by  Felicia DeInnocentiis | Staff Writer

In approximately one month from now at midnight, the city of Austin, Texas will be roaring to life for hosting the seventh-annual MTV Woodie Awards for the first time. In the spirit of awards-season, the indie/college rock genre will be acknowledging and exposing some of the hottest and deserving underground talents of the past year. Some of the past nominees and performances include Passion Pit, Never Shout Never, and Deathcab for Cutie.

This year’s nominations range from the popular, such as B.O.B. and the Gorrillaz, to the practically unheard of: Girl Talk and Mumford & Sons. These nominations and potential winnings can bring these bands into more noticeable light. The ceremony also recognizes a college rock radio station (voted via internet users) that has brought new music to the masses.

“There’s more people watching [these performances] so more people will know them. They have more of a underground and indie following, and less mainstream,” junior Nena Peterson said.

Peterson is hopeful that Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, and Mumford & Sons will win their respected categories, which range from Woodie of the Year to Left Field Woodie, which translates to a musical artist that spring into the music world from nowhere.

Although some people would disagree on some of the candidates (particularly Kanye West), the Woodie Awards ultimately represent musical diversity and innovation outside of common-variety rock and pop.

“If we didn’t there would be thousands of thousands of garage bands that would never be known,” senior Paige Carroll said.