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David Gogo Juno nomination a no-go

By KAREN BLISS -- For JAM! Music

David Gogo's Juno nomination for blues album of the year has been withdrawn after the singer-guitarist's album, "Live At Deer Lake," was ruled ineligible by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).

While the academy's press release made no mention of the Gogo blunder, it did state that there had been a change to the nominee category: The Rockit 88 Band's "Too Much Fun" had been added to the category.

Although submissions to the Juno Awards craft categories go through numerous screening committees, a spokesperson from Holmes Creative Communications, the Toronto publicity company for this year's Juno Awards, told Lowdown that Gogo's album does not have 25 percent original material.

Gogo's record label, Vancouver's C0rdova Bay, put out its own release. "Initially, it seemed that all concerned agreed as 'Live At Deer Lake' progressed through the advisory committee stages and, based on the quality and merit of the music, was selected as a finalist for the coveted Juno Award," president Michael Burke wrote.

"The problem arose over an eligibility rule that is not entirely clear, in my view. Unfortunately, it is David Gogo who pays the greatest penalty. Although this situation is regretful, it does not discourage David from continuing to work extremely hard now as he has in the past."

Burke had hoped that Gogo's name would be left on the ballot, as Nickelback's "The Long Road" had been added to album of the year two weeks ago, without any of the acts being dropped off. Due to this "data entry error," the album of the year category, for 2004 only, contains six nominees. That would not be the case for the blues album category. The nominees now consist of Ray Bonneville's "Roll It Down;" Morgan Davis's "Painkiller;" Harrison Kennedy's "Sweet Taste;" Harry Manx & Kevin Breit's "Jubilee;" and The Rockit 88 Band's "Too Much Fun."

"I knew that CARAS didn't like compilation albums from previous years and I understand there was some interesting discussion about the great Gordon Lightfoot tribute album this year," Burke told Lowdown. "When I was going through the submission process - an online step-by-step web application - the eligibility requirement was for no more then 75 percent of the 'cuts' being on previous albums by the artist. Since 'Live at Deer Lake' was a new recording none of the 'cuts' had been released before.

"My definition of 'cut' meaning recorded performance. However, CARAS means no 'composition' can have been released on previous albums. The submission went through their initial screening and also appeared to go through the category review and nomination process. We heard (last) week that there was some discussion about the album at the final meeting, but after rereading the rules it was nominated.

"The problem was discovered when the nominated albums were set to the judges. I understand that the album is ineligible based on their meaning (and it turns out they also have FAQ page that clearly states their meaning - although it is not part of the automated step-by-step submission process). I am disappointed in the way they have handled the situation."

Nanaimo, BC-based Gogo, who was nominated for best new solo artist at the 1995 Juno Awards, will still attend the 2004 Junos and perform during Junofest.

"It's an unfortunate circumstance and undoubtedly difficult for everyone involved," Gogo said in the Corova Bay press release. "That said, I've been doing a lot of writing for a new studio album that I'm really excited about and with any luck, perhaps we'll get another shot at a Juno Award next year."

The 2004 JUNO Awards will take place April 4 at Rexall Place in Edmonton.