Last Friday, the 6th annual New Times Music Awards Show held at the historic Fremont Theater in downtown San Luis Obispo. We had entered our album in several categories, and were excited to accept an award for “Feels Like I Might Disintegrate”, the second track from our debut self titled album released earlier this year. The track earned second place in the “Open” Category. While its not entirely clear what the “Open” category means, I think its perfect for our sound, which doesn’t really belong in most of the other categories.
If you have’t heard the song, you can hear it here:
Winning the award was a little unexpected and meant a lot to me. “Feels like I Might Disintegrate” is obviously about feeling out of place and homesick in a new place. I’ve been a stranger in a lot of places over the past five or six years. Winning for this song in particular feels like a warm welcome as SLO is starting to really feel like home.
I am honored to say the least, to be included along side such a talented community of musicians. If you haven’t already you should check out all of the artists who won awards this year.
Big thanks to Glen Starkey of the New Times, who just happened to win this year’s Local Legend award (oh, no big deal). He has written awesome things about us in the New Times and I believe he was instrumental in our placing in the awards this year.
Congratulations to everyone! Here is the list of this year’s winners:
Country
1st Place: Noach Tangeras – “Big Sur”
2nd Place: The Creston Line – “Great Depression”
3rd Place: Natalie Haskins – “Tortured Like Me”
Blues/R&B
1st Place: Próxima Parada – “Time in a Circle”
2nd Place: Daesha Frawley – “Here We Go”
3rd Place: Doug Groshart / The JD Project – “The Station”
Open
1st Place: Fialta – “Another Lonely Heart”
2nd Place: Four Day Beard – “Feels Like I Might Distrust”
3rd Place: Kristen Black – “Bicycle Song”
Hip Hop / World / Reggae
1st Place: Wynn – “Take it or Leave it”
2nd Place: Yah Perry / Courtney Pinnock – “Hurts this Much”
3rd Place: Who Dem – “Rogue Status”
Rock / Alternative
1st Place: Truth About Seafood – “Butcher and the Bride”
2nd Place: Fialta – “Be Someone”
3rd Place: King Walrus & the Magicians – “Can I be the One?”
Best Songwriter
1st Place: Fialta – “Do the Best We Can”
2nd Place: Noach Tangeras – “Big Sur”
3rd Place: Don Lampson – “Heart of Chaparral”
Best Album
1st Place: Fialta – “Shadow of a Drought”
2nd Place: Shawn Clark Family Band – “Cactus Rose”
3rd Place: Moonshiner Collective – “Consequential Campers”
Reader’s Choice Awards
Fialta – tied for two of their songs: “Be Someone” and “Another Lonely Heart”
Best Live Performance
The five 1st Place Genre winners all performed and were judged on: stage presence, crowd response, connection to audience, tightness of their set, musical excellence, and professionalism. It was a very tight competition, as all 5 of the bands delivered dynamic and engaging sets. However, a composite score on all criteria lifted this band to the top and were awarded the coveted Bronze “Newtie”: Fialta