Gold Winner The Marquee Ballroom
Silver Winner The Seahorse Tavern
Bronze Winner The Carleton
One of the city’s larger standing venues (capacity 750), The Marquee is also one of the hardest to fill. Touring acts—Thrice, Protest the Hero and Stars have been through this year, with The Trews, Stiff Little Fingers and Barr Brothers on deck for November—help, but once in awhile, a local band ascends, as Hillsburn did in May. “You watch that band on that big stage and you’re like, ‘Oh they’re a huge pop band now.’ They’re pros and they deserve to be up there,” says Jeff Pineau, who also books the silver-winning Seahorse downstairs. “As someone who’s been invested in the local music scene for such a long time, it’s a great privilege to go from being a fan to being a booker. Having the opportunity to put our homegrown talent and up-and-coming acts on bigger stages for more people to enjoy is my favourite part of this job.”
