Sask Music Awards and Music Week are Both Things Now
Nick Murray
SaskMusic is upping the ante in their efforts to make Saskatchewan a great place to work and live as a musician. They have now announced that they will be presenting Saskatchewan Music Week from November 25th through to December 2nd.
The week will be chock-full of exciting music-related events featuring some of the best and most popular artists the province has to offer.
On November 25 there will be a launch event and public awards celebration honouring the recipients of the new Saskatchewan Music Awards. Award nominations will open September 21, with ticket information to be announced soon.
Then from November 29-December 2 in Saskatoon, SaskMusic will present Very Prairie: Saskatchewan Music Summit. The event will welcome industry professionals from across the country as well as some from overseas for an intensive four-day conference.
There will be panel discussions involving festival programmers, booking agents, record label execs and more. The idea is to provide Saskatchewan’s music industry, artists and musicians with insider insights and the sort professional guidance that is valuable to making it as a career musician.
But it's bigger than that. Very Prairie goes beyond simply being a music summit. The weekend will also provide an opportunity to show off the province’s exploding local chefs, small batch coffee roasters, craft beer brewers and world-class event spaces.
SaskMusic warns that the number of artists that will be presented is limited and there are already many great live music events booked during Saskatchewan Music.
"we issue a challenge to the public to Support Live Music. We encourage everyone, wherever you are in the province, to get out and enjoy live music. Saskatchewan has a long history of exemplary talent"
They followed that up by citing Buffy Ste.Marie, The Sheepdogs, The Dead South, The Northern Pikes, Jess Moskaluke and One Bad Son as some of the shining highlights of the industry in this province.
But we would hearken to add a few others they left out: Megan Nash, who actually won Sask Music's Best Album award in 2017 as well as Colter Wall, Blake Berglund and Brodie Moniker, who topped out our Best Sask Songs of 2017 list.
Not to mention Johnny 2 Fingers and the Deformities and Sunny Day Encore, both of whom are fronting the scene right here in the Friendly City.
"Amazing live music will be happening around the province and we encourage everyone to attend some shows and discover the province’s next breakout star!" read the bulletin.
The event will take place in both Saskatoon and Regina
Registration for Very Prairie is open now, with early bird pricing in effect for SaskMusic members until November 9.
Registration information, showcase submissions, the first wave of panelist bios, and more information regarding Very Prairie is available at www.veryprairie.ca. More information will be announced and added to the schedule over the coming weeks.
