fbpx

Raising The Great: Speedy Ortiz lead field of winners at the 2015 Boston Music Awards

Just before they played an all-ages benefit show across town at the Middle East for the Girls Rock Camp Foundation, Speedy Ortiz did some cleaning up at the 2015 Boston Music Awards — while also recognized for their charity efforts, as well. The Massachusetts guitar-rock band won in the top three categories at the BMAs, the annual end-of-year scene showdown that was held at live music venue the Sinclair after a few years bouncing around the lobbies and conference rooms of luxury hotels.

Determined by an online vote that was open to the public, Speedy Ortiz won Artist Of The Year, Song Of The Year (for “Raising The Skate”) and Album/EP Of The Year (for April’s Carpark Records LP Foil Deer). They also took home a fourth BMA for a previously undisclosed category, Best Charitable Effort, made all the more fitting given their fundraiser going down on the same night.

“We won some stuff, that’s cool,” said Speedy Ortiz’ Sadie Dupuis while accepting their awards, the band haven swung by the Sinclair to pick up the Tivoli-sponsored hardware just before their set was to begin at the Middle East.

Other notable winners in the 2015 BMAs include the intimate guitar-pop of Palehound for New Artist Of The Year, rowdy overall-clad jammers Tigerman WOAH for Live Artist Of The Year, and comedic rapper Michael Christmas, who oozes with national-breakout appeal, for Hip-Hop Artist Of The Year. Dapper rock dudes Dirty Bangs took home two BMAs, for Rock Artist Of The Year and something called Best Band Collaboration (for their Wrangler Jeans commercial), as did The Ballroom Thieves, who won Americana Artist Of The Year and Folk Artist Of The Year, proving the general public still can’t determine the difference between the two genres.

“This is a beautiful city, and I want to thank everyone for nominating us,” said Evan Kenney of Dirty Bangs, one of a few select bands to come up to the stage to accept their awards. “This is a beautiful time… this is a beautiful city and we love you all.”

In other categories, rambled off by BMAs co-owner Jake Brennan during a fast-and-furious awards session, party host The Sinclair won Best Music Venue, its parent company Bowery Boston took home Best Local Promoter, and we here at Vanyaland won Best Music Blog for the second time in three years. [Disclosure: Vanyaland co-founder Paul Armstrong was named co-owner of the Boston Music Awards earlier this month, after the 2015 ballots were revealed; winners were determined, as noted above, by public online vote at bostonmusicawards.com.]

The night wasn’t all just award posturing. Spirited and succinct live performances by nominees like Party Bois, Ruby Rose Fox (who won Pop Artist Of The Year), and Vundabar kept the night moving along at a brisk pace as attendees shuffled back and forth from the Sinclair’s stage area and front bar, the latter of which was good enough for socializing and schmoozing.

The second night of the Boston Music Awards continues Thursday at the Sinclair with a performance by 2015 Hall Of Fame Inductee Evan Dando (his nomination was rarely acknowledged in tonight’s opening tilt), with support from These Wild Plains and Best New Artist winner Palehound. Tickets are available here.

2015 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Evan Dando

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Speedy Ortiz

ALBUM/EP OF THE YEAR
Speedy Ortiz – Foil Deer

SONG OF THE YEAR
Speedy Ortiz – “Raising The Skate”

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Palehound

LIVE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Tigerman WOAH

ROCK/INDIE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Dirty Bangs

HIP-HOP ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Michael Christmas

POP ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ruby Rose Fox

R&B ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Bad Rabbits

AMERICANA ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Ballroom Thieves

BLUES ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

DJ/PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Frank White

ELECTRONIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Bearstronaut

FOLK ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Ballroom Thieves

INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Shun Ng

JAZZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lake Street Dive

METAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Worshipper

PUNK/HARDCORE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Zip-Tie Handcuffs

SINGER-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Abbie Barrett

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Ruby Rose Fox

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Will Dailey

STUDIO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Ed Valauskas

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Petty Morals – “Just A Game”

BEST DANCE NIGHT
Soulelujah at Zuzu

BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE
The Sinclair

BEST LIVE ONGOING RESIDENCY
The Blue Ribbons at TOAD

BEST MUSIC BLOG
Vanyaland

BEST LOCAL PROMOTER
Bowery Presents Boston

BEST LIVE MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHER
Michael Sparks Keegan

BEST BRAND COLLABORATION
Dirty Bangs / Wrangler Television Spot

BEST CHARITABLE EFFORT
Speedy Ortiz / Girls Rock Camp Foundation

UNSUNG HERO AWARD
Chip Rives

*****