The Syracuse Area Music Awards announced its 2018 Hall of Fame inductees and nominees for this year’s SAMMYS on Tuesday.

Nominees in various categories, along with six Hall of Fame inductees, the Music Educator of the Year recipient and the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, were announced at Tuesday’s press conference at the Palace Theatre. Sixty nominees were named in 14 recording categories.

“We’re really excited about this year’s inductions,” said chairperson Liz Nowak. “We have a really good crew and it’s really diverse.”

Inductees and award winners will receive their honors early next month — the Hall of Fame Induction will take place March 1 at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, and the SAMMYS Award Show will be held March 2 at the Palace Theatre.

Five musical groups will perform at the show, including Hall of Fame inductee band DOVE. All 14 award categories will be presented, and The Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist will also be announced. The Best New Artist will, as usual, receive six hours of recording time from SubCat Studios.

This is the 25th year of the SAMMYS, which was founded in 1992 and had its first ceremony in 1993. The SAMMYS committee formed “to honor the musicians who work so hard to imbue the local music scene with their artistry,” according to the awards’ website.

Nowak said one of the most noteworthy aspects of this year’s inductions is not every Hall of Fame inductee is a musician or musical group. She pointed to 2018 inductees Stacey Waterman and Dave Frisina.

David Frisina is a radio host who gives local artists a platform through his show “Soundcheck.” Courtesy of The SAMMYS

Waterman works behind the scenes to produce local and national-level shows, according to the website, and radio host Frisina gives local artists a platform through his show “Soundcheck.” For Nowak, these types of behind-the-scenes efforts are just as important as the musicians’ work.

“An audience member can see the show and they don’t need to know how it got put together, and it’s a lot of work,” Nowak said. “It’s a huge part of the industry.”

Maryjo Spillane, a Syracuse University alumna, was also inducted to the SAMMY Hall of Fame this year. Spillane, a tour and production manager, has worked in the concert industry for more than 25 years. Some of her past clients include Kelly Osbourne, Slayer, Dolly Parton and Lady Gaga.

A full list of the SAMMY nominees can be found online. Besides these categories, there’s also a People’s Choice award. Those interested can vote for their favorite artist or band, favorite live music venue and favorite local festival or music series.

Past winners have said getting honored with this award isn’t just about being a fan favorite, but also about area musicians coming together for community building. The three People’s Choice awards will also be presented March 2.

Votes can be cast once a day, every day, for this year’s People’s Choice. As of Tuesday, 61,500 votes had been cast online, which Nowak says is typical at this point in the competition. Last year, more than 100,000 votes were cast for the People’s Choice award.

Each category for 2018 is down to the final eight nominees. The fifth round of voting ends Sunday.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame induction are $25 and can be purchased at syracuseareamusic.com. Tickets for the SAMMYS are $20 and are available at the same site, as well as at Sound Garden on West Jefferson Street.

Published on February 6, 2018 at 9:19 pm

Contact Colleen: cefergus@syr.edu | @ColleenEFergus2