LC Meridian

Issue date: 11/1/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: mtvU Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes

The animated singer, Beck, brought the house down with a distinctive and lively performance of "Nausea" and "E-Pro," on Wednesday night at mtvU's Woodie Awards, held in the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan. Beck is no Usher, but his unidentified hype-man entertained the audience with wild dance moves. The audience marveled at a big screen, which displayed look-a-like puppeteers that meticulously followed him and his band's every move, even as they jumped around like those kids doing the Harlem Shake.

Up-and-coming acts like the "Love Me or Hate Me" British rapper Lady Sovereign, disregarded the words on the teleprompter. "You know what…" said the pint sized bad girl. "I'm not reading the script." The audience appreciated her jokingly playful tirade and encouraged her with loud cheers. Other semi-famous attendees were Thirty seconds to Mars, Plain White T's, Angels & Airwaves and Lupe Fiasco. Although this is only the third annual "Woodies," the award show has promising longevity.

The Woodie Awards, a product of the mtvU network, focuses on emerging artists that might be overlooked in the music industry simply because they're not as marketable in the mainstream, but are popular among college students. MtvU is broadcast to 750 colleges across the country and can be seen on Lehman campus television screens in the cafeteria and Carmen Hall's café.

What makes the "Woodies" unlike any other award show is that college students are pulling the strings. Students are audience members, presenters, voters, and behind-the-scenes workers.

"College students are prophesying the future of new music today, and at the 2006 'Woodies,' they honored the music they lived their lives to this year," said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of mtvU.

1- Tunde Adebempe of TV on the Radio

Imogen Heap, the English singer and song writer, started the show off with her smash single, "Hide and Seek," which had a harmonious yet ghostly feel. The low lighting provided an intimate setting for adoring fans. Gym Class Heroes, the hip-hop Indie band, deserved a notable mention for their performance of "The Queen and I," and the hypnotic "Cupid's Chokehold." The show ended with TV on the Radio, a Brooklyn-based eclectic rock band, who delivered pounding percussion work alongside eratic guitar riffs on "I was a Lover" and "Wolf Like Me."

Winners of the night included: Plain White T's, The Subways, 30 seconds to Mars, O.A.R, Gorillaz, AFI, Taking back Sunday, Gnarls Barkley and Angels & Airwaves. Among the interesting categories, was the "Good Woodie" award, which went to the Armenian metal band, System of a Down. The band was dedicated to convincing the US Congress and Turkey that 1915 Ottoman Empire's massacre should be recognized as one of first genocide in the 20th century. The award may surprise those who view college students as apathetic towards international issues.

"You can do any f**king thing you want in this world," said lead singer Tom Delonge of Angels & Airwaves as he accepted his award. "Challenge yourself to change the world."


The show will air on mtvU and mtvU.com November 2nd at 8pm. It will also premiere on MTV November 4th at 10 pm. You can expect to see an encore performance on November 5th at 11 pm on MTV2.

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