For first time in its history, music's WAMI Awards are coming to Green Bay. Here's who's performing and being inducted.
ASHWAUBENON - For the first time in its history, the Wisconsin Area Music Industry will hand out its statewide honors with an awards ceremony in greater Green Bay.
The EPIC Event Center in Ashwaubenon will host the 42nd annual WAMI Awards at 7 p.m. May 19. The celebration of Wisconsin music excellence, which has bounced between Milwaukee and the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton in recent years, is back in northeastern Wisconsin for the first time since 2018.
In addition to awards in dozens of categories and performances by artists from across the state (including Green Bay's own Fun w/Atoms and The Glam Band), the evening will also feature the induction of three acts into the WAMI Hall of Fame.
This year's WAMI Hall of Fame nominees are ... Garbage, Arrested Development's 'Speech' and The Fendermen
Garbage: The Grammy-nominated rock band formed in Madison in 1993 became a staple of '90s radio with such hits as "Stupid Girl" and "Only Happy When It Rains." Shirley Manson, Butch Vig, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson have sold more than 17 million albums and are set to tour Europe this summer.
Todd "Speech" Thomas: The Milwaukee native and founder and frontman of Arrested Development is a two-time Grammy winner for the pioneering hip-hop group's1992 debut album, "3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of ...," which included the 1992 hit single "Tennessee." He's also a busy solo artist and inspirational and motivational speaker.
The Fendermen: The Madison-area rockabilly duo formed in 1958 by the late Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey had just one hit single, "Mule Skinner Blues," but it took them on the road with Johnny Cash and to "American Bandstand" and the Grand Ole Opry. Their name came from the Fender guitars they played and connected to the same amplifier.
WAMI organizers are currently in the process of coordinating logistics for the attendance of inductees or their representatives or family members at the awards ceremony.
Who are the finalists up for WAMI Awards?
It's a long list of 550-plus finalists in categories ranging from genre to instrument as well as on-air personalities, engineers, venues and festivals. The full rundown is at wami.org/2023-finalists. Here are a few of the primary categories:
Album of the Year
“A Story I Can’t Tell,” Michael Grabner
“Brighter Days,” Erin Krebs
“Dive Bar Dinner,” Berens & Greuel
“Not Done Yet,” SpareTime Bluegrass
“Queen of Hearts,” Would You Kindly?
“Royalty,” The Blacktop Kings
“Winter,” Kurt Gunn
Female Vocalist
Amelia Ford
Dani Crow
Erin Krebs
Jackie Brown
Janet Planet
Katie Mack
Paige Lieberman
Sammy Ray Marshall
Tae
Male Vocalist
Adam Liebersbach
Andrew Balistreri
Chris Krebs
Dennis Peters
Gabriel Sanchez
Jason McNabb
Jimmy Voegeli
Kriss Crow
Matt Ray
Rich Hoffman
Zakk Abitz
New Artist of the Year
Alive Again: A Tribute to Chicago
Hot Rod Huey and the B Sides
No Can Do
Rustbucket
Scarlet
The ‘90s Band
The Prince and the Peach
Where Is the Key
Would You Kindly?
Who's performing that night?
Fun w/Atoms
The Glam Band
Howard Ludtke and Blue Max
Prime Country
Secret Menu
Steem
Social Cig
The Supertramp Tribute Band
How much are tickets to the awards ceremony at EPIC Event Center?
General admission seats on the floor are $25. VIP mezzanine tickets are $45. Reserved tables of 10 are also available for $450. Tickets are on sale through etix.com.
There's a free party the night before at The Bar on Holmgren Way.
Brass Differential, Amelia Ford and Social Cig will play a free Curtain Raiser event at 6:30 p.m. May 18 at The Bar on Holmgren Way.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: WAMI Awards to induct Garbage, 'Speech,' Fendermen at Green Bay show
