Musician performs for national TV audience on awards show

For a folk singer from the small town of Sioux Lookout, performing on national television last week was just another step on his way to musical success.
Singer songwriter Nick Sherman performed at the Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Awards (APCMA) in Winnipeg last week, which was broadcasted live on the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN) as well as online.
Sherman’s album Drag Your Words Through was nominated for Best Folk/Acoustic CD and he was also a nominee for Best New Artist. Though he didn’t win, he was happy he had the opportunity to perform in front of a national audience.
“I was really excited to share the stage with performers that I’ve been watching for quite some time,” he said. “I was looking forward to performing and, of course, a little nervous. I thought performance went well and I was really happy to hear that people enjoyed the song after I performed.”
Sherman performed a solo acoustic set, marking his first APCMA performance with the song Wrong Side of Town from his latest album Drag Your Words Through.
Jacquie Black a representative of the APCMA’s, said that over 175 recording artists submitted their work to the awards.
With all of the talented artists and the amount of competition submitted to the first round of inside voting, Black said that for Sherman to be recognized by the Industry Voters is “a true reflection of his dedication and musical abilities.”
By being a nominee and a performer at this year’s APCMA’s, Black explained that there are many opportunities for a recording artist to build their fan base through the worldwide visibility of the APCMA website.
Hailing from northwestern Ontario, Sherman spent his childhood travelling between his birthplace of Sioux Lookout and the remote, First Nation community of Weagamow Lake and North Caribou Lake trapline. After spending 14 years listening to his family play their favourite songs, Nick bought his first guitar and started learning how to create his own music. He taught himself how to play by learning every chord he could in an old hymn book and, to this day, has never taken one formal lesson in guitar and singing. Nick draws inspiration equally from traditional songs sung at northern funerals as he does from Tom Waits or William Elliott Whitmore.
Other northwestern Ontario acts that were up for awards were the powwow drum groups Thunder Mountain Singers for Best Pow Wow CD - Traditional, and Little Bear for Best Pow Wow CD – Contemporary, Best Album Cover Design, and Best Producer/Engineer.