Third Eye Blind, Metallica win big at awards show
Expanded Bammie field no barrier
San Francisco Examiner
March 15, 1999
By Philip Elwood and Craig Marine, the Examiner staff
San Franciscans fared especially well in the California Music Awards Saturday night, with Third Eye Blind and Metallica the only multiple winners in the show known for two decades as the Bammies.
The expansion last year to include Southern California artists didn't seem to faze the locals: Third Eye Blind grabbed three awards and Metallica two.
One of the most prestigious awards of the evening, the California Artist of the Year, went to Stephan Jenkins, Third Eye Blind's singer and chief songwriter. The group was also honored for the outstanding single for "Jumper" and as the outstanding group.
Metallica's Lars Ulrich was singled out as outstanding drummer, and the group's "Re-Load" was named the outstanding hard-rock album of the year, in ceremonies held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
As has become customary, the first act of the evening kicked things off with a high-energy performance. This year it was 22 Jacks bringing a charged presentation of two tunes, which got the house a party mood.
Following 22 Jacks, Money Mark gave a fairly drab performance, but the Long Beach Dub All Stars got things rolling again with a funk-filled, D-driven act that had people throughout the cavernous auditorium bopping their heads.
The performance helped rescue a dismal early hosting job by former KTVU-TV morning personality Brian Copeland.
One of the best things about the Bammies is that fans stationed around the main floor tables were able to rub shoulders with the stars � at least those who attended. And fans who happened to look away from the stage were able to read every word about to be said on stage from the massive TelePrompTers in the middle of the hall.
The 16 Bammies in other categories, refreshingly, went to such disparate groups as Primus and Chris Isaak (both of whom performed), as well as to Cake, Courtney Love's band Hole and John Lee Hooker, the pride of Redwood City, whose "Best of Friends" was chosen outstanding blues album.
While the statuettes are still called Bammies, the awards show changed its name last year. Some in the audience Saturday were wondering if the awards would soon become known as "Cammies," to reflect the show's new name.
The Bammie winners for 1998 included:
Outstanding Album � "Celebrity Skin," Hole.
Outstanding Debut Album � "Eve 6," Eve 6.
Outstanding Rock/Pop Album � "Prolonging the Magic," Cake.
Outstanding Punk/Ska Album � "Life Won't Wait," Cypress Hill.
Outstanding R&B Album � "Never Say Never," Brandy.
Outstanding Swing Album � "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy."
Outstanding Electronic Album � "Actual Sounds & Voices," Meat Beat Manifesto.
Outstanding Jazz Album � "In The Long Run," Dave Ellis.
Outstanding Female Vocalist � Alanis Morissette.
Outstanding Male Vocalist � Chris Isaak.
Outstanding Guitarist � Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine.
Outstanding Bassist � Les Claypool, of Primus.
The Bill Graham Lifetime Achievement Award went to rappers Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, while the Arthur M. Cohot Award (honoring community service and excellence in performance) � was awarded to Bonnie Raitt.
Among the California Music Awards bestowed was one to the indefatigable Tom Lapinski, who has directed and produced the Bammies shows hither and yon for 20 years.
Other performers Saturday night included Money Mark, Mix Master Mike and, as usual, the show's musical director, Austin DeLone and his band.
Those presenting awards included Merl Saunders, George Michalski, Narada Michael Walden, Paul Kantner, Alison Armitage, Ken Garcia, Thomas Dolby Robertson, Jodi Lynn O'Keefe, Jaime Gomez, Big Rick Stuart, Catt Sadler, Cheech Marin, Joan Baez, Tracy Chapman, Selma Blair, Tom Morello and Don Johnson.
Back to Articles