Music

Junos alumni: Where are they now?

by AUX staff

Running through a list of Junos alumni is a daunting task. After all, countless Canadian bands have been nominated for a Juno: Everyone from B4-4, to Raggadeath, to Dream Warriors, to Love Inc. have been up for awards. Accordingly, with the 2015 Junos coming around the bend—the awards take place on March 15 in Hamilton, ON, with Jacob Hoggard hosting—it got us thinking: What happened to some of the Junos’ most noteworthy alumni?

Our search led us first to the Juno Awards’ Take Two series, which had artists revelling in their formative Juno experiences. Then, we dug even further: What happened to the Moffatts? Or Prozzak? Here’s what we found.

Maestro Fresh Wes

In Canadian hip-hop, few are as iconic as Maestro Fresh Wes. “Let Your Backbone Slide” was one of Canada’s first breakthrough hip-hop singles, and of course, he performed it at the Junos—which you can view above. (“I got the high-top fade hooked up nice,” he says, and he’s not lying.) He won the first-ever rap album of the year Juno in 1991, and he’s gone onto a stellar career: He’s released a number of albums since, began an acting career, and still lends his name to emerging acts—check his verses on D.O.’s “Never Gets Old,” for example.

But his own tracks are better still: His Rich Kidd-assisted banger, “Born in Toronto,” or his Eric Garner tribute “I Can’t Breathe” prove that he’s as vital as ever.

Sloan

In his Take Two session, Chris Murphy remembers some of his earliest experiences: Being nominated as the best new group in 1994, and then winning the best alternative group in 1997. “My big joke on air was ‘Oh, the best alternative Juno?'” he says. “‘This will rank up there with the best pyschedelic and the best new romantic Juno.'” The joke’s on him, though. Alternative became rock music’s dominant trope, and nearly 20 years on, Sloan hasn’t escaped the public eye: They cut the still-vital Commonwealth last year, and Murphy recently revisited his hardcore roots by performing Minor Threat’s Out of Step live last December.

Kim Mitchell

Is there a better Canadian summer tune than Kim Mitchell’s “Patio Lanterns”? Maybe, but there’s not many. Watch as Mitchell details his first awkward Juno experiences above, in which he looks at his haircut—worn long, despite the fact that his hairline was clearly receding—and, now bald, declares, “What an asshole!” Either way, Mitchell’s still kicking it: He’s been with Toronto classic-rock radio station Q107 since 2004. And better yet, he still tours.

Michie Mee

Michie Mee was one of Canada’s pioneering MCs, and she earned two Juno nominations: One for her own hip-hop work, and another with her ragga-metal group Raggadeath. And she still keeps busy as a peformer, actor, and radio personality. Michie Mee still performs occasionally, like at this Juno event where she reunited with her metallic mates in Raggadeath. Reunion, please?

Glass Tiger

Though Glass Tiger’s “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” is a Canadian classic, even the band themselves didn’t expect to win a Juno. In their Take Two session, the band reveals that they planned on joking that, “Last year, we couldn’t even get a ticket to the Junos.” Either way, their legacy still lives on: Shad’s since revealed his soft spot for the band (even stating that when he met Alan Frew, he was starstruck) and the band turns 30 this year—and still tours.

The Moffatts

It’s strange to think that the Moffats—the all-brother Canadian boy band—once hosted the Junos. Sure, they had massive tracks (and we don’t trust anyone who doesn’t mess with “Misery” or “Bang Bang Boom”), but they weren’t exactly, uh, charismatic hosts. To our dismay, the now-30-year-old band of brothers doesn’t play music together anymore, but many are still active: Bob and Clint Moffatt are now in a band called Like Strangers, and after briefly donning a mohawk in the Boston Post, Scott Moffatt runs a production company based in Alberta.

Prozzak

What in the hell were Prozzak? Who ever thought that two ex-Philosopher Kings could create a cartoon techno project, dupe kids into believing their sarcasm at face value, then tour the world with freaking Destiny’s Child? No one, that’s who. Not even DJ Chris Sheppard, who appears in the above video. So, where have Prozzak been? Its members now live in London and New York, but they’re amenable to reuniting the band for another kick at the can.

We’re partnering with the Junos in the leadup to the awards in March. Watch the JUNOS on March 15 at 7pm EST on CTV and subscribe to Juno TV on YouTube.