BLUE MONDAY CURE

MAPLE BLUES AWARDS GALA AND BLUES SUMMIT IV

WHO: GARVIA BAILEY Hosts w/ guests TREASA LEVASSEUR, RAY BONNEVILLE, JW-JONES, HARRISON KENNEDY, THE SOJOURNERS, SHAKURA S’AIDA, and the Maple Blues Band.

WHAT: Twelfth Annual Maple Blues Awards and Blues Summit IV (details below)

WHERE: Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne St. in Toronto

WHEN: Monday, January 19^th, 2009. Doors @ 7:00 pm, show @ 8:00 pm.

TICKETS: Tickets $28 for the gala are available at the TBS office 416-538-3885

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It's the Blue Monday cure for the blues - more blues! Monday January 19th is Blue Monday and also a very fitting date for The Twelfth Annual Maple Blues Awards Gala. The awards ceremony as well as the three-day Blues Summit IV will honour Canada's best in blues and delight blues fans with very special performance showcases, seminars and lively panel discussions. The awards gala presentation will feature live performances by some of Canada's finest blues talents including the all-star Maple Blues Band. 

adio personality GARVIA BAILEY hosts and guest performer highlights are rising star TREASA LEVASSEUR, Canada's roaming blues poet and one-man band RAY BONNEVILLE, whose storytelling vocals, with a highly percussive guitar style keep it all real and raw. Winner of the 2005 Electric Act of the Year Award, guitar-driven JW-JONES will join the cast of guests for the gala along with the velvety-voiced Juno Award nominee HARRISON KENNEDY, who brings his 30-years-plus of performing experience and a youthful exuberance to the MBAs. Vancouver's THE SOJOURNERS will also electrify audiences with their heartfelt gospel blues harmonies. Hot ticket and powerhouse singing sensation SHAKURA S'AIDA returns to grace the stage and is also nominated for the Female Vocalist of the Year Award once again. 

BLUES SUMMIT IV

The Blues Summit is an essential Canadian blues networking event, back for its fourth edition.

This music industry conference brings together festivals, labels, media, musicians, fans and blues societies, and includes showcases, seminars, receptions and a keynote brunch. With representatives from across Canada, the United States and Europe in attendance, there are many lively panel discussions, seminars, media/Blues Society roundtables taking place throughout the course of the three days. Industry experts will be discussing topics such as blues in the schools, touring, recording the blues, the art of grant writing and blues in the digital world.

 

HIGHLIGHTS AT BLUES SUMMIT IV:

Saturday, January 17

3:00 pm - Campfire with Brian Blain, followed by a welcome reception and performance by Fathead

Sunday, January 18

11:00 am - brunch with inspirational Keynote Speaker Ben Manilla

5:30 pm - SOCAN Songs & Stories w/ Suzie Vinnick, Matt Andersen, Ray Bonneville, and Amos Garrett.

Monday, January 19

10:00 am - Rob Bowman, Blues Booster of the Year and music industry pioneer, in Interview with publicist Richard Flohil

Showcases will be held on Saturday and Sunday night at the Delta Chelsea Hotel's Monarch Pub and Market Garden venues.  Performances by Raoul & the Big Time, Scott McCord and the Bonafide Truth, Steve Strongman, Carlos Del Junco, Suzie Vinnick, Monkey Junk and Mike "Shrimp Daddy" Reid.

 

WHAT: BLUES SUMMIT IV

WHERE: Delta Chelsea Inn (33 Gerrard St. West) in Toronto.

WHEN: January 17-19, 2009

TICKETS: $89 Musicians, $109 Standard (Summit registration includes keynote brunch, access to all seminars and showcases, Maple Blues Awards, Saturday reception, and more)

For more information on registration by phone or online, please visit http://www.torontobluessociety.com 416-538-3885 1-866-871-9457  

2008 MAPLE BLUES NOMINEES

 

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Big Dave McLean

Dawn Tyler Watson

Downchild

Garrett Mason

Jeff Healey

 

ELECTRIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR

David Rotundo

Downchild

Garrett Mason

Jack de Keyzer

Jeff Healey

JW-Jones

 

ACOUSTIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Big Dave McLean

Harry Manx

Julian Fauth

Michael Jerome Browne

Thom Swift

 

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Bob Walsh

Danny Brooks

Harrison Kennedy

John Mays (Fathead)

Paul Reddick

 

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Dawn Tyler Watson

Roxanne Potvin

Shakura S'Aida

Suzie Vinnick

Treasa Levasseur

 

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Daddy Long Legs

Keith Hallett

Marshall Lawrence

Monkey Junk

Sojourners

 

RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Get Way Back (Stony Plain)
Amos Garrett
Producers: Amos Garrett & Dave Allcock
 
Mess of Blues (Stony Plain)
Jeff Healey
Producers: Jeff Healey & Alec Fraser
 
Ramblin' Son (Electro-Fi)
Julian Fauth
Producers: Andrew Galloway, Alec Fraser & Julian Fauth
 
Goin' By Feel (Red House)
Ray Bonneville
Producers: Rob Heaney, Gurf Morlix & Ray Bonneville
 
Low Fidelity (Slim Chicken)
Treasa Levasseur
Producers: David Gavan Baxter & Treasa Levasseur

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

Eric Bibb

James Hunter

Mavis Staples

Taj Mahal

Watermelon Slim and the Workers

 

GUITARIST OF THE YEAR

Amos Garrett

Garrett Mason

Jeff Healey

JW Jones

Steve Strongman

 

HARMONICA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Carlos Del Junco

Guy Belanger

Jerome Godboo

Paul Reddick

Steve Marriner

 

PIANO/KEYBOARD PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Curley Bridges

Dave Murphy (Jeff Healey Blues Band)

Julian Fauth

Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne

Michael Fonfara (Downchild)

 

HORN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Chris Murphy

Chris Whiteley

Dave Babcock (Amos Garrett)

Johnny Ferreira

Pat Carey (Downchild)

 

DRUMMER OF THE YEAR

Al Webster (Jeff Healey Blues Band)

Bucky Berger (Fathead)

Chris Nordquist (Colin James & many others)

Geoff Arsenault (Morgan Davis)

Maureen Brown

 

BASSIST OF THE YEAR

Alan Duffy (Jack De Keyzer)

Alec Fraser (Jeff Healey Blues Band & Broken Joe)

Keith Picot (The Twisters)

Stephen Barry

Tom Easley (Hot Toddy)

 

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Julian Fauth

Paul Reddick

Ray Bonneville

Thom Swift

Treasa Levasseur

 

BLUES WITH A FEELING AWARD (Lifetime Achievement)
Danny Brooks
Michael Fonfara
Alec Fraser
Amos Garrett
Tom Lavin
Ellen McIlwaine
Joe Murphy
Chris Whiteley
Ken Whiteley
Terry Wilkins

 

BLUES BOOSTER OF THE YEAR

Rob Bowman

The Maple Blues Awards are supported by FACTOR and the Government of Canada through the Canadian Music Fund, the SOCAN Foundation, SOCAN, the Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, KMP Designs Inc., Stony Plain Records, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments and CBC Radio/Saturday Night Blues.