2007 Best Oldies Rock Performer
42.93% Spike & The Bulldogs*
Others with Votes (more than one):
* On the ballot |
They might as well change the name to the Spike and the Bulldogs Oldie Whammy. Spike and company have owned the Best Oldies Rock Performer award since its inception in 2002. And it’s not because there is no competition. There’s plenty. So what is it about Spike and the Bulldogs that inspires Whammy voters? “I think it’s the oldies,” Spike said after picking up his Whammy. “There are other bands who play oldies, but they mix it up with newer material. We stick with the music from the 50s and 60s. Spike and the Bulldogs have been at it for more than a quarter century.” “It” is playing oldies from 50 years ago. In past Whammy roundups, Spike (Val Assay) has suggested creating subsets in the oldies category to represent those bands playing oldies that aren’t quite so, well, oldie. Perhaps. Then again subdividing the categories (Best Progressive Rock Band Whose Sound Most Recalls That Noise in My Head When I Accidentally Ate the Brown Acid) might not be the best solution. Perhaps the only way to wrestle the Oldies Whammy from Spike’s vice-like grip is for Spike to stop being so popular. As unlikely as that sounds, a Don’t Vote for Spike campaign is already quietly underway. That’s right. A nonaligned group of individuals who have joined others who did not vote for Spike already exists. These people spread their votes among Pop ‘N’ Fresh, the Junkyard Band and Nostalgia. But, as it turned out, Spike and the Bulldogs have a larger aligned group of individuals. However, once the votes from Florida and Ohio are re-tabulated and the super balloters toss their support into the game, who knows. Spike mentioned that a cruise line offered the band a 10-week gig on one of their ships. But having just regained their land legs following a nine-day cruise through the south Caribbean, Spike felt two-and-a-half months at sea might be a bit much. In any event, Spike and the Bulldogs will have to add a new wall to their office. The band – Spike on lead vocals, Pete Van Bibber on guitar and vocals, Wayne Neukom on bass and vocals, Bernie Stone on drums, Jim Heimann on sax and vocals and newcomer Bob Zmyscony on keyboards – has presented mostly the same lineup for more than a decade. During that time they’ve played on cruises, at fairs and festivals, released half a dozen CDs and generally had a whopping good time. As have their audiences. Spike and the Bulldog shows are family-friendly and a great place for grandparents to shake a leg with their grandkids. Perhaps that’s the key to their Whammy domination: a multi-generational infusion of fans. After all, there is no age imperative for Whammy voting, is there? (Mark Hunter) |
Copyright 2008 Ad Media Inc.
