Asbury Music Awards 2006
Every year the local music community gets together for the Asbury Music Awards, an evening of live local music, and awards representing "the best" of the local music scene. I put "the best" in quotes, because anytime an award is given in out anywhere, it's subjective, just because Crash won an Oscar earlier this year for best picture doesn't mean that the film wasn't ridiculously bad to me. So I always take the actual awards part of an awards show with a grain of salt, and watch them for the entertainment value.
If you are looking for a list of who won, you won't find it here. I didn't write down the winners, because this show really isn't about the awards, at least not to me. However, click here for Upstage Magazine's coverage, which includes a list of winners.
In the interest of being fair, I should point out here that BlowUpRadio.com was nominated for two awards, Top Internet Radio Station, and Top Music Website, of which I lost both to Upstage Radio, and Upstage Magazine, respectively. This is a good thing. Gary Wien, who runs both sites, and I are friends, and Lazlo's Den runs on Upstage Radio and my interviews have been published in Upstage Magazine, so I could not be happier that he won.
Ultimately going to a AMA's, for me, is a chance to see some great performances by local acts, and hang out with my friends from the local music community, many who I don't get to see very often. The downside is that it's inside a loud rock club so it's hard to really maintain a conversation. But it's nice to see friends nonetheless, and it reminds me that I need to have people over to my place more often so we can just hang out and talk, outside of a loud rock club.
Last year on my blog, I made some constructive criticism about some of the problems that with the awards show. I'm guessing someone involved with the show read my blog, as some changes were put into motion this year that helped make the AMA's more enjoyable.
First and foremost, they got a new host this year, Barry from Barry & The Penetrators, and unlike last year's lame duck host, Barry was entertaining, and kept the show moving along. Which led to the seond big change...as you know (if you read my previous review of Jeff Daniels at Monmouth University), I got to the awards show late this year. When I got there around 10:20, the show was only 5 or 6 minutes off schedule. Last year by that time the show had been about a half hour off schedule. By the end of the evening this year the show was only off by about 15 to 20 minutes behind. Kudos, for keeping things close to schedule this year! Lastly, they finally moved the awards show to a Saturday! No more late weeknight and then trying to catch a few hours sleep before work the next day.
Arriving late, I sadly missed several performances, but arrived just in time to catch the always entertaining Divine Sign. Matt O'Ree Band also did a set, which included some of Matt's blistering guitar solos that recently won him a blues guitar competition.
"Opening up" (yes I mean this sarcastically) for Gordon Brown (Writers In The Raw) and I presenting Song Of The Year, was the jam-rock of Woodfish. Over the last year I've managed to see these guys a few times, and their live show is mighty impressive.
When it came time to present the Song Of The Year award, it was a bit weird. A year and a half ago I was on the very same stage, having just gotten married inside the Stone Pony, so I had a brief flashback to that joyous day as I took to the stage. But Gordon and I presented the award, to a crowd that I swore was going to eat us alive when they were all cheering for Status Green to win, and they didn't.
However, Status Green closed out the evening with an amazing performance. I have been hearing nothing but good things about Status Green for most of this year, but had failed to manage to see them until last night. Now that I have, they can count me as a fan! Fun pop rock in the way Evelyn Forever once made, their set left me feeling good at the end of the night.
And really, that's the way the awards are all about, an opportunity to see some good bands, and meet up with friends from the local music scene. I look forward to next year, and the new venue, that should make the event even better!
Every year the local music community gets together for the Asbury Music Awards, an evening of live local music, and awards representing "the best" of the local music scene. I put "the best" in quotes, because anytime an award is given in out anywhere, it's subjective, just because Crash won an Oscar earlier this year for best picture doesn't mean that the film wasn't ridiculously bad to me. So I always take the actual awards part of an awards show with a grain of salt, and watch them for the entertainment value.
If you are looking for a list of who won, you won't find it here. I didn't write down the winners, because this show really isn't about the awards, at least not to me. However, click here for Upstage Magazine's coverage, which includes a list of winners.
In the interest of being fair, I should point out here that BlowUpRadio.com was nominated for two awards, Top Internet Radio Station, and Top Music Website, of which I lost both to Upstage Radio, and Upstage Magazine, respectively. This is a good thing. Gary Wien, who runs both sites, and I are friends, and Lazlo's Den runs on Upstage Radio and my interviews have been published in Upstage Magazine, so I could not be happier that he won.
Ultimately going to a AMA's, for me, is a chance to see some great performances by local acts, and hang out with my friends from the local music community, many who I don't get to see very often. The downside is that it's inside a loud rock club so it's hard to really maintain a conversation. But it's nice to see friends nonetheless, and it reminds me that I need to have people over to my place more often so we can just hang out and talk, outside of a loud rock club.
Last year on my blog, I made some constructive criticism about some of the problems that with the awards show. I'm guessing someone involved with the show read my blog, as some changes were put into motion this year that helped make the AMA's more enjoyable.
First and foremost, they got a new host this year, Barry from Barry & The Penetrators, and unlike last year's lame duck host, Barry was entertaining, and kept the show moving along. Which led to the seond big change...as you know (if you read my previous review of Jeff Daniels at Monmouth University), I got to the awards show late this year. When I got there around 10:20, the show was only 5 or 6 minutes off schedule. Last year by that time the show had been about a half hour off schedule. By the end of the evening this year the show was only off by about 15 to 20 minutes behind. Kudos, for keeping things close to schedule this year! Lastly, they finally moved the awards show to a Saturday! No more late weeknight and then trying to catch a few hours sleep before work the next day.
Arriving late, I sadly missed several performances, but arrived just in time to catch the always entertaining Divine Sign. Matt O'Ree Band also did a set, which included some of Matt's blistering guitar solos that recently won him a blues guitar competition.
"Opening up" (yes I mean this sarcastically) for Gordon Brown (Writers In The Raw) and I presenting Song Of The Year, was the jam-rock of Woodfish. Over the last year I've managed to see these guys a few times, and their live show is mighty impressive.
When it came time to present the Song Of The Year award, it was a bit weird. A year and a half ago I was on the very same stage, having just gotten married inside the Stone Pony, so I had a brief flashback to that joyous day as I took to the stage. But Gordon and I presented the award, to a crowd that I swore was going to eat us alive when they were all cheering for Status Green to win, and they didn't.
However, Status Green closed out the evening with an amazing performance. I have been hearing nothing but good things about Status Green for most of this year, but had failed to manage to see them until last night. Now that I have, they can count me as a fan! Fun pop rock in the way Evelyn Forever once made, their set left me feeling good at the end of the night.
And really, that's the way the awards are all about, an opportunity to see some good bands, and meet up with friends from the local music scene. I look forward to next year, and the new venue, that should make the event even better!