With throngs of fans on board, Friday’s 2026 WYCE Jammie Awards celebration at The Intersection boasted plenty of highlights from 20 acts on three stages. The recap, photos and video at Local Spins.
Musical Melange: The Jammies on Friday spotlighted a potpourri of Michigan’s music scene. (Photos/Local Spins)
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Nothing quite compares to the vibe, the community spirit, the melange of music at the Jammie Awards.
The 2026 edition of the Michigan awards show hosted by community radio station WYCE (88.1 FM) on Friday night at The Intersection proved to be a shining example of all that, with inspired performances by 20 regional acts on three stages.
“It’s like micro-dosing a little bit of everything, specifically Michigan-made music. I like the short sets. It feels like really good exposure for all sorts of stuff,” said Laura Hobson of Grand Rapids indie-rock band PHABIES, which not only closed the night with a robust set on the main showroom stage, but followed that by winning the two biggest awards of the night: artist of the year and album of the year (“The Curse of Caring”).
Justin Avdek, who earlier in the evening led a star-studded, cutting-edge performance on the same stage, summed it up in another way: “There’s nothing like the West Michigan music community.”
Appreciative Crowd: Award winner Phabies closed out the night. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Indeed. The huge crowd of 1,200 or more that wandered from stage to stage throughout the five-hours-plus event seemed just as diverse as the music unfurling on stage: a pajama-clad attendee waltzing in front of the stage, a father and young son reveling in the night’s performances (after the boy received his first drum kit), an elderly couple swaying to melodies hand-in-hand, a rowdier throng bouncing and fist-pumping to hip-hop, reggae, rock and funk sets at the Elevation stage.
“It’s just so much fun,” said Tommy Pancy of groovy jazz/funk/rock band Candid Antics, which played Elevation midway through the event. “I’m glad we got so much support from the crowd.”
Claire Golder of dark-wave/synth-rock trio and Elevation performer Clawfoot noted that with everything “happening in the world, I feel like it’s really cool to see everybody come together and do something positive and move their bodies, and let it out, scream, dance, sing, smile, laugh cry. I think it brings me a lot of hope.”
Here are a few performance highlights from Local Spins writers.
HOLLY HOLTZCLAW
PHABIES, Main Stage – Indie-rock’s PHABIES closed out the 2026 Jammies with refreshingly sincere messages that aligned perfectly with the Jammies’ mission to bring the community together. While the lyrics to some of the band’s upbeat set-list selections may feel bittersweet, it’s their unapologetic honesty that helps them maintain a hopeful quality. Following their set, PHABIES won both album and artist of the year, with vocalist Laura Hobson delivering a speech about how music and other creative endeavors can play a huge part in healing our society.
Impressive Set: Clawfoot at Elevation (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Clawfoot, Elevation Stage – Before the trio even took the stage, Clawfoot made an impression on the gathering crowd with their atmospheric stage decor which included candelabras, lace and color-coordinated outfits. Once their signature blend of dark-wave and synth-pop began, it was nearly impossible for anyone to tear their eyes away from this hypnotic and aesthetically pleasing set.
Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys, Main Stage – Award winner Dee Sutton and her band swept listeners away with her timeless voice, belting out everything from vintage-inspired Americana to country swing. Even at a crowded, fast-moving event like the Jammies, it was hard not to get lost in Sutton’s vibrant, storytelling lyrics, even if just for a moment.
MATT MARN
Lexie Blue, Stache Stage – Jackson blues-rock artist Lexie Blue rocked the Stache before an absolutely packed crowd. Dancing along with her tunes up front, her newest fans whooped and cheered as the Blue’s searing vocals flowed alongside the commanding guitar solos and powerful skills of her crew. The singer performed songs from her brand-new February album release, including the title track, “Too Glam to Give a Damn.” As blazing as her set was, some of the first people she greeted as she left the stage was a family of new fans, including two small siblings who had wanted to say hi and thank you. She stopped what she was doing with her group to take pictures with them, sign their set list souvenir, and offer to pass the drumsticks over to her bandmate, who was happy to sign them for the kiddos. Sometimes, the most powerful actions aren’t what you see on stage.
Lexie Blue: Firing up the Stache. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
Candid Antics, Elevation – Six-piece jazz fusion band Candid Antics left the Elevation crowd cheering enthusiastically after their high-energy set, in which they performed tunes from their album, “Cease and Desist.” Bandleader Tommy Pancy conceded he was “stoked” to play the Elevation stage.
BRAYDEN FLODIN
Lady Ace Boogie & Friends, Elevation – Lady Ace Boogie, Bedrock The Foundation, Mark Lavengood, Sonny Ski, DJ JB and Callab rocked the stage to close the night at Elevation. Lady Ace Boogie played some of her more empowering tracks like “You’re Magic” and “Like A Stone” which the crowd loved. Beautiful vocals by Lady Ace & Lavengood had the crowd amped for what was to come with this set and they delivered on all fronts. Lady Ace mentioned on stage that her mental health has been a bad place, but the love and infectious energy of crowd helped her in that moment.
Dante Cope & The Grammotones Gang, Elevation – Dante Cope took the stage with DJ Mellow, Joey Gaydos Jr. and 2026 Jammie Award Winner for the Against All Odds Award Wuzee to captivate the audience with a rap-heavy set backed by a incredible vocals, meaningful verses and celebration in the air as Grammotones (owned by Dante Cope) celebrated its two-year anniversary of the store’s opening.
The evening, as always, delivered a host of collaborative, cross-band performances, from Dobro whiz Mark Lavengood joining hip hop’s Lady Ace Boogie & Friends on vocals to Cameron Blake’s theatrical and genre-bending ensemble of virtuosic musicians.
And, as always, the evening covered a lot of territory, with the Spanish-language sets of La Furia Del Ritmo and Los Hermanos 616 to the roots rock of Detroit’s Gasoline Gypsies, soulful pop of Grand Rapids’ August and psych-rock of Petoskey’s Levitator.
Browse the photo galleries and video below, along with the list of award winners. And view more coverage of the Jammies 2025 at Local Spins here.
VIDEO: Jammie Awards Highlights 2026
PHOTO GALLERY: Jammie Awards 2026
Photos by Eric Stoike
PHOTO GALLERY: Jammie Awards 2026
Photos by Anna Sink
PHOTO GALLERY: Jammie Awards 2026
Photos by Derek Ketchum
