Boston Music Awards 2003

Whether you love the event, hate it, or regard it as just another necessary evil, the Boston Music Awards have become a cornerstone of the Boston music scene. It may not be the Grammys, but our humble city's annual music award ceremony incites the same range of wildly contrasting sentiment as its bigger, televised equivalent.

Each year the BMAs are held on a Thursday night (this year it was September 4th) and act as the starter pistol for the two-day NEMO Music Conference and Showcase (September 5th and 6th). For these three days every year, hundreds of representatives from the music industry converge upon Boston to participate in day and night performances, exhibit new technology, market products, network, discuss the future of music, share ideas, and bitch and moan about ClearChannel and the RIAA. 

Two big changes in this year's affair had all the music critics (professional and armchair alike) giving the BMAs and NEMO some extra-close scrutiny. For one thing, in its 7th year, NEMO is under new management as Executive Director Chip Ives inherited the whole shebang from longtime head honcho Candace Avery. Secondly, now in its 16th year, the BMA ceremony moved from the Orpheum to the Wang Theatre. As for the management change, that caused the BMAs and NEMO to move ahead six months from April to September, and also means that Showcase Director Jim Morgan and Showcase Managers Jim Scordamaglia and Kristin Bredimus courageously organized the whole event in a mere fraction of the usual lead-time. In recent weeks Chip Ives was all over the press and radio, declaring his intention that NEMO acquire the same global status as CMJ and SxSW. (By contrast, SxSW hosts fifteen thousand participants attending three separate festivals over ten days with national coverage in all the esteemed rock publications, boasting acts like Tom Waits, Marilyn Manson, and Neil Young).

On the night of September 4th, about 2000 people streamed into the Wang Theatre's grandeur of twinkling chandeliers, lush expanse of carpeting and marble columns. The crowd was abuzz over the venue change. With a bigger stage than the Orpheum and a lot more pomp and circumstance, the Wang felt a little...weird...compared, that is, to the more rock 'n roll Orpheum set-up. At the Orpheum, you can come and go from the main house, get drinks, mingle in the back of the room, and stand off to one side to watch the awards. By contrast, there was zero mobility at the Wang. Once seated, you've got to vanquish your entire row in order to get out. Not only that, but the gala-like ambiance can get a bit surreal when you consider that the usual setting for running into guys like Ad Frank, Zsid (WXRV), the Dresden Dolls, the Waltham dudes, the Three Day Threshold boys usually involves a smoky bar, a sticky floor, and paper cups of PBR.

This year's host, Mighty Mighty Dickie Barrett, did a bang-up job, surely because he could give a wet slap what anyone thinks of him. He swore and laughed, yelled at the audience when they didn't hold their applause as he instructed, lost his place in his notes, and looked openly amused or annoyed at the gaffs and antics of the presenters and winners. One audience member compared Dickie's gruff, breezy and personal style to last year's host, Joey McIntyre, whose lordship over the proceedings put us through a woefully contrived train wreck of halting, stilted anecdotes and painfully lame jokes. Yay for Dickie! This year, there were times when Dickie's easy candor saved the moment from being embarrassing, like when Ernie Boch Jr., the "second most famous man from Norwood, MA," announced a Scholarship Program by reading, faltering and stiff, from index cards. Dickie stood next to the podium, swinging his arms and grinning encouragement. Whether he was encouraging Ernie or the audience isn't clear, but his overall warmth puts everyone into an accepting mood.

Having Blue Man Group kick off the performances was a blessing and a curse. With their usual carnival of light, intoxicating groove, plus Tracey Bonham rockin' a torch song ("I tried to walk the way you told me but each time I got lost," she belted), this set the bar for fascination and energy so high that it was never surpassed. In fact, only Edo G, The Dresden Dolls, and Howie Day even came close to captivating the room as completely.

A sense of hometown-music pride was unavoidable in the face of constant reminders of just how insular the Boston-based music scene is; for example, when WAAF's Greg Hill presented the award for Hard Rock Band he said that he and Dickie go back a long way, "That time you got arrested... where was that, in Lowell?"

James Montgomery and his band presented a great show that one could argue was just a little much. The musicianship was outstanding, especially the dueling between James' harmonica and Johnny A's electrifying guitar, but I could personally do without Mr. Montgomery's overacted facial expressions and lounge singer posing. It's all a little Vegas-schmaltzy for the average Boston rock scenester.

The videos memorializing the late Howard Armstrong and Billboard editor Timothy White were well-produced and touching, and many were openly tearful during Mikey Dee's video tribute. 

Three Day Threshold, winners for Outstanding Roots Rock Band, donned red long johns to accept their award from endearingly nervous presenter Ad Frank. "Yeah, ya gotta look good in this business," drawled Dickie in amusement, looking after them as the band padded off the stage in pajama feet.

When Godsmack's Sully and Shannon presented The Gentlemen with their award for Outstanding Rock/Pop Band on an Independent Label, Sully told a bad joke about "shit" that got some pity laughs. The great thing about Sully is, he doesn't give a fart in a high wind.

Howie Day was a big surprise, taking the stage looking like a low-key folkie, but bringing the house to its knees with his one-man show of hard-edged emo pop. Howie uses loops in a Joseph Arthur kind of way to merge voice and guitar and build to a heart-stopping crescendo. He went home with two awards: Debut Album of the Year and Outstanding Male Vocalist.

What is the appeal of Livingston and Kate Taylor? It was Will Farrell and Ana Gasteyer as the music teachers, seriously. Their demographic was not present on this night.

The Damn Personals, who won for Outstanding Club Band, announced that they're giving their award to The Explosion, who lost out to them for that award and to Kicked in the Head for Outstanding Punk Band. 

Nobody listened when Gary Cherone asked the audience to hold your applause until the end as Gary announced the first group of winners that weren't being presented during the ceremony. Dickie Barrett announced the second group later, and dealt with the wayward clapping by barreling right through it.

The Dresden Dolls brought a thrilling sense of theatrics by pausing for a long twenty seconds before attacking "Coin Operated Boy," which they nailed better than ever. Alas, Amanda Palmer's crotch light was omitted for tonight.

Bleu closed out the proceedings with hit sing-along "Get Up" from his Aware/Columbia debut, Redhead. The mutton-chopped pop darling and the thirty-something singers in his Slap Happy Choir wore yellow T-shirts proclaiming the song title. Bleu ended "Get Up" by falling forward onto the floor and no, he didn't get up.

All in all, a terrific show.

Here's the complete list of winners:

Act of the Year
John Mayer

Album of the Year
October Road - James Taylor

Album of the Year (Independent)
Jacknife To A Swan - Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Outstanding Club Band (Best Live Show)
Damn Personals

Debut Album of the Year
Australia - Howie Day

Outstanding Hard Rock Band
Scissorfight

Jazz Album of the Year
Go With The Flow - Walter Beasley

Debut Album of the Year (Indedpendent)
Famous Among The Barns - The Ben Taylor Band

Outstanding Male Singer/ Songwriter
Josh Ritter

Outstanding New Rock/ Pop Band (Independent)
Moonraker

Outstanding Punk Band
Kicked in the Head

Outstanding Rap/Hip-Hop Act
Mr. Lif

Outstanding Rock/ Pop Band
Godsmack

Outstanding Rock/ Pop Band (Independent)
The Gentlemen

Local Album of the Year
We Are The Only Friends We Have - Piebald

Outstanding Blues Act
Susan Tedeschi

Outstanding Blues Album
Susan Tedeschi

Outstanding Country Act
Dave Foley Band

Outstanding Female Singer/ Songwriter
Melissa Ferrick

Outstanding Female Vocalist
Aimee Mann

Outstanding Female Vocalist (Independent)
Kay Hanley

Outstanding Funk or Jam Band
Superhoney

Outstanding Jazz Act
Pat Metheny

Rap/ Hip-Hop Album of the Year
I Phantom - Mr. Lif

Local Song of the Year
"So Lonely" - Waltham

Outstanding Male Vocalist
Howie Day

Outstanding Male Vocalist (Independent)
Ironlung (Scissorfight)

Producer of the Year
Mike Denneen

Outstanding Roots Rock Band
Three Day Threshold

Singer/ Songwriter Album of the Year
The Beauty Of The Rain - Dar Williams

Song of the Year
"Your Body is a Wonderland" - John Mayer

Outstanding World Music Act
Babaloo