Ryan's Fancy

Subject: Ryan's Fancy
From: GEST
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 04:02 PM

Back in 1970, when the trio, Ryan's Fancy, began spreading the music of their Irish heritage throughout their newly-adopted Canada, they probably never dreamed they would earn a wel-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award from the East Coast Music Awards 34 years later. :-)

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 05:40 PM

I've wondered... If Canada already has a national music award (The Juno) then what use The ECMAs????

Seems rather self-congradulatory to me...

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: DonMeixner
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 06:48 PM

Oh I dunno Clinton, award or not it is great to see they aren't forgotten. I used to catch they're TV show on American cable from the CBC. Between "Tommy Makem and Ryan's Fancy", "The Irish Rovers" and "All Around The Circle" I watched and heard some pretty decent folk music on Saturday and Sunday nights here in the US.

Don

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 31 Mar 04 - 07:50 PM

Clinton got it arse-backwards. The Junos are the self-congratulating awards. The ECMA is much more roots based.
       Obie

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: Nerd
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 11:41 AM

The ECMAs are very useful for folk music because so much of the popular music coming out of Atlantic Canada is folk-based (think Natalie MacMaster, Great Big Sea, Irish Descendants, Rankin Family, etc.) Therefore, at the ECMAs folk music is much, much more prominent that at the Junos. It gives folk-based artists a lot of regional and a bit of national exposure, and it's a very open, inviting week of showcases and music to boot. I don't see a single downside to it.

BTW, here in the US we have lots of regional based music awards, too, like the Wammies for the DC area.

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 01:52 PM

Speaking as a WAMMIE winner, 10 years in a row (Best Irish Celtic Male Vocalist) I can proudly state that awards mean NOTHING!
There were generally 5 other nominees with me in the category, each of whom was more deserving than I, but I got the award each time.
Which says to me that the selection committee didn't even look at the others, but just said, "Let's give it to Kennedy and save ourselves the trouble of going out and listening to the other performers."
Like George C. Scott refusing the Oscar for Patton, I don't believe in awards just for doing your job, and I don't believe in generating a sense of competition between performers where no competition should exist.
I didn't go to the awards ceremonies; they mailed the awards to me. They make very good bookends.
Let's do away with self-congratulatory awards ceremonies, and instead recognize people for a lifetime of achievement in their particular field of endeavor - Pete Seeger, Tommy Makem, Bob Copper, Doc Watson, Jean Redpath, Jean Ritchie et al.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: Nerd
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 03:38 PM

Seamus,

I didn't intend to suggest that the ECMAs are equivalent in all ways to the WAMMIES. I have never been on the inside of the ECMA selection process, but I haven't heard of winners who thought they didn't deserve it.

In the Entertainer of the Year category, which is an audience-selected category, Great Big Sea's fan base was so vocal that they won for years, and they finally took themselves out of it to give others a chance. There was also a small controversy among first nations artists when a guy won who was an elder, but who played essentially Scottish-style fiddle. Some in the community didn't consider it to be within category.

The point of the ECMAs is that they have a full-scale music industry conference (similar to Folk Alliance) and a big glitzy award show that is on national TV. This is totally beyond the scope of the wammies. It is a big deal for the regional music industry, and incidentally for the tourism industry too. While you may be right that the competition itself is a down side (who really knows if one singer is better than another?) there are too many upsides for them to stop.

As for Ryan's Fancy, they got exactly the kind of award you describe and it is indeed deserved.

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 05:38 PM

sorry Obie... your 'voice' seems to be muffled by your buttcheeks....

Saying that one is less than the other is just so much hogswallop!

But then I tend to feel that way about all award shows...

"artificial prop" is the term that goes through my head...

Not that I begrudge RF ANY exposure at all! The whole world should know who RF are!

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 08:17 PM

Ciinton,
   I as well, am not a fan of any award shows . I do not feel that any judgement can be anything but subjective. Now I hope that you can hear this through my buttcheeks, or that you can see my smile if your vision is not too badly obstructed by your piles. :-}
         Obie

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: GEST
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 08:45 PM

I've always considered the Junos as a Canadian national event and the East Coast Music Awards as regional, since the Atlantic Maritimes consist of four of the smallest provinces: Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Historically, the Junos are older, dating to 1970, but Canada's East Coast has always been a major source of music, especially folk. Perhaps one is right to think of the ECMAs as self-congratulatory, but many apparently think of them more as self-promotional, especially for the folk music genre.

Here is a brief history of the ECMAs. An event this large, which started in a Halifax lounge, certainly has had something good going for it. Perhaps it's all in the atmosphere, eh? :-)

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: Jack the Sailor
Date: 01 Apr 04 - 08:53 PM

Ryan's Fancy is deserving of the recognition.

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 07:56 PM

I agree that RF is deserving of the recognition, too. For a fine body of work through the years.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Ryan's Fancy
From: gnu
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 08:03 AM

".... self-promotional..." Ah, there it is. And they do a damn fine job. BRAVO !!! As for the Junos, whoever decided to have Nickelback (sp'g ?) start off the show with lyrics about a woman with pants around her feet and dirt on her knees should have their heads examined. I like the tune but the lyrics are degrading and disgusting to many people... although I don't know how one would write politely about such topics.