BMAs look for a different vibe

The Boston Music Awards turn 21 tomorrow night and, like many that age, it's going clubbing.

In a switch from the traditional public festivities at the Orpheum Theatre, the ceremony has gone private - with nominated musicians and industry types - and moved to three 279 Tremont St. nightspots: the Roxy, Pearl, and Underbar. (A limited number of VIP tickets are available to the public, with proceeds earmarked for the BMA's beneficiary, the Music Drives Us Foundation.)

"We're going to try some new things this year and see if it works," says BMA executive director Chip Rives. He expects to return to a larger space and reopen to the public next year. In the interim, Rives hopes to turn the downsizing into a plus. The actual awards presentation will be shortened to a 30-minute video, reducing the number of moving pieces normally involved and excising "awkward" presenter banter and acceptance speeches. And the performance aspect will be expanded, with more than a dozen nominated acts playing 20- to 25-minute sets in the three clubs instead of the normal one-song-and-out style typical of awards shows.

Although artists once associated with the Hub who have moved on snagged a few nods (like Aimee Mann and the Pixies), the number of out-of-towners popping up - a continual complaint - also appears to have been reduced this year. "It was a concerted effort," says Rives. "You'll notice that the John Mayers of the world are absent, and we tried to make it all about New England." Rives maintains, as his predecessors did, that the Boston Music Awards, regardless of the moniker, really represent the whole region, thereby making room for New Hampshire- and Maine-bred acts like Ray LaMontagne and Providence folk-rockers The Low Anthem, nominated in three categories this year.

Among the performers at the 21st annual Boston Music Awards are singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler, distaff Afro-Caribbean music troupe Zili Misik, rappers Slaine and Termanology, and country firebrands Girls Guns and Glory. Local DJs will also be spinning between sets. "There's a huge, diverse range of stuff going on," Rives says, "and we wanted to be a little bit less rock heavy and make it more about all the different scenes."