The 2010 Hoboken Music Awards

This celebration of indie music was better than I could have imagined. I truly feel blessed to have been part of it.


I woke up the morning after one of the greatest experiences of my life properly sick. Soar throat, cough, aches. I hadn’t even been drinking the night before. I said to myself, “Well if that’s not a sign of a great party, I don’t know what is.”


Me with Outstanding Scene Contributor Lea Noelle Simone
Click for more photos

Did the excitement and stress of the Hoboken Music Awards do me in? Or did the adrenalin pumping thru me leading up to the event mask the impending doom? Was it my the Cooties on my shirt? No matter. I was on top of the world that night.

The best indie musicians and their most loyal supporters came out to Northern Soul (557 First St, Hoboken) on 11/20, packing it to it’s bursting point. I did my best to navigate thru the crowd. I mingled as I could, getting a few brief seconds in here or there with guests. I carried a wireless mic to help HMA founder Dave Entwistle with the emcee duties.

I ate as much as I could get my hands on of the wonderful food by D’s Soul Full Cafe. This was no easy task, mind you. The food went quickly but I got a good portion.

I had a small camera with me but after taking a couple of shots I decided that juggling a wireless mic, camera and all important phone for tweet purposes was too much. I instead settled on taking one photo of each band as they played with with phone and then posting them for posterity on twitter.com/hmawards.

Sure the photos are kinda crap, but they capture the moments.

And what moments they were. Sweaty, loud, and fun. But more importantly, proof that live music is alive and well. The problem in Hoboken was never that there was no music, just fewer and fewer places to see it live. There is a remarkable amount of fantastic music being created in and around our little city.

Thankfully there are places like Northern Soul and folks like Dave Entwistle. Along with the other faithful, they won’t let the rampant gentrification that has shellacked the rest of the city completely overrun the music scene. There is still much hope in Hoboken. And that was proven as the place rattled with excitement all night long.

The 2010 Hoboken Music Awards were a massive success. Not because any of us got rich (that’s for sure), but because they brought us all together. From various backgrounds with various tastes and styles and made us one that night.

Each band and artist played amazing. The brought straight rock to gypsy mayhem to latin flavor and just about everything in between. The crowd welcomed it all. I feel blessed to have been a part of this and now I can’t wait for the next one.

Thanks To The Entertainers:
– Rainbow Fresh
– Hudson Crossing
– Davey & the Trainwreck
– Karen Kuhl
– The Fave
– Hey Tiger
– Sylvana Joyce & the Moment
– Shae Fiol
– Bern & the Brights
– DJ Mike C

Congratulations To The Winners:
– Outstanding Male Solo: Marc Giannotti
– Outstanding Female Solo: Shae Fiol
– Outstanding Band: Bern & the Brights
– Peoples Choice: Bern & the Brights
– Outstanding Scene Contributor: Lea Noelle Simone
– Outstanding EP: “Cool for a Day” by The Fave
– Outstanding Album: “Get On This Train” by Julian Peterson

I hope you’re all giving your Hobeys a good home!

Thanks To Our Judges:
– Al Crisafulli from Dromedary Records
– Brian Phillips from 101.9 WRXP FM NYC
– Gabriella Cantwell from Sony Music Entertainment
– Dan McLoughlin from Garden Street Music
– Lisa Van Zuidam from Tenth Street Entertainment

And thanks to all of our sponsors. Check out Hoboken Music Awards for links and details.

So, what’s in store as we plan for 2011? There will be a Winners Showcase coming up very soon. Plus we plan to keep the party going all year long with other events and blowing out the Hoboken Music Awards website. Keep your eyes and ear peeled for details.

See Also:
2010 Hoboken Music Awards Gallery
Hoboken Music Awards
Northern Soul
D’s Soul Full Cafe


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