In order to celebrate the accomplishments of the music borne in Wisconsin, WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) will be having a two-day extravaganza in Appleton. Saturday, April 14th is Downtown Alive featuring 25 performances all compressed into six venues around Appleton’s Downtown area, featuring some of the nominees. And on Sunday April 15th the 32nd Annual WAMI Award Show will be taking place in the beautiful Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. The doors to the PAC will be opening at 6:00pm with a pre-show part beginning at 6:30pm. Shortly after that the awards ceremony will begin at 7:30pm.

Downtown Alive is going to be a great event leading up to the suspense on Sunday during the Awards show. The six venues participating are: The Bar, Mill Creek, Luna, Déjà vu, Anduzzi’s, and Copper Rock Café. If you would like to catch the largest amount of tunes during the day, this is the route I would suggest.

First start the day off with some coffee at Copper Rock Coffee Co. The schedule for the cafe is:

1:00pm Annie B

1:50pm Allen Cote

2:00pm Blonde on Blonde

3:15pm Nora Collins

4:15pm West of East.

Second, try to make it to Anduzzi’s during mid afternoon for a change of atmosphere:

2:30pm Dead Horses

3:30pm Great Lake Drifters

4:30pm Danen Kane

4:50 Saved by Grace

5:45 Meantooth Grin

Déjà vu is next

6:30pm Janet Schiff of Nineteen Thirteen

Jayme Dawicki leading in to the later moments of the evening.

After Jayme, skedaddle to The Bar

7:30pm Tweed Funk

8:30pm Sandcarvers

Last but not least end the crazy day get to Mill Creek.

9:00pm Daphni

10:15pm Red Belt

11:15 The Form

Be sure to end the night properly by catching, my friends, The Delta Routine with the 12:30am slot!

I know Downtown Alive seems like it might take a lot of energy to make it to all the shows, but the point of any festival is to hang out with friends, network, meet new people, try new foods, and relax. I also checked the weather for Appleton on Saturday and it looks like clear skies and 73 degrees!

As for the Award Show here are the nominees…

Artist of the Year: Bon Iver, Naima Adedapo, I’m Not A Pilot, Lucas Cates, Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys, The Fatty Acids

Album of the Year: ”Bon Iver,” by Bon Iver; “Love Love,” by Jayme Dawicki; “10:49,” by Aaron Williams & The Hoodoo; “La Tortuga,”by De La Buena; “Calling All Dawns (Christopher Tin),” by Waterford Union High School; “Chico,” by Herman Astro

Song of the Year: ”72 ½ Toyota Truck,” by Jayme Dawicki; “Coffee Beans,” by Annie B. and the Vagabond Company; “Tell Me (What I Gotta Do),” by Herman Astro; “Holocene,” by Bon Iver; “I-94,” by Trapper Schoepp and the Shades; “Blame It On Me,” by Delta Routine

Female Vocalist: Jayme Dawicki, Chrissy Dzioba, Amy Jo Doty, Jayne Taylor, Naima Adedapo, Anna Vogelzang

Male Vocalist: Mark Glatzel, Smokey Holman, Corey Hart, Chris Szebeni, Mike Wendland, Zachary Pluer

New Artist: Great Lake Drifters, The Mad Mad Ones, Well Informed Citizens, Shaker and the Egg

Rising Star: Nora Collins, Becca Richter, Macyn Taylor, Stix ‘n Stonz, Bad Habitz

GENRE CATEGORIES

Alt-Rock: The Celebrated Working Man, The Delta Routine, The Fatty Acids, Verona Grove, The Ragadors, Surgeons In Heat

Roots/Americana: Copper Box, The Liam Ford Band, The Whiskey Belles, Semi-Twang, Mad Polecats, The Western Starlanders, Whitney Mann

Blues: Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo, Mojo Perry, The Jimmys, Cash Box Kings, Alex Wilson Band, Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys

Christian/Gospel: Saved By Grace, The Burie Family, Ocie Jackson, Danen Kane, Loftland, Isaiah 42:10

Country: Geoff Landon and the Wolfpack, Bella Cain, Saddlebrook, Tim Castle and Young Southern, Grand Union, Nashville Pipeline, Georgia Overdrive

Cover Band: 5 Card Studs, Rabid Aardvarks, Half Empty, Road Trip, Star Six Nine, Cherry Pie

Rock: The Form, Annex, Dead Modern Villains, Greg Waters and the Broad Street Boogie, The Sandcarvers, Rooftop Jumpers

Jazz: The Erotic Adventures of the Static Chicken, Jazz Orgy, Dave Sturino, Choir Fight, Nineteen Thirteen, Jerry Grillo

Polka: The Happy Schnapps Combo, Buttons and Banjo, Steve Meisner Band, The Squeezettes, The Jerry Schneider Band

Pop Artist: I’m Not A Pilot, Bascom Hill, Jayme Dawicki, Maritime, The Lucas Cates Band, Annie B & The Vagabond Company

Rap/Hip-Hop: Fresh Cut Collective, Prophetic, Gerald Walker, Pizzle, Amerikas Addiction

R&B/Soul: Tweed Funk, The Charles Walker Band, Joe Simon, The Eddie Butts Band, Cigarette Break

Reggae/World: King Solomon, Natty Nation, De La Buena, Kingtown Rockers, R.A.S. Movement, Unity

Metal: Beyond Fate, Running Blind, Spiral Trance, 4th Floor, Conniption, Profane

Big Band: The Jimmys, Parkside Reunion Big Band, Brew City Horns, Big Mouth and the Power Tool Horns, Bill Sargent Band, Swing Nouveau

Tribute: Beatallica, The Prince Experience, Project Pink, Reckless Life, Separate Ways, 52nd Street

Club DJ: DJ Mad Hatter, Kid Cut Up, DJ Wizkid, The Real Jaguar, Poison Ivy, DJ Bizzon

MUSICIAN CATEGORIES

Bass: Chad Hoerth, Chris Okkerse, Greg Gonzalez, Dan Plourde, Rick Holmes, Eric Hervey

Drummer: Rob Harvey, Del Bennett, Aaron Fasting, Michael Underwood, Mauro Magellan, Todd Hellmann

Guitarist: Ryan Elliott, John Masino, Alex Wilson, Tom Jordan, Scotty Meyer, Jason Busse

Keyboard: Jayme Dawicki, Jimmy Voegeli, Kevin Machan, Paul Kneevers, Aaron Zinsmeister, Alex Drossart

Reeds/Brass: Peter Neumer, Steve Roehm, Steve Cooper, Warren Wiegratz, Woody Mankowski

Strings: Kimmy Unger, Peter Thomas, Tommy Greywolf, Janet Schiff, melaniejane, Ray Fahrenbach

Specialty Instrument: Raven, Paul Fecke, Ken Olufs, Steve Cohen, Benny Rickum, Danny Jerabek

INDUSTRY CATEGORIES

Media (Print or Electronic): Shepherd Express, Maximum Ink, Encore, OnMilwaukee, Scene, City Pages Wausau

Producer: Justin Vernon, Jack LeTourneau, Marc Golde, Paul Kneevers, Steve Hawkins

Radio: WAPL-FM (105.7), WMSE-FM (91.7), WYMS-FM 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, WMMM-FM (105.5); Y100 WNCY-FM (100.3)

Recording studio: The Exchange, Rock Garden, Alchematic, Made Ya Look, April Bass, Mystery Room

Venue: Mill Creek, Headliners, Cactus Club, Kruise Inn, BuBs Irish Pub, High Noon Saloon

During the ceremony look forward to performances by The Gufs, Shaker & The Egg, I’m Not A Pilot, Project Pink, Prophetic, Tim Castle and Young Southern, and Greg Waters and The Broad Street Boogie. Look for our follow up article post on the fun happenings during Downtown Alive and Award Show!