HAMILTON IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Memories of The JUNOS
Celebrity spotting, after parties, pop-up concerts and at least two winners who missed their moments on the stage … what Hamilton musicians and musical insiders remember about the city’s previous turns hosting The JUNOS.
There have been so many musical memories born in Hamilton during the six previous times the city has hosted The JUNO Awards. HAMILTON CITY Magazine’s Kerry Doole asked local musicians and insiders about their favourite JUNO moments in Hamilton.
Dave Rave (The Shakers, Teenage Head) attended the 1996 edition of The JUNOS in Hamilton.
“My main story about The JUNOS in Hamilton is from the year Junkhouse were nominated for Best Album Design for their second album, Birthday Boy. I was invited to The JUNO gala dinner and I saw (superstar record producer) Mark Howard there. He invited me to his table and it was good to catch up with him because at the time I was living in New York City and he was in New Orleans.
Kelly Jay from Crowbar was the MC. His jokes were definitely old school and weren’t reaching the younger hip audience, but Mark and I laughed at them for that reason. That night, Junkhouse won the award (it went to Tom Wilson and Alex Wittholz), Sarah McLachlan thrilled the audience, and Buffy Sainte-Marie performed and won a Lifetime Achievement Award. All in all, it was a great Hamilton experience and I was glad to be there.”
Madeline Wilson Shaw, a Hamilton-based cultural strategist with expertise in music, public institutions, and community leadership, has vivid recollections of The JUNOS in Hamilton.
“I certainly have lots of JUNO memories from Copps,” she says. “I was actually with my dad [local legend Tom Wilson] when he won his first JUNO in Hamilton, and he brought me up on stage with him to accept the award.
There’s a great photo from that year in a magazine comparing my dad's and Alanis Morissette's hair. The photos are of my dad and me beside Alanis Morissette, with the caption ‘hair apparent’!
I also once went to The JUNOS with a friend, when I was about 11. My dad gave me his ticket because he was in Vancouver and wouldn't make it. I wore these fantastic silver Doc Martens, and the lead singer of Bran Van 3000 stopped me to tell me how cool they were!
For the 2015 JUNOS, I was heavily involved. I produced an event for CARAS (Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) at the Hamilton Public Library as part of my in-the-round series that was quite successful. It was called Blame it on Hamilton.”
Graham Rockingham, longtime Hamilton Spectator music writer
“I only attended the 2015 JUNOS in Hamilton as I was living in Vancouver for all the others. I remember the media room was in the library next door to the arena, with winners and presenters being shuttled back and forth from FirstOntario Place to meet the press who were all too busy deadline filing to interview them!
We weren't invited to the earlier dinner at the Convention Centre, but I do remember Daniel Lanois being the entertainment. The after-party, hosted by Harlan Pepper at Liuna Station, was a great success with many cameo appearances, including Tom Wilson.
It's safe to say that the 1990s-era Copps Coliseum JUNOS transformed the entire awards show concept, turning it into the full-fledged arena concert show that it is now. That was largely the brainchild of HECFI publicist Debra Vivian and her boss Gabe Macaluso, and I believe they deserve the credit.
Before coming to Hamilton, The JUNO Awards were an insider affair. I remember attending the 1982 JUNOS, at the Westin Hotel ballroom in Toronto. Neil Young and Bruce Cockburn wore tuxedos!”
Tom Dertinger, a veteran Waterdown-based concert and comedy promoter with Fusion Arts Management, attended some of the ’90s era JUNOS at Copps Coliseum.
“To anyone from Hamilton, the idea of bringing The JUNO Awards to Hamilton was a no-brainer. Copps staff lobbied the JUNO committee long and hard and it worked.
At first, all the JUNO after-parties were held in Hamilton. I remember that one of my early clients, Jann Arden, was an attendee at a party at The Gown and Gavel. The Warner Music party was around the corner, at The Scottish Rite, I believe, and it was over the top. The Killjoys were there, and the band was stoked with their new record deal and let it all hang out. Also noted were Jake Gold (The Tragically Hip’s manager) smoking a cigar and white-gloved staff.”
Gene Champagne, drummer and singer/songwriter (The Killjoys, Teenage Head) has fond memories of the 1997 JUNO Awards.
“My recollection of (The Killjoys) win then is a little foggy as the night seemed fast and furious. We were nominated at that time for Best New Group. We were really happy to be recognized, especially with The JUNOS held in our hometown.
However, we all thought that never in a million years were we going to take home a JUNO, so we ended up just enjoying hanging out in the beer garden until our manager came in, anxiously telling us our category was up and we should find our seats. We made our way there and were shocked to hear our name called. Up on our feet again and off to the stage to be presented our JUNO and say thanks. Then we were taken behind stage and there were tons of congratulations and, of course, press photos. This all seemed like a whirlwind of activity. I can't recall if we even made it back to our seats for the remainder of the show.
After the ceremony show, of course, came the after-parties. Many of the record label parties were in Hess Village including Warner, our label at the time. We started there and found ourselves at many label parties and seeing a lot of friends in other bands that night.
It was a great night in our hometown and made it an easy stumble home. They don't hand you the JUNO that you accept on stage so the upside is it wasn’t going to get lost that evening! That was the only JUNO night that myself and the band ever attended and Hamilton was the one.”
Danny Miles, July Talk drummer, solo recording artist and producer recalls the 2015 Junos in Hamilton with real affection.
“July Talk won our first JUNO, for Alternative Album of the Year, there, back before I moved to Hamilton. I also presented an award on the broadcast, which was kind of crazy for me at the time. Still would be! I also got to hang out with Daniel Lanois and Billy Bob Thornton’s son Willy Thornton at the gala, which was super cool. I got to say hi to Geddy Lee.
The funny story is that after July Talk won our first JUNO, Tim Oxford of Arkells and I went out for a smoke. On our way back into the venue, everyone was leaving and we passed the rest of Arkells on the escalator leaving the venue. Tim had missed the presentation of one of the big JUNOS they had just won. I felt bad but he thought it was kind of funny!”
Jamie Tennant, long time program director at the McMaster radio station, CFMU, and a regular contributor to Hamilton City Magazine
“I was at The JUNOS back in the ’90s, I believe in 1995. I was living in Toronto at the time, and was excited to come home for such an important occasion at Copps Coliseum. Of all the things that happened during the show, my main memory is of Art Bergmann (rock singer-songwriter) bumming a cigarette off me backstage. The things you remember!
“When The JUNOS came here in 2015, I really wanted to get involved, so I joined the publicity and promotion team. We did all kinds of things, but the most fun was that we ran a contest for best JUNO-themed song. We accepted the submissions, chose the finalists, and mounted a live-to-air show on Cable 14, which I got to host, on which the winner (Kirby Ft. Hachey The MouthPEACE & Ace ) was announced. With our competition, and all the adjacent events that took place, I really saw how The JUNOS could be used to invigorate a local music scene.
I attended the big show that year, but was much more excited about being part of the press crew the night prior, for the untelevised awards. These were the genres and artists that I cared about most, especially given my career in campus radio. On both nights, I was proud to watch friends and acquaintances like Arkells, Caribou, and Diana Panton win awards.”
Lou Molinaro, veteran Hamilton live music promoter (This Ain’t Hollywood, The Corktown)
“Ah yes! The 2015 JUNO Awards in Hamilton. A lot of fun, little sleep!
There's a myriad of interesting recollections from JUNO Week. I sat on a marketing committee with a competent team of Hamilton music-infrastructure folks to help spread the word. Lots of thinking outside of the box to help not only stir interest in The JUNOS but in Hamilton as the host city.
We brought July Talk and Jeremy Fisher into these atypical locations to create excitement and interest with pop-up shows. We even convinced (English star) Frank Turner to do a quick intimate afternoon performance at the Horseshoe in Toronto in support.
The experience was a lot of fun. The mercury was rising. Hamilton was ready for The JUNOS. We adopted the handle, ‘TURN IT ON.’ All the major music venues were involved with The JUNOS. This Ain't Hollywood hosted a weekend full of concerts showcasing great Canadian talent. Teenage Head, Jim Cuddy, The Killjoys, Tomi Swick, and Harlan Pepper were just some of the names that quickly come to mind. It was a whirlwind!
For us at TAH, it gave us an opportunity to showcase our venue to a lot of out-of-town visitors (fans, musicians and industry types). We tried our best to keep those waiting in the line-ups outside relaxed. So many were trying to cash in on favours just to be within those four walls. Finally, my business partner told our door staff, ‘If anyone asks for Lou, tell them he's not here.’
Having Jim Cuddy perform on the Friday night stirred a lot of interest. Plus, I learned how frantic those Blue Rodeo fans can be! As a club owner, what a great problem it is to have an L-shaped line up outside the doors!
On the Saturday afternoon, you could see musicians, industry types and fans walking our downtown streets and getting a feel for Hamilton. I was witnessing people commenting on the interesting smell of the air, the city’s architecture, the abundance of good coffee shops and the variety of food available on James Street North.
The Sunday evening was the awards gala at FirstOntario Place. Gord Lewis (Teenage Head) and I went to the show and the place was packed. Pits of excited fans in the front, waiting for performances by Arkells, The Weeknd, and a slew of other Canadian artists. Gordie and I observed the spectators soaked in this feverishness and that was just as enjoyable as the show itself. Looking back now, how cool was it to have The Weeknd perform during The JUNOS in Hamilton?
Post awards show, I took Gordie to an after-party hosted by one of the major Canadian music companies. It was so gratifying to have so many industry people stop and chat with Gordie about Teenage Head and how much Teenage Head meant to them. Teenage Head will always be Hamilton ambassadors and that was the perfect way of ending The JUNO Awards week.
Hamilton is a natural for being involved in things like hosting The JUNO Awards. Music is a major contributor to its ecosystem, mixed with some steel, too, of course.”
Jackie Norton, then manager of the Film & Music Office at the City of Hamilton, was closely involved with the 2015 JUNO Awards and JUNO Week.
“There were so many events, shows, receptions etc. throughout The JUNOS. For JUNOfest, which Ward Dilse organized, bars were packed with people for very successful shows. I believe that Hamilton really showed its music heart during that week and I was very proud of that.”
Ward Dilse, former senior project manager stadium program & marketing at the City of Hamilton
“I was heavily involved in the 2015 JUNOS as a host committee member and co-chair, marketing & pageantry sub-committee.
The most important thing that I learned in 2015 was the incredible access to artists and the amazing discoveries that fans have attending JUNO Week. I remember seeing Dear Rouge at the Casbah for JUNOfest and being blown away. Other highlights for me were Arkells’ acceptance speech at The JUNO Awards Gala at the Hamilton Convention Centre and Alanis Morissette’s performance at the awards show as part of her induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
As for the work on the committee, I am very proud of our pop-up shows that we did in the lead up to The JUNOS. We did six shows including July Talk in Hamilton, Elliott BROOD in Guelph and Frank Turner in Toronto. In addition, we displayed banners throughout the downtown core celebrating the Hamilton artists past and present.”
James Bryan McCollum, a Hamilton-based platinum-selling artist, songwriter and producer (Philosopher Kings, Prozzäk, Nelly Furtado)
“Philosopher Kings had a very memorable experience at our first JUNOS, in 1995, at Copps Coliseum. We won the award for Best New Group, and it was the first time any of us had been to an awards show.
It was also the first time we had been picked up in limos. We went in two limos, and in mine, for some reason, we were not worried about getting there on time. The organized part of the band was already seated and ready to accept the award as part of the pre-televised part of the show. Me and fellow guitarist Brian West were chatting with our lawyer at the time at the top of the steps when our category was announced.
It was like a nightmare. I was hundreds of steps away from the stage and could see my bandmates on stage, accepting the award and enjoying a moment I had looked forward to my whole life and now was not going to enjoy!
So it was a funny and bittersweet moment, but the lesson is definitely show up on time and very early so you can accept your award as you never know when you're going to get one again!”
Dave Kelly, an event manager at Copps Coliseum for 28 years, recalls the logistical challenges involved in hosting The JUNO Awards.
“My job was to make sure all events got in and out of Copps. The JUNOS were a massive setup. We had to remove the ice surface before they could bring in the show. Our staff had built a stage that The JUNOS made bigger.
The stage came out all the way backstage to allow the equipment and musical instruments to go up a ramp and get wheeled out to the main stage. They had trailers backstage for the big stars to use and I remember Celine Dion had one. Her husband would stop by my office to chat many times as my office was right beside the dressing rooms.
There were many rehearsals taking place and a huge amount of staff putting the show together. I recall they had about 30 trucks loading and unloading.
One year we had removed the ice surface and everything had to be off the surface by 4 p.m. on the Monday as we had to put the ice and boards back in for Disney on Ice, who were moving in on the Wednesday for their show. Crazy times but our staff got it all done, working around the clock. The JUNO staff worked just as hard.”
