Six artists from Langley have been nominated in the inaugural Fraser Valley Music Awards.
Taking place July 16 at the Abbotsford Arts Centre, musicians JD Miner, Jeremy Allingham, Hrdwtr, The Kwerks, We Hunt Buffalo and Thru Colorado are all vying for the top prizes, which include studio time, media promotions and several live performance opportunities.
The awards were spearheaded by the University of the Fraser Valley’s radio station 101.7 FM CIVL after they received a $50,000 grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Their goal is to showcase local talent right here in the Fraser Valley.
“The music scene is not going to be the same next year, so we need to acknowledge it this year,” said FVMA Co-ordinator James Kasper, who also founded the Vancouver Island Music Awards in 2002.
“The aim of this event is to inject new life into local arts and culture.
“There is an abundance of great music in the Fraser Valley, and we want to bring attention to it and bring all facets of the scene together on one night to network and celebrate.”
Tickets for the gala are available online at civl.ca/fvma.
The radio station is also running a crowd funding campaign to secure funding for the Fraser Valley Music Awards in 2017 and beyond, through the same website link.
Langley Nominees:
Musicians Darryl Klassen and Chad Joiner made up the acoustic duo, J.D. Miner. Their music is an eclectic collection of original jazzy tunes, ballads about real (and unreal) people, and a liberal dose of old time banjo and fiddle tunes.
A former member of bands Factories & Alleyways and Like A Martyr, Jeremy Allingham released his debut full length album Memory Electric in March. His sound is influenced by Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Neil Young and My Morning Jacket. Photo courtesy JR Media Group.
Fronted by signer/songwriter Jason Sylvester, Hrdwtr has an indie/folk sound, compared to City and Colour and Bon Iver. In March, he released a seven song collection, Various Song Leftover, featuring the singles True Love and Of All This.
Laura and Ryan Koch are a married couple and musical duo with a folksy-pop sound, filled with unique harmonies and rhythmic guitar playing. Their self-titled EP was released in April, and features five original songs.
Made up of Ryan Forsythe (vocals/guitar), Brendan Simpson (bass/vocals) and Brandon Carter (drums), We Hunt Buffalo have created songs with hard hitting, fuzz rock grooves and psychedelic overtones. They recently signed with Sweden’s Fuzzorama Records, and released their second full length album, Living Ghosts, in September, 2015.
Thru Colorado is an ambient/alternative indie band that began as a solo project by frontman and guitarist Wade Findlay in 2013. Members Matt Dixon (bass), Patrick Williams (drums) and Ben Klassen (guitar) were added in 2014. Their debut album, Ephemera, which features 10 songs, was self-produced and released by Findlay in October, 2013.