mtvU ANNOUNCES THE “2011 mtvU WOODIE AWARD” NOMINEES FOR SHOW AIRING LIVE FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS ON MTV, mtvU AND MTV2 ON MARCH 16TH
Artists Include Matt & Kim, The Black Keys, Wiz Khalifa, LCD Soundsystem,
Wavves, Two Door Cinema Club, Mumford & Sons, B.o.B, Sleigh Bells, and more
Kanye West Battles Die Antwoord, Lil B, Yelawolf and Das Racist for “Left Field Woodie”
New York, NY – February 1, 2011 – MTV’s 24-hour college network, mtvU, today announced the nominees for the “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards”- the one night of music where college students make their voices heard to recognize their favorite emerging artists. As the show heads south to Austin, Texas during the 25th Anniversary of the South by Southwest Music Festival, artists including Matt & Kim, Two Door Cinema Club, Wavves, The Black Keys, Wiz Khalifa, Mumford & Sons, Vampire Weekend and more will vie for “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards.” The show will air live Wednesday night, March 16 at 12:00 am ET/PT on MTV, mtvU and MTV2. mtvU will announce performers and presenters on a later date.
The Black Keys lead the nominees this year with nods in the “Best Video Woodie” and “Woodie of the Year” categories. Other artists up for “Woodie of the Year” – or the artists who made an indelible stamp on the college music scene this year – include B.o.B, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, and Wiz Khalifa. The “Left Field Woodie” recognizes boundary-busting artists who refuse to be put in a box and continuously surprise fans with fresh sounds. Kanye West joins emerging artists Die Antwoord, Lil B, Yelawolf, and Das Racist on this list thanks to his movie “Runaway,” and his ability to transcend hip hop, giving fans a new, unexpected sound with each album. Das Racist is nominated in this category based off their do-it-yourself approach and original sound that’s tough to categorize; Die Antwoord for their rap meets rave meets train wreck “wtf” sound; Lil B for pioneering warped, stream-of-conscious rap with (literally) no rhyme or reason; and Yelawolf for his unexpected murky, deep south hip hop.
Recognizing artists on the brink of breaking through to mainstream, “Breaking Woodie” nominees include Local Natives, Sleigh Bells, Dev, Wavves, and Two Door Cinema Club. For the first time, mtvU will collect votes in this category via Tweets and Facebook posts that include a combination of the nominee’s official “@” Twitter handle and the hashtag #Woodies. Artists will earn more votes as the “social voting” gets amplified via re-tweets, “likes” and comments. Additionally, Vampire Weekend, Duck Sauce, Gorillaz, Chiddy Bang and The Black Keys face off in hopes of bringing home a chunk of wood for the “Best Video Woodie,” and The National, Girl Talk, Matt & Kim, Robyn and Mumford & Sons compete for this year’s “Performing Woodie.”
“We are excited to be nominated for the ‘Woodie Awards’ and are super stoked that MTV has been so supportive of our videos,” said Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.
“We couldn’t ask for a better category to be nominated in,” said Matt & Kim. “Playing live is what this band is built on. And the nomination isn’t just for us… it proves our audience is the best, funnest, and wildest party animals out there.”
“mtvU is like home to me. This nomination is both an honor and a pleasure,” said B.o.B.
Woodie Award voting begins today at woodies.mtv.com and runs through March 1, 2011, except for the “Breaking Woodie” category which will continue during the live show on March 16.
Once again, mtvU is also honoring 50 pioneering college radio stations committed to bringing students the latest indie and emerging music. Lauded for championing artists before they achieve mainstream success, these student-run radio stations represent the new music vanguard long since abandoned by traditional FM radio. The top stations are chosen based off accolades from CMJ College Radio acknowledgements, Princeton Review top list, online nominations through Rate My Professors and Twitter and independent questionnaires completed by a cross-section of record labels. Top 50 radio stations can be found on http://radiowoodie.ratemyprofessors.com/, where fans can vote for their favorite station. 25 nominees will move forward to the next round and then the list will be narrowed down to the top 10 before one ultimately wins the 2011 “College Radio Woodie.”
As the only award show to honor and highlight the music and artists voted ‘best’ by the US college audience, the 7th annual show promises an unforgettable night of music and performances. College students established the “mtvU Woodie Awards” in 2004 and has since propelled numerous recognized acts to the next level of their careers – including surging record sales, headlining tours and mainstream notoriety. Examples include: Fall Out Boy (Streaming Woodie ’04), the Killers (Breaking Woodie ’04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie ’05), Plain White Ts (Breaking Woodie ’06), Gym Class Heroes (Woodie of the Year ’07), Paramore (Woodie of the Year ‘08) and Matt & Kim (Best Video Woodie ’09).
The nominees for the “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards” are:
Woodie of the Year – (Artist of the Year)
Nominees:
The Black Keys (Nonesuch/Warner Bros)
B.o.B (Atlantic)
Arcade Fire (Merge)
LCD Soundsystem (DFA/Capitol)
Wiz Khalifa (Atlantic)
The Breaking Woodie – (Best Emerging Artist)
Nominees:
Local Natives (Frenchkiss)
Sleigh Bells (Mom + Pop)
Dev (Universal Republic)
Wavves (Fat Possum Records)
Two Door Cinema Club (Glassnote)
Best Video Woodie – (Best Video of the Year)
Nominees:
Vampire Weekend “Giving Up the Gun” (XL)
Duck Sauce “Barbara Streisand” (Fool’s Gold)
Gorillaz “Stylo” (Capitol)
Chiddy Bang “Opposite of Adults” (Capitol)
The Black Keys “Tighten Up” (Nonesuch/Warner Bros)
Performing Woodie – (Best Tour)
Nominees:
The National (4AD)
Girl Talk (Illegal Art)
Matt & Kim (FADER Label)
Robyn (Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope)
Mumford & Sons (Glassnote)
Left Field Woodie – (Most Original)
Nominees:
Die Antwoord (Cherrytree/Interscope)
Lil B (Amalgam Digital)
Yelawolf (Ghet-o-vision/Shady/DGC/Interscope)
Das Racist (Unsigned)
Kanye West (Island Def Jam)
College Radio Woodie – (Best Campus Radio Station)
For the station out there breaking the latest, emerging music, acting as pioneers in the industry. Top 50 radio stations can be found on http://radiowoodie.ratemyprofessors.com/, where fans can vote for their favorite station.
Jesse Ignjatovic/Den of Thieves is the Executive Producer for the “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards.” Garrett English and Amy Doyle are Executive Producers for MTV. Jen Jones is Producer. Joanna Bomberg and Gina Esposito are Executives in Charge of Music and Talent, MTV. Eric Conte is Executive Producer for mtvU.
About mtvU:
Broadcast to more than 750 college campuses and via top cable distributors in 700 college communities nationwide, mtvU reaches nearly 9 million U.S. college students – making it the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S., as well as on cable systems from Charter Communications, Verizon FiOS TV, Suddenlink Communications, AT&T u-Verse and nearly 70 others. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are: on-air, online and on the campus. mtvU programs music videos from emerging artists that can’t be seen anywhere else, news, student life features and initiatives that give college students the tools to advance positive social change. mtvU is always on campus, with hundreds of events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more.