BOSTON, MA –  Longtime Aerosmith drummer and Massachusetts resident Joey Kramer was named honorary chairman of the 2007 Boston Music Awards (BMAs). 

“We are so excited to have Joey Kramer serve as honorary chairman of the BMAs,” said Chip Rives, Executive Director of the Boston Music Awards & NEMO Music Festival. “Joey is an icon, and a Boston music icon first. His involvement adds major star power to the biggest edition of the BMAs to date.”  

Kramer, widely renowned as one of rock’s greatest drummers, embraced the chance to connect with BMA’s and its incredible lineup of diverse acts. This year’s BMAs take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 1, 2007 at the Orpheum Theater.

“Aerosmith plays all over the world, but it all starts and comes back here to Boston for me,” said Kramer. “Boston is in Aerosmith’s DNA. I am part of Boston’s family of musicians and to be named the BMAs’ Honorary Chairman gives me a real opportunity to serve my brothers and sisters in this rich community of artists.” 

Kramer and his band mates formed Aerosmith in 1970 in Boston and the career that followed has been nothing short of legend. The band has sold more than 100 million albums, won multiple Grammys, MTV Video Awards, People’s Choice Awards, among nearly countless others and were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Aerosmith has been honored with more Boston Music Awards and nominations than any other band in the twenty year history of the event.

This year’s event will support Music Drives Us and the Berklee City Music Program. An online auction of Boston music memorabilia will also be held on eBay. All proceeds will benefit charity.

Here are the full details:

Boston Music Awards - 20th Anniversary
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Orpheum Theater
7:30pm

General:
General information about the ceremony can be found at www.BostonMusicAwards07.com or www.myspace.com/BostonMusicAwards.

Tickets:
Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. The show is All Ages and most seats are $35.  There are also $100 seats available in the front section that include access to the VIP After-Party otherwise exclusively attended by nominees, performers, and presenters.

Voting:
Winners are determined by a combination of an academy vote and a public vote.  The academy vote are weighted 2/3 versus 1/3 for the public. The voting polls are open until Friday, November 16th.  The public can cast their votes at www.BostonMusicAwards07.com.

Performances by:
-Augustana
-The Click Five
-Lori McKenna
-Matt Nathanson
-JoJo
-Martin Sexton
-“Blues Ensemble” members include: James Montgomery, Johnny A, Monster -Mike Welch, Weepin’ Willie, Short’y Billups, Eli “Paperboy” Reed and Peter Gammons
-Berklee City Music Jazz Ensemble – headliner TBA
-Special Teamz
-Fahrenheit
-Township
- Sully Erna of Godsmack
Gary Charone and Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme

Appearances by:
-Bobby Brown
-Joey Kramer
-Tom Hamilton
-Others TBA

Presenters:
-Charles Laquidara
-Oedipus
-Dogmatics
-Christopher Guest
-Ernie and the Automatics
-Others TBA

Charities:
All of the proceeds from the event will benefit the Music Drives Us Foundation (www.MusicDrivesUs.com) and the Berklee City Music (www.Berklee.edu/community/citymusic.html) program.  Both organizations provide opportunities to young people who are interested in music but do not have access to music programs.  Organizations like these ensure that there are talented musicians on the BMA stage for years to come.

Online Auction:
Additional funds will be raised for the two charities through an online auction on eBay.  The auction will go live during the week of Thanksgiving.  Items donated by Boston-based artists.

History of the BMAs:
Now regarded as one of the most prestigious annual events in Boston, the Boston Music Awards were established in 1987 by founder, Candace Avery, in order to pay tribute to the city’s finest performers.  Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the BMA’s are the longest running regional music awards show in the country.  The first ever ceremony was a tremendous success as it debuted with local pop stars, New Kids On The Block, headlining the sold out show.  After 16 years of leadership under Candace Avery, the Boston Music Awards switched hands and in 2003, when Chip Rives purchased the company.  The BMA’s changed locations under this new leadership, and the show was moved from the Wang Theatre to the Avalon.  In 2007, the location changed once again the Orpheum Theatre.

Comprised of 25+ categories of awards, the BMA’s provide an equal opportunity for both major label and independent artists. Since this awards ceremony is designed to honor artists from a very specific market, there are generalized categories that often house a very eclectic group of nominees.  Genre specific categories are intended to represent the wide range of music befitting to the limitation of genre labeling.  Artists are nominated by an 80+ person committee comprised of local radio personality, press, artist managers, labels, talent buyers, publicists and agents.  Winners are determined by an academy vote comprised of 450 members combined with a public vote.

The BMA’s are a very special event because it was once said that if a band could get a “buzz” happening in Boston, then they would be able to achieve national success. This theory has shown to be true as there have been many Boston bands that have had extremely successful musical careers. Such bands as Aerosmith, who won the very first award for Outstanding Rock Band at the BMA’s in 1987 and consecutively won the same award through 1993, have earned enormous national success. Other award winners from past BMA’s include: The Pixies, The Dresden Dolls, Pat Metheny, Howie Day, Godsmack, Mission of Burma, Staind, Dropkick Murphys, American Hi-Fi, Carly Simon, Boston, and Chick Corea. Additionally, other BMA nominees with ties to Boston that have achieved international recognition include: James Taylor, Phish, Donna Summer, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Paula Cole, The Explosion, Converge, and The Click Five.  

Furthermore, Boston is home to two well-known musical instrument manufacturers, Zildjian Symbols and First Act Guitars, both of which are responsible for worldwide distribution of their products.  The city is also home to the largest and most successful independent record store in the country, Newbury Comics. What started as a small location on Newbury Street that strictly sold comics and vinyl records, has turned into a chain with twenty-seven retail locations throughout the New England area. The company has been going strong for over 25 years and is still owned and operated by its original founders.

The Boston Music Awards are proud to celebrate and showcase such a talented community of musicians and are grateful for all of the hard work and time that all of the artists, presenters, and music fans put into it.  Without their help, the BMAs would not be possible.

For more information go to: www.bostonmusicawards07.com or www.myspace.com/bostonmusicawards.