By 5:30 p.m., the line in front of McDavid Studio looked like a really big mosh pit that had been stretched into a noodle.
It dissolved pretty quickly, only to re-emerge minutes later as one big blob of humanity inside the venue, where the awards presentation ceremony for our 10th Annual Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards was about to go down. I guess the best word I can use to describe the ambiance is “classy.” As the invitees mingled – noshing on the catered finger food (much love, Central Market), imbibing, tossing their heads back and laughing elegantly, handsomely – the sound of our compilation c.d. caromed softly through the large concert hall, dimly lit, no doubt, to complement the smooth yet bombastic introductory performance by ’07 Jazz/Instrumental winner Adonis Rose and also to accentuate the grown-up vibe. And our MC, Richard Hunter (Live 105.3-FM talk show host, formerly of The Ticket), did his best to nurture it.
(Sure, some of his jokes dive-bombed into the black abyss of mob silence, but not because they weren’t inherently funny. Rather, they were founded on relatively obscure or otherwise nominally local references. I mean, how was Hunter to know that no one’s heard from The Theater Fire in months? Or that Vinnie Paul is pretty much Arlington and in name only? Or that Amiztad has reached a Theater Firean degree of detachment?) In between handing out awards, six of this year’s seven nominees for best new artist each played a song, and they all sounded good and tight. (Much love to Guitar Center for the tech support.) (And, hey, You Know Who – you owe them $30 for the drumhead you punctured. I’ll cover you for some band swag: t-shirts, stickers, whatever. Deal?)
Most of the new artists nominees, apparently, earned some new fans – I got a lot of good feedback, during the show and later on, from a few attendees, saying they never would have gone to see, say, Jefferson Colby or Tame … Tame and Quiet if not for the event. Cool, no? Anyway, if y’all take anything away from last Sunday, or from June 24, when performances by 30 nominated, Fort Worth-local bands drew more than 1,500 people into Sundance Square throughout the day, please let it be this: The scene may be healthier than ever. CBS local affiliate TXA-21 will air a segment on the ceremony this Sunday, June 15, at 6 p.m.
There’ll be some footage of the performances and (I think) some interviews with some of the attendees and Weekly organizers. Tune in. … Department of Corrections: In last week’s column, I misidentified the handle of the nerdcore rapper whose musical persona is a cyborg who wants to have sex with lots of women and one day return home to Canada. Or something. His name is 40% Robot, and according to MySpace.com/fortypercentrobot, he was raised on “the mean streets” of Windsor, Ontario, and “no woman can tame him; no man can defeat him.” In reality, he’s from Fort Worth. His virility, however, remains largely undocumented. The follow-up to Robopera, his debut, is called Robodrophenia and should be out pretty soon. Sorry for the roboconfusion.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
