Saultites nominated for music awards

The final list of nominees for the 6th Annual Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards was announced this morning during a press conference at Rainbow Cinemas in Sudbury.

In that list of finalists are three notable Saultites.

Singer, songwriter, musician and hockey fanatic Al Wood (shown) made the cut in the best album category for his release Mood Swingin' Blues, which he recorded with his band the Woodsmen.

Wood also received a best vocal performance on a recording nod for Late Night Stroll, the lead track on the album.

"Musicians are generally pretty insecure people, so validation of your work feels good," Wood told SooToday.com from Ottawa. "The blues has always been about regional fame. Being chosen across genres like this is a big honour."

Both Mark Gough and Rusty McCarthy are in the running for best engineer.

An inspiration to countless students as a high school music teacher for the past 20 years, Gough is nominated for his work on Greg MacLachlan's Everyone's Got It Wrong, which was recorded in his own Southpine Recording Studio.

McCarthy was chosen as a finalist for engineering his own release, Dirty River, as well as MD Dunn and the Clay Rooster Band's self-titled album.

At Algoma's Water Tower Inn, McCarthy recently celebrated the release of his follow-up recording, Nowhere Close, alongside Dunn who showcased his own eight-song EP, Thursday's Monster.

The awards will be presented in Sudbury on April 25.

Full text of Music and Film in Motion's Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards announcement follows.

*************************** The Results are in! The 2009 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards nominees are unveiled!

SUDBURY, ON - (March 4) - On the evening of April 25th, Music and Film in Motion (MFM) will celebrate the sixth annual Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards by presenting ten (10) Northern artists with awards for excellence in music and film.

In addition to the Awards Ceremony, MFM will be hosting a conference component again this year on April 24th and 25th.

This year, submissions came in from communities across the North including; Thunder Bay, Sault Ste Marie, New Liskeard, Echo Bay, Monetville, Geraldton, Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, and Goulais River.

“We are very excited about this year’s results. It is great to see new names amongst the nominees and that they represent a broad cross section of music and film projects from every part of Northern Ontario,” said MFM Executive Director Dennis Landry. “The overall quality and diversity of the work submitted this year is concrete evidence of a growing music and film industry here in the North.”

For each category, the nominees were selected by a panel of prominent music and film industry professionals.

The winner for each category will be announced at the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards ceremony to be held on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 in the Great Hall at Laurentian University.

MFM is proud to announce Vale Inco as this year’s lead sponsor of the 2009 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards Conference.

Returning this year is Persona, an EastLink company and Persona 10 News as the Awards Ceremony Sponsor, Big Daddy 103.9 as our Conference Sponsor and CTV has signed on as the Showcase Sponsor.

Music and Film in Motion is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to foster and promote the development of the music and film industries in Northern Ontario.

2009 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards nominees

Best Album

Allison Lickley – You Might Find Me Here Kate Maki – On High Al Wood and the Woodsmen – Mood Swingin’ Blues

Best Songwriter

Allison Lickley – Mountains C696 – WYSIWYG Sarah Craig – Dig the Dirt

Best Vocal Performance on a Recording

Allison Lickley – Smoky Night Al Wood – Late Night Stroll Sarah Craig – Dig the Dirt

Best Engineer

Rob Nickerson Mark Gough Rusty McCarthy

Best Presenter

Charles W. Stockey Centre Northern Lights Festival Boréal The Realness Promo – Frank Chartrand

Best Film

Paul Rickard – Little Caughnawaga: To Brooklyn and Back David Lickley – Mysteries of the Great Lakes Piotr Skowronski & Kelly Saxberg – Undertow

Best Director

David Lickley – Mysteries of the Great Lakes Piotr Skowronski – Undertow Matthew Schween – Patola's Twist

Best Film Editor

Peter Buckle – Pelley Spencer Hari – A Musical Baby Paul Stark – Time Management

Best Cinematographer

Ed Regan – About the Girl Matthew Schween – Pelley Piotr Skowronski – Undertow

Best Screenwriter

Amanda McLachlan Darling – Pieces Lindsay Doran – The Plan Scott Sawyer – The Chasing Man

Trailblazer Award

Iona Reed

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