The Junos are the country’s biggest music awards, based largely on popularity, radio play, and sales (hence the same 3-4 artists being up for basically every award).

To land yourself amongst household names like Adele, Drake (“Hotline Bling”), and The Weekend (That weird song about not being able to feel your face if you like someone) is a great thing for the careers of these local artists: The Swinging Bells, Alan Doyle, Fortunate Ones, and Long Distance Runners.

The Swinging Belles are up for Children’s Recording of the Year; Alan Doyle and Fortunate Ones are both shortlisted for the same award: Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. Their stiff competition includes Polaris Prize winner Buffy Sainte-Marie, Lee Harvey Osmond, and Frazey Ford.

Long Distance Runners’ album art is up for Recording Package of the Year; credits go to The Overcast’s very own Joel Upshall (Photography) as well as Duncan Major. Their album art comes with a special insert you slide across the front of the album to make images move.

Other Canadian nominees you’ve been hearing all year long on Overcast Radio include Metric, Braids, Destroyer, Joel Plaskett, Humans, Viet Cong, U.S Girls, Death from Above 1979, Galaxie, City and Colour, Whitehorse, Mo Kenney, Half Moon Run, Coeur de Pirate, Daniel Romano, Old Man Luedecke, Frazey Ford, and Tobias Jesso Jr.