The OCMAs at City National Grove of Anaheim, Calif. (Photo by The School of Photography at Orange Coast College)
Some great music has come out of Orange County, California. Included are the internationally successful No Doubt (originally from Anaheim), the new rising star on the touring scene Young the Giant (who started in Irvine), and newer bands with strong local followings like Jeramiah Red. These bands, and many more, came together to celebrate the Orange County Music Awards at the City National Grove of Anaheim, Calif., March 9.
Awards were given in 27 categories at this year’s OCMAs, which brought 1,350 attendees to the Nederlander Concerts-operated venue. Adam Millar, the building’s manager, said that this event is more about celebrating music than making money.
“My goal is not necessarily to make some king’s ransom on this show,” he said. “Saturday is our prime time, but I’m more than willing to give up a Saturday at a much lower rental rate than usual to make sure we can have a great event like this in Orange County and have it at the Grove.”
“It’s a great opportunity to expose our venue to a lot of young bands in Orange County that will hopefully come back to see or play a ticketed event,” he added.
The building also keeps the gross from the bar.
The programming brings together an interesting mix of internationally acclaimed to hyper local. No Doubt drummer Adrian Young accepted three awards on the band’s behalf, while Young the Giant also came to the event and accepted the award for Best Indie.’ Local artists Robert Jon and the Wreck accepted Best Live Band, while Jeramiah Red was honored with Best Rock.
“Our show is a really healthy mix” of successful artists and local bands, said the Ace Agency’s Ashley Eckenweiler, who produces the event. “In each category there are some well-known artists alongside local bands, which is an interesting model.”
With the mix of high-profile musicians, the OCMAs present an interesting networking opportunity. But really, the bands are there to celebrate good music and leave work at the door.
“The opportunity is definitely there to network, but I think most of the musicians are there to have a good time,” said Jeramiah Red’s Wes Dickson. “We bring business cards in case anyone is asking for one, but for the most part we like hanging out and catching up with everyone.”
He added that though there may be a friendly rivalry between Orange County bands, the OCMAs is always a positive experience that allows the music-makers to cheer for each other.
Jeramiah Red accepts the Best Rock award.
With the awards set up, the normally 1,700-capacity building is reduced to 1,350 in order to make room for some tables. The vast majority of tickets are given to nominees, sponsors, VIPs and press, with just 100 going on sale to the public for $40 each.
Without a significant income from ticket sales, the OCMAs rely on sponsorships to continue to grow the event.
“We have a completely sponsorship-driven model,” said Eckenweiler, who added that the amount of sponsorship dollars has grown each year since she took over the event five years ago.
Millar said that the Grove works well to host sponsorship-heavy events because it has lots of spaces for activation, from the outdoor entryway, to the indoor bar, to the event floor. Sponsorship permeated the event, with some of the main sponsors being Farmer John, Bud Light, Orange Coast Fiat, KROQ, and Wahoo’s Fish Tacos. Most of the award presenters were sponsors, who took the stage and declared they were instructed not to self-promote. There’s a reason for all of the sponsorships, though.
“The event gets more expensive to produce every year, so it’s important that we work to cultivate more sponsorships,” said Eckenweiler. “We don’t charge anyone to participate and we don’t charge the audience for any of the shows except for the final awards night.”
The OC Music Awards is more than just the final ceremony at the City National Grove of Anaheim. It’s two months of live shows at venues around Orange County.
“We have the submission-based category of Best Live Band and receive hundreds of submissions throughout the year,” explained Eckenweiler. “We then have a two-month battle of the bands style showcase where the 35 nominees battle it out.”
There are seven shows to narrow the playing field. Each show, five bands play on a Tuesday at a different venue in Orange County. The performances are scored, and the top bands move on to a final showcase. This year, the finals were at House of Blues Anaheim.
“We played at Founder’s Hall, which is located inside the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, and then at the finals at the House of Blues,” said Dickson. “Every showcase was free.”
Robert Jon and the Wreck accepted the Best Live Band award at the OCMA show at the Grove. With the award, the band received a prize package from the event’s various sponsors, including four days of studio time at Red Bull Studios, a slot on the Warped Tour, $1,000 from Guitar Center, and an endorsement from Ernie Ball. The biggest applause came when a year of free Wahoo’s Fish Tacos and Pop Chips were announced as part of the prize package.
Millar said that the Grove is already holding dates for next year’s event.
Interviewed for this story: Wes Dickson, (909) 855-1028; Ashley Eckenweiler, (949) 285-9239; and Adam Millar, (714) 712-2702