IBMA announces Momentum Award recipients

IBMAThe International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the recipients of their first Momentum Awards in advance of the industry’s big week in Nashville.

These awards are designed to honor artists and industry folks in the early stages of their careers. Though many of the honorees are young people, Momentum Awards are not meant specifically for them only.

The 2012 Momentum Awards go to:

  • Band – Monroeville
  • Vocalist – Emily Bankester
  • Instrumentalists – Alex Hargreaves, Samson Grisman and Christian Ward
  • Industry Achievement – Emilee Warner
  • Mentor – Mike Bub
  • Event/Venue – Appalachian Uprising

From the press release announcing the winners…

“The three instrumentalists recognized this year include fiddler Alex Hargreaves from Oregon, who performs with Sarah Jarosz; bassist Samson Grisman with The Deadly Gentlemen; and Christian Ward, who plays fiddle with Sierra Hull. Grisman (the son of legendary mandolinist David “Dawg” Grisman) and Ward are both from California.

The first Momentum Award for Industry Achievement goes to Crash-Avenue publicist Emilee Warner in New York City. Warner is active on IBMA committees and serves on the Americana Music Association board of directors.

Five-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year and producer Mike Bub will be recognized for his work as a Mentor to young musicians.

Appalachian Uprising, a new festival in Scottown, Ohio held every summer in June, presents artists ranging from Melvin Goins and Junior Sisk to the Infamous Stringdusters, David Mayfield Parade, and the Vespers.

Monroeville, a new band with young but veteran members, released a self-titled EP on its own label in 2011, hosted the first Hard Rock Cafe AcoustiCana Series show during last year’s World of Bluegrass, and is as likely to perform at schools across the country as at festivals and clubs.

Emily Bankester, from Illinois, sings and plays fiddle with The Bankesters. The family band’s new album, Looking Forward, includes the song Don’t Try To Be Anyone Else, for which a new video was released this month.

‘The talents of emerging artists and industry professionals are essential to keeping bluegrass alive and growing, and the IBMA board feels these individuals deserve special recognition for the hard work and the contributions they are making to the industry as a whole,’ says IBMA Executive Director Nancy Cardwell. ‘The Momentum Awards are a supplement to the current IBMA Awards structure, created to encourage growth and a wider sense of ownership and pride in the organization.’ “

The awards will be officially presented during World of Bluegrass events next week. Industry awards will be distributed on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. (CDT) on the main showcase stage, and the artist awards on Wednesday (same time/place).

Congratulations to the 2012 Momentum Award recipients!

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John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.