The west has been a hotbed for country music for a very long time and so it continues.  Exciting this morning to receive the list of nominees for the 2019 Alberta Country Music Association Award Nominees and see my friend Ryan Langlois on the list for Male Artist of the Year. So many terrific musicians, writers, performers on this list.

Male Artist of the Year

Ben Chase

Dan Davidson

Drew Gregory

Sean Gristwood

Ryan Langlois

Female Artist of the Year

Hailey Benedict

Krissy Feniak

Lauren Mayell

Andrea Nixon

Mariya Stokes

Group/Duo of the Year

The Dungarees

Ghost Boy

Nice Horse

The Prairie States

Renegade Station

Fans Choice

Ben Chase

The Dungarees

Drew Gregory

Nice Horse

The Prairie States

Renegade Station

Industry Person of the Year

Johnny Gasparic / MCC Recording

Carla Hackman / Sakamoto Agency

Larry Mayell / LJVM Projects

Chard Morrison / Shattered Glass

Sarah Scott / Sun Country 99.7

Musician of the Year

Lisa Dodd (Bass)

Johnny Gasparic (Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin)

Cody Mack (Drums, Bass)

Josh Ruzycki (Guitar)

Brandi Sidoryk (Bass)

Album of the Year

“Juliet” / Dan Davidson

“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees

“Running on the Edge” / Tim Isberg

“It Was A Song” / Ryan Langlois

“Wild” / Ryan Lindsay

Song of the Year

“All Over It” / Written by: Ben Chase, Matty McKay, Aaron Pollock, Adam Dowling

(Performed by: Ben Chase)

“Better in a Bar” / Written by: Drew Gregory, Aaron Goodvin

(Performed by: Drew Gregory)

“Hands on My Body” / Written by: Mariya Stokes, Aaron Pollock, Michael Braun (Performed by: Mariya Stokes)

“It Was A Song” / Written by: Ryan Langlois

(Performed by: Ryan Langlois)

“Just Drive” / Written by: Justin Hogg, James Murdoch

(Performed by: Justin Hogg)

Single of the Year

“All Over It” / Ben Chase

“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees

“Better In a Bar” / Drew Gregory

“Just Maybe” / The Prairie States

“Along for the Ride” / Renegade Station

Horizon Youth

Hailey Benedict

Martina Dawn

Hannah Gazso

Anna Johnson

Jordan Leaf

Entertainer of the Year

Gord Bamford

Paul Brandt

Aaron Goodvin

High Valley

Brett Kissel

Tenille Townes

Video of the Year

“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees

“Suntans & Beer Cans” / Justin Hogg

“Lightbulb” / Troy Kokol

“Just Maybe” / Prairie States

“Along for the Ride” / Renegade Station

“Hands on My Body” / Mariya Stokes

Community Spirit Award

Hailey Benedict

Bob Donaldson

The Dungarees

Donny Lee

Kym Simon

The Prairie States

Renegade Station

Country Venue of the Year

Boot Scootin Boogie – Edmonton

Cook County Saloon – Edmonton

Ranchmans Cookhouse and Dancehall – Calgary

Talent Buyer of the Year

Carla Hackman / Sakamoto Agency

Natasha Mandrusiak – Calgary Stampede

Pat McGannon / PM Gigs

Chris Melnychuk – Trixstar

Angie Morris – Sirroma Entertainment

Adam Oppenheim / Stampede Entertainment

Rising Star

Ben Chase

Karac Hendriks

Ryan Lindsay

Trevor Panczak

Brad Saunders

Radio Station of the Year

840 CFCW – Edmonton

REAL COUNTRY 95.5 – Red Deer

SUN COUNTRY 99.7 – High River

THE ONE 88.1 – Parkland

WILD 95.3 – Calgary

Ticket link, hotel info, and further information about the ACMA™ Awards Weekend will be announced soon.  Information on ACMA available at www.acmamusic.com.

ACMA Awards weekend will be held January 25-26, 2020 at the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre in Red Deer.

2019 ACMA Award Nominees!

November 19th, 2019 (Edmonton, AB) – The Association of Country Music in Alberta (ACMA)™ is pleased to present our Nominees for the upcoming 2019 Alberta Country Music Awards™.

Winners will be announced during the ACMA Awards weekend on

January 25 & 26, 2020.

At Todayville, some of us have a guitar addiction.  And so, when we can profile an Alberta guitar maker, we’re very happy to do so.  Oh, we also like video and filmmaking, so this video by ilia Photo and Cinema of Calgary’s Jason McGillivray building a beautiful McGillivray “Parlour Guitar” is an added bonus.  Learn about Jason’s journey from player and enthusiast to luthier.

“…Having played guitar since the early 80’s, I was on a permanent quest, as most musicians are, to find a better sounding, better playing, instrument than the one I had…”

By Jason McGillivray:

I am often asked “how did you get into guitar building?” For me, the appeal lies in the way lutherie combines art and science, drawing upon and exercising the left and right sides of the brain. Satisfaction is gained as the process unfolds and I combine and work down natural materials such as spruce or rosewood. The culmination is an heirloom-quality instrument that enhances the human experience of both player and listener and, as the instrument is passed on, for future generations.

Having played guitar since the early 80’s, I was on a permanent quest, as most musicians are, to find a better sounding, better playing, instrument than the one I had. Frequenting guitar shops whenever I could, I discovered factory offerings could only attain a certain level, and still maintain desired prices and production targets. I began to research guitar building, thinking in the future it would be something I’d like to pursue.

I spent ten years studying the craft, collecting tone wood, and acquiring tools, before actually building my first guitar. I learned that factory guitars and handmade guitars have fundamental differences. In the factory setting, guitar parts are mass produced in batches with speed and efficiency driving construction methods and design decisions. As the guitar moves down the line, the next piece is pulled from the bin and added to the assembly. All the components in the pile are of uniform dimensions; however wood is not a uniform material, even from the same tree. Each piece of wood needs to be evaluated and then worked to its optimum dimensions, based on its stiffness and density.

In the factory, randomly selecting components from the bin occasionally results in a combination of excellent parts, producing an exceptional guitar. This is why you can play ten factory guitars of the same model, made at the same time, and a few will excel, a few will underperform, and the rest will be average. A good hand builder, in a one-person shop, takes the mystery out of how the final product will perform. He or she has invested years collecting superb tone woods, studying the properties of wood and adhesives, and incorporating the successes, and knowledge gained from failures, of luthiers, past and present. Only the best wood is selected, and then worked to its fullest potential as it is combined with other woods, bone, and steel, to work synergistically as a unit.

While I was doing my research and collecting tone wood, I ordered an expensive, handmade guitar with an inheritance from my grandfather. This, I reasoned, would give me a benchmark to study and compare my own building progress against in the future, plus I would get that handmade tone and playability I’d been searching for. The guitar arrived six months later, and although it was nice, it just didn’t have the tone that my ear was searching for. This was the nudge I needed to kick-start my building career. Perhaps it would take many tries, but redirecting my energy from searching for my perfect guitar, to creating it, sat well with me, and so it began.

I learned from a tutor who is an experienced builder, and by self-study and experimentation.  While completing my BSc in Forest Science I had the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge on the structural properties of wood, at a cellular level; this has served me well in understanding how to select and optimize tone wood.  Twenty years in the sawmilling and forest products industry, as a professional forester, further tempered my understanding of wood, the growing conditions required for premium tone wood, and how to break down a tree for the highest quality yield.  Attending the American School of Lutherie, in Portland Oregon, and studying the methods and approach of Charles Fox, gave me a strong foundation and I have continued to refine my sound and style.

Initially based in British Columbia, McGillivray Guitars now operates out of Calgary, Alberta, producing several commissioned instruments per year, with occasional speculative builds, the progress of which can be viewed on the website, in “On the Bench”.

Commissioned instruments are fully customizable in all aspects, including model, size, shape, scale length, string spacing, neck profile, body depth, and wood selection. If desired, an individual’s playing style, hand size, and physical conditions will be evaluated to select and guide the player to their optimum personalized instrument design.

Click to learn more about McGillivray Guitars including a full price list.