I am thrilled to be nominated for 5 Independent Music Awards. I have been nominated before, and my manager even won the Best Merch Award for the Haunted Heart Oil Can guitar. But this time feels really special for many reasons. First of all, just the sheer number of nominations. The Hammer & The Heart got 4 nominations between album and songs, and Sisters Of A Different Skin, is nominated for A Cappella Song. Second, because the past two years I have focused on the joy of making music with people I love. There were 40 musicians involved in The Hammer & The Heart and 26 in Sisters of A Different Skin (some participated in both). I am proud to share this recognition with all of them and thankful for the passion, talent, and joy they have brought to my music.
Finally, after my friend (and talented artist) Jenna Lotti gave asked me to produce her EP, I decided to produce my own album for the first time. One would say that starting out your production career with a double album featuring 40 musicians recorded in different setting and locations may not be the wisest thing, and I must confess there were moments when I wondered what I was doing. So I am particularlt proud and thrilled about the nomination for Best Producer in Roots/Country (which I share with Stu Kimball who co-produced the song Backdoor Slam with me).
For the details, here is the official press release:
Susan Cattaneo Nominated for 5 Independent Music Awards including Best Country Album and Best Producer Roots / Country for her double album The Hammer & The Heart
Susan Cattaneo, Reeve Carney, Harriet, Death Valley High, Eh440, Jane Siberry, Jackknife Stiletto, Dan Zanes, Fiona Joy, Next To None, Taylor Grey, Esprit d’Air, Wordsmith, Rozina Pátkai, Karim Baggili, Air Traffic Controller, Ganda Boys, Amiss O.mega (featuring Snoop Dogg) and The Bankesters Among The 16th IMA Nominees
Boston, MA February 14, 2018 Renowned Boston Singer / Songwriter Susan Cattaneo was named as a Nominee in 5 categories at the 16th annual Independent Music Awards (The IMAs), the influential honors for independent artists and releases. More than 400 innovative self-released and indie label projects culled from thousands of submissions worldwide, were nominated by fans and industry panelists
4 of the nominations are tied to Susan’s eclectic double album The Hammer & The Heart which was released in August 2017, charting at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Northeast chart. The album features collaborations with 40 artists on an electric and acoustic disc. It is named for Best Country Album and Susan is nominated for Best Producer Roots / Country (“Backdoor Slam” produced by Susan Cattaneo & Stuart Kimball). The song Work Hard, Love Harder featuring The Boxcar Lilies, which charted at #1 on the Folk DJ Radio Chart in August, is nominated for Best Acoustic Song. A stripped down cover of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, featuring Amy Fairchild and Todd Thibaud is the Fan Nominee for the Best Cover Song category.
Rounding out the nominations in the Best A Cappella Song category is Sisters Of A Different Skin, a song about gender equality that features 26 New England based female musicians from different ethnic backgrounds, music genres and ages.
Nominated along with Susan Cattaneo is an eclectic mix of established artists and rising stars include: Taylor Grey, Esprit d’Air, Harriet, Fiona Joy, Dan Zanes, Next To None, Rozina Pátkai, Air Traffic Controller, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Julian Lage, Jane Siberry and The Bankesters. Fan-nominated artists in the Song and Video categories include: Reeve Carney, Matthew Huff, MADYX, Ganda Boys, Karim Baggili and Amiss O.mega [featuring Snoop Dogg]. Click here for a full list of The 16th IMA Nominees and Categories
The winning projects will be selected by judging panels of top recording artists including:, Slayer, Bakithi Kumalo, Michael W. Smith, Sepultura, Amy Lee [Evanescence] among many others; and influential press and talent buyers from the Americas, Europe and Pacific Rim.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED at The IMAs Independent Music Party @ Lincoln Center on March 31st.
Artistry. Originality. Excellence.
Now in its 17th year, The Independent Music Awards, produced by Music Resource Group honor the year’s most exceptional & artistically daring music projects from self-released and indie label talent from around the globe. And connects them to new performance, promotion, distribution and fans.
Program winners and nominees include extraordinary artists at every stage of their careers and include Amy Lee, Masta Ace, Valerie June, Meghan Trainor, Passenger, Jackson Browne, Team Me, Radio Radio, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Girl In A Coma, Apples in stereo, Pokey LaFarge, Killer Mike among many more.