Sponsored by Studio 52. A community artist space located in the heart of Allston, and is proud to support the Boston music scene and local artist community.
One of the cool new aspects of this era of the Boston Music Awards is the creation and execution of the 617Sessions, a year-long program that brings young and emerging New England artists into the studio to create new, original music.
And as the case since the campaign’s launch in 2017, the BMAs have opened up this year’s 617Sessions campaign up for applications, meaning a band or artist of any genre can take part. Those who wish to apply for inclusion in the 2019 617Sessions can do so by hitting up 617sessions.com.
“Motivated by a desire to alleviate the financial barriers many artists face in the recording process,” writes the BMAs, “the 617Sessions have since increased access to studios, helping artists do what they do best: Create music.”
Here’s how it goes down: Once the all the applicants have been reviewed, 10 homegrown bands and artists will be invited to spend an entire day at The Bridge Sound & Stage in Cambridge to record and produce their own track. Those 10 songs will be blended into the Boston Music Awards voting process, up for public vote, and the song with the most votes will be performed live by that band and artist at the 2019 Boston Music Awards.
Participants in last year’s 617Sessions include GHOST GRL (pictured above), Valleyheart, Ali McGuirk, and the winner, Oompa; 2017 bands and artists included Carissa Johnson & The Cure Alls, Sidney Gish, The Devil’s Twins, and the winner, no hope / no harm.