Following on from the star-studded festivities of last week’s ARIA awardsceremony comes word that Canberra are set to host their own record industry night-of-nights.
As The Age reports, the MusicACT Annual Music Awards (MAMAs) will kick off in Canberra tomorrow night to celebrate and recognise those making worthy contributions to the ACT record industry.
MusicACT, the organisation behind the event, was formed almost two years ago to support Canberra’s local music scene in an effort to encourage, promote and foster local talent.
“MusicACT’s mandate is to advocate and promote Canberra’s music culture,” says a mission statement on the organisation’s website; “MusicACT provides access to all aspects of the music industry including legal advice, assistance to launch outside of the ACT or advance a music related concept, as well as political advocacy.”
The inaugural MAMAs ceremony, behing held at Albert Hall tomorrow from 7pm, will include 19 awards covering a range of genres from Best ACT Punk/Metal/Hardcore Artist to Best ACT Choral/Vocal Group, as well as recognising the efforts of those working behind-the-scenes in music production with awards for the Industry Studio/Engineer/Producer of 2012 and outstanding contributions made to the ACT Music Industry.“We knew there was a huge gap in the recognition…”
– Peter Bayliss, MusicACT
“We knew there was a huge gap in the recognition,” explains MusicACT spokesman Peter Bayliss about introducing the Canberra Awards ceremony. “’It’s not that there isn’t talent or a lot of really hard working people behind it; it’s really about the ability to get recognised.”
According to The Age, recent hits to Canberra’s live music scene have been factors that have contributed to the need for such a local awards event to take place. The introduction of strict liquor licensing laws and the recent closure of live music venues (nationwide issues as of late) have been identified as major setbacks to the industry that need to be counteracted.
“All of these issues highlight why it is so important to us in the industry to get behind it and have one consolidated voice,” says Bayliss.
The awards night will be hosted by comedian and media personality Mikey Robins and will include music performances by some of Canberra’s finest.
The live acts appear to be just as diverse as the award categories and are set to include Alice Cottee (vocalist for indie rock band No Hausfrau), funk ensemble Brass Knuckle Brass Band, hip-hop dance crew Project Beats, and electronica trio Readable Graffiti, amongst an array of others.
MusicACT also encourages the public to lend their voice in the action by allowing them to vote in four of the awards categories. Youth Artist of the Year, Live Venue of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Live Performer of the Year are open to public vote through the MAMA 2012 website.
The latter two categories are dominated by three of Canberra’s most recognised acts, including the aforementioned Readable Graffiti, indie punk troupe Super Best Friends, and house music stars and Ministry of Sound regulars The Aston Shuffle, who are also up for the Best ACT Electronic Dance Music Producer award.
The reasoning behind the new awards ceremony is evidently simple according to the official website: “The ACT music industry needs a boost. Give our clever musicians a boost and they’ll flourish. Give them a stage and they’ll transform an audience, give them an old hall and they’ll make a festival. Given the opportunity they’ll unite this city.”
For more information on the 2012 MAMAs including award finalists and event information head to musicact.com.au/mamas
MusicACT MAMAs 2012 Nominations
Song of 2012
Tangled Up In Dreams – Dominic Lavers
Broken Bird – The Wedded Bliss
In Love With The DJ – Shayne Edson
Engineer/Producer/Studio of the Year Nominees
Duncan Lowe
Sam King
Kimmo Vennonnen
Albert Achanfuo Yeboah
Ian Pav
Best ACT Urban Artist (Hip Hop, Soul, RnB, Rap)
Kayo Marbilus
Bushland Prodigies
Big Dave
Best ACT Rock/Alternative Artist
Waterford
Tonk
Aeon of Horus
Best ACT Pop Artist
Beth n Ben
Amber Nicholls
Fun Machine
Best ACT Jazz/Blues Artist
Fiona Boyes
Dorothy Jane Gosper
Key Grip
Best ACT Folk Artist (inc. World music)
Xavier Dunn
Julia and the Deep Sea Sirens
James Fahy
Best ACT Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Producer
System Segue
SAFIA
The Aston Shuffle
Best ACT Country Artist (inc. Western)
Doctor Stovepipe
No Hausfrau
Leanne Castley
Best ACT Orchestra/Concert, Brass or Big Band
Spectrum Big Band
Blamey Street Big Band
Canberra City Band
Best ACT Choral/Vocal group
The Pocket Score Company
Coro
The Resonants
Best ACT Classical Solo/Ensemble
Matt Withers
Greg O’Rourke
Adam James Cook
PUBLIC VOTED CATEGORIES
Artists of 2012
The Aston Shuffle
Readable Graffiti
Super Best Friends
Live Performer of 2012
The Aston Shuffle
Readable Graffiti
Super Best Friends
Youth Artist of 2012
Dylan Hekimian
SAFIA
Natalie Magee
Live Music Venue of 2012
The Phoenix
Zierholz@UC
UC Refectory
Hippo Bar
The Abbey
The Polish Club
Transit Bar
Llewelyn Hall
Trinity Bar
