MUSIC
New Best Of Regina section! And fitting, since the only thing prairie dog spills more ink (and the Web equivalent) on than music is news and politics - and everyone already knows we're hopeless that way. Oh, and also, Katy Perry didn't win Best Concert. Imagine that - the cool kids and rock dinosaurs coming together to pick a performer with the initials E.J.
BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE
THE EXCHANGE
2431 8th Ave.
780-9487
Earlier this year, a Regina band who shall remain nameless wrote their name over a bunch of bricks in the backstage area at the Exchange, thus covering up the names of a bunch of other musicians who had played at the venue. It was a childish, impulsive act that pissed people off because it was a stab at the legacy of the Exchange. The place has a great history that it hasn't stopped creating. It's one of the few constant points of pride for Regina's music scene, an all-ages venue that provides an affordable and cool space for big touring bands and little locals alike. /JB
BEST BASSIST
BETH CURRIE
When I found out Beth Currie won this year, I immediately went back into the archives. Yep, that's right: Currie is a two-time winner. Consecutive wins, even. Evidently, she's done nothing over the past year to lose her throne as Best Bassist. She's got a range of styles from classical to jazz to folk to rock which has helped her collect a bunch of fans. No doubt, she'll receive plenty of consideration for this award in 2012 too. /JB
BEST DRUMMER
ERIN PASSMORE
Erin Passmore should be no stranger to accolades. Her band, Rah Rah, has received their fair share of positive attention over the years. Heck, they even won Best Indie Band and Best Damn Band Ever, Period! in this year's Best of Regina. I don't know how she feels about her drumming these days, though. In the past, when I've talked with her, she's always been a little self-deprecating about her skills. Clearly, there's no need for that. She's an all-around versatile performer with a killer voice that makes Rah Rah what it is. She's also a great performer on her own, a fact that she'll prove for a wider audience when her solo disc gets an official release. When she takes to the stool, though, she's all business. Every song gets exactly what it needs, which is all you could ask for from Regina's Best Drummer. /JB
BEST GUITARIST
JACK SEMPLE
Does anyone know who reigning prairie dog champion Jack Semple would endorse for Best Guitarist? Semple's been renowned as one of Canada's best guitarists longer than this year's high school graduating class has been alive - there's a YouTube clip of him performing for a MuchMusic-sponsored nationwide rock guitarist competition all the way back in 1992. If he has an heir in mind, I'd like to know who it is. The dude knows from guitar chops. /JC
BEST KEYBOARDIST
JONATHAN DYCK
Okay, you stumped us (J-Bro and me, that is). J-Bro is our main music writer. I do the music listings, 14 Days Top Six and the odd CD review in the printed mag. I do some music stuff on Dog Blog too, and get out to live shows as often as I can. So together we have a reasonable handle on the ever evolving Regina music scene. When we saw the winner in this category, though, we turned to each other with puzzled looks: "You know this dude?" "No, you?" "No." I got assigned the category, and just as I was about to Google Jonathan to see if I could dig up some info on him I recalled his name popping up from time to time in the jazz listings. Turns out Jonathan's a jazz pianist, and he fronts a group called the Jonathan Dyck Quintet. / GB
BEST SINGER
BELLE PLAINE (MELANIE HANKEWICH)
If you notice, Melanie is the My Music subject this issue. I did my interview with her on a sunny Sunday at Atlantis in late August. She was just about to embark on her first major tour outside Saskatchewan in support of her new album Hello From Belle Plaine. The tour was heavy on gigs in western Canada, and she was touring with bassist Beth Currie (who got your nod as Best Regina Bassist). We had a fun conversation, and in the My Music intro I noted that Belle Plaine had been voted Best Singer twice before. As for how she fared this year, well, she defended her title. So congrats to Melanie (and Beth). And I hope the tour went well. /GB
BEST DJ
SQUARE SOUND ROUND BODY
Like any category, there are true connoisseurs when it comes to Best DJ. There are plenty of venues around Regina for live booty-shaking, but not all of them feature live DJs who get down with real mixing. Square Sound Round Body, in addition to having a great yet kinda cumbersome name, has been bringing the funk sounds to Regina for years now. People need to know how it's done. /JB
BEST SOLO ACT
BELLE PLAINE (MELANIE HANKEWICH)
I checked Belle Plaine's website and found out that her two-month long tour of western Canada is set to end on Oct. 22. Once she and bassist Beth Currie return to Regina, she has three shows lined up. On Nov. 19, she's performing at CJTR's 10th anniversary soiree at the Exchange. On Nov. 24, she'll be part of an all-female line-up at a CBC Galleria concert with Suzie Vinnick, Val Halla and Amy Nelson. Then on Dec. 18, she'll be the musical guest at Red Hot Riot's Christmas Extravaganza at Artesian on 13th. So if you get a chance, check her out. /GB
BEST HARD ROCK/PUNK/METAL BAND
INTO ETERNITY
Their website says they're working on a new album, and one new track "Sandstorm" has been released on-line. The album is their first since 2008's Time Immemorial, and lead singer Stu Block announced in March he was leaving to join Iced Earth. From the outside, Into Eternity looks like a band in flux, but most heavy metal artists relish the challenge - or, at least, they sing about relishing the challenges of an against-the-odds battle. /SL
BEST INDIE BAND
RAH RAH
Rah Rah started out as a trio of kids that people couldn't believe were as good as they were. Now, just a few short years and a larger line-up later, they're one of Regina's most established indie-rock acts. Their second full-length Breaking Hearts, released in 2010, broke them across Canada and was a big step forward for the band. Jeez, they even played in Belgium this year. This band won't stop making it happen. /JB
BEST COVER BAND
WONDERLAND
"Stay away from those cover bands!" Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie once told a fan, but it's fortunate for the members of Wonderland that Downie's advice isn't being followed by those going to their shows. Basically, Wonderland, from what I've been able to deduce from reading stories on them online, is a repackaged Men Without Shame - instead of covering '70s hits, they're covering hits from '80s one-hit-wonders. So if your idea of a good time is to get drunk to a live band whose playlist contains whatever was played over and over (and over) on Z99 in that decade, Wonderland is your band. /SL
BEST DAMN BAND, PERIOD!
RAH RAH
In the future, all bands nominated for this category have to have a remix album on the way, if not already on shelves. Okay, we can have some exceptions but it's gotta be some kind of milestone for a band like Rah Rah when they get one of those. The year after their biggest release to date, Breaking Hearts, they're still conquering Canada. No dance version is necessary to see that.
Oh, you didn't hear it here but maybe keep an eye on the "R" section in your favourite CD store (or online facsimile) for something new in 2012. Shhh. /JB
BEST LOCAL ALBUM RELEASED IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
SUMMER OF LUST (LIBRARY VOICES)
Each release has brought Regina's Library Voices up to another level, from their debut EP Hunting Ghosts to their full-length Denim on Denim and now onto Summer of Lust. Seemingly, they're getting closer and closer to the Platonic ideal they aspire. The relatively-lean seven person lineup is working with tight, three-minute pop songs, filled with youthful exuberance and zeitgeist captures galore. It'll be exciting to see what season comes next for the band. /JB
BEST CONCERT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
ELTON JOHN
When someone is game to get down with the Muppets, you know they're the real deal. When Elton John went on The Muppet Show back in 1977, he proved that he was it, singing "Crocodile Rock" with some crocodiles, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and more. He really doesn't have anything to prove -- as a performer, he's legendary, so much so the Regina came out for not one but two nights of E.J. back in May. I'm not sure which one is officially Best Concert in the Last 12 Months. I kinda doubt, though, that there was much to choose between them. Performing with Muppets or not, John brings it. Kudos also to k.d. lang for finishing second in voting for her stunning Regina Folk Festival performance. /JB
