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4th Annual Ameripolitan Music Award Nominations Open October 1st

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The Ameripolitan Music Awards return to Austin in February 2017, and nominations are opening to the general public this Saturday, October 1, and closing Monday, October 31. This 4th annual edition of the awards show will be hosted at the Paramount Theater on Wednesday, February 15, honoring artists in rockabilly, outlaw music, honky tonk, and western swing.

4th Annual Ameripolitan Music Award Nominations Open October 1

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Established and so-named by renowned Texas honky honk musician, Dale Watson, the awards show has seen a steady growth of acceptance from a warm and appreciative audience the world-round. “The 2017 awards show will be another moment for the genre,” Watson says. “It seems hard to top the performance lineup each year, but we are working to have the ‘best of the best’ in the business. Of course, we also have several big surprises in store that will excite fans. Every year we strive to take the Ameripolitan Music Awards to a new level.”

4th Annual Ameripolitan Music Award Nominations Open October 1

Photo: Facebook/Ameripolitan Music Awards

Created to recognize incomparable originality and devotion to roots music such as the genres mentioned above, the Ameripolitan Music Awards benefit those artists whose body of work doesn’t lend itself to the tastes of modern day, or what many would consider mainstream “country” music. Its goal is to reaffirm this music’s unique identity while solidifying its fan-base involvement and patronage, simultaneously “passing the torch”, as it were, to future generations that may not otherwise have reason or opportunity to pick it up.

4th Annual Ameripolitan Music Award Nominations Open October 1

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

While molded by many an influence over time, Ameripolitan musical roots can be traced directly back to honky tonk piano players and small string bands, resulting in songs that are participatory in nature both physically and emotionally. Honky tonk music has been recognized as having a waltz-time and focus in and around love, loss, and life. Western swing has been known to be lighter and more upbeat in tone and can carry a dancer and partner around a room a number of times. Rockabilly is youth-oriented with a robust up-tempo dancing beat, and outlaw tends to describe more of the fashion in which the music was made or produced as opposed to its focus (typically outside of the Nashville sound and recording studios).

4th Annual Ameripolitan Music Award Nominations Open October 1

Photo: Facebook/Ameripolitan Music Awards

Nominations for the awards can be submitted by fans at www.ameripolitan.com or via email at [email protected]. Only one nomination per person will be accepted. If you require more information on the categories or the process, you can follow the event’s social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter or visit their main page at ameripolitan.com.