The 24th Annual Technical Excellence and Creativity Awards, the world’s foremost recognition of outstanding achievement in professional audio production and product innovation, will be held this Friday, October 3 at the Westin St. Francis on San Francisco’s Union Square.
Presented by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio, this year’s TEC Awards will recognize outstanding achievement in 26 categories of professional audio production and product innovation. In addition, T Bone Burnett, one of the most prolific musicians and producers of American roots music, will be inducted to the TEC Hall of Fame, and Ray Benson, founder and leader of Western Swing stalwarts Asleep at the Wheel, will be honored with the prestigious Les Paul Award for the creative application of audio technology. The Les Paul Award is sponsored by the Gibson Foundation.
The awards ceremony will be hosted by Bob Sarlatte, a San Francisco–based comedian, commercial actor and radio/television personality. His numerous network TV credits include more than 20 appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. Sarlatte will preside over presentations by a roster of music and sound industry veterans, including renowned artists Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, who will induct T Bone Burnett to the TEC Hall of Fame for his achievements as a musician, composer and producer for more than three decades. The Les Paul Award will be presented to Ray Benson by a surprise guest to be announced at show time.
“This will be a truly memorable TEC Awards”, says Hillel Resner, executive producer and president of the Mix Foundation. “We are grateful to Allison and Robert for helping us honor T Bone’s many accomplishments. Besides our impressive lineup of presenters, don’t be surprised if Asleep at the Wheel revs up the bus for the second half of the show!”
Raising Sand, last year’s acclaimed album by Krauss and Plant, and produced by Burnett, is also nominated for Creative Achievement in Record Production, along with albums by the Eagles, John Fogerty, Shelby Lynne and White Stripes. Awards for creative achievement will also be presented in eight other categories, including Interactive Entertainment Sound Production, introduced last year to recognize the achievements of sound creators in the burgeoning videogame field. The award is being sponsored this year by the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), a global, non-profit organization established to advance the interactive audio industry. Paul Lipson, president of G.A.N.G., will co-present the award.
Other confirmed presenters form a galaxy of San Francisco Bay Area and national musical and production talent, including musicians Michael Carabello (Santana), D’Wayne Wiggins (Tony! Toni! Toné!) and Jeff Watson (Night Ranger); popular San Francisco radio personality Renee Richardson, Platinum producer Al Schmitt and renowned tour sound mixer Howard Page, among others.
For a complete list and biographies of the TEC Awards nominees, visit www.mixfoundation.org.
Tickets to the TEC Awards may be purchased by contacting Karen Dunn at 925/708-0307 or [email protected].
