Awards - 2001

Welcome to the second, annual bluerodeo.com Awards. Here, we pay tribute to the RodeoHeads that make this the best music community on the Internet.

The award nominees and winners were selected by the staff of bluerodeo.com and our Crew members, and were influenced heavily by the community response to each item. For each award category, we've listed our nominees (in no particular order), followed by the winning selection.

When compiling a list of achievements like this, we're bound to make some mistakes and omissions. It's inevitable. Despite these risks, it's important to us that we recognize the community that's evolved around this site.

We're sure everyone will take this in the spirit that it's intended: Kudos to the bluerodeo.com community members! And thanks to everyone that participated during this past year.

Best Online Event

The success of the Stardust Web cast, Top 75 Countdown broadcast, and the launch of BR.com Records last year set the tone for the online events of 2001. The notable events of this year were:

Greatest Hits Radio Special: BR’s Peterborough show, syndicated to radio stations across Canada, drew fans into chat rooms while they enjoyed the show. These chats were an event unto themselves!
Web cast of the Molson Amphitheatre show, Toronto: With this Webcast, fans all over the world got to witness BR perform some of their new songs, with their new entourage of horns and strings.
Victoria Legends show on the Q: Despite its unannounced online broadcast, this event led to an impromptu gathering of fans from all over Canada and the US to hear Greg’s interview.
Hockey Pool: This one has again generated an excitement on par with the game. At the time of writing, Jim’s still empty-handed, trailing in the 100s, while the winners win his CDs!

And the Winner is:

Online Ticketing for Guelph Show: Being able to offer tickets to their fans was a huge milestone for the band, and representative of their ever-growing relationship with their fans. This means a great deal mutually, making it a high point of this year’s online activities.

Best Offline Event

This had to be the most amazingly eventful year for Blue Rodeo and their fans, with remarkable firsts and milestones. It makes this award a difficult pick. Let’s consider the nominees for the top non-digital happenings:

Molson Amphitheatre show, Toronto: It was here in July that Blue Rodeo introduced to their home crowd, and all Web-wired fans, their new songs and sound consisting of horns & strings.
Release of Greatest Hits Vol. 1: This album featured in a snapshot the band’s illustrious 15-year career. It’s proven to be a treat for long-time fans and bait to hook some new ones. :-)
Greatest Hits Tour: Blue Rodeo, accustomed to playing large halls, played small venues in their native Canada to give fans a personal concert experience. It was their way of thanking you for years of support.
Key to the City Ceremony: The City of Toronto honoured its famous sons by presenting them the Key to the City. A memorable moment for many!
Free show at BCE Place, Toronto: This thank you gesture to their loyal hometown fans, for their 15 years of support, was followed up with a 2-hour autograph signing session!
Austin City Limits: BR were invited to perform on the ACL television show, and we were only happy to give away 25 pairs of tickets to our members from around Austin to attend the event.

And the Winner is:

The Oshawa Show: The most talked-about show of 2001, this one will remain memorable for the biggest get together the BR.com community has orchestrated, yet. Fans came together from as far as New Brunswick, Calgary and the US to meet up at the pre-show and post-show parties. Even Jim acknowledged during the show that something special was in the air!

Most Popular Bluerodeo.com Feature

With the introduction of so many new, cool features on BR.com last year, this becomes a difficult one to pick. With help from Crew members and Web reports, we’ve narrowed the field to:

Discussion Board: This nomination hardly needs any explaining. The board is the bloodline of the BR.com community, where RodeoHeads meet and bond like they never were strangers!
Events Calendar: This remains another most sought after feature by fans. To better serve you, this year we even started to offer immediate e-mail notifications of new tour dates through Tour Alerts.
Band Journal: So far, Bob Egan has dominated the short life of the journal and people have lapped up every article he posted. The rest of the band will follow suit in the new year.
BR.com Store: The Store really took off only in 2001 as we were finally able to offer fans our entire music catalogue, tickets for select shows, a variety of merchandise and numerous sale events. The Store understandably became an instant hit, especially with our non-Canadian fans.
Rock Wisdom: Peter keeps RodeoHeads well-educated on music history and trivia through his weekly jottings on artists from various eras and genres. Obviously, music fans dig it!
Daily News: Realizing that they can get the current news on music, sports, entertainment, and politics right here on their band’s Web site, more and more people are visiting this feature.
New BR.com homepage: It didn’t occur to us, but many members included the new layout in their nominations! It feels good to know that this critical page on the site is popular.

And the winner is:

Letters: The letters we get are testimony to the power of music, and to the effect that BR has on their fans. These often-touching stories not only make for a great read, but also reinforce the band’s attitude to remain respectful and sensitive to their fans. Letters wins this for being a great vehicle of precious feedback for all of us.

Best Photo

For the best photo, we were looking for more than high-quality pictures. We were also looking for those rare photos that capture a defining moment. But as we found out, our Community Photo Gallery has more than a few shots that fit the bill, making it difficult to pick the nominees. So we chose the most-recommended.

Greg Accepts - Darlene Halbot
The picture takes in the entire band, as Greg receives the Key to the City of Toronto, quipping to the crowd that he'll use it to get into their living rooms!
Yikes! I got caught taking this pic! - Sara Rzepa
Sara finds out the perils of taking pictures from too close at BR’s Buffalo show. A very funny picture, indeed!
Can't you just hear it? - Susan Benoit
A classic picture of Jim from the performance at Festival of Lights, Charlottetown, PEI!
What a Picture! - Reem Fattouh
Women have drooled and men have smiled the knowing smiles ever since this photo went up on the site.
Glenn Milchem at C'est What? - Dayna Hawerchuk
Not only does this picture portray Glenn-the-drummer as the versatile musician he really is, but it captures the intensity of the man and the moment.

And the Winner is:

Detroit! - Reem Fattouh
Enigmatic! You can read as much as you want into Greg’s face here, and it will tell you all or tell you nothing. Certainly a special moment in time frozen by Reem on Dec 8, 2001!

Best Poll

Polls are fun and enlightening. The results speak for themselves. The best of 2001 were:

New Year's Resolutions: You asked us for a new album in 2001 and we released GH. Ok, so it’s not a new album, but we at least started work on a new album, due for release in spring 2002. We also toured outside Canada like never before. Ask our US fans!
Next Video from TDIB: The band management concurred with your choice – Sad Nights was indeed the next TDIB single chosen for a video.
Top 5 Hockey Players of All-Time: Considering the hockey fans amongst us, the Hockey Poll series was hugely popular, and the last poll picked our most favourite players in the game.
Your All Time Favourite Artists: This one was an eye-opener – who would have thought Bob Dylan would win hands down, ahead of the mighty Beatles!
Top Albums of 2000: Going by the number of awards it won last year, the BR.com community got it right again by voting U2’s album as the best of 2000.

And the winner is:

How Did You Find Us?: This one takes the cake simply for evoking so many memories for everyone! This poll, in retrospect, is sort of a statement on how each of us started separately and where we’ve come today – together. Thanks to Adele Massena for coming up with this fabulous poll!

Best Show Review

Some fans don’t just attend the shows for themselves. They lug on to every single detail of the event to carefully bring it back for their mates on the Web site. Here are some special ones from 2001:

The first of the Bob Egan Kitchen Series: Peterborough, May 5, 2001: This one gets the nod for Dayna Hawerchuk’s delightful description of Bob's very first house concert.
Stratford Review in a quasi-Shakespearian style: Waterbottle wowed the community with her review in verse. It even got linked to the official Web site of The Stratford Festival!
Oshawa show, February 17, 2001: Adele Massena describes to perfection the mood at the historic Oshawa show, and the moments that preceded and followed the show.
North Star Bar, Philadelphia, March 22, 2001: Ann Drynan does such a great job of this review that you can’t shake the feeling of not being present at the show yourself. Mind you, she too wasn’t present, and yet!

And the winner is:

Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2001: The day after BR performed in Ireland, a stranger named Ian left us a review of that show on the board. We’re still spellbound; some had sobbed then. Nothing said will explain the intensity of this review. Read this passionate piece of writing for yourself.

Most Prolific Show-Goer

There are quite a few people we hear of that travel distances to see Blue Rodeo perform. But the choice of Dianne for this award was unanimous.

Dianne, from Ontario, introduced herself to us in April 2001. Since then, we know of no one, other than perhaps SaraR, Dreamer and Dayna, who travel as much and as often to see Blue Rodeo shows. Dianne has traveled not only around Ontario to see multiple Blue Rodeo shows, but she's been as far as Milwaukee, Chicago, Jarvis and even saw the band in UK while on a personal visit! Now that’s what we call a rewarding coincidence!

Another special mention for this category includes a group of 10 Blue Rodeo fans who traveled a total of over 9000 km to reunite after a year for the Kee to Bala - Thanksgiving weekend shows. These are Hunnerbun (Halifax), Heather (St. John’s), Willin’ Fool (Barrie), Dayna (Oshawa), Westernsky (Okotoks, AB), Blueberry (Sherwood Park, AB), Dreamer (Burlington), Kittyks (Maryland, US), Western_Skies (Toronto) and SaraR (Toronto). Cheers to all of them!

Best Discussion Board Thread

With a Discussion Board as prolific as this, and members that have diverse and super-quality discussions, it is impossible to isolate ‘best’ threads. Yet, there are a few timeless discussions: sad, funny, and insightful, they showcase the astounding depth and closeness of this community.

B.R. ~ahem~ SEX: After having named wines and boats off Blue Rodeo songs, this time Debbie made the board members pick songs and lyrics that sound to have connotations to sex. This thread is a riot!
WORST Blue Rodeo songs: Jeni's thread is a great case in point to those who think hard-core fans only patronize the band in their discussions. Maybe they do, but not all the time. Not here!
THIS MEANS WAR!!!!: True to her name, Rebel showcased the intense drive of the members to see their band at the top in this music-survivor contest.
Does the Band really care about BR.com?: Jase's comeback question is a recommended read to anyone who harbours a reservation about this site and the band’s involvement in it.
To Do: Threads such as these exude a certain warmth about this community. Here, Rodeogirl inspires the members to confide about their dreams and wish-lists, just like they would to their closest friends and family.
Thank You Blue Rodeo: After reading the thread that SaraR started, we are once again amazed to see how artists and their work unassumingly touch the lives of so many people.

And the Winner is:

UPI Newsflash: It is not our intent to re-invoke memories of a terrible day, but it is in the dust of disaster that the invincible goodness of the human soul shines the most. This thread, where Dan first broke the terrible news, helped members to open up and talk about the tragedy, uncensored, in subsequent threads. These discussions proved cathartic and helped members to deal with this tragedy with as much composure as one can possibly expect in such tumultuous times. For starting that healing process alone, we think this thread is special to us.

Best Discussion Board Topic-Starter

This category is about those Board members that have a knack for starting marathon threads.

Jeni: Jeni’s threads are always a treat to read and participate in, and you never know what she is going to post about. Take the VW Microbus thread for example: who would have thought?
Dan: The man about the board, Dan never fails to introduce current events into discussions, from music to world affairs. He has an unfailing way of engaging us in these topics.
SaraR: Like nobody else, Sara picks up the board when it’s slow. Also, if not for her relentless promotion, most board members wouldn’t be aware of what’s going on in other areas of BR.com. ;-)
Peter: If you think of music encyclopaedia, think Peter. He brings so much information to the board, starting such interesting music-oriented conversations, that it leaves us salivating for more!

But the Winner is:

Sky: Some folks have the gift of drawing people into conversations in even the most mundane topics. Sky is one such person, with a quiver full of interesting topics to throw at the board. We all agree - she is the undisputed Queen of the board!

Most Prolific Discussion Board Member

This award goes to the Board member with the greatest number of posts, pure and simple.

Dayna: The eventful lifestyle of ‘famous’ Dayna offers so much for her to discuss that if she decided, she could fill up a whole forum by herself! :-)
SaraR: Between all the promotional and personal postings, Sara logs enough posts to remain in the Top 5 posters in the reports we receive each month.
Y2Kara: She started out rather slow, but in the past year made big enough strides to land herself in this elite category.
Schwa_girl: It is remarkable that Adele moderates the board and is still able to keep such an amiable and prolific presence. Way to go!
Lucknow: A quiet but consistent participant in almost every topic worth its salt, she is witty and insightful - symbolic of the balance found on the BR.com board.
Blueheart: Another veteran of the board, she is never short of an enthusiastic post in any topic, and has consistently featured in the Top 5 in our report logs.
JenM: If Blue Rodeo were a course in this youngster's school, she would get straight A's for her prolific participation in the discussions on BR.com!

And the Winner is:

Sky aka Allison aka Rebel aka...: What can you say about someone who celebrates their 2000th post under one handle, then switches to a new moniker and gathers another 1000 posts! Allison wins this title second year in a row!

Most Prolific New-Comer On The Discussion Board

Year 2001 saw some new additions to the core membership of the discussion board... from as far as Greece, Finland, Switzerland, UK and Australia. Some of these new members not only made prolific postings, but have also endeared themselves to the community. These notable few are:

Finnishblue
Moesha K.
Charlie
Blue's Clues
Lone palm

And the winner is:

Shining_star: Ever since she registered in July, this New Brunswick resident has made quite an impression on the board, striking a chord with the veterans and the new members alike.

Top One Degree Artist

In 2001, while some of our One Degree artists lolled and did little, others made big strides professionally and personally. Let’s take a look:

Burton Cummings: In 2001, Canada’s original rock icon was honoured with a star on Toronto’s walk of fame!
Great Big Sea: The increasingly popular band toured extensively in 2001 to promote their live CD Road Rage and charmed audiences in the US and Europe. GBS also recorded 5 songs for the movie “The Shipping News,” currently playing in theatres around the world.
Oh Susanna: From being featured on a CMT special, to a tour of Canada and Europe, Suzie had a blast of a year. In fact, she’s leaving to tour Australia just as we write.
Shannon Lyon: He too received international acclaim with a very successful tour in Europe, and has increased his local following considerably.

And the winner is:

Sarah Harmer: Basement apartment is no longer where she belongs. 2001 saw her star rise to new heights as her album went platinum and she acquired fans all over America. Her success even resulted in an appearance on Letterman. And this, we think, is just the beginning…

Best Press of the Year

It is unfortunate that many sites still do not archive their stories online. Blue Rodeo and BR.com received considerable press in 2001, but we have only a handful of these articles available in our directory. Here are some important ones.

Blue Rodeo Expand Their Web Presence: Chartattack.com reports and applauds the far-reaching step the band took by creating BlueRodeo.com Records.
Blue Rodeo Sign New Distribution Deal In US: It follows up with another report announcing the distribution deal BR signed with Redeye to cater to their US fans.
Maclean’s reviews BR's going indie on the Internet: Maclean’s analyzes cursorily the band’s decision to go independent in US and also the evolving online market.

And the winner is:

Glenn Discusses the Greatest Hits: This one is a rarity! In a candid interview with CanEHdian at the release of Greatest Hits album, Glenn Milchem speaks about the dynamics within Blue Rodeo, including his place in the band, and also of his solo career with The Swallows.

Best Blue Rodeo-Related Web Page

This area did not see much activity last year! Perhaps everyone’s gotten lazy and content with enjoying BR.com. :-) But there were at least two people who worked up some new content on their sites. The specific pages we love are:

Jeni's Blue Rodeo Parodies: As usual, Jeni had something to keep our smiles in place! Check out the additions to this comic feature on her well-maintained tribute site, The Outskirts.
Daneane's "Shades of Blue": This is a full-fledged novel inspired by Blue Rodeo! Daneane was generous to share excerpts with the entire community, who at once lapped it up and expressed awe at such amazing form of creativity. Although hosted on BR.com, this page rightfully belongs to Daneane’s world of temporality.org.

Best Community Effort at Promoting BR and BR.com

This category celebrates every one of you in this awesome community! Due to your combined efforts we’ve had numerous accomplishments this past year. The significant ones are:

Sad Nights in CMT Top 5: Thanks to your support and consistent voting, Sad Nights video made it to CMT’s Top 5 and stayed put for weeks.
Music Survivor on Canoe.ca: Blue Rodeo was one of the last ‘established’ bands to be ousted in the exciting game of music survivor - again, thanks to your zealous efforts! Who can forget the nail-biting contest and the ensuing banter with the BNL fans? :-)
Increasing audience at the US shows: You may think it’s the Web site, but we know that it’s our numerous, unknown, unsung, faceless community members who are responsible for this progress. It’s your word-of-mouth and grassroots promotions that have led to new and growing audiences at our US shows. Thank you!

And the winner is:

MP3 Promotion/ Second Son: Your effort at this not only helped most songs attain high rankings at various times, but it put Second Son in the top spot in MP3.com’s Country Radio, where it was named “Song Of The Week” and broadcast on traditional radio across the US. This effort requires actual listening of the songs and forwarding it to others – a considerable effort. Hence, the sweet success. Please keep it up!

bluerodeo.com Community Awards

There are so many people that consistently and tirelessly devote themselves to this community. Again, the list is really too long for this page. Please check out the list of contributors to this site to truly understand what we mean. We particularly want to tip our hats to The Crew.

The following people are representative of the strength of this community.

Allison Alcorn
Jeni Bautista
Christine Bodzasi
Ann Drynan
Daneane Gallardo
Dayna Hawerchuk
Adele Massena
Steven Leong
Ann MacKay
Jennifer Marsh
Linda McIlwain
Sara Rzepa
Linda Sinclair
Heather Squires
Peter Walenta

Awards - 2001

The Categories

Best Online Event

Best Offline Event

Most Popular Bluerodeo.com Feature

Best Photo

Best Poll

Best Show Review

Most Prolific Show-Goer

Best Discussion Board Thread

Best Discussion Board Topic-Starter

Most Prolific Discussion Board Member

Most Prolific New-Comer On The Discussion Board

Top One Degree Artist

Best Press of the Year

Best Blue Rodeo-Related Web Page

Best Community Effort at Promoting BR and BR.com

bluerodeo.com Community Awards