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Update 3/14/12: The polls are officially open. Please feel free to make your way to the 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot and register your vote!
The 2012 Westword Music Showcase ballot is here — no more waiting. Well, that’s not entirely true: You will have to wait another day or so before the official ballot hits the newsstands and the web, and you can actually vote for your favorite acts. But in the meantime, as a loyal reader of the Backbeat blog, you’re getting the drop on the names that made the roster this year.
Formulating the ballot for the Westword Music Showcase is always a daunting task. As in previous years, this year’s ballot was formulated with the input of our nominating committee, everyone from radio personalities and bloggers to talent buyers and promoters, along with some readers.
If you’re unfamiliar with the process, here’s how it works: We tap our committee members (see the full list below), who are all immersed in the local music scene in one capacity or another, to give us their informed opinions on which acts are worthy of being considered for inclusion. In past years, we simply asked committee members to list the twenty or so artists that had made the biggest impression. This year, we presented them with a blank ballot and not only asked them to list their top acts, but to consider this: “If you had a chance to introduce a group of influential tastemakers from across the country to the absolute best music our city has to offer, what are the acts you’d list?” That’s what we were looking for, and that’s exactly what they gave us.
As always, we also laid out some ground rules: We requested that members abstain from nominating any acts which they are personally affiliated, have a business relationship with or are in any other way associated with. Any such nominations would be tossed, we warned, along with the rest of their ballot; to the best of our knowledge, they all complied.
As we considered the committee’s collective input, we couldn’t help but marvel at how the scene continues to thrive. Putting the ballot together always serves as an excellent barometer for the overall state of music in the metro area, which is as healthy and vibrant as it’s ever been. It also reminds us of how the scene continues to change. You’ll notice, for example, that acts like Pretty Lights, Big Gigantic, VibeSquad, Paper Diamond, Tennis and Nathaniel Rateliff, among others, don’t appear on the ballot. That’s not a slight: We’ve just determined that those artists have attained an elevated status that removes them from ballot consideration at this point.
If you feel that we left out other favorite acts (even your act), feel free to let us know in the comments section below, and then vote to include them on the write-in slots on the actual ballot. You can also tell us which of the acts you’d like to see booked at this year’s Westword Music Showcase.
Once the polls open, the deadline to vote is June 25 — which means you can wait until you’ve heard many of the acts at the Westword Music Showcase on Saturday, June 23, which will feature headliners Girl Talk, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Battles, plus more acts that have yet to be announced.
We’ll release the full lineup in April. In the meantime, below are this year’s Westword Music Showcase award nominees.
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please drop us a line as soon as possible so that we can get your current contact info and ensure you’re included in our Showcase coverage this year.
POP – TRADITIONAL
Churchill
Eldren
The Heyday
Rachel James
PLACES
POP – ALTERNATIVE
Carbon Choir
Della
The Epilogues
Flashbulb Fires
In the Whale
Lola Black
Monroe Monroe
Petals of Spain
Take to the Oars
Varlet
POP – INDIE
Cougar Pants
The Don’ts & Be Carefuls
Fingers of the Sun
The Manxx
M and the Gems
SAUNA
ROCK – TRADITIONAL
The Big Motif
The Foot.
Kinetix
Musketeer Gripweed
Something Underground
ROCK – ALTERNATIVE
Bad Weather California
Calder’s Revolvers
The Knew
Overcasters
The Swayback
ROCK – INDIE
Achille Lauro
Amazing Twin
FaceMan
Fierce Bad Rabbit
Hearts in Space
Hindershot
Land Lines
Le Divorce
A Mouthful of Thunder
Snake Rattle Rattle Snake
Spires
ROCK – HEAVY
Dirty Backseat Lovers
Git Some
Il Cattivo
Kingdom of Magic
Lords of Fuzz
MF Ruckus
Skeleton Show
Zebroids
ROCK – PROGRESSIVE
Choke the Word
Eolian
I Sank Molly Brown
My Body Sings Electric
Lexigram
PANAL S.A. DE C.V.
ROCK – AMBIENT
A Shoreline Dream
Brim Liski
Fairchildren
Gauntlet Hair
Galaxies
Morning Clouds
Mombi
Orbit Service
Tantric Picasso
Woodsman
ROCK – ROOTS
4H Royalty
Arliss Nancy
Kentucky Parlor Pickers
Andy Palmer and Grub Street Writer
Tin Horn Prayer
ROCK – JAM/IMPROV
Frogs Gone Fishin’
Jet Edison
Wonderlic
Whiskey Tango
Yamn
HIP-HOP – MC (MALE)
Anxious
Hypnautic
Input
Julox
Mane Rok
Midas
Pries
Rockie
SP Double
Spoke in Wordz
Turner Jackson
Whygee
HIP-HOP – MC (FEMALE)
Bianca Mikahn
Britny Jones
D’Girl
Qbala
Koo Qua
HIP-HOP – GROUP
American Trash Republic
BLKHRTS
Cobraconda
Diamond Boiz
Fresh Breath Committee
Prime Element
The ReMINDers
Wheelchair Sports Camp
HIP-HOP – BAND
Air Dubai
Beats Noir
BigWheel Electrosoul
Broken Tongues
Filthy T
The Foodchain
Gamer Life
MTHDS
No 1 Left Standing
Whiskey Blanket
HIP-HOP – PRODUCER
Big J. Beats
Boy Davey
Boonie Mayfield
Es Nine
Mass Prod
Yonnas Abraham
PUNK
Boldtype
Dead Ringer
Elway
Frontside Five
King Rat
Pitch Invasion
Potato Pirates
Red Stinger
Reno Divorce
Synthetic Elements
POST-PUNK
Accordion Crimes
Force Publique
Gangcharger
Glass Homes
Glass Hits
Joy Subtraction
Lust-Cats of the Gutters
Night of Joy
The Photo Atlas
Wire Faces
HARDCORE
Bankrobber
Before We’re Done
Citizen
Final Blow
Negative Degree
METAL
Adai
Havok
IAMTHESHOTGUN
Iconocaust
Immortal Dominion
Kill Syndicate
Lost Point
No Fair Fights
Novus Folium
Scalafrea
Speedwolf
Spools of Dark Thread
METAL – EXTREME
Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire
Dissonance in Design
Enemy Reign
Vale of Pnath
Vimana
AMERICANA
A. Tom Collins
Champagne Charlie
Chimney Choir
Dovekins
Paper Bird
The Raven and the Writing Desk
Safe Boating Is No Accident
The Widow’s Bane
FOLK/ACOUSTIC
Bare Bones
Driftwood Fire
I’m With Her
Lumineers
Shel
The Yawpers
You, Me and Apollo
BLUEGRASS
Good Gravy
Finnders & Youngberg
Head for the Hills
Long Road Home
Spring Creek Bluegrass Band
SINGER-SONGWRITER
John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light
Ian Cooke
Danielle Ate the Sandwich
Patrick Dethlefs
Rob Drabkin
Zach Heckendorf
Lizzie Huffman
Joshua Novak
Caleb Slade
Coles Whalen
COUNTRY
Casey James Prestwood & the Burning Angels
Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams
The Hollyfelds
Marty Jones & the Great Unknowns
New Ben Franklins
ELECTRONIC
ALERT
Eminence Ensemble
Human Agency
Octopus Nebula
Project Aspect
Signal Path
ELECTRONIC – EXPERIMENTAL
Alphabets
CacheFlowe
Iuengliss
Kevin Costner Suicide Pact
Men in Burka
ELECTRONIC – POP
Flashlights
Juno What?!
ManCub
Real Magic
Total Ghost
JAZZ
Carmen Sandim Sextet
Greg Garrison
Greg Harris Vibe Quintet
Aakash Mittal
Raincheck
BLUES
The Informants
The Delta Sonics
Dan Treanor
The Lionel Young Band
The Young Austin Band
FUNK
Bop Skizzum
Demon Funkies
Fox Street All Stars
Filthy Children
Funkiphino
SOUL/R&B
Bmore
J. Carey
Venus Cruz
Amanda Hawkins
Jon Shockness
REGGAE/DUB
Apex Vibe
Coral Thief
Desciples
Dubskin
Judge Roughneck
Lion SoulJahs
Peace Officer
SlaughterHouse Rootz
Trichome
WORLD
Conjunto Colores
Izcalli
The Indulgers
Pink Hawks
Potcheen
DJ – DANCE
Brick Lee
Dragon
Fresh2Death
Ivy
John Templeton
DJ – DUBSTEP
Ishe
Coult 45
Dirt Monkey
Jantsen
Rumblejunkie
DJ – HIP-HOP
Cysko Rokwel
DeeJay Tense
Ktone
Low Key
Gypdahip
Top Shelf
DJ – PROGRESSIVE
Peter Black
boyhollow
Ginger Perry
MU$A
Option 4
Nominating Committee: David Barber (Herman’s Hideaway), Erin Barnes (Donnybrook), Morris Beegle (Hapi Skratch), Dane Bernhardt (Crazy Horse Studios), Jonathan Bitz (Denver Syntax), Doug Bohm (CoClubs), Nicole Cacciavillano (Sub.mission), Nick Callaio (Backbeat), Cory Casciato (Onion), Maddie Casey (Ultra 5280), Brandee Castle (Open Air 1340 CPR), Britt Chester (Backbeat), Nicole Cormier (Backbeat), Greta Cornett (FoCoMx/Scene Magazine), Bree Davies (Backbeat), Ben DeSoto (hi-dive), Virgil Dickerson (Suburban Home/Greater Than), Tim Dwenger (ListenUpDenver), Julio Enriquez (Reverb/Cause=Time), Dan Ericson (Signtologist), Guy Erickson (KGNU), Boyd Fletcher (Backbeat), Randall Frazier (Walnut Room), Ruthie Foster (reader), James Freeman (That’s the Thing About That), Jeb “Nerf” Freedman (KTCL), Brian Frederick (Backbeat), Lisa Gedgaudas (UMS), Peter “Black” Gurule (Meadowlark), Brianna Hernandez (Swagger), Dave Herrera (Backbeat), Dylan Alexander (Teenage Vulture), Josiah Hesse (Backbeat), Jamie Hillyer (Module Overload), Leonard Jackson (reader), Tyler Jacobson (Post 303), Ru Johnson (Backbeat), Corey Jones (Open Air 1340 CPR), Tiffiny Kallina (The Ruckus), Dan King (Outlook Hotel), Thorin Klosowski (Gawker), Andrew “Alf” Kremer (KTCL), Chris “Chris K” Kresge (KRFC), Scott LaBarbera (Oriental), Rhett Lee (Soiled Dove), Bradley “B Lo” Lopez (KBPI), Jeff McQuilkin (Examiner), Dave Meyer (reader), Paige Montgomery (Reverb), Jawsh Mullen, Tom Murphy (Backbeat), Sid Pink, Patrick Rodgers (Backbeat), Sue Ross (Sidekicks Saloon), Donald Rossa (Dazzle Jazz), Lynn Ryan (reader), Quibian Salazar-Moreno (Boulder Weekly), Danny Sax (Gothic Theatre), Matt Schild (The Onion), Dutch Seyfarth (Backbeat), Jon Solomon (Backbeat), Eric Smith (Prophecy Records), Loren Speer (reader), Amanda Spilos (Ultra 5280), Lance Stack (Flat Response), Don Strasburg (AEG Live Rocky Mountains), Greg “Uncle Nasty” Stone (KBPI), Alisha Sweeney (Open Air 1340 CPR), Amber Taufen (Backbeat), Andy Thomas (Greater Than), Clifton Thompson (Donnybrook), Kai Turner (103.5 the Fox), Brian Turk (Marquee Magazine), Jeremy “Jolt” Ulibarri (Guerilla Garden), John Wenzel (Denver Post/Reverb), Jess Whitten (Open Air 1340 CPR), Kelsey Whipple (Backbeat), John Wilbur (Post 303), D “D tha Man” Williams (Backbeat), J.R. Wolfe (reader), David Zaharia (Voodoo Productions), Mollie Zaring (reader).
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