Last night (January 24), OffBeat hosted its annual Best of the Beat Business Awards ceremony. Housed in Loyola University’s stunning Louis J. Roussel Performance Hall, the ceremony acknowledged our Lifetime Achievement Award winners as well as winners in categories ranging from best club to best festivals.
The following is a list of winners:
Best Club: Tipitina’s
Best Radio Station: WWOZ
Best Large Festival: Buku Music + Art Project
Best Festival Outside of New Orleans: Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival
Best Neighborhood Festival: Treme Creole Gumbo Festival
Best Recording Studio: Marigny Studios
Record Label of the Year: Louisiana Red Hot Records
Producer of the Year: Ben Ellman
Best Record Store: Louisiana Music Factory
Best Instrument Store: Webb’s Bywater Music
Best Studio Sound Engineer: Mike Harvey, NOLA Recording Studio
Best Booking Agency: White Oak Productions
Best Manager: MidCitizen Entertainment
Best Music Attorney: Edgar “Dino” Gankendorff
Best Club Owner or Manager: Wesley Schmidt (Snug Harbor)
Best Concert Promoter: Winter Circle Productions
Musician Resource Award: The Sync Up Conference
Community Music Award: Send Me A Friend
Music Business of the Year: Live Nation (Russell Doussan, President- Live Nation Entertainment and Mark Roberts will accept)
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS:
Lifetime Achievement in Business: Doris Bastiansen, Kerry Irish Pub
Lifetime Achievement in Music Education: John Snyder, Loyola Music Business Studies
Positive Vibrations HeartBeat Award, Culture Bearer: Herreast Harrison
Positive Vibrations HeartBeat Award, Musician: Dr. Michael White
Lifetime Achievement in Music: Walter “Wolfman” Washington
Congratulations to all the winners, and many thanks for supporting the music industry of New Orleans.
On Thursday, January 31, OffBeat hosts the Best of the Beat Music Awards, where we toast the musicians who keep New Orleans’ pulse going. Tickets for the event, which features performances from Cha Wa, Water Seed, Sean Ardoin, Nesby Phips (and the Grid Band), Gregg Martinez & The Delta Kings (with special guest T.K. Hulin), The Iceman Special and an all-star tribute to Wolfman, are available here.
