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Metric React to Short List Nomination as Exclaim! Goes Behind the Scenes of the Polaris Music Prize
7/7/2009 By Kelly Semkiw
As previously reported, today was the day the Polaris Music Prize short list was revealed. The list of the final ten nominees was announced at a press conference in Toronto, held at the Drake Hotel’s rooftop patio, and Exclaim! was there to see it all go down.
The space was filled with journalists, bloggers and broadcasters alike, all eagerly awaiting the announcement. The conference began with a short introduction from Polaris founder and executive director Steve Jordan, followed by him revealing the Polaris Music Prize’s new partner, Toronto-based music television station MuchMusic, and that the final gala will be held at the legendary Masonic Temple in Toronto on September 21.
The crowd was then graced by the presence of previously Polaris-nominated band Holy Fuck’s Graham Walsh and CBC Radio 3’s Grant Lawrence. Together they announced the list of nominees alphabetically via Lawrence holding up oversized flash cards with pictures of the nominated bands' album covers printed on the front.
“Listeners will find the jury picked quite an ambitious crop this year” said Jordan. In case you missed it the first time around, the nominees are: Elliott Brood, Fucked Up, Great Lake Swimmers, Hey Rosetta!, K’Naan, Malajube, Metric, Joel Plaskett, Chad VanGaalen and past winner Patrick Watson.
When the congratulatory clapping had begun to die down, seemingly right on cue members from several of the nominated bands entered the room and stationed themselves strategically in the crowd.
“Just to be nominated feels great,” Robbie Kuster of Patrick Watson’s band told Exclaim!, as the group’s Mishka Stein chimed in, “Yeah, to be on the short list feels like a prize in itself.”
We also caught up with Emily Haines of Metric, who said, “Polaris Prize nominees are recognized for their artistic merit, which is why we are so happy to be recognized and also happy that the prize itself is becoming internationally recognized.”
Although the final award gala is only 76 days away, we’re sure it will feel much longer for those nominated. And here at Exclaim!, we too are impatiently awaiting the final winner to be announced, especially because those in the past have proven to be not only deserving but unexpected. If you are already predicting a winner, be careful where you place that bet. You never know who will come out on top.
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Shot in 1981 for German TV series Rockpalast, Are You Ready doesn't showcase the late Phil Lynott and company at their peak, but this DVD still rocks. The popular notion about Ireland's Thin Lizzy is that the band declined after the 1978 landmark double album, Live and Dangerous...
Full Review
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