Minnesota Music Awards: 2002

This is a very incomplete listing of the 2002 MMAs.  Information comes from articles in the Minneapolis Star Tribune by Chris Riemenschneider dated April 5, September 13, September 19 and 20, 2002.  The Strib had gone to posting the complete list of winners online, which, of course, is no longer there.  I also missed the City Pages’ ballot, probably because I was looking in April and May, not knowing the MMA had moved the ceremony to September.  I have fixes for these problems in motion, but in the meantime, here is the information I have.

I apologize for any misspellings of anyone’s name; it could be from the source, or it could be from my typing.  Please contact me if you need to have something corrected.  Thanks!

For other years, see MINNESOTA MUSIC AWARDS.

 

DATE:  September 18, 2002

PLACE:   Touchstone Energy Place, St. Paul

NOTES:

Howard Day became  the new President of the Minnesota Music Association (MMA) in April.

The awards were moved from April to September, so the 2002 awards covered 18 months.  Ballots were printed in the City Pages in early September.  Awards were given in 54 categories.

Only 1,000 people were in attendance, and few of the musicians who won awards came to the ceremony.  Reasons for the lack of musician participation were that they were expected to pay the $15 – $18 ticket fee and come in formal attire.  The ceremony was deemed “a debacle” by Riemenschneider, who later said that many of the ballots weren’t even counted.

Musical performances included:

  • Keith Secola’s Native American music troupe
  • Jazz crooner Holly Collison
  • Hip-Hop band Heiruspecs
  • Heavy metal band Flipp
  • Hawaii Show

 

MAJOR AWARDS

 

***The Winners of the Major Awards Section are listed at the top of each list below, in Bold.  Beneath them are what Riemenschneider calls the “entries” in his article dated September 13, 2002, and that I take to mean nominations.***

ARTIST OF THE YEAR:

  • Matthew St.-Germain   St.-Germain was described by Riemenschneider as “an avant-garde performer who rarely performs in clubs and is a relative unknown outside of a cult following.”
  • Ed Ackerson
  • American Head Charge
  • Atmosphere
  • Dillinger Four
  • Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble
  • Alan Sparhawk
  • SpyMob

RECORDING OF THE YEAR:

  • “Stereo/Mono,” Paul Westerberg
  • “Half Cocked and Fully Loaded,” Front Porch Swingin’ Pigs
  • “Falling Down to Heaven,” Barb Ryman
  • “Live,” Brenda Weiler
  • “Biota Bondo,” Iffy
  • “The War of Art,” American Head Charge
  • “Things we Lost in the Fire,” Low
  • “RL:Ements,” R.L.

SONG OF THE YEAR:

  • “Double Dutch,” Iffy
  • “Modern Man’s Hustle,” Atmosphere
  • “Is This It?,” Polara
  • “Paradise,” Barb Ryman
  • “I Can’t Take You Home,” Becky Schlegel
  • “Invitation,” The Camdens

NEW ARTIST:

  • Iffy
  • Fog
  • Flavor
  • Kangaroo
  • Sweet J.A.P.
  • Soviettes

SONGWRITER:  Kurt Jorgensen

 

 

AWARDS BY GENRE

AMERICANA GROUP/ARTIST:  Kurt Jorgensen

AMERICANA RECORDING:  “American Bordeaux,” Kurt Jorgensen

BLUES GROUP/ARTIST:  Renee Austin

BLUES RECORDING:  Renee Austin

BLUEGRASS ARTIST:  Becky Schlegel

BLUEGRASS RECORDING:  Becky Schlegel

ELECTRONIC ARTIST:  The Busy Signals

HIP-HOP GROUP/ARTIST: Atmosphere

HIP-HOP RECORDING:  Atmosphere

POP GROUP:  Leep 27

POP RECORDING:  Leep 27

PUNK BAND:  Dillinger Four

PUNK RECORDING:  Dillinger Four

ROCK ARTIST:  Paul Westerberg

ROCK RECORDING: “Stereo/Mono,” Paul Westerberg

HARD ROCK GROUP:  Flipp

HARD ROCK RECORDING:  “Blow it Out Your Ass,” Flipp

 

TECHNICAL

MINNESOTA-PRODUCED RADIO PROGRAM:   “Homegrown,” KQRS