|
Each year, in order to reflect the ongoing evolution of
the area music scene, WAMA reviews and, when appropriate,
modifies the nominating ballot. We hope the resulting ballot,
accurately reflects current activity in our music community.
Many of the changes also result from feedback from WAMA
members and from our ongoing desire to present a vibrant
awards show, of reasonable length, which accurately reflects
our diverse community.
Accordingly, Wammies voters should take note in making
their nominations this year. Some ballot changes were enacted
in response to the numbers of actual votes some categories
received in recent years.
As always, as a volunteer-run, nonprofit trade association,
WAMA welcomes the participation, input and wisdom of its
members.
Notable changes to the ballot are:
- In all vocalist categories, Female and Male Vocalist
have been combined into one Vocalist award. In Go-Go,
vocalist has been replaced with Talker. A vocalist
award has been added in the Big Band category.
- In the Folk category, Irish/Celtic has been merged with
Folk/Traditional.
- In the Jazz category, Traditional and Contemporary have
been merged into one Jazz category.
- A new A Capella category has been added, with two awards,
Group and Recording.
- In Rock, two categories will encompass the genre. They
are: Rock and Roots Rock.
- Electronica is a new category. A new DJ award has been
added.
- In the Gospel/Inspirational category, Duo/Group and
Harmony Group have been eliminated and the resulting categories
will be Vocalist, Mass Choir, and Group/Quartet.
- The New Age category has been eliminated.
- Artist Website is a new award in the General Awards.
The award will go to the artist and the website designer.
- For Song of the Year, the award will go to the Artist/Performer
and (if different) the songwriter.
Wammies Nominations
Your Nominations Count
As with any voting process, the more people who participate,
the more representive the results. Your nominations are
very important. Sometimes only a few votes can make
the difference of an artist being added to the final ballot.
Read the Nomination & Voting Rules
For many, the nomination ballot can be daunting. If you
are looking for hints and suggestions, you can use previous
nominations as a guide. They can be found on the WAMA website
at http://www.wamadc.com/the_wammies.html.
Members are encouraged to make use of the Washington Post
MP3 site, washingtonpost.com/mp3,
to search for nominees. Members are also encouraged to upload
their music as soon as possible.
Even if you are only familiar with a handful of artists
in a few categories, send in your ballot - it counts.
Self-Nominations
While it's true that you can self-nominate, it takes many
nominations to have your name placed on the final ballot.
One nomination or a few nominations is not enough to qualify
for the final ballot. Many people who nominate themselves
receive only one or two nominations and therefore do not
qualify for the ballot. Those nominations could be spent
more wisely.
Do you have a realistic chance to be a nominee? If not,
nominate the artist(s) you believe have made the most significant
career gains. Your nomination could possibly be the deciding
vote for another nominee. That will go a long way toward
maintaining the integrity of the voting process. WAMA strongly
encourages you to nominate more than yourself - it's the
WAMA way.
Local Notes
The Choral Arts Society of Washington, a world-class
190-member symphonic chorus now in its 38th season, was
awarded the 2002 Washington Post Award for Excellence
in Nonprofit Management, becoming the first arts organization
to be named a winner since the program was established in
1995. The award, sponsored by the Washington Council
of Agencies, recognizes outstanding achievement in nonprofit
management and is open to all segments of the nonprofit
sector in the Greater Metropolitan Washington area. For
additional information on The Choral Arts Society of Washington,
visit choralarts.org.
The United States Air Force Band welcomed new
commander and music director Lt. Col. Dennis M. Layendecker.
Col. Layendecker replaces Col. Lowell E. Graham,
who retired from the Air Force following a 28-year career.
Bethesda-based record label BOS Music signed a
national distribution contract with Redeye Distribution.
BOS has a roster that includes Railroad Earth,
From Good Homes, Jess Klein and Todd Scheaffer.
Three new members were appointed to the DC Commission
on the Arts and Humanities by Mayor Anthony Williams.
Felix Angel (Curator and General Coordinator of the
Cultural Center of the Inter-American Development), Lou
Durden (retired IBM Director of Corporate Community
Relations) and Derek Gordon (Vice President for Education
at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts).
Congratulations to the Cathedral Choral Society
of the Washington National Cathedral, celebrating
its 60th Anniversary this year.
Staccato Lounge, located near the intersection
of 18th and U Streets in Adams Morgan, has reached an agreement
with the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC),
to begin having live music once again. Staccato's music
license had been under protest by the ANC for various noise-related
reasons, but those issues have been resolved and the club
is once again booking bands and has revived its Tuesday
night open mic. For more information, call 202-232-2228
or visit staccatoonline.com.
DC-based college rock band The Lloyd Dobler Effect
beat out hundreds of other area bands in the HFS Big Break
Contest and performed on the main stage at the HFStival,
held this past summer at RFK Stadium. Named after John Cusack's
character in the 80's film Say Anything, the band
plays a blend of music described by The Washington Post
as "go-go, funk, salsa, folk and hip-hop."
Billboard award-winning singer/songwriter Willem Dicke
will release his new album, Familiar Ground, at Hard
Rock Cafè in Washington on Friday, January 24,
2003. Wammie award winner Ariel Francis, who produced
Familiar Ground, will join Dicke on stage. Following
his set, Dicke will perform with theatrical show band FBI.
The band is the subject of a short film by Ross Stansfield,
which will be shown between Dicke and the FBI's performances.
Please visit willemdicke.com
for more information.
A deal has been reached that allows small webcasters
to pay royalties based on percentage of revenue instead
of the per performance rate set by the Library of Congress.
Go to the website at www.soundexchange.com
to see the summary of HR 5469 - Small Webcaster Amendments
Act of 2002.
Composer/artist Kathy Haggerty has scored the
upcoming indie feature film, Genius, which had its
Washington premiere in October. The score was completed
at Cue Recording in Falls Church this past Spring,
and is currently under contract for distribution. More information
is available at kathyhaggerty.com
or on the film's web site at geniusthemovie.com.
Keith Dill took first place in both the fiddle
division and the guitar division at the Berlin Fiddler's
Convention in Berlin, MD. His band, The Dill Pickers,
took second place in the band division. Visit dillpickers.com
for more information.
Congratulations to the Washington DC Area Cabaret
Network, which celebrated its fifth birthday on September
1.
Billy Fotis, of Crow Valley Band, has signed
a contract with Wild Oats Records in Nashville to
be part of their latest compilation disc. Fotis recorded
with producer Steve Haggard and engineer Randall
Merryman (Marshall Tucker Band, Keb Mo,
Albert King). Fotis will be packaged with three other
artists, each contributing three to four songs, with the
CD slated for a late fall release . The disc will be shopped
for overseas licensing. More information can be found at
wildoatsrecords.com.
After a summer of clubs and festivals, Ruthie and
The Wranglers have returned to Hit and Run Studio
in Rockville, MD, to work on the 4th Wrangler album. The
addition of Greg Hardin (songwriter, bassist and
vocalist) has helped ignite a songwriting spree and many
collaborations for the upcoming CD.
Making Moves Entertainment Association presents
Open Mic Night and Card Party (spades, bid whist, poker,
black jack, etc.) every Tuesday from 7 to 12 midnight at
Bud's Restaurant and Nightclub (formerly the 501 Club) located
at 501 Morse St, NE DC (Corner of 5th and Florida). Please
call (202) 543-4419 for more information. Admission is $5
before 8 and the events is hosted by Backyard's Big G.
Carey Colvin's song, Blacktop, the first
track from her award-winning CD The Distance Wall,
was featured on national radio in NPR's Car Talk.
Fairfax-based Welbilt won the Rolling Rock/Hard
Rock Cafe Road to the Town Fair, Best Unsigned Band competition
and was awarded a three-song Virgin Records demo
recording deal with Godsmack producer Andrew "Mudrock"
Murdock. As winners of the nationwide competition. Welbilt
members include Nate Ihara on vocals, Nick Geisinger
on bass and vocals, Bill Ledbetter on drums and Buddy
Speir on guitar. For more information visit welbilt.com.
The queen of the area blues scene, Miss Mary Jefferson,
passed away in her sleep Saturday, August 3. A tribute concert
for Jefferson was held at Howard University.
Dulcie Taylor has been on the road, playing shows
and performing live at some of the radio stations that are
playing her new CD, Diamond & Glass, which has moved
onto the national charts, according to Album Network.
A benefit concert was held earlier this year at the State
Theater for Steve Hubert, also known as Stevie `Guitar'
Sparks, who was diagnosed with MS. Steve sends a thank you
to all of the great players who showed up, the staff of
the State Theater and everyone else who came out to support
him.
Thelonious Records, the newly launched label founded
by Thelonious Monk, Jr., son of the legendary jazz
pianist and composer and a multi-talented drummer and band
leader in his own right, has released a CD collection of
homemade recordings from various engagements as well as
incredible reel-to-reel tapes of Monk Sr. created at home.
They date from about 1957 to the early 1960s, and were made
primarily by his widow, Nellie Monk. The recordings are
available on monkzone.com.
The treasures include a 1958 performance of Monk's quartet
at the Five Spot Café (which happened to be the first
gig to include legendary tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse),
a performance at Birdland in 1963, and a stunning recording
of Monk working through the standard "I'm Getting Sentimental
Over You" for the first time in his tiny apartment on West
63rd Street in Manhattan.
Mark T. Smith, host of Blues Flight, a
five-hour, commercial-free, blues and grooves show which
runs every Saturday on KJLU 88.9 FM in Jefferson
City, MO, is currently looking for new music to play on
his program. KJLU's 29,500 watts of power broadcasts border
to border in Missouri, with a listening area that includes
St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield. Send CDs and bios
to Mark T. Smith at 1328 Grandview Dr., Jefferson City,
Mo., 65109. More information on the station is available
at kjlu.com.
Clarissa Campbell, singer/songwriter for her band,
Clarissa, and Dino Bonanno, lead guitarist
for Kracker Jack Majik, have formed an acoustic duo.
This project is in addition to their full electric bands
and will deliver a combination of originals and modern rock
covers. Clarissa and Dino will be performing in MD, VA,
DC and PA beginning in late November. Updates on the duo
can be found at clarissamusic.com.
For booking information call 410-935-0364 or email info@clarissamusic.com
The extended Albright Green family welcomed its
newest member, Lauren Catherine Essex, on February 15th.
She weighed 6 lbs. 2oz. and 19 1/4 inches. Congratulations
Jeff and Adrienne!
Singer-songwriter Bill Parsons appeared on the
nationally syndicated WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour
earlier this year. Parsons was honored as 2001 Artist of
the Year by the Bethesda, MD-based service organization
Arts For The Aging for his work in DC area nursing
homes. In March, National Public Radio aired one
of Parsons' musical satires, entitled "Enron-ron," on its
Morning Edition program; the send-up was co-written with
Parsons' musical partner Eric Weinberg and Morning
Edition producer Barry Gordemer.
Ofphspringg Entertainment is a marketing and promotions
company based in DC. It is looking for hip-hop and R&B artists
to put on a mixtape that will be distributed on the Vibe
Ride College Tour. DJ Baby Boy will be playing
selected songs alongside all the other major releases to
further increase exposure. If you're looking for an opportunity
to promote your music to a large college audience, contact
Faheem at (202) 610-1961, (202) 607-8792, or ofphspringgent@webtv.net.
Dave Demarco reported to WAMA that he played bass
and baritone guitar on Archetribe's new CD Earthones.
Archetribe features synthesists Larry Fast and Matthew
Davidson. The CD is currently at #5 on the Echoes chart
(Echoes is a nationally syndicated new age/world music radio
show which airs locally on WJHU 88.1 FM). He's also appearing
on a new instructional CD put out by percussion manufacturer
RhythmTech. The CD is called Turn It Up and Lay It Down,
Volume II and also features T.M. Stevens (Steve
Vai, James Brown) and Chuck Bergeron (Buddy Rich).
Finally, Dave's band Battery Apple has released its
second CD, 6-Pack Of Shame. More info is posted at
www.davedemarco.com.
Stuart Ridgway finished the soundtrack for an
independent film entitled Camden. Earlier this year
he wrote and recorded the music tracks for several interactive
spots for the NBA, shown at the NBA stores around
the country. He is currently finishing the soundtrack for
an independent film entitled Zapatas, produced by
Barron Kidd of Five Points Productions in
Dallas.
Proof Through The Night (PTTN) is a grassroots
music coalition raising money for those in need through
benefit concerts. The concert series was originally created
to benefit the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
PTTN now devotes efforts to other needy causes, turning
its focus towards charities and funds helping the underprivileged
and distressed. For up-to-date information on this and future
benefit shows, check at proofthroughthenight.org.
Diana Quinn tells WAMA that the new CD from Honky
Tonk Confidential, Your Trailer or Mine?, reached
#1 on the Freeform American Roots Chart within weeks of
its release and stayed there for several months. The CD
is a mainstay on XM Radio and is a big hit in Europe and
Australia.
A message from The Kennedys: "We would humbly
like to thank all the kind folks at the World Folk Music
Association for honoring us...with their annual Kate
Wolf Award. It means so much to both of us, and it has
extra special meaning for Pete, as he was a friend and accompanist
to Kate before she died of leukemia in the late 80's. We'll
do our best to live up to the standard Kate set both musically
and otherwise."
10-year-plus studio engineering veteran Heidi Gerber
(formerly with Bias Recording) is happy to announce
the birth of her independent production and engineering
company, All Access Audio. "We're not a studio,"
Heidi explains, "but we have access to the best studios
in town as well as relationships with many excellent studio
musicians and arrangers. We help our clients choose and
use the right facilities for the right jobs—from home
recording rooms to top-notch professional studios." All
Access also offers remote recording services and audio technology
instruction. Heidi can be reached at All Access at 703-715-2520
or emailing ruffmix@aol.com.
David Morreale is hosting the open mic for singer-songwriters
every Thursday at Bushwaller's in Frederick, MD.
All singer-songwriters are encouraged to attend. Call for
more info: (301) 694-5697.
Debbi Grantham, of Berryville, VA, has been signed
to a long- term artist development contract with Incubator
Creative Group (www.IncubatorOnline.com)
of Santa Clara, Oregon. Grantham is a resident of Berryville
and plans an expansion of her Christian music ministry across
the Northeast. Incubator president Nathan Sakany's plans
for Grantham include an intense "boot camp" training period,
followed by the establishment of a performance schedule
and the eventual release of a recording on Incubator's label.
Brother MANIAC spent time in the studio earlier
this year mixing and mastering tracks for its Life in
the Big City CD, recorded at Mega-Media Studios
in Landover, MD, with production by Mike Hughes,
Faheem the Dream, and Brother MANIAC, and with collaborations
with The BWC and Storm the Unpredictable.
Angela Taylor's music was played on the television
program Food Nation with Bobby Flay. Taylor's
music was used in the America episode which, unlike
Flay's typical shows that spotlight a single city, featured
cuisine from around the country in celebration of Memorial
Day. Taylor recorded songs especially for the episode, which
premiered on the Food Network in May. Taylor previously
appeared in the Baltimore episode, which you can
catch periodically in reruns.
Janet Braun & Tom Carrico are proud to
announce the arrival of Louis David Carrico-Braun:
eight pounds, five ounces - 20.25 inches at 1:14 pm on August
21, 2002. He shares his birthday with his delighted big
sister, Katie Sue Carrico. Congratulations Janet
and Tom!
The Pat McGee Band donated $5,696 to the USO
at Rock 'N Sports Experience at the Washington Convention
Center on February 16, 2002. Earned from the band's holiday
tour in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Norfolk, and Washington,
DC, the band's donation also included $2,100 to the Special
Olympics of Virginia. The band is currently working on its
new album with Warner Brothers.
Scooter Scudieri recently performed at the 41st
Songwriters' Hall of Fame showcase in New York City.
The Choral Arts Society of Washington kicked off
their 2002 summer tour of England with a performance in
the BBC Henry Wood Promenade Festival (Proms) at
Royal Albert Hall in London with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
and Chorus under the direction of Leonard Slatkin.
The 30th Anniversary AFIM Indie Awards were presented
March 11th at the Marriott San Francisco. The winners from
the DC music community announced were All Wound Up!
by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer with Brave Combo
for the Children's Music and Storytelling category, and
Fugazi's Argument, on Dischord, for
the Rock category.
|
