Still Dark, Gnarwhal, FOTR nominated for Western Canadian Music Awards

Organizers of Yellowknife’s Still Dark music festival, metal band Gnarwhal and the Folk on the Rocks festival are among 150 nominees for this year’s Western Canadian Music Awards.

BreakOut West is a four-day festival and conference that celebrates the region’s musical talent, culminating in the Western Canadian Music Awards. This year’s event will be held in Victoria, BC from September 30 to October 4.

Award nominations for 2026 were announced on Wednesday.

Still Dark received a nomination in the “impact in live music” category, Gnarwhal was nominated for “metal and hard music artist of the year,” and Folk on the Rocks earned a nomination for the “community excellence award.”

Still Dark artistic director Taylor Shephard said the organization has attended the BreakOut West conference several times and recently decided to apply for the awards.

He said the recognition feels validating, especially given the relatively short time the festival has been active – with the inaugural festival taking place from January 31 to February 2 last year.

The nomination, in his view, signals that their work is gaining relevance beyond Yellowknife.

Shephard said Still Dark’s goal is to ensure the territory’s musicians are included in conversations about the western Canadian music scene and raise awareness of the talent coming out of the NWT.

He said what stands out most about the festival is how welcoming and engaged the community has been, even though the event has only taken place twice so far.

“We’re super excited to be a part of this group of talented nominees with other festivals or other agencies in southern Canada,” he said.

“But it really just reaffirms for us at least that the work that the festival is doing within the past two years is pretty relevant, not just in a local context but also on a more national level.

“We’re stoked. We’re very happy … We’re not expecting much, but even just to be on the list is reaffirming for the work we plan to continue to do.”

Folk on the Rocks executive director Teresa Horosko said the festival’s nomination, arriving just ahead of its 46th edition, feels like affirmation that the organization’s community-driven approach is working.

Horosko said learning of the recognition was an exciting moment, adding she was thrilled to share the news with the team. She also extended congratulations to fellow nominees Still Dark Society and Gnarwhal.

Horosko described Folk as an important connector between northern communities and southern peers within the western Canadian music industry. Though the NWT and other northern regions are home to many strong festivals and venues, she said there are still fewer opportunities for artists to perform in the North compared to the south.

“While we are among incredible peers like Still Dark, Fireweed Festival, The Underground and Dawson City Music Festival, it is an incredible honour to host artists from all over to share northern culture and hospitality with them and to showcase northern artists with audiences and markets down south,” she said.

“This nomination really is a reflection of the beautiful energy given by our entire team, our volunteers, artists, and our community that continues to support Folk on the Rocks year after year.”

Gnarwhal vocalist Mark Kilbride described being nominated as a welcome moment of recognition after years of building a heavy metal music project out of Yellowknife – a process he said comes with challenges many artists do not face, but one the band has approached with the belief that “great music can come from anywhere.”

Kilbride said much of the band’s time is spent in rehearsal spaces and studios, or handling the less visible work of organizing shows, promoting releases and planning tours.

He said a significant focus over the past while has gone into writing, recording and releasing Lucid Machines, a new album that the band approached as a defining statement of their sound.

Kilbride said the nomination represents another step forward not only for Gnarwhal, but for the wider northern music community that has supported the band since its early days.

“The northern music community is full of talented artists doing incredible work, and we’ve always tried to represent that community wherever we go. If seeing a band from Yellowknife touring across the country, releasing records, and showing up on award ballots encourages other northern artists to chase bigger opportunities, that’s something we’re proud of,” he said.

“Sometimes northern musicians can be viewed as a regional curiosity rather than serious contenders alongside artists from larger music centres. Every opportunity like this helps demonstrate that northern artists belong in those conversations and on those stages.

“We’re fortunate to come from a scene that consistently punches above its weight, and we’re proud to carry a little piece of that with us wherever we go.”