For first time in its history, music's WAMI Awards are coming to Green Bay. Here's who's performing and being inducted.

Kendra Meinert, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Updated ·3 min read
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ASHWAUBENON - For the first time in its history, the Wisconsin Area Music Industry will hand out its statewide honors with an awards ceremony in greater Green Bay.

The EPIC Event Center in Ashwaubenon will host the 42nd annual WAMI Awards at 7 p.m. May 19. The celebration of Wisconsin music excellence, which has bounced between Milwaukee and the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton in recent years, is back in northeastern Wisconsin for the first time since 2018.

In addition to awards in dozens of categories and performances by artists from across the state (including Green Bay's own Fun w/Atoms and The Glam Band), the evening will also feature the induction of three acts into the WAMI Hall of Fame.

Garbage, which includes Butch Vig and Shirley Manson, will be inducted into the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Hall of Fame on May 19.
Garbage, which includes Butch Vig and Shirley Manson, will be inducted into the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Hall of Fame on May 19.

This year's WAMI Hall of Fame nominees are ... Garbage, Arrested Development's 'Speech' and The Fendermen

Garbage: The Grammy-nominated rock band formed in Madison in 1993 became a staple of '90s radio with such hits as "Stupid Girl" and "Only Happy When It Rains." Shirley Manson, Butch Vig, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson have sold more than 17 million albums and are set to tour Europe this summer.

Todd "Speech" Thomas: The Milwaukee native and founder and frontman of Arrested Development is a two-time Grammy winner for the pioneering hip-hop group's1992 debut album, "3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of ...," which included the 1992 hit single "Tennessee." He's also a busy solo artist and inspirational and motivational speaker.

The Fendermen: The Madison-area rockabilly duo formed in 1958 by the late Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey had just one hit single, "Mule Skinner Blues," but it took them on the road with Johnny Cash and to "American Bandstand" and the Grand Ole Opry. Their name came from the Fender guitars they played and connected to the same amplifier.

WAMI organizers are currently in the process of coordinating logistics for the attendance of inductees or their representatives or family members at the awards ceremony.

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Erin Krebs is up for Album of the Year for "Brighter Days" at 42nd annual WAMI Awards.
Erin Krebs is up for Album of the Year for "Brighter Days" at 42nd annual WAMI Awards.

Who are the finalists up for WAMI Awards?

It's a long list of 550-plus finalists in categories ranging from genre to instrument as well as on-air personalities, engineers, venues and festivals. The full rundown is at wami.org/2023-finalists. Here are a few of the primary categories:

Album of the Year

  • “A Story I Can’t Tell,” Michael Grabner

  • “Brighter Days,” Erin Krebs

  • “Dive Bar Dinner,” Berens & Greuel

  • “Not Done Yet,” SpareTime Bluegrass

  • “Queen of Hearts,” Would You Kindly?

  • “Royalty,” The Blacktop Kings

  • “Winter,” Kurt Gunn

Female Vocalist

  • Amelia Ford

  • Dani Crow

  • Erin Krebs

  • Jackie Brown

  • Janet Planet

  • Katie Mack

  • Paige Lieberman

  • Sammy Ray Marshall

  • Tae

Male Vocalist

  • Adam Liebersbach

  • Andrew Balistreri

  • Chris Krebs

  • Dennis Peters

  • Gabriel Sanchez

  • Jason McNabb

  • Jimmy Voegeli

  • Kriss Crow

  • Matt Ray

  • Rich Hoffman

  • Zakk Abitz

New Artist of the Year

  • Alive Again: A Tribute to Chicago

  • Hot Rod Huey and the B Sides

  • No Can Do

  • Rustbucket

  • Scarlet

  • The ‘90s Band

  • The Prince and the Peach

  • Where Is the Key

  • Would You Kindly?

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Fun w/Atoms, the Green Bay power-pop trio of Dan Collins, from left, Rick Smith and Curt Lefevre formed in the 1980s and still going strong, will perform at WAMI Awards ceremony May 19 at EPIC Event Center.
Fun w/Atoms, the Green Bay power-pop trio of Dan Collins, from left, Rick Smith and Curt Lefevre formed in the 1980s and still going strong, will perform at WAMI Awards ceremony May 19 at EPIC Event Center.

Who's performing that night?

  • Fun w/Atoms

  • The Glam Band

  • Howard Ludtke and Blue Max

  • Prime Country

  • Secret Menu

  • Steem

  • Social Cig

  • The Supertramp Tribute Band

How much are tickets to the awards ceremony at EPIC Event Center?

General admission seats on the floor are $25. VIP mezzanine tickets are $45. Reserved tables of 10 are also available for $450. Tickets are on sale through etix.com.

There's a free party the night before at The Bar on Holmgren Way.

Brass Differential, Amelia Ford and Social Cig will play a free Curtain Raiser event at 6:30 p.m. May 18 at The Bar on Holmgren Way.

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert. 

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: WAMI Awards to induct Garbage, 'Speech,' Fendermen at Green Bay show