Everything continues to be a little different in the world today. However, this had not stopped many events from continuing in a new way. The 24th annual Maple Blues Awards will stream online each Monday during the month of February from four different cities: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver.
The first Monday in February finds the Maple Blues Awards streaming from Toronto on February 1st. This event, hosted by Alana Bridgewater and Johnny Max, will see performances from Dione Taylor (nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, New Artist/Group of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year) and Jack de Keyzer (nominated along with his bandmates for Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Recording/Producer of the Year, Guitarist of the Year, Horn Player of the Year (for Richard Thornton), and Bassist of the Year (for Alan Duffy).
This four-part streaming event continues from Ottawa on Monday, February 8th with hosts Angelique Francis and Matt Sobb. Performances from this event include JW-Jones (nominated along with bandmates for Entertainer of the Year, Electric Act of the Year, New Artist/Group of the Year (for Jones’ other project HOROJO Trio), and Recording/Producer of the Year. Performances also include Nashville-based Indigenous artist Crystal Shawanda (nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Recording/Producer of the Year.
Monday, February 15th showcases the Maple Blues Awards from Montreal. Hosted by Dawn Tyler Watson and Ben Racine, this event features performances from Durham County Poets (nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Recording/Producer of the Year) and Matt Anderson (nominated for Acoustic Act of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year).
The final night of the Maple Blues Awards will be streamed from Vancouver Island on Monday, February 22nd. This event, hosted by Dalannah Gail Bown and Jim Byrnes, will feature performances from 13-year old Liam Docherty (nominated for New Artist/Group of the Year) and Lindsay Beaver (nominated for Drummer of the Year).
Each night of the 24th Annual Maple Blues Awards will be streamed at 8:00 PM Eastern via Facebook HERE.