The Iggies are right around the corner. That’s right. The Key West Theater will host the fifth annual Key West Music Awards on Monday, Jan. 12, when musicians and music lovers fill the house for a night of honors and appreciation along with performances by some of the city’s best music makers.
Awards are given in 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 each year. The winners were all chosen by the listening public, who nominate their favorites in each category through online voting at keywestmusicawards.com that occurred until three weeks before the awards show.
Once the nomination phase ended, the totals were counted and the top three nominees in each category were the finalists. From there, the decision headed to a panel of seven judges, who have no idea how many nominations each finalist received.
The judges are anonymous, and unknown even to each other, so they can’t compare notes or see each other’s rankings. The judges include musical professionals and teachers, as well as fans who see an exceptional amount of local music.
The Iggy Awards are a red carpet night for Key West, with no shortage of sequins and leather. It’s a packed house at Key West Theater as local celebrities present the awards throughout the evening. Musical guests join the live band in between celebrations and give a glimpse of the talent this town attracts. This year will include performances by David Bryce Warren, Meghan Barter, Nick Norman, Caffeine Carl, Gi Buxford and Jack Fivecoate, and Jefff Clark joined by the house band Ignatius and the Reptiles, led by Jeff Dalton.
The night is one of the best of the year for working musicians, and many of them end up at one place, which almost never happens in this working town.
Charity is at the heart of the Iggies. All proceeds from the show go directly to help other organizations and individuals in our community. Through grants and community action, the aim is to improve the lives of local musicians and their families.
The show starts at 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12 with an official after-party at the Alamo, where several of the night’s nominees will perform. The party includes drink specials and a raffle for a weekend package in Key West. More information is at keywestmusicawards.com.
