with time. But either way you slice it, I'm not as often here and in the mindset to write a blog post in the summer. But I shall try, and this shall be a blog post. Starting... NOW.My friend Paul basically wrote this post for me, because all I'm gonna do is let you know that the Polaris Music Prize has announced its longlist of contenders for this year's competition. What's a longlist? Well, it's the list from which the jury will choose a shortlist. And if you don't know what a shortlist is... it's a shortened version of the... never mind. Let's just say the first round of narrowing down potential winners has begun.
I believe I've already mentioned the Polaris Music Prize in a post about the Juno Awards, but just as a quick re-cap, I see it as more of an artistically-earned award than commercially. In other words, the biggest-selling artist in Canada doesn't automatically shoot to the top of the Polaris list - in fact, the jury often steers away from the big shiny acts in favour of what you might call indie groups. For example, Patrick Watson won 2 years ago, and he's never been what you would consider a superstar in the music world. If you've heard more of him - and many of us have - in the last couple years, well... you may very well have the Polaris Prize to thank, for generating the buzz around him.
Anyway, check out the Polaris website, have a look and a listen to the artists, and then sit tight in anticipation of the shortlist, being announced on July 7th. And if you're getting your wisdom teeth out this summer, as it seems a lot of people I know are, remember to take your meds, freeze your face, sleep all the time, and don't try to eat rocks right away.
Or... you know, at all.
Here's last year's Polaris winner. Enjoy!
