It’s been the most-nominated year ever in the young history of soaring rock quartet In-Flight Safety, who began 2006 on the cover of this very newspaper and never looked back. After collecting trophies at the Music Nova Scotia Awards and then the East Coast Music Awards, which they closed out with a lasertastic “Coast is Clear,” as well as a Juno nom for best video, you’ve given them five nods and a planeload (only one, we swear) of honourable mentions in our competition.

“We had zero expectations,” says keyboardist Daniel Ledwell of The Coast is Clear, released in January ’06. “We expected to get the record out. We hoped people would like it. You can’t predict nominations and especially wins. You’ll just get disappointed in the end.”

“It just certifies all your hard work in the larger sense,” adds singer-guitarist John Mullane. “But really, for us it doesn’t change anything. We still have to write songs and be inspired to be in In-Flight Safety. It also takes the pressure off being an up-and-coming band.’” “Or the ‘Next Big Thing,’” says Ledwell.

“We can’t be nominated for anything else this year,” says Mullane, who’s especially stoked to win the Best Local and Canadian album categories. “People can just let us be In-Flight Safety now.”

1st runner-up: Joel Plaskett, “Nowhere with You,” 2nd runner-up: Windom Earle, “Kitten vs. Pegasus” a