Joel Plaskett's 'Three' Earns Him Eight East Coast Music Award Nominations

Posted on Dec 3rd 2009 8:10PM by Drew Berner
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With all the attention being paid to music coming out of Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, it's easy to miss the steadily increasing wealth of talent in Canada's Atlantic provinces.

The recent nominations for the 2010 East Coast Music Awards prove the talent pool in the Maritimes grows ever deeper, with artists like rapper Classified, folk singer Jenn Grant and former Polaris Prize short-listers Two Hours Traffic and Joel Plaskett each earning multiple nods.

Canadian-indie mainstay Plaskett leads the charge with eight nominations, including two entries for Single of the Year from his latest release, 'Three,' an ambitious three-disc offering that explores the traveling phases of departure, separation and return.

"When I set out making a triple record I did ponder the serious possibility of it being 'career suicide,' " Plaskett wrote in a post on his website following the nominations. "Thanks for putting my mind at ease."

The Nova Scotia singer-songwriter faces some stiff competition, however: Indie-pop outfit In-Flight Safety and Classified -- the latter of whom has released an astounding 13 albums in the past 14 years -- follow closely with six nominations apiece.

The most unpredictable category may be Entertainer of the Year; Plaskett, Classified and In-Flight Safety have all scored mentions, but there will be plenty of hype for up-and-coming heroes like the Divorcees, local purveyors of Southern twang, and eclectic collective Gypsophilia, whose sound combines jazz, klezmer, funk, reggae, tango and game show music.

The competition for the FACTOR Recording of the Year also looks to be rich, with offerings from Plaskett and Classified -- whose latest album, 'Self Explanatory,' features Plaskett on a song -- pitted against critically-lauded folk singer-songwriters Jenn Grant and Amelia Curran's respective albums.

The weekend-long event will highlight a vivid cross-section of East-Coast talent, with showcases featuring all the major nominees and a slew of local performers. The awards will be handed out in Sydney, Nova Scotia on Mar. 7, 2010.