Starting in late February, two annual showcases of local and regional bands will give fans a chance to celebrate dozens of artists representing varied musical styles. The lowdown at Local Spins.
2025 Album and Artist of the Year Nominee: Grand Rapids indie-rock band In the Valley Below. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
SCROLL DOWN FOR A LIST OF JAMMIE AWARD NOMINEES
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“Absolutely honored.”
“Beyond stoked.”
“Humbled and honored to be among such good company.”
The reaction of Michigan artists nominated for 2025 Jammie Awards being presented by WYCE (88.1 FM) at The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Feb. 28 is understandable, considering that hundreds of albums and singles by Great Lakes State artists were released last year.
Dozens of regional acts made the final cut as nominees for a bevy of categories: contemporary folk, alternative, rock, hip hop, R&B/soul, Americana, pop, roots, jazz and instrumental albums of the year.
In addition, five acts from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo will vie for the prestigious album of the year honors: Cal in Red, The Crane Wives, In the Valley Below, Jordan Hamilton and Major Murphy. Artist of the year nominees are The Bootstrap Boys, Candid Antics, The Crane Wives, In the Valley Below and Jordan Hamilton.
Listener’ choice and critics’ choice awards will also be presented during the Jammie Awards show that will feature performances by 18 act on three stages. Get tickets, $10, online here and view the full lineup of performers at Local Spins. Scroll down to view all of the nominees.
The day after WYCE’s huge celebration, The Stray in Grand Rapids will kick off its fourth annual, month-long battle of the bands, with 20 different regional acts competing on four Saturdays in March with the finals taking place on March 29. Conpeting will be:
• March 1 – Midwest Skies, Vespa, Hey Marco!, Rusty Vining & His Friends, JH Patton & The Good Companions
• March 8 – Parallelz, Supo, Stalagmite, Secret Satan, Y-Not
• March 15 – Crunchfruit, Prophesee Levi, The Blue Pines, Stanley & Quiggle, Ride for Ruin
• March 22 – Inner Stellar Heart, Shayla Hamady, Ethereal, Anthony Erlandson, Almost
Tickets to attend the 6:30 p.m. band battles are $10 and available online here.
Last year’s winner of the band battle was progressive rock/jazz fusion band Squatch. Check out Local Spins coverage of the 2024 battle online here.
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