If there is one theme in this year’s list of Boston Music Awards winners, it’s the heavy slew of repeat offenders. Mean Creek, who won Album/EP of the Year for Hemophiliac, took home the same honor for October’s brilliant Youth Companion LP. The Mexi-cali folk of David Wax Museum took home a second-straight Song of the Year statue, following up last year’s “Born With A Broken Heart” with the ironically named “Harder Before It Gets Easier” (at least the three-year old duo is making it look easy from the start).
Last year’s Artist of the Year and Live Artist of the Year, the venerable Dropkick Murphys, stayed in the winner’s circle as Punk Act of the Year; and Shea Rose, last year’s Urban/R&B/Contemporary Artist of the Year, kept virtually that same title as Pop/R&B Artist of the Year. Christian McNeill, who with Sea Monsters released Everything’s Up For Grabs a few weeks ago, took home a second straight Male Vocalist of the Year, and Allston Pudding, founded by Perry Eaton, won Best Music Blog for the second year in the row.
In awards for first-timers, Berklee-bred Rolling Stone cover stars Karmin were named Artist of the Year, heavy industrial-rock trio RIBS were named Rock Artist of the Year, rapper Cam Meekins was named New Artist of the Year, Sub Pop world music act Debo Band took home Live Artist of the Year, and Lynn’s Caleb Groh was named Folk Artist of the Year.
Q Division’s Ed Valauskas, last year’s Rock Producer of the Year, was named Unsung Hero.
Here’s the full list of winners:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR - KARMIN
ALBUM OF THE YEAR - "YOUTH COMPANION," BY MEAN CREEK
SONG OF THE YEAR - "HARDER BEFORE IT GETS EASIER," BY DAVID WAX MUSEUM
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR - CAM MEEKINS
LIVE ARTIST OF THE YEAR - DEBO BAND
ROCK ARTIST OF THE YEAR - RIBS
HIP HOP ARTIST OF THE YEAR - MOE POPE & RAIN
POP/R&B ARTIST OF THE YEAR - SHEA ROSE
AMERICANA ARTIST OF THE YEAR - KINGSLEY FLOOD
BLUES ARTIST OF THE YEAR - ERIN HARPE & THE DELTA SWINGERS
DJ ARTIST OF THE YEAR - FRANK WHITE
ELECTRONIC ARTIST OF THE YEAR - ANDRE OBIN
FOLK ARTIST OF THE YEAR - CALEB GROH
GOSPEL ARTIST OF THE YEAR - BERKLEE REVERENCE GOSPEL CHOIR
INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR - EVOLFO DOOFEHT
JAZZ ARTIST OF THE YEAR - OMAR THOMAS
METAL/HARDCORE ARTIST OF THE YEAR - CONVERGE
PUNK ARTIST OF THE YEAR - DROPKICK MURPHYS
SINGER/SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR - WILL DAILEY
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - NICOLE NELSON
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR - CHRISTIAN MCNEILL
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (HIP HOP) - MALIK WILLIAMS
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (ROCK) - DAVE MINEHAN
VIDEO OF THE YEAR - "252" GEM CLUB
BEST BOSTON ARTIST WHO DOESN'T LIVE IN BOSTON - PASSION PIT
BEST DANCE NIGHT - THE PILL
BEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE - ROYALE
BEST LIVE ONGOING RESIDENCY - TIM GEARAN BAND AT ATWOOD'S TAVERN
BEST MUSIC BLOG - ALLSTON PUDDING
UNSUNG HERO - ED VALAUSKAS
HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR - JILLIAN JENSEN