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
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