Awards show has Motown feel
April 20th, 2002
Publication: Detroit Free Press

The DMA honors artists from across sonic spectrum BY BRIAN MCCOLLUM FREE PRESS POP MUSIC WRITER Most musicians will tell you awards don't matter. Don't pay them any attention. The Motor City honored a bunch of its finest music makers Friday night at the State Theatre, as the 12th annual Detroit Music Awards handed out 71 trophies to artists across the sonic spectrum. And most seemed quite happy to pick them up. For honorees such as Hamtramck's Sista Otis, it was an evening worth emerging from what she described as the musical underground. "There's a lot of hard work that goes into this," said Otis, whose urban-folk hybrid earned her the outstanding folk act trophy. "Last year it was nice just to be nominated. And it's a really good feeling to be recognized." For all the carping around town concerning the music awards -- including beefs about the nomination process and low voter participation -- Friday night's winner list had a nice shine. The globally heralded garage rock band the White Stripes took the evening's top two honors, outstanding national album and single. "What's Going On," the seminal soul record by the late Motown star Marvin Gaye, grabbed the award for best reissue. Elsewhere, such critically lauded artists as American Mars, Jan Krist and the Brothers Groove were handed trophies. The 2002 DMAs were presented by the nonprofit, 300-member Motor City Music Foundation. Winners were determined by about 425 musicians and industry professionals who returned ballots. Foundation officials said about 2,500 ballots were mailed out. Detroit is smack dab in the middle of a musical hot streak. But Friday's festivities had a low-key feel: Missing was the star power of recent DMA ceremonies, when such buzz acts as Kid Rock and D-12 headed the bill. And several of the evening's prominent, multiple-award winners -- including the White Stripes and keyboardist Chris Codish -- weren't on hand. Attendance, listed at 1,038, appeared to be lower than recent years -- likely attributable to Red Wings playoff hockey. Still, as is tradition at the DMAs, Friday was as much a night for hobnobbing as anything else. Near the theater's bustling lobby -- where beer and schmoozing set the scene for most of the 4-hour evening -- singer-songwriter Liz Larin called it an affirmation of the Detroit scene's family feel. "I know there's lots of grumbling about the awards, but it's so nice to get together and see everybody's who's working hard, keeping the scene vital," said Larin, whose three wins included outstanding rock songwriter. "Detroit is a city, but we're still a small town." Most winners echoed Thornetta Davis, 3-time winner in the blues field. "You know, I'm just blessed to have the support of my hometown," Davis said. Sista Otis, whose quirky two-song set early in the show stood up as one of the night's top performances, had an off-the-cuff poetic take on that hometown. "She ain't pretty, and she don't smell good," Otis said. "But she's got the music."