And the Winner Is: Gurf Morlix

Former Western New Yorker Gurf Morlix won the Americana Music Association instrumentalist of the year award at the group's awards show Thursday.
This was perfect timing, as Gurf and his wife Brende Fuller came into town Friday, and I first saw them as they waved while driving by as Walker Evans and I trundled through the neighborhood late Friday afternoon. They were on their way to stay at the house of our next-door neighbors Jim Whitford and Lynne O'Meara, with Morlix playing a house concert in Fredonia Saturday and a show at the Sportsmen's Tavern Tuesday, September 22 (we bought our tickets Friday night, and there were VERY few left).
Gurf was rather modest when asked about his award at Whitford's show at the Sportsmen's Friday: "It was a real surprise and I was grouped with several real good musicians," he said. When asked if he had "a shiny award" with him, he smiled and replied, "Yeah, Kevin, I got that award ... right here."
Morlix got up on stage to play several songs with Whitford's band, both on bass and on guitar, during the second set Friday, and it sounded great, as usual.