Awards Gala host Jonathan Torrens ventures into the audience Metro Credit Union Music PEI Week 2012 concluded with fanfare Saturday night in Charlottetown with the Music PEI Awards Gala presented by Ocean 100 and hosted by Jonathan Torrens at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. Twelve awards were handed out with Catherine MacLellan taking home three of them for a total of five on the week. These awards included Album of the Year, Video of the Year, Female Solo Recording, S.A.C. Songwriter and Roots Contemporary Recording. Island fiddler, teacher and luthier Kim Vincent was remembered with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Kim passed away in 2009 and was widely regarded as one of Canada's most talented traditional Irish musicians on fiddle, guitar and tin whistle. Island singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant was presented with the Rooted to the Island Award, given annually to a successful Island artist from PEI living elsewhere.  “This year was certainly our most ambitious Music Week with so many highlights,” says Music PEI Executive Director, Rob Oakie. “Each year I am continually impressed with the development and maturing of the Island music industry. Island artists continue to make their mark at home, across Canada, and around the world and are cause to make all of us proud.”

2012 Music PEI Award Winners are:

Indian River Festival
Frances McBurnie; Jane Naylor; PEI Symphony Orchestra UPEI Wind Symphony

Catherine MacLellan, Silhouette (David Baxter & Catherine MacLellan)
Al Tuck, Under Your Shadow (Al Tuck & Joel Plaskett); Dennis Ellsworth, Strange Boat (Dennis Ellsworth & Adam Gallant); Racoon Bandit, Into the Hills (Racoon Bandit); The Express, The Express (Dale Murray)

Kelley Mooney, Tomorrow
Harold Noye, Dusty Roads; Johnny Oliver, She’s Gonna Love Me

Paper Lions
Arrows in the Air; Bad Habits; Richard Wood; Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold

Festival of Small Halls
Indian River Festival; Night Danger Showcase; PEI Symphony Orchestra; TD PEI Jazz & Blues Festival “Doug Riley Artist” Concert

Catherine MacLellan, Silhouette
Ashley Condon, Come in From the Cold; Brielle Ansems, Embers & Stars; Kelley Mooney, Tomorrow

Racoon Bandit—Group Recording and Hunter’s Alehouse Rock Recording winners Group Recording of the Year

Racoon Bandit, Into the Hills
Arrows in the Air, Shadows on the Skyline; Death Valley Driver, Choke the River; Sister Jack, Wrong Note Music; The Express, The Express; The Wynnes, The Wynnes

Death Valley Driver, Choke the River
Get Bodied, Harbingers; Uigg, Of Moose and Men

Al Tuck, Under Your Shadow
Dennis Ellsworth, Strange Boat; Johnny Oliver, She’s Gonna Love Me; Jordan Cameron, My, What a Lovely Hate; Ted J Simmons, 61 Dorchester

Kinley Dowling
Frances McBurnie; Jon Matthews; Morgan Saulnier; Mark Geddes

Ashley Condon receives Best New Artist from Lennie Gallant New Artist of the Year

Ashley Condon, Come In From the Cold
Death Valley Driver, Choke the River; Kelley Mooney, Tomorrow; Sister Jack, Wrong Note Music; Ten Strings and a Goat Skin, Tri; The Wynnes, The Wynnes

Racoon Bandit
Jordan Cameron, My, What a Lovely Hate; Into the Hills; Sister Jack, Wrong Note Music

Catherine MacLellan, Silhouette
Ashley Condon, Come In From the Cold; Dennis Ellsworth, Strange Boat; Ted J Simmons, 61 Dorchester; The Express, The Express

Ten Strings and a Goat Skin, Tri
The Avonlea Show Band, Songs From the Shanty; The Wynnes, The Wynnes

Big Grey Sound Studio
Bruce Alex White; Guernsey Cove Parlour Productions; Lukas Raine Recordings

Catherine MacLellan, Eastern Girl
Dennis Ellsworth, Romance is Dead; Paper Lions, Stay Here For a While; Racoon Bandit, Catch/Release; The Express, Midnight Show

Video of the Year Award—Catherine MacLellan and Mille Clarkes

Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold
Al Tuck; Catherine MacLellan; Paper Lions; Richard Wood

Hunter’s Ale House
St. Mary’s Church; The Dunk; The Guild

Catherine MacLellan, Stealin’ (Milles Clarkes)

Arrows in the Air, Love and Morals (JP Poliquin); Boxcar Dan and the Vagabond Strangers, The Way We Do ’Er (Jason Rogerson);  Christopher Rodgers, Silence, Bloodhound (Susan Rodgers); Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold, Slippin’ Away (JP Poliquin)
[watch the rest of the nominated videos below]

Visual Artist of the Year Lorne Miller, presented by Keith Mullen of Online Support Bell Aliant Weekend Warrior
Bad Habits
Chris Dalziel; Sunday Punch

Lorne Miller—pixbylorne
Jason Condon & April Condon; Mike Carver; Maureen Chandler; Mike MacDougall—sixeyedcatprintco

Phillippe LeBlanc

Kwik Kopy presents Alan Dowling with Industry Person of the Year Industry Person of the Year

Alan Dowling

Lennie Gallant

Kim Vincent

Ashley Condon

Lifetime Achievement Award to the late Kim Vincent accepted by his daughter Ilsa Music PEI programs and activities are made possible through the ongoing support of the provincial departments of Tourism and Culture and Innovation and Advanced Learning as well as ACOA, Canadian Heritage, the City of Charlottetown and FACTOR.