I was proud to present The Sadies at the 2010 Polaris Music Prize gala on September 21 at Toronto's historic Masonic Temple, where the group was short-listed for its stellar album Darker Circles. Here is my introduction to the band:

The Sadies. Guitar-slinging brothers Dallas and Travis Good, bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky. Artists—from Gord Downie and Neko Case to John Doe and Neil Young—are unanimous in their praise of these guys.
 
Critics, however, can’t seem to agree on how to describe the band. Are they alt-country mavericks or garage-rock

Bruce Cockburn: Kicking at the Darkness

For 40 years, this Canadian musical legend has been capturing in song the essence of human experience

One of Canada’s finest artists, Bruce Cockburn has enjoyed an illustrious career shaped by politics, spirituality and musical diversity. His remarkable journey has seen him embrace folk, jazz, rock and worldbeat styles while traveling to far-flung places like Guatemala, Mali, Mozambique and Nepal and writing memorable songs about his ever-expanding world of wonders. “My job,” he explains, “is to try and trap the spirit of things in the scratches of pen on paper and the pulling of notes out of metal.”

    That scratching and pulling has earned Cockburn high praise as an exceptional songwriter and a revered guitarist. His songs of romance, protest and spiritual discovery are among the best to have emerged from Canada over the last 40 years. His guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, has placed him in the company of the world’s top instrumentalists. And he remains deeply respected for his activism on issues from native rights and land mines to the

Polaris Music Prize 2010

Here are my Short List choices for this year's prize, in alphabetical order:

* Bahamas - Pink Strat (Toronto) 

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* Amelia Curran - Hunter Hunter (Halifax)

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* Radio Radio - Belmundo Regal (Montreal)

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* The Sadies - Darker Circles (Toronto)

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* Yukon Blonde - Yukon Blonde (Vancouver)

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All of these candidates are excellent albums--check them out.

The Short List finalists will be announced July 6 and this year's winner will be proclaimed at the Polaris gala on September 20.

Look for a new Polaris Music Prize Player on this site soon.

What do you think was the best album of 2009?

Troubadour - K'naan  35.7%
other   21.4%
Glasvegas - Glasvegas   7.1%
It's Not Me, It's You - Lily Allen   7.1%
Together Through Life - Bob Dylan   7.1%
Wilco (the album) - Wilco   7.1%
Humbug - Arctic Monkeys   7.1%
Three - Joel Plaskett   7.1%


What do you think was the best single of 2009?

The Fear - Lily Allen   30.8%
Pulling on a Line - Great Lake Swimmers   23.1%
other   15.4%
Wavin' Flag - K'naan   15.4%
Use Somebody - Kings of Leon   7.7%
Warm Heart of Africa - The Very Best feat. Ezra Koenig   7.7%