The celebration at Marshall’s Franke Center for the Arts also produced wins for Josiah C. Baker, Willy FoTang and several other Michigan acts, with performances by Baker, Lokella, Phabies and Kait Rose. Videos.
Hip Hop/Rap Video Winner: Josiah C. Baker on stage Saturday night. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
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Ann Arbor’s Djangophonique, Detroit’s Kayla King and Grand Rapids’ Molly were among the big winners at Saturday’s Michigan Music Video Awards held at Marshall’s Franke Center for the Arts.
The second annual celebration of the best music-related filmmaking in the state also honored a half-dozen other music videos, with attendees treated to performances by Lokella, Phabies, Kait Rose and Josiah C. Baker (the Detroit artist who won best hip hip/rap video for “Here Tonight”).
Gypsy swing/manouche jazz band Djangophonique took home two awards Saturday night. First, their cover of Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” won the animated category, thanks to a skillfully created stop motion video. Clearly it was a favorite, because the same video also took the award for “Video of the Year.” (Djangophonique also was one of the big winners at February’s WYCE Jammie Awards, winning three awards that night, including artist of the year.)
The other two-time winner was Detroit rock artist Kayla King, who won for best rock video for her cover of Sam Smith’s “Unholy” and also snagged the “audience choice” award for the evening. King called it a nice surprise.
Another winner was Traverse City alt-folk band The Accidentals, who won for best country/Americana video, airing a video acceptance speech from Nashville in which they thanked everyone involved — from BATA Bus Systems to their core patrons — for participating in the music video.
The night began with a mixer amid the Franke Center’s first-floor space, with nominees and supporters mingling and taking photos before Phabies opened the event with upbeat-but-subtle late-’90s energy, featuring their playful yet serious tunes.
Rocking the Franke Center: Lokella (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Baker, a newly emerging hip-hop artist from the Detroit area, also performed an energy-filled set that exquisitely showcased his incredible vocal range.
Kalamazoo’s Kait Rose performed a few of her favorites, including “Bad Mother” which was nominated for best country/Americana Video.
Genre-bending, four-piece rock band Lokella delivered the evening’s final performance, bringing plenty of energy, led by vocalist Jennifer Bartlett, who made full use of the stage.
The night’s final award for best cinematography went to “Don’t Be Surprised” by Grand Rapids soul/pop artist Molly. Produced by EZO Production, the song was directed by Hwa-Jeen Na, with cinematography by Tyler Appel.
Check out all of the nominated music videos here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Michigan Music Video Awards at The Franke Center
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
2023 VIDEO WINNERS
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[…] And check out a full recap, photo gallery and winning videos from Saturday’s Michigan Music Video Awards at Marshall’s Franke Center for the Arts at Local Spins here. […]