Music Awards celebrate songs, not celebrities
There were no stretch limousines, screaming teenage fans, ostentatious appearances by musicians who haven't lived in town for decades, or labored monologues by hosts who had no connection to the music community at the 17th Boston Music Awards at Avalon last night.
This production was a sharp departure from past years as it was much more of an industry-oriented affair and a true celebration of the diversity and spirit of the city's music scene. While the avant-rock group the Dresden Dolls came away with the most awards (three, including best live act), the big winners turned out to be all of those who make Boston one of the most vital musical cities in the country.
"After last year, we wanted to move the awards to a smaller venue and the feedback we got from everyone we talked to was that they wanted it to be more of a good time," said Chip Rives, executive director of the Boston Music Awards, prior to the ceremony. And indeed it was, as the night had the vibe of a laid-back loft party. Musicians and industry professionals mingled throughout the club, and while the star wattage was certainly diminished -- Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith and Celtics legend Bill Russell were the two most high-profile VIPs -- there was a congenial, appreciative atmosphere. The first portion of the evening was spent dispensing awards and the ceremony was punctuated by performances from the likes of Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert, who played a graceful "Citizen of the World," and the hip-hop supergroup the Perceptionists, who livened things up with their new track "Blo."
There were some surprises in the awards, most especially the reunited Pixies copping act of the year. After all, the band has yet to set foot in Boston on their reunion tour and they have not released any new material. Another upset was Guster winning outstanding pop/rock band over Mission of Burma (who came away empty), Godsmack, Aerosmith, and the Dropkick Murphys.
Hamilton showed up to accept the award for (major label) album of the year for Aerosmith's blues record, "Honkin' On Bobo." "It's an honor to win for this CD because it was a bit different and we were able to record it at home," he said backstage after presenting the hard rock band of the year award to Scissorfight. As expected, a lot of the out-of-town winners such as Aimee Mann (female vocalist of the year) and Howie Day (male vocalist of the year) did not show up, but that seemed to reflect the indigenous nature of this year's ceremony. The Hall of Fame awards went to record executive Joe Smith, who was inducted by Greg Hawkes of the Cars, a band Smith helped sign to Elektra Records, and the G-Clefs, a doo-wop vocal group from the '50s.
Clearly, the artists who did show appreciated the scaling down of the awards and the fact that all proceeds from the evening went to the NEMO Music Foundation, which sponsors music education programs. "It's a great idea and more humble and it's good that people are just chilling out and having a relaxed time," said Mr. Lif, who won rap/hip-hop act of the year.
"It's good to do something new," added Ellis Paul. "Nice that they took the commercial side out of the mix and focused on the artists." After the awards were given out, the night turned toward performances from the Dropkick Murphys, who played a rousing rendition of "Tessie" in their short set, as well as Jake Brennan, Bill Janovitz, and Orchestra Morphine with guests offering up a tribute to the late Mark Sandman.
