Honoring the greatest musicians in the Syracuse area. http://www.syracuseareamusic.com The Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards is ecstatic to announce the two finalists who have made it through seven rounds of voting for the People's Choice for Best New Artist and Best Venue for 2008:

Bands:

The Action!
Teenager

(Total: 2)

Venues:

Funk'n Waffles
Shifty's

(Total: 2)

You'll only have until Wednesday, June 4 at midnight to vote for your favorites; come that time, votes will be cut off, and a winner will be decided for this year's competition! Note: the final deadline for votes is a day earlier than previous weeks during the final week of the vote in order to prepare everybody for the award show, which will take place on Friday, June 6, from noon to 11:30 p.m.; the award ceremony proper will start at 7 p.m. and run until 9:30 p.m. at the Taste of Syracuse. Be sure to check out live music all day on the stage at the corner of Washington and Franklin streets, as well as headliner Simplelife, which will kick of the nighttime party starting at 9:30 p.m.

For those who have been keeping tabs, this year marked the most popular year for the People's Choice award yet, garnishing well over 23,000 confirmed votes from about 5000 individuals since the count started on March 1. Two candidates in both categories have been pared down from an original pool of 147 bands and 65 venues, resulting in a dramatic finish.

In addition, don't even think of missing the SNT Sammys Hall of Fame reception, slated to take place on Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m. The party will get started during a Syracuse Chief's game at Alliance Bank Stadium, 1 Tex Simone Drive, when the team takes on the Columbus Clippers. Prior to the game, this year's Hall of Fame recipients will be welcomed onto the field and congratulated on their careers; afterward, food will be served in the Hank Sauer Room for ticket holders, and music fans will be swarming with excitement for the upcoming Sammys Award Show.

Tickets for the event are $20, and may be purchased by first reserving a slot by email tickets@syracuseareamusic.com. Payment and pickup information will be sent to you shortly after. Only 50 tickets remain, so don't hesitate to reserve a spot at an event that will include networking and reminiscing among Syracuse's elite musicians. Barbecue food and warm memories are sure to whet the pallets of the most enduring music fans. For more information, call 422-7011, Ext. 128.

Furthermore, there were no takers for last week's t-shirt contest, so this week we will try again! In addition, we will be giving out two free tickets to our SNT Sammys Hall of Fame Reception party for the final prize for of our voting contest. All those who vote for this week's Sammys People's Choice Award will be eligible to win free tickets, and in addition another lucky voter will win last week's free t-shirt.

Finally, be sure to check out the SNT Sammys People's Choice page for information about the finalist for this year's vote. Biographies, images and sample tunes (forthcoming this weekend) will be available on that page to give you a better idea of who to vote for.

It's an exciting week for Syracuse musicians, and we hope you're excited, too! Stay tuned, and rock on Syracuse! http://www.syracuseareamusic.com The Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards have narrowed the playing field for this year's People's Choice down to four contestants in the categories of Best Band and Best Venue. Just two weeks remain before the SNT Sammys Award Show, to be held at the Taste of Syracuse on June 6, from noon to 11:30 p.m. at the corner of Franklin and Washington streets. Be sure to vote for your favorites before the next deadline, Thursday, May 29 at midnight, when the final two contestants in both categories will be announced.

The following finalists will continue to the next round. Check back to the Web site this week, when more information about our final contestants will be posted on our site.

Also remember that our free t-shirt contest continues through the week of the Sammys award show, with one winner each week slated to win a free Sammys t-shirt. Winners will be selected from the email addresses who vote during the next week. Also, keep in mind that during the final week one lucky voter will be selected to win two free tickets to our Syracuse New Times Sammys Hall of Fame Reception; refer to this post for more information about the event, which is not to be missed by any fan of Syracuse music.

Bands

The Action!
The Erika Desocio Band
Teenager
Rson Tully

(Total: 4)

Venues

The Auburn Public Theater
Funk'n Waffles
Lost Horizon
Shifty's

(Total: 4) http://www.syracuseareamusic.com A major announcement regarding the Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards, now just two weeks away!

The Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards is happy to announce a special event, to take place on Thursday, June 5, 2008, at 7 p.m., just one day prior to our Awards Show at the Taste of Syracuse. The first Sammys Hall of Fame Reception will be held at the Hank Sauer Room during a Syracuse Chiefs game, when they take on the Columbus Clippers.

Previous Sammy Hall of Fame honorees will be in attendance for the truly special event, which will also feature all the barbecue food you can eat during a warm, summer ball game. This year’s SNT Sammys Hall of Famers will also be invited onto the field and honored in front of the stadium’s crowd, a moment not to be missed by true fans of Syracuse music. In addition, local celebrities and board members Big Mike Fiss of Sunny 102, local rocker Joe Whiting and music editor for the Syracuse New Times Matt Mumau will be in attendance, along with board president Liz Nowak and scores of other members of the local music community. As a result, the heart warming event will also be an excellent opportunity for new musicians to network with the legendary musicians who have made Syracuse the great city for music that it is.

Tickets for the event may be purchased by first reserving them; email tickets@syracuseareamusic.com indicating how many tickets you'd like to order. As space is limited for the event, the first 50 emails received will be sent a response about payment and pickup. Admission will be $20 per person, which includes a full barbecue meal, a great day and spectacular seats at the ball park and a chance to hang out with some of Syracuse’s most well regarded musicians.

For more information, call 422-7011, Ext. 128.

Furthermore, excitement is continuing to mount for the Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Award People's Choice vote, which is down to just 8 remaining contestants in the Best Band and Best Venue categories. Be sure to get votes in for your favorites prior to Thursday, May 22, at midnight, when the competition will narrow contestants down to the final four.

Keep in mind that our free t-shirt contest will continue until the day of the SNT Sammys Award Show. Those who vote during the week will have a chance to win a free t-shirt. This week, we'd like to congratulate Patty Beer of Auburn. In addition, we're excited to announce that two tickets to our Sammys Hall of Fame Reception will be given out as the final week's prize during the weekend of May 30. All who have voted for bands thus far will be eligible to win two free tickets to our Chief's game gala! Stay tuned for more information next week. http://www.syracuseareamusic.com The Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards People's Choice vote has moved on to the next round, leaving just the top 8 contestants in both the category for the best band and best venue. There was, once again, a tie for last place for best venue, which leaves an additional venue in the mix. Be sure to vote again this week prior to midnight on Thursday, May 22, in order to make sure your favorites survive to the top 4!

Also, remember that you'll have a chance to win a Sammys t-shirt if you vote during the week. One lucky voter will be selected via email to receive a shirt, so stay tuned to hear this week's winner.

The following is a list of this week's remaining nominees:

Bands:

4:Thirtyseven
The Action!
The Erika DeSocio Band
The Mike Estep Band
Nothingman
Rson Tully
Teenager
Torment the Vein


(8 total)

Venues:

Auburn Public Theater
Bull & Bear Pub
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Empire Brewing Company
Funk'n Waffles
The Inner Harbor
Lost Horizon
The Palace Theatre
Shifty's


(9 total) http://www.syracuseareamusic.com The Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Music Awards is pleased to announce the nominees and honorees to be featured during this year's Syracuse New Times Sammys Award Show during the Taste of Syracuse on June 6 from noon to 11:30 p.m.

Admission to the event, which will be held on the corner of Franklin and Washingon streets, is free. For more information about the awards show, contact 727-5693.

All album awards were selected by an independent group of judges lead by Andrew Russo, artist-in-residence at Le Moyne College. The Sammys extends its thanks to Russo for his support and hard work in organizing the judging committee.

Honorees:

Syracuse New Times Lifetime Achievement Award: Armond Magnarelli.

Hall of Fame Award: Larry Luttinger, Dave Novak, Mark Hoffmann, Sandy Bigtree, Roosevelt Dean and Jerry Santy.

Album Nominations:

Best Country: Branded, Gary W. Brockway, Thomas Jankowski/Flipside, The Wolf Mountain Band.

Best Folk or Bluegrass: Boots 'N Shorts, Cluidan, Dennis McGuire's One Man Band, Merry Mischief, Charlie Orlando.

Best Jazz: Anthony Joseph Swingtet, The Don Martin Trio, Hanna Richardson and Phil Flanigan, The Sons of Syracuse, YMCA Center for Creative Arts/Mission Driven.

Best Recording, Other Styles: Dufus, The February, Fritz's Polka Band, Kh'Mi, Molly Shea.

Best Hip-Hop or Rap: C-Lite, DooWiTTle, Oxburg, $upa $atty, Syntone.

Best Rhythm'n'Blues: Thomas T.C. Carter, Electric Relaxation.

Best Pop: Anorexic Beauty Queen Presents Michael Watson, The Bells and Whistles, Emerald City, Caleb Micah, Leif Olsen.

Best Blues: Carolyn Kelly and the Roosevelt Dean Band, Los Blancos, Chris Terra & Blue Smoke, Jimmy Wolf.

Best Alternative or New Rock: Crankdaddy, Cry to the Blind, Perpetual Burn, Torment the Vein, Gregg Yeti and the Best Lights.

Best Rock: Grey Tide, October Nites, RUHA, Michael Ryan, Joe Whiting and Mark Doyle.

Furthermore, the Syracuse New Times Sammys is also pleased to announce the official lineup to perform during this year's show.

The Sammys will again be the proud guest of the Taste of Syracuse, and would like to thank Galaxy Communications for its continued support this year.

Noon-1 p.m.: Grupo Pagan

1-2 p.m.: Five to Life

2-3 p.m.: Oxburg

3-4 p.m.: Bobby Green

4-5 p.m.: Lisa Gentile

5-6 p.m.: Primetime

6-7 p.m.: Dead Rose

7-9:30 p.m. Award Ceremony

9:30-11:30 p.m.: Simplelife

http://www.syracuseareamusic.com