Ten Strings And A Goat Skin tops the list of nominees for the 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards with four nods. The Prince Edward Island-based bilingual folk trio is among 72 artists and groups from ten provinces and two territories vying for awards in 19 categories to be presented during a gala event at Toronto’s Isabel Bader Theatre on Dec. 3.

Ten Strings And A Goat Skin

Ten Strings And A Goat Skin

Known for its innovative approach to presenting traditional and original music inspired by their Atlantic Canadian heritage and infused with pop and world rhythms, Ten Strings And A Goat Skin expand on the Scottish and Acadian roots of PEI’s traditional music and add contemporary sensibilities on its June 2016 release, Auprès du Poêle (Around the Woodstove), which is up for Traditional Album of the Year. The trio –featuring Rowen Gallant, Caleb Gallant and Jesse Periard — also received nominations for The Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award, Traditional Singer of the Year and Ensemble of the Year.

Artists receiving nominations in two categories include The Andrew Collins Trio, Big Little Lions, Megan Bonnell, Fásta, David Francey, Beppe Gambetta & Tony McManus, Nadia Gaudet & Jason Burnstick, Hillsburn, Danny Michel, William Prince, Shannon Quinn, Corin Raymond, Royal Wood, The Small Glories, The Strumbellas, Whitehorse, Donovan Woods, and The Yves Lambert Trio

The Canadian Folk Music Awards were established in 2005 to bring greater exposure to the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music, celebrating and promoting it in all its forms. Outstanding achievements will be recognized in 19 categories, while Unsung Hero and Folk Music Canada’s Innovator Award recipients will be named in October.

Benoit Bourque of La Bottine Souriante, and formerly of Le Vent du Nord and Matapat, joins Newfoundland musician Jean Hewson in hosting the bilingual gala awards presentation. The event marks the culmination of a CFMA weekend that will feature Friday evening and Saturday brunch showcase performances by a number of talented Canadian artists at Hugh’s Room. Tickets for the gala show are available to the public for $45 (plus a $2 processing fee), while showcase tickets are $29 in advance via www.hughsroom.com or $32.50 at the door.

A complete list of 2016 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominees follows. More information may be found online at www.folkawards.ca.

Young Performer of the Year:
▪ Jake Vance for Eden
▪ Jessica Wedden for Fiddling is My Passion
▪ Chanelle Albert for How Beautiful We Are
▪ Nick Earle and Joe Coffin for Live at the Citadel House
▪ Keltie Monaghan for Someone Tell Her

New/Emerging Artist of the Year:
▪ Ben Caplan for Birds With Broken Wings
▪ Hillsburn for In the Battle Years
▪ Evening Hymns for Quiet Energies
▪ Old Whiskey Road for Under The Neon Lights
▪ The Small Glories for Wondrous Traveler

The Oliver Schroer Pushing The Boundaries Award:
▪ Ten Strings And A Goat Skin for Auprès du Poêle
▪ Ozere for Finding Anyplace
▪ Kaia Kater for Nine Pin
▪ Jim Bryson for Somewhere We Will Find Our Place
▪ Whitehorse for The Northern South Vol. 1

English Songwriter(s) of the Year:
▪ Royal Wood for Ghost Light
▪ Donovan Woods for Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled
▪ The Strumbellas for Hope
▪ Danny Michel for Matadora
▪ The Small Glories (Songwriters: Cara Luft, JD Edwards) for Wondrous Traveler

French Songwriter(s) of the Year:
▪ Les soeurs Boulay for 4488 de l’Amour
▪ Richard Séguin for Les horizons nouveaux
▪ Safia Nolin for Limoilou
▪ Philippe Brach for Portraits de famine
▪ Sept jours en mai – Songwriters: Mara Tremblay, Michel Rivard, Luc De Larochellière, Éric Goulet, Gilles Bélanger, MountainDaisies (Ariane Ouellet, Carl Prévost) for Sept jours en mai

Aboriginal Songwriter(s) of the Year:
▪ Nadia Gaudet & Jason Burnstick for Dream Big, Little One * Fais de beaux rêves, petit ange
▪ William Prince for Earthly Days
▪ Digawolf for Great Northern Man
▪ Amanda Rheaume for Holding Patterns
▪ Twin Flames for Jaaji and Chelsey June

World Group of the Year:
▪ Tio Chorinho for Chora Brazil
▪ Nomadica for Dance of the Infidels
▪ Lenka Lichtenberg & Fray for Live in America
▪ Beppe Gambetta & Tony McManus for Round Trip
▪ Sultans of String for Subcontinental Drift

World Solo Artist of the Year:
▪ Jocelyn Pettit for Caravan
▪ Kattam for De Tombouctou à Bombay
▪ Élage Diouf for Melokáane
▪ Karim Saada for Mon frère
▪ Willy Rios for Para ti

Traditional Album of the Year:
▪ Auprès du Poêle by Ten Strings And A Goat Skin
▪ Coffee Creek by The Slocan Ramblers
▪ Princes et Habitants by Yann Falquet & Pascal Gemme
▪ Terre Rouge by Vishtèn
▪ Un Canadien Errant by Fásta

Traditional Singer of the Year:
▪ Rowen Gallant from Ten Strings And A Goat Skin for Auprès du Poêle
▪ Chaim Tannenbaum for Chaim Tannenbaum
▪ Shannon Quinn for If All The Young Ladies
▪ Yves Lambert from the Yves Lambert Trio for Laissez courir les chiens
▪ Sophie Lavoie from Fásta for Un Canadien Errant

Contemporary Album of the Year:
▪ Empty Train by David Francey
▪ Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams by Corin Raymond
▪ Hope by The Strumbellas
▪ Just Keep Moving by Big Little Lions
▪ Hard Settle, Ain’t Troubled by Donovan Woods

Contemporary Singer of the Year:
▪ William Prince for Earthly Days
▪ Matt Andersen for Honest Man
▪ Jadea Kelly for Love & Lust
▪ Megan Bonnell for Magnolia
▪ Danny Michel for Matadora

Instrumental Group of the Year:
▪ The Andrew Collins Trio for And It Was Good
▪ Tio Chorinho for Chora Brazil
▪ NUA for FLOW
▪ Beppe Gambetta & Tony McManus for Round Trip
▪ The East Pointers for Secret Victory

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year:
▪ Don Alder for Armed & Dangerous
▪ Duane Andrews for Conception Bay
▪ Daniel Koulack for Frailing To Succeed
▪ Arnie Naiman for My Lucky Stars
▪ Lotus Wight for Ode to the Banjo

Vocal Group of the Year:
▪ Rosie & the Riveters for Good Clean Fun!
▪ Hillsburn for In the Battle Years
▪ Musique à bouches for Jusqu’aux oreilles
▪ Big Little Lions for Just Keep Moving
▪ Sweet Alibi for Walking In The Dark

Ensemble of the Year:
▪ Ten Strings And A Goat Skin for Auprès du Poêle
▪ Yves Lambert Trio for Laissez courir les chiens
▪ Les Frères Berthiaume for Le temps des fêtes est terminé
▪ The East Pointers for Secret Victory
▪ Whitehorse for The Northern South Vol. 1

Solo Artist of the Year:
▪ Old Man Luedecke for Domestic Eccentric
▪ David Francey for Empty Train
▪ Matt Andersen for Honest Man
▪ Shannon Quinn for If All The Young Ladies
▪ Megan Bonnell for Magnolia

Children’s Album of the Year:
▪ De Tombouctou à Bombay by Kattam
▪ Dream Big, Little One * Fais de beaux rêves, petit ange by Nadia Gaudet & Jason Burnstick
▪ Pants & Mammals by The Kerplunks
▪ Songs, Stories and Friends 2: Where The Path Will Wind by Charlie Hope
▪ Welcome Summer by Kathy Reid-Naiman

Producer(s) of the Year:
▪ Andrew Collins & David Travers-Smith for And It Was Good by The Andrew Collins Trio
▪ Royal Wood & Bill Leflr for Ghost Light by Royal Wood
▪ David Gillis for Hobo Jungle Fever Dreams by Corin Raymond
▪ Steve Dawson for I Was So Fond of You by Matt Patershuk
▪ Matthew Barber & Jill Barber with The Family Band for Matthew Barber & Jill Barber for The Family Album