Propagandhi Procure the ECHO Prize

Winnipeg political punks Propagandhi took the inaugural ECHO Songwriting Prize, presented by SOCAN (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) in a ceremony in Toronto on October 26. Winning over the likes of Polaris Prize winner Final Fantasy and indie faves Wolf Parade, the prairie-based vets were awarded $5000 for their song "A Speculative Fiction,” taken from their fifth album Potemkin City Limits. Nominated by "an independent panel of eight music community taste-makers,” the prize was decided by the online voting public between August 31 and October 12. Other nominees included alt-rockers the Stills and singer-songwriter Laura Barrett. Concurrently in Montreal, the Francophone equivalent of the award was presented to Ève Cournoyer for her song "Tout arrive.”