Shad, Said the Whale, Imaginary Cities, Del Barber Lead Western Canadian Music Awards Nominees

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Jun 4, 2014

We're still more than a couple months off from this year's Western Canadian Music Awards, but the list of nominees for the annual celebration has been revealed. Set to take place in Winnipeg this fall, the event has landed the likes of Shad, Del Barber, Said the Whale and Imaginary Cities with multiple nominations.


The celebrations will take place between October 2 and 5 as part of BreakOut West, with an awards gala being held at Winnipeg's Club Regent Event Centre on the final day.

Among the 30 categories, the Pop Recording of the Year pits Gold & Youth's debut Beyond Wilderness against Imaginary Cities' Fall of Romance, Royal Canoe's Today We're Believers, Scenic Route to Alaska's Warrington and We Were Lovers' Pyramids.

The Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year category yields BC a win no matter what, with all five nominees hailing from the west-most province. This includes LPs from Evil Ebenezer, Josh Martinez, Shad, SonReal and Sweatshop Union. Additionally, Shad is up for Independent Recording of the Year against Northcote, Said the Whale, Del Barber and Royal Canoe.

Del Barber, meanwhile, is also nominated in the Roots Solo Recording of the Year category for his Prairieography and for Songwriter of the Year for the set's "Big Smoke."

The Electronic/Dance Recording of the Year nominees are Born Gold, Hello Moth, Iskwé, Pigeon Hole and Scott Riesterer, while amp-cranking metal groups being toasted in the Metal/HardMusic Recording of the Year category include All Else Fails, Incura, Noire, Sain Arden and Until Dawn.

You'll find of all of the awards, which include nine industry-related categories, over here

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