Forget the Holidays, It’s UMA Season!
Okay, so maybe I led with a bit of bad advice. If you have a significant other, kids, immediate family, or even a gift swap at work, you should most definitely not forget the holidays. That said, if you have any interest in the local music scene (and why would you be reading this if you don’t?) you absolutely want to make sure you participate in the Upstate Music Awards this year and well into the next one. New to the game? Let’s get you caught up…
The Upstate Music Awards is the brainchild of the Radio Room’s Wes Gilliam, Future Chord’s Jeremy Theall, and Greenville Journal’s Vincent Harris and aims to shine a spotlight on the wealth of talent in the upstate music scene. It all began with the first UMA ceremony in 2020 at Zen, seemingly hours before COVID brought the world to a near standstill but at least we ended our days of freedom with a glorious celebration of all things local. Bands from across the Upstate (specifically the 864-area code) were nominated, voted upon, and awarded top prizes in everything from best single to best album to best studio engineer and all categories in between. The response from both the artistic community and their fans was overwhelming and an annual tradition was born.
p/c Grey Thompson
2021 saw the UMAs return to Zen before the Peace Center asked to host the event in the Spring of 2022. After selling out the originally planned space at Gunter Theatre, the UMAs made a last minute, day-of-event switch to the main hall at the Peace Center. In only three years the UMAs, with the support of the local community, had reached arguably the biggest stage the Upstate had to offer such an event.
Here I would be happy to bore you with stories of past winners and performers who came out of the proverbial woodwork to stake their claim as the Upstate’s top artists but now is the time to look toward the future. The nomination process is going forward at full steam, official voting for finalists is just over a month away, and the April 2, 2023 UMA ceremony will be here before you know it, basically because time passes like that whether we like it or not. For those new to the process or in need of a refresher, here is how it all goes down…
The nomination process is live now and will be until December 16. This is the easiest part of the UMA process and there is no excuse for you or your favorite artist to go unnominated if you A) have an internet connection and B) can type a few words and a name or two. Seriously, artists and their fans can nominate themselves and those near and dear to them provided they fit one of the UMA’s 14 categories and play predominantly original music within the 864-area. All of those nominated will go into the big UMA database and will be eligible for official voting January 16-February 10. Five finalists will be selected from both the popular and critics’ votes with the winners to be announced on the Peace Center’s big stage in April.
The Peace Center; Greenville, SC
