And the 2022 Music NB Award Winners Are...

Fredericton’s Broken Record Bar & Music Room and Marian among the list of 2022 winners.

Matt Carter

Last night New Brunswick’s music industry association honoured many of the musicians, venues, and festivals that helped shape the past year at its annual awards gala held at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre in Moncton. The 13th edition of the MNB Awards saw ten awards handed out during a show hosted by Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire’s frontman, Serge Brideau.

Among the award winners was Fredericton’s newest music venue, the Broken Record Bar & Music Room, which was named Venue of the Year for 2022. Other venues included in the list of nominees were Saint John’s Imperial Theatre, the Riverview Arts Centre, and Moncton’s Xeroz Arcade/Bar.

After opening its doors in early 2022, the venue was quickly welcomed into the local community hosting events for many of the city’s music festivals including Living Roots Music Festival, Flourish, and the Harvest Music Festival in addition to its own weekly programming.

Owners Trevor and Sam Young opened the venue with the idea of building a new home for New Brunswick musicians and expanding opportunities for locals to get on stage.

“Our first eight months have been a whirlwind,” said the owners in a statement to Grid City Magazine. “The music community and the people of Fredericton have given us so much support. We couldn’t do it without our staff. Glen, Kelsey, Scout, Cujo, Ashton and Logan, and Matt and Riley. We are very surprised and humbled that we won the award. To be included with nominees of that caliber is such an honour.”

Fredericton band Marian took home Song of the Year award for its ultra-vibey, earworm Astral Plane, the first single released from the band’s debut album Hit Record which was also nominated for Recording of the Year.

During the evening, Music·Musique NB President Eva George and Executive Director Jean Surette announced that the association has secured funding through the Canada Performing Arts Workers Resilience Fund from Canadian Heritage. The project will fund a two-part support initiative for workers in the New Brunswick live music sector providing mentorship, skills development, and financial support. The new program will be launched in the first weeks of November and will invest a total of $150,000 for the live music industry.