MIAMI, FL – December 10, 2015 – (HISPANICIZE WIRE) – South Florida hard rock band Ovrhol has won an Akademia Music Award for their debut EP, Becoming, in the Hard Rock/Pop category.
The Akademia Music Awards, a monthly international competition recognizing excellence among independent artists in 99 musical categories, announced the award on Nov. 16th. The judges – a panel of six music industry record executives, producers and artists — recognized the band for their musicianship and songwriting talents.
“Ovrhol possesses the sort of vocal talent, musicianship and songwriting required to deliver a great hard rock EP, and that’s exactly what they’ve done – definitely a group to watch closely this coming year,” reads a summary statement by the judges on The Akademia’s website announcing the winners.
The recognition caps off a productive year for Ovrhol. After releasing their five-song debut EP in February, the band performed a showcase concert at Austin’s prestigious South By Southwest (SxSW) music festival in April, and performed two showcases at the Cutting Edge Music Business Conference in New Orleans in August. They scored a guitar sponsorship from SDR Guitars and Accessories, a Miami-based boutique guitar and pedal-board manufacturer. In October, Ovrhol released their first professional music video for the song “Another You.”
As part of the Akademia award, Ovrhol received a strategic marketing plan to help gain exposure on both traditional media and social media. As of Dec. 1st, the band began receiving airplay on five commercial-free radio stations in the United States, Japan and Brazil. These stations include KMIX Radio in Los Angeles, WCTR Radio in Chicago and WNYR Radio in New York.
“We are so proud of this award. It’s hard to be an independent band and get any kind of recognition or props, so when someone goes out of their way to say you did a great job, that’s very exciting and validating for us,” said lead vocalist and guitarist Richard Rey. “It’s like breathing new fire into us. Somebody’s listening. It shows that our music is making a difference. I think that’s what every artist wants.»
With Rey’s bandmates, Alexis Zuñiga on lead guitar and Bill Gato on drums, Ovrhol has been hard at work on their follow-up CD and building a fan base outside of South Florida, as well as in their hometown. With the assistance of legendary rock music manager John Tovar, the band is working on garnering national radio airplay on college music stations and booking national showcases.
Throughout the year, the band experimented with social media and online video marketing, with fruitful results, gaining over 3,000 new Facebook fans in 2015 alone.
Ovrhol will perform on Saturday, Dec. 26th at the Save Rock Festival at Churchill’s Pub, at 5501 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida 33137. For more information about Ovrhol, visit the band’s Facebook page or their website, at www.ovrhol.com.
About the Akademia Music Awards
Located in Los Angeles, California, The Akademia Music Awards is dedicated to recognizing excellence in music throughout the world and supporting musicians interested in receiving a higher degree of market exposure and professional recognition for their work. We know how hard independent artists work to develop their music careers and to get the exposure they deserve — we’re artists, producers and record executives ourselves. As a relatively young yet prestigious awards organization, we take pride in helping hard-working musicians gain the exposure they deserve. For more information, visit The Akademia’s website, at www.theakademia.com.