40th Annual REVIEW Music Awards • May 3rd SCHEDULE & ITINERARY

All of us at The REVIEW  are excited to once again return to Bay City to present this year’s 40th Annual REVIEW Music Awards Ceremony & Celebration within the spacious historical ambiance of  The WESTOWN Theater, 611 E. Midland St. on Sunday, May 3rd.    Doors will open at 4:00 PM and the Awards Celebration will run from 5:00 PM until approximately 11:00 PM.

Since its inception, the Review Music Awards has grown in both stature and recognition throughout the State of Michigan, presenting an exceptional evening where we turn the spotlight on our area’s top musical artists in genres of Jazz, Blues, Rock, Country, Hip-Hop and Alternative music as determined by readers and fans throughout the region.

Only the top five nominees in each division moved on from the nomination round to the final round, where the winners will be announced at this year’s awards celebration in over 60 different categories.

This year we had an unprecedented number of 10,285 votes cast between the combined nomination round and final round of voting. When you consider there are people sitting in local, county, and statewide seats of government with less public support, we thank our readers for confirming the consensus on how important LIVE MUSIC is and the artists who create it are to people throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Invitations have gone out to all the nominees and only 250 tickets will be available for purchase so the public can attend, enjoy, celebrate, and mingle with their favorite musicians who were nominated at this year’s special ceremony.

This is the only awards ceremony of its kind that connects people, audiences and artists together insofar as the public at large determines the honorees & recipients. But most importantly, the purpose of this celebration is to bring greater community, statewide, and national recognition to local talent, which we feel has a rich history of being one of the strongest in the state, and giving it the proper notoriety and attention that it deserves.

Guest personalities, cultural, and community leaders will assist in handing out awards the night of the ceremony, while a strong list of regional performers will headline this year’s show with live performances.

Tickets are only $20.00 in advance, and $25.00 at the door, or you can purchase a block of six table tickets for only $100.00.  Food will be available at Lucky’s, which is connected to The WESTOWN,  and advance tickets are now on sale at the following locations: 

SAGINAW: Review Magazine • White’s Bar • Records & Tapes Galore • Cork & Ale • The Listening Room • Hamilton St. Pub  BAY CITY: The Westown & Lucky’s • The Willew Lounge • Electric Kitsch • Herter Music • Puff Dispensary • Scotty’s Sandbar •  MIDLAND: Radio Wasteland • MI Element • Tim Boychuck’s State Farm Insurance.

You can also order tickets online at Eventbrite.com by clicking this LINK!

Here’s a complete schedule & itinerary of the festivities so that you can better plan for this unique afternoon & evening of exceptional entertainment! 

40^th  Annual Review Music Awards Program Itinerary

4:00 – 5:00 PM – Video Highlights • Journey Through the Past     

A retrospective of musical history in the making that spans performance highlights and special moments from the past four decades of The Review Music Awards.

5:00 - 5:05 PM – OPENING REMARKS                                       

Review Magazine Publisher & Editor Robert E. Martin welcomes nominees and attendees and recaps the voting procedure utilized for this year’s celebration.

5:05- 5:15 PM • JAZZ AWARDS

Best Male Vocalist • Best Female Vocalist • Best Jazz Songwriter • Best Jazz Musician • Best Small Combo • Best Big Band

5:15 – 5:45 PM • The REVIEW 40^th ANNIVERSARY JAZZ COLLECTIVE

Featuring John Rickert, Steve Rodriguez, Colin Wood, Aron Callard, Lauren Rongo, Terry Newman, Matt Corrigan, Bobby Balderama, Chuck Flores, Julie Mulady, and George Widiger

5:45 - 6:00 PM • COUNTRY AWARDS.   

Best Country Video • Country Female Vocalist • Country Male Vocalist • Best Country Musician/Instrumentalist • Best Country Songwriter • Best Country Band

6:00 - 6:30 PM • CRITTER RUWART

Critter Ruwart is an independent folk band rooted in authentic storytelling, blood harmony and rhythmic instrumentation. The trio consists of  Chris Ruwart on Lead Vocal and guitar; Brendan Ruwart (Banjo); Igor Trifunovic on Violin; and for tonight’s performance they will be joined by Andy Reed on bass and Donny Brown on drums.    

6:30 -  7:00 PM • MISCELLANEOUS  AWARDS

Best Solo Artist • Best Duo • Best New Single Release • Best New Artist of the Year • Best Multi-Instrumentalist • Most Innovative Artist • Best Music Video • Best Live Streaming Production • Best  Streaming Musical Series • Best Band Website • Best Recording Studio

7:00 PM- 7:30 PM • ADABOY!

ADABOY! is a Michigan-based band whose members—Mike Richards, Joe Balbaugh, Vince Modern, and Steve Nyquist—bring together Alternative Rock, Folk, Country, Reggae to create emotionally charged music. Inspired by personal struggles, their songs focus on resilience and renewal. REVIEW Magazine hailed them as the first band in their 38-year history to win Best Variety Band, Best Original Band, Best Rock Band, and Best Alternative Band all in one sweep—a testament to their versatility. Since forming, ADABOY! has earned top honors and charted hits like "Time (Voices Run)," and “Uncaged”, delivering a high-energy, emotionally rich live show that invites audiences to feel and grow. They give audiences a night they’ll never forget.

7:30 - 8:00 PM  • MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS Continued

Best Live Music Club or Bar • Best Live Performance Venue • Best Radio Station • Musical Fundraising Project • Best Sound Technician • Best Videographer • Best Metal Band • Best New Album or CD Release • Best Recorded LP, CD or EP Release • Best Alternative Band • Best Variety Band • Best Original Band

8:00 - 8:30 PM • BLEU OTIS

Michigan-born musician Bleau Otis is stepping boldly into his own spotlight. Blending soul, blues, R&B, and modern groove, Bleau’s music reflects both the grit of his hometown and the deep musical lineage that runs through his family.  As the son of award-winning blues artist Larry McCray, a Michigan Rock & Roll Legends Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the Orville H. Gibson Male Blues Guitarist of the Year Award, Bleau grew up surrounded by rhythm, live performance, and the lessons of authentic artistry. That influence shaped his foundation, but Bleau’s creative voice is unmistakably his own.

8:30 - 8:45 PM • BLUES AWARDS

Female Blues Vocalist • Male Blues Vocalist • Blues Songwriter • Blues Instrumentalist • Best Funk Band • Best Blues Band

8:45 - 9:15 PM • WILD LIFE

The Wild Life, comprised of Frankenmuth residents & veteran musicians Phil Horny, Chad Moore (of Reinventing Yesterday), Andrew Dalton (of The Fireside Wake, Dirt Fest, List St. Studios, Temporary Kicks), and tattoo artist & custom laser engraver Tim Brueck (of Origins Tattoos & Piercings, M&L Workshop), are a Midwest Indie / Alt-Rock group balancing chaos & adulthood. They write songs they wish they had growing up and for people who feel too much too late but still show up. The Wild Life is working on their debut full length album which is being tracked at Reed Recording Company in Bay City, MI.

9:15 - 9:30 PM • HIP-HOP AWARDS

Best Rap/Hip Hop Video • Best Promoter • Best DJ • Rap/Hip Hop Artist of the Year • Best Rap Hip Hop Songwriter 

9:30 - 10:00 PM • KUSH ROBINSON

Kush Robinson is a funky six-piece psychedelic rock band from Saginaw, MI, that decorates the atmosphere with uplifting grooves, guaranteed to make the dance floor move.  With a foundation in experimental improvisation, Kush Robinson’s collective creativity forms every show into an entirely unique experience.  Josh Muehlfeld - guitar/vocals; Kyle O’Keefe - Bass/vocals; Jon Dillman. drums/ keys/ vocals;  Dillon King - Keyboard; Joe Gerring - Guitar/Synth/Vocals; Adonis Freiman - Percussion/ Trumpet.

10:00 - 10:20 PM • ROCK AWARDS 

Best Rock Video • Best Rock Keyboardist • Rock Female Vocalist • Rock Male Vocalist • Best Rock Songwriter • Best Rock Drummer • Best Rock Bassist • Best Rock Guitarist • Best Rock Band

10:20 - 10:50 PM • WILDER ROAD

Wilder Road is an alternative rock band hailing from Bay City, Michigan, blending driving guitars, atmospheric tetures and emotionally charged songwriting into a sound that feels both raw and expansie. With a shared loe of music from earlier decades (with the exception of the ‘80s) and oud amplifiers, Wilder Road formed in an apartment above the Bier Garten, which entailed late night jams after close during their more youthful years, They quickly carved out their place in the local scene and hart of their mothers before releasing their self-titled debut album in the summer of 2025, gaining traction as the album nobody else asked for. With a sound that balances grit, hooks and melodies, Wilder Road delivers songs built for those “go get em” morning and late-night drives.

10:50 - 11:00 PM • CLOSING REMARKS 

11:00 - 11:30 PM • REDBURN

Chris Redburn (aka REDBURN)  has been a dominant force on the regional Hip-Hop and Rock Scene for over two decades now, honing his chops as a local wunderkind and D.J. at an early age, and broadening the reach of his artistry by fusing the genres of Rock & Hip Together with his groundbreaking  release ROCKHop, which brought his both his music and message to life with a balls-to-the-wall rock band and also earned him numerous honors at the annual REVIEW Music Awards, which brought him nine trophies including Best Album, Best New Artist of the Year, and Best Hip-Hop Songwriter and Performer

Here's a Highlight Video from Last Year to Give you a Taste of What to Expect!