It
was a star-studded night in Detroit Friday as a
colorful throng of attendees gathered at the Fillmore to honor the players
inside the Detroit
music scene.
The
17th installment of the Detroit Music Awards was bustling with musicians,
insiders and fans decked in everything from their Sunday best to gothic club
wear, with a select few toting the most popular fashion accessory of the
evening: those black-and-gold trophies.
With
10 genres of music to cover and nearly six-dozen awards to hand out, the
presentations were split into two events. The pre-ceremony was a gathering at
the intimately quaint Cliff Bell’s, the jazz club just around the corner from
the Fillmore. Highlights there included Muggs’ guitarist Danny Methric scoring
an award for outstanding rock-pop instrumentalist and Liz Larin nabbing one of
her three wins.
“I’m
so glad to be a part of this scene because there are so many talented people
here,” says Larin, whose three wins put her atop the evening’s pack along with
country-folkie Jill Jack, who also scored three wins.
Later,
back inside the Fillmore, host MC Serch and a handful of live sets kept the
evening going. One highlight was a stellar performance from Crud, which picked
up the award for outstanding industrial artist/group.
Keyboardist
Eddie Harsch of Black Crowes fame was on hand as part of moving tribute to
Uncle Jessie White, the longtime Detroit
blues master who passed away in January.
On
the national level, Kid Rock’s “Rock and Roll Jesus” won for outstanding
national major label recording while the White Stripes’ “Icky Thump” grabbed
the outstanding national single honor.
Other
notable wins included nods to the downtown scene with the Hard Lessons grabbing
the outstanding live performance honors and the Dirtbombs scoring a win for
outstanding alternative/indie artist/group.
