Jeremy Dutcher withdraws eight East Coast Music Award nominations

Jeremy Dutcher performs at the Polaris Music Prize Awards at Massey Hall in Toronto on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paige Taylor White

Jeremy Dutcher says he’s withdrawing his eight nominations from the East Coast Music Awards in solidarity with other musicians boycotting the event.

The Wolastoqiyik tenor told The Canadian Press he no longer wants to participate in this year’s awards ceremony as questions swirl about the organization’s direction after the ousting of CEO Blanche Israel in January.

“(I’m) following the leads of the people that are on the ground within the East Coast music community,” he said Wednesday in an interview.

“It’s important for us as artists to speak together and start to ask questions of an organization that purports to support and speak for us.”

Dutcher, a leading nominee along with Enfield, N.S., rapper Classified, pointed to several other musicians who over the past two weeks have asked the East Coast Music Association to pull their nominations.

They include rappers Wolf Castle of the Pabineau First Nation and Stephen Hero of Saint John, N.B., as well as Dartmouth, N.S., singer-songwriter Mo Kenney, whose “Evening Dream” was up for rock/alternative release of the year.

Evan Newman, the Halifax director of record label Outside Music, removed himself as an artist manager of the year nominee.

Representatives for the organization did not provide comment. The ECMA website has removed Dutcher and several other nominees from their respective categories.

The East Coast Music Association has been embroiled in turmoil for months over its future and what some musicians say is a power struggle that played out mostly behind closed doors.

The non-profit was formed more than 30 years ago to support local artists and run the awards show, but critics have suggested it’s fallen out of step with the times. Some claim organizers lean too heavily into folk and rock music, downplaying the region’s burgeoning community of other music genres.

However, the ECMA hands out dozens of music awards that cover rap, dance, blues, country, francophone, Indigenous and African-Canadian artist of the year.

The ECMA seemed poised to address some members' concerns over inclusivity when they brought on Israel in early 2024.

In its hiring announcement, the chair praised her “diverse background and deep understanding of the Atlantic Canadian cultural landscape,” saying she would set the course for “renewed growth and innovation” within the organization.

Israel had experience as a cultural strategist and nearly two decades as a cellist in Montreal, including as a collaborator on Dutcher’s early work. Her mandate was to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within the ECMA.

Under her leadership, the organization began to introduce structural changes, which included a reform of the awards application process meant to better represent an array of Atlantic music genres.

However, a petition by founding ECMA director Sheri Jones last fall alleged members and other leaders were not adequately consulted in the process.

Jones, an artist manager whose roster includes Joel Plaskett and Kim Stockwood, called for greater transparency and better communication. Her petition garnered 648 signatures and triggered the board of directors to react. Jones did not respond to requests for comment.

Israel was ultimately dismissed after what the board described as “a thorough review of our leadership and operations.” She was replaced with former CEO Andy McLean on an interim basis earlier this year.

But her exit left the ECMA in tumult, according to more than three individuals familiar with the fallout. Many people asked why Israel was pushed out, while the ECMA leadership called it a private matter.

A digital marketing contractor resigned in protest. Two members of the board have since left their roles.

One of them, Eva George, said her decision to resign was in part influenced by Israel losing her CEO position.

“Blanche’s presence felt like a step forward -- an opportunity for the ECMA to embrace the kind of transformation that aligns with the values I hold dear,” she said in a Facebook post in January.

“However, recent events within our music ecosystem have had a profound impact on me, making it clear that my personal values no longer align with the direction the ECMA is currently heading.”

The conflict further spilled out publicly after the ECMA nominees were announced in February.

Several musicians immediately withdrew their names as contenders, including Kenney, who called for leadership to follow through on pledges of transparency on Israel’s departure and other matters, such as the organization’s financials.

“Even with all of these people pulling their nominations and deciding not to attend the awards, they still haven’t put out a statement or any more information,” Kenney said.

“I’m hopeful that they’ll give us some clarity ... the members would like to know and I think we’ve made that quite clear.”

Others backed out of the ECMA’s annual showcase of East Coast talent in protest, including Halifax duo Moira & Claire and rock trio June Body.

“There was no way that we were going to participate with an organization that doesn’t value the changes that Blanche was trying to make,” said June Body member Connor James.

“The ECMA is supposed to represent its members ... and we’re going to value our community more than we’re going to value an organization. If they’re showing absolutely no sign or willingness to shift towards the future we want to see, then there’s no reason me or any of my peers would participate.”

Stephen Hero, born Matthew Elliot, said he pulled his nomination in unity with his producer Uncle Fester and Lance Sampson, better known as Aquakultre. Their track “Can’t Stop (Workin')” was nominated for rap/hip-hop release of the year.

He said it was a culmination of long-standing frustration toward the ECMA leadership and a lack of respect for rap music. He notes that in 1997 fiddler Ashley MacIsaac won the best dance or hip-hop award, which some in the hip-hop community took as an insult.

“It seemed like there was real change coming that was necessary and we were very excited about it,” he said.

“My hope is ... that some of these things get addressed.”

Dutcher said he urges ECMA leaders to find a path forward that considers all of its members' priorities and puts financial support for independent musicians over accolades.

“We need more than an award show on the East Coast,” he said.

“I hope this is a message to all other arts organizations that when we take on consultation with communities of artists, the artists might actually start to care about what happens ... and they might start to get invested.”

The East Coast Music Awards are scheduled for May 8 as part of a five-day conference in St. John’s, N.L.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2025.

By David Friend