Thanks to the MMA for inviting me to host the Awards Show this year, it was a pinnacle for me and a lot of fun. The highlights were many and varied, all the performers were good but Spider John Koerner, who got the Perpetually Outstanding Performer award seemed to be the most popular! Conrad, the stage manager of First Ave, the legendary presence with the dreads by the side of the stage for the last 17 years, got the Connie Hechter Award for services to the music community and his speech brought me to tears.
When I came to the Twin Cities 14 years ago, I conciously thought to myself that if i could in some way become a part of this music community so that people whould know who i am when I went into First Ave, then my dream would come true and last night I shared a very special night with 700 members of that community.