The 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards will acknowledge artists who have made an impact on college audiences for its sixth year on Nov. 18. Eric Conte, executive producer of the Woodie Awards, said the Woodies are an award show that celebrates the college audience and the artists they live their lives listening to, not the number of records they have sold to go gold or platinum.

“You don’t have to sell a lot of records to make good music and to get appreciated by your core audience,” Conte said. “If you’re making some really good, fantastic music and the audience loves you, this is our chance to say this is your moment.”

Thursday, several college journalists participated in a college conference call with Woodie-nominated artists. The artists interviewed were Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman from 3OH!3, Asher Roth, Matt Johnson from Matt & Kim and Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie.

The Woodie Awards will air Dec. 4 on mtvU, MTV and MTV2.

Nathaniel Motte, from 3OH!3, Performing Woodie nonimee

Q: What do you think makes your live performances stand out from other artists?

A: What we try to do at our shows is definitely bring an energy and go crazy every time we have a show, and then also try to have our shows be a pretty inclusive thing, so that it’s fun for everyone, and you don’t just go and watch us play. it’s more of an inclusive thing, and everyone’s getting crazy together…The crowd whips us up into a frenzy, and hopefully we do the same for the crowd. I think it ends up just being a good time and a good show.

Asher Roth, Woodie of the Year nominee

Q: Do you think your music, the partying lyrics and things like that, have a negative influence on the college campus and the college scene?

A: I don’t think it has a negative influence.I’m not saying anything new. It’s always stuff with influences, yes, but we’re also moving forward. It’s not only going to be about partying and everything like that. I mean, people graduate, people grow up, people become young women and young men, so hopefully that allows people to grow up with me.I don’t think it has a negative influence, no, because people at the end of the day have to decide for themselves what they want their actions to be.

Matt Johnson, from Matt & Kim, Best Video Woodie nominee

Q: Your video “Lessons Learned” is the one nominated. What do you think stands out about your video to college students?

A: I definitely did some stupid things in college that I’m very proud of.and it’s just a time you’re really open to doing wild things, and I think in that sense people in that age group can relate better.

Chris Walla, from Death Cab for Cutie, Best Video Woodie nominnee

Q: What was the motivation behind lending “Meet Me On The Equinox” to the “New Moon” soundtrack?

A: The motivation behind doing it was actually that we’re fans. I think me probably more than anyone else in the band, but I love the “Twilight” series. When the opportunity came up to do it, it actually seemed like something that would be really fun to do.It was the first time that we put a song together with something really specific in mind, so we’d kind of never done that before, so that was the idea.

Q: You guys got nominated in 2005 for a Grammy. How does the Woodie nomination compare to the Grammy nomination?

A: The coolest thing about mtvU and about the Woodies is just watching how they have sort of integrated themselves into the college world.It’s actually quite an honor. It’s awesome to be nominated for Grammys, but like Tony Bennett wins Grammys. so it doesn’t seem like it’s our job to win Grammys.