Grammy Fever was alive and well this year

“I’m making a pact with you, the fabulous reader, that I’m going to get myself out of the rut by the time February rolls and around and this ceremony takes place. I’m going to make a conscious effort to find out what a Doja Cat is and I’m going to finally listen to that Harry Styles record (which has to be overrated, right?). For the first time in more than a decade, I’m going to try to catch Grammy Fever, all streaming services be damned.”

Those were words that I wrote all the way back in November in 72 Hours, in the wake of 2023’s Grammy nominees being announced. The impetus for the rant was the fact that ABBA was up for Record of the Year. From there, I somehow talked myself into making a pledge to actually pay attention to this year’s Grammys for the first time

Jazz Journey continues at Beans in the Belfry

Drummer Jeff Cosgrove’s ever-changing musical lineups continue in the fourth concert of his Jazz Journey series, created as part of a Maryland State Arts Council creativity grant.

The band will feature Cosgrove on drums, Tedd Baker on saxophone and Will Yager on bass.

The series is a community invitation to be part of the music and explore jazz, while helping local charity organizations. It will feature new compositions from Cosgrove, and the group will expand on their places within the sonic landscape.

The concert runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 17 at Beans in the Belfry, 122 W. Potomac St., Brunswick, and is open to all ages. There is a $10 suggested donation for adults, and kids are admitted free.

All proceeds will go to the Stream-Link Education, a local nonprofit working to help reforest Frederick County with native tree and shrub species. Representatives from Stream-Link Education will be onsite to answer any questions about the organization. Learn more about Cosgrove at jeff cosgrovemusic.com.

in what felt like forever. My thirst for Grammy Fever needed quenched. And, well, I’m happy to report to you that it is, indeed, quenched.

The ceremony took place on Feb. 5. I watched it. Intently, even. After a blisteringly cold weekend, the only way to warm up, I felt, was sitting down in front of the television with a glass of wine, a laptop and an open Google doc that I shared with my friend Pete. In that doc, we traded musings about the evening in real time.

“I don’t like nice hosts of award shows” is an example of mine.

“Does LL Cool J live at the Grammys? He’s like Punxsutawney Phil for music” is an example of his.

We came up with seven or so pages of (not really) witticisms that will most likely never see the light of day, but if nothing else, the exercise did bring me right back into the thick of Grammy

World, which is a place I did promise you guys I’d go, after all. And if I can’t keep promises in 72 Hours, where, exactly can I keep promises?

As for what I learned … well, I learned that the Grammys have seemingly returned to that sweet spot between “outrageous duet that makes so little sense, it ruins everyone involved,” and “oh, that was kind of cool.” Case in point: Stevie Wonder bringing the house down with an inspired version of “Higher Ground,” only to have Chris Stapleton grace the stage and look entirely uncomfortable as he took to his guitar for a solo or two during the latter half of the performance.

Hey. You win some. You lose some. The biggest winner, of course, was Beyonce. Or, was it? I ask only because while she got to the show late and eclipsed the mark for total Grammys won by anyone ever, she then lost the Album of the Year race to Harry Styles, which raised eyebrows because A) this felt like the year she should win it for once, and B) it provided Styles a platform to say something that was either innocuous or ignorant (or both) when he proclaimed that such wins typically don’t happen for people like him.

Boom went the dynamite, and if I tried to break down all the elements of why the world wide internet went nuts about this, I’d most likely stumble over words. So, I’ll leave that to the experts. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that if you remember correctly, these are awards shows, and awards shows are subjective, and awards shows never get anything 100% right. In sports, competitions are won and lost on a field of play; in awards shows, competitions are won and lost on human arbitration. One seems more fair than the other, but what do I know?

Anyway, my biggest takeaway from the night was that despite what many would like us to believe, music isn’t dead. And, if nothing else, it reaffirmed my suspicion about people who don’t watch the show or claim they have to turn it off after 15 minutes because they “don’t recognize any of these people.” That suspicion? If those are the things you think, you’re more lazy than you are entitled (but rest assured, you’re both). Maybe you checked out of music for a bit, sure, but if you really like music, there were more than enough things you could find on a show like this to satisfy your music award show needs.

Take the sprawling hip-hop tribute that served as the night’s best moment and covered way more ground than I thought it would (thanks mostly, I’d guess, to Questlove appearing to curate the thing). Or if hip-hop isn’t what you like, there was the beautiful tribute that Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Mick Fleetwood threw together for Christine McVie. Shoot, even Brandi Carlile stepped up early in the show to take names and make sure everyone was awake.

My point is that we can debate the winners and losers of things like this, but the true core of the Grammys ceremony has always been a celebration of music. The trophies are secondary to the notion that even if you fell behind or you feel your passion for music has waned over the years, this is that one night you can drop in to see what’s going on, take in some unique performances and maybe even reignite that flame for the art that you felt burned out long ago.

That’s why, in the case of my crotchety old brain, watching this year’s Grammys ceremony proved to be both fruitful and fulfilling. I’m glad I did it. Rather than sit back and whine about not understanding why Bad Bunny is the second coming of Elvis, I at least gave him a shot, and I feel more enlightened for it. Have I confirmed whether that Harry Styles record is actually overrated? Not really. But I did find that catching Grammy Fever is way more fun than I cynically thought (or didn’t think) it would be back in November. And because of as much, the night was a win.

Now, if only I could find out what, in fact, a Doja Cat really is.

Colin McGuire has been in and out of bands for more than 20 years and also helps produce concerts in and around Frederick. His work has appeared in Alternative Press magazine, PopMatters and 72 Hours, among other outlets. He is convinced that the difference between being in a band and being in a romantic relationship is less than minimal. Contact him at mcguire.colin@gmail. com.

District5 Quintet

“Invitation to the Dance” dance for wind quintet. This award-winning ensemble comprised of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and French horn has a unique repertoire that showcases the virtuosity, colors, and endless possibilities of these beloved instruments.