(The Last Bison and members from Tidewater Pipes & Drums perform “Switzerland”)
By Jeff Maisey
BJ Griffin took home three awards during the 2026 Veer Music Awards at The NorVa in Norfolk.
The America’s Got Talent contestant scored Album of the Year for “Elements,” Music Video of the Year with “This Good?” and Griffin won the Pop music category.
Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to legendary concert promoter/talent agent Rick Mersel, blues great Bobby Black Hat Walters, who recently was named the Blues Ambassador of the city of Newport News, and longtime blues guitarist Paul Urban. .
Industry Awards were presented to George “G-Man” Waters and Charles “Bat Man” Brown II.
Following are the top finishers in each category.
Album of the Year
1. BJ Griffin, “Elements”
2 Akeylah Simone, “As Is I Black First”
3 Brian Grilli, “Great Big Sky”
4 Suburban Key Party, “Broken Mirror”
5 Audiostrobelight, “An Energy Inside This Address”
6 Robbie Bradshaw, “This Town Has Secrets”
7 Broken Beaches, “Glue”
8 Octavia the Great, “still.collecting.data”
9 Jim Bulleit, “Angels & Other Magical Creatures”
10 Those Without a Name, “Let’s Pretend”
EP of the Year
1 Emerald Beach, “Homemade”
2 Deep Creeker, “Deep Creeker”
3 The Last Bison, “Stronger”
4 Wilk$, “Timeless”
5 The Jason Cale Band, “Gator By The Tail”
Live Album of the Year
1 Community Witch, “Live at the National”
2 Chloe Youtsey, Chris Brydge, John Toomey, “Live at The Roads Bistro”
3 Dion Langley featuring BKS Band, “Classified Live”
4 Dean Kohler & The Electrical Banana, “Live in Vietnam 1967”
5 The Ben Phelps Project, “Live Sessions”
Song of the Year
1 Audiostrobelight, “Embers”
2 BJ Griffin, “So In Love”
3 Emerald Beach, “Strawberry Parfait”
4 T-Rifik, “Yes We Can”
5 Louissa, “Groceries”
6 Those Without a Name, “Evil Ashley”
7 The Last Bison, “See You Again”
8 Quicksilver Night feat. DeVe, “Rocket Surgery”
9 Jim Bulleit, “Don’t Forget”
10 Secret Ingredients, “Here Comes Paul”
Song of the Year (Cover)
1 Roberta Lea, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”
2 Quicksilver Night feat. DeVe, “Words”
3 Whoa featuring Midnight Rain, “I Knew You Were Trouble”
Music Video of the Year
1 BJ Griffin, “This Good?”
2 Red Weather, “Fake Friends”
3 Shuntell Diverse, “Loving On You”
4 The Revamps, “Fever”
5 Turncoat Syndicate “Charmed”
6 Big Torrin, “The Meter Is High”
7 Whoa! Featuring Midnight Rain, “I Knew You Were Trouble”
8 Emily Fraser, “Backyard Getaway”
9 4 Conditions, “Ticket to Hide”
10 Seven Cities Syndicate, “Solo Cup”
AI Music Video of the Year
1 Quicksilver Night feat. DeVe, “Words”
2 Starving Artists, “Talking Bible”
3 Jarrett Beeler, “Mergers & Acquisitions”
Holiday Release
1 Good Shot Judy
2 Jennifer Gammill
3 Mink & Cheef
Hip Hop
1 Chuck Black
2 TeezySoDope
3 Pound Wallace
R&B
1 Shuntell Diverse
2 Raspy Soul
3 Artel Carter
Jazz
1 Chloe Youtsey, Chris Brydge, John Toomey
2 Jae Sinnett
3 The Virginia Experiment
Smooth Jazz
1 Talton Manning
2 J Staton
3 Dion Langley
Gospel
1 Voices of Fire
2 Reformed
3 Gifted Hands
Country
1 Celeste Kellogg
2 Brian Grilli
3 Troy Breslow
Experimental/Electronic
1 Jon Schuemaker
2 Roger Spacebucks
3 Nested For Rest
Dance
1 Vivian Valentine
2 TIARA & His Precious Gems
3 Jenasis
Ambient/Soundtrack
1 Otis Brooks
2 Ryan Farish
3 Stephen Peppos
Pop
1 BJ Griffin
2 Akeylah Simone
3 Louissa
Indie Pop
1 Broken Beaches
2 Shower Cry
3 Emerald Beach
Punk/Garage
1 Community Witch
2 False Cape
3 ALPHA
Rockabilly/Retro
1 Lucky 757
2 Mr Fang & the Dark Tones
3 The Futuros
Metal
1 Por Vida
2 Roccaforte
3 Death Harvest
Alternative Rock
1 Turncoat Syndicate
2 Audiostrobelight
3 Lori Creek
Rock
1 Bennett Wales & the Relief
2 LeSabre
3 Superfang
Classic Rock
1 Anthony Rosano
2 The Folly
3 Secret Ingredients
Blues
1 The Jason Cale Band
2 The James Henry Morgan Gang
3 Bluzhammer
Folk/Acoustic
1 Fox and The Bear
2 Stella Haile
3 John Baldwin
Jam/Psychedelic/Reggae
1 The Bread Collectors
2 One Culture
3 Ganjacat
World Music
1 Tidewater Pipes & Drums
2 Amalita
3 The Dunkirk Riots
Live Band
1 The Fuzz Band
2 Community Witch
3 Por Vida
Cover Band
1 The Steals
2 The Band Monarch
3 5Starr
Cover Solo/Duo
1 Bryan Dunn
2 Fixity
3 Grant Austin Taylor
Tribute/Themed Band
1 The Deloreans
2 Last Fair Deal
3 Wilder Horses
Open Mic Night
1 Stuft
2 Aloft Nights w/Emily Fraser & Alex Best
3 Hilton Tavern
Classical Music Performance (Local soloists)
1 Tidewater Classical Guitar Orchestra
2 Rebecca Gilmore
3 Alexis Colner
Live Music Venue (Bar/Bands)
1 Scandals Live
2 Froggies
3 Taphouse Grill
Live Music Venue (Listening Room)
1 Victorian Station
2 The Roads Bistro
3 Abbey Road
Live Music Venue (Brewery)
1 The Vanguard Brewpub
2 Elation Brewing
3 The Bunker Brewpub
Live Music Series (Indoors)
1 Acoustic Carnival @ Baron’s Pub
2 Songwriters in the Round @ Victorian Station
3 Out of the Box Series @ Sandler Center
Live Music Series (Outdoors)
1 New Realm Brewing Co Summer Music Series
2 Sunsets on the River @ Hermitage Museum
3 YNOT Wednesdays @ Sandler Center
Music Event (featuring local bands)
1 Neptune Festival
2 Virginia Deathfest
3 LAVA Halloween Extravaganza
Live Sound Tech
1 Brian Boozer Jahboo
2 Shannon Leggette
3 Michael “Rocky” Graziano
Live Lighting Tech
1 Daniel Aguiar
2 Rome Gehrig
3 Jedd General
Photography — Live
1 Daniel Simmons, “Spikepit at the Taphouse”
2 Katie Culver, “Sheezer at LAVA Halloween”
3 Ryan Del Rosario, “Mean Jesus”
Photography — Posed
1 Katie Culver, “Community Witch Alternative Album Cover”
2 Will Clarke, “Emerald Beach”
3 Peter Slavov, “Tiara & His Precious Gemstones”
Music Instrument Retailer
1 Alpha Music
2 Russell’s Music World
3 AL&M