Methyl Ethel and Stella Donnelly Lead 2017 WAMAwards Nominees

Atmospheric dream-pop indie rockers Methyl Ethel and 2017 BIGSOUND Levi’s Music Prize victor Stella Donnelly lead the charge of the 2017 WAMAwards nominees with seven and six nominations respectively.

Recent triple j Feature Album-releasing rockers Tired Lion and long-time pop juggernaut San Cisco have each garnered five nominations each.



With four nominations each are the catchy, politically-charged wordsmith Ziggy Ramo, funky-soul orchestra Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics, the hypnotising gothic post-punk enigmas Nerve Quakes, wall-of-sound heavy rock mainstays RAG N’ BONE and Afro-Peruvian style jazz drummer Daniel Susnjar.



And then with three nominations each: Voyager, POW! Negro, POND, Boat Show, SLUMBERJACK, Memory of Elements, Feels, Carla Geneve, Drapht and WAYJO.



This year saw consultation with category specific specialists in the creation of nomination panels, from which the nominees were selected. 350+ industry judges are now commencing voting to decide the winners of the craft and industry awards.

All WA music lovers also have their chance to decide the winners in six Public Voted Awards, including Most Popular Live Act, Most Popular Event and Most Popular Video.



And then it’s time to celebrate… with the WAMAwards Party featuring performances from Tired Lion, Stella Donnelly, Harry Mitchell & Daniel Susnjar, John Bennett & David Hyams and Nerve Quakes, plus after-party performances TBA.

After a sold-out event last year, the WAMAwards returns to Perth’s live music and multi-purpose venue Gate One Theatre at Claremont Showgrounds.

Many of today's nominees will also be performing as part of WAMFest's Saturday Live’s free programme including Stella Donnelly, Riley Pearce, RAG N’ BONE, FOAM, Ziggy Ramo, Ralway Bell, Demon Days, Soukouss Internationale, Beni Bjah, BOAT SHOW, Sydnee Carter, John Bennett, Lucy Peach and a stack more.

2017 WAMAwards take place at Gate One Theatre at Claremont Showgrounds (Perth) 2 November.

WA MUSIC AWARDS – INDUSTRY

BEST ALBUM

Methyl Ethel - Everything Is Forgotten
POND - The Weather
San Cisco - The Water
The Waifs - Ironbark

BEST BLUES / ROOTS ACT

Dirtwater Bloom
John Butler Trio
MattyTWall
Old Blood
Tracey Barnett

BEST COUNTRY ACT

Belle Harvey
Helen Townsend
Ralway Bell
The Little Lord Street Band

BEST ELECTRONIC ACT (LIVE)

Feels
Phil Stroud
SLUMBERJACK
Tobacco Rat
Tourist Kid

BEST EP

Dream Rimmy - Heavy
POW! Negro - Jasmine & Licorice
SLUMBERJACK - Fracture
Stella Donnelly - Thrush Metal

BEST EXPERIMENTAL ACT

Dan O'Connor
Furchick
Jean-Michel Maujean
Sage Pbbbt

BEST FOLK ACT

Carla Geneve
Lucy Peach
Riley Pearce
Stella Donnelly
The Little Lord Street Band

BEST HIP HOP ACT

Coin Banks
Drapht
Marksman Lloyd
Ziggy Ramo

BEST INDIGENOUS ACT

Beni Bjah
Gina Williams
John Bennett
Yatangal (Mervyn Mulardy)
Ziggy Ramo

BEST JAZZ ARTIST

Daniel Susnjar Afro-Peruvian Jazz
Harry Mitchell
Jamie Oehlers
Memory of Elements

BEST METAL / HEAVY ACT

Dirac Sea
Make Them Suffer
Tangled Thoughts of Leaving
Territory
Voyager

BEST POP ACT

Dream Rimmy
Methyl Ethel
San Cisco
Sydnee Carter

BEST PUNK/HARDCORE ACT

Cold Meat
Cursed Earth
Nerve Quakes
Scalphunter

BEST REGIONAL ACT

Carla Geneve
Johnny Taylor
Pete Byfield
Tanya Ransom
Tracey Barnett

BEST ROCK ACT

BOAT SHOW
FOAM
POND
The Floors
Tired Lion

BEST SINGLE

Methyl Ethel - Ubu
San Cisco - The Distance
Stella Donnelly - Mechanical Bull
Tired Lion - Cinderella Dracula
Ziggy Ramo - Black Face

BEST URBAN ACT

Demon Days
Koi Child
Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics
POW! Negro

BEST WORLD MUSIC ACT

Daniel Susnjar Afro-Peruvian Jazz Group
Grace Barbé
Praashekh Quartet
Soukouss Internationale

LABEL OF THE YEAR

Good Company
Obsius Records
Rhubarb Records
Televised Suicide

MANAGEMENT AWARD

Jacob Snell (Methyl Ethel / Tired Lion)
Luke Rinaldi (RAG N’ BONE / Red Jezebel / The Ghost Hotel / Usurper of Modern Medicine)
Matt Johnson (BOAT SHOW / Dream Rimmy / The Love Junkies)
Phil Stevens (John Butler Trio / POW! Negro / San Cisco / Stella Donnelly / The Waifs)
Rachel Davison (Mosquito Coast)

INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR

Caitlin Nienaber (Radio Presenter - RTRFM)
Chris Wheeldon (Volunteer, Events & Operations Managar – RTRFM)
Mark Neal (Manager, Booker & Event Coordinator – Blue Grey Pink / HyperFest)
Rachael Barrett (Photographer – Rachael Barrett Photography)
Rose Kingdom-Barron (Programming Coordinator – The Bird / Safer Venues WA)

GOLDEN WAMi

Caitlin Nienaber (Radio Presenter - RTRFM)
Phaedra Watts (Festival Director – Nannup Music Festival)
Rik van der Velde (Sound Engineer – Engelbert Humperdinck / Frank Sinatra / Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse / Metallica / Fly by Night Club / Perth Blues Club)
Scott Griffiths (MC Optamus – Downsyde / Rap’N’Radio)

WA MUSIC AWARDS – CRAFT

BEST BASSIST

Karl Florisson
Rhian Todhunter
Roy Martinez
Ryan Dux
Sara McPherson

BEST BRASS/STRINGS/WOODWIND INSTRUMENTALIST

Alana Macpherson [Saxophone]
Jamie Oehlers [Saxophone]
Matt Smith [Trumpet]
Ricki Malet [Trumpet]
Tristen Parr [Cello]

BEST DRUMMER/PERCUSSIONIST

Ben Vanderwal
Daniel Susnjar
Michael Perkins
Nathan Sproule

BEST ELECTRONIC PRODUCER

Atripat
Consulate
Feels
Mike Midnight
Tourist Kid

BEST FEMALE VOCALIST

Caitie MacDonald (Nerve Quakes)
Kiera Owen (RAG N’ BONE)
Lucy Farley (Lucy Peach)
Ofa Fotu (Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics)
Stella Donnelly

BEST GUITARIST

Axel Carrington
Cameron Nicholas
Dan Carroll
Karl Hiller
Lachlan Gear

BEST KEYS / SYNTH ARTIST

Aaron Goode
Heather Jenkins
Josiah Padmanabham
Russell Holmes
Tom O'Halloran

BEST MALE VOCALIST

Jacob Diamond
Jake Webb (Methyl Ethel)
Riley Pearce
Timothy Nelson

BEST SOUND ENGINEER (LIVE)

Chris Wright
Jack Hoffmann
Jason Brown
Jeremy Beste
John Kerns
Luke Willott

BEST SOUND ENGINEER/PRODUCER (STUDIO)

Andy Lawson (Debaser Studio)
Dan Carroll (Rada Studios)
Dave Parkin (Blackbird Sound Studio)
Lee Buddle (Crank Recording)