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MAY 9 2010
MonkeyJunk is truly honoured and incredibly proud as representatives of Ottawa and Canada to announce that WE WON FOR BEST NEW ARTIST DEBUT for "Tiger In Your Tank" at the 2010 Blues Music Awards in Memphis Thursday May 6th! We are the second ever Canadian act in 30 years to win a Blues Music Award (second only to Jeff Healey who won an award last year). We were in the presence of greatness on this night. Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Pinetop Perkins and many other blues legends were present and we feel very lucky to be recognized in such highly esteemed company. Huge thanks to Jay Sieleman, Joe Whitmer all the staff and volunteers at the Blues Foundation for putting on a first class show. More huge thanks to all of you fans, friends and family that support us in this, our dream, to play our music. We share this award with Jason Jaknunas & Marty Sobb - the engineers that recorded the record and Scotty Doubt who did the layout and design for "Tiger". Also big thanks goes out to our agent Brian Slack and Richard "Rosy" Rosenblatt, Bob Margolin and Chip Eagle at the Vizztone Label Group.
Wow, what a night!
Thanks again . . .
Matt, Tony and Steve
MARCH 25 2010
Happy spring everyone - We did it again! MonkeyJunk won another award . . . this time we were rewarded with the Best Blues Artist award at the Canadian Independent Music Awards at Canadian Music Week in Toronto. We were very honoured by this one especially as our competition was fierce. We beat out Jim Byrnes, Harrison Kennedy, Colin Linden and Colin James. Big thanks to all of you who helped with online voting. Please check out the tour dates page as we have many shows coming up and check back regularly as our summer tour schedule will be updated often - it looks like we will be touring coast to coast again this year.
See you all soon...
---Tony, Steve, and Matt
JANUARY 18 2010MonkeyJunk wins big at the Maple Blues Awards!!! The thriving Ottawa blues scene received a shot in the arm at the Maple Blues Awards last night, thanks to MonkeyJunk. The Ottawa-based blues supergroup swept the 13th annual Canadian blues awards, scoring wins in five of the six categories for which they were nominated. As a group, the trio landed the awards for entertainer of the year and electric act of the year. A pair of awards also went to singer-instrumentalist Steve Marriner (for male vocalist of the year and harmonica player of the year), while axeman Tony Diteodoro picked up the award for guitarist of the year. The awards were handed out during a gala ceremony at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. The accolades are the latest in the flurry of attention that’s been snowballing around MonkeyJunk. Formed less than two years ago by old friends Marriner, Diteodoro and drummer Matt Sobb, the trio developed their distinctive no-bass boogie-blues during a few months of regular Sunday-night gigs at Irene’s Pub. The buzz developed quickly, and the band earned its first Maple Blues nomination last year, a surprise because they had yet to release a recording. They also competed in last year’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, where they placed third out of more than 100 acts, and spent the summer performing at festivals. They are also nominated for a prestigious U.S. blues award in the category of best new artist. Winners of the Blues Music Awards will be announced in Memphis on May 6. MonkeyJunk’s eagerly awaited first CD, Tiger in Your Tank, has been out since last spring. Despite rave reviews, it did not capture last night’s Maple Blues award for best recording – that honour went to Songs From The Road by the late Jeff Healey. MonkeyJunk thanks everyone who voted for us - your overwhelming support is very much appreciated!! Come and celebrate with us February 27th and 28th at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield!
See tour dates for more info . . . ---Tony, Steve, and Matt DECEMBER 6TH 2009
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