Tri State Indie Awards Recap

All Photos by Lindsey Borgman

Jonas Oesterle

February 16th, 2014 at World Cafe Live, TRI STATE INDIE threw one hell of a party.  The day of the Third Annual Tri State Indie Awards day was filled with celebratory fun and killer music.  Jonas Oesterle hosted the event with The Living Sample as the house band, who by the way are a much better combo than Seth Myers and The 8G Band with Fred Armisen on Late Night.  The event showcased so much of what is awesome with the Philly music scene.

The camaraderie in the building was impressive.  Tri State Indie really captured it well, when co-founders Rich McKie & Stephanie Seiple-McKie explained "the event is not solely Tri State Indie's award show.  It is the award show for the whole scene."  They are completely spot-on, as there were an impressive number of bands playing and being nominated, not to mention all the presenters representing a huge cross-section of the local industry.  To further their point, the nominations are based on an industry panel's choices, not just the favorites of the Tri State Indie team.

One of the more unique parts of the night was it was more than a celebration for the musicians.  Unlike the Grammys, Oscars, or other prominent award shows, the presenting of the awards at the Tri State Indie Awards is not done by other bands, artists or nominees.  The presenting is done by all kinds of supporters of the local music scene.  From radio hosts to local writers, managers, producers, and all the favorite blog writers, many were represented. It was great to acknowledge all of those that bring the scene to the airwaves and pages.  While all those involved take different avenues to the same point each take a daily journey exploring and sharing the Philadelphia scene.

No matter your reason to celebrate, the day was a perfect cap to the year and a great kick off to a new year of music.  It was a fun way to celebrate bands you've found, favorited, covered, re-watched, and loved.  And in case you missed them, it was a time for finding new bands that made a mark in the year and stand to do it again.

Adrianna Hilborn & Megan Matuzak - Tri State Indie

Carolyn Lederach (Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia) & Michael Southerton (Song Dogs)

The Lawsuits - Josh Friedman, Brian Dale Allen Strouse, Vanessa Winters, Brendan Cunningham

Lucy Stone of Lucy Stone & Feedback Loop

Josh Hines - Maitland

After the red carpet entrances, it was time for the bands and presenting of the awards.  The Third Annual Tri State Indie Awards performers covered a large cross-section of the scene, from rap to indie.

Maitland was the first of many bands for the night.  Formerly a duo from Williamsport, this was the first time for many to see the full-band Maitland.  After Josh Hines and Jeff Mach's temporary hiatus, Josh started exploring the bigger line-up.  In this format, it's harder to pull off the Bon-Iver-For-Emma sound captured so well on (from a cabin in the woods​)​., but they still shined on "Dust Of Old Leaves."

Josh Hines & Alex Hines - Maitland

Kimpedro's Nu Gruv Network, The Deadmen, Flux Capacitor, and Chill Moody each did a great job of keeping the crowd entertained.  Chill Moody put on a great set, so whether you were new to his sound or already in-the-know, he made sure everyone left a fan.

Chill Moody

The Lawsuits, Philly's rising stars closed out the night at the Third Annual Tri State Indie Awards.  It was truly fitting as their line-up also showed off the depth and awesomeness of the emerging scene.  With Dom Billett (drummer from Toy Soldiers) sitting in on tambourine and the intriguing Ali Wadsworth coming on board to collaborate for one of her songs it was a great way to show off more talent in just one short set.

The Lawsuits with Dom Billett on tambo, Ali Wadsworth - vocals

Vanessa Winters (The Lawsuits)

Brian Strouse and Brendan Cunningham

Ali Wadsworth

Really after a tremendous event like the Third Annual Tri State Awards all the fans and bands are winners as this scene just gets stronger and stronger.  This isn't just a roll call of established bands, so be sure to check out everyone who won.  The full list of award recipients is available over at Tri State Indie.

Some of the Root Down In The Shadow Cover Club Alum winners include:

INDIE SOUL R&B BAND/ARTIST OF THE YEAR – AARON & THE SPELL
PHILLY INDIE BAND OF THE YEAR – TOY SOLDIERS

Aaron Brown (Aaron & The Spell)

Mark Redding (The Shackeltons)

Dom Billett, Luke Leidy, Matt Kelly - Toy Soldiers