I’ll continue now from my last post - talking about the Woodies and my vote selections….
The next category at the Woodies is the Road Woodie … This award goes out to an artist who takes going on tour seriously and never lets up, giving one great performance after another. The nominees for this category are Cartel, Hellogoodbye, Nightmare of You, Taking Back Sunday, and The Fray. I’ve never actually seen any of these in a real concert atmosphere, though Cartel I saw a bit on Warped Tour. Having interviewed them there, i definitely got the feeling that they’re a true on the road band. They have a blast together and certainly give it there all for each performance. plus, they’re fun guys. So, I suppose my vote will go to them, though i feel like I can’t judge this category so well considering i’ve really never gone to any of these bands in concert…
Next up we’ve got the International Woodie - my favorite category. Now while I’m a bit disappointed that none of my Swedish bands are nominated, there are definitely some good ones in here. Out of the five artists nominated (Arctic Monkeys, Cham, Corinne Bailey Rae, Sia, and The Subways), the latter two are where my votes are going. If you don’t know Sia, you may recall her single, Breathe Me, from the series finale of Six Feet Under. While Sia doesn’t make the kind of music that i generally listen to on a regular basis (it’s a little easy and soft for me), her passionate sound and tragic air make her sound addictive. Her video for Breathe Me is pretty incredible as well. The Subway, a british indie pop band, are definitely on my good side for their catchy hooks and how much fun they are to listen to both on album and in concert. The lead vocalist is also brilliantly talented, so they are a competitive contender in my book.
Oh my god the OK Go video, Here it Goes Again, is on.. AGAIN! They’re good and i appreciate their innovative video concept.. but i just dont think their sound is original enough for me to listen to more than once a week… Props to their video though, for sure. They performed at the VMAs and i loved watching them there.
Ok back to the Woodies.
Next up is the Alumni Woodie - which is the “you’re still ok in our book” award. These artists have graduated to mega stardom but they haven’t forgotten where they came from. The bands in this group are AFI, Fiona Apple, Ghostface Killah, MUSE, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. No band has been thorugh so much and has morphed their sound so successfully over the years, while still keeping their identity and staying unique. RHCP is a seriously talented group fo guys and since their early years in LA, they’ve been makign the kind of music they love while keeping an interesting and individualistic sound. They’ve gotten bigger, I would argue, than any of the bands on this list, and have most diversity and evolution in their sound. They started in 1984 and have sold 60 million copies of their records. They’ve never slowed or had a real lull in progress and if you watch them in an interview, they’re still the same guys, doing what they love.
The final category on the list is the Streaming Woodie - which basically is an award that goes to the band that beats out the other four with regard to the amount of streaming by college students. We’ll see….
So those are my choices for the Woodies. Are they all going to win? No chance. So… I’ll play a little betting game. Send me your predictions for the winners of Woodies to vjkim@mtvu.com. If any of you get it right, which we’ll know when the show occurs on October 25th, I’ll have a little prize waiting for ya… So go to mtvu.com, vote, and then send me your predictions… Good luck!!
