Update 6/24/13: The poll is now closed. Thanks for voting!
Update 3/21/13: The poll is now open. Let the voting begin!
The road to the nineteenth annual edition of the Westword Music Showcase is officially being paved. While we've already announced some of the acts appearing on the Main Stage this year, below are the acts appearing on this year's Showcase ballot. With input from folks active in various facets of the scene (readers, bar owners, talent buyers, bloggers, critics, radio personalities and promoters), we've assembled an exhaustive list of the city's top acts in nearly forty categories. It's a veritable tip sheet of the best and brightest from our scene.
See also: - Westword Music Showcase initial acts revealed - Buy tickets to the nineteenth annual Westword Music Showcase on 6/22/13 - The People of 2012 Westword Music Showcase
Putting together the Westword Music Showcase ballot every year is an arduous but ultimately rewarding process. When we poll our committee members, aside from laying out some requisites (we ask them to abstain from nominating any acts that they are personally affiliated with, have a business relationship with, or are in any other way associated with, and advise that any such nominations are disregarded along with the rest of their ballot), we have a very specific request for them to consider when making their nominations. Rather than merely listing the acts that have name recognition, we ask them to point out the ones that left the biggest impression on them over the past year.
"Think about it like this," we say. "If you had one 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? Or like this: If you could take casual music fans on a personally guided tour of our scene and leave them with a lasting impression of the absolute best music this town has to offer, which acts would you highlight? Which ones instantly come to mind? That's what we're looking for -- those acts."
We then weighed their informed opinions against our own. The result? The ballot below. And now that we know which acts are on our ballot, we're going to set about putting together the lineup, which we'll post in the next month or so. In the meantime, here are the nominees for the very best musical acts in town. In a few days, when the polls open, you'll have a chance to vote for your favorites -- and if you don't see your favorite act represented, there's a blank line in each category, where you can write them in.
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please send us your contact info (name, phone number, email and physical addresses) as soon as possible so that we can make sure we have your current contact information and ensure you're included in our Showcase coverage this year.
POP - TRADITIONAL Eldren Flashbulb Fires Foxfield Four PLACES Rachel & the Kings Regret Night Tyler Ward You Me & Apollo
POP - ALTERNATIVE Chemistry Club The Epilogues Monroe Monroe My Body Sings Electric Petals of Spain The Royal Take to the Oars Vices I Admire
POP - INDIE Fingers of the Sun The Haircut The Jekylls Esme Patterson Sauna Vitamins
ROCK - TRADITIONAL The Big Motif Calder's Revolvers The Congress Fox Street All Stars The Foot. Kinetix Musketeer Gripweed Something Underground
ROCK - ALTERNATIVE Bad Weather California Dragondeer In the Whale The Knew The Outfit The Swayback
ROCK - INDIE A Mouthful of Thunder Achille Lauro Ending People FaceMan Fierce Bad Rabbit Hearts in Space Hindershot Instant Empire The Kissing Party Land Lines The Morning Clouds School Knights Shady Elders Snake Rattle Rattle Snake Tjutjuna Twin Peaks
Continue on to see the other acts on this year's ballot
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please send us your contact info (name, phone number, email and physical addresses) as soon as possible, so that we can make sure we have your current contact information and ensure you're included in our Showcase coverage this year.
ROCK - GARAGE Thee Dang Dangs The Blue Rider The Dirty Few The Manxx The Omens
ROCK - HEAVY The Blackouts Il Cattivo Lola Black MF Ruckus Warhawk Zebroids
ROCK - PROGRESSIVE Confluence El Toro de La Muerte I Sank Molly Brown PANAL S.A. DE C.V. Rubedo Yerkish
ROCK - ROOTS 4H Royalty Arliss Nancy Carmelita's Lovers The Gromet Mosey West The Parlor Pickers Strange Americans Thief River Tin Horn Prayer
ROCK - JAM/IMPROV Technicolor Tone Factory Frogs Gone Fishing Jet Edison The Magic Beans Smack Thompson Whiskey Tango Wonderlic Yamn
Continue on to see the other acts on this year's ballot
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please send us your contact info (name, phone number, email and physical addresses) as soon as possible, so that we can make sure we have your current contact information and ensure you're included in our Showcase coverage this year.
HIP-HOP - MC (MALE) Anxious Cavem Moetavation Myke Charles Extra Kool H*Wood Hypnautic Input Innerstate Ike Kid Vegas Mr. Midas Molina Speaks Pries Quiz Trev Rich Sole SP Double Spoke in Wordz Time Turner Jackson Whygee
HIP-HOP - MC (FEMALE) Bianca Mikhan Kitty Crimes Koo Qua Lady Speech Qbala Xencs L. Wing
HIP-HOP - GROUP 2MX2 American Trash Republic BLKHRTS Black Mask Cobraconda Diamond Boiz Fresh Breath Committee Prime Element The ReMINDers Stay Tuned Two Fresh Wheelchair Sports Camp
HIP-HOP - BAND Beats Noir BigWheel Electrosoul Broken Tongues Filthy T Foodchain MTHDS No 1 Left Standing Whiskey Blanket
HIP-HOP - PRODUCER Yonnas Abraham Big J Beats Boonie Mayfield Es Nine Gyp Dahip Kid Hum Mass Prod Qnox Shae Money
Continue on to see the other acts on this year's ballot
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please send us your contact info (name, phone number, email and physical addresses) as soon as possible, so that we can make sure we have your current contact information and ensure you're included in our Showcase coverage this year.
PUNK The A-OKs Allout Helter Bad Engrish Boldtype Dead Ringer Elway Frontside Five The Gamits King Rat Pitch Invasion Potato Pirates Red Stinger Reno Divorce Synthetic Elements
POST-PUNK Accordion Crimes Drunken Arrows Force Publique Glass Homes Glass Hits Joy Subtraction The Photo Atlas Wire Faces
HARDCORE Asylum Before We're Done Burial Plot Git Some Of Feather and Bone Orphans
METAL Allegaeon Arcanium Black Acid Devil Call of the Void In the Company of Serpents Havok Iconocaust IAMTHESHOTGUN Immortal Dominion Kill Syndicate Kitzeh Kingdom of Magic Native Daughters Speedwolf Switchpin
METAL - EXTREME Cephalic Carnage Dissonance in Design Enemy Reign Vale of Pnath Vimana
Continue on to see the other acts on this year's ballot
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please send us your contact info (name, phone number, email and physical addresses) as soon as possible, so that we can make sure we have your current contact information and ensure you're included in our Showcase coverage this year.
AMERICANA Elephant Revival Grant Farm Kristina Murray & Two Hearted Jones The Railsplitters Rocktin Grove
AVANT-POP A. Tom Collins Champagne Charlie Chimney Choir Ian Cooke James and the Devil The Raven and the Writing Desk The Widow's Bane
FOLK Dovekins Glowing House I'm With Her Mariposa Paper Bird Poet's Row Princess Music Safe Boating Is No Accident Shel Yawpers
BLUEGRASS Good Gravy Finnders & Youngberg Head for the Hills Long Road Home
SINGER-SONGWRITER Danielle Ate the Sandwich Patrick Dethlefs Rob Drabkin Reed Foehl Lizzie Huffman John Common & Blinding Flashes of Light Mike Marchant Joshua Novak Anthony Ruptak Joe Sampson Caleb Slade
COUNTRY Bonnie & the Clydes Casey James Prestwood & the Burning Angels Ethyl & the Regulars Halden Wofford & the Hi*Beams Marty Jones & the Great Unknowns New Ben Franklins
Continue on to see the other acts on this year's ballot
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please send us your contact info (name, phone number, email and physical addresses) as soon as possible, so that we can make sure we have your current contact information and ensure you're included in our Showcase coverage this year.
ELECTRONIC Eminence Ensemble Human Agency Juno What?! Octopus Nebula Project Aspect Signal Path
ELECTRONIC - EXPERIMENTAL ALERT CacheFlowe Hollagramz Ieungliss Kevin Costner Suicide Pact Men in Burka Tollund Men
ELECTRONIC - POP Flashlights option4 South of France ManCub Roniit
JAZZ Ron Miles Go Star Greg Harris Vibe Quintet Greg Garrison Matt Skellenger Convergence SHIRLEY Jon Wirtz
BLUES The Austin Young Band Dan Treanor's Afrosippi Band The Delta Sonics Willie Houston The Lionel Young Band Eddie Turner
Continue on to see the other acts on this year's ballot
Important: if your act is listed on the following pages, please send us your contact info (name, phone number, email and physical addresses) as soon as possible, so that we can make sure we have your current contact information and ensure you're included in our Showcase coverage this year.
FUNK/SOUL/R&B Devan Blake Jones Bop Skizzum Demon Funkies Filthy Children Funkiphino Amanda Hawkins Ten Pound Elephant The Love Royale
REGGAE/DUB Apex Vibe Coral Thief The Dendrites Desciples Dubskin Judge Roughneck SlaughterHouse Rootz Tatanka
WORLD Atomga Euforquestra The Indulgers Izcalli Potcheen Quemando Trichome
DJ - EDM Dragon Coult-45 Hipp-E Ishe Vinnie Maniscalco Raw Russ Robotic Pirate Monkey John Templeton
DJ - Hip-Hop Brik-A-Brak Cysko Rokwel DJ Ktone DJ Lazy Eyez DJ Low Key DeeJay Tense DJ Top Shelf DJ Vajra
DJ - Dance boyhollow Double // Shadow DJ Narky Stares Mile High Soul Club MU$A Ginger Perry Rockstar Aaron Shannon von Kelly
Nominating Committee: David Barber (Rock On Colorado), Morris Beegle, Jonathan Bitz (Syntax), Doug Bohm (SoCo Nightlife), Nicole Cacciavillano (Sub.Mission), Steve Cervantes (Zombie Rock Presents), Britt Chester (Westword), Matty Clark (hi-dive), Nicole Cormier (Hip-Hop Roll Call), Greta Cornett (Road 34/FoCoMA/FoCoMX/Bohemian Nights at NewWestFest), Bree Davies (Westword), Ben Desoto (hi-dive), Virgil Dickerson (Illegal Pete's/Greater Than), Guy Errickson (Naked Stage), Scott Foley (KFRC), Brian Frederick (Westword), James Freeman (That's The Thing About That), A.H. Goldstein (Westword), Scott Happel (Oriental Theater/Sacred Chao), Brianna Hernandez (Early Bird // Night Owl), Josiah Hesse (Westword), Leonard Jackson, Ru Johnson (Denver Post), Tiffiny Kallina (The Ruckus), Dan King (Boulder Outlook Hotel), Scott LaBarbera (Oriental Theater), Chris Kresge (Rocky Mountain Music Network/The Colorado Sound), Brad Lopez (Westword/Metallix), David McIntyre (Oskar Blues), Jeff McQuilkin (The Oomph Music Blog), David Meyer, Matt Miner (Westword), Tom Murphy (Westword), Jim Norris (3 Kings Tavern), Ruthie Owen, Sid Pink, Danny Sax (AEG), Dutch Seyfarth (Westword/ Colorado Music Gear Swap & Trade Show), Loren Speer, Lance Stack (The Flat Response), Michael Stein (Meadowlark), Amber Taufen (Westword), Chris Thomas (Herman's Hideaway), Clifton Thompson, Kai Turner (KRFX/Strictly Blues), John Wenzel (Denver Post), JR Wolfe, David Zaharia (VooDoo).
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