Get Ready for the Most Important Election of the Year

Seven Year Witch; photo by Grey Thompson

I spent the last days of 2021 thinking about this column and considering what a “Year in Review” type of column might look like. My favorite shows, albums, new artists on the scene were all things I considered as we wrapped up the second strangest year of my life (2020 will not be losing that title anytime soon, I hope). Then I realized that a 2021 Year in Review was already done for me in the form of the Upstate Music Awards voting window and life got a whole lot easier.

Upstate music lovers spent much of November and December submitting their nominations for the Upstate Music Awards and, effective just this Monday, those nominees are live online and accepting your votes for who will be the finalists going into the big ceremony at The Peace Center in March. As I peruse the categories and nominees, it definitely feels like a healthy reminder of how much original talent the local scene is producing year in and year out.

Phat Lip; photo by Grey Thompson

Almost 70 songs are nominated for Best Single, there are more than 40 nominees for Best Album, and over 100 artists nominated between the Best Duo/Group and Best Solo Artist categories. If that is not a club you over the head style reminder that the local talent pool runs deep, I do not know what is. Even more impressive, perhaps, is that there are 22 local acts nominated for the Best New Artist category which continues to show that the aforementioned talent pool just keeps getting deeper every year. Finally, if you are not sick of me throwing numbers at you yet, the Best Live Act category is back after a “there weren’t any shows in 2020” hiatus but it returns with 31 nominated artists giving us some hope that things might be getting back to normal.

Beyond the numbers is the fact that even a casual scroll through any of the Upstate Music Awards’ categories offers fantastic insight to how rich the local scene is. You will see artists you think are shoe-in winners, followed by others that complicate that initial assumption, and plenty of artists that you might not have heard of but definitely deserve your attention. When I dove into this process last year, I would say that none of my initial top picks were still my number ones after I had listened to all of the nominees in a respective category. Case in point, this year’s Best Album category includes offerings from Shyland Flowers, Lo Indigo, and Maxx Good$ meaning that I cannot even pick my favorite local hip-hop album before even considering how that choice stacks up against the best rock, punk, metal, or folk albums. I try to avoid the snarky cliché “that’s what they call good problems,” but if there was ever a case where I can accept it, it is here.

Brother Oliver; photo by Grey Thompson

So, my suggestion to you on how best to consider what the local music scene brought to the market in 2021 is simply to sit down and listen. The Upstate Music Awards website has super convenient links to every nominee which adds up to days of local listening. You are not going to love all of it, of course, as everything is not for everybody but I can promise you this – you will be proud to see your favorite artists nominated, you will be reminded of someone that you wanted to dive a little deeper into, and you will find at least a few bands that will go from someone you never heard of to a mainstay on your regular listening rotation. Personally, those acts were Gridd, Lo Indigo, and Luxx for me last year (just to name a few) and I cannot wait to find out who I will be adding to the list in the month or so ahead.

Listen and vote over at the Upstate Music Awards website, vote as often as you like, and stay tuned as the finalists will be announced next month. Happy listening, Friends.