2020 New Mexico Music Awards Winners
The 2020 New Mexico Music Awards was held virtually from the Uptown Funk Piano Bar, part of the Revel Entertainment complex in Albuquerque. Because the rest of the state had been shut down due to the COVID 19 pandemic, we were fortunate to be invited by Revel Entertainment to host the program there.
In an effort to stay safe and normalize, as much as possible, the event, we recorded our performances a day in advance. We had fine performances from Keely Mackey a/k/a Celloquacious, Kristy Hinds and Claudio Toulouse and the blues band Silver Crow Asylum. Find performances from the 2020 awards show here.
Our audio and video sponsors, Quickbeam Systems, also set up a big screen in the parking lot of Revel Entertainment so that participants could come by and watch the awards presentation on Sunday in real time while staying safe.
Photo by Brian Mathews
The 2020 NMMA’s fielded 725 entries in 41 categories. Thanks to our sponsors Quickbeam Systems, Guitar Center of Albuquerque, Revel Entertainment and Uptown Funk Piano Bar.
Eric Larson Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Elizabeth Scarinzi
Elizabeth Scarinzi, Betsy to her friends, has been an entertainer in the Santa Fe community for a decade with her group, The Hollyhocks, but she is more than just a pretty face and talented artist. Betsy is always busy doing good work in the community, from delivering pizza and other goodies to Santa Fe’s first responders to collecting and distributing donations of food and supplies for cancer patients and those essential workers on the front line every day, not just during COVID crisis. Of course, having spent a lifetime as a nurse, she’s been doing this kind of thing for years.
Whenever there was a need, a business in trouble or a kid in the community that needed some help, Elizabeth was there. View a tribute video here.
In 2020, the Eric Larson Endowment handed out three emergency grants to students that had lost their income during the pandemic.
Hyorin Kim-An international student from South Korea an a graduate student majoring in Flute performance and a Woodwind Quintet graduate. Once his degree is complete, Kim will move on to pursue a doctorate of Musical Arts.
Kaitlyn Norman-A UNM senior undergraduate and Vocal Performance Major. (Soprano) She will be the first in her family to graduate from college when she completes her bachelors in spring of 2021. She performed her first opera in spring of 2020
Samps J Taylor-A first-year graduate Music Performance Major whose principle instrument is Tuba. studying under Dr. Richard White. His scholarship money has helped him to pay down his student debt.
The Eric Larson Endowment at UNM provides unrestricted funds for juniors or seniors who have chosen music or the recording arts as their major and have maintained a 3.0 GPA. Eric Larson was co-founder of the New Mexico Music awards and passed away in 2005. The New Mexico Music Awards contributes annually to the scholarship fund. To donate, go to ericlarsonendowment.com
Listing for each category are as follows except where indicated on specific categories.
Artist
Title
Producer
Studio
City
Adult Contemporary/Adult Pop
Memoryy
First Love
Memoryy
Neon Moon Studio
Albuquerque
Ambient/Contemporary Instrumental
Keely Mackey a/k/a Celloquacious
Out at Sea
Keely Mackey-Gonzales
Moonlight Recording/Lesman Pro Audio
Albuquerque
Americana
Jamie Michaels
Bag ‘o Bones
Jono Manson
The Kitchen Sink
Santa Fe
Arrangement
St Petersburg
for
Sylvia
Bluegrass
David Kuncicky & the Biscuit Rollers
Come Home to Roost
David Kuncicky
La Barberia Studios
Santa Fe
Blues
Silver Crow Asylum
Something’s Cookin’
Jody Vanesky
Route 66 Music
Bernalillo
Children’s Music
Susie Tallman, Peter Farnan
El Alfabeto (ABC Song)
Susie Tallman, Peter Farnan
Mountain Road Recording
Albuquerque
Country
Lucky Mays
Drop It Down (Into Low Gear)
Lucky Mays
Unfurnished Studio
Albuquerque
Country CD
Moody Little Sister
Great Big Mama Sunshine
Rob “Berto” Stroup
Tumbleroot Studios
Truth or Consequences
Cover
Blue Rhapsody
Virtual Insanity/Stayin’ Alive Mashup
Brant Leeper
Brant Leeper Music
Santa Fe
Electronica
Nicholas Campos
Big Fish
Nicholas MC
Nicholas MC Recording Studio
Rio Rancho
Recording Engineer
Ron Crowder
for
Ron Crowder
This Is the Moment
Folk
David Martin
Say a Prayer for Me
David Martin
Hitman Music
Santa Fe
Hip Hop
Nohelia Sosa-K Dutch-Kabby
Soy Latino
Kabby
Kabby Sound Studios
Santa Fe
Indie
The Laughing Remains
Life Underground
John Wall and The Laughing Remains
Wall of Sound
Albuquerque
Instrumental
The Curio Cowboys
for
The Curio Cowboys-The Teardrop Waltz
Jazz
Michael Druxman
What One
Doug Geist
Santa Fe Center Studios
Albuquerque
Latin
Nosotros f/ Chaman
Todos Somos/We Are
Dennis Javier Jasso
Fw Studios
Santa Fe
Mastering Engineer
Will Dyar
for
Nathan Dunton-Sunrise Lullabies
Metal
Rumaldo Ortiz
Temple of the Elders
Rumaldo Ortiz, Paul Sabu
RoProDIGITALMuse_IC Digital Recording Studio
Santa Fe
Modern Rock
Jamie M Harrison
Devil’s Kiss
Jamie M Harrison
Santa Fe Center Studios
Albuquerque
Native
Danny T & the Stealing Thunder Band
REZ DOG
Daniel Talache
ATM STUDIO
Hernandez
Novelty
Kristy Hinds
Miss Morocco
Kristy Hinds
Third Eye Studio
Tijeras
Package Design
Lucky Mays, Stephen Maes, Kayleigh Maes, Blake Boamer & Steven Minnaar
for
Lucky Mays
Pop
Ron Crowder
This Is the Moment
Ron Crowder
In Crowd Studio
Albuquerque
Pop CD
Madalena Roeber-Tsiongas
Wolf Biting
John Wall
Wall of Sound
Albuquerque
Rhythm & Blues
Grayhill
My Love
David Madik
Madik Innovation Recording Studio
Albuquerque
Reggae
Mister Kali
Fiyahand
Greg Kaiser
Ceremony Studios
Santa Fe
Religious/Gospel
Randy Heddon
While You’re Alive
Randy Heddon
Louraine Street Studios
Santa Fe
Rock CD
The Ordinary Things
Stories
The Ordinary Things and Matthew Tobias
Empty House Studios
Albuquerque
Singer/Songwriter
Eb & Hal
Take the Gamble
Eb Lottimer, Hal Howren, David McCrae, Anna Darrah
Third Eye Studio
Tijeras
Best Song
Ron Sanborn, Bernard Bowers
for
American Rock Symposium-Truth over Lies
Video
Umar Malik
for
You I Am-Old Town (f/ Courtney Hampton)
Elephonic Recording
Albuquerque
Best Vocal Performance
Jono Manson and Joan Osborne
Loved Me into Loving Again
Western
Rich Rajacich
Somehow, Somewhere, Someday
Jono Manson
The Kitchen Sink
Santa Fe
World
Sol de la Noche
Fire
Matthew Tobias
Empty House Studios
Albuquerque
Norman Petty Producer’s Award
Jono Manson & Kito Peters
for
Kito Peters-Normal
The Kitchen Sink
Santa Fe
Best of the Year
The Hoth Brothers
Workin’ and Dreamin’
Bard Edrington & Boris McCutcheon
Old Dog Run & Torreon Studio
Santa Fe