Stars is a Canadian indie pop/rock band based in Montreal, Quebec. Since forming in 2000, they have released nine albums and a number of EPs. Their music has been nominated for two Juno Awards and two Polaris Music Prizes.
Thrush Hermit was a Canadian alternative rock band active in the 1990s, known for their "highly energetic, humorous, and unpredictable performances," as quoted by Vice News.
William Joel MacDonald Plaskett is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genres, from blues and folk to hard rock, country, and pop.
Dayna Manning is a Canadian folk and pop singer-songwriter, as well as a producer and sound engineer. As a teenager she released her first album, Volume 1, on EMI and Nettwerk, with featured musicians including Sean Lennon and Melanie Doane. A single from the album reached #15 on the MuchMusic top hits chart in Canada, and she was nominated for the 1998 Juno Award for Best New Artist.
Two Hours Traffic was a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Critics have drawn comparisons to 1970s power pop band Big Star, but the band members tend to cite Nick Lowe as a prime influence. The band was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize in 2008 for the album Little Jabs. In 2013, the band performed on their final tour, disbanding afterward.
Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian folk rock band from Wainfleet, Ontario, and currently based in Toronto.
The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was increased to $30,000 for the 2011 award. In May 2015, the Polaris Music Prize was increased to $50,000, an additional $20,000, sponsored by Slaight Music. Additionally, second place prizes for the nine other acts on the Short List increased from $2,000 to $3,000. Polaris officials also announced The Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, an award that "will annually honour five albums from the five decades before Polaris launched in 2006." Details about the selection process for this prize are still to be revealed.
Ashtray Rock is an album by Canadian indie rock band Joel Plaskett Emergency, released on April 17, 2007.
Little Jabs is the second full-length studio album by Canadian indie rock band Two Hours Traffic, released on Bumstead Records on July 24, 2007. The album was produced by Joel Plaskett, and recorded in Halifax and Toronto.
The 2007 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 24, 2007 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto.
The 2009 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2009 in Toronto at the Masonic Temple and broadcast live online for the first time in its short history. The award's eligibility period for 2009 covered albums released between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009.
Bruce Peninsula is a Canadian indie rock band, whose style has been described as "a near indescribable and rousing potpourri of prog, gospel, folk, rock, pop and country." The band consists of core members Matt Cully on vocals and guitar, Misha Bower on vocals, Neil Haverty on vocals, guitar and metallophone, Andrew Barker on bass guitar and lap steel and Steve McKay on drums. Bruce Peninsula also regularly features a large choir section, currently made up of Tamara Lindeman, Ivy Mairi, Daniella Gesundheit (Snowblink) and Kari Peddle. The choir has previously included Katie Stelmanis (Austra), Casey Mecija (Ohbijou), Isla Craig, Amy Learmonth, Taylor Kirk and Christienne Chesney.
Territory is the third full-length studio album by Canadian indie rock band Two Hours Traffic, and the follow-up to their Polaris Prize-nominated Little Jabs. It was released on September 8, 2009 on Bumstead Records. The album was produced by Joel Plaskett. The band toured Canada in September and October 2009 in support of the album.
New Wild Everywhere is the fifth studio album by Canadian folk rock band Great Lake Swimmers, released April 3, 2012 on Nettwerk.
Scrappy Happiness is an album by Joel Plaskett Emergency released on March 27, 2012. The album followed a unique release strategy, in which the band recorded one song each week for ten weeks, immediately releasing it for airplay on CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3 and to iTunes for sale as a single, before releasing the 10 songs as a complete album in conventional formats on March 27.
Mo Kenney is a Canadian singer/songwriter based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Catching the ear of noted Canadian rocker Joel Plaskett while still in school, Kenney released her first album in 2012, which Plaskett produced. Kenney is known for her lyrical prowess and engaging stage presence. Called "Nova Scotia's rising star" by The Scene magazine, she has toured with Plaskett as well as with Ron Sexsmith. In 2013, her song "Sucker" won the prestigious SOCAN Songwriting Prize.
Trent Severn is a Canadian folk trio composed of Emm Gryner, Dayna Manning, and Lindsay Schindler. Founded in 2011, all three women share vocal duties and contribute to the songwriting process. They released their self-titled debut album in November 2012, under the imprint Dead Daisy Records. The band was nominated for two 2013 Canadian Folk Music Awards, and toured and performed around Canada until announcing a hiatus on January 21, 2019.
The Park Avenue Sobriety Test is an album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joel Plaskett, released March 17, 2015 on Pheromone Recordings.
The 2015 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2015 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The event was hosted by children's entertainer Fred Penner.
44 is the sixth solo album by Canadian indie rock musician Joel Plaskett, released on April 17, 2020. Dubbed the "spiritual successor" to Plaskett's prior triple album Three, the 44-song, quadruple album was released the day before the artist's 45th birthday. Plaskett recorded the album across Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Memphis, Nashville and Toronto, having worked with 33 other musicians over four years.
