Roland Corrigal

He presented an award, performed his recent single on TV, was nominated for two awards and took home some hardware himself at this weekend’s Saskatchewan Country Music Awards (SCMA) in Saskatoon.

Northern Saskatchewan’s Roland Corrigal took home, for a second consecutive year, the Aboriginal Artist of the Year award.

“It feels like I’m doing the right thing, to have the music industry in this province recognize the hard work I’ve been doing and the effort I’ve been putting out,” Corrigal said.

He said being an artist and writing music can sometimes be discouraging because you need to put yourself out there and reach out for opportunities.

“One thing I tell youth, or anyone who wants to be an emerging artist, would be to take every ‘no’ as one 'no' less to a 'yes' and to just keep on trying,” he said.

He said getting a win like this is a career-booster because it can get him more exposure which can translate into more shows and funding. He said he’s learned you have to have a long-term plan in place as well, which for him includes working on new music following the release of his recent album in November.

Corrigal also performed his recent radio single “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More” at the awards. It was his first time performing on the televised portion of the SCMA, and he said it was an amazing experience.

“The nerves were kind of touch-and-go at first, but the big thing was I didn’t have a voice two days before from a cold, so I was very worried about that but it worked out great,” Corrigal said.

He also presented the award for Country Music Person of the Year. He it was a neat experience because at last year’s SCMA’s he got to see one of his friends take home the award and this year he was able to hand it out to another really good friend.

Corrigal was also nominated for the Emerging Artist Award and Album of the Year. He said he’s going to continue writing and performing for as long as he can. He encouraged people to keep trying the things they're interested in and to not waste energy on the wrong things.

swallace@panow.com - PAnow

Roland Corrigal is a second generation country musician who currently lives in Air Ronge.

Corrigal is nominated for three awards: aboriginal artist of the year, emerging artist of the year and album of the year for “Small Town Life.”

“I was eligible for seven [awards] but I didn’t get my hopes up too high because there’s a lot of talent that was up for awards this year,” he said.

Corrigal picked up his first SCMA award last year for Aboriginal artist of the year. He has been playing festivals and concerts ever since, including a showcase at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Ontario.

Corrigal said the best thing about producing his album was he funded the whole project himself, designed the album cover and wrote all the music. From the album he was able to release a radio singe for I Don’t Want to Fight No More, a song that was picked up nationwide.

“The amount of radio stations for a relatively unknown artist just kind of blew me away … they’re playing my music everywhere from Newfoundland to B.C. That’s really awesome coming from a guy who grew up in small town Beauval, Saskatchewan, living up in northern Saskatchewan all my life,” Corrigal said. - PAnow

Air Ronge artist nominated for SCMA

Linda Mikolayenko | April 22, 2016

Roland Corrigal would love to sing for you. In fact, his recent single release is titled just that – “Sing For You”.
“It’s one of the very first songs I had ever written and it’s based on the idea that somebody wants to sing music and make people happy,” says Corrigal.

When it comes to performing before an audience, however, living in northern Saskatchewan presents some challenges.

“I’ve got to tack on at least two and a half hours for travel,” says Corrigal, who currently makes his home in Air Ronge. “If I didn’t live here, I’d probably be doing a whole lot more music.”

Still, he has attracted enough respect to secure a Saskatchewan Country Music Association (SCMA) nomination for Aboriginal Artist of the Year (which he won), and he has been invited to perform at the Industry Awards of the SCMA Awards weekend, April 22-24.

The Métis musician grew up in Beauval, immersed in country music. As soon as he was old enough, he joined his father’s band, DC and the Country Boys, as a drummer. He has also played with other musicians, including Mitch Daigneault, who is based in Saskatoon.

“Always a solid drummer and a great guy to hang around with,” remarks Daigneault. “When he had the chance he'd always pull out a guitar and sing a song he wrote.”

It is the singer/songwriter aspect of his musical career that the 35-year-old Corrigal is currently focusing on. In the last six months he has released two singles, both of which will appear on his first solo album which he hopes will be out by the fall of 2016.

“There’s going to be a fairly wide spectrum of styles,” says Corrigal, noting that his songs range from traditional to more contemporary.

As he learns more about the music business, he is balancing that with his role in Marketing and Public Relations at Northlands College.

“I work in a job where I have to promote an organization, and in the entertainment side, I’ve got to promote myself, so they almost go hand-in-hand,” he says.

“The best way to enjoy music, of course, is seeing it performed live, but radio, in my opinion, is still the best way to reach people with your music,” says Corrigal, so he is particularly appreciative of the number of radio stations that are airing his songs.

Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) prides itself on supporting local artists, says Dwayne Animikwan, MBC’s mid-day on-air host.

“I love playing good music,” says Animikwan. “Songs as well-produced as Roland’s are going to get played.”

Corrigal is also one of 63 Saskatchewan artists who have put themselves forward for CBC’s Searchlight 2016 in the hopes of being one of ten regional semi-finalists. Nine will be selected by judges, while a tenth will be based on the number of votes the performers receive from the public, so the competition and online voting process is another opportunity for more exposure.

“I’ve been doing what I can from where I live. I don’t plan on leaving, because I’ve lived here all my life and it would take something extraordinary to make me leave,” he says.

“Seeing people entertained and wanting to hear more – it’s a good feeling.” - Eagle Feather News

By Nigel Maxwell
April 26, 2016

Roland Corrigal is still soaking in the news that he is the 2015 Aboriginal Artist of the Year.

He was presented with the award last weekend during the Saskatchewan Country Music Awards (SCMA) gala in Saskatoon.

Corrigal said it is an unbelievable achievement.

"Regardless if I won the award or not, I was going to keep on doing the music thing and it's going to help me as a tool to get more exposure out there," he said.

Corrigal's passion for music started at an early age. He can still fondly recall listening to the radio at both his grandparents' and his parents' houses.

It did not take long for Corrigal to find his own talent. As a teenager he played the drums with a few bands including his father's. He would eventually pick up a guitar and discover his love for song writing.

When asked where he draws his inspiration from, Corrigal said he writes what he knows.

"It comes from life experience. One of the songs I have written even came from a phrase I heard in the bar one night," he said referring to is recording My Pretty Girl, which has been gathering steam on the Canadian country music charts.

Corrigal is currently working on his album. He was given the opportunity at the SCMA's to perform one of his newly written songs, I don't wanna fight no more.

"It was the very first time it was performed live so I didn't know how people were going to take it and one of the first comments I heard from somebody who was there was that it gave them goosebumps and I was like ‘yes, that's what I was going for,’” Corrigal said adding he hoped to have the song ready to play on the radio by this summer.

The full interview with Corrigal will be featured this weekend during Meeting Ground on 900 CKBI. - paNOW

Staff ~ The Prince Albert Daily HeraldPublished on April 26, 2016

There was a strong northern presence at last weekend’s Saskatchewan Country Music Awards in Saskatoon.

A total of seven northern artists were nominated as country music fans gathered to honour the best in Saskatchewan country music.

Parkside’s Kesley Fitch was the big winner, bagging two awards for her performance of Lights of a Combine. Fitch took home the Video of the Year Award, and the Song of the Year (composer) Award.

Prince Albert gospel and bluegrass band The Trudel Family were nominated in six categories and walked away with the Group of the Year Award.

Prince Albert guitar player Rich McFarlane was nominated in two categories. He ended up taking home the All-Star Band (Specialty) Award. This was the third year in a row McFarlane has won the category.

Singer Roland Corrigal was also a big winner. Corrigal, who originally hails from Beauval, took home his first ever Saskatchewan Country Music Award when he was honoured with the award for Aboriginal Artist of the Year.

Birch Hill resident Freddie Pelletier were honoured with the Legends and Legacy Award. Pelletier, along with his wife Shelia, have performed together for more than 20 years and have toured extensively around North America. They have also operated the Pelletier Guitar and Music Camp for more than 12 years.

Debden teenager Layton Ferster was awarded the Youth Development Bursary. Ferster is a singer and guitar player who has already performed at Country at the Creek, the Rabbit Lake Jamboree, Spiritwood Grand Old Opry, and the Prince Albert Country Music Show among others.

Paddockwood’s Larry Krause was the final northern winner. Krause took home the TV or Radio Show of the Year award for the Timberline Music Show.

This was the 27th annual Saskatchewan Country Music Awards.

27th ANNUAL SASKATCHEWAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year

Alex Runions

Female Vocalist of the Year

Darlene Tuleta & Jess Moskaluke

Male Vocalist of the Year

Alex Runions

Group of the Year

The Trudel Family

Emerging Artist Award

Tenille Arts

Song of the Year (Composer)

Lights of a Combine – Kelsey Fitch

Single of the Year

Kiss Me Quiet – Jess Moskaluke

Video of the Year

Lights of a Combine – Kelsey Fitch

Album of the Year

I Came Back – Darlene Tuleta

Country Gospel Album of the Year

If You See My Savior – Yvonne St. Germaine

Aboriginal Artist of the Year

Roland Corrigal

Roots Artist of the Year

Darlene Tuleta

Roots Album of the Year

Ray Whitton – Ray Whitton

All Star Band (Guitar)

Jordan Toppings

All Star Band (Bass)

Brian Kelly

All Star Band (Drums)

Hal Schrenk

All Star Band (Keys)

Bart McKay

All Star Band (Fiddle)

Allison Tymiak

All Star Band (Specialty)

Rich McFarlane

Record Producer

Bart McKay

Recording Studio

Bart McKay Productions

Manager of the Year

Al Leblanc

Country Music Person of the Year

Darcey Rathgeber

Fan’s Choice Radio Station (Major Market)

92.9 THE BULL – Saskatoon

Fan’s Choice Radio Station (Secondary Market)

GX94 Radio – Yorkton

Music Director (Major Market)

Jason Lee – 600 CJWW – Saskatoon

Music Director (Secondary Market)

Cal Gratton – CJVR – Melfort

On Air Personality (Major Market)

Tim Day – Big Dog 92.7 FM – Regina

On Air Personality (Secondary Market)

Cal Gratton – CJVR – Melfort

TV/Radio Show of the Year

Timberline Music Show – Larry Krause – Shaw – Prince Albert

Nightclub of the Year

Hank’s Tavern

Legends & Legacy Award

Freddie Pelletier

Youth Development Bursary

Layton Ferster - The Prince Albert Daily Herald