TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Popular musical group Muddy Basin Ramblers will soon find out if their latest album, "Jug Band Millionaire,” will win a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Album designers Andrew Wong (黃家賢) and Julie Yeh (葉昶利) of Onion Design Associates are currently in Los Angeles attending the 67th Grammy Awards on behalf of the band. After a string of near misses, they are eager to bring home the award.
"This is the third time we've come to LA for the Grammy Award nominations," Wong said via text message shortly after arriving in the US, "We're thrilled that all three albums we've designed for the Muddy Basin Ramblers over the past 15 years have been nominated," per a band press release.
Both the designers and the band hope the third time’s the charm. “Jug Band Millionaire” pays tribute to early 20th-century American jug bands, which played blues and jazz-flavored folk music on homemade instruments.
Wong and Yeh created a CD package that harkens back to the era, featuring meticulously crafted illustrations and a 33-page booklet inspired by vintage sheet music. With their design, Wong and Yeh hope to "transport listeners back to the golden era from which jug band music originated."
"We're so happy for our friends Andrew and Julie, both of whom we deeply admire for their passion and utter devotion to their work," said Ramblers' bandleader David Chen (陳思銘). "Even if it weren’t our CD, we’d still think they deserve to win."
Wong and Chen were first nominated for the same Grammy Award in 2015 for the band's 2013 album “Formosa Medicine Show.” The band's second nomination came in 2020 for their album “Hold That Tiger,” designed by Wong and Onion Design alumnus Yang Fong-ming (楊豐銘).
Wong, a Hong Konger who emigrated to Taiwan in the 1990s, was among the first Taiwan-based designers to be nominated for a Grammy. Since his first nomination in 2013, several Taiwanese designers have gained recognition at the Grammys, including seven-time nominee Xiao Qing-yang (蕭青陽), who won the Best Recording Package award two years ago.
This year, Wong and Yeh are competing against fellow Taiwanese designer Lee Pei-tzu (李珮慈), who is nominated for her work on the album “Pregnancy, Breakdown, and Disease” by iWhoiWhoo.
"No matter who wins, we're proud to be pioneers in a wave of talented Taiwanese designers who understand the value of the physical presentation of a music album," Chen said. "To be nominated for the third time is already a thrill and a great honor."
