And the Iggy goes to…
While the Academy Awards bestow Oscars, the Key West Music Awards are known as the Iggies, created to honor local musical talent.
Key West Theater will host the second annual Key West Music Awards: the Iggies on Monday, Feb. 13. But first, we need you to nominate your favorite local musicians, bands, albums, songwriters and fans at keywestmusicawards.com. More on the nominations in a bit.
As this undertaking is my brainchild, I am extremely proud of the event and the people who make it possible.
Our second year promises to be even better than the first. We’ve added some categories and tweaked a few things. Support from the community has added exciting momentum and people are eager to be involved.
The KWMA is a nonprofit organization with three goals: Help local kids learn to play music, help local musicians in times of hardship and help local organizations that do the same. All proceeds from the Iggies go toward these efforts.
This year we are proud to be working with Project Lighthouse, a drop-in center in Key West that connects at-risk youth with appropriate and available services and resources. The center hosts open-mic shows — and supplies instruments for young musicians. We will help Project Lighthouse’s music program and its teachers instill confidence in our future stars by providing supplies and instruments to help them express that confidence. Find more information about the program and how you can help at keywestmusicawards.com.
Now back to those nominations. I’m often asked how the process works. It’s all spelled out on the website, as are the criteria for each award category, such as solo artist of the year, entertainer of the year, duo of the year, cover/tribute acts, songwriters, albums and more. Here is a quick overview:
Online nominations are open to everyone. A valid email address is required for every nomination form. The online nominations will determine the top three finalists in each category. The finalists’ names will then be submitted to a panel of seven judges, who will make their selections and determine the winners. Though popularity is important, the seven-judge panel is the deciding factor. They use the criteria for each category and select the winner without knowledge of the outcome until the night of the event.
Oh, the event. Last year’s awards show was one of the highlights of my life. It was a special night of celebration and acknowledgment. There was a feeling in the room that can only be described as love. The people who made it happen were perfect and because of them the show went astoundingly well.
This year we’re shooting for the same results. We have some special moments and fantastic performances planned. With a live band and very special guests, you will want to be there.
The Awards Show takes place Feb. 13 at Key West Theater.
Several levels of sponsorship are available for anyone interested in helping and perhaps reserving a table at the event. Without further ado, go nominate your favorites at keywestmusicawards.com.
