Recipients of First IBMA Momentum Awards Announced

Appalachian Uprising, Emily Bankester, Mike Bub, Samson Grisman, Alex Hargreaves, Monroeville, Christian Ward, Emilee Warner Honored

The International Bluegrass Music Association’s new Momentum Awards, designed to recognize promising new talent, will be presented during World of Bluegrass next week at the Nashville Convention Center.

The Momentum Awards focus on artists and business people who are in the early years of their careers in bluegrass music. Five artists will receive performance awards, while three industry awards will go to key contributors in the bluegrass industry.

AirPlay Direct, a web-based artist marketing, promotion and distribution platform will be gifting prize packages for AirPlay Direct services to the recipients in the music categories for these new IBMA Momentum Awards.

Momentum Awards for Industry Achievement (Emilee Warner); Instrumentalists of the Year (Alex Hargreaves, Samson Grisman and Christian Ward); and Mentor of the Year (Mike Bub) will be presented Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 5:45 p.m. on the showcase stage on Level 1 at the Nashville Convention Center.

Event/Venue of the Year (Appalachian Uprising, produced by Steve Cielic); Band of the Year (Monroeville); and Vocalist of the Year (Emily Bankester) will be presented on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 5:45 p.m. before evening artist showcases.

The three instrumentalists recognized this year include fiddler Alex Hargreaves from Oregon, who performs with Sarah Jarosz; bassist Samson Grisman with The Deadly Gentlemen; and Christian Ward, who plays fiddle with Sierra Hull.

Grisman (the son of legendary mandolinist David “Dawg” Grisman) and Ward are both from California.

The first Momentum Award for Industry Achievement goes to Crash-Avenue publicist Emilee Warner in New York City. Warner is active on IBMA committees and serves on the Americana Music Association board of directors.

Five-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year and producer Mike Bub will be recognized for his work as a Mentor to young musicians. 

Appalachian Uprising, a new festival in Scottown, Ohio held every summer in June, presents artists ranging from Melvin Goins and Junior Sisk to the Infamous Stringdusters, David Mayfield Parade, and the Vespers.

Monroeville, a new band with young but veteran members, released a self-titled EP on its own label in 2011, hosted the first Hard Rock Cafe AcoustiCana Series show during last year's World of Bluegrass, and is as likely to perform at schools across the country as at festivals and clubs. 

Emily Bankester, from Illinois, sings and plays fiddle with The Bankesters. The family band’s new album, Looking Forward, includes the song “Don’t Try to Be Anyone Else,” for which a new video was released this month.

“The talents of emerging artists and industry professionals are essential to keeping bluegrass alive and growing, and the IBMA board feels these individuals deserve special recognition for the hard work and the contributions they are making to the industry as a whole,” says IBMA Executive Director Nancy Cardwell. “The Momentum Awards are a supplement to the current IBMA Awards structure, created to encourage growth and a wider sense of ownership and pride in the organization.”

IBMA Momentum Awards are intended to encourage professionalism in bluegrass music among every generation. For more info, please contact the IBMA office at 888-GET-IBMA orinfo@ibma.org.

In addition to their partnering efforts with IBMA for the new Momentum Awards, AirPlay Direct will have a very strong presence this year at the IBMA's World of Bluegrass Conference  in Nashville, TN, co-Sponsoring the DJ & Artists Networking Reception at the Nashville Conference Center on Tuesday, September 25th from 1:45 - 3:45 pm CST.    AirPlay Direct’s Chairman & CEO, Robert Weingartz, will sit on the panel for the PR & DJ Roundtable:  "Getting Your Music on the Air" on Tuesday, September 25th from 3:15 - 4:15 pm CST.  Robert Weingartz and Executive VP of Operations,  Lynda Weingartz, will both be providing personalized consulting sessions during the conference's "Mentor Sessions" on Wednesday, September 26th from 4pm - 5pm CST.