Alexisonfire Win XM Verge Album of the Year, Singer Lightly Slams Other Awards

Posted on Sep 23rd 2009 5:45PM by Nick Flanagan
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Amidst all of this Polaris Prize hubbub (and the ensuing Tweet-heard-round-Toronto from Metric), Tuesday evening's XM Verge Music awards was decided by a different group of people: the fans. Dallas Green of album of the year winners Alexisonfire (for 'Old Crows/Young Cardinals') was keenly aware of that fact, telling Chartattack, "It's nice to win awards like that, you know, that fans vote for."

"They're really the only awards that kind of mean anything," he continued. "I feel like all the other awards just involve, like, a panel of people or members of some sort of association."

A dig at the Polaris awards, so recently won by Green's brothers in F---ed Up? Perhaps, but more likely just a nod to the fans that keep the Alexisonfire boys decked out in the finest linens and furs, thanks to the $25,000 prize that goes to the winner. That's five grand more than the 11-juror Polaris committee awarded to F---ed Up, who will be putting their prize winnings toward a charity Christmas single to raise money to help find aboriginal women who have gone missing.

Another winner was British Columbia-based singer/songwriter Dan Mangan, who apparently plans to spend his winnings on a tour van and paying off debt, a charity of another kind. Performers at the event included Polaris noms Hey Rosetta!, Metric and the Weakerthans.