In an even more competitive year than usual for local music, Field Report took home top honors at this year's Radio Milwaukee Music Awards, winning Band of the Year as well as Album of the Year and Critics' Choice recognition for their beatific folk-rock album Marigolden.
The winners were announced last night at a lively awards ceremony at Radio Milwaukee's Walker's Point studios, which featured performances from Webster X (who took home an award for Solo Artist), The Delta Routine, GGOOLLDD (whose "Bling Ring" was honored as Song of the Year), DJ Strehlow and garage-rock revivalists The Living Statues, who tricked the crowd into thinking they were covering The Strokes with their version of The Zutons' "Valerie" (not that it would have been out of character for them to cover The Strokes, either). The station also honored promoter Peter Jest with a Milwaukee Music Ambassador Award, timed in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Jest's club Shank Hall.
The complete list of winners is below, along with background on how they were selected, via Radio Milwaukee.
• Band Of The Year: Field Report
• Solo Artist Of The Year: Webster X
• Album Of The Year: Field Report – “Marigolden”
• Song Of The Year: GGOOLLDD – “Bling Ring”
• Independent Release Of The Year: Bliss & Alice – “Poetry Volume 1”
• Best Disc We Missed: Dead Horses – “Space and Time”
• Music Video Of The Year: Kane Place Record Club – “Sunshine”
• Album Artwork: Old Earth – “A Wake In The Wells”
• Milwaukee Music Ambassador Award: Peter Jest, owner of Shank Hall
• Critics’ Choice (Best Album): Field Report – “Marigolden”
A panel of 88Nine DJs and Milwaukee music critics selected winners. Milwaukee music fans nominated five finalists in an online poll in each category except Milwaukee Music Ambassador and Critics’ Choice. The Radio Milwaukee DJs chose the Music Ambassador.
The panel members were:
• Marcus Doucette, Stephen Kallao, Jordan Lee, Tarik Moody, Dori Zori, Justin Barney, Nate Imig, Sarah Fierek, Kat Froehlich, Ken Sumka, Sean Demery – Radio Milwaukee
• DJ Bizzon – WMSE-FM
• Andrew Nelson – Pabst Theater Group
• David Ravel – Alverno Presents
• Evan Rytlewski – Shepherd Express
• Bobby Tanzilo – OnMilwaukee.com
• Matt Wild – Milwaukee Record
