Public voting. I know, the mere mention still makes me snarl with skepticism too. The last time we were aggressively encouraged to get out en mass, the results were not quite consistent with our expectations. While the cynicism will likely return in four years, it’s time to at least momentarily put away the negative connotations of the old process.
The polls for the public to determine the final nominees for the 2005 Madison Area Music Awards are open. Your participation requires no lengthy registration, laborious waiting in line, or abuse from overly energetic activists. Although the advertisement “Vote for us” will be fairly inevitable during shows until the Feb. 15 deadline, you should be safe from band members running around with buttons and stickers harassing you for a vote. Instead, from your very own home, right after becoming well-versed in positive and negative aspects of each and every local Americana band, you can cast your own ballot at www.themamas.org and confirm it minutes later from your e-mail account (this step is essential for your votes to count).
Okay, so Madison Americana may not be constantly spinning in your stereo. But you may have heard Jimmy’s Comet play once and were impressed enough to remember to their name. Perhaps you listened to 20 Reasons Taken’s Redefine the Sound so often that your roommates have confiscated it. Or perchance you danced to the Prole’s Latin stylings.
No matter which bands around town moved you, you might as well take a few moments and offer some appreciation. Admittedly, we are casting ballots for the final nominees in each category, not determining the winners of the awards. That still sounds significantly better than the reality of having to find yourself an official Academy voting member to have any say in the outcomes of the Grammys. Even the Milwaukee-dominated Wisconsin Area Music Awards requires membership from anyone wishing to cast a ballot.
When Rick Tvedt conceived of the MAMAs, the ultimate goal was to heighten awareness of the music in this region, from the awards going to groups that rock Saturday night stages to the proceeds of the event enabling more music education in local grammar and middle schools. Allowing the public aspect of the voting process encourages community acknowledgment and appreciation of the local talent.
It might be fun to have a Madison People’s Choice Awards of sorts, but on the other hand, such steps in the procedure prevent those irritating outcomes in which, as all popularity contests go, the most exposed wins out over the most talented. The best sounds seeping out of The King Club or The Annex may not come from bands with legions of supporters selling out their shows. To ensure ability and talent still reign, the final process for the awards allows those most in-tune with Madison’s music community and more technical aspects of the industry to determine who walks away with a prize.
In fact, it might be better this way. As my personal biases lead me to shamelessly encourage your consideration of the Treats, Apparently Nothing, Clear Blue Betty and Awesome Car Funmaker, I realize that when put up against each other, I would have a tricky task before me in crowning the victors. ACF entertains just as well as CBB. Say What You Will is just as essential as Paint Your Blood. With the many other worthy groups and albums in the far-too-broad rock genre vying to be named the best in Madison for this past year, should we the public not determine the winners, we might as well make it as difficult as possible for those who must.
If you have not yet found your favorite Madison bands, there are still a few weeks before the polls close. With a plethora of albums produced in the past year and the many new venues around town allowing bands to be heard, you can certainly have a good time informing yourself. I might suggest wandering into B-Side Records and sifting through the selection of locally produced sounds. Take a look at all those almost abusively colorful posters on street lamps and kiosks to plan the weekend’s events. Chart out a path from The Slipper Club to High Noon Saloon, the Tornado Room’s Corral Room to Café Montmartre or the Rathskeller to Club 770, stopping anywhere in between where the sounds suit you.
No, it is not your civic duty. It is implausible the outcomes will impact your existence for years to come. The fact that I have already submitted my votes is not likely to leave you running to a computer. Yet the opportunity is available. It will always sound ludicrous, there is no way getting around it, but nomination by the community does carry its weight with artists. Certainly a nod from the area connoisseurs leads to a lovely mantle decoration, but the nomination assures bands they are doing right by those listening.
Lis Harvey may not bound onstage after hearing Porcupine named best acoustic album, although I would be in a state of shock and awe — shock and awe — if this were the situation. There is the possibility Know Boundaries may not end the night with the award for best hip-hop group in hand. Regardless of the outcomes during the March 26 ceremony, the local artists that work as hard as they play deserve the recognition. Plus, any way you look at it, this is one vote you certainly can rock.
Christine is a junior majoring in English literature and psychology. She wishes voting could determine more outcomes, like a Badger hockey sweep this weekend. You can reach her if need be at [email protected].
