomas Wiebe
Classical (Choir/Choral) Amabile Youth Singers - Brenda Zadorsky Fanshawe Chorus London - Gerald Fagan First St-Andrew’s United Church Choir - Paul Merritt London Pro Musica - Ken Fleet (winner) Thames Scholars - Gerald Neufeld UWO Wingers - Victoria Meredith
Classical (Group) Ffortissimo Clarinet Quartet London Community Orchestra London Youth Orchestra Orchestra London (winner) UWO Symphony Orchestra UWO Wind Ensemble
Recording Studio Charterhouse Studios Dansanman Studios EMAC (winner) House of Miracles Lofty Productions
Live Venue Aeolian Hall (winner) Call The Office Maggie’s Supper & Jazz Club Norma Jean’s The Black Shire Pub The Music Hall
Metal Dark Adaptation Desiccated Viscera Heaven Ablaze (tie winner, not present to accept) The Jettison Commitment (tie winner) The Serpent & The Siren Terrorhorse
Rock A Horse and His Boy Exit 2012 The Joys (winner, not present to accept) Moondog Uproar Raised by Swans Violet Fuse
Contributors Clark Bryan Charlotte Cleland Sandy MacKay Andy Magoffin Catherine McInnes (winner) Brian Ohl Greg Simpson
Fan Favourite (Original) The Alcohollys Ben G. (winner) The Cool Mothers Cordcalling Dirty Love Band Lido Pimienta Olenka and the Autumn Lovers Requiem
Fan Favourite (Cover/Tribute) Black Belt Jones The Black Holes Doug Varty - “Bryan Adams Tribute” (winner) The Geoff Masse Band Leather Snake Ribbed The Rumblebees Sweet Leaf Garrett
Youth Category Tomorrow Depends, Banting S. S. The Phusion, Catholic Central S.S. Undying Promise, Central Elgin C.I. (tie winner) Crossroads, Clarke Road S.S. UTKF, H. B. Beal S.S. Militant, John Paul II S.S. (tie winner) The Wired, Oakridge S.S. Matthew and the Birds, Parkside C.I.
Sophie Sheldrick is a preschool teacher, music lover and photographer whose work can be viewed at http://www.rawfootagephotos.com . She satisfies her love of writing by regularly contributing to the Beat’s online reviews and rambling on her blog. [Photos by Sophie Sheldrick] |
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 April 2010 09:23 |
The Jack Richardson Music Awards
After being welcomed by our two charming hosts, jazz singer Sonja Gustafson and multi-talented musician Doug Varty [photo above], the evening started with a lively and spirited performance by the Amabile Choir, who were 
being inducted into the London Music Hall of Fame. Kittie [Left and below], a 4-piece metal all-female band who started out in London almost 15 years ago, were also inducted into the Hall of Fame, saved their high-energy performance for the closing act.
performances by representatives from various categories throughout the entire evening.
her upcoming album. The Dixie Flyers got everyone foot-tapping and hand-clapping with their infectious bluegrass performance, and Fraser [Right] charmed the crowd with his honest, stripped down folk sound, harmonica and all. The audience also enjoyed performances by the jazz harmony ensemble After Four, the energetic and colourful Lido Pimienta [Below left], and local indie-rock favourite A Horse and His Boy [Below Right], who all delivered great performances to all in attendance.
particularly high pitched screech was heard while the metal prize was being awarded, prompting the presenter to comment: “That’s metal!”
everything London has to offer, and it confirmed to all in attendance that the local music scene in London is not only alive and well, but thriving and bursting at the seams.
