InterView: A Quarter Century of Supporting Local Entertainment
By Middagh Goodwin
Twenty years ago, Chris Ricci and Chris Ricci launched the Modesto Area Music Awards to celebrate local talent. Starting at Club Max with seven handmade awards(created by Becky Murphy), the event quickly outgrew the venue and moved to the historic State Theatre in 2001.
On October 15th, the Modesto Area Music Awards will celebrate twenty-five years of music and live entertainment in the 209. Over the years, thousands of acts, venues, and events have been nominated, and you, the fans, have chosen the winners with your votes. This year, on top of a new batch of nominees, we will look back on the last twenty years, from the beginning at Club Maxx to Fat Cat and the Gallo to the State Theatre. Celebrating the events and everything from rock to jazz, Americana to unplugged.
Over the years, the event has honored diverse musicians and music champions, including a memorable performance by 92-year-old Don Maddox, a pioneer of Rockabilly music.
Modesto Area Music Association became a nonprofit, expanded its categories, and found homes at various venues. Today, it’s a unique event celebrating diverse genres and awarding musical scholarships. While attendance is limited to MAMAnees and their guests, thanks to Central Valley TV, the show is streamed worldwide for anyone to enjoy.
Voting opened on September 15th at www.modestoareamusic.com/vote and will end on October 13th at 11:59 pm.
Let’s learn more from the Chrises about the history of the MAMAs, how it came about, key moments, and what is in store for the future.
MV: Give a little background on what you were doing twenty-five years ago when the MAMAs first came into being. For those who do not know, let our readers know what you are doing today.
CM: In 2000, Modesto was on a live local music groove. We had moved back to Modesto to join our family warehousing and logistics company, Sierra Pacific. My wife Becky and I were raising our two daughters, and music and concerts were part of our family routine. I started ModestoView.com to showcase the cool things happening in town. Food, drink, art, community, and music were the main areas we covered, which would lead to other things.
CR: 25 years ago, I was launching my promotions business. The world was a different place. We had independent radio stations that weren’t all owned by the same company. We had live DJs. We had a newspaper printed every day, and we had local bands that played in bars almost every night of the week. The live music scene in Modesto was being taken to a whole new level, and we were proving not only that you could bring bands from all over the country here but that we had real talent growing up all around us.
MV: You partnered with Chris twenty-five years ago and created the Modesto Area Music Awards. What was the catalyst?
CM: Chris Ricci and I had become friends raising money to rebuild the Graceada Park playgrounds with a concert in Mancini Bowl back in 1998. B93.1 was presenting locally programmed music and the annual Summerfest. Music was happening downtown, and bands like UVR, Flying Blind, Matt Nathanson, and Megan Slankard were making waves playing here in town. Grandaddy was the most famous, touring worldwide while based here in Modesto, playing for 50,000 people in Brazil and then for 100 people at the Dirty Duck. At lunch at Harvest Moon, we created a black-tie Grammy-style awards show to showcase our exceptional talent, and the Modesto Area Music Awards were born.
CR: At that point, I had lived in Modesto for a couple of years and felt its potential. Events in Modesto were just better because the people were so into the scene. We had great events, and we had great talent. The Mamas was our way to showcase the best things about the Modesto music scene. Nobody else was doing it.
MV: Did you expect it would still go strong a quarter of a century later?
CM: It is crazy that here we are, 25 years later, still celebrating our local talent. Every year, and all year long, for that matter, our local talent continues to impress.
CR: At that time, I thought it would go on forever. Today? I still do.
MV: How many awards were presented in the first year? Would you like to share any highlights or memories from year one?
CM: Our first show was at the Doubletree in Club Max, which we allegedly filled beyond capacity. It was a great night presenting six awards and our first lifetime to Homegrown. Metal band Built scared members of the Modesto City Council, Flying Blind wore tuxes, Grandaddy heckled, Shelly Streeter wowed the crowd, and it was a fun night that we still have on video. My wife, Becky hand, made our MAMA Trophies from Mrs. Butterworth bottles. We knew we were on to something good, and lots had to be done. But we knew that night we needed a bigger home, and today, the State Theatre is the home of the MAMAs, and we very much appreciate their teamwork.
CR: We had eight awards, all featuring Mrs. Butterworth’s glass bottles. Classic. My biggest highlight was throwing the Club Maxx event at the Doubletree. It was dark and small and packed. Everyone was dressed to the nines. I am sure Chris and I will have the same big highlight, but watching Brian from Built Serenade Vice Mayor Kenni Friedman looking her straight in the eye sing, leaning off the stage about 6 inches from her, death metal style singing “I’D DIE FOR YOU!!” is something I’m just never going to forget.
MV: In the last twenty-five years, there have been acts like Grandaddy, Dev, Marcella, and Flying Blind, who have made a more prominent name for themselves. Are there any stand-out acts you think would have made it if they stuck around?
CM: Fissure was one of the bands I thought would punch through with their song “Fall Away.” But they broke up. UVR was pop power, and “Got 2 Girlfriends” was right up there with Flying Blind’s “Smokescreen.” Nick Shattel’s Not an Airplane and Clark Begg’s Evening News were standouts. Aaron Durr’s album The Factory was a highlight, and French Cassettes played OutsideLands this year.
CR: Built for sure. They had heavy metal vibes with an undeniable and infectious energy. Hollopoynt, on the pop side, had great melodies and flavor that drove fantastic vibes. It’s both more complex and easier to make it in 2024 than before. There are fewer opportunities to play and fewer ways to get your music out to the mass audience. However, there are more ways to make it organically on the internet. Learning how to twist the dials and connect with people knowing that music is part of the recipe, but lifestyle and community close the circle. Bands like French Cassettes are out there trying to get it done now and I’m rooting for them.
MV: With hundreds of performances at the Modesto Area Music Awards over the last quarter of a century. Which stands out in your memories?
CM: Puffin’ Billies brought the house down, which was one of the most electric moments. Being a part of the 2007 Gallo Center grand opening series was very special. Celebrating Three Dog Night’s Michael Allsup was very special to me as we played his hit songs to him in tribute. Fiver’s performance, Aaron Burtch of Grandaddy jumped in to play drums for their duo performance. Grandaddy sent stand-is to receive their award one year, and we enjoyed country and radio legend Chester Smith celebrating Modesto’s music back in the 1940s. My favorite moment was celebrating K.C. “Don Juan” Maddox of the Maddox Brothers and Rose, the very first Rockabilly band that helped ignite the roots of Rock and Roll. Our tribute to Marirose Powell last year was more than unique and I am so glad we did that when she could still be a part of it. There have been magic moments.
CR: Marirose Powell and Patty Castillo Davis always lit up the room. You can’t downplay any time Doug Robinett or Mike Allsup take the stage. Flying Blind at the first MAMAs, all in tuxes. There have been so many great performances at the MAMA’s that choosing is a daunting task.
MV: The MAMAs are more than an awards show. When did the Modesto Area Music Association become a non-profit? What do you see as the role of the Modesto Area Music Association?
CM: The MAMAs have been promoting and championing local live music since 2000. We work hard to solicit sponsors to support live music for our event series like Music in the Plaza, Rockin’ Holiday, Art Walk, Jazz and Blues, and acoustic shows. We have had great support as the goal is to PAY bands to play. This is a profession, and we must avoid thinking that music is free. It is an art, and either we have a cover charge or ticket price, or people need to step up and sponsor so musicians can do this for real. We are a 501 C3 non-profit and aim to be more high profile in our fundraising and teamwork with other non-profits. Middagh, you have become the de facto music encyclopedia for Modesto. As a 3-time MAMA promoter winner, bands should be listening to you for how to promote, be seen, and be heard.
CR: We made the association a nonprofit 4 or 5 years ago and raised some money. My goal for the association is to provide capital to develop local artists and launch them into regional and national act status. This will take a significant commitment, and while we’ve done well and raised some money, we haven’t achieved the levels that I’d want to see to commit to artists in the way they deserve. I want to see the MAMAs ultimately be like a nonprofit record label that’s out there promoting Modesto’s best musicians and helping them make it to the next level, building themselves, our scene, and our town simultaneously.
MV: What advice would you give to local artists?
CM: Write songs that people will remember. It is a low-level recommendation, but pop songs are popular because they have a hook, and you want to hear them again. Songcraft is crucial to everything, in my opinion. Everyone wants to be Radiohead, but they even had to have a hit with “Creep” to punch through. Be consistent, promote yourself, make postcards, send your schedule out, and most importantly, if you are booked by a local bar or restaurant, make sure your fans show up to make it worth it for the venue.
CR: Today, successful musical acts are more than just songs. They are a lifestyle, a community, and an experience. You need to strive for a one-on-one style relationship with your fans. It’s like a tour of your experience as an artist that a fan can be a part of every time you play live. You don’t need radio stations anymore. Your social media channels, YouTube and Spotify, along with Apple Music, make it easier than ever for you to get your stuff out there. The challenge is the time. Some things never change. Even 25 years ago, the acts that put the most time in were the most successful. I used to say for every hour you spend practicing, you should spend 2 hours promoting. Fundamentals don’t change.
MV: Anything else you would like to add?
CM: We are in challenging time.
CM: I, along with my company sponsor, want to help make this happen so that we can pay local bands, and I invite others to do the same. I am grateful for those who always say yes: Gary Nelson, Collins Electric, Beard Land, and Visit Modesto. I am also thankful for the teamwork of the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County, which made access to our public spaces available to showcase our local talent.
The goal isn’t to play the State or a local venue, it’s to play in LA, SF, NY and make it nationally, record lots of music and someday be a national headliner. There is so much talent here in our community and Grandaddy proved they could tour the world and live right here. Who’s next?
We need new venues and a music house. The closing of Fat Cat and Hero’s was a loss we have yet to regain. The weight of our local music scene can’t be on the back of the struggling restaurants and bars. We need permit policies that encourage live music and make it easy to be a venue in our community. Finally, people need to see live bands and pony up for a small cover charge or be a sponsor. Without that, this is a much more challenging climb.
Music has value. Music gives our community character and showcases our creativity. I believe fundamentally that creative cities win. If we can combine our local talent and culture with economic development, it’s a winner. As an American Graffiti fan working hard to build our Graffiti USA Museum, I believe George Lucas’ legendary film was constructed around rock ‘n’ roll. So there it is. Teach kids music and let’s build the next generation, you never know who will be next to break through.
