Last year, when his band got announced as the People’s Choice Best Artist award recipient during the Syracuse Area Music Awards ceremony, Nicholas Stark didn’t hesitate to run right up to the stage.  

“The girl I was dating at the time, she was like ‘You didn’t even stop to give me a hug,’” Stark, the vocalist and acoustic guitarist for Small Town Shade, recalled. 

“When they called our name it was super, super exciting,” he said. “To actually win it, it was kind of a validation for us … we’re starting to become at least a little more relevant.” 

Small Town Shade is a modern country band from Cortland. The group consists of him and bandmate Rocco Rich on vocals and acoustic guitar, Aaron Craig on cajón and percussion, Mike Marcey on vocals and bass guitar and former electric guitarist Jeremy Barbur. The band was one of eighteen musical groups to be selected for a Syracuse Area Music Award, or SAMMY, in 2017.   

Since 1993, the SAMMYS have annually honored esteemed members of the Syracuse music community. To past winners like Stark, getting honored isn’t just about the awards — it’s about area musicians coming together to grow as a community. 

Plans are in the works for this year’s 25th anniversary ceremony, which will take place over the course of two days at the beginning of March, according to a SAMMYS press release. 

The event is meant to “celebrate and recognize the outstanding talent of local musicians, as well as the achievements of industry professionals with Syracuse roots,” said chairperson Liz Nowak in the press release.  

The SAMMY Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on March 1, and the SAMMY Award Show will be held the following evening at the Palace Theater. Tickets for both events go on sale Feb. 6. And on this day, nominees from 2017 recorded music submissions will also be announced in their respective categories, as well as the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees. 

In the meantime, the general public can cast votes for their favorite venue to see live music, their favorite local artists and their favorite music series or festival, among other People’s Choice categories. The general public can vote online once a day, every day. 

When Small Town Shade was in the running, Stark said the band was one of over 50 being considered in the first round of voting. Each round, the number of nominees cuts in half — this year’s second round of voting begins Jan. 16. 

During the 2016 nominations, Small Town Shade ran for the same People’s Choice award it eventually won, but only made it to the final eight nominees.   

“When we made the final two (in 2017), it became real,” Stark said. 

To Stark, the most valuable part of the experience was the networking opportunities it brought.  

“We got to put names with faces for ‘what is Syracuse’ history,” Stark said. “It was cool being around those people, having them shake your hands.” 

Post-SAMMY win, Stark said the band gets recognized more now by Syracuse-area venues when booking shows. Last spring, a concert series called Salt City Spotlight featured Small Town Shade, among several other area bands, performing original music. More recently, Stark sang the national anthem at the Dec. 22 SU men’s basketball game vs. St. Bonaventure in the Carrier Dome. 

Small Town Shade is working on a full-length album currently, and may plan to “revisit the SAMMYS again next year with this next project.” 

Lauren Mettler was similarly honored to receive a Best Folk SAMMY in 2017. 

“Especially when I was able to sit down and listen to some of the other musicians that I was nominated with, in my same category … it was really very inspiring,” she said. 

Mettler’s award was in a category chosen and judged by a committee, as opposed to the People’s Choice awards category. Like Stark, Mettler made the most of her SAMMY involvement to forge new connections.   

“After I listened (to their work), I got ahold of a couple of those musicians, and I’m still in touch with them.” 

 She’s gotten together for songwriting sessions with some SAMMY-affiliated musicians, and improved connections she already had with others. 

A highlight in her musical career occurred after receiving her award: when Mettler opened for Cheryl Wheeler and Lucy Kaplansky, two prominent local voices in folk music. Mettler met the Center’s executive director, Ty Marshal, at the SAMMYS awards ceremony, which helped her get this gig. 

For the folk artist, receiving recognition for her self-produced musical albums came after a fair share of adversity. Mettler overcame personal health challenges and other obstacles to finish the work that got her nominated for this award.  

“It’s really been an uphill climb,” Mettler said. “It’s been like climbing a mountain, doing this project.”  

 Now, Mettler has a musical residency at Good Nature Farm Brewery & Tap Room in Hamilton. She plays a two-hour set for the venue’s dinner guests once every month, and said she tries to keep the music “seasonally appropriate,” with a mixture of originals and covers.  

When the weather’s warmer, Mettler said she plays a lot of local farmers’ markets too.  

“It’s one of the most wonderful settings for music because people are coming out to experience the community and connect with local artisans of all kinds,” Mettler said. “It’s warm and supportive. I often get vegetables and honey jars in my case as well as monetary offerings.” 

Mettler is looking forward to making new records. And now, she’s got connections with the people she met at the SAMMYS to help her move forward.  

“It wasn’t just an awards ceremony,” Mettler said. “it was a community building event.” 

Published on January 15, 2018 at 10:02 pm

Contact Colleen: [email protected] | @ColleenEFergus2