Boston Rock City

Beantown has historically been a hotbed of musical talent, ranging from Aerosmith to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones—and let’s not forget the town’s very own namesake, Boston.

This year proved to be no exception to this trend of dominance. The Crimson’s Marcus Wang attended the 2001 Boston Music Awards to discover the energy, the radiance, the joie de vivre behind The Hub’s music scene.

When I arrived at the 14th Annual Boston Music Awards, I pushed past the throngs of people waiting eagerly outside with their homemade banners proposing marriage to LFO and made my way to the door. The place was packed, and I was late. The next thing I knew I was being ushered to my seat. The crowd was filled with mostly younger folk, some dressed to the nines, others sporting tattoos, hair dye and metal piercings. I couldn’t help but notice the large number of women with skimpy dresses and exposed skin. I shrugged. Maybe they were warm.

Corporate sponsorship was very much in evidence that evening, with banners draped from each balcony advertising various generous sponsors. Very large speaker setups were in place on both sides of the stage. The room was filling up quickly as the start time neared.

MTV VJ Dave Holmes was the host for the evening. Funny and warm, he promised “no monologues,” instead firing off snappy one-liners as he kept the show moving as fast as he could. Thirty-eight awards were to be presented/announced that evening, honoring artists who were either born or raised in the Boston area, developed their career in the Boston area, or were currently residing in the Boston area. Kicking off the show was a live performance by American Hi-Fi, who performed their hit single “Flavor of the Week.” This was more like it. With a Nine Days-like pop rock radio-friendly sound, they stirred up the crowd with a very rousing and high-energy performance.

For me, and for most of the audience it seemed, the awards presentations were just a means of killing time between performances. The speeches were uniformly bland and unexciting, as group after group engaged in a contest to see who could kiss more corporate butt. Perhaps this was necessary from a practical survival standpoint, since most of these artists belong to unstable independent labels, but it made for extremely boring listening. Even Dave Holmes seemed to notice this, and repeatedly apologized for wearing a coat and tie to the event, saying it made him look like “an asshole stockbroker.” At least Boston pride was very much in evidence, as every group or singer made it a point to thank the good people of the city for supporting their own.

Fast-forward to C60’s performance. Loud, proud and dirty, their leader was a red dread-locked maniac with plenty of energy to spare. The crowd, myself included, seemed pathetically eager to welcome them, coming as they did on the heels of some intensely boring presentations. Fortunately, C60 didn’t disappoint, with blistering guitar attacks and wild gyrations injecting energy into a flagging atmosphere. I noticed however, that all their rebellious posturing seemed very much like a pose. Their “spontaneous” thrashing appearing self-conscious and rehearsed.

Ironically enough, their song “Crazy” contained the line “evil wears a three-piece suit.” The speeches continued to be tame and very politically correct. Rehearsed rebellion and repeated kowtowing to the corporate sponsors made me wonder if the independent movement was in danger of being absorbed by the machine. Holmes even plugged the drink Red Bull at one point during the program. Hey, whatever it takes to stay awake?

Suddenly it got quiet. I looked up. And froze. Two beautiful women had mounted the stage. Dressed in black leather, with a belt of metal studs, wild blond hair, these dominatrices and their two men launched into music that was described to us as “AC/DC+Guns N Roses+Blondie.” They were Halfcocked, an incredible metal rock band that single-handedly transformed the room from a communal rest stop into a musical mosh pit. The lead singer, Sarah Reitkopp, a great quickener of male pulses, thrashed and gyrated and had the audience on the edge of their seats as she led her fellow bandmates into the raucous “I Lied.” An irresistible combo of in-your-face sexuality and explosive rock, Halfcocked was a shot of pure musical adrenaline. The lead also flaunted her sensuality outrageously like some combination rock diva and exotic dancer, wriggling her hips, playing with her tongue and simulating oral sex on her bandmate’s guitar. Their four minute performance by itself was well worth the price of admission, showcasing as it did that appealing amalgam of sex and song, or as Holmes commented, “That powerful combination of turned on and scared shitless.”

Performances by Howie Day, Roomful of Blues and Mr. Lif revived the crowd and sent it to new heights of ecstasy when the final performance burst onto the stage. None other than Nullset dominated the room for the next five minutes, their song “Smokewood” blazing from every scorching hot speaker. Involuntarily, I found myself grooving to the music, and I soon saw I wasn’t alone. Jumping, jiving and thrashing about with genuine, inspired abandon, Nullset frontman Ken Smith led the band in a musically cathartic scream of rage that seemed to tear out his vocal cords. Honest to God, I could feel my blood bouncing and internal organs being rearranged by the raw power in “Smokewood,” and I loved every second of it. I sat in wonder, both shaken and stirred by the wonderful sound of indie rock vibrating in my body. If only to repeat the sentiment expressed by so many that evening, it was truly incredible that so much talent could stem from a single place like Boston. The Red Sox won that night too. The depth of local pride present at the Boston Music Awards was truly heartfelt, and the musical talents on display that night are destined to be household names by the time the 15th Annual awards roll around.

WINNERS AT

THE 14TH ANNUAL

BOSTON MUSIC AWARDS

Act of the Year

Godsmack

Rising Star

American Hi-Fi

Album of the Year

Awake (Godsmack)

Outstanding Rock Band

Godsmack

Single of the Year

Everything You Want (Vertical Horizon)

Male Vocalist of the Year

Sully Erna (Godsmack)

Female Vocalist of the Year

Aimee Mann

Song of the Year

Save Me (Aimee Mann)