The first JAM Award was presented by Andrew Demos (Nominee - Top Accompanying Musician) and Victoria Q (Nominee - Top 18&Under Act) to Emily Grove for Top Female Vocalist. The awards portion of the night was now officially underway. There were many highlights of the first half of the event. Alexandra Inglis (Honoree - Top 18&Under Act) started the first "Performance in the Round" with her nominated song "Be Myself". Jeff Rupert and Beannacht also delighted the crowd with performances of their nominated songs in this round.
The next round featured three relatively new artists Mree, Emily Grove and Kevin Basko, all three originally not from the Asbury scene but all took home awards. In fact there were numerous performers, presenters, and honorees of awards this year that were from various parts of New Jersey which marked the stated intentions of the event to grow beyond the Shore counties. Surely there must be talented artists all over the state that have been waiting for their songs to be heard and craft to be recognized. A pin-drop could have been heard during the performance of "Grow" (Winner- Best Song) by Mree. This made it clear that the organizers achieved their goal to create a "listening room", even with hundreds of audience members in one large hall.
Intermission was preceded with a round that included exceptional performances by Joe Miller, Jo Wymer and a performance of an updated acoustic version of the nominated song "the little ones" by Jon Caspi. Jon explained that the song was inspired by the plight of little children forced into being soldiers in Africa. The first half was closed out with a message by the charity non-profit 501(c)3 "Musicians On A Mission" (MOAM) from Jenny Woods. She explained the mission of MOAM “to utilize the power of music to create connection and inspire giving. We hope to raise awareness, sensitivity, and funds to support charitable organizations in our community through planned concerts and events”. All Honorees of this year's JAM Awards received a 1-year membership to Musicians On A Mission.
A dinner buffet was laid out during intermission but the lines circled almost the entire room. This caused intermission to be stretched from the allotted 20 minutes to almost 40. The organizers admitted that they will have to arrange this in a more efficient manner next year. One idea was to create two lines, one on either side of the buffet which would cut the time in half. It seemed there was no shortage of food though as everyone was satisfied with their meal which was included in their price of admission ($10). The second half of the show was kicked off by a "Japanese Gypsy" acoustic rock band named Kagero which has been a fan favorite over the past few years. After a few more awards were presented another round included a captivating performance by Jerzy Jung followed by Joanna Burns, and the true folky Anthony Walker. By this time it was clear that the talent level of this original acoustic music community was strong and deep. Roaring applause followed every performance. Even though three hours had past till this point the night still seemed young as the program guide listed seven more performances and six awards yet to be presented.
The next round featured a gripping performance by Michael Brett of his nominated song "A Man and His Chair" accompanied by Cat Cosentino on backing vocals followed by her own solo performance. This round ended with The Monacchios (Honoree - Top Folk Act) singing their nominated song "Anywhere" with the crowd joining them on the chorus. The final round featured a nominated and very personal song "Woman In Me" by Dina Hall followed by Country favorite Michael Patrick accompanied by Taylor Hope (Honoree - Top Accompanying Musician). This round ended with a moving performance by Kevin John Allen joined by a large choir which included many of the nominees of this year's awards. One new category this year was Top Bluegrass/Country Act presented by Randy Bailey (Bluegrass legend and 20+ year veteran of radio) to Mark Miklos and the Raritan Valley Ramblers. Another Bluegrass item to note was that there were also several bluegrass musicians (Jeff Propert, Rick Hohowski, and Joe Fili) nominated in the Top Accompanying Musician category. Mickey Maguire of String Fever was also a presenter of a JAM Award during the course of the evening. Mark Miklos also closed out the evening with a 4 piece bluegrass band playing his original songs.
Interviews of various audience members and nominees indicated that although the event had nearly doubled from last year, they still had a feeling of a close knit community. Many commented that they couldn't help notice when host Anton Daub read out all the "thank you's" he included not just the musicians but also the parents, spouses, and family members that support them. This made sense because parents of the younger artists are often seen driving them to their gigs near and far, often acting as roadies carrying their children's gear. Award honorees were all gracious in accepting their awards and mentioned being humble to be part of a community that appreciates original music.
3rd Annual JAM Awards Honorees posted at www.jamawards.org
Best Album: Some Kind of Solitude - Michael Brett
Best Song: Grow - Mree (Marie Hsiao)
Top Male Performer: Kevin Basko
Top Female Performer: Jo Wymer
Top Male Songwriter: Michael Brett
Top Female Songwriter: Deirdre Forrest (Beannacht)
Top Male Vocalist: Joe Miller
Top Female Vocalist: Emily Grove
Top Pop/Rock Act: Cat Cosentino
Top Folk Act: The Monacchios
Top Bluegrass/Country Act: Mark Miklos - Raritan Valley Rambler
Top Duo/Band: Lightning Jar
Top New Act: Clan Suibhne
Top 18 & Under Act: Alexandra Inglis
Top Accompanying Musician: Taylor Hope
