Alberta Country Music Awards announces 2018 Finalists

December 11th, 2018 (Edmonton, AB) – The Association of Country Music in Alberta (ACMA)™ is pleased to present your Final Nominees for the upcoming 2018 Alberta Country Music Awards™ presented by Stingray.

Winners will be announced at the 7th annual awards gala on January 27, 2019 at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel (3310 50 Ave).

The evening will be hosted by Albertan country singer/songwriter and CCMA-winner Aaron Goodvin

“I am incredibly honoured to have been asked to host The ACMA’s in Red Deer this year. There is so much great Canadian country music that comes out of Alberta. I literally cannot wait to host my first ever awards show and I’m excited for it to be in my home province!” – Aaron Goodvin

Canadian country music fans are well acquainted with Goodvin’s music after winning the2018 Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) for “Songwriter(s) of the Year” for his platinum single “Lonely Drum”. Goodvin was also nominated for the “Single of the Year”, and “SiriusXM Rising Star Award”.

Also a Warner/Chappell songwriter, Goodvin has landed cuts with Luke Bryan, Canaan Smith, Cole Swindell, and others. He was recently signed to Reviver Records in Nashville and fans can expect new music in 2019.

The 2018 ACMA™ awards weekend will occur on January 26 and 27. Events include the kick-off party, conference, seminars, fan fest, and the much-anticipated awards gala. Members of the ACMA™ have the privilege of voting to select the nominees for each category. The final round of voting to select the award-winners ends December 28, 2018.

Tickets and more information about the ACMA™ Awards Weekend are available on the ACMA Website

Without further ado, the nominees are:

Male Artist of the Year
Brad Saunders
Dan Davidson
Drew Gregory
Karac Hendriks
Ryan Langlois
Trevor Panczak

Female Artist of the Year
Alee
Andrea Nixon
Krissy Feniak
Lauren Mayell
Michela Sheedy

Group/Duo of the Year
Nice Horse
Renegade Station
The Dungarees
The Orchard
The Prairie States

Fans Choice
Dan Davidson
Drew Gregory
Hailey Benedict
Megan Dawson
Renegade Station
The Prairie States

Industry Person of the Year
Angie Morris – Sirroma Entertainment
Bill Borgwardt Performance Photography
Carla Hackman – Sakamoto Entertainment
Carly Klassen – Alberta Music
Johnny Gasparic – MCC Recording Studio
Sarah Scott – Golden West Radio

Musician of the Year
Johnny Gasparic
Josh Ruzycki
Lisa Dodd
Mitch Jay
Weston Blatz

Album of the Year
Along for the Ride – Renegade Station
Good Place to Start – Drew Gregory
Lost in the Right Direction – The Prairie States
Songs For Georgia – Dan Davidson
This Road is Mine – Karac Hendriks

Song of the Year
“Don’t Hold Back” – Written by: James Murdoch & Darren Gusnowsky
Performed by: The Dungarees
“Know Good” – Written by: Drew Gregory, Trinity Bradshaw, Brad Stella
Performed by: Drew Gregory
“Light > Dark” – Written by: Ryan Langlois & Duane Steele
Performed by: Ryan Langlois
“Mansplainin’” – Written by: Brandi Sidoryk, Tareya Green, Katie Biever, Jeff Dalziel
Performed by: Nice Horse
“Safe Harbour” – Written by: Kent Nixon, Luanne Carl, Doug Folkins
Performed by: Renegade Station

Single of the Year
“Don’t Hold Back” – The Dungarees
“Know Good” – Drew Gregory
“Play it By Beer” – Brad Saunders
“This Road is Mine” – Karac Hendriks
“Who’s Gonna Love Me Tonight” – Renegade Station

Country Venue of the Year
Boot Scootin Boogie Dancehall
Ranchman’s Cookhouse & Dancehall

Talent Buyer of the Year
Big Valley Jamboree
Calgary Stampede
Country Thunder
Ranchman’s Cookhouse & Dancehall
Sakamoto Agency

Rising Star
Karac Hendriks
Lauren Mayell
Nice Horse
The Prairie States
Trevor Panczak

Radio Station of the Year
93.1 The One Leduc
Wild 95.3 Calgary
Real Country 95.5 Red Deer
96.5 CKFM Olds
103.9 CISN FM Edmonton

Horizon Youth
Hailey Benedict
Krissy Feniak
Jonah Langlois
Hannah Gazso
Martina Dawn

Entertainer of the Year
Aaron Goodvin
Brett Kissel
Gord Bamford
Lindsay Ell
Paul Brandt

Video of the Year
“Don’t Hold Back” – The Dungarees
“Know Good” – Drew Gregory
“Let’s Go There” – Dan Davidson
“Mansplainin'” – Nice Horse
“Who’s Gonna Love Me Tonight” – Renegade Station

Up Next

Nearly 4,000 toys donated to Red Deer’s Salvation Army by Toys”R”Us

Don't Miss

Alberta Government looking for refinery partners

admin

Follow Author

CONSERVATIVES BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ON THE FARM

Crime / 6 years ago

Innisfail RCMP charge man with manslaughter

News / 6 years ago

Olds RCMP Investigate Shots Fired Into Residence Near Eagle Hill

Alberta

Premier Danielle Smith hints Alberta may begin ‘path’ toward greater autonomy after Mark Carney’s win

Published on April 30, 2025

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Alberta’s premier said her government will be holding a special caucus meeting on Friday to discuss Alberta’s independence.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith hinted her province could soon consider taking serious steps toward greater autonomy from Canada in light of Mark Carney and the Liberal Party winning yesterday’s federal election.

In a statement posted to her social media channels today, Smith, who is head of Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party, warned that “In the weeks and months ahead, Albertans will have an opportunity to discuss our province’s future, assess various options for strengthening and protecting our province against future hostile acts from Ottawa, and to ultimately choose a path forward.”

“As Premier, I will facilitate and lead this discussion and process with the sincere hope of securing a prosperous future for our province within a united Canada that respects our province’s constitutional rights, facilitates rather than blocks the development and export of our abundant resources, and treats us as a valued and respected partner within confederation,” she noted.

While Smith stopped short of saying that Alberta would consider triggering a referendum on independence from Canada, she did say her government will be holding a “special caucus meeting this Friday to discuss this matter further.”

“I will have more to say after that meeting is concluded,” she noted.

Smith’s warning comes at the same time some pre-election polls have shown Alberta’s independence from Canada sentiment at just over 30 percent.

Monday’s election saw Liberal leader Mark Carney beat out Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre, who also lost his seat. The Conservatives managed to pick up over 20 new seats, however, and Poilievre has vowed to stay on as party leader, for now.

In Alberta, almost all of the seats save two at press time went to conservatives.

Carney, like former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before him, said he is opposed to new pipeline projects that would allow Alberta oil and gas to be unleashed. Also, his green agenda, like Trudeau’s, is at odds with Alberta’s main economic driver, its oil and gas industry.

The Carney government has also pledged to mandate that all new cars and trucks by 2035 be electric, effectively banning the sale of new gasoline- or diesel-only powered vehicles after that year.

The reduction and eventual elimination of the use of so-called “fossil fuels” and a transition to unreliable “green” energy has also been pushed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) – the globalist group behind the socialist “Great Reset” agenda – an organization in which Trudeau and some of his cabinet are involved.

Smith: ‘I will not permit the status quo to continue’

In her statement, Smith noted that she invited Carney to “immediately commence working with our government to reset the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta with meaningful action rather than hollow rhetoric.”

She noted that a large majority of Albertans are “deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government.”

Smith then promised that she would “not permit the status quo to continue.”

“Albertans are proud Canadians that want this nation to be strong, prosperous, and united, but we will no longer tolerate having our industries threatened and our resources landlocked by Ottawa,” she said.

Smith praised Poilievre for empowering “Albertans and our energy sector as a cornerstone of his campaign.”

Smith was against forced COVID jabs, and her United Conservative government has in recent months banned men from competing in women’s sports and passed a bill banning so-called “top and bottom” surgeries for minors as well as other extreme forms of transgender ideology.

Alberta

Hours after Liberal election win, Alberta Prosperity Project drumming up interest in referendum

Published on April 29, 2025

Todayville

News release from the Alberta Prosperity Project

Carney’s In. Now what?

You’ve been paying attention. You understand this is really bad. Worse than that, it’s dangerous. The country has somehow chosen several more years of a decade-long Trudeau Travesty…on steroids. Because this new Prime Minister has a three digit IQ, deep and questionable connections and a momentum to accelerate the further dis-integration of a nation we all once proudly belonged to. It’s untrue to say the country is dying. But it’s also not a stretch to say it’s on life support.

The era of Carney Carnage is here. While every province will experience it, there’s no secret he’s placed an extra big bulls-eye on Alberta.

It’s not personal, it’s financial.

His plan includes continuing to limit three of Alberta’s most prosperous sectors: energy, agriculture and, by extension, innovation. To acknowledge this requires we abandon our sense of romanticized national nostalgia. Nostalgia is a trap that prevents us from assessing the reality we exist in.

For instance, GDP is considered the financial heartbeat of a country. Over the past decade of Liberal Leadership, the national GDP has been an abysmal 1.1%. By relatable comparison, Mexico was 4%, the UK was 6%, Australia had 8% growth and the US was a whopping 19%.

That’s great information for an economist, but what does it mean to your pay cheque?

The everyday impact on the average Albertan —say, a teacher or mechanic— of 10 long years of 1% GDP means rent’s up at least 25%, a trip to the grocery store always stings, and driving an older car is the norm because an upgrade is out of reach. Does this sound like your reality?

We aren’t starving, but we’re not thriving, either.

Does this make sense for 4.5 million people living with the third most abundant energy deposits in the world? There’s an absurdity to the situation Albertans find themselves in. It’s akin to being chronically dehydrated while having a fresh water spring in the backyard.

The life you’ve invested for, the future you believed was ahead, isn’t happening.

If Alberta stays on this path.

So what can you, as an Albertan, do about it?

This Fall, we’ll be provided an opportunity. A life raft in the form of a referendum. It requires curiosity, imagination and courage to step into it, but the option will be there — a once in a lifetime shot at prosperity for you and your family: Alberta Sovereignty.

A successful bid means Albertans can finally paddle out of the perilous economic current that’s battered us for ten long years.

Alberta has the resources, talent and spirit of collaboration to create a prosperous future for our families and communities.
If you want your vote to finally mean something, if you feel you deserve more from your pay-cheque, grocery store visits and need greater control over your family’s future, register your intent to sign YES to sovereignty now.