Every year, our local music scene gets a little slice of the red carpet treatment thanks to the San Diego Music Awards.
There’s nothing quite like it around these parts, and the city turns out en masse. For one annual ceremony, the city’s musicians, fans, radio and TV personalities, and pretty much everyone involved with San Diego’s musical landscape come together under the bright lights and scenic views of Humphrey’s By the Bay to celebrate their efforts over the last year.
With that being said, award season is upon us once again and the San Diego Music Foundation (SDMF) has announced its nominees for the 2015 SDMAs -- which also serves as the award show’s 25th anniversary (congratulations, guys)!
Last year, the Burning of Rome picked up a trophy hat trick (Best Live Performer, Best Alternative Album and Song of the Year) on the strength of their incredible album, “Year of the Ox,” and they’ve snagged three more nominations this year. We can’t help but be curious as to who this year’s big winner will be. Prayers maybe? The “cholo-goth” duo ended up with five nominations overall, while Slightly Stoopid garnered four, and Little Hurricane snagged three. [See our coverage of last year’s winners here.]
As with every year, the Best Of categories are decided by popular vote, while the Best Album categories are decided by the 30-member academy [Ed. note: Full disclosure, SoundDiego's own Eric Page, Daye Salani, Rosemary Bystrak, Robin Roth and Tim Pyles are members]. We’ve been told more than once that sometimes winners are literally decided by a matter of a few votes, so when people say “every vote counts,” it very much applies to the SDMAs.
So get in, vote for your faves, listen to some artists you may not have heard and join us at Humphrey’s By the Bay on Oct. 5 for the 25th annual San Diego Music Awards. Performers at this year's ceremony include Louis XIV, Big Mountain, Cody Lovaas, Berkley Hart Selis Twang, B-Side Players, Gregory Page & His Accompanists and a special performance by Lifetime Achievement Honoree Peter Sprague.
For more information and tickets, please visit the official San Diego Music Awards official website.
The 2015 San Diego Music Awards nominees are:
Best Cover Band
Beta Maxx
Cash'd Out
Detroit Underground
Electric Waste Band
Lady Dottie & the Diamonds
Rising Star
The Baja Bugs
Y3K
Best Jazz
Áfrojazziacs
Danny Green
Gilbert Castellanos
Joshua White
Krass Bros
Montalban Quintet
Nathan Hubbard
Steph Johnson
Best Singer/Songwriter
Christopher Dale
Cody Lovaas
Dave Humphries
Dawn Mitschele
Natalie Emmons
Raelee Nikole
Sierra West
Tolan Shaw
Best Blues
Bill McGee
Chet & the Committee
Euphoria Brass Band
Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact
Robin Henkel
Tomcat Courtney
Whitney Shay
Mercedes Moore Band
Best World Music
Cumbia Machin
Jet West
Patric Petrie
Stranger
B-Side Players
The Devastators
Todo Mundo
Tribal Theory
Best Americana
Action Andy & the Hi-tones
Behind the Wagon
Berkley Hart Selis Twang
Jesse LaMonaca & the Dime Novels
Nena Anderson
Sara Petite
The Midnight Pine
The Moves
Best Hip-Hop
Black Resume
The Lyrical Groove
Mr. Ridley
Odessa Kane
Orko Eloheim
Parker and the Numberman
The Gaslamp Killer
Vokab Kompany
Best Pop
Calamity
Dr. Seahorse
Gayle Skidmore
Nicky Venus
Paul Cannon Band
The Lulls
The Rosalyns
The Silent Comedy
Best Alternative
Flaggs
Grizzly Business
Octagrape
Prayers
Shake Before Us
The Bassics
The Burning of Rome
Wild Wild Wets
Best Rock
Amerikan Bear
The Routine
Barbarian
Blackout Party
Neighbors To The North
The Donkeys
The Farmers
The Nervous Wreckords
Best Hard Rock
Author & Punisher
Cattle Decapitation
Deep Sea Thunder Beast
Head Wound City
Retox
Roni Lee
Schizophonics
Wovenwar
Best Club DJ
Adam Salter
DJ Artistic
DJ Claire
DJ Kurch
DJ Scooter
DJ Slowhand
Gabe Vega
Mike Czech
Best Pop Album
Gregory Page - “One Way Journey Home”
Hills Like Elephants - “Tell Tales”
Josh Damigo - “I Will Be There”
Kimm Rogers - “Where The Pavement Grows”
Michael Inzunza - “Michael & Marie”
Normandie Wilson - “Is Tired of Being Nice”
Steven Ybarra - “What I Really Want to Say”
Tolan Shaw - “Chin Up”
Best Rock Album
Bangladesh - “Certain Illusions”
Barbarian - “Night Blooms”
Cult Vegas - “By Any Means”
Diamond Lakes - “Modern Horrors”
Neighbors to the North - “All Southern View”
The Loons - “Inside Out Your Mind”
The Soaks - s/t
Weatherbox - “Flies in All Directions”
Best Alternative Album
Hideout - “Rookie”
Sledding With Tigers - “Come on and Slam”
Soft Lions - “Spellbreaker” EP
The New Regime - “Exhibit B”
The Palace Ballroom - s/t
Triumph of the Wild - “We Come With the Dust”
Weatherbox - “Flies in All Directions”
Wild Wild Wets - “14th Floor”
Best Hard Rock Album
Author and Punisher - “Melk en Honing”
Death Eyes - “Death Eyes”
Desert Suns - s/t
Gletscher - “Die Einöde”
Griever - “Our Love is Different”
Joy - “Under the Spell of Joy”
The Long and Short of It - “Burl”
Wovenwar - s/t
Best Hip-Hop Album
1019 and J. Treel - “Treel Tales of Number Running”
Dre Cat - “What’s a Dre Cat?”
Buhay Cali – “Blessings”
Dre Trev & 18Sense - “CALiens”
Generik & Audible Junkie - “Organic Anti-D.O.T.E.”
Kaus and DJ Inform - “Welcome to the World Of…”
Left in Company - “Artifacts”
The Lyrical Groove - “Spoken Soul: Music for Life”
Best Blues Album
Black Market III - “Vanarchy Live”
Bayou Brothers - “High Roller Zydeco”
Jocko Marcellino - “Make It Simple”
Melly Frances & the Distilled Spirit - “The Album”
Missy Andersen - “In The Moment”
Reverend Stickman - “More Than Blues”
The Shifty Eyed Dogs - s/t
Sure Fire Soul Ensemble - s/t
Best Jazz Album
Archie Thompson & the Archtones Allstars - “Jazz Vespers, Vol. 1”
Charles McPherson - “The Journey”
Danny Green Trio - “After the Calm”
Juice Box - s/t
Miss Erika Davies - “In Love With Someone”
Peter Sprague & Leonard Patton - “Dream Walkin’”
Sue Palmer - “Bricktop”
Wayne Riker - “Ten Shades of Green”
Best Americana Album
Berkley Hart - “Fleur de Lis”
Joel Rafael - “Baladista”
Alaina Blair - “Love it or Leave It”
John Meeks - “Que Viva” EP
Nancarrow - “Simple Things”
The Tree Ring - “Ten Rivers”
The Western Collective - “Hearts and Dreams”
Three Chord Justice - “One Four Five Best”
World Music Album
B-Side Players - “Dos Generaciones”
Big Mountain - “Perfect Summer”
Dornob - “Segah”
E.N. Young - “Live Love Stay Up”
Gonzo - “Red”
Marujah - “Gringolandia”
Quel Bordel - “Caravan Treasures”
Revival - “Guidance”
Best Live Band
Dead Feather Moon
Flaggs
Little Hurricane
Retox
Schizophonics
Shady Francos
The Burning of Rome
The Creepy Creeps
Best Local Recording
Astra Kelly - “Back to Ten”
Le Chateau - s/t
Cleopatra Degher - “Pacific”
Mystery Cave - “Natural Mind”
G Burns Jug Band - “The Southern Pacific & The Santa Fe”
Little White Teeth - “Songs the Attic Sings”
Rob Bondurant - “Hurricane”
L.A. Edwards - “Secrets We'll Never Know”
Album of the Year
B-Side Players - “Dos Generaciones”
Berkley Hart Selis Twang - “BHST”
Danny Green Trio - “After The Calm”
Gregory Page - “One Way Journey Home”
Jack Tempchin - “Room to Run”
Prayers - “Young Gods” EP
Slightly Stoopid - “Meanwhile...Back at the Lab”
Tristan Prettyman - “Back to Home”
Song of the Year
9 Theory - “At Home in the Dark”
Blackout Party - “Float On Towards Our Doom”
Jon Foreman - “Caroline”
Little Hurricane - “Heart Skips a Beat”
P.O.D. - “This Goes Out To You”
Prayers - “Young Gods”
Slightly Stoopid - “The Prophet”
Wavves - “Leave”
Best Music Video by a San Diego Band
Berkley Hart - “My Name is Sam”
The Burning Of Rome - “Better Than He”
Dare to Be Dreamers - “Still Young”
Hideout - “Where You've Been”
Hills Like Elephants - “Misquote”
Jon Foreman - “Caroline”
Prayers - “Young Gods”
Slightly Stoopid - “The Prophet”
Best New Artist
Birdy Bardot
KI
Le Chateau
Saint Shameless
Shady Francos
Taurus Authority
The Bassics
Ypsitucky
Artist of the Year
Karl Denson
Little Hurricane
Prayers
Steve Poltz
Slightly Stoopid
Switchfoot
Tribal Seeds
Unwritten Law
