Alright, so the wait is over. This year’s Showcase ballot has finally been revealed. As with every year, the event continues to evolve and improve (we like to think so, anyway). This year, you’ll notice that we’ve added five new categories, and there’s 57 acts making a first-time appearance on the ballot -- many of whom will be performing at the Showcase on Saturday, June 16, along with our unbelievable headliners Lucero and Dinosaur Jr. (who you can also catch tonight on Late Night with Craig Ferguson, BTW).
For the benefit of those who haven’t had the chance to pick up a paper yet (FYI: the ballot is on page 62), here’s the list of nominees for the 13th annual Westword Music Showcase. Once you’ve had a chance to peruse the list, please click here to cast your vote. And as always, if you think we blew it by not including your favorite act, feel free to add their name in the “Write In” slot.
Rock Machine Gun Blues The Omens Rose Hill Drive The Swayback Tarmints
Pop Meese Savage Henry Single File Tifah The Trampolines
Indie Rock Born in the Flood Bright Channel Cat-A-Tac Lion Sized The Photo Atlas
Indie Pop Cowboy Curse Everything Absent or Distorted Hot IQs The Laylights Nathan & Stephen
Singer-Songwriter Ian Cooke Roger Green Melissa Ivey Gregory Alan Isakov Zack Nichols Joshua Novak Rachael Pollard Nathaniel Rateliff (the Wheel) Erin Roberts (Porlolo) Angie Stevens
Metal/Hard Rock Black Lamb The Brotherhood of Dae Han Cephalic Carnage Ion Kingdom of Magic
Punk/Hardcore Fear Before the March of Flames King Rat Love Me Destroyer Planes Mistaken for Stars Vaux
Hip-Hop 3Oh!3 Dent Distrakt Maneline The Pirate Signal
Country/Alt Country Buckwild Buckskin Stallion Drag the River The Hollyfelds Ten Cent Redemption
Roots/Americana Ghost Buffalo Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots Red Cloud West Slim Cessna's Auto Club Woven Hand
Jazz 9th & Lincoln Orchestra Bottessini Project Convergence Greg Harris Vibe Quintet Ron Miles Quartet
Blues Erica Brown Band Bluesman Willie Houston and the Blues Prowlers Otis Taylor Reverend Deadeye Tempa and the Tantrums
Funk/Soul Bop Skizzum Flobots Future Jazz Project Something Underground U.S. Pipe and the Balls Johnson Dance Machine
Reggae/Ska 12 Cents for Marvin Judge Roughneck The Haggardies Lion Soul Jahs P-Nuckle
Bluegrass Boulder Acoustic Society Oakhurst Sweet Sunny South Pete Wernick Uncle Earl
Jam/Improv Electric Side Dish Two Ton Moxie Wasabi WhiteWater Ramble Zebra Junction
Noise/Experimental Constellations Nightshark Novasak Page 27 Picture Plane
Goth/Industrial Caustic Soul Forged In Violet November Process Tristraum Velvet Acid Christ
Ambient/Electronic A Shoreline Dream Bela Karoli George&Caplin The Life There Is Scaffolding
Art Rock/Avant-Garde Action Friend The Inactivists Orwellian Math The Skivies Yerkish
World Music DeVotchKa The Indulgers Kan'Nal Potcheen Folk Band The Motet
DJ Dance: Electronic/Non-Traditional CacheFlowe Josh Ivy Sara T Michael Trundle Wesley Wayne
DJ Hip-Hop: Club/Turntablists DJ Bedz DJ Chonz DJ Cysko Rokwel DJ Psycho DJ Vajra