The 2021 Syracuse Area Music Award Nominees were announced Wednesday February 3rd. This year a record-breaking number of recordings were submitted. An independent panel of music industry professionals and educators from around the country reviewed the submissions and made their selections based on their merit within their genre. The 2021 list of 60 nominees in 14 categories can be found below. A complete list of all previous SAMMY winners can be found on our Past Recipients page. A Press Kit is also available for download.
Best Alternative
Chuck Schiele
Love Letters
Major Player
Upset City
Mattydale Music Collective
No Thief, However Skillful
The Exploding Flowers
Strangers
Zach Blaszak
Homebrew
Best Americana
Chocolate BonBon
Book of Names
Harmonic Dirt
Live At The Ridge
J. Schnitt
A Compass of Stars (The Quarantine Singles)
Kid Roscoe
…And The Horse You Rode In On
The Dart Brothers
Strangest Wavelength
Best Blues
JunioR
This’ll Hurt
Tas Cru
DRIVE ON
Best Country
Brandon Scott
North Country
Tink Bennett & Tailor Made
Hate The Game
Whiskey Hollow Rush
Life, Love, Whiskey
Best Electronic
Asael
We Believed
Empires in Orbit
Rave of the Damned
Mazedude
MazeQuest 3 Original Soundtrack
Shitnuts
Final Frontier
The Stranger
Soundtrack for a Movie Not Yet Written
Best Hard Rock
Brand New Sin
Live At The Lost
Caustic Method
No Retribution
Cleansed In Embers
Misery
Junexa
Lifeless
MOTORLORD
Motorlord
Best Hip-Hop or Rap
Big Nate MG
The Story of MG
Christenelle Diroc
Christenelle Diroc
Def One
04/20 Vision
MBK Richy
Throwaways
Young Dellz
Riana’s Father
Best Jam Band
Ben Blujus
Believe In Music
Chiggin
THXGVNG
The Z-Bones
Sweet Misery
Vaporeyes
Cantrips
Best Jazz
London McDaniel
Anatural Aphrodisiaca
Stan Colella Orchestra
Just For Fun
Best Other Style
Amanda Rogers
Winter Butterfly
DiCosimo/Pagán
Con Moto
Letizia
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Lonnie Park and The Earth Band
My Earth Songs
Redeemer Church Worship
Be Enthroned
Best Pop
Coughlin
Unlatch Diary
DESTYNEE
Love&Art
Jess Novak Band
Standing Now
Nick + Noah
Fall
Pat Tato
Good Grief
Best R&B
Chels
After Midnight
Jaquiel
Summer Nights in the Southward
Liam Alone
Liam Alone Live
Sean McLeod
Freedom (Sean McLeod’s “A Soundtrack for Harriet Tubman”)
Wavy Vibez
Only One (The Ep)
Best Rock
Atkins Riot
Couch Potato
Krix Wiechmann and the Pallbearers
3 Hits From Hell
Otherworldly Entity
Cataclysm
Posted
Fantastic Invasion
The Kiwis
Still Life – EP
Best Singer-Songwriter
Amanda Rogers
The Hallow
Colleen Kattau
Besos Kisses
Just Joe
Breakdown
Sydney Irving
Relax With Fiends
Submission and Judging Process
SAMMY awards are given based on the judgement of submissions sent to the SAMMYS Board by musicians in Syracuse and the surrounding area. Congratulations to the 166 artists that submitted 194 recordings! In times of darkness creativity flourishes. An independent panel of music industry professionals and educators from around the country, led by James Abbott, review the submissions and make their selections based on their merit within their genre.