The 2025 New England Music Awards

Six String Grille & Stage, Foxborough, MA

November 16, 2025

The New England Music Awards are one of the regional music scene’s big annual events. A bunch of the area’s top musicians turn out, often dressed to the nines – or at least really cool – and enjoy the camaraderie of their peers, all while hoping, of course, to come out on top for the awards. I know it’s a cliché, but with all the talent in New England, it really is an honor to be nominated.

This year’s NEMA featured nine performances while handing out 28 awards. I was a little more active connecting with artists I knew (and meeting some new, talented folks) at this year’s NEMA than I was last time I made it to the event, a couple years ago, so my notes aren’t as detailed, but I’ll still be sure to mention every single performer. Indeed, there wasn’t a single weak link in the line-up, something that was apparent even though my attention wasn’t always focused toward the stage. Honestly, if you get a chance to catch any of the evening’s performers live, do what you can to get to the show. The award winners are listed on the NEMA website, but I’ll also mention them in this review, though I’ll focus more on the live performances, including photos from each of the live sets.

The night’s program began with a performance from the impressive Lila Wilde, who served up great, dynamic, high, pop-friendly vocals. Lila was also able to slow things down well, too, showing of her versatility. One song I specifically noted during her performance was “Jezebel,” which sported a little funkier pop rhythm and landed right in Lila’s vocal sweet spot. This was a great set to kick things off. An interesting thing about NEMA is that the attendees tend to show up on time, so the first performance slot is a great one for being noticed, and this talented artist absolutely turned some heads.

Wilde’s set was followed by the entrance of the evening’s emcees, Adam Lopez and Annie Brobst, who kept things moving along nicely throughout the show. During this short break, also, Amanda Morneault of The Harbor Agency presented the evening’s first trio of awards, the Rising Star Awards for Maine (Bella Ann), New Hampshire (Fun City Fan Club), and Rhode Island (Olivia Dolphin).

Following the evening’s first awards, Gold Hoax, winners of 2025’s Last Band Standing competition, took the stage. The Boston-based band delivered some edgy, raucous, energetic alt-rock. I also noted a little rockin’ jangle. This outfit has a sound that’ll perform well both in a club setting and on a recording, so this was a cool introduction to Gold Hoax for me.

After the Gold Hoax set, of course, it was time for some more award presentations. Bek Mahoney of BizMarketing and Design, LLC announced the next three award winners, presenting the Rising Star Awards for Vermont (Lily Seabird), Massachusetts (Dred Buffalo) and Connecticut (The Moonrise Cartel).

Up next was The Fatal Flaw, performing straight-up rock that pops! The band delivered a fun set of ’90s/’00s-style alt-rock with catchy hooks and ragged punk overtones.

Following The Fatal Flaw’s set, Gerg Anidem of Indie Scene Radio announced the next three award winners, for Rock (John Fox), Punk (Megan From Work), and Hard Rock/Metal (Bad Marriage) Act of the Year.

Next up were back-to-back hip-hop performances, starting with Joey Batts with Greg Rivers, followed by Brandie Blaze. Both performances were impressive, with different delivery styles. Joey Batts relied a lot on a more spoken, conversational approach, whereas Brandie Blaze was a little more vocally dynamic. Both artists are locally renowned for their lyrical skills, as well. They were a pair of absolutely top-shelf performances, with Batts representing the Hartford scene and Blaze the Boston scene.

John Shea, host of Almost Famous on 95.9 WATD, presented next three awards, for Pop (Lainey Dionne), Jazz (Soggy Po’ Boys), and Blues (The Gravel Project) Act of the Year.

Jason Ingriselli and the Miles North took the stage next and served up a fun, stage-rocking, well-received set of rollicking, guitar-driven country music.

After their set, Adam Greenberg named the winners of the Soul/R&B (Ruby Shabazz) and Hip Hop (SeeFour) Act of the Year awards. Then Jim Belisle of Boots & Whiskey announced the winners in the Roots (Adam Frates), Country (Ward Hayden & the Outliers), and Americana (Nate Ramos Band) Act of the Year categories.

Nicolas Emden followed with a cool, Spanish-language, pop-friendly rock set that ranged from energetic rockers to a soaring, mellow pop-rock ballad, carrying a cool vibe throughout the range of tempos featured in the performance.

Three more awards were awarded following Emden’s set by David Avery of Powderfinger Promotions – World (FM Collective), Live (The Far Out), and New (Vanna Pacella) Act of the Year.

JVK took the stage next, and this is a band that knows all about the “show” part of a stage show. JVK delivered a set that was largely glam-pop/guitar rock with a theatrical delivery, while some songs showed off a little edgier style with a more raucous, punk-meets-glam edge. (The band was nominated for Punk Rock Act of the Year, after all, so that was no surprise.) Overall, JVK’s mix of talented, flamboyant, and edgy are ideal for a great live concert performance, as exhibited by this evening’s short set.

Mike LaChance, host of Wave Radio Boston’s The Takeover, followed, announcing the winners of NEMA’s Songwriter of the Year (Hayley Reardon) and Producer of the Year (Vic Steffens of Horizon Music Group) awards.

The Nate Ramos Band then delivered a crowdpleasing, energetic, rootsy Americana set. One of the band’s songs, in particular, was a cool, echoey, slower-tempoed number that’s slightly chill-inducing (in a good way). Of course, the Nate Ramos Band’s talent is no secret, as the band had already received a NEMA earlier in the evening.

Next up, Rick Fleck, host of Wave Radio Boston’s Rick’s Rock Shop, announced the Song of the Year (Nikki and the Barn Boys’ “Strawberry Hill”) and Video of the Year (The Far Out’s “Laurel,” directed by Nick DeSimone) award winners.

The final performance of the evening came from another 2025 NEMA award-winning band, the John Fox Band. The John Fox Band is a medium-fast tempoed guitar rock band with the ability to soar both vocally and axe-ingly – you know, with some kickass shredding. The sound is not heavy, so these guys can reach broad appeal, though the style is also reminiscent of harder-rocking bands, expanding the band’s potential fan base to fans of music that’s a bit heavier, too. ’80s rockers will recognize and like the core of this sound, but it’s also updated enough to appeal to modern audiences.

Four awards remained, and they were announced by Wave Radio Boston co-founder Pete Hudson. NEMA handed out two Performer of the Year Awards this year, to Aldous Collins and Ward Hayden and the Outliers. Frank Viele’s The Trouble with Desire earned Album of the Year. And the final award of the year went out to Crooked Coast for Act of the Year.

Thus concluded this annual gathering of some of the many talented artists in New England’s music community. Every year, I get to see some of my favorite artists honored with nominations and, occasionally, awards, while the nomination list and the award show’s performances introduce me some talented musicians I hadn’t previously known about. I’m already looking forward to next year!