CREDIT: JUNOAWARDS.CA
Interrobang spoke with a number of Fanshawe members who will be part of this year's Juno week and Awards.

The countdown is over and Juno week is finally about to break out full force across London Ont.

Amidst the bustle of it all, Fanshawe is excited to have strong ties to a number of the events, performing artists and nominees in this year's festivities.

Having strong ties to the Canadian music industry and even winning a JUNO himself in 2010, Music Industry Arts (MIA) program co-ordinator Dan Brodbeck, was chosen to be a part of the London Juno host committee.

All the hard work the team has put in over the past year is finally paying off and Brodbeck said he can't wait to see the fruits of their efforts.

“I'm extremely excited and also relieved. It's an honour to be on this host committee for London after being involved in music in London for so many years. It came up really fast and I can't believe it's finally here,” Brodbeck said. “I'm really looking forward to...our Fanshawe Live event on Friday the 15,” Brodbeck said, telling of the collaboration between Dundas Place and Fanshawe College which will feature MIA acts of the past and present.

Another highlight of the upcoming weeks is “Juno Stories From The Studio” a talkback panel happening at the Fanshawe downtown campus that features this year's Juno nominated producers and engineers. Out of the entire panelist involved, Fanshawe is most excited to be welcoming back MIA alum Ben Kaplan.

Kaplan was nominated for a Juno this year for his work as an engineer with the group Mother Mother. He was pleasantly surprised with the news of his nomination after a busy, distracted morning.

“It always comes in at like eight in the morning out here while I'm still trying to get my kids out the door. So, I totally forgot all about it, didn't even think about it…It was actually Emm Gryner who texted me first,” Kaplan said.

Coincidently MIA alumna, Emm Gryner, an established, Juno nominated artist herself, will be the moderator of the panel. “It's nice to be asked after going through Fanshawe for production and producing a few records myself,” Gryner said. “I'd definitely be interested to talk to those guys even if I wasn't invited to do it.”

One of the biggest name engineers coming to London to partake in the festivities is nominee Greg Wells, whose credits include Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, OneRepublic, Katy Perry, P!nk, Joe Jonas and The Greatest Showman soundtrack, to name a few.

In addition to speaking on the panel, Wells will also be giving a private lecture to students of the MIA program.

Brodbeck is elated that students will have the chance to learn from such a prominent icon in the industry.

“Greg is a very down to earth and humble person. He's an extremely talented musician, producer and engineer and it would be almost understandable for him to have a huge ego. He has dedicated his whole life to music so I think they will take away that you can still be humble and be at the top,” Brodbeck said.

In addition to Gryner's work on the “Juno Stories From The Studio” panel, she has also been involved in CBC London's Juno programing. This includes acting as a judge for the Next Gen Junos contest and the host of her segment Title Track, where she chats with artists who have had a major impact on the music scene of southwestern Ontario.

“Everyone has had these humble beginnings in southwestern Ontario. So, it's been really interesting to speak to everybody and share their stories” Gryner said. “I feel like everyone's kind of proudly Canadian and they've all had great success but they're all down to earth.”

Perhaps one of the most worthwhile aspects of Juno week is the notoriety it's brought to London's music scene and Fanshawe College's impact on the Canadian music industry.

“I feel like a lot of people are learning now about the MIA program,” Gryner said. “It sort of puts the spotlight on the fact that London is a bit of a factory for music makers really. You might not think to come to London to start your career, but a lot of people have.”

To learn more about the panel, Juno week, awards and more, visit junoawards.ca.