WAM announce Song Of The Year 2020 nominees, virtual awards night

Header image by Cam Campell.

If you're unaware, the WAM Song of the Year awards are a West Australian institution that aims to highlight the best local talent over the past twelve months, and the music that's helped the state carve a reputation as one of the country's - if not, the world's - most brilliant places for music full-stop, regardless of genre. With over a thousand entries coming from all over the state every year, it's essentially a summary of the brilliance captured within West Australia's music world, including the little nooks and crannies that often don't get thrown into the spotlight like some of West Australia's biggest heavy-hitters.

In 2020, things are going to be slightly different, however. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tight restrictions surrounding it, they've today announced that the WAM Song of the Year Awards will be a fully-online virtual party, with all the winners - plus guest speakers, performances and more - tuning in from wherever they are to be shown on WAM's Facebook page. It's a crafty way to go about things that needs to happen, as despite everything that's happened throughout the last six months, WA music has continued to prove a torch light through dark times, and that's something worth celebrating. 

Today, they've announced the nominees for this year's award ceremony, which really encapsulates the brilliance of West Australian music. Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks and Indigo Ellis lead the way, with three nominations respectively, while a tonne of West Australia's cutting-edge talent have two nominations: Bolt Gun, MissGenius, Sydnee Carter, Brandon Poletti, Jamahl Ryder, Carla Geneve, Tracey Barnett, Noah Dillon, Maddie Mian, Siobhan Cotchin, Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble, XIII and The Little Lord Street Band included.

"We’re thrilled to be presenting the WAM Song of the Year awards as an online event for the first time in 2020 to help celebrate the craft of songwriting and the immense amount of musical talent that resides in WA, in what’s been a difficult year for the music industry around the globe," says WAM Song of the Year co-ordinator Claire Hodgson on the award ceremony, which will give winners over $45,000 of awards designed to further their career and allow them to spread into the east coast world, where past winners such as Stella Donnelly have dominated.

"Now more than ever has been the time to recognise the important role music plays in our lives and to value the efforts of musicians who write original music because of their passion and reverence for the artform," she continues. "The Song of the Year 2020 virtual awards will recognise some of the best songs to come out of WA from the past year and we hope that you can join us for the party and discover some of your new favourite acts in what’s shaping up to be a great night in."

Meet the nominees below, and take a dive into a WA music-defining playlist of all of them while you're scrolling and picking your winners:

WAM Song of the Year 2020 Nominees: 

ACT-BELONG-COMMIT

I Don’t Wanna Be - MissGenius
Find My Way Through - Brandon Poletti
Upward Now - Helen Townsend
Gotta Get Out - Tracey Barnett
Home - Indigo Ellis
Voice Treaty Truth - St Mary’s College Choir Broome

BLUES/ROOTS

Mars - Black River Ransom
Spot On (Rocking Chair – Verandah Mix) - Dr Cuz and Friends
Take Me Down - Karin Page
Freedom Road - La La’s Python
I’m Broke - Three Blind Knights
Eyes Forward - Tracey Barnett

COUNTRY

Shadow Calling - Camarano
Half Frozen Beer - Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks
I’m Bled - Lincoln MacKinnon
As If You Were There - Mike Goodwin
Tear Myself Apart - Siobhan Cotchin
Frankie’s Back In Town - The Little Lord Street Band

ELECTRONIC

Dance For None - Felicity Groom
Flourish - Fourth State Turiya
Alchemise - Grievous Bodily Calm
Glued To The Floor - Ruer
Call Someone - SINEKDOKI
Drowning - Sydnee Carter

EXPERIMENTAL

Hearing Loss - Alon Shimon Shai-Kaspi
Existence is Exile & Nothingness, Home - Bolt Gun
Intercurrent -  Lachlan Skipworth
My Piano - Parnell March
Melt - samarobryn
My Josephine - XIII

HEAVY/METAL

The Altar of Lies Will Not Be Destroyed - Bolt Gun
Snowflake - Filth Wizard
Black Thumb - Giant Dwarf
Rust - Ragdoll
Dead Rat - RATSALAD
Imperatore - Zoran

POP

Morning Coffee - Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks
Matthew McConaughey - Noah Dillon
Follow - PRISCILLA
Old Man - Stella Donnelly
Plans - Sydnee Carter
Catch Up - The Hunting Birds

ROCK

Frankie’s Back In Town - The Little Lord Street Band
Tear Myself Apart - Siobhan Cotchin
Matthew McConaughy - Noah Dillon
Prime Minister - Jack Davies and The Bush Chooks
Home Run - Ghost Care
2001 - Carla Geneve

GLOBAL

Carolan’s Ghost - Adam B Harris
The Recipe - Daniel Susnjar
Jamasutra Stylin - Dilip n the Davs
Pucker Up - Steve Hensby Band
Mardilo - Grace Barbé
Edge of Reason - Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble

JAZZ

It Ain’t You - Fiona Rea
Sketches - Harry Mitchell
DUST - Holli Scott
Edge of Reason - Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble
The Pentagon - MELVE
The Constant - Nick Abbey

OUTSTANDING REGIONAL

Over You - Bianca Gasbarri
This Blue World Is Full Of Joy - Darcy Hay
Release Me - Flood the Moon
Satellites - Latehorse
Like the Pain - Maddie Mian
Never Let Me Know - The Gusset

PUNK/HARDCORE

The Australian Dream - Desert Dogs
Gatorade - HUSSY
Fade Away - Shangrila
Do Not Help Me - The Limbs
Body Scan - The Reductors
I Smell The Blood Of An Englishman - XIII

FOLK

Sitting By Myself - Brandon Poletti
Things Change - Carla Geneve
Dear Sir Madam - Kelea
Do Yourself a Favour - Man Sandal
Batavia - Sam Carmody
I Won’t Be Around - The Money War

URBAN/HIP HOP

Bad Like Ri Ri (feat. POW! Negro) - Adrian Dzvuke
Elevation - Jamahl Ryder
Proud - Jaycee
Juice (feat. Paloma) - Knoe
Selfish (produced by His-Story) - Michael Kay
Daytona Rolling - Otiuh
Moxie Scott - Mackenzie AKA Dead Tooth

SCHOOLS 14 & UNDER

Reflections - Angelina Curtis
Home - Indigo Ellis
Lighthouse - Isabella Mowday
What We’ve Become - Leah Ballantyne
Like the Pain - Maddie Mian
Falling - Mitch Santiago (Ballardin)

SCHOOLS 15 - 17

Embers Electrocity - Ensemble
Crossfire - Farraday’s Cage
Take Two - Gracie B
Fighting the Blaze - Jordan Anthony
The Hideaway - Tom Caughey
In memory of - Vmarie

OUTSTANDING INDIGENOUS

Home - Indigo Ellis
Elevation - Jamahl Ryder
Ballad Of Uncle Thomas - JoKeria
I Don’t Wanna Be - MissGenius
Nganyang Koordamart: My Sweetheart - Phil Bartlett and John Mitchell
Designated Driver - Phoneline Valentine

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