Last week, we looked back at 19 years of celebrating Cincy’s music scene at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (if you missed it, check out the retrospective — and lots of photos — here). This week, we are looking forward and getting ready to make new memories at the 20th-anniversary edition of the CEAs, which take place Sunday at first-time CEA venue Memorial Hall (1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, memorialhallotr.com). Come see who local music fans chose as the top Cincinnati acts in 14 genre categories (plus Best Music Video and Best Live Act), as well as the winners of the CEAs for Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, as determined by a committee of local music experts and connoisseurs. Tickets are $20 and available through the Memorial Hall website.
The doors open at 6 p.m. Sunday; at 6:30 p.m. the nominees for Best Music Video will be screened. The show starts at 7 p.m. with a performance by local greats The Hiders, who released their latest full-length, Unsheltered Storm (available at thehiders.bandcamp.com), at the end of August. Also performing are rootsy Indie Rock group Carriers (who are nominated for the New Artist of the Year CEA) and Soul/Pop singer songwriter Lauren Eylise. On-the-rise Hip Hop MC Audley will also perform, backed by New Artist of the Year and Alternative/Indie nominee Sylmar, in a reprisal of their live collaboration at September’s Ubahn festival.
Nominated in the Best Live Act and Folk/Americana categories, Young Heirlooms play this year’s CEAs fresh off last month’s release of their stellar new album, The Hammer (available now on most digital streaming and download platforms). Rounding out the lineup are AltRock newcomers and Old Flame Records recording artists This Pine Box and Electronic nominees Moonbeau, which features Christian Gough of The Yugos (who are nominated for several 2017 CEAs, including Album and Artist of the Year). Listen to Moonbeau’s new single, “In Your Lifetime” (also on the locally based Old Flame label), at citybeat.com this Friday.
The 20th-annual CEAs show will close with a glimpse of the future via a special performance featuring students from Mason’s School of Rock music education organization.
Check this space next week for a full rundown of 2017’s CEA winners and more.
This article appears in Nov 8-15, 2017.