Junos 2012: Feist, Drake, Dan Mangan and Sheepdogs Win Juno Awards

As with any award show, the 2012 Junos Gala, the un-televised Saturday dinner ceremony where the vast majority of the gold is doled before the big Willam Shatner-hosted Sunday show in Ottawa, was full of expected wins, unfortunate losses and not a few shockers.

Feist, who swept her last Junos with five wins back in 2008, nabbed another pair of statues for her mantle. To no one's surprise -- except perhaps Feist herself, who admitted at the podium "I really didn't know this category was up tonight so I'm shocked" -- the indie superstar took home Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Metals as well Music DVD of the Year, for Look at What the Light Did Now. She has a chance at another two on Sunday in the best songwriter and artist of the year categories.

Drake, who lost last year's Rap Recording of the Year -- and all of his other nominations -- in a shocking upset since he was also hosting, saved some face with Saturday's win for his acclaimed album Take Care. Of course, we didn't see his face since the Toronto rapper is currently touring the UK even though he's also up for artist of the year, Juno Fan Choice and album of the year on Sunday night.

• Deadmau5
• Lights
• Dan Mangan
• KEN Mode
• Arkells
• Deadmau5 and Carly Rae Jepsen
• Kiran Ahluwalia
• Simple Plan
• Feist
• Classified
• Arkells
• JDRN and Mia Martina
• Wailin' Jennys
• Jian Ghomeshi
• Dan Mangan
• Juno Award 2012 Nominees
• Feist
• Avril Lavigne
• Braids
• Justin Bieber
• City and Colour
• Coeur de Pirate
• D-Sisive
• Dan Mangan
• Deadmau5
• Destroyer
• Diamond Rings
• F---ed Up
• Kardinal Offishall
• 2012 Grammy Moments
• Bruce Springsteen
• Whitney Houston
• Bruno Mars
• Paul McCartney
• Coldplay
• Skrillex
• Beach Boys and Adam Levine
• Paul McCartey Jam
• 12 Artists Who Bombed on SNL
• Sinead O'Connor, October 3, 1992
• Ke$ha, April 17, 2010
• Cypress Hill, October 2, 1993
• Coldplay, October 25, 2008
• The Go-Gos, November 14, 1981
• Frank Zappa, October 21, 1978
• Britney Spears, October 13, 2003
• Laura Branigan, December 4, 1982
• Kanye West, December 13, 2008
• Linkin Park, February 5, 2011
• Taylor Swift, January 10, 2009
• Ashlee Simpson, October 23, 2004

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Unfortunately, the beatsmith behind the face, Noah "40" Shebib, lost a very deserved best producer Juno to the guy who produced Nickelback and Hedley.

The Sheepdogs, who just told Spinner that being lauded for their previously ignored pre-Rolling Stone album was evidence of a "stupid" music industry, got some more proof with a pair of wins, for New Group of the Year and Rock Album of the year, for Learn & Burn. They, also, were not there as following their gigs at SXSW in Austin and winning four Indie Awards at CMW in Toronto, the band had headed to Australia for tour opening for John Foggerty. (They did, however, tweet their response: "Very excited. Is 8am in Perth too early to start celebratory drinking?")
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Alternative Album of the Year went to Arts & Crafts dreamboat Dan Mangan's Oh Fortune, not long after he impressed with a solo acoustic performance onstage. Backstage later, Mangan was his ever-humble self, saying, in response to host Jian Ghomeshi's amazement that this indie kid had gone mainstream, "I can attest there's no Rubik's Cube strategy to this. It's just me learning things on the road and trying to improve."

Group of the Year was picked up by Arkells, who defeated the previously all-powerful Juno winners Nickelback as well as Hedley, which prompted singer Max Kerman to say backstage, "We're excited for all the vitriol from the Hedley fans on Twitter who are going to be angry."

The band did, however, did win pop album of the year, beating out the artistic achievement of former best new artist Juno-winner Lights' Siberia, which she made with another former Juno winner, Holy Fuck, and used to open up the gala dinner in spectacularly epic style with a rousing version of "Where the Fence is Low." In the Francophone Album of the Year spot Polaris Prize-winning rockers Malajube beat Franco-pop superstar Coeur de Pirate in a minor upset.

In the two most recent categories, Winnipeg's KEN mode beat journeymen rockers Anvil for the oddly named Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year. Meanwhile, the Electronic Album of the Year was a big surprise as critically-acclaimed but little known experimental producer Tim Hecker picked up the Juno for Ravedeath, 1972, beating a bevvy of bigger name like Azari & III, Junior Boys and Austra.

Montreal pop-punks Simple Plan were honoured for with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, the youngest-recer recipients, for the work they're done with their charitable foundation, including donating over $750,000 to youth-focussed charities. "Helping out others isn't something that has to happen when you are 50 or 60 years old," said singer Pierre Bouvier. "This is an amazing honour and very special moment for our band. We'll never forget it. [The Simple Plan Foundation] has become an integral part of our band and who we are as people."

The winner for funniest moment, however, goes to Deadmau5 for his presentation of the international album of the year award: "The Juno goes to, oh God, Adele."


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