Jeoaf Johnson, drummer for Roky Moon & BOLT whose album American Honey has made the long list, noted that his label [ZenHill] seemed more concerned with nominating the band for a Grammy than the band was.
"There were some deadline concerns about finishing all the stuff that has to be done to complete an album, the art work, the mastering, etc. to have our record ready before the cutoff date for submission," says Johnson. "But that was more label-driven than band-driven.
"We were pretty sure that an album cut in one day on the cheap was probably not going to win us a Grammy," he laughs. "Sure, it's nice to make the long list, but we understand what that really means."
Johnson admitted he's seen other local bands tout having submitted an album to the regional committee like it was some kind of achievement, but he says that's just either naivety combined with wishful thinking or a desire for recognition that most young bands probably don't truly deserve.
New West Records publicist Amanda Hale Ornelas told us that her label doesn't necessarily submit every record that it issues, but rather tries to be strategically smart about submissions.
"We are registered with NARAS as a media company, so I'm able to submit albums or tracks online directly to the organization. And we hope what we do submit is something that is truly viable. No one likes to waste time."
Ornelas noted that she submitted Robert Ellis's album Photographs in several categories, but NARAS rules prevent her from divulging particulars on any given submission.
"We just try to be smart, submit in meaningful categories, stuff like that. For instance, I wouldn't submit Robert in the category for hip-hop. I run my ideas by some key colleagues here and we try to think before we just fire off any old submission. That's just being professional, I think."
Another local band manager who asked not to be identified said submitting is almost like buying an insurance policy when working with up-and-coming bands trying to establish themselves.
"I'm certainly against the type of false 'oh, gee, we're nominated for a Grammy, aren't we great' touting you're talking about. But if you're in this professionally, you have to consider what if one of these young bands actually does break out huge like Arcade Fire did a couple of years back. If that happens to my band, I certainly want their record to be in the pot for consideration. You never know."
His advice to young bands regarding the abuse of Grammy hype?
"You gotta stay real about this stuff," he says. "Period. Credibility, whether with fans or the press, is hard to build and you can throw it away with one false statement. So submit your record if you want it considered, then just shut up and wait."
Exactly.
