A Chat With Polaris Juror Adam Thompson

There are very few jurors for the Polaris Music Prize who work in mainstream radio. Adam Thompson is one of those few. He is the Program Director and Assistant Music Director for Sonic 102.9, a modern rock station in Edmonton. Adam was kind enough to sit back and have a candid chat with me about the Polaris Music Prize and what exactly it is that he does at Sonic 102.9.

The first thing you should know about Sonic is that they play mountains of independent music which we, at Canadian Invader, covet. From Metric and Said the Whale to Mother Mother and Wintersleep, Sonic has helped bring music made by independent Canadian artists to Edmonton’s radio listening public. So how does Sonic choose which songs to play? Well, according to Adam Thompson, the process is pretty involved. With weekly meetings where a group of people, which Thompson is a part of, evaluates songs and decides if any will be picked up by the station. Adam says his job consists mostly of being a “music researcher”, and that he brings much of the indie flavour to these meetings. Adam is also responsible for introducing Edmonton to some of the newest music out there on his show “Farm Fresh”. After a song is put into rotation, it can stay there by scoring well on Sonic’s listener surveys, which Thompson also has a hand in.

Being involved in the Polaris Music Prize is a pretty prestigious honour. Even though it has only been around since 2005, it has become one of the country’s most sought after awards for musicians. Any band with a full length album, released between two predetermined dates, is eligible for that year’s prize. Their album must be suggested by one of the jurors and then be voted on by enough jurors to make the ‘Long List’. Forty albums in total are on the Long List, which was just recently announced for this year. Jurors then vote again, this time only on albums which have made the Long List. The top ten albums make the ‘Short List’. At this point a Grand Jury is chosen by Polaris, from the existing jurors. These are the people who will decide who, on the Short List, wins the Polaris Music Prize. The winner of the ‘Prize receives $20,000! The winners in the past have been Final Fantasy (a.k.a Owen Pallett), Patrick Watson, Caribou, and Fucked Up.

It’s no surprise that a ‘music researcher’ who works for an influential radio station would be an appropriate juror for the Polaris Music Prize. When I asked Mr. Thompson how he got involved with it, he responded with a proud smile, “They asked me… I got an email from them about four months ago.” We talked at length about the Long List and the nominees. When asked about some of his favourites for the prize, Thompson says, “Hannah Georgas – and the ‘New Pornos’… they put out a very solid, mature release.” One album Adam said he thinks should have made the long list but didn’t, is “Islands Disappear” by Said the Whale. Thompson is a big fan of Said the Whale, he loves their album and says, “they are a sweet bunch of guys.”

Besides his favourites, Adam has been spending some time revisiting albums by some of the Long Listers like Yukon Blonde and Apollo Ghosts. He said some albums pleasantly surprised him, like Broken Social Scene’s “Forgiveness Rock Record”. He tells me it’s, “like AHHHHHHHHH” which he says whilst doing his best impression of a choir of heavenly voices.

With the Polaris Music Prize Short List being announced in early July, and forty great albums to choose from, it’s still anyone’s guess as to who will be on the Short List. Could it be Brasstronaut? Zeus? BSS? Or as Adam hopes, Hannah Georgas and the New Pornographers?

On behalf of all of us at Canadian Invader, I wish to thank Adam Thompson for sharing his experiences so far and wish all of the nominees the very best of luck. With a list like this year’s, it’s gonna be a close race to the prize.

Check out the Long List here.