The nominees for the second annual Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards have been announced. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony 6 p.m. Sunday, April 5 on the MainStage at Proctors in Schenectady. Tickets can be purchased here.

This year’s group includes a number of nominees and winners from last year’s celebration, as well as some new entries including such well-known local artists as the blues/rock sibling duo Jocelyn & Chris Arndt, the folk group Lost Radio Rounders and country artist Marty Wendell.

This year’s 34 categories reflect changes based on feedback from members of the music community. Several were eliminated and six new ones emerged: Metal / Hard Rock Artist of the Year, Country Cover Band of the Year, On the Verge Presenter of the Year, Best Hang, Music Recording Studio of the Year and Record Label of the Year.  

“Adding the country cover band category allowed us to separate and nominate more country artists, and we separated metal and hard rock music from punk and hard core for similar reasons,” said Jim Murphy, co-founder and co-organizer. “And the absence of recording studio and record label categories last year was an oversight we had to fix.”

“The Best Hang category was something this year’s judges mulled over and favored” according to Sal Prizio, co-founder and co-organizer. “It represents the favorite hangouts of people in the local music community when they are off duty.”

The category On the Verge “represents recognition of promoters of smaller and/or fewer shows – but no less exciting and relevant – than others in the area,” Prizio added.

One more change from last year – the Thomas Edison Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony is being held separately from the Eddies Music Awards. The Accents, Blotto, The Fidelitys, Hal Ketchum, Lena Spencer and John Sykes were recently announced as the Class of 2020 inductees. A dinner and induction ceremony will be held for this group on Sunday, March 9 at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga.

The Eddies Music Awards nomination process involved 40 members of the music community including artists, members of the media and others working in the music industry. “There were exactly 25 meetings in small groups over more than two months,” said Rachel Hamlin, who is serving as administrator of this year’s awards process. “The judges took the task very seriously.”

Roughly 100 local members of the music community have been invited to vote for winners among the nominees.

The Eddies Music Awards event on April 5 will feature performances by a number of artists across many genres, including several collaborations between acts. Performers will be announced in March.

Last year’s event attracted an audience of 1,250 and more are anticipated this year. “It’s seems for everyone who was there had positive things to about it, there were as many people who were absent but heard the good reviews and said they wouldn’t miss it this year,” said Prizio.

Here are 2020 Eddies Music Awards nominees:

Solo or Duo Artist of the Year

The Age

Jocelyn & Chris Arndt

Taina Asili

The Parlor

Sean Rowe

The Sea The Sea

Alt / Indie Artist of the Year

The Abyssmals

Candy Ambulance

Greens

Laveda

Pony in the Pancake

Sky Furrows

Punk Artist / Hardcore Artist of the Year

Blood Blood Blood

Brick by Brick

Eternal Crimes

Mystery Girl

Prince Daddy and the Hyena

Spell Runner

Metal / Hard Rock Artist of the Year

Black Electric

The Clay People

Dirt Church

Drug Church

Greasefire

Johnny Booth

Jam Band of the Year

Ampevene

Annie in the Water

Glass Pony

Hartley’s Encore

Let’s Be Leonard

The Purple Stuff

Rock/Pop Artist of the Year

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt

Bear Grass

Girl Blue

Sirsy

State Champs

Wild Adriatic

Solo or Duo Artist of the Year (Cover)

Chris Dollard

Dos Amigos

PJ Duo

Erin Harkes

Carmen Lookshire

Rich Ortiz

Party Cover Band of the Year

The Accents

The AudioStars

Bad Chaperones

Funk Evolution

New York Players

The Refrigerators

Country Cover Band of the Year

Big Sky Country

The Kyle Bourgault Band

Moonshine Junkies

Red Haired Strangers

Skeeter Creek

Whisky Highway

Country / Bluegrass Artist of the Year

Blind Crow

Dyer Switch Band

Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys

The Gibson Brothers

Three Quarter North

Marty Wendell

Americana Artist of the Year

Eastbound Jesus

The Lazy Suns

The Mckrells

The Nellies

North & South Dakotas

Zan & the Winter Folk

Blues Artist of the Year

Amy Ryan Band

Annie and the Hedonists

The George Fletcher Blues Band

The Resonators

Soul Sky

Wyld Blu

Folk / Traditional Artist of the Year

Drank The Gold

Lost Radio Rounders

Michael Jerling

John Kirk and Trish Miller

The Sea The Sea

Bob Warren

DJ of the Year

DeeJay Element

DJ Ketchup

DJ Siroc

DJTGIF

DJ Trumastr

Intell Hayesfield

Hip Hop/Rap Artist of the Year

JB aka Dirty Moses

Johnny 2 Phones

KATANI

OHZHE

Promise the Unbreakable

Selli Paper

Electronica Artist of the Year

Bare Mattress

Horse Apples

Major Niño

Money Montage

Raisi K. (The Raisin Man)

Soo Do Koo

R&B / Soul Artist of the Year

The Age

Charles O’more

Pink Nois

Lee Reh

Souly Had

Victory Soul Orchestra

World Music Artist of the Year

Taina Asili y La Banda Rebelde

Golfstrom

Heard

Robanic

Sten & Maria Z

Alex Torres & his Latin Orchestra

Classical Artist of the Year

Albany Pro Musica

Capital Region Wind Ensemble

Empire State Youth Orchestra

Musicians of Ma’alwyck

Saint Rose Camerata

Schenectady Symphony Orchestra

Jazz Artist of the Year

Joe Barna

Michael Benedict

Peg Delaney

Chuck Lamb

Dylan Perrillo

Keith Pray

Promoter of the Year

Greg Bell (Guthrie Bell Productions)

Ted Etoll (Step Up Presents)

Mona Golub (Music Haven Concert Series)

Peter Lesser (The Egg)

Margie Rosenkranz (Eighth Step)

“On the Verge” Presenter of the Year

Asylum Albany

Bee Sides Cassettes

Chateau Shows

Little Booking Agency

Place for Jazz

Super Dark Collective

Live Production Crew of the Year

Aces

Albany Audio

Denis Entertainment Group

High Peaks Sound

Live Sound Inc

Specialized Audio-Visual Inc.

Record Label of the Year

Albany Records

Cacophone Records

Equal Vision

Five Kill Records

Magnetic Eye Records

Upstate Records

Best Hang

Chrome

Desperate Annie’s

The Low Beat

Oh Bar

Olde English Pub

Speakeasy 518

Music Recording Studio of the Year

AAA Recording Studio

Blue Sky Recording

Don Fury Recording Studio

Hyland Recording

Overit Studios

White Lake Music & Post

Arts Publication of the Year

The Chronicle

The Collaborative

Nippertown

NYS Music

Preview (Times Union)

The Spot 518

Music Journalist of the Year 

Amy Biancolli

Katie Cusack

Michael Hallisey

Indiana Nash

Jim Shahen

Tamani Wooley

Radio DJ of the Year

Brian and Chrissy WGNA

Art Fredette RadioRadioX

Andy Gregory WEXT

Bill McCann WCDB

Jeff Morad WEQX

Chris Wienk WEXT

Radio Station of the Year

RadioRadioX

WCDB

WEQX

WEXT

WGNA

WVCR

Photographer of the Year

Frankie Cavone

Dave DeCresente

Rudy Lu

Andre Pilarczyk

Shannon Straney

Kiki Vassilakis

Music Video of the Year

Jocelyn & Chris Arndt “Outta My Head”

Taina Asili “We Are Rising”

Buggy Jive “Another Song About the Moon”

The Clay People – “GenRX”

Front Biz “Little Mutants”

Joe Mansman and The Midnight Revival Band – “Blood/Grain/Cocaine”

pencildive “Cricket Man”

Prince Daddy & The Hyena “Lauren”

Record of the Year

Brother Hemlock “Good Ol Days”

TJ Foster “You are the Future”

Gibson Brothers “Cool Drink of Water”

Honey Slider “Ghostlighting”

Charles O’more “Nineteen + Won”

Sam Reed ft. The Heavenly Echos “Prophet”

David Tyo “Long Way Home”

Madison Vandenberg “What I’m Looking for”

Album of the Year

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt “The Fun in the Fight”

Taina Asili “Resiliencia”

Bright Dog Red “How’s By you?”

Candy Ambulance “Traumantic”

The Figgs “Shady Grove”

JB!! aka Dirty Moses “Libations”

Jim Gaudet “Real Stories and Other Tall Tales”

Prince Daddy and the Hyena “Cosmic Thrill Seekers”

The Collaborative is published by Proctors. All Proctors Collaborative content is written by Proctors staff.