Nomeansno to Be Inducted into Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Jun 10, 2015

Thirty-six years after Nomeansno first started serving the world a furious and subversive whirlwind of jazz and punk sounds, the Victoria outfit are being inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Nomeansno will be honoured at the Western Canadian Music Awards gala in Victoria on September 20. The group are being saluted for many reasons, including their musical complexity, DIY spirit, and the impact they've left on the punk scene, nationally and abroad.

"Nomeansno is one of Western Canada's greatest music exports," WCMA board member Chris Wynters said in a statement. "Their smart and edgy songs, along with their pioneering DIY ethic, influenced many and paved the way for Canada's indie revolution in the '90s. I think I saw them play about a hundred times as a kid in Victoria in the '80s, and they always blew the roof off the venue! I can't think of a more deserving and fitting inductee into the WCMA Hall of Fame."

Brothers Rob and John Wright formed Nomeansno 1979 and have issued 12 full-length records over the years, both through the Alternative Tentacles Records label and the act's own Wrong Records. Though they haven't issued an LP's worth of new material since 2006's All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt, classic albums like their 1982 full-length Mama and 1989's Wrong were treated to reissues in 2013.

The band have yet to officially respond to the honour, though a jokey Facebook post had them noting, "We happily accept the accolades that go along with creating the Polite Emo genre."

Kiesza, Humans, Tanya Tagaq, Dan Mangan and Madchild are among the nominees for this year's Western Canadian Music Awards. You'll find the full list of nominees here.

 This year's BreakOut West Festival, Conference and Western Canadian Music Awards takes place from September 17 to 20.

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