Lights shined brightly on the Central New York music community on Friday, March 6 as the 2026 edition of the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYS) took place at the Palace Theatre in Syracuse.
Launched in 1993, the annual celebration kicked off on March 5 with the Hall of Fame induction dinner at Middle Ages Brewing Company. This year’s honorees included Ian Cattell, New York Flyers, Don and Dave Martin, Erin Althen (Music Educator of the Year), and the Music Center (Lifetime Achievement).
Friday’s awards ceremony was hosted by local news anchor and longtime community supporter Tim Fox and began with a spirited performance by Brass Inc. The nine-piece horn based band serenaded attendees as they arrived and made their way to their seats, performing classic tracks such as “Rosanna” by Toto and “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.
With attendees now seated, the SAMMYS began to present awards in 21 categories. Among this year’s winners were Cheri Giraud (Best Jazz), Vaporeyes (Best Jam Band), PHEN (Best Pop), and Tyjhier (Best R&B). The awards were handed out by a slew of celebrity presenters, including Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens, Steven Page (formerly of Barenaked Ladies), and local funk masters Sophistafunk.
Between awards, the area’s diverse music scene was on display, with performances by Stephen Douglas Wolfe, London McDaniel and Plan Z, Nate Gross Band, and new Hall of Fame members, the New York Flyers.
Throughout the evening the SAMMYS paid honor to some of the most impactful and influential members of the Syracuse music community. Long time music journalist Geoff Herbert received the Founder’s Award, one of the committee’s highest honors. Herbert, known to the music scene as “Deaf Geoff” due to profound hearing loss which occurred at birth, has covered an wide array of music during his time with Syracuse.com and as a DJ with Z89.
Additional honorees included Jeremy Kennedy (Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist), Karen Mihalyi (Community Spirit Award), and Susan Coleman (Spirit of the SAMMYS).
The most stunning tribute came midway through the evening, as the SAMMYs board members went off script and took to the stage, along with Syracuse mayor Sharon Owens, to honor retiring SAMMYS Director, Liz Nowak. Nowak, who served on the committee for 35 years, was largely responsible for growing the awards ceremony from an idea on a sheet of paper into the powerful and impactful annual event that it is today. She fought back tears as she received a proclamation from the Mayor and as the audience was informed that March 6, 2026 would be known as Liz Nowak Appreciation Day. Later in the evening, current board member James Austin was introduced as incoming director, and he vowed to carry forward Nowak’s vision.
2026 SAMMY Award Recipients
Best Jazz – Cheri Giraud, All My Tomorrows
Best Americana – Autumn Sun, Autumn Sun
Best Other Style – Groupo Pagan, POWER
Best Jam Band – Vaporeyes, Still
Best Pop – PHEN, Kid
Best Hard Rock – Design/Fracture, Accountable
Best Blues – Todd Shuffler with Mark Doyle and the Maniacs, Stoned and Lonesome, a Celebration of The Rolling Stones
Best R&B – Tyjhier, “Bloom Where You Were Planted”
Best Alternative – Tame the Giant, Second Hand Sound
Best Country – Jon Rogalia Ft. Whiskey Hollow Rush, This Side of Heaven
Best Rock – violet., with love
Best Hip-Hop – Amier, Into the Abyss
Best Single – AK Kastro “Played Like a Fool”
Founder’s Award – Geoff “deafGeoff” Herbert
Jack O Bocchino Spirt Award – Susan Coleman
Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist – Jeremy Kennedy
Community Spirit Award – Karen Mihalyi (Syracuse Community Choir)
People’s Choice (Best Venue) – Sharkey’s Bar and Grill
People’s Choice (Best Event or Music Series) – Animals for Animals
People’s Choice (Best Artist or Band) – ColdFront
People’s Choice (Best Academic or Musical Organization) – Perform 4 Purpose
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nysmusic.com ’
