Why I Lost at the HMAs

Yeah, that other Jersey writer won. Yeah, the description had me thinking it could’ve been me for a second, but I felt the truth deep inside.


We’re supposed to say it’s an honor to be nominated. And I gotta tell ya, it was. The list of fellow nominees in the Hoboken Music Awards ‘Outstanding Contribution to The Local Indie Music Scene’ category humbled me. As the night came closer, I resigned myself to believing that someone else would win. I find it best to have low expectations. It’s harder to be disappointed that way.

I had this really cool outfit planned. Jeans, a shirt with colorful bugs, a thrift-store suite jacket and a big, brown bow tie, but it was way to hot last night. Instead, I opted for a lighter, less flamboyant ensemble. But I digress. I grabbed my camera and off I went to The Goldhawk (936 Park Ave, Hoboken).

The music was already pumping in the back room that was already filled to the brim with well wishers. I forced my way to a corner of the bar and began fueling up on Guinness. It was also a good spot to snap pictures, or so I thought. They weren’t coming out well, so I squeezed my way closer to the action.

It was then (purely coincidentally) that our emcee Dave Entwistle began to read out the winner for my category. The tell-tale sign that I had lost was when Dave gestured to me while describing the many supporters of music and the difficulty in choosing a winner. But then he began to describe the lucky one and my friends around me started to prematurely congratulate me.

I have to admit, the description had me thinking it could’ve been me for a second, but I felt the truth deep inside. I knew that the winner would be (should be) be Jim Testa of Jersey Beat. A very, very well-deserved win. I would have been insulted had he not won.

This man has been a huge supporter of the local scene for over twenty five years publishing his preeminent punk fanzine and booking shows.

He was an inspiration to me in my own early days of DIY publishing. As I would sit cross legged for hours with scissors and glue, cutting and pasting in a very real way to create my own fanzines, it was Jersey Beat that was held up as the gold standard. He also guided me thru my short-lived stint as a booking agent in Hoboken with many words of wisdom.

The depth of Jim Testa’s involvement was made clear by a simple statement he himself made while accepting the award. “It was twenty nine years ago that I first stepped foot into Maxwell’s!” And he has never stopped showing his support for and speaking his mind about this crazy scene.

Congratulations Jim. I truly mean it when I say, no one deserved to win the first Hoboken Music Award for Outstanding Contribution to The Local Indie Music Scene more than you my friend. Of course next year will be a different story. Oh, it’s on people! It’s on! And I’m starting my campaign tomorrow!!

See Also:
Jersey Beat
Hoboken Music Awards


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One Response to “Why I Lost at the HMAs”

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