Andra Day, Tribal Seeds and Switchfoot win top San Diego Music Awards

March 22, 2017 10:44 AM PT

Andra Day, Switchfoot and Tribal Seeds won in the top categories at the 2017 San Diego Music Awards Tuesday night. Winners were announced in 23 categories during the awards ceremony and concert at House of Blues.

Neo-R&B singer-songwriter Day won Album of the Year honors for her debut release, “Cheers to the Fall,” which also earned two 2016 Grammy Award nominations. Like a number of the other winners, she was not present to accept her honor.

Switchfoot, also absent Tuesday, won for Song of the Year for “Float,” an intricately crafted number in 7/4 time from the group’s 2016 album, “Where the Light Shines Through.” The five-man North County rock band won a 2011 Grammy Award in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category.

And the currently on-tour reggae band Tribal Seeds, whose self-titled debut album was released in 2008, was voted Artist of the Year. That same category was won by Switchfoot in 2011 and 2012. (The full list of 2017 winners appears below.)

The awards fete began an hour after its scheduled 7 p.m. starting time. It featured performances by half a dozen San Diego acts, beginning with the spirited Steph Johnson & The Voices of Our City Choir - a majority of whose members are homeless - and culminating with a three-song set by Best Rock winners The Schizophonics.

Their final number, a high-octane version of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven, took a chilling turn at its conclusion when Schizophonics’ bassist Brian Reilly smashed his bass guitar on the stage.

A piece of the instrument flew into the audience. It struck local indie rock favorite Birdy Bardot with such force that she was knocked to the floor, apparently unconscious. She remained prone for several, very scary, minutes.

After coming to, Bardot was able - with assistance - to shakily get to her feet. Clearly dazed, she was then helped out. It was unclear what the extent of her injuries may have been. In a surreal twist Bardot is the former wife of Schizophonics’ bassist Reilly, who appeared visibly shocked anyone had been injured, let alone his ex-spouse.

This sobering incident came near the conclusion of what was otherwise a relatively event-free awards fete, some technical glitches notwithstanding.

Guitarist Wayne Riker, an area resident since 1980, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. He gave a heartfelt acceptance speech in which he warmly thanked various musical collaborators and mentors, starting with The Beatles.

Riker also gave shout-outs to his son, daughter and two brothers, all of whom were present, and to longtime San Diego music.scene champion (and Manual Scan band co-founder) Bart Mendoza.

Other winners Tuesday included top trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos for Best Jazz, Tribal Theory for Best World Music, the elated Whitney Shay for Best Blues, The Lyrical Groove for Best Rap and The Bassics for Best Indie/Alternative.

Tuesday’s event came after a 17-month hiatus for the San Diego Music Awards, which skipped ts 2016 edition altogether. The reason for the hiatus was a re-organization of the nonprofit San Diego Music Foundation, under whose auspices the 26-year-old awards fete is held.

The event’s move to House of Blues came after being held for more than a decade at the outdoor Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, although awards show organizer Kevin Hellman did not rule out a return to Humphreys.

In a tradition that, sadly, did not stay behind at Humphreys, the constant yammering of audience members at the bar was acutely audible during a number of acceptance speeches at House of Blues.

The amount of money raised Tuesday to support local music education was not disclosed, but Hellman told the Union-Tribune he hopes to have a figure tallied by midday Wednesday. Since its inception 26 years ago, the San Diego Music Awards’ Guitars for the Schools program - a partnership with Taylor Guitars - has provided several thousand guitars to public schools across San Diego County for free or at discounted prices.

The benefits of music education for young people were vividly demonstrated by The Young Lion All Stars, a jazz quartet led by Castellanos. Its members Tuesday ranged in age from 13 to 17. They played with such verve and skill that the garage-rocking Creepy Creeps, whose performance came next, marveled aloud from the stage at just how gifted these Young Lions are at such a tender age.

The standout lion was singer Zion Dyson, 15. Her bravura scat vocal performance of the Ella Fitzgerald/Benny Goodman classic “Air Mail Special” earned the loudest cheers of the night Tuesday and brought the crowd to its feet for a sustained ovation.

The Young Lion All Stars play, free of charge, each Wednesday evening with Castellanos at Panama 66 in Balboa Park. Their winning performance at the San Diego Music Awards was a compelling argument in favor of arts education at all grade levels.

Tuesday’s other performers included Best Indie/Alternative Album winners The Verigolds and Best World Music Album winners Hirie.

During his on stage comments.to the audience, Hellman took aim at President Trump’s intent to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. Otherwise, the evening was free of political commentary.

A member of Best Hip-Hop or Rap Album winners The Knee Highs announced, only half jokingly, that the group was going to give its award to Los Angeles Chargers’ owner Dean Spanos. He earned cheers after suggesting a specific anatomical location where Spanos could put the pointy glass trophy.

Not to be outdone, Best Jazz Album winner Nathan Hubbard thanked his wife for “putting up with all my (crap).”