Eve Jeffery
Hundreds gathered in Ballina on Tuesday evening to celebrate music and watch the annual North Coast Entertainment Industry Association present trophies to this year’s winners of the Dolphin Awards.
Streamed live, audiences across the country and the world tuned in to see 19 winners take the podium for 21 awards – two Dolphins went to Leigh Carriage for Album of the Year and she also won the Jazz award, but Carriage was unable to attend the celebration due to an injury during the day.
Performances for the evening were kicked off by Loonaloop and spanned everything from Dolphins founder Mookx Hanley, who left his hospital bed to play Marijuana Australiana and tell the audience that ‘It’s all about the songs, get your songs out there’, to one of the absolute highlights of the evening, sisters Bridget and Monica Brandolini who blew the absolute lid off the Ballina RSL with their extraordinary vocals and harmonies.
The only thing to top their performance was that of The Hottentots, with Parissa Bouas transcending life as we know it with a voice fluttering among the angels.
Big winners on the evening were Leigh Carriage, Angus Stuwe Graham who took home four Dolphins, Grace Hickey who won both the Youth award and the Dolphin for Female Vocal and Matty Rogers who won the Male Vocal award and a $3,500 Cloudcatcher Media video package for Song of the Year with Walk to the Water.
Another huge winner on the night was Luke Vassella who came away with four trophies including a Dolphin for Songwriter of the Year with Mountain Blue from his new album In A North Coast Town, and the Music Video award for Shine A Light.
Organisers were full of praise for all those who helped and sponsored the event but mostly for the talent we have in the area and the fire that burns in the musical belly on the north coast.
The list of winner for the 2016 NCEIA Dolphin Awards were
- Album of the Year: Weave by Leigh Carriage (Byron Bay / Lismore)
- Song Of The Year: Walk to the Water by Matty Rogers (Burringbar)
- Male Vocal: Matty Rogers (Burringbar)
- Female Vocal: Grace Hickey (Maclean)
- Production: Unclouded Eyes by Angus Graham (Lismore)
- Music Video: Shine a Light by Luke Vassella and Cloudcacther Media
- Songwriter Of The Year: Mountain Blue by Luke Vassella (Lismore)
- Adult Contemporary: In a North Coast Town by Luke Vassella (Lismore)
- Youth: Cactus Flower by Grace Hickey (Maclean)
- Pop: Permanent by Hannah Parrington (Possum Creek)
- Rock: Smile by Angus Graham (Lismore)
- Blues: Carry On Carry On by Marshall Okell (Ballina)
- Country: Casino by Luke Vassella (Lismore)
- Jazz: Backstepping by Leigh Carriage (Byron Bay / Lismore)
- Urban / Hip Hop / Funk: Sunset Love by Dirk Terrill (Lennox Head)
- Protest: Misguided Existence by Angus Graham (Lismore)
- Electronic Music: Ghost in my Gut by We Play With Machines (Ballina)
- Folk: Sensible Girl by David Moss (Byron Bay)
- Alternative / Indie: Our Wars by Tupenny Opera (Murwillumbah)
- Devotional / Gospel: Unclouded Eyes by Angus Graham (Lismore)
- Instrumental: Break and Enter by Dirk Terrill (Lennox Head)
Well, lets all leap out of the water as we holler this good news in Dolphin awards. We in Ballina are on the crest of a wave.
On Tuesday evening hundreds of music lovers celebrated great music and watched the annual North Coast Entertainment Industry Association present trophies to this year’s winners of the Dolphins Awards.