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The third annual New England Music Awards

Marlon Pitter
Connector Editor

With a total of 23 awards presented and live performances by a horde of nominees, the night became one to remember for everyone in attendance, as the best in the New England music scene attended the New England Music Awards.

The Lowell Memorial Auditorium played host to the celebration and recognition of hard-working local musicians Saturday night. Comedian Steve Sweeney hosted and loosened the crowd in between awards sections, poking fun at former Boston mayor Thomas Menino, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, the city of Lowell and more.

The Best in State awards were handed out first to each band voted the best in their respective New England state.

The winners from each state were the following: Little Ugly (Connecticut), the Ghost of Paul Revere (Maine), the Aldous Collins Band (New Hampshire), Waylon Speed (Vermont), Bad Rabbits (Massachusetts) and the Low Anthem (Rhode Island). The latter three bands were unable to attend to receive their awards.

The awards for the best bands in each genre followed suit, with eight different genres represented.

Jeff Pitchell and Texas Flood earned the title of Best Blues Act. Pitchell’s mother, Gloria, said she was honored to accept the award on his behalf.

Best Rock Act went to the lively Sarah Borrello, who said winning the award would not be possible without her band.

The award for Best Americana/Roots Act was designated to Hayley Jane and the Primates. Unfortunately, no members of the band were present to accept the honor.

The Shana Stack Band from New Hampshire received the honor of winning Best Country Act on Saturday night. Lead female vocalist Shana Stack was extremely grateful of the accolade.

Best Jazz Act went to Fogcutters, while Darlingside acquired Best Pop Act but were not present Saturday night.

The final genre award, Best Hip-Hop Act, presented by Lowell’s own D-Tension, was presented to Spose from Maine, beating out Connecticut’s Joey Batts & Them.

After waiting in the wings for most of the night, the highest honors of the night were delivered to their respective recipients.

Frank Viele and his band earned the prestigious title of Best Live Act of the Year.

Sarah Barrios took home Best New Act of the Year and thanked her family, her hometown of Torrington, Conn. and the other nominees in her category. Praising her competition, Barrios said she was surprised that she won.

Best Male Performer and Best Female Performer were awarded to Josh Logan and Lori McKenna, respectively. Logan gave thanks to his band, family, friends and supporters over his 17 years in the music business.

Nick Tirrell earned the distinction of being named Best Producer of the Year at the New England Music Awards. Tirrell said, “It continues to blow my mind how many people believe in me.”

Chris Ross earned the title of Best Songwriter of the Year.

Song of the Year went to “The Dream’s in the Ditch” by Deer Tick, but the Providence band was not in attendance.

Finally, the Mallett Brothers Band picked up multiple trophies, winning Album of the Year for “Land” and Band of the Year.

The night included performances by Nemes, Hayley Sabella, Dressed for the Occasion, Josh Logan, Will Dailey, Sarah Borrello, the Mallett Brothers Band and the Party Band.

Sarah Borrello rocked the auditorium with her robust vocals, while her band’s award-winning rock sound, comparable to a modern version of Heart, backed her perfectly. “Stranglehold” and “Work It Out” were among the songs she performed.

Hayley Sabella fought through technical difficulties to perform at the awards. Sabella’s guitar was inaudible until halfway through her first song, but she finished strongly.

The Party Band, a 25-piece brass band comprised of mostly UMass Lowell graduate and undergraduate music students led by Seth Bailin, roared down the aisles of the auditorium, playing an assortment of instruments from the saxophone to the bass drum to kick off the show. They would make multiple appearances throughout the night and take the party to street after the ceremony concluded.

Band of the Year winners the Mallett Brothers Band closed the awards with a party of their own. With a style that could be noted as a reincarnation of classic rock band the Eagles, they invited all of the nominees and the Party Band to join them  for a rousing rendition of “Pay Me My Money Down” by Pete Seeger.

New England Music Awards Co-Founder and Director of Operations Joseph Graham said the event would not have been possible without the help of MEISA (Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association). Their army of music lovers and supporters made helping organize this event a no-brainer.

“It’s amazing watching this thing grow in the palm of our hands,” said sophomore and MEISA secretary Regina Alongi. “It’s been my second year working with NEMA and every year it just gets bigger and better and more exciting.”

Marlon Pitter is a former editor-in-chief of the UMass Lowell Connector. Hailing from Hartford, Conn., he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in journalism and professional writing and a digital media minor in 2017. Follow him on Twitter @marlonpresents.