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TRURO, N.S. —

Producing an acclaimed record that becomes well-received around the world would be accomplishment enough for most musicians, but receiving four Music Nova Scotia Awards became the icing on the cake for Halifax singer-songwriter Erin Costelo and her album Sweet Marie on Sunday night.

The awards were presented at the Holiday Inn Truro as the finale to Nova Scotia Music Week 2019, after four days of wide-ranging performance showcases around town and industry conference sessions featuring Canadian and international music business professionals.

Costelo's fifth album, and the second on her own Venue Records label, was named recording of the year, Americana/bluegrass recording of the year and solo recording of the year, while the artist's work behind the studio console earned her a producer of the year award. To underline that last category, her production work on What Remains, the finely textured first solo release by Leanne Hoffman, played a part in it winning a pair of awards for new artist and pop recording of the year.

Aquasocks — the Halifax hip-hop duo of Aquakultre and Ghettosocks — was tied with Newfoundland-raised songwriter Don Brownrigg for the most nominations, with six apiece. After performing a blistering set on Saturday at Truro's Engine Room and performing at the awards ceremony itself, the pair snagged a hip-hop recording of the year award for its debut HOLOS.

Other multiple winners included Nova Scotia indie mainstay Wintersleep, which picked up alternative recording of the year for In the Land Of and music video of the year for Forest Fire (directed by Christopher Mills), and the duo PINEO & LOEB, named DJ and electronic artist of the year.

On Saturday afternoon, the Gordie Sampson Songcamp celebrated 10 years of success and presenting emerging songwriting talent with a packed house at Truro's Marigold Cultural Centre, which is also the 2019 MNS community presenter of the year. Songcamp alumni had a good turnout among Sunday night's award winners, with the trio of Port Cities (Breagh MacKinnon, Dylan Guthro and Carleton Stone) earning digital artist and SOCAN songwriter of the year honours, and rambunctious roots crooner Willie Stratton nabbing the coveted fan-voted entertainer of the year award.

Some artists straddled the music and industry awards, like Keith Mullins, who took home traditional/roots recording of the year for Upward (Howlin' at the Moon) and, in a tie with Shannon Quinn, the educator of the year award. Thomas Stajcer's honest brand of outlaw country earned him country recording of the year for Will I Learn to Love Again?, while his sound-making skills won him the studio engineer of the year award for his work at Dartmouth's New Scotland Yard, also the 2019 recording studio of the year.

Other big achievements in the industry awards included The Syrup Factory's win for company of the year while co-owner Sarah Jamer was named industry professional of the year. The Halifax Jazz Festival earned the event of the year award while the promoter of the year went to its senior program manager Andrew Jackson. The live music audio experts groundSOUND was named production company of the year, while the live technician of the year award went to its chief engineer Trevor DeSouza.

In a nice bit of synchronicity, Pigeon Row's Trevor Murphy was named publicist of the year, while his now-defunct East Coast music show Halifax Is Burning earned radio show of the year, and its home base of Dalhousie University's CKDU 88.1 FM was named radio station of the year.

COMPLETE 2019 MUSIC NOVA SCOTIA AWARD WINNERS LIST

Music:

Entertainer of the Year: Willie StrattonSolo Recording of the Year: Erin Costelo - Sweet Marie

Group Recording of the Year: The Town Heroes - Everything (will be fine when we get to where we think we're going)

Music Video of the Year: Wintersleep - Forest Fire Director: Christopher Mills

New Artist Recording of the Year: Leanne Hoffman - What Remains

Recording of the Year: Erin Costelo - Sweet Marie

SOCAN Songwriter of the Year: Port Cities - Montreal (Songwriters: Dylan Guthro, Breagh MacKinnon, Carleton Stone, Thomas (Tawgs) Salter)

Acadian/Francophone Artist of the Year: Maxim Cormier

African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year: Keonté Beals

Alternative Recording of the Year: Wintersleep - In The Land Of

Americana Bluegrass Recording of the Year: Erin Costelo - Sweet Marie

Blues Recording of the Year: Mojo Martin - Livin' The Daydream

Children’s Artist of the Year: Matt The Music Man

Classical Recording of the Year: New Hermitage + Jeff Reilly - New Hermitage + Jeff Reilly

Country Recording of the Year: Thomas Stajcer - Will I Learn To Love Again?

Digital Artist of the Year: Port Cities

DJ of the Year: PINEO & LOEB

Electronic Artist of the Year: PINEO & LOEB

Folk Recording of the Year: Villages - Villages

Hip Hop Recording of the Year: AQUASOCKS (Aquakultre & Ghettosocks) - HOLOS

Indigenous Artist of the Year: Alan Syliboy and the Thundermakers

Jazz Recording of the Year: The Easley Quartet - The Starting Point VS The Steep Decline

Loud Recording of the Year : Orchid's Curse - Graveyard of the Gulf

Musician of the Year: Leith Fleming-Smith

Pop Recording of the Year: Leanne Hoffman - What Remains

Rock Recording of the Year: Adam Baldwin - No Rest for the Wicked

Traditional/Roots Recording of the Year: Keith Mullins - Upward (Howlin' at the Moon)

Director's Choice Award: Gordie Sampson

Industry:

Booking Agent of the Year: Stephanie Purcell

Community Presenter of the Year: Marigold Cultural Centre

Company of the Year: The Syrup Factory

Educator of the Year: Keith Mullins & Shannon Quinn

Event of the Year: Halifax Jazz Festival

Industry Professional of the Year: Sarah Jamer

Live Technician of the Year: Trevor DeSouza

Manager of the Year: Sheri Jones

Media Professional of the Year: Tara Thorne

Producer of the Year: Erin Costelo

Production Company of the Year: groundSOUND

Promoter of the Year: Andrew Jackson (Halifax Jazz Festival)

Publicist of the Year: Trevor Murphy

Radio Program of the Year: Halifax Is Burning (CKDU 88.1)

Radio Station of the Year: CKDU 88.1

Recording Studio of the Year: New Scotland Yard

Studio Engineer of the Year: Thomas Stajcer

Venue of the Year: The Marquee Ballroom, The Seahorse Tavern & The Local

Visual Artist of the Year: Mat Dunlap

Volunteer of the Year: Katelyn Bonomo