Once again last night, the Washington Area Music Association’s 24th Annual Wammies at the State Theatre in Falls Church exhibited the inspiring and  troubling aspects of  this self-described “umbrella organization of Washington area musicians, concert promoters, lawyers, recording engineers, managers, graphic artists, and related businesses working together to address areas of common concern.” Hosted by WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi, XM-Sirius’s Bill Wax, and Westwood Radio’s Jim Bohannon, the lengthy program featured nine acts performing multiple songs plus numerous local musicians presenting awards. Categories included Best Electronica Vocalist (Bob Mould won) and Artist of the Year (Patti Reese won).

The most positive aspect of the night was the fairly diverse live roster. While the lineup slightly overemphasized veteran roots and Americana performers, it’s hard to quibble too much with a bill that included the mountain stream vocals of bluegrass combo the Dede Wyland Band, the upbeat charismatic flow of rapper Tabi Bonney, the powerful hornwork of the Afro Bop Alliance, the bouncy Afropop of Elikeh, the roots twang of singer Marti Brom, the funky go-go of Be’la Dona, and the country rock of the Rosslyn Mountain Boys.

Unfortunately, a handful of the awards given out last night, and the noticeable absence of certain artists from the nominations, demonstrated some of the same problems the Mike Schreibman-run WAMA has struggled with since its 1984 founding. While WAMA occasionally consults “experts” (critics and others involved with local music) to suggest nominees, it largely relies on suggestions from its paid membership, who also then vote in the various categories. In 1998, I wrote an article for the Washington City Paper on WAMA, in which I pointed out some of the problems related to its approach—a singer who bought memberships to the organization for friends for the purpose of getting votes; the neglect of certain genres; and several artists winning awards again and again and again.

Confession time: In 2009, after several years of e-mailing WAMA board member and singer Janine Wilson regarding my more recent complaints about the Wammies, I was contacted by Wilson shortly before this year's nominations were announced. She asked me for some ideas.  Alas, many of my suggestions—Ethiopian vocalist Hana Shankute; Latin outfits Zeniza Allstar, Orquesta La Romana and  Joe Falero and the Latin Jazz Allstars—did not make it, even as nominees. A quick look at the nominees displays many other omissions. While I am a fan of Richmond, Va.’s Bio Ritmo, it seems odd that WAMA would nominate two of that group's members for best Latin instrumentalist while leaving out the likes of Dan Sheehy and his fellow bandmates in Mariachi Los Amigos.  Maryland’s southern soul Hardway Connection won a 2009 “Carolina Beach Music Award” but were not nominated.  Southern soul combo Jim Bennett and Lady Mary did not make it. The critically acclaimed afropop band Extra Golden (with members from D.C. and Kenya) were also overlooked. WAMA’s longstanding failure to follow the area's indie/alternative/experimental rock scene meant that it did not find room in its Modern Rock category for the likes of  Screen Vinyl Image, the Shirks, the Points, Rustbuckit, Title Tracks, or any metal or hard rock bands. WAMA’s omissions year after year suggest that critics like me are not merely nitpicking; we're pointing out structural flaws in the nomination methods.

WAMA's voting history and the omissions from its nominations taint some of this year’s actual winners, deservedly or not.  Should bar-band roots rocker Patti Reese have beaten out Wale and others for Artist of the Year, and should she have won Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and three roots rock awards as she did?  Oh, and did I mention that her label, Azalea City Recordings, tied with Smithsonian Folkways for Best D.C. Label?  Should all five blues/traditional R&B awards have gone to white musicians? Was Bob Mould an electronica vocalist in 2009 even though he used his guitar somewhat? Should singer Margot MacDonald have won three out of four of the modern rock awards? Are Hotspur, a Killers-style pop-emo band, really the Best New Artists? In addition, the noticeable absence of many of the winners at the event, as well as the loud conversations among audience members while trophies were handed out, demonstrated that after 24 years, these awards are still struggling for respect. I recognize, as WAMA board members have pointed out to me for over a decade, that the organization has good intentions, but perhaps it's time to reconsider the selection and voting process, and use that good will in a more productive manner.

Photo of Tabi Bonney courtesy of Jan Keskinen.

• The Footprint in Hip Hop Tour: Method Man & Red Man, Ghostface Killah, Duo Live. 9:30 club. $35. All ages.
• Sophia Bass, Ruthi & the Tracers. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials. Birchmere. $25.
• Head Automatica, Cubic Zirconia. Black Cat. $15. All ages.
• Carol Bui Butterflies, Impossible Hair, US. Comet Ping Pong. All ages.
• The Mass Shivers, The Alphabet, Hello Babies, Greenland, Wild Fictions. D.C. Mini Gallery. $5. All ages.
• Abigail Williams, Goatwhore,  Daath, Abysmal Dawn, Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky, Fallen Martyr, Nightmare Ritual. Jaxx. $12/$15. All ages.
• The Winter Sounds, Go Home Robot, Achtung Panda. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
• Bob Dylan. Ripken Stadium. Call for price.
• Bonjour Ganesh!, Ghost Light, The Mean Ideas. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
• Project Natale (Fri. & Sat. shows). Twins Jazz. $15.
• Sunsets with a Soundtrack: The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band. West Steps U.S. Capitol. Free.
• Girl Loves Distortion, Trophy Wife, Three Lexington Arrows, Fangs Out. Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• National Symphony Orchestra: “The Wizard of Oz.” Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $20–$48.

Saturday

• Trouble Funk 30th Anniversary Reunion Tribute to Dyke, w/ The Art of Junk, Da Mixx Band. 9:30 club. $20. All ages.
• Andy Paxon Band, Rose Between Thorns. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Dave Alvin & the Guilty Women. Birchmere. $25.
• Extra Golden, Black & Tan Fantasy Band. Black Cat. $12. All ages.
• Bluebrain, Alfonso Bravo. Comet Ping Pong. All ages.
• Buster Brown & the Get Down. Dogfishhead Alehouse. Call for price.
• 2009 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest. Marvin Gaye Park. Call for prices.
• Pants Velour, The Escape Artist, Reemstarr, Flex Matthews. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
• The Mighty Heard, Baad Ingrish, Ndelible. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
• Satisfaction: A Tribute to The Rolling Stones. The State Theatre. $16.
• Nunchucks, 7 Door Sedan, We The They, DJ sets by Kingpin Soundsystem. Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• National Symphony Orchestra: “The Music of John Williams.” Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $20–$75.

Sunday

• Eric Weinberg & the Morrison Brothers. Birchmere. $35.
• Crystal Stilts, The Ladybug Transistor, Cotton Candy. Black Cat Backstage. $10. All ages.
• So Many Dynamos, Cast Spells, Detox Retox. DC9. $8. +18.
• Born Empty, Deville. The Red & The Black. $6. +21.
• Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dan Friel. Rock and Roll Hotel. $15. All ages.
• Sugarplums, Microwave Background. Velvet Lounge. $8. +18.
• Gordon Lightfoot. Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $22–$40.

Photo of Michael O'Neill, of The Ladybug Transistor, via MySpace.

Extra Golden will be performing tonight at Comet Ping Pong, and instead of writing some pithy preview, I've opted to create a Washington City Paper/Extra Golden primer of sorts. Links below.

Extra Golden @ Comet Ping Pong
5037 Connecticut Ave. NW
$12, doors 9 pm.

–Postrock and a Hard Place

–Rockers Without Borders

–Kenya Unrest Hits Extra Golden

–Thank You Very Quickly

Also, check out Michaelangelo Matos' recent feature in Baltimore City Paper.

Thrill Jockey is currently streaming the entire record here.

Extra Golden: "Anyango"

Tim Hecker: An Imaginary Country (Kranky)
It's easy to see why the music of Montreal-based Tim Hecker is often tagged as "ambient." His swarming symphonies of manipulated samples and computer noise are certainly atmospheric enough to beg such a label, and yes, he was even featured on Kompakt's annual Pop Ambient compilation in January. But this is ambient music that grabs the listener by the collar, demanding attention with compositions so massive, so overwhelming and thick with laptop wash that they border on the aggressive. Hecker's new full-length, An Imaginary Country, offers more of the ghostly anthems he's know for, though his approach this time is a bit more pronounced than in the past. The distant transistor crackle exhibited on 2003's Radio Amor has come closer into range, and the distortion saturated refrains of 2006's Harmony in Ultraviolet have progressed in clarity. The bass throbs and overloaded organ of "Sea of Pulses" even sound like a slow-motion version of Dan Deacon covering Terry Riley. Whether it's background lush you're seeking, or an active exercise in melodic deconstruction, An Imaginary Country comfortably satisfies both niches.

Tim Hecker: "Sea of Pulses"