Forget the Grammys. Thursday night's Boston Music Awards, for which tickets are always available to the public, proved that an awards show can be both informal and meaningful at the same time. Hosted by MTV's Dave Holmes, who apologized for his apparent state of overdress ("I look like an asshole stockbroker!"), the event allowed fans, music industry professionals, and the artists themselves to mingle in the seats of the Orpheum while enjoying a barrage of musical performances.
Pop-rockers American Hi-Fi opened the show with their high-energy single "Flavor of the Week," and shortly thereafter claimed the Rising Star Award. Despite the event's poppy opening, the evening took on a distinctly metallic flavor. Godsmack, nestled comfortably in the audience, won six of the seven awards it was nominated for, including Act of the Year, Album of the Year, and Male Vocalist of the Year. Perhaps one of the biggest treats of the evening was hearing vocalist Sully Erna's true voice - not gruff and angry as it sounds on the radio, but a voice with one of the thickest Boston accents around. Godsmack playfully interacted with Springfield-based rockers Staind, jumping on each other onstage.
But Staind only claimed an award for one of its four nominations: Best Video for "Home." Staind's losing streak noticeably troubled Erna, for when he went to claim his award for Best Male Vocalist, he noted, "I don't know who made this mistake, but if it isn't this year, next year Aaron [Lewis, of Staind] needs to get this award."
The performers themselves reflected the hard-rock atmosphere of the evening, and more than one presenter wore a "got metal?" T-shirt. Nullset and C60, both Boston-based, churned out thick n??-metal. Halfcocked, who won the award for Outstanding Debut on an Indie Label, frightened both audience and stage crew, with its sexily dressed, profanity-spewing female singer. Their lead guitarist, a short white man with bleached hair and far too many leather cuffs and metal studs, ran around stage swinging his guitar above his head. He accidentally tore a guitar string apart with the spiked cuff on his right hand, and then feigned masturbation over the head of the female lead singer to end his solo.
"Not a thing got done backstage in the last five minutes," remarked Dave Holmes as the band walked offstage. He attributed the lack of work to the stage crew's combination of being "turned on and scared shitless."
But not all of the evening's performances were as terrifying as Halfcocked's. Somerville resident Ellis Paul lit up the stage performing a folk duet with the undeniably adorable, very talented Melissa Ferrick. Ferrick later won the award for Outstanding Female Singer/Songwriter. Despite a few technical difficulties, folk songstress Patty Larkin also commanded the crowd's attention. Roomful of Blues, an eight-piece ensemble that has been playing in the Bay State for the past 30 years, had the majority of the crowd dancing in their seats with new single "Salt of My Tears."
Rapper Mr. Lif, who performed in Alumnae Hall during this year's EPIIC symposium, stunned the crow with his politically conscious, expletive-free rap. He began his performance without music, rapping about the dangers of having George W. Bush in office: "We'll use poverty to neutralized the poor... and on the dark side, we'll reinstate apartheid!" He then performed "Cro-magnon" with spinner DJ Dummy. With such a powerful and eloquent performance, he proved that he was well worthy of the Outstanding Rap/Hip-Hop Act award he'd won earlier.
WMFO DJ Mikey Dee was the biggest winner of the night - as well as the first ever non-musician to win the Hall of Fame award, the most prestigious honor given at the BMAs. Dee, who was been a promoter of the Boston music scene for years, suffered a stroke last year, and his WMFO show, "On the Town with Mikey Dee," has been on indefinite hiatus ever since. Accepting the award in his honor were three of the key players in the Boston Music scene, one of which was Adam Lewis, president of the Planetary Group, a Boston public relations firm that deals with many local acts. The presenters held that Dee was not receiving the award as compensation for his stroke, but rather for his personality as a "schmoozer extraordinaire," his radio show, and his long career as a rock critic. Lewis read a prepared acceptance speech by Dee, and then encouraged everyone to attend the "For the Benefit of Mr. Dee" concert series, which took place this weekend with the goal of raising money for the recovering disc jockey.
"This event proves that Boston is the greatest music community in the land," he said, then repeated the words with which Dee ended his show on WMFO every week: "Go out and see at least one local act this weekend."
The Ertegun Impact Award, named after Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, was awarded to Arif Mardin, a senior vice president at Atlantic Records. Mardin immigrated from Turkey to New York in 1958, then moved to Back Bay and attended Berklee. After graduating, he went on to a professorship there, but moved on to commercial interests and produced albums by such artists as Roberta Flack, Phil Collins, Chaka Khan, and Carly Simon. Simon, who won the Hall of Fame award in 1995, was on hand to present him the award: a glass sculpture of a music note, handmade in Venice.
Although these serious awards were given in the middle of the show, the relaxed atmosphere of the evening prevailed. Thanks to his laid-back attitude, Holmes was easily able to add to the unique flair of the event. He calmly and comically reacted when fans in the audience proclaimed their love for him - or when a dissenter commanded him to "Run, Forrest!" as he jaunted across the stage. He also proved himself in tune with the college market, bringing a can of the ever-popular Red Bull Energy Drink on stage.
The Boston Music Awards proved that it was possible to honor artists in their hometown at an event open to their fans, while simultaneously entertaining everyone in the house. Sully Erna from Godsmack received a literal pat on the back from a fan seated behind him every time he won an award. The members of Staind high-fived audience members along the aisles of the Orpheum. And Tufts radio's most famous disc jockey won the biggest award of the year.
