Junos give Arkells a nod for group of the year … again
Hamilton rock band Arkells has been nominated for Group of the Year at the 50th annual Juno Awards celebration which will take place on Sunday, May 16.
Other Hamilton-area acts nominated for the 2021 Junos include veteran Burlington punk band Silverstein, singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer, electronic artists Jessy Lanza and Caribou, and Hamilton doom-metal band Vile Creature.
The Arkells' nomination, announced Tuesday in a virtual press conference on the CBC music platform, marks the fourth time the Hamilton rock quintet has been represented in the prestigious category, last winning group of the year in 2019. During its 15-year history, Arkells have been nominated a total of 13 times in various Juno categories, winning six.
The Arkells, whose most recent release is the stripped-down acoustic Campfire Songs," face competition from the four other nominees in the best group category - Kingston rockers the Glorious Sons, country duo the Reklaws, London-based pop duo Loud Luxury and Montreal indie band Half Moon Run.
Lanza and Caribou (a.k.a Dan Snaith) are both nominated for electronic album of the year. It is Lanza's first Juno nomination, while Caribou - raised in Dundas and now living in England - has been nominated in the category three previous times, winning in 2011 and 2015. Lanza is nominated for All the Time," her third studio album, with Caribou getting the nod for his most recent LP Suddenly."
Harmer, a Burlington native now living near Kingston, is nominated in the Adult Alternative category for Are You Gone," her first album in 10 years. Harmer, known for her environmental activism and continuing battles against quarry expansion in north Burlington, has been nominated for a total of 10 Juno Awards during her career, winning twice.
Silverstein, which formed in Burlington in 2000, is nominated in the rock category, for its tenth studio album A Beautiful Place to Drown," which was released last March just as the pandemic lockdown was starting. Silverstein was last nominated in 2006 for best new group.
Vile Creature, a Hamilton-based hardcore rock duo, received its first Juno nomination in the metal/hard music" category for its album Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm," which was recorded in Hamilton's Boxcar Sound Recording studios with producer Adam Tucker.
The Weeknd, who performed at this year's Super Bowl half-time show, received the most Juno nominations this year with six - artist of the year, single of the year, album of the year, best songwriter, and best contemporary R&B/Soul album, as well as a shot at the Juno Fan Choice Award. The Weeknd, a Toronto native whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has been riding the top of the North American charts for the past year with his single Blinding Lights," but failed to receive any Grammy nominations when they were announced in November.
Artists receiving five nominations were Jessie Reyez, JP Saxe and Stratford-born pop star Justin Bieber. Those with three nods included Celine Dion, Ali Gate, Curtis Waters and Lennon Stella. Dion's nominations brought the Quebec singer's career total to a record 73.
The 50th annual Juno Awards, hosted by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), will be broadcast by CBC on Sunday, May 16, from various locations across the country, including Toronto's Budweiser Stage.
CARAS president Allan Reid told reporters it would be up to local health restrictions as to whether organizers will be able to sell tickets for any of the events.
When we realized we wouldn't be able to put 15,000 people into an arena because of the pandemic," said Reid, who was wearing a Horseshoe Tavern" T-shirt. We said let's take the music to where it happens, to iconic music venues across the country."