Haunted Hearts win four Music PEI honours, including SOCAN songwriter award

Haunted Hearts won four 2011 Music PEI honours, incuding the SOCAN-sponsored songwriter of the year award.

Haunted Hearts won the SOCAN-sponsored songwriter of the year award (for their song “Sister Lovers Tonight”) at the 2011 Music PEI Awards, where they also earned three other trophies, for group, album and country recording of the year (the last two for the album Howdy). The tenth annual gala was held Jan. 22 in Homburg Theatre at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown.

The other big winner was Molly Rankin, who took home three honours: best new artist, female vocalist and pop recording of the year (this last honour for the She EP). Rankin, a member of the famous Cape Breton musical family, only recently moved to P.E.I. For a complete list of winners visit the Music PEI website.

A number of honours were handed out at events throughout the Music PEI Week conference and festival leading up to the awards ceremony. SOCAN member & industry relations executive Tim Hardy presented the songwriter of the year award to Haunted Hearts' Dennis Ellsworth on Jan. 20, during the Bluebird North Songwriters' Concert at the Harmony House Theatre. The song circle featured performances by host Dean McTaggart and all of the 2011 songwriter of the year nominees: Ellsworth, Meaghan Blanchard, John Connolly, Jeremy Gaudet (of Boxer the Horse) and Devin Casario (and The Illusion).

Hardy also participated in three panels throughout the conference: "Write Your Songs and Get Paid: The Revenue Streams of a Songwriter"; a "Music in Multimedia Workshop"; and a well-attended "SOCAN Services" info session, reviewing the basics of copyright, SOCAN membership and how the SOCAN Foundation works.