On Tuesday evening on Shelter Island, scenesters handed out San Diego Music Awards for the 31st time, with longtime local performer Sara Petite cleaning up with three awards, including Album of the Year, for her "Rare Bird" release.
Roughly 1,000 members of the San Diego music scene — bands, club operators, fans and musicians' family members — turned out for the outdoor event, held again this year at Humphrey's By the Bay. Twenty-eight awards were handed out, including one to jazz singer Jesse Davis, who claimed the Lifetime Achievement Award.
"A sophisticated jazz and standards vocalist, he has been a staple of San Diego’s clubs and lounges for over five decades, entertaining hundreds of thousands of people in the process," the music awards Facebook page said describing Davis.
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Petite, whose sound leans somewhere between country, American and rock, also nabbed the statuettes for Best Country or Americana Artist and Best Country or Americana Album, also for "Rare Bird."
A raft of Petite's fellow nominees went home with a pair of awards to keep them company, including Riston Diggs, for Best Hip Hop/Rap Artist and Best Album in that same category, for "35"; North County psyche rockers Aviator Stash, who claimed both the Best Indie/Alternative Artist award as well as the one for Best Indie/Alternative Song, for "She’s Money"; San Diego's Band band, Mrs. Henry, whose Best Rock Album award for "Keep on Rising -- Act I: The Sex Sells, Love Drugs, Rock n Roll Society" no doubt helped them secure the award for Best Rock act as well; and 2020 San Diego Music Award Artist of the Year winner Rebecca Jade, with two wins on Tuesday night for her song "What’s It Gonna Be. for Best Video (nearly 125,000 streams!) and for Best R&B, Funk or Soul Song.
The presenters, as usual, were a who's who from the San Diego music scene and media landscape and included NBC 7 and Telemundo 20's Ramon Galindo, Sergio Flores and Michelle Rodriguez.
Live performance at Humphrey's helped break up the award presentations and acceptance speeches, with appearances by Mrs. Henry and Diggs; plus short sets by Slack Key Ohana (who also won an award, for Best World Music Album (s/t); the Sully Band (Best R&B, Funk or Soul Song nominees); Tamar Berk (nominee for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Album, for "The Restless Dreams of Youth"); and the Ira B. Liss Big Band Machine.
The Best New Artist award went to newcomers Lords of the Satellite, a largely pandemic-born Ocean Beach-based four-piece standing out for their crafted, heavier bass- and guitar-driven fuzz rock.
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Jade also kept the crowd happy at the after-party, performing at the adjoinuing Humphrey's Backstage Live club.
A full list of the winners:
- Best Folk / Acoustic Song: Lindsay White - Piece of Quiet
- Best Folk or Acoustic Album: Whiskey & Burlap – Around the Bend
- Best Jazz Artist: Ed Kornhauser
- Best Blues Artist: Taryn Donath
- Best Jazz or Blues Album: Chickenbone Slim - Serve It To Me Hot
- Best Country or Americana Artist: Sara Petite
- Best Country or Americana Album: Sara Petite - Rare Bird
- Best Hip Hop/Rap Artist: Riston Diggs
- Best Hip Hop/Rap Song: Crhymes – More Divide
- Best Hip Hop/Rap Album: Riston Diggs - 35
- Best Pop Artist: Evan Diamond
- Best Pop Song: Lauren Leigh - Trust Fall
- Best Pop Album: The Verigolds – Take it to the Sun
- Best Rock Artist: Mrs. Henry
- Best Rock Album: Mrs. Henry - Keep On Rising - Act I : The Sex Sells, Love Drugs, Rock N Roll Society
- Best Rock Song: Jon Campos & The Incurables - Birds of A Feather
- Best Indie/Alternative Artist: Aviator Stash
- Best Indie/Alternative Song: Aviator Stash – She’s Money
- Best Indie/Alternative Album: The Petty Saints - Long Way Home
- Best World Music Album: Slack Key Ohana - s/t
- Best R&B, Funk or Soul Song: Rebecca Jade – What’s It Gonna Be
- Best R&B, Funk or Soul Album: TonyaJae & Carlo V. – Sweet Talk
- Best Local Recording: Sue Palmer & Her Motel Swing Orchestra - Movin’ Along
- Best Video: Rebecca Jade - What’s It Gonna Be
- Best New Artist: Lords of the Satellite
- Song of the Year: Thee Sacred Souls – Will I See You Again
- Album of the Year: Sara Petite - Rare Bird
