OC Music Awards

We suffered a bit of culture shock when we arrived fashionably late to the OC Music Awards, having spent the day at the Gustavo Dudamel classical concert and gala. But it’s just that juxtaposition that makes our local culture so cool. It was the 10th anniversary of the awards, with winners announced in categories as varied as hip-hop, metal, Latin, jazz and punk—the best new artist winner, Railroad to Alaska, gets our vote for best band name! Riviera’s favorite music maven Ashley Eckenweiler is a driving force behind the awards; she and Luke Allen produce the highly professional show, proceeds from which benefit Music for a Cure. With all the cutting-edge indie kids around, who would have guessed our favorite winner would be a 64-year-old tuba player?Stan Freese won the Lifetime Achievement Award for his playing and his amazingly influential work with Disney, where for 40 years he’s booked talent and overseen the musicians for all the company’s theme parks. Plus, he’s the dad of Josh and Jason Freese, who have been members of The Vandals, Green Day and other seminal SoCal bands.