SAMMY awards celebrate vibrant Syracuse music scene with awards, performance
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A day after being inducted into the SAMMY Hall of Fame, voice actor and musician Tom Kenny took the stage at the Oncenter’s Crouse Hinds theater with his band, Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas, and reflected on a pivotal moment for his career.
“About 23 years ago, my life took a real crazy change when a guy that I knew, Steve Hillenberg, showed me this little drawing of a sponge wearing pants and a hat that he drew on a napkin,” Kenny, who’s known for voicing the title character for “SpongeBob SquarePants” and his many musical contributions to the show, said during the band’s performance at the 2022 SAMMYS.
Family, friends, fans and musicians gathered on March 4 to recognize and celebrate the music scene in Syracuse. The event was hosted by Scott Dixon, also known as dXn from local Syracuse radio station WAQX-FM 95X, and showcased a blend of award speeches and live performances. Awards included, but were not limited to, Best Jazz, Best Americana, Best Jam Band and Community Spirit Award.
“We’ve got a great music scene here, and to be acknowledged for your work … There’s just so much talent here, it’s just remarkable,” Rex Lyons, vocalist and guitarist for The Ripcords, said as he accepted the Best Americana Award for his band.
Currently the number one local music event in the region, the SAMMYS, or Syracuse Area Music Awards, have proven to be a central element to music culture in and around the city since the first show in 1993, Dixon said. In addition to bestowing awards for excellence in various genres, the SAMMYS also induct musicians into their Hall of Fame each year.
The SAMMYS received 171 musical submissions from 161 different artists in the central New York region in 2022. This year’s nominees and winners are chosen by a group of music industry professionals around the country, and decisions are made based on “merit within their genre,” the SAMMYS website said. The panel is led by Syracuse University Setnor School of Music professor James Abbott.
The show, poised to appreciate various music genres, began abruptly with the piercing sound of bagpipes. After Dixon gave a brief introduction, the first SAMMY Award was presented.
For multiple musicians, receiving an award was a symbol of the kinship behind their musical journey. River Westin, named the 2022 Best Pop artist, recognized his family for believing in him and his career.
“(Thank you) to the rest of my family, for being so supportive with all my music projects,” Westin said. “And being, like, 50% of my Spotify streams.”
Fritz Scherz, son of Fritz’s Polka Band founder Fred Scherz Sr., said music brings his family together — Fritz’s son, Freddy, is featured on one of the songs from the band’s SAMMY-winning album.
Just before Fred Sr. died, he handed Fritz a note that read, “If I could only turn back the hands of time, what a great time we would have once more.” Scherz said that memory was the inspiration for the band’s most recent album name, “The Hands of Time.”
Fritz Scherz, whose father Fred Scherz Sr. founded Fritz’s Polka Band, named the band’s most recent album after a message Fred Sr. gave him just before he passed. Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director
Jon Rogalia, whose album “Twenty Eight,” was awarded for Best Country, recalled the first time he brought up pursuing music to his family.
“I went to my dad and just said, ‘Yeah, I want to start playing music,’ and he said, ‘You probably shouldn’t. Just stick to construction,’” Rogalia said. “I’m glad I got to prove him wrong.”
His band, Jon Rogalia & The Swamp Boys, brought classic country music to the stage for the first performance of the night, showcasing their guitarists’ and drummer’s expertise along with Rogalia’s style. Letizia and the Z Band followed and lit up the stage — Letizia wore a 1970s-reminiscent, glittery outfit as she captivated people in the audience with her high notes.
After accepting the SAMMY for Best Hip-Hop or Rap with his album “1104 Vol. 2 The Leader of Real Shhh,” VinnyVeg said music is often tied to one’s identity.
“11/04 was the day I was born, and I was born for this,” he said, and the audience erupted with applause. “I love Syracuse … I am Syracuse. And now I am Syracuse Hip-Hop.”
Trauma Cat, the Best Alternative SAMMY winner, took an interesting twist on their identity when they accepted their award. Their website outlines the band as “the founders of cuck rock, an indeterminate school of music indebted to incessant apology and shameless cross-genre appropriation.” Band members took to the stage, and, to only some people’s surprise, started apologizing.
“First of all, we’d like to apologize, because that’s kind of our thing,” said Ralph Kojig, lead singer and guitarist for Trauma Cat. “Best alternative album … but alternative to what, exactly? Alternative to ‘good?’ One can only hope, really.”
Trauma Cat’s band members were decked out in cat ear hats, but they certainly weren’t the only fashion statement of the night. Musicians dressed in accordance with what people may expect from their respective genres — cowboy hats and bolo ties for country artists, bold statement colors for pop artists, and ornate and baggy silhouettes for hip-hop artists.
Trauma Cat describe themselves as “the founders of cuck rock, an indeterminate school of music indebted to incessant apology and shameless cross-genre appropriation.” Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director
The next performance came from Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas, which featured guitarists, background vocalists and saxophones, and it took hold of the audience’s attention and didn’t let go. The group exhibited undeniable range as they moved between blues, jam tunes and finally, the millennial classic “The Best Day Ever” from the “SpongeBob SquarePants” soundtrack.
Kenny said during the set that the highlight of his career came when “The Best Day Ever” was included on Broadway’s rendition of the classic children’s show, and the score was then nominated for a Tony Award.
After a lively performance, which included Kenny’s famous SpongeBob voice and audience participation, Dixon returned to the stage.
“Sorry, I just wanted to check and see if the roof was still on this place,” he said. “Did anyone else just have a moment right there?”
The theater was filled with gleeful chatter among groups of friends and family, something that wasn’t possible in the year prior. The last SAMMYS took place in March 2020, just before lockdown mandates and quarantine guidelines were implemented in the U.S. Last year, the show was held virtually.
While it wasn’t a large focus of the show, many artists and presenters voiced their gratitude that figures in the Syracuse community could come together in person again.
While hundreds of people attended the event, the ambience in the room was that of a small town get-together. Carl Cafarelli, presenter of the Best Rock SAMMY — which was given to Not Robots! — expressed his pride in the central New York music culture.
“Oh my god, I love Syracuse,” he said. “I love Syracuse!”
