The Origin of the Listen Up Awards

The Origin of the Listen Up Awards – by Rob Smittix.

What must’ve been like six years ago, Art Fredette, Kit Haynes, and I (Rob Smittix) attended a hall of fame induction award show. We went to show our support for all the well-deserved inductees. Unfortunately, the show itself was a snooze fest; it literally was a struggle to keep my eyes open. The atmosphere was stuffy, and all of the fun that could’ve been had was sucked into the vacuum of pretentiousness.

As soon as we exited the hall, it really was a breath of fresh air. The three of us carpooled, so on the way home, we all discussed how we felt about the award ceremony. We all felt the same, that it was not lively enough. You could hear a pin drop in that room. This isn’t a knock on the efforts of this hall of fame, but rather an observation of the experience of those who paid to be there.

It all started as a joke. Kit made the comment that we should start our own award show and call it “The Arties” (referring to Art Fredette). We laughed, but Art replied no, I’m not that egotistical. I chimed in that we should give out old bowling trophies and have an award show that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Art said we should have funny awards like “Most Likely to Fall Off Stage” and “Most Likely to Owe the Club Money.” The conversation continued for the remainder of our ride home, unaware that we’d actually make this a reality at that point.

Fast forward just a few months, and we had conversations with Frankie Cavone of Mirth Films about this silly idea of ours, and it was at that moment that we decided to team up and make it happen.

Originally, we wanted the Listen Up Awards to be held at different venues every year. Our first award show was held at Lark Hall in 2022. The next year, we brought Listen Up to the Cohoes Music Hall, and the third year, the awards were held at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs. During this time, RadioRadioX and Xperience Monthly had relocated our studios to Cohoes, a block away from the Cohoes Music Hall, so going forward, it only made sense to bring the awards back to Cohoes, and the music hall has now become our official venue.

Did we accomplish what we were looking to achieve? Absolutely! The vibe of the Listen Up Awards over the last four years has never been humdrum. I am one of the hosts, and none of us behind that podium takes ourselves too seriously. We joke, we bust chops, we laugh, we drink beer, and we hand out plaques. We don’t even wear ties; we wear band T-shirts and leather jackets, and we encourage you to do the same. We don’t compare ourselves to the Grammys; we’d rather be the local Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

What is also unique about Listen Up is that we do not have a panel of judges; this is strictly people’s choice, your vote, your choice. This means that even when an artist wins that maybe isn’t our favorite, they still win because they got the votes. As a matter of fact, we’ve tied our own hands because we don’t allow ourselves to vote or even nominate anyone for any category. The only people we get to choose are those we induct into each year’s Hero Class. 

The Hero Class Awards are given out each year to people who we feel not only made a huge impact on our local music scene, but also to those who have helped others along the way. Because 2026 is our 5-year anniversary, we made it a huge two-day event (Feb 21-22), with the first day being “Hero Day,” as we will be giving out twenty-one Hero Awards. This year’s hero class includes: Tess Collins, Daley Brothers Band, Stigmata, Section 8, Deb Cavanaugh, Joe Mele, Eddie Angel, The Deadbeats, Kevin McKrell, Jim Furlong, Vito Ciccarelli, George Guarino, Peter Iselin, DJ Young Wise, Blotto, Scotty Mac, Ernie Williams & The Wildcats, Alex Torres, 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Tom Flynn, and Matt Hatfield & Tom Murphy of Parkway Music. 

The second day will be the actual 2026 award ceremony. Notice that our awards say “favorite” and not “best,” and the reason for that is simple: you got enough votes to be the favorite for the year. If we used the verbiage best, we’d be leaning into pretentious waters ourselves, and that’s not who we are. Another cool fact about our awards is that the same artist can not win the same category two years in a row, although they are eligible for other categories if they fit into them. 

The Listen Up Awards also have live music, and the performers can only be winners from the previous year. This year’s performers are: Day 1: Kakos, Kristian Montgomery, Off The Record, and the Albany Rock Pit. Day 2: Brother T & The Boys, Ginger Geezus, Chris Sanders & The Better Days, and Luke McNamee. 

In previous years, I myself witnessed a couple of crybabies when they did not win an award. Remember, don’t take this too seriously and work harder next year. There is no reason to get upset, be thankful that you were at least nominated, and be happy for your peers. Even if you are not a nominee for an award, if you are a music artist, it is highly encouraged that you come to the award show. This is the greatest opportunity of the year for you to network with other musicians from the area. Meet bands and people that you may have heard of but never had a face to put with the name, set up gigs together, and help strengthen our music community.

The 2026 Raven Events Listen Up Awards

The Cohoes Music Hall

Saturday, February 21st (Hero Day) Doors at 2pm Show at 3pm

Sunday, February 22nd (Award Ceremony) Doors at 2pm Show at 3pm

For tickets, visit: thecohoesmusichall.org (Enter the code LISTENUP at checkout for a 2-day discount.)

Photo by Stephanie J Bartik.

 

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