Limelight Magazine is pleased to announce that singer-songwriter Lisa Guyer will receive the Unsung Hero Award at this year’s fifth annual Limelight Magazine Music Awards that will take place at the Rock Junction in Coventry, R.I., on March 16, 2013.

Guyer, who is the front woman for the band Mama Kicks and a vocalist on Sully Erna’s solo album Avalon, founded the Lisa Guyer Music Empowerment Program this past summer in New Hampshire for young adults between the ages of 13 and 18 to help them find their own “it” factor through music, movement and motivation. The five-day program encouraged participants to explore their own innate creativity by giving them access to the tools necessary to nurture their inner artist.

Limelight Magazine co-owner Jay Kenney felt that Guyer was the ideal person to be the first recipient of this award.

“By definition, the unsung hero award is given to a musician from New England who has made a significant contribution in the lives of others without asking for any reward in return,” said Kenney, who co-founded Limelight Magazine in 2006. “Lisa and her team touched the lives of many young adults this past summer, enabling them to become better people through music. I wish there was a program like this when I was growing up.”

The Limelight Magazine Music Awards honors bands and musicians from New England who were selected by readers of the magazine in an online poll. This year’s event will be hosted by singer-songwriter Sarah Blacker. Performers scheduled to appear are Samuel Bowen and Blue Cat Groove, Jeff Byrd and Dirty Finch, Fly Kite Canvas, Brianna Grace, The Great Escape: A Tribute to Journey, Ashley Jordan, Satellites Fall and Carlin Tripp.

The Rock Junction is located at 731 Centre of New England Blvd. in Coventry, R.I. The venue has a full bar and dinner menu. Parking is free.

Tickets for the awards show are $10 each and $12 day of show. They can be purchased online through http://www.brownpapertickets.com.

Limelight Magazine started out as a quarterly publication, but has since moved its operations online. Visit their website at www.limelightmagazine.com. You can also like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/limelightmagazine.

The complete list of nominees:

N.E. Tribute Band of the Year

Beast over Boston: Tribute to Iron Maiden

The Great Escape: Tribute to Journey

Gun Powder Gelatine:Tribute to  Queen

Holy Diver: Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

Human Clay: Tribute to Creed

Klassik Kiss: Tribute to Kiss

Lotus Land: Tribute to Rush

LoveSexy: Tribute to Prince

Live Act of the Year

Awesome Express

Jeff Byrd & Dirty Finch

Indiana Handshake

Tony Jones & The Cretin 3

Lansdowne

Lisa Markovich & Beyond Blonde

Fly Kite Canvas (previously Scarlet)

Thurskills Vision

Female Vocalist of the Year

Lauren Bateman

Keturah Burgess

Dorian Havers

Tammy Laforest Schneider

Erin Elizabeth Ollis

Jessica Prouty

Jessica Scalese

Jenny White

Male Vocalist of the Year

Corey Amaral

Joseph L. Auger

Walter Barlow

Norman Bishop

Mark Cutler

Steven Scott Haidaichuk

Spogga Hash

Jesse Liam

Album/EP of the Year By Group

Closer Than We Appear – Evaluating Expressions

Fall and Bounce – Kickknack Avalanche

The Few – Headstock

Hemlok – A Cautionary Tale

Omega Reign – Arise

Satellites Fall – Lines On The Road

A Simple Complex – Come Undone

We Own Land – The Plan

Album/EP of the Year By Solo Act

Chris Allen – The Power of Chris Compels You

Sam Chase – Every Time I’m Home

Ian James – Grand Delusions

Brian Jarvis – Beautifully Broken

Ken Macy – Outlines

Jay Psaros – Simply

Hayley Reardon – Where The Artists Go

Sarah Swain – Every Little Bird

Metal Act of the Year

Bigtalkahh

A Dying Breed

The Folly of Man

Fuel of War

Nothing Left to Give

Omega Reign

Santagata

To Die This Night

Country Artist of the Year

Krista Angelucci

Dalton and the Sheriffs

Kiley Evans

Brianna Grace

Highway Ghosts

Shanna Jackman

Ashley Jordan

Erin Ollis

Breakthrough Artist of the Year

Closer Than We Appear

Consuelo’s Revenge

Tammy Laforest Schneider

Nymphidels

popALERT

Carlin Tripp

Weld Square

Zanois

Video of the Year

Krista Angelucci – “C R E E P”

Birch Hill Dam – “Fathom’s Below”

Sarah Blacker – “Knocked the Winds”

Brad Byrd – “On My Way Down”

Ashley Jordan – “Fading Away”

J. Kelley Band-“Shake You”

Greg Lato – “Help You Out”

PopALERT – “I Don’t’ Deserve It”

Singer-Songwriter of the Year

Joseph L. Auger

Samuel Bowen

Nick Duane

Joanne Lurgio

Amanda McCarthy

Danielle Miraglia

Hayley Reardon

Carly Tefft

Song of the Year

“Only Human” by Bigtalkahh

“One More Spin Around” by Kiley Evans

“Second Time Around” by Brianna Grace

“Wicked” by Sara Leketa

“Won’t Ever Quit” by Joanne Lurgio

“I Don’t Deserve It” by popALERT

“One Night” by Satellites Fall

“Silver Wishes” by Jenn Zapata and the Dan Kirouac Band

Band of the Year

City of Squares

Dead Nobodies

For the Love of Sloane

J. Kelley Band

Lisa Markovich & Beyond Blonde

The Mighty Good Boys

Grace Morrison and the SRO

Naked Stills