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2009 Best Live Solo Act 23.56% Mike Conley*
Others with Votes (more than one):
Kenny Taylor, Jerome Schooley, 2RQ, Kelly Bucher, King
* On the ballot
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Mike Conley couldn't hide his surprise when he heard his name called for Best Live Solo Performer at this year's Whammy award show.
"I really wasn't expecting this," he said after almost forgetting to pose with his plaque for his Whammy photo. "I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting this."
It's been a year of surprises both for and from Conley who, despite a vocal chord injury this summer, was able to release a Christmas album in the fall. It's a Conley Christmas was a hit with local and not-so-local audiences alike and earned Conley a Whammy nomination for Best Non-Rock CD release. Conley followed up his eventful holiday season with a January announcement that, in addition to his work as a musician and business broker, he would be adding political hopeful to his growing resume.
"I'm running for 2nd District Allen County Council because love Northeastern Indiana," he said. "That's really what it comes down to. And I think I have a lot of good ideas. I think I can help improve people's lives. I want to make a difference. I guess if I had a goal in this life it's to make a difference."
That goal applies to Conley's music as well. A 10-year veteran of the local music scene, Conley not only promotes his own material (which includes tracks from his full-length, all-originals debut album My Little Secret) in venues like Columbia Street West and Piggy's, but he also works hard to help groom the next generation of talent by hosting open mic nights at Mad Anthony Brewery every week.
"I'm a musician," he said. "That's just part of my soul, and that's not going to change no matter what the future holds."
What also doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon is the friendly rivalry Conley has with fellow singer-songwriter Sunny Taylor. He and Taylor have traded off the Best Live Solo Performer Whammy for several years now, and Conley said he's proud to be associated with her.
"Sunny gets it for a few years and then I get it and then she gets it again," he said. "It's fun to share it with her. She's an incredible artist. It's also fun to win it once in a while."
Conley said he's started work on a third album, which he hopes will be a stripped-down, acoustic record of new original songs. In the meantime he's going to relish this victory, which was made even sweeter by the respect he feels for his competition.
"The other artists in this category, wow. Marnee is wonderful, Hubie Ashcraft is terrific, Sankofa is awesome and we've already talked about Sunny. I haven't actually heard PoopDeFlex, but I know him by reputation," he said. "I mean, just look at those names and consider how diverse this category is, and that's just for solo performer. We're really blessed in this town to have such great musicians, and I'm just grateful to be one of them." (Deborah Kennedy) |
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