Boston spilled the beans last night at the 16th-annual Boston Music Awards, where the city honored artists who rose to the top in the pot of local music talent, as well as big name entertainers in the world-renowned music hotbed.
Taking home the prizes were such bands as Kicked in the Head, for Best Punk Band; Waltham, for Best Local Song of the Year; John Mayer, for Act of the Year; Damn Personals, for Best Club Band; James Taylor, for Album of the Year; and Walter Beasley, for Best Jazz Album.
Dicky Barret of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones hosted the event held at the Wang Center which aimed to celebrate the achievements of artists who got their start in the Boston music scene.
The crowd was a motley crew, clad in every style from Rocky Horror Picture show attire to Mr. ‘T’ to Mr. Rogers.
One audience member, William Heflin, came out to view the show because, ‘I saw the sign for tickets and decided to go with my daughter to see how the younger side lives.
‘There are quite a few fashion statements here,’ he said. ‘It’s all right though. These people are still people, despite their outward appearance.’
Sprinkled among the award distributions were performances by local artists, including Bleu, Dresden Dolls, James Montgomery ‘ Friends featuring Johnny A and a Blue Man Group/Traci Bonhan duet so captivating it made blinking a nuisance. Handing out the awards were neighborhood and national names like Godsmack, Garry Cherone, Ramiro and Melissa from WJMN 95.4, Ad Frank and Walter McCarty.
‘The show keeps getting better every year,’ said Leo Mallace, guitar player for Tribe of Judah and one of the nominees for best local debut album. ‘They have tried to reach out to every group in the community.’
The show also included a film depicting the rich history of Boston music. It called Boston a ‘petri-dish’ of music, crediting local college students as greatly contributing to the scene by helping to spread new sounds when they return to their hometowns each summer.
As always, a few things in the show went askew. Mr. Lif was not able to attend so his mother accepted the award on his behalf. After Scissorfight failed to come on stage to receive the award for best hard rock band, WAAF disc jockey Greg Hill attempted to give the award to a man sitting in the front row, but it was given right back.
Reiterating a point from The New Kids on the Block, Ad Frank quoted, ‘It’s not about having long hair or smoking marijuana, it’s about the music.’
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