West Michigan music lovers gathered in huge numbers at The Intersection on Friday for the 23rd edition of the Jammies, with 19 acts firing up three stages. Photos, video highlights and more at Local Spins.
Toasting Local Music: The Jammie Awards filled The Intersection on Friday. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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Unreal energy.
A packed house of musicians and fans rife with hugs and high-five reunions.
An electric atmosphere sparked by riveting performances on three stages at The Intersection in Grand Rapids over a five-hour period.
Friday night’s 23rd edition of the WYCE Jammie Awards – held in its traditional February time slot for the first time since the pre-pandemic days of 2020 – proved to be more than just a celebration and acknowledgment of the best music of the past year produced by local and regional artists.
Bringing People Together: Seth Bernard of Moss Manor. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
It was an uplifting conclave of more than 1,000 like-minded souls aching to revel in the community spirit of Michigan music.
“This is really good for all of our hearts being together in the winter,” said northern Michigan guitarist Seth Bernard during the inaugural performance by the Moss Manor super-group on The Intersection’s main stage. “We’re all music lovers. That’s what connects us.”
Indeed, it was really good — not only for those artists taking home coveted hardware for wins in 17 different categories but for the performers, attendees and crews from WYCE (88.1 FM) who made it a festive night.
“The energy is unreal,” said Grand Rapids singer Sarena Rae, playing the Jammies for the first time, not only with her all-star band but joining other performers during the evening as well.
Soulful Star: Sarena Rae (Photo/Anna Sink)
“People are here to support local, but they also just love music and you can tell. It’s been an incredible experience. Being on the stage was just the next level. I loved it so much.”
As singer Nathan Walton of the Jammie-winning soul/rock band Nathan Walton & the Remedy put it: “This is what we live for: sharing the stage with so many awesome performing artists. And to win two Jammie Awards? That’s incredible, we are so grateful.”
By winning the listeners’ choice awards for artist of the year and album of the year, Walton’s band joined Ann Arbor’s jazzy Djangophonique as the other multiple award winners of the night. Djangophonique won artist of the year, jazz album of the year and the Traditions! Award.
For most musicians, however, just rubbing elbows with other bands and delivering short sets for exuberant fans made it all memorable.
“This was our first time performing at the Intersection and it was electric,” said Mike Kalinowski, bassist for Grand Rapids’ Ficus, which uncorked a dynamic set of psychedelic rock on the Elevation stage. “We’re absolutely honored to be here.”
HIGHLIGHTS GALORE AND A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL
From The Remedy’s 12-piece, expansive assault of soulful rock that kicked off the evening to Sixman’s audience-involving hip-hop party that closed it all out, the Jammie Awards proved to be the perfect – if bittersweet – farewell for two WYCE staffers who are leaving the station.
Final Soiree: WYCE’s Shane German and Kikki Lone. (Photo/Local Spins)
Music and program director Shane German heads to Duluth, Minn., for a job with Minnesota Public Radio in March; operations and traffic manager Kikki Lone’s last day on the job was Friday.
They’ll long remember some of the evening’s highlights:
• Teeming with attendees, Sarena Rae and her all-star band pumped up Elevation with R&B-laced prowess. The skilled group of performers welcomed guests and collaborators from other popular West Michigan acts, such as Melophobix, with each performer complementing Rae’s capable vocal powers beautifully. Rae, flaunting an impressive vocal range, kept the set moving with storytelling between songs that wove the set list together in a thoughtful way. The crowd joined in, singing her lyrics back to her, with arms held high.
• Kalamazoo’s Grace Theisen captivated a packed Stache at her inaugural Jammies performance with her signature blues-inspired Americana music and fiery vocals. Songs like “Master of Fire” and new single, “Wild Wild Woman,” contained impactful messages about feminism and what it’s like to be a woman in this generation, topics that Theisen is passionate about. She also debuted a couple of new, unreleased tracks set for release soon.
Passion at The Stache: Grace Theisen Band (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
• Moss Manor’s debut performance as a band closed out the main stage on Friday night. The band – Michael Dause of The Accidentals, Dan Rickabus of The Crane Wives and Seth Bernard, with bassist Justin Avdek joining the trio – unfurled a magical, lush mélange of songs unlike anything these musicians have produced with their usual projects in the past. “We’re thrilled to be sharing these songs live for the first time,” Bernard said.
• Walton & The Remedy’s show-opening performance set the stage for the night’s celebratory mood and also set a high bar for others to follow. The 12-piece ensemble got early arrivals fired up in the main showroom, with Cole Hansen, Myron Elkins, Elijah Russ Collective and La Furia Del Ritmo following suit in robust fashion to keep fans engaged and dancing.
• Rock ‘n’ roll fans got a raucous earful to close out the intimate Stache stage on Friday, thanks to The B-Sides’ smile-inducing romp and The American Hotel System’s heartfelt flurry.
More Local Spins coverage of the Jammie Awards here: Djangophonique, Nathan Walton, Major Murphy big winners at Jammies
– By Matt Marn, Holly Holtzclaw, Robert Novak and John Sinkevics
VIDEO: Jammie Awards 2023 Highlights
PHOTO GALLERY: Jammies 2023 by Derek Ketchum
