(Edmonton Sun) (04/05/04)

By Mike Ross

Edited By Michael Bennett

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA - A trio of internationally famous Canadian mothers were no match for one scruffy Montrealer whom few people outside of Canada have ever heard of, at the 2004 Juno Awards last night.

By the time the smoke cleared from Edmonton's Rexall Place - in a sold-out event that was more Maple Leaf-worshipping rock concert than awards show - Sam Roberts had won all three of the Junos for which he was nominated.

"This has been an extraordinary evening for our band," Roberts said after winning Album Of The Year for "We Were Born In A Flame."

"I want to thank everybody in the city of Edmonton, the great, great city of Edmonton!" There was an understandably enthusiastic response from the crowd.

New direction? He continued, "This second album all of a sudden feels as heavy as the ring on poor Frodo's shoulders."

"I really don't know what we're going from here, where we're going to go, but this is a night to remember for all of us."

Edmonton-worshipping boosters couldn't have put it better to sum up this historic evening that will go down in the annals of local history.

The Junos in Edmonton - who would've thought it was possible?

Roberts also picked up Rock Album Of The Year - an "unexpected" victory, he said - along with artist of the year.

The mommies favoured to clean up last night were left in the dust.

Up for five awards coming in, Sarah McLachlan picked up two Junos, Nelly Furtado took home just one out of her five nominations and quadruple nominee Celine Dion was shut out completely.

Alanis Morissette was a competent host for a show that featured three stages with 15 performances ranging from tenor Ben Heppner to punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne and only 10 award presentations.

The recently shorn Alanis starred in some amusing "party like a Canadian rock star" clips and took a poke at censorship with a nude suit routine.

During the final performance of the evening, Morissette proved the CRTC is no FCC by singing the original line to her new song, 'Everything': "I can be an asshole of the grandest kind.

There was no five-second delay on last night's CTV broadcast. No censorship in Canada, eh?

The other leading nominee, Nickelback - which started the show with a bang, literally - was not left out of the action, winning two Junos last night, including group of the year.

Singer Chad Kroeger dedicated the Juno fan choice award to people like the crying girl on the news who didn't get a chance to meet the band at the Saturday afternoon Fan Fair event at West Edmonton Mall.

"For everyone who gets to meet Nickelback and for anyone else who gives a damn for this band, this is for you," he said.

Kroeger earlier said it was especially great to win a Juno "at home."

Originally from Hanna, the Vancouver foursome has now blown off pyro in Rexall Place three times in as many months, so some Edmontonians can be forgiven for claiming the band as our own.

Sarah McLachlan, who performed with members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra right after Nickelback - talk about contrast - picked up songwriter of the year last night, adding to her trophy for pop album of the year received at the Juno gala on Saturday.

"I've been gone quite a long time," she told the cheering crowd.

"It's been six years since my last recording. To come back to this kind of love feels amazing."

Billy Talent picked up the new group of the year award, plugged a few unknown though worthy Canadian bands and made a blanket statement, "Everybody in Canada makes this country so great."

No one at Canada's music awards could've put it better.

Nelly Furtado's 'Powerless (Say What You Want)' was named single of the year, the Vancouver songbird's only award last night.

And the members of vocal quintet In Essence gushed with enthusiasm upon winning R&B/soul album of the year: "Is this really happening, for real? Eleven years, man! Eleven years! Mom, are you seeing this?"

The singers thanked a long list of folks and ended their acceptance speech with a pithy postscript, "Support Canadian music and stop downloading!" Let the debate continue.

Producer Bob Ezrin was also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame last night by Alice Cooper.

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