There was no lack of love Saturday night as Greg Sczebel scooped eight BC Interior Music Awards at a gala in Kelowna.
Some three years in the making, his sophomore album Love and the Lack Thereof brought home the goodies for Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, Music/DVD Video of the Year, Group of the Year, Gospel/Christian Recording of the Year, R&B/Soul Recording of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recording of the Year.
“Going into it, I didn’t know what to expect, you just never know,” says the talented singer/songwriter who recently picked up his second Juno Award. “It was just an amazing night, such an honour.”
First up was Songwriter of the Year, a nod that gave Sczebel a thrill in itself.
“It was amazing because that’s something I really strive to do well in, to be a great songwriter and to speak in the language that resonates with people,” he says. “It was a great way to kick things off.”
Winning Group of the Year came as a “huge surprise” and one Sczebel is happy to share with Steve Dais on guitar, Dan Oldfield on drums, Hank Insell on bass and Darius Wilson on keyboard.
While delighted with all of the awards, Sczebel takes special pride in Producer of the Year, something he shares with his dad and manager Jerry.
He says Love and the Lack Thereof took a long time because he and Jerry took on a lot more of the hands-on work and travelled extensively to Vancouver, Nashville and New York to get the sound they wanted.
All that, in between shows, workshops and going on the road with Paul Brandt.
“We wanted to get it right and these awards are a validation of that,” he says. “We put our hearts and souls in it, we wanted to give music fans something they could appreciate from the first track to the last.”
Sczebel laughingly admits to mild embarrassment as Saturday night’s trips to the podium continued.
“By the end I kinda felt bad, like I hijacked the show,” he says. “But there was so much support from other nominees.”
Sczebel also appreciates the support he receives from his team, which includes mom Sharon and sister Tanisha – all of whom share in the excitement and go into overdrive to help him realize his dream
And while closing Saturday night’s show was exciting, Sczebel plans to slow the hectic pace somewhat.
“Now it’s time to lay low for a bit and focus on new material,” he says, noting writing is a therapeutic pastime. “We’ve got a couple of shows in the months ahead, but for a while it will be low key, enjoying some quiet time.”
