By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
The Sunset Sinners are in the running for a Group of the Year Award from the largest independent artist award show in the world.
The band -- comprised of Blake Blackim, Tony Bowell, and Brad Johnson of Salina and Chris Brungardt of Hays -- are in the running for Group of the Year in the Southern Rock/Country Rock category of the upcoming Josie Music Awards.
The Seventh annual Josie Music Awards event is scheduled for Sept. 17-18 in the Country Tonite Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
According to the organization's website, "the Josie Music Awards was created solely to celebrate those in the independent music industry that work so hard every day and deserve to have a night of their own."
Blackim, Sunset Sinners' drummer, told Salina Post that the award nomination came about after he was interviewed a few weeks ago on The Josie Show by Josie Passantino, who also is the namesake of the awards show. The internet radio show can be heard on Thursday nights.
Hear Blackim's interview here (He is the second of two artists interviewed that night.)
During the interview, Passantino focused on two of the Sunset Sinners' songs: Always Time for One More Beer and Old Glory.
Blackim said Passantino encouraged the band to submit Always Time for One More Beer for award consideration. As it turned out, the song led to the Sunset Sinners being nominated for Group of the Year in the Southern Rock/Country Rock category.
Receiving the nomination was no easy task, however. According to the Josie Music Awards website, "Nominee suggestions go through a lengthy review process by a team of industry leaders and the official nomination list is created from their final decisions. Winners are also selected by this industry leader team (this review team has no connection to independent artists)."
Blackim said the team went through nearly 39,000 entries before selecting the award nominees.
See the Josie Music Awards nominee list here
Busy spring and summer for the band
Fresh off a recent concert at the Arkansas City Halfalalah event, Blackim and Bowell are headed to Nashville next week for a multi-day radio tour promoting Old Glory, thanks to the Spin Doctors Music Group, with whom the band recently signed.
Blackim said that the Spin Doctor's forte is getting the music of bands such as the Sunset Sinners playing on radio stations in the United States. The band already has developed quite a following in Europe where it is much easier to get music on the air, he said.
On May 28, the Sunset Sinners' newest song, Tavern Sandy, is scheduled for release in the United States. It already is playing in Europe, Blackim said. The band also is planning to release an album later this summer.
In June, the band is scheduled to perform during the Kicker Country Stampede in Topeka. The Sunset Sinners also are headlining the 45th Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina on Labor Day weekend.
READ: Sunset Sinners to headline at the Smoky Hill River Festival