The awards replaced the EG Awards as a partnership between the newspaper and Victoria’s peak music association.
Music Victoria CEO Patrick Donovan, who began the EG Awards in his previous life as entertainment writer for The Age, told beat.com.au, that the 80,000 who voted in the EG Awards would invariably vote for the more common rock and pop acts. “A lot of great acts from other genres from around Victoria and Melbourne fell through the cracks. With the (11 new genre categories in the) Genre Awards we have the chance to put the spotlight on these other acts.”
The nominees are:
1. MBAS Best Blues Album
Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk – Shakedown
Chris Wilson & Geoff Achison – Box of Blues
Nick Charles – Into The Blues
Russell Morris – Sharkmouth
Three Kings – Three Kings
2. Best Country Album
Doug Bruce – Made That Way
Nigel Wearne – Black Crow
Raised By Eagles – Raised By Eagles
Sweet Jean – Dear Departure
Dan Waters – La Vita E’Bella
3. Capi Soda Best Hip Hop Album:
Fraksha – My Way
Known Associates – Ashes to Dust
Flu – FluSeason
Must Volkoff – White Russian
Dr. Flea – Keep on Moving
4. White Sky Best Folk Roots Album:
Archie Roach – Into the Bloodstream
The Mae Trio – Housewarming
Tinpan Orange – Over The Sun
The Idle Hoes – Tomorrow Morning
Shane Howard – Other Side of the Rock
5. PBS Best Soul, Funk, R’N’B and Gospel Album
Hiatus Kaiyote – Tawk Tomahawk
Judex Rose -Afro Soul Power
Kylie Auldist – Still Life
Sweethearts – Bar Roma
The Cactus Channel – Wooden Boy
6. Dixons Creek Estate Best Jazz Album
Allan BrowneTrio – Lost In The Stars
Origami – Karaoke
Murphy’s Law – Big Creatures and Little Creatures
Andrea Keller – Family Portraits
Menagerie – They Shall Inherit
7. Wifire Music Best Heavy Album
Apart From This – In Gloom
Batpiss – Nuclear Winter
King Parrot – Bite Your Head Off
Ooga Boogas – Ooga Boogas
White Walls – White Walls
8. GI & Sanicki Lawyers’ Best Experimental/Avant-Garde Act
Aviva Endean
Dave Brown
Judith Hamann
Mark Groves
Nik Kennedy
9. Select AV Best Electronic Act:
Nick Thayer
Sunshine
Tornardo Wallace aka Lewie Day
Dune
Client Liaison
10. Songlines Best Indigenous Act
Crystal Mercy
Archie Roach
Dan Sultan
Kutcha Edwards
Yung warriors
11. AWME Best Global or Reggae Act
Public Opinion Afro Orchestra
Melbourne Ska Orchestra
Airileke Ingram
Zulya and the Children of the Underground
Afrobiotics
The winners of these eleven genres will be announced at an industry invite-only function next Thursday. This will be followed by the announcement of the 55 nominees of the public voted awards. The public can vote for from October 11 to November 15. The public awards winners will be announced at the Age Music Victoria Awards presented by SAE and Triple R on Wednesday November 20 at Billboard during Melbourne Music Week.
Adrian Basso, PBS General Manager said, “PBS is delighted to present the inaugural Age Music Victoria Genre Awards, which celebrates the rich tapestry of music we have here, right at our doorstep. As a radio station dedicated solely to music, in all of its diversity, it’s fantastic to see this new initiative take flight – recognizing a highly talented pool of musicians, which we are so lucky to have here in Victoria. This is certainly well worth beating the drum loudly about. ‘’
