Grammy Recap

Never too much Dave Grohl

I am a certified fanatical music nerd. Maybe you noticed that with all my blog posts about music, but I have a tendency to forget it. I think myself a pretty average fan most of the time.

Then Grammy time comes around and I am compelled to give it way more attention than it really deserves. There was a time when the Grammys seemed to go off the track and reward a whole bunch of crap music. That time seems to have been fading away a bit in recent years, with some really talented lesser known artists getting nominated and even winning. Last year my heart was warmed when they let Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers actually perform their incredible music. It also seems that people are beginning to recognize real talent once in awhile, like the phenomenal voice of Adele.

Did you know that they award 78 different Grammys? Variations in category abound. 68 of these awards are done during the pre-telecast which I discovered you can view live online! So guess what I was watching all day. The ones I care most about are Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Album, Song and Performance, Best Contemporary Christian Song and Album, Best New Artist and sometimes I’m into the Pop stuff but very often not. This year though, my long time favorite band the Foo Fighters (who I have seen in concert about a half dozen times) were up for a ton of awards in lots of categories.

Ok so some highlights.

Best Surprise of the Night

The very fact that The Civil Wars performed even a bit of their Grammy winning song Barton Hollow before introducing Taylor Swift amazes me. Suddenly everyone loves them and deservedly so. I saw someone tweet that their first show was 18 months ago and now they’re on the Grammys…that’s not so because I’ve been following them very closely since early 2009 when they performed at Eddie’s Attic and then released the mindblowing EP Poison and Wine. I was a fan of Joy Williams before she got together with John Paul White to create The Civil Wars but I never expected their meteoric rise to success because people with their kind of roots usually don’t enjoy instant mainstream success. The interesting thing about The Civil Wars is that when they sing together there is usually a sexual tension you can cut with a knife even though they are each married to other people. Well last week Joy announced she is expecting her first child and last night during their much-too-short song I saw none of the usual chemistry. I hope they don’t lose that now that they are playing for much less intimate audiences.

Most Infuriating Moment of the Night

Every time Chris Brown took the stage, which was at least three times by my count. The Grammys billed him as some kind of triumphant comeback and it made my stomach turn. The kid beat his girlfriend to a bloody pulp, got a slap on the wrist of five years probabtion WHICH HE IS STILL SERVING, and routinely calls people f*ggot and throws chairs through windows. For this he is rewarded with two Grammy performances, a multi-platinum selling album and a Grammy award. Even more horrifying are these tweets from women last night. I believe in grace, and second chances, but consequences and apologies are also very important and we are sending the wrong wrong wrong message to young women everywhere.

Funniest Twitter Commentary of the Night

I have a tie for this one. It’s tied between the moment Bon Iver won Best New Artist and when DeadMau5 took the stage. My friend Craig Hlavaty wrote this terrifically funny bit in the Houston Press about what happened when Bon Iver won. (“Who the Eff is the Ron River?”) Now arguably his music is not new to those of us geeks in the know, so whether he should get best *new* artist is somewhat questionable, but his music is undeniably great.  Then there was the big electronica number with David Guetta and DeadMau5. Lots and lots of “I don’t get this” tweets and even more hilarious “What is up with the light up Mickey Mouse head?”. I’m sorry but DeadMau5 is awesome and makes incredible music that I always want to dance to. That head is the latest and greatest improvement of something he’s been wearing for years and fans like me love it.

In the end Adele swept the Grammys with her amazing raw talent combination of voice and songwriting. She deserves the accolades and listening to her acceptance speeches in the thickest cockney accent you’ll ever hear is both amusing and endearing. I’m sad Mumford and Sons didn’t win anything for their incredible song, The Cave, but perhaps this means they won’t get overplayed and ruined.

So what were your favorite moments of last night’s Grammys? 

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Author: Sarah

Mom of three. Triathlete. View all posts by Sarah