From Full Cord and The Bootstrap Boys to Laura Rain and Jack Droppers, 19 acts will perform at the Feb. 23 celebration taking place at The Intersection in Grand Rapids. The lineup at Local Spins.
Starring at the 2024 Jammie Awards: Detroit’s Laura Rain & The Caesars (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Aiming to spotlight a diverse mix of artists from “an amazing pipeline of talent in this city and the region,” WYCE-FM has revealed its lineup for the much-anticipated Feb. 23 Jammie Awards show at The Intersection in Grand Rapids.
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Bluegrass favorite Full Cord, Latin rock’s Cabildo, vintage country’s The Bootstrap Boys, soul singer Laura Rain & The Caesars, hip hop’s Wills Piff & Samil and rock outfits Jack Droppers & The Best Intentions, Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish and LVRS lead the charge for the 2024 celebration.
In all, 19 bands and solo acts will play three stages at The Intersection, with WYCE presenting 17 awards to the best releases of the past year by Michigan artists.
Others performing will be Banda El Bajio, C.A.R.Ma Quartet, Free Hat, Loren Johnson, Pablo Eskobear, Pretoria, Pocket Watch, Samuel Nalangira, Selkie, Short Panic and Vernon Potts.
“I think our greatest hope is that people who attend this year’s event will leave that night having seen another incredibly talented and diverse lineup of musicians and bands,” said Phil Tower, station manager for Grand Rapids community radio station WYCE (88.1 FM), which stages the annual awards show.
“We have an amazing pipeline of talent in this city and the region and a lot of love and collaboration keeps this local music scene, fresh dynamic and always growing. At its core, that is what the Jammies are designed to celebrate and lift up.”
Added music director Chris Cranick: “Last year’s awards truly felt like a return to form after a couple of years of uncertainty. The warmth and camaraderie displayed by attendees and musicians both on and off the stage permeated the entire venue. Additionally, the healthy mix of new Jammies performers really struck a chord with me, which is a big reason why I opted not to book any performers from last year.
“I hope that fans will leave with an even greater appreciation for the sheer amount of talent we have in Michigan. Yes, there are veteran performers and winners on the lineup, but there’s a lot of up-and-coming acts that I think will surprise attendees.”
Indeed, up-and-coming acts such as Pocket Watch, Short Panic, Vernon Potts and Pablo Eskobear will join eclectic, seasoned bands such as Peter Madcat Ruth’s C.A.R.Ma Quartet from Ann Arbor and traditional Irish trio Selkie from West Michigan.
The Jammie Awards begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, with a suggested $5 contribution to WYCE at the door and attendees asked to bring canned food donations for Feeding America West Michigan. For the first time, WYCE also offered a small number of VIP tickets that will give purchasers access to reserved seating, a VIP lounge and WYCE merchandise. Those sold out quickly.
Pumping Up the Jammies: The Bootstrap Boys (Photo/Anna Sink)
Awards this year will include a new “Against All Odds Award,” presented to a local artist who “defied all odds and powered through personal struggles to create their music.” Local Spins also will present its annual “Emerging Artist of the Year Award.”
“The overriding theme, to me, always has and will be community,” Cranick said of the Jammies celebration.
“It is the heartbeat of WYCE and the reason The Jammies came to be. Musically, I would say the theme is diversity. There’s an equal blend of WYCE’s five main genres represented, and even more variety when you look at each individual group. We’re really trying to scratch as many musical itches as possible this year.”
Revisit Local Spins’ coverage of the 2023 Jammie Awards, including a listing of award winners.
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