Fucked Up wins Polaris Music Prize 2009: put that in the papers tomorrow.
The last thing you want from me (and the last thing I want to do tonight) is give you a song-by-song recap of last night’s (or tonight’s, depending on when you ‘re reading this and when I get finished writing it) Polaris Music Prize Gala. I wasn’t there (although in hindsight I should have just gone) so I’m no further ahead than anyone else who tuned into CBC Radio 3 to hear the hour-long pre-show broadcast and actual Gala presentation itself. So here is what I will say about what went down:
Having a chance to revisit some of the artists from this year’s long list (Elephant Stone and Bruce Peninsula for a start) was an excellent reminder of just how much great music that was released this past year. My initial excitement of some of those long-listed albums may have mellowed, but they still have some pretty heavy firepower among them, and just hearing Bruce Peninsula again has made me want to revisit the album.
One of the other things that struck me while listening to the pre-show broadcast was how incredibly cool and crazy it was when I heard that Final Fantasy had won the first prize back in 2006. I could never understand how anyone could possible consider He Poos Clouds a “safe bet”, and I still don’t. It’s not my favourite Final Fantasy record, but come on! Safe?? Are you on crack?
I was listening to Grant Lawrence talking to Matt Galloway on CBC Radio 1 this afternoon, and he hit the nail on the head when he said that the prize money–which is really nothing to sneeze at–is juts a drop in the bucket when you’re a five-piece band trying to eek out a living playing music, but the lead-up to the actual handing out of the cheque, the hype, the press and the buzz, can pay dividends for years to come. Hey Rosetta! for example has probably had a fantastic year thanks in part to their Polaris-generated exposure. And that’s all before the Gala gets its proper TV broadcast via Much Music later on.
MP3: Hey Rosetta! “Tired Eyes (live at the 2009 Polaris Music Prize)”
Speaking of which, I loved the fact that I could sit back and actually watch the show via MuchMusic.com; almost as good as being there. So yeah, why wasn’t I there? All jurors get an invitation, right? Yeah they do, and I certainly got mine, but I kind of had a dilemma to deal with. Day job dilemma. The dilemma is that I have a day job, and while it wouldn’t be the first time I got up and went to work after a late night, it would be a late night in Toronto, followed by a late drive back home to Welland. That, coupled with a work-related commitment that I had tonight… well, there’s no point in belabouring the fact. As I sit here watching the goings on, I’m pretty much thinking, “You schmuck, what’s the big deal?” and not coming up with a good enough answer. Next year, my friends, next year I’ll be bringing you my musings live from the gala, I promise.
MP3: Great Lake Swimmers “Still (live at the 2009 Polaris Music Prize)”
MP3: Metric “Help I’m Alive (Live at the 2009 Polaris Music Prize)”
MP3: K’Naan “Wavin’ Flag (Live at the 2009 Polaris Music Prize)”
And it was a pretty fantastic show. I missed the title screen that told me what the name of the Patrick Watson song they performed with alien megaphone tentacled back packs on, and for the life of me couldn’t place it and watch/listen to the rest of the broadcast, so anyone out there could fill me in on it I’d much appreciate it; Elliott Brood’s set was fantastic, something happened while I was recording Joel Plaskett and so I don’t have his pair of songs, but what we do have is a memorable night in Polaris history.
Congratulations to the 2009 Polaris Music Prize Winner: Fucked Up
MP3: Fucked Up “Son The Father (Live at the 2009 Polaris Music Prize)”
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Patrick Watson played “Hearts In The Park.” The song is was an iTunes exclusive, so it’s no wonder you couldn’t place it!
Comment by shannon 09.22.09 @ 10:58 am[...] be broadcasting the highlights (perhaps different than the highlights noted above). Also, check out Quick Before It Melts, they’ve got some great coverage of the show and audio treats for your [...]
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