The Iggies are right around the corner. On Jan. 13, the Key West Theater will host the fourth annual Key West Music Awards. As in years past there will be several performances by some of the city’s best and brightest. This year includes Belle Jampol, Marshall and Scott Morlock, Tony Baltimore, Mark King and Marjory Lee. Zack Seemiller will be the cohost and the house band is back, led by Jeff Dalton.
The awards show consists of 24 categories, including Songwriter of the Year, Fan of the Year, Mentor of the Year, Rock Act of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. A Lifetime Appreciation Award is also given out annually. Winners are determined from nominations chosen by you, the people. Nominate your favorites in all the categories at keywestmusicawards.com until Dec. 10. An email address is required and each email address can vote one time.
After Dec. 10, the totals will be counted and recounted. The top nominees in each category become our finalists. From there they will go to a panel of seven judges. These judges have no knowledge of the number of nominations received or who received the least or the most.
The judges are anonymous and unknown to each other. They range from music professionals and teachers to fans who see an exceptional amount of local music.
The night features the Key West red carpet with plenty of sequins and leather. It’s a packed house as local celebrities present the awards throughout the evening. Musical guests join the live band between celebrations and give a glimpse of the talent this town attracts. Many Key West musicians end up at one place, which rarely happens in this working town.
At its heart, the Iggies is a charity. All proceeds from the show go directly to help other organizations and individuals in our community. This year’s main beneficiary is the Bahama Village Music Program to aid them in finalizing their new facility.
The show starts at 8 p.m. with the official after-party at the Alamo for some late-night jams. If you would like to become a sponsor, donate, get tickets or nominate your favorite musicians, go to keywestmusicawards.com.
