'MAMA's going to make it all all right'
Music, laughs, poignant moments at Madison Area Music Awards
Malfunctioning gear, squabbling bandmates, declining CD sales -- no matter what local musicians have to deal with, at least "MAMA's going to make it all all right."
So sang the Gomers to kick off the fifth annual Madison Area Music Awards at the Barrymore Theatre on Saturday night, a chance for Madison musicians to honor each other and raise money for local music school programs. (The Capital Times' 77 Square was a sponsor of the MAMAs.)
Last year, the MAMAs raised $20,000 for local music education. The connection between the organization's dual missions, honoring today's musicians and encouraging tomorrow's, was made explicit when Andy Wallman of the Gomers (who, as always, served as the house band for the MAMAs) accepted an award for the band. He noted that he had been playing with some of his fellow Gomers since seventh grade.
"Now we're fatter, grayer, balder, and stupider, but we're still playing music," he said. "Let's keep that going."
The MAMAs handed out awards to musicians in all kinds of genres, from blues to electronica, from classical to hip-hop. And, even if your sound didn't seem to fit in any category, you were still eligible for "Unique Song of the Year." The full list of winners will be posted at www.themamas.org.
The awards themselves remain charmingly unique, mixing both the familiar trappings of awards shows -- nominees walked the red carpet, some wore evening gowns and suits, and a few winners even thanked their moms -- with some tweaks that reflected the local music scene.
Some presenters took the opportunity to personalize the canned intros they were supposed to read from the teleprompter. It's unlikely that the written script announcing the "Jazz Band of the Year" award really praised local jazz musicians for their "huge gonads."
The tone was set by a spoken-word artist who appeared periodically to "introduce" the eight live acts who played during the show -- including Stephanie Rearick, Dear August and the Westside Andy/Mel Ford Band -- with cryptic poetry. It was a concept that seemed to define the phrase "better in theory" as the night wore on, although you had to admire the poet for wearing a different outfit for each of his nine poems.
To underscore the MAMAs' core mission of providing instruments for kids, host John Urban, of television's "Live from the Urban Theater" brought a 10-year-old viola player onstage. Just when you thought the moment would turn saccharine and self-congratulatory, the adorable girl started zinging Urban: "Aren't people on television usually at least somewhat attractive?"
Urban countered, "You seem very cute and all, but a few years from now, I hope you're all by yourself alone at home on prom night."
Although the night was full of funny bits like that (they were kidding, really), there were also a few poignant ones. The MAMAs gave the Lifetime Achievement Award to legendary jazz bassist Richard Davis, and local singer-songwriter Robert J, who is on the rebound from a major heart attack, made an emotional speech during one of several trips to the podium.
"I'm happy to be here," he said. "I don't just mean up here at the podium. I'm just happy to be here."
Robert J's long-time main band, the Moon Gypsies, are disbanding after a show next Saturday. Pop-rockers Clear Blue Betty are taking a year-long hiatus, while singer Beth Kille and drummer Tony Kille are moving to Houston. Beth Kille's voice seemed to crack a little as she accepted an award for the band.
"Leaving behind this Madison music community is a crazy thing to do, because you guys are awesome," she said.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a Madison event without some politics, which, as she does every year, WORT/FM 89.9 program director Sybil Augustine offered about 10 minutes into the show.
"It's a joyous occasion, but we wouldn't have to do this if the money was going where it was supposed to be going, instead of funding the war," Augustine said.
"Did Sybil say something political?" Urban said afterward. "Shocking."
Katie Dean
