NEW ENGLAND MUSIC AWARDS – SIX STRING GRILL

On Sunday 11/12 2023, the New England Music Awards held their annual awards ceremony at the Six String Grill and Stage in Foxborough, MA to a full house of music luminaries. The room was packed from wall to wall with amazing talent from all over the New England area. This being my first year involved with the Nominating Committee, I had no idea what to expect. To my suprise, the Six String Grill was filled with music industry heavy weights and tons of incredible musicians.

Walking around the venue, I met quite a few old friends and was introduced to many new. Several of the artists that were there were from my nominations and I felt proud that they made the list of candidates up for awards in various categories. All of Shame Penguin were sitting by the bar. Zero One Zero was well represented. Octavate was another group that showed up. My cousin, Rick Fleck, who is a DJ at WaveRadio Boston and one of the evening’s presenters, introduced me to several artists including Robotic Hawks who eventually won the Rising Star: New Hampshire award.

Photos Ryan Davey

Favorite son, Frank Viele was also in attendance. He came slightly late but made up for lost time. He practically knew the entire room. Frank ushered me around, setting up meets with so many of his fellow singer/songwriters. These were artists I had been aware of through their social media postings but had never really met in person. Nick Bosse, Gracie Day, Lee-Ann Lovelace and Kier Byrnes (of Kier Byrnes and the Kettleburners) were but a few. Viele is a force to be reckoned with both musically and socially. In addition, Viele won the coveted Act Of The Year award. A first for a CT native.

Other notables included Rafe Klein from The Name Droppers and his beautiful wife. They won Blues Act Of The Year which was well deserved. Shame Penguin won the Punk Rock category as well as Sepsiss for the Hard Rock/Metal grouping. The Gravel Project won the Roots division. These are all artists that AMP has featured in the past. Rising Star: CT went to The Midnight Anthem. Other major award winners were Air Traffic Controller for Album Of The Year and Mel Go Hard for Producer Of the Year. I was a little disappointed in that category since good friend Vic Steffens was nominated. Hip Hop Act Of The Year went to Chase Stebbins and The Only Known.

All night the festivities went on without a hitch. All the presenters were entertaining even though their mics seemed a little too low. The production team had everything running like clockwork. Between award presentations, the house was entertained with an incredible array of live performances. Muddy Ruckus opened the night with a rousing set. Other performers included American Ink, The Midnight Anthem, Tyler Levs and Joliet4, and 12/OC to name a few. Every artist had the venue jumping with stirring vibes.

As I mentioned before, this was my first year of participation. There are several individuals I believe deserve an immense amount of recognition. John Fleming as Executive Director has created an all important voice for the local music community in the Northeast. There are so many intoxicating artists in all genres that need a place to be heard and honored in the Northeast and John has given them this awesome outlet.

Lindsay J. Van Kauwenberg as Producer was impeccable. She seemed to coordinate the whole event with understanding and patience. This is a massive endeavor and Lindsay handled it with the upmost grace. Sound Engineer Aidan Reardon did a great job.

Lastly, the Six String Grill should take a bow. It was a full house but the staff held their cool. Drinks and food came quickly and with a smile. All in all the night was a huge success. I really looking forward to next year. Below is the full list of winners and a listing of the amazing presenters and executive staff.

Categories 2023 Awards Winners
Act of the Year – Frank Viele
Album of the Year – Air Traffic Controller
Song of the Year -12/OC “Shoot You Down”
Producer of the Year – Mel Go Hard
Songwriter of the Year – Lainey Dionne
Male Performer of the Year – Nick Casey
Female Performer of the Year – Annie Brobst
New Act of the Year – ToriTori
Live Act of the Year – The Q-Tip Bandits
Blues Act of the Year – The Name Droppers
Rock Act of the Year – Moxie
Punk Act of the Year – Shame Penguin
Americana Act of the Year – Adam Ezra Group
Country Act of the Year – April Cushman
Pop Act of the Year – The Side Chick Syndicate
Hard Rock/Metal Act of the Year – Sepsiss
Roots Act of the Year – The Gravel Project
Hip Hop Act of the Year – Chase Stebbins & The Only Known
Jazz Act of the Year – Smug Honey
Soul/R&B Act of the Year – Miranda Rae
Rising Star: Connecticut – The Midnight Anthem
Rising Star: Massachusetts – American Ink
Rising Star: Rhode Island – Jackson Cafferty
Rising Star: New Hampshire – Robotic Hawks
Rising Star: Vermont – All Night Boogie Band
Rising Star Maine – Tyler Levs
Video of the Year – Eddie Japan, “Time Machine” feat. Gregg Hawkes
World Act of the Year – Nicolás Emden
2023 New England Music Awards: DECADE AWARD – Jay Psaros

EXECUTIVE STAFF
John Fleming – Executive Producer
Lindsay J. Van Kauwenberg – Producer
Aidan Reardon – Sound Engineer
Adam Lopez – Co-Host
Annie Brobst – Co-Host

PRESENTERS
Amanda Morneault of The Harbor Agency
Kara Kharma of Pria Music Marketing
Rick Fleck of WaveRadio Boston
Gerg Anidem of Indie Scene Radio
John Shea, 95.9 WATD
Geoff Wilbur of Geoff Wilbur’s Music Blog
David Avery of Powderfinger Promotions
Jim Belisle Boots and Whiskey
Munk Duane, NEMA and Grammy Nominated Singer Songwriter
Jeff Rosen of Cherrywood Records
Adam Greenberg of Rockwood Music Hall

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