- Capital Daily
- Posts
- March 30 - Locals up for Junos
March 30 - Locals up for Junos
The best burgers in Vic. Galloping Goose construction. Eby speaks on US.
Capital Daily Team
March 30, 2025
Good morning !
We hope everyone is enjoying the final weekend of March, as we move further into spring. Thank you to everybody who signed up over the past month to be a Capital Daily Insider.
As of this weekend, Insiders will have access to the full Sunday newsletter while only the first story and Bulletin section will be visible for everybody. All other days will be fully accessible as usual—thanks to the support of our Insider members, whose contributions help keep those days free for everybody.
Today, that first story touches on some of the local artists up for Junos tonight.
— Cam
Today’s approx. read time: 4 / 7 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
Today: 🌦️ 12 / 7
Tomorrow: ⛈🌤 11 / 3
Tuesday: ☀️ 14 / 6
NEWS
These South Island musicians are up for Junos today
Photo: Spiritbox
Victoria's Spiritbox is up for 2 Junos: Group of the Year and Metal / Hard Music Album of the Year.
Singer Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Mike Stringer began recording as Spiritbox shortly after getting married in 2016. After building an online following, they had planned to tour in 2020. But the pandemic kept them from meeting audiences—and even their own bandmate—in person for over a year.
Their debut album then reached #13 on the US Billboard charts, and they were up for a 2024 Grammy. This year they released second full album Tsunami Sea, though their Juno nom is for EP The Fear of Fear.
The band is known for mixing progressive metal and metalcore with touches of other genres, from pop to new wave to industrial to R&B.
Photo: Blue Moon Marquee
Cowichan Valley band Blue Moon Marquee is up for Best Blues Album for The New Orleans Sessions.
The group won best blues album last year for Scream, Holler & Howl, and was also nominated for contemporary Indigenous artist or group of the year.
“All those years hustling on the road, sleeping in alleys with our instruments, living in our truck playing every little spot all over the country—this recognition is wind in the sails to keep going,” the band in a statement after their first win.
AP Dillon photo from Junos site
Colwood's AP Dhillon up for South Asian Music Recording of the Year.
The singer has had a meteoric rise since being a local Camosun student, becoming one of the most-streamed Punjabi artists in the world and spending time near the top of the Canadian album charts with The Brownprint. His four biggest songs have over a billion Spotify streams together. In 2023 Dhillon delivered the first Punjabi performance in Juno music awards show history.
Last year on Labour Day weekend, Dhillon's Colwood home was targeted with arson and bullets, and one man was later arrested in Winnipeg while another suspect remains at large. Dhillon was not there at the time.
Other Island-connected artists up for awards tonight include:
David Gogo, a veteran bluesman from Nanaimo.
Mother Mother, based on Quadra Island.
Eric Bearclaw, a guitarist from Cedar.
Christine Jensen, a jazz saxophonist born in Nanaimo.
Inn Echo, whose fiddler/cellist is from Victoria
Peach Pit, a Vancouver indie band that added Victoria multi-instrumentalist Douglas McLean in 2022
The award ceremony is tonight at Rogers Arena. Keep up with the weekend's Vancouver Juno festivities at the Georgia Straight.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Weather this week: Alternating sun & cloud and rain. Highs of 10-15C.
Risk of thunderstorm tomorrow.
Langford-based Rugby 7s team reaches semifinals in Hong Kong.
Victoria Royals win 6-2 in second game of playoffs.
Rally expected today at Legislature at 5pm to support protesters in Turkey.
BC Legislature resumes tomorrow.
