SWBMAI members, it is time to self-nominate your band for the Madison Area Music Awards (MAMA). There are 3 categories for the bluegrass community. Here are the categories and last year’s winners.

• Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year: The Spare Time Bluegrass Band
• Country/Bluegrass Artist of the Year: Jessi Lynn
• Country/Bluegrass Song of the Year: Jessi Lynn

SpareTime was the only Bluegrass band in last year’s competition. This is a great opportunity to get some press for your band and to help out a good cause. All the money collected from the nomination and voting process of the MAMA’s is used to purchase or repair musical instruments for kids. The qualifications for the MAMA’s are:

• 1 of the band members must live in Dane county or
• 50% of the gigs must be done in Dane county

For the Album of the Year/ Song of the Year:

• Must be released in 2007
• Must be original or copyright clearance must be completed

The Artist of the Year category is for live music, so no recorded music is necessary. There is a $10 charge for each category. Voting is done on-line by registered voters. To get started go to The MAMAs Website and use the contact us button. Or email me, Bob Batyko, and I will help.