M.O.D. Media Productions
Maggie and Sims Delaney-Potthoff of Harmonious Wail receiving a Career Recognition Award.
It’s like the Grammys, but in Madison, and without the crap.
This year’s Madison Area Music Awards winners represent a spectrum, from fresh faces to established icons. If you’ve spent any time in Madison’s music scene — as a fan or a player — the annual celebration of music and community will inspire appreciation for the diversity and quality of musical talent right here in our hometown.
It’s no accident that the June 18 MAMAs also wrapped up the Between the Waves Conference and Music Festival, which brought together film and music industry pros and local DIY musicians for a jam-packed (40 acts!) weekend exploring how to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing industry.
The MAMA organizers packed the stage with a phenomenal lineup, too — a blend of veterans and newbies that delivered jaw-dropping performances. It was my first time seeing Imaginary Watermelon (Best New Band), an all-female indie rock band anchored by Dana Perry’s lovely voice and Elie Erickson’s shredding guitar licks. We had polished performances by the Americana sweethearts of Wheelhouse and heartfelt country from Lost Lakes. Paul Filipowicz & His Blues Band killed it, too, with Paul’s soaring guitar complementing Benny Rickum’s harmonica. Smith & Jackson gave us a taste of modern R&B, with two stellar vocalists, Denise Jackson and Candice Smith delivering some Beyonce flavor. Violin virtuoso Aurora Greane performed classical pieces, and Distant Cuzins (recent graduates of Oregon High School) leapt about the stage garage-rocking our socks off.
In between the excellent music, host John Urban hammed it up with local celebs. Scholarships were delivered, along with passionate pleas to support music education. The Heid Music Teacher of the Year Award went to Ryan Casey, known for directing award-winning choirs and setting up a recording studio for non-traditional music students as well as being a solo artist.
Several touching moments circled back to the year’s biggest musical loss, the death of Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown’s “funky drummer” in February. Clyde’s fingerprints were everywhere, with his protege Joey B. Banks scoring the award for Best Drummer/Percussionist and performing with Smith & Jackson and the Clyde Stubblefield All Stars. Banks’ student, Ben Lokuta, smashed his way through a song with Distant Cuzins before accepting the Youth Drummer Award.
Full disclosure: Isthmus is a proud sponsor of the MAMAs and my band, VO5, took home awards for Best Jazz Song and Unique Performer.
Maggie and Sims Delaney-Potthoff (of Harmonious Wail) took home a well-deserved Career Recognition Award for their three-plus decades of dedication to mastering the art of Gypsy jazz, plus countless hours spent teaching and volunteering.
And Herb Frank, the godfather of Frank Productions, was there, too, accepting the 2017 Broadjam Lifetime Achievement Award for his half-century of dedication to bringing live music to Madison stages.
It would have been enough, but MAMA had one trick left in the hat. The awards closed out with an exquisitely funky dance number with the Clyde Stubblefield All Stars, featuring rapper Protege the Pro. Naturally, Joey B. Banks was on the drums. The stage was filled with singers, horns and instrumentalists. And the audience was grooving and bouncing along with the infectious beat. Proving that Madison knows how to make music — and how to enjoy it.
The full list of 2017 winners is available here.