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Review Music Awards 2000 - Highlights & Reflections

By Robert E. Martin

The great poet Ezra Pound once wrote that ‘April is the cruelest

month’, but personally I feel it to be the ‘strangest’.  During the week

prior and leading up to the annual Review Music Awards, something

earth-shattering & political always happens. This year it was the dramatic

reuniting of Elian Gonzales with his father, but in previous years we have

experienced the Oklahoma City bombing by the Michigan Militia, the

Columbine shooting tragedy, and WACO all during the last week in April,

which makes it very gratifying that here in the Tri-Cities we at least have

something positive to celebrate while the rest of the nation is scratching

their heads, eyes glued in front of a TV set.

The 14th Annual Review Music Awards held on Monday, April 17th at the newly

refurbished Hollywood Nights was a star-studded feast of music & merriment,

honoring over 66 different Mid-Michigan musicians in areas of Rock,

Country, Jazz, Blues, and Alternative music.

Since the inception of this Awards Ceremony back in 1987, it is with

personal pride that I have witnessed  the growth of this Celebration,

especially in terms of the caliber of talent from our area that has either

performed or been acknowledged far ahead of their ‘time’.

This year at the Detroit Music Awards,  Kid Rock was in attendance and

Saginaw’s Dick Wagner was indoctrinated & performed as a ‘Hall of Fame’

artist, something The Review Awards  managed to do five years ago, so

suffice it to say that it is nice to see the Motor City finally  ‘catch-up’.

The Awards 2000 show featured a bevy of original talent, many of them -

such as Rev. Right Time & the 1st Cuzins of Funk - well on their way to

national stardom.

Opening the show was Noel Howland, former keyboardist of Delilah,

performing a set of original compositions with guitarist/singer Jim

Perkins, and accompanied by percussionists which added a distinctly

Mid-Eastern/Indian and Classical flair into the tonal complexity of the

material.

Other outstanding musical performances continued with the debut of the Hall

Mighty Big Band, an industrious project spearheaded by bandleader Jeff Hall

that lent a tight and modern focus to the unmistakable ‘Big Band’ sound

from the ‘40s & ‘50s enjoying such widespread resurgence today.   The band

was tight & practiced, and the look on the face of Wiseguy’s  barowner Pete

Crawford was worth the price of admission when he pulled me over, eyes

glistening, commenting how he hadn’t heard that type of ‘SOUND’ since he

was a kid.  Assembling 17 musicians on stage is no easy task, and kudos

also must go out to the expert sound and staging of Al Limberg and Bruce

Crawley.

As the show flowed onward (my apologies for producing an Awards Program

that rivals the Academy Awards in length, but there  is a certain ‘charm’

to that as well) the crowd turned remarkably quiet and attentive during the

set of Mid-Michigan songwriters Laurie Middlebrook, John Grundner, Zydeco

Ziggie, and Bob Hausler.  Laurie possesses an incredibly evocative voice,

and each of these ‘Country’ and ‘Roots’ oriented artists displayed

passionate accomplishment & talent in the rendering of their original

‘folksongs’.

Things got appropriately ‘revved-up’ when The Boogie Monsters Blues Band

took to the stage.  Saginaw has given birth to many significant

contemporary Blues musicians, including Larry McCray, Sharrie Williams, and

Matt Besey, and gauging by the performance of the ‘Boogies’ the end of that

trend is nowhere in sight.

Guitarist Jim Beschoner is fluid and precise and the manner in which his

fingers flew across the fretboard in searing flourishes of sonic brilliance

literally took one’s breath away. With an added line-up consisting of harp

player Denny Kochs, keyboardist Dan ‘Swivel’ Slawinski, and guitarist Scott

VanDell, the Boogies proved why they were well-deserving of the many awards

they managed to assemble this year.

Without doubt, Rev. Right Time & the 1st Cuzins of Funk bombarded the

audience with a spectacular infusion of sound, lights, Funk, and

Showmanship.  With D.J. Psycho scratchin’ vinyl on the sidestage and a

powerful horn-section accenting the beats, the ‘Rev’ and Company brought

the entire house down with their undeniable fusion of Retro Dance with

Modern Funk sensibility.

Recently signed to a production deal with producer Nile Rogers (David

Bowie/Madonna), the next few months are going to be busy ones for the band,

as they embark upon their huge ‘Big Bottom-Shakedown 2000’ Tour, featuring

Freekbass from Cincinatti.

As the evening progressed and the people continued to pour into the venue,

I was pleased to see such luminaries as The Verve Pipe’s Donny Brown

mingling amongst the crowd, as well as guitarist extraordinnaire Jeff

Wallikangas, formerly of Romeo Ridge,  and recently returned to the

tri-city area after a long and impressive stint in Nashville.

Segueing into the ‘Rock Portion’ of the evening was the new original band,

Poke. Consisting of guitarist Dean Vanston, bassist Chris Jarema (formerly

of Water 4 the Pool)  fame, and guitarist/singer/songwriter Nick Andros,

Poke   provided an ambient and lyrical set of musical ‘gems’, refreshing in

terms of musical direction that is focused while allowing ample space for

Vanston’s fluid guitarwork.

As the Modern Rock band Studiotone took to the stage, the crowd was treated

to a sturdy set of originals with tight vocal harmonies tied into a tight

cycle of songs that make this group definitely one to watch.   At one point

vocalist Brent Nuffer implored the crew to turn the stage lights down so he

could better ‘see’  the audience, and this ‘connection’ between artist &

audience is, in my estimation, an important component to the band’s

vitality.

Closing the evening was the full-throttled assault of The Miscreants.

Voted ‘Best Metal/Thrash Band’ at last year’s ceremony, The Miscreants

put on a driven and forceful performance - the sound waves literally

shaking the last few award plaques from their stands as the thunderous

texture of their sound echoed in the early morning air.

As for the ‘Awards’ themselves, there were several old faces and a

considerable number of new ones stepping to the stage, which indicates to

me that the voting public is both respectful of the past with their ears

poised to the future.

The voting procedure was by far the most accurate and equitable in the 14

history of the Awards.  The addition of on-line balloting on the Review

website virtually eliminated the ability to ‘ballot stuff’, and the

thousands of votes we received in the mail were also thoroughly screened.

In fact, a fitting ‘commentary’ on the importance of voting was summed-up

the following morning after the Awards by Hamilton St. Pub  owner John

Klein, who lamented how this year he had ‘forgotten to vote’.

The Pub tied this year with The Arlington  for Best Rock Club, and as John

put it: "That shows why it’s important to vote. Damn, if I had voted

myself, that would have made the difference."

Indeed. But the important thing to remember is that this Ceremony is a

‘labor of love’.   With all the talent we are blessed to have living

amongst us, there are no losers and everybody nominated and involved is

truly a winner.

Until next year, we hope you enjoy this issue - the sights, sounds, and

‘happening’ of what can only be labeled an Epic Party.