Just before they took to the stage last Saturday at the Cowboy Christmas Concert in the Gibraltar Room, Jason and Pharis Romero learned they had been named the New/Emerging Artists of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards ceremony in Saint John, N.B.
Pharis told the audience in Williams Lake they would have liked to have been at the awards gala in St. John to accept the prize for their album A Passing Glimpse, but they weren’t able to be there.
She also added that nothing beats playing to a hometown audience. The Romeros had just arrived home that day from Portland, Ore. where they had been recording their next album.
Pharis admitted they were road-weary after a tortuous drive, but were definitely buoyed up by the news.
“You never expect to win these awards,” she said after the concert. “You can’t pin your hopes on winning. It’s no big deal if you don’t win, but when you do it’s really nice.”
The Romeros were one of 17 groups or individuals to receive awards for their work.
They were among 85 nominees in 17 categories chosen from more than 450 submissions.
Jason and Pharis are both well-known in North American old-time and roots music circles.
Their album A Passing Glimpse, a collection of hand-written and hand-picked songs, has already turned heads, winning the Americana Album of the Year at the Independent Music Awards, and hit number one on the North American Folk DJ playlists.