The 33rd Annual San Diego Music Awards were held on April 30 at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay. Easily the local music scene’s biggest party of the year, the event was an 1100 seat sell out, with awards in 25 categories handed out, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award given to guitarist Stevie Salas.
Meanwhile, $53,945 was raised for the Guitars in Schools programs, with 123 schools countywide involved to date. “And that’s because of everyone here tonight,” said event producer Kevin Hellman of the San Diego Music Foundation. “We raise this money because people support and care about San Diego music. They care about the music of tomorrow.”
The night’s highlights included performances from seven artists, showcasing just how diverse the music community is in San Diego. Taking the stage at the SDMA’s were country singer Kimmi Bitter, rapper Mitchy Slick, pop rock combo We the Commas, jam band Boostive, singer-songwriter Joshua Taylor, and rocker Ash Easton, with a special appearance by Salas.
All the performances were great, but Salas really elevated the night. Inducted by drummer Matt Sorum of iconic hard rock groups Guns & Roses and Velvet Revolver, who also performed with him, video messages of congratulations from Sammy Hagar, Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Ritchie Kotzen (Poison, Mr. Big) and Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top) were also shown, before Salas performed two songs. However, the events top moment was likely his heartfelt acceptance speech, which touched on his early days on the local club scene, the importance of hard work and following your dreams, closing with “I’ve lived, and I’ve worked and I’ve had houses all over the planet. But I’ve only had one home, and that home is San Diego.” In a nod to his early days, Salas invited some of the musicians he knew from his youth to join him on backing vocals during his set, including Paul Shaffer (Bratz), Jack Butler (Private Domain), Paul Martinez (This Kids) and Jerry Raney (The Beat Farmers).
“Bringing everyone together for one night is truly what makes this show special,” said Matthew Phillips (Winner, Best Pop Artist). “Being a part of this community is something I’m deeply thankful for. These moments are a testament to the incredible art our city creates.”
“Just like every year, my favorite part of the San Diego Music Awards is being able to see and hang out with so many great local artists,” said Heath Farmer of Coastal Wolves (Winner, Best Rock or Indie/Alternative Song: “Sucks to be You”). “When everyone’s gigging at the same time, it’s hard to get everyone in the same spot, and the SDMA’s really is the one event that all the local musicians get to come out and support each other. It’s less a celebration of the winners as much as it is a celebration of the San Diego music scene as a whole,” he remarked. “The fact that we get to do all that and help raise money to promote music education in San Diego schools is a win for everyone.”
How did it feel to take home a trophy? “It felt humbling,” said Riston Diggs (Winner, Best Hip Hop/Rap Song: “Life of a Dreamer”). “There’s a lot of great talent in this great city, what an honor it is to be recognized amongst my esteemed colleagues. This feeling will carry me all year long, for sure!”
Mohavisoul (Winner, Best Country or Americana Song: “Hurry Up and Wait”) frontman Randy Hanson concurs. “I was amazed and stunned and euphoric,” he said. “Hurry Up and Wait” was really a song for all of us, and I guess it hit home for many of you. We had also just released our new self-titled 6th album the day of the awards show, so we had a lot going down and this was the amazing “cherry on top” of this delicious day of music and closure.” He notes the considerable talent amongst the nominations. “We were so honored, as the other artists in this category were awesome too. Luckily, I had given some thought to any possible speech and thank yous, as it takes a village to make music like ours.”
“Taking home the trophy felt weird in all the right ways,” said Farmer. “Although Coastal Wolves has only been a thing for about a year and a half, I have been going hard in the San Diego music scene for over a decade. This was the first SDMA I got for one of my own projects.” Ironically, Farmer took home a trophy for a song he almost cut from his album. “The people close to me who know this have all been helping me to take a step back and realize that the reservations I originally had for putting the song out were really just a result of my overthinking, which I think is common for a lot of artists,” he said. “Remember, the award is for a song called “Sucks to Be You” and although I love the song and think the lyric is fun, I didn’t want to put that message out into the psyche of our listeners. I voiced these concerns to the people I trusted beforehand and tested the song out to new audiences and the response was pretty surprising. So, I guess the lesson there is don’t overthink things and listen to the people you trust.”
“Winning both awards I was up for was a great feeling and gives me so much forward momentum into all the projects I have cooking in my studio,” said Jonny Tarr (Winner, Best Pop Album & Album of the Year: The Rules). “It has brought such a feeling of recognition and validation that I feel massively energized.”
Does winning an SDMA set the bar higher for an artist’s next release?
“Absolutely!” remarked Jessie Burns of the Brothers Burn (Winner, Best Hip Hop/Rap Artist). “We’re always pushing ourselves to exceed our creative limitations, and in that, implementing new tools, different sounds, various styles, and new collaborations.”
“Definitely,” Tarr agreed. “I want to keep improving my production, recording and missing abilities with a view to be invited to produce records for other people. I never want to stop learning and improving. I feel like I am on the right path but always know I can work harder and hone my tools.”
Plans are already in the works for the San Diego Music Awards 34th edition.
“The best part of (the SDMA’s) is the same as every year,” commented Diggs. “It’s watching the community of musicians and creatives come together and be celebrated for their work. Whether you’re a nominee or taking home the trophy, we’re all deserving of feeling like winners,” he said.
