If last year’s WAMi awards proved anything, it’s that theres a lot of promise coming from our Western Australian musicians with Tame Impala, Birds of Tokyo and Split Seconds cleaning up at last year’s event. Now in its 23rd year the prestigious songwriting competition offers more than $30,000 worth of prizes.
The Western Australian Music Industry Association (WAMi) is a non-profit membership based association introduced in 1989 as the WA Song Contest, the event was eventually rebranded in 2002 as WAM ‘Song of the Year’.
This year’s awards will be hosted by 96FM’s Darren de Mello with performances from Yaba Band, Boom! Bap! Pow! and 2011 Song of the Year Grand Prize winner Timothy Nelson & The Infidels.
Nelson scooped the award last year for his song ‘Speak The Truth In Love’ after previously winning awards in the Country (2009) and Upper Secondary (2007) categories in the years prior proving the dedication and persistence in his songwriting technique.
The 2012 ‘song of the year’ nominees expose various talent from the state including multi nominees Jonny Taylor, Ghost Hotel, Yabu Band and David Taylor & The Groove Unit.
Over 80 different songs have been chosen for 16 different categories, and as The Music Network points out, aside from genre-specific awards there’s also a few special ones – including ‘Mentally Healthy’ (songs covering ‘love and mental health’) and songs written by those aged 14 years & Under and a separate ’15-17 year old’ category. The competition also offers bonus categories for Indigenous and Regionally situated songwriters throughout Western Australia.
This year’s winner will take home a boat load of new prizes including $2,000 cash, three days recording at Albert Studios in Sydney engineered by Wayne Connolly, an album distribution deal to China courtesy of ’88tc88′ as well as mastering, CD pressing, microphone package deals, gigs and an online music course.
The WAMi awards will take place on Thursday the 11th of October at the ‘Fly By Night Musicians Club’ in Fremantle with Presale tickets to the Awards are available from the venue website at www.flybynight.org
You can listen to the 2012 nominations as well as view the full genre listings below
Blues / Roots
Sponsored by Clancy’s Fish Pub
Bitter Tears by John Read
Driller by Dilip n the Davs
Kimberley Moon by Matt Cal
My Baby Must Be Blind by Mister & Sundbird
Too Much Information by Mason Clarke aka Ego Libido
Country
Sponsored by Boyup Brook Country Music Club
Banged Up by Polly Medlen Band
I Won’t Be Too Far Behind by Jonny Taylor
Love Songs by Wes Snowball
Shifting Sands by David Hyams
Take Me Home by The Ghost Hotel
Electronic/ Dance
Sponsored by SAE Institute
Blanket by James Bradbury [DeadCollection]
Incandescence by Ylem
Slew by Ylem
Swim (Winter Sleep Rework) by Lilt
We are Home Again by The Brow Horn Orchestra
Experimental
Sponsored by Qwartz Electronic Music Awards
Mollusc by TheIntensoBand
Polly (serialkillersundays) by Kučka
Rumination by Cycle~440
Tetraplegiah by Christopher de Groot
Zip Up Jacket Combination Lock by TheIntensoBand
Heavy
Sponsored by Lang Studios & Manticore Productions
Bury The King by Goat
Honorary Member of The First High Society by Castle Bravo
Never Sleep Again by Chainsaw Hookers
Sleazebag by Sleepfreak
Walk Away by The Sixth Extinction
Indigenous
Sponsored by Nannup Music Festival
Blue Stranger by Patrick Laurel [OZ Island]
Born on the River by Jarred Wall [Jake and the Cowboys]
Crash by Jarred Wall [Jake and the Cowboys]
Petrol Paint & Glue by Yabu Band
Some Boy by Louisa Edwards aka Baby Kool
Jazz
Sponsored by The Ellington Jazz Club
Fade Away by Rick Webster
Maelstrom by Abbey/Foster/Falle
Roessle by Tal Cohen Quartet
The Busker by Chris Foster [Chris Foster Trio]
There’s More Fish in the Sea by Tal Cohen Quartet
Love
Sponsored by WAM
Aimee by Rainy Day Women
Driftwood by Helen Shanahan
Falling Outta Love by Brian Mitra & Jake Webb [Sugarpuss]
I’ll Tell The Water of You by Sam Carmody & Carmen Pepper [Warning Birds]
Priority Tree by Patient Little Sister
Mentally Healthy
Sponsored by the Mental Health Commission WA
Grey Days by Kris Kingwell
Milliner’s Song by Claire Moodie
Talk About It by Slackjaw
That Makes You Feel Better by Dave Taylor
Petrol Paint & Glue by Yabu Band
Pop
Sponsored by City of South Perth
Connect Five by Sheryn Binks
Don’t You Forget by Jake and the Cowboys
Relationshipdenial by Bastians Happy Flight
Sing It by The Ghost Hotel
Sleigh Bed by Rainy Day Women
Regional
Sponsored by Hertz
Brighter Than You Feel by Jonny Taylor
Colour Me Real by Reverend And The Deathbed Conversions
Dreams by Jude Iddison
Heart of a Lion by Codie Sundstrom
Need A Little Love by David Taylor and The Groove Unit
Rock
Sponsored by APRA | AMCOS
7 by The Shallows
Charlatan by Harlequin League
Nothing Left To Prove by Patient Little Sister
Ordinary by Husband
Take Me Home by The Ghost Hotel
Schools – 14 Years & Under
Sponsored by AMEB
Fly by Sophie Costello
Inside and Out by Lucinda Nicholls
Please by Zoe Roberts
Sinking Ships by Brittany Freeman
We Shall Not Fall by Splinta
Schools – 15 to 17 Years
Sponsored by City of Wanneroo
Apple & The Worm by Brayden Sibbald
Bumpy Ride by Jennifer Renee Hannam
I Think I’ve Got You by Morgan Bain
Megalomaniac by Codie Sundstrom
Somebody Else by Julia Nicholls
Urban / Hip Hop
Sponsored by Headspace
Affirm Your Masculinity by Andrew Horabin
High Life by Slackjaw
Jobbed by FG featuring Wisdom2th
The Ego-dystonic Blues by FG
Worldstop by FG
World / Folk
Sponsored by Fairbridge Festival
Afro Sega by Grace Barbé Afro-Kreol
Isfahan by Daramad
Jump by Spoonful of Sugar
Mother’s Petunias by Brayden Sibbald
Old Brown Piano by Rachel & Henry Climb a Hill
Listen to this years nominated tracks below!
