Green Bay rolled out the red carpet for local musicians Thursday, to a sold-out crowd
GREEN BAY - The inaugural Bay Area Music Awards didn’t miss a beat, from the red carpet outside The Tarlton Theatre to the spirited ceremony and camaraderie inside on Thursday night.
Bammys were awarded in 25 categories during the black-tie event that drew a sold-out crowd. With a six-piece band onstage, Frank Hermans emceed a night that celebrated and honored music makers and supporters, both past and present.
“Holy cow, thanks. I don’t know what else to say, man,” said Alex Drossart as he accepted his award for Keyboardist/Pianist of the Year. “Keep listening to awesome music, keep making awesome music and don’t stop being curious about it.”
“Thank you so much for acknowledging my werewolf erotica music. It really means a lot to me,” said Spencer Smet, whose Spencer Smet Band won Rock/Alternative Artist of the Year.
Rick Piumbroeck, lead singer of Big Mouth & The Power Tool Horns, offered some practical and philosophical advice to his fellow musicians during his acceptance speech for the band’s win for R&B/Soul Artist of the Year. He said he’s learned two things during his many years as a performer.
“No. 1, and take this to heart, if you’re playing two gigs in one day, change your socks in between. You think I’m joking. I’m not. It makes all the difference in the world,” he said. “No. 2, everybody in this place has already won years ago. We all have a superpower, believe it or not.”
He talked about how music and his bandmates have gotten him through some of the toughest times in his life, even if just for four or five hours, and reminded the other artists in the room what a lift their music can be for others.
“Don’t ever underestimate what you’re able to do, arguably or maybe inarguably, what you’ve been put on this earth to do," Piumbroeck said.
Bob Balsley, introduced as “the godfather of guitar here in Green Bay” by Tarlton owner Tarl Knight, presented Guitarist of the Year to Matt Hillman. Balsley, who has played and taught jazz, blues, rock, country, R&B and classical guitar for decades, said he has played with nearly everyone in the room, “and it’s been absolutely (expletive) wonderful.”
Before presenting Punk Artist of the Year to The Smart Shoppers, longtime punk promoter Tom Smith thanked Knight and the other awards organizers for including the genre.
“I can’t think of one time ever when punk rock was involved on the ground floor of something like this in Green Bay,” Smith said.
The evening included an in memoriam segment to remember musicians and music supporters who died in the last year.
Musician Ryan Peerenboom, who played in Unity the Band, The Priggs and a host of other groups, died as the result of a downhill skiing accident in January 2023 at age 34. He was honored with a performance by The Priggs, who played a song he wrote.
Unity the Band, which won World/Latin/Reggae/Ska Artist of the Year, performed Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Three Little Birds” as a tribute to its founder, frontman and force of positivity Pita Kotobalavu, who died in January of colon cancer.
The Bammy Award, which looks like a guitar pick in the shape of Wisconsin, was created by Badgerland Badge & Sign Co. The base of the awards was made from old shelving at The Exclusive Co., the longtime Green Bay record store that closed in 2022.
Nominations for the Bammys were open to the public, with the Bammy Awards Committee selecting finalists and winners. The full list of winners will be posted at thebammys.org on Friday.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bay Area Music Awards (the Bammys) celebrated night of 'awesome music'
