[FM] WAMMIES Comment

[Seegar W. Swanson]

I don't think I know Tom Neff, and other than having a distant respect for
their music and a great respect for them as individuals (especially after
they trekked down at their own expense to participate in a fundraiser for
local musician and friend Uncle Mark Reynolds' medical expenses at Eddie's
Attic), I don't know Pete and Maura Kennedy, either. So I have no interest
in getting in the middle of this discussion. I'll leave the value of using
sarcasm to make one's point to other academics, and studiously avoid it
in this post.

In my opinion, Tom's observation about the sheer volume of annual WAMMIE
awards has some merit. As a very minor presenter of a rather
inconsequential monthly concert series far from the DC scene, I give far
less weight to the listing of a WAMMIE award in a musician's press kit now
that I am aware of how many are presented.

No big deal. We haven't booked anyone 'cuz they won one, or not booked
anyone 'cuz they haven't. Afterall, it's the music that matters. But if
I'm unfamiliar with an artist, and they've won Kerrville, that gets my
attention. If they've won a WAMMIE or two, that doesn't get my attention.
Not that you can compare the two, but you get the idea.

I just felt like I should offer a real world, non-sarcastic observation in
case attitudes like mine are important to WAMA as they consider the
various purposes served in presenting their awards.

Peace.

Seegar Swanson
Fiddler's Green Concert Series
Atlanta Area Friends of Folk Music