BERWICK – A musical duo with an Annapolis Valley connection just won big at this year’s Music Nova Scotia Awards.
Mitchell Pineo, of Berwick, and JR Loeb together make up the electronic music duo Pineo and Loeb that just took home the Electronic Artist of the Year award.
Having received nominations nearly every year since 2013, they said finally winning was “unexpected,” but amazing. Especially after being up until 8 a.m. making music the day they found out.
“It was just super unexpected – we didn’t have anything prepared, and had stayed up so late the night before working on our album. This is our first big win – it’s just really exciting,” said Pineo.
The duo has been dropping beats in their typical reverse 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule – for them, work hours typically run 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. – for years and are getting ready to drop their latest album in the next two months.
With a supportive community of friends, family and fans across the province – they say their biggest fans tend to live in places from Coldbrook to Sydney, Cape Breton – the pair have moved into making music a full-time gig.
And they agree the recognition from the awards is only half the help the award association has provided them – it also matches whatever money the artists put into their business.
“We’re so lucky to have this resource to help artists get money they otherwise might not have access to, especially going into it fulltime, like us, and needing funding for marketing, recording, mastering and all that,” said Loeb.
![Nothing much has changed in terms of their reverse work routine – the duo continues working 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on their music. “[We’ll] keep on doing the exact same thing, day in and day out – making our music,” said Loeb.](/media/photologue/photos/cache/PINEO_AND_LOEB_PROMO_2018_original.jpg)
The duo is getting set to launch their biggest-yet tour of Canada’s western coast, and has been making waves outside of Canada too, being booked to play two years in a row at the Bamboo Bass Festival in Costa Rica.
Having big plans may have seen the duo’s brand rise, but Loeb said nothing much has changed in terms of their work routine.
“We’re not taking anything for granted, and will keep on doing the exact same thing, day in and day out – making our music,” he said.
And Pineo said that feeling that people are supporting their dream hits close to home most when it comes from the Annapolis Valley.
“To come back home, get in the car and see that people are listening to our CDs is the most rewarding feeling. Musicians can go through serious bouts of self-doubt, so getting that real feedback means everything,” he said.
