Congratulations to our Songcamp Family nominated for 2019 East Coast Music Association (ECMA) Awards!

See you in Charlottetown!

Bucky Adams Memorial Award:
Reeny Smith

Country Recording of the Year:
Cameron Nickerson – Detours
Thomas Stajcer – Will I Learn To Love Again?

Pop Recording of the Year:
Neon Dreams – Shape Of My Mind

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year:
Elijah Wohlmuth (Will) – 3am
Reeny Smith – WWIII: Strength. Courage. Love.

Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year:
Mitchell Bailey – Season One
Quake Matthews – Drinking Games

Song of the Year:
Gabrielle Papillon – “When The Heart Attacks” (Producers: Corey LeRue, Daniel Ledwell)
Quake Matthews – “Confessions” feat. Neon Dreams (Producer: Gordie Sampson & Corey LeRue)
The East Pointers – “Two Weeks” (Producer: Gordie Sampson)

Songwriter of the Year:
Port Cities

Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year:
Mo Kenney
Neon Dreams
Port Cities

Fans’ Choice Video of the Year:
Makayla Lynn – “Joyride” (Director: Scott Simpson)
Neon Dreams – “Shape Of My Mind” (Director: Zack Facts)

Producer of the Year:
Corey LeRue

Video of the Year:
Neon Dreams – “Shape Of My Mind” (Director: Zack Facts)

Click here for the full list of nominees.

Media Release

The 9th Annual Gordie Sampson Songcamp will take place this year from July 8 – 12 at the beautiful Keltic Lodge in Ingonish, Cape Breton.

New songwriters this year are Mitchell Bailey, Cameron Nickerson, Maura Whitman, MAJE, and Makayla Lynn. They will be joined by returning writers Jodi Guthro, Quake Matthews, Dave Sampson, Corey LeRue and Port Cities members, Breagh MacKinnon, Carleton Stone and Dylan Guthro. Award-winning producer, Tawgs Salter, and Nashville powerhouse writer and performer, Thomas Daniel, will join Songcamp this year as Gordie’s special guests.

After four days of writing, Songcampers will perform a public concert at The Keltic Lodge on July 12 to showcase the new material written at Songcamp. Tickets for the concert go on sale on Friday, June 1st at the Keltic Lodge and Doucette’s Market in Ingonish.

ABOUT SONGCAMP:
The Gordie Sampson Songcamp was conceived by Gordie Sampson, a multiple-award winning Canadian songwriter and artist, as a way to nurture young writers from across Nova Scotia, give them access to knowledge, and help them develop tools that will benefit their writing careers.

Songcamp has launched and fostered the careers of a host of artists including Mo Kenney, Port Cities, Quake Matthews, Neon Dreams, Dana Beeler, and Nicole Ariana.

The Gordie Sampson Songcamp is made possible through the support of the Province of Nova Scotia and Music Nova Scotia.

FOR CONCERT TICKETS:
The Keltic Lodge (902) 285-3400
Doucette’s Market (902) 285-2861

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sheri Jones
[email protected]
(902) 429-9005/(902) 483-9005

We are now accepting submissions for songwriters to attend the Gordie Sampson Songcamp, which takes place in Ingonish, Cape Breton on July 8 – 13, 2018.

At the Gordie Sampson Songcamp, emerging writers come from all over the province of Nova Scotia to collaborate and co-write songs with their peers, mentor with award-winning artists, and learn from music industry leaders.

To be eligible to apply, you must:
– currently live in Nova Scotia
– be between the age of 18-24
– have links online to where we can listen to 3 songs you’ve written (on your artist website, YouTube, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, are most common) OR email us MP3 recordings/demos

There is no fee to attend the Gordie Sampson Songcamp. Accommodations and meals are provided at no cost to the songwriters. Only successful candidates will be notified.

To apply, please send an email to [email protected] with the following information:
– Your first and last name
– City/town where you currently live
– Links online to where we can listen to 3 songs you’ve written (on your artist website, YouTube, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, are most common) OR email MP3 recordings/demos
– Lyrics for the 3 songs you are submitting, in a Word document
– 1 to 2 paragraphs explaining your musical background

You can include 3 additional websites like your Facebook fan page, Twitter, and links to videos and press online.

Deadline for submissions is: March 15, 2018

About The Gordie Sampson Songcamp:
The Gordie Sampson Songcamp Song is an annual event, conceived by Gordie Sampson, a multiple-award winning Canadian songwriter and artist, as a way to “give back” to the community that has supported him. The intent is to nurture young songwriters, give them access to knowledge, and to help them develop tools that will benefit their writing careers.

Past songwriters include: Dylan Guthro, Carleton Stone, Mo Kenney, Breagh MacKinnon, Barbara Cameron, Elijah Wohlmuth, Natalie Lynn, Dave Sampson, Dana Beeler, Seamus Erskine, Willie Stratton, Laura Roy, Nicole Ariana, Kyle Mischiek, T Thomason, Reeny Smith, and Jahmal Wellington AKA Frank Kadillac, Corey Lerue, Quake Matthews.

Thank you to our sponsors and partners for your generous support: Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage; Music Nova Scotia; The Ceilidh Cup; SOCAN; and the SOCAN Foundation and Bell Media Canadian Songwriter Challenge.

Congrats to all of the Songcampers nominated for East Coast Music Association (ECMA) Awards this year!!!

Mo Kenney
Rock Recording of the Year – The Details
Solo Recording of the Year – The Details

Port Cities
Pop Recording of the Year – Port Cities
Song of the Year – “Back to the Bottom” (Producer: Gordie Sampson)
Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year

Neon Dreams
Pop Recording of the Year – To You
Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year
Fans’ Choice Video of the Year – “Marching Bands ft. Kardinal Offishall” (Director: Cazhmere)
Dance Recording of the Year – CRaymak – “Play With Fire” ft. Neon Dreams / Joel Freckelton – “Violet Rose” ft. Frank Kadillac

Nicole Ariana
Electronic Recording of the Year – STRAND

Reeny Smith
Bucky Adams Memorial Award

Quake Matthews
Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year – Celebrate The Struggle

This year at Nova Scotia Music Week, Songcampers took home 9 awards! We are very proud that many songs on the albums recognized were penned and co-written at Songcamp, and so happy for the success of all campers nominated and recognized by Music Nova Scotia for their constant dedication to their craft, as well as those who rocked their showcases over the weekend!

Hello Delaware – “My Mistake”:
New Artist Recording of the Year

Port Cities – “Port Cities”:
Entertainer of the Year
Group Recording of the Year
Recording of the Year
Pop Recording of the Year
Digital Artist of the Year

Reeny Smith:
African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year

Quake Matthews & Neon Dreams:
SOCAN Songwriter of the Year – “Confessions” (Songwriters: Matthew Arab, Gordie Sampson, J Wellington)

Quake Matthews:
Hip Hop Recording of the Year – The Search (Quake Matthews & Kayo) – “Lost and Found”

Entertainer of the Year –
Port Cities
Neon Dreams
Reeny Smith

Group Recording of the Year –
Port Cities – Port Cities
Neon Dreams – To You

Music Video of the Year –
Dave Sampson & Port Cities – “Trouble” (Dir. Mat Barkley)

New Artist Recording of the Year –
CAMERON – CAMERON
Hello Delaware – My Mistake

Recording of the Year –
Port Cities – Port Cities

SOCAN Songwriter of the Year –
Quake Matthews – “Confessions” (M. Arab, G. Sampson, J. Wellington)

African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year –
Reeny Smith

Americana Recording of the Year –
Jordan Musyscyn – Old State of Mind
Willie Stratton – Della Rosa

Digital Artist of the Year –
Dave Sampson
Port Cities

Electronic Artist of the Year –
Famba

Hip Hop Recording of the Year –
Quake Matthews & Kayo – The Search

Pop Recording of the Year –
Hello Delaware – My Mistake
Neon Dreams – To You
Port Cities – Port Cities

Rock Recording of the Year –
CAMERON – CAMERON
T. Thomason – Sweet Baby

The Gordie Sampson Songcamp 2017 – what a year! Thanks to Music Nova Scotia, Spincount, Bell Media and everyone who continues to make Songcamp a possibility and great success each year!

Join us Thursday, July 13th at the Keltic Lodge in Ingonish, Cape Breton​ for the 8th Annual Gordie Sampson Songcamp Circle featuring Gordie Sampson​, Port Cities​, Quake Matthews​ & many more!

Advance tickets available via The Keltic Lodge (902-285-2880), Doucette’s Variety (902-285-2861), & Ingonish Home Hardware Building Centre​ (902-285-2323)

When searching for that perfect hook for the lead single off his recent album “Greatful”, Nova Scotia’s Hip Hop Ambassador Classified sampled Dave Sampson’s catchy title track off his debut record “No Pressure, No Diamonds”. A radio smash hit featuring Snoop Dogg, this song picked up Song of the Year this past weekend at the 2017 ECMAs!

Congratulations to Songcamp’s Dave Sampson, Carleton Stone, Mo Kenney and Gordie Sampson for writing this killer hook!

Classified addresses the crowd after winning the song of the year award for No Pressure at the 2017 East Coast Music Awards gala in Saint John, N.B., on Thursday, April 27, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

Congratulations to Dylan Guthro, Dana Beeler and Gordie Sampson on receiving a SOCAN No. 1 Song Award for their Songcamp co-write “Back To The Bottom” (performed by Port Cities) reaching #1 on the CBC Radio Top 20 on February 23, 2017!

Port Cities’ Dylan Guthro and one of his co-writers, Dana Beeler, receive a SOCAN No. 1 Song Award for the band’s “Back to the Bottom.” Left to right: SOCAN’s Melissa Cameron, Port Cities’ Breagh MacKinnon, co-writer Dana Beeler, Port Cities’ Dylan Guthro and Carleton Stone, and SOCAN’s Andreas Rizek. (Photo: Tiana Feng)