39th Annual REVIEW Music Awards • SCHEDULE & ITINERARY

All of us at The REVIEW  are excited to once again return to Bay City to present this year’s 39th Annual REVIEW Music Awards Ceremony & Celebration within the spacious historical ambiance of  The WESTOWN Theater, 611 E. Midland St. on Sunday, May 4th.    Doors will open at 4:00 PM and the Awards Celebration will run from 5:00 PM until approximately 11:30 PM.

Tickets can be purchased online at eventbrite.com by clicking this link.

Since its inception, the Review Music Awards has grown in both stature and recognition throughout the State of Michigan, presenting an exceptional evening where we turn the spotlight on our area’s top musical artists in genres of Jazz, Blues, Rock, Country, Hip-Hop and Alternative music as determined by readers and fans throughout the region.

The nomination and final voting rounds for this year’s 2025 Music Awards Celebration was conducted between February & March of this year with an impressive number of 8,010 votes cast and 754  musical artists & bands either from or performing regularly throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region represented. 

Only the top five nominees in each division moved on from the nomination round to the final round, where the winners will be announced at this year’s awards celebration in over 60 different categories.

Invitations have gone out to all the nominees and only 250 tickets will be available for purchase so the public can attend, enjoy, celebrate, and mingle with their favorite musicians who were nominated at this year’s special ceremony.

This is the only awards ceremony of its kind that connects people, audiences and artists together insofar as the public at large determines the honorees & recipients. But most importantly, the purpose of this celebration is to bring greater community, statewide, and national recognition to local talent, which we feel has a rich history of being one of the strongest in the state, and giving it the proper notoriety and attention that it deserves.

Guest personalities, cultural, and community leaders will assist in handing out awards the night of the ceremony, while a strong list of regional performers will headline this year’s show with live performances.

Tickets are only $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door. You may also purchase a table of 6 tickets for only $100.00 and receive a 20% discount over purchasing them on an individual basis. 

Tickets are available at the following fine locations: SAGINAW: Review Magazine • White’s Bar • Records & Tapes Galore • Cork & Ale • The Listening Room • Hamilton St. Pub • Old Town Junction. BAY CITY: The Westown & Lucky’s • Electric Kitsch • Herter Music • Puff Dispensary • Scotty’s Sandbar. MIDLAND: Radio Wasteland • MI Element • Tim Boychuck’s State Farm Insurance, and Rock Solid Music.

Here’s a complete schedule & itinerary of the festivities so that you can better plan for this unique afternoon & evening of exceptional entertainment!

39^th Review Music Awards Program Itinerary

4:00 – 5:00 PM – Video Highlights • Journey Through the Past

A retrospective of musical history in the making that spans performance highlights and special moments from the past 37 years of The Review Music Awards.

5:00 - 5:05 PM – OPENING REMARKS

Review Magazine Publisher & Editor Robert E. Martin welcomes nominees and attendees and recaps the voting procedure utilized for this year’s celebration.

5:05- 5:15 PM • COUNTRY AWARDS

Best Country Video • Country Female Vocalist • Country Male Vocalist • Best Country Musician/Instrumentalist • Best Country Songwriter • Best Country Band

5:15 – 5:45 PM • JASPER CREEK

Jasper Creek was born from a shared passion for Country music in 2012 by Tyler Hughey, Marty Roberts, Cody Steward, Jaxie Hartman (Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame member, 2024) and Randy Wooley. They are proud to keep the tradition of Country music alive and vital for contemporary audiences.

5:45- 6:00 PM • JAZZ AWARDS

Best Male Vocalist • Best Female Vocalist • Best Jazz Songwriter • Best Jazz Musician • Best Small Combo • Best Big Band

6:00 - 6:30 PM • ERIK RYDEN & the UNK of FUNK

Erik Ryden and the UNK OF FUNK is a collaboration founded on simple principals. Real blues. Real funk. Real Soul.  Composed of veteran musicians and performers, Erik Ryden  is a seasoned vocalist and a unique guitar player with an eclectic collection of influences, Steve ‘UNK OF FUNK’ McCray is a living legend and original phenomenon of the Michigan music scene and the beating heart of this collaboration. While performing with his brother, Grammy nominated guitarist Larry McCray, Steve has developed a one of a kind sound on the drums over the last few decades. Rhett Yocom is the recipient of numerous REVIEW awards for ‘Best Blues Band’ and ‘Best Instrumentalist, and Jeff Grassl earned a degree in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University and possesses a wide array of eclectic and passionate interests and is committed to creating a unique sound on the saxophone by blending jazz, blues, soul, and rock.

6:30 -  7:00 PM • MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS

Best Solo Artist • Best New Single Release • Best New Artist of the Year • Best Multi-Instrumentalist • Most Innovative Artist • Best Music Video • Best Live Streaming Production • Best Duo • Best  Streaming Musical Series • Best Band Website • Best Recording Studio

7:00 PM- 7:30 PM • ROKITA &. The Rebels

Christopher Rokita is last year’s RMA recipient for ‘Best Rock Vocalist’ and a celebrated up-and-coming recording artist whose new single, Just Wanna Be With You, which he recorded with world-class drummer Kenny Aronoff, has clocked 1 million-plus views on YouTube and secured a juried Gold Award Best Music Video honor from the International Gold Awards Film Festival in January, 2025, along with numerous other nominations and honors. He will be debuting his new group at this year’s RMA celebration, consisting of Dave Clark (Bass Guitar) Jeremy Bonkowski (Drums)  Keith Macomber (Lead Guitar) and Kurt Cornell (Guitar, Keyboards).

7:30 - 8:00 PM  • MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS Continued

Best Live Music Club or Bar • Best Live Performance Venue • Best Radio Station • Musical Fundraising Project • Best Sound Technician • Best Videographer • Best Metal Band • Best New Album or CD Release • Best Recorded LP, CD or EP Release • Best Alternative Band • Best Variety Band • Best Original Band

8:00 - 8:30 PM • THE BAND ROULETTE ALL STARS • CARS TRIBUTE

In October of 2023, Jeff Poirier staged a Band Roulette Spinoff Show. He assembled a band, and they tackled The Cars debut album in its entirety. In true Band Roulette fashion, there was a catch. There were no rehearsals. The songs were played live without a net. It was the only performance, until tonight that is. Jeff has gathered local musical heavyweights Donny Brown, Mike Thomas, Tom Behmlander, and Scotty Van Dell to do an encore performance of Cars classics from that debut album as well as other hits by the new wave icons.

8:30 - 8:45 PM • BLUES AWARDS

Female Blues Vocalist • Male Blues Vocalist • Blues Songwriter • Blues Instrumentalist • Best Funk Band • Best Blues Band

8:45 - 9:15 PM • COWBOY ANGELS

Cowboy Angels are a hard rock band from Bay City, Michigan. Formed in 2023, their style is a blend of classic and modern taste with an emphasis on hard-driving rhythm, loud guitars, and charged lyrics that speak to love and pushing the limits of life. Consisting of award-winning guitarist Darrian Loehne, Rick Maida, Austin Willette, and Justin Cliford, on stage they are a blistering force, bringing their fans along for a ride in the passenger seat as they barrel down the fast lane. They released their self-titled EP in the Spring of 2024 which is streaming on all platforms.

9:15 - 9:30 PM • HIP-HOP AWARDS

Best Rap/Hip Hop Video • Best Promoter • Best DJ • Rap/Hip Hop Artist of the Year • Best Rap Hip Hop Songwriter 

9:30 - 10:00 PM • REDBURN

Chris Redburn (aka REDBURN)  has been a dominant force on the regional Hip-Hop and Rock Scene for over two decades now, honing his chops as a local wunderkind and D.J. at an early age, and broadening the reach of his artistry by fusing the genres of Rock & Hip Together with his groundbreaking  release ROCKHop, which brought his both his music and message to life with a balls-to-the-wall rock band and also earned him numerous honors at the annual REVIEW Music Awards, which brought him nine trophies including Best Album, Best New Artist of the Year, and Best Hip-Hop Songwriter and Performer

10:00 - 10:20 PM • ROCK AWARDS

Best Rock Video • Best Rock Keyboardist • Rock Female Vocalist • Rock Male Vocalist • Best Rock Songwriter • Best Rock Drummer • Best Rock Bassist • Best Rock Guitarist • Best Rock Band

10:20 - 10:50 PM • THE SMOKIE LINKS

The musical collective known as The Smokie Links have rapidly been engaging new fans, filling nightclubs throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region, and concocting an impressive roster of original songs to showcase both the creative range of their talents and the uplifting blend of their personalities. Consisting of lead singer and keyboardist Dion Mason, who hails from Brisbane, Australia, Milwaukee born yet Saginaw-based saxophonist Scott Summers, bassist Josh Jekel, drummer and percussionist Stevie Lee Kinzer, and the fiery, fluid, and emotive dexterity of their guitarist, Steven ‘Pogo’ Pogoresk, the musical textures of this band of explorers is both cohesively focused, yet as diverse as their individual members 

10:50 - 11:00 PM • CLOSING REMARKS