Danny Green Quartet
Orko Eloheim The San Diego Music Awards are always a music-lovin', cocktail-sippin', divin'-into-the-chairs good time, and perhaps the best part involves arguing about the nominees—which artists were nominated and which ones should've been nominated. Well, it's that time of year again: The San Diego Music Foundation unveiled its epic list last night, which you can read below.
While nominees include the usual characters (once again, Slightly Stoopid and Switchfoot were both nominated for Artist of the Year), it also includes well-deserving yet not-as-well-known artists like local rap veteran Orko Eloheim (for Best Hip Hop), whom CityBeat featured in this year's Local Music Issue. As usual, some artists don't necessarily fit the categories they've been put in (Rafter in Best Rock? I guess so), though it's worth noting that Drew Andrews, bless his heart, didn't get dropped into the Best Electronic category again. As for the piratical shantymen of The Dread Crew of Oddwood, well, they were nominated for Best World Music Album for their new record, Heavy Mahogany. But they could just as well have fit into a whole new category. Historical Reenactments Rock, maybe?
The public vote for artists in non-album categories begins on Monday, June 25, and runs through Thursday, July 26. (An esteemed panel of local music experts, including yours truly, will vote on album categories.) To participate, head to the SDMA website. The recipient of the annual Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced on Sunday, July 8. The awards ceremony goes down at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay on Monday, Aug. 13; get tickets here.
2012 San Diego Music Awards nominees
Best Tribute Band
Beta Maxx
Cash'd Out
Detroit Underground
The PettyBreakers
Rising Star
Rockola
Stepping Feet
Thunder Road
Best Jazz
Erika Davies
Gilbert Castellanos
Ian Tordella
Mattson 2
Rob Thorsen
Steph Johnson
Peter Sprague
The Trunks
Best Acoustic
Robert Bondurant
Colin Clyne
Gayle Skidmore
Jeffrey Joe Morin
Josh Damigo
Lee Coulter
Tom Griesgraber
Vanja James
Best Blues
Billy Watson
Black Market III
Lady Dottie & the Diamonds
Len Rainey & the Midnight Players
Low Volts
Mercedes Moore Band
Robin Henkel
Tomcat Courtney
Best World Music
B-Side Players
Bad Neighborz
Cumbia Machin
Patric Petrie
Spilt Finger
Stranger
Todo Mundo
Zimbeat
Best Americana or Country
Bill Cardinal and The Canyon Band
Billy Joe & the Roosters
Folding Mr. Lincoln
Nancarrow
Nena Anderson
Sara Petite
The Farmers
The Tree Ring
Best Hip Hop
Blame One
Black Mikey
El Gun Legro
El Gun Legro
Odessa Kane
Orko Eloheim
Parker & The Numberman
theBREAX
Vokab Kompany
Best Pop
321 Stereo
AJ Croce
Hills Like Elephant
Kevin Martin
Maren Parusel
The Silent Comedy
Chris Carpenter
James Morris
Best Alternative
Chairs Missing
Cuckoo Chaos
New Mexico
Republic of Letters
The Burning of Rome
The Heavy Guilt
Little Hurricane
Dead Feather Moon
Best Rock
Black Hondo
Grand Tarantula
Hocus
Rafter
The Donkeys
The Kabbs
The Nervous Wreckords
Transfer
Best Hard Rock
Fates Demise
Griever
Lord Howler
Retox
Revenge Death Ball
Ruines Ov Abaddon
Archons
The Long and the Short of It
Best Club
DJAdam Salter
Artistic
Chris Cutz
Fresh One
Gabe Vega
Junior the Disco Punk
Mike Czech
DJ Jason Foss
Best Electronic
Beat Panther
Dudes
Hyena
Illuminauts
Inspired Flight
Jamuel Saxon
Mystery Cave
Room E
Best New Artist
Bunny Gang
Hills Like Elephants
Mrs Magician
The Black Sands
Tropical Popsicle
The Lonesome Georges
Wild Wild Wets
Ko Ko
Artist of the Year
Crocodiles
Gilbert Castellanos
Little Hurricane
Sara Watkins
Slightly Stoopid
Switchfoot
The Silent Comedy
Unwritten Law
Song of the Year
Angels & Airwaves - "Surrender"
Delta Spirit - "California"
Jason Mraz - "I Won't Give Up"
Blink-182 - "After Midnight"
Crocodiles - "Sunday (Psychic Conversation #9)"
Low Volts – "Blame it on the Break Up"
P.O.D. - "Surrender"
Switchfoot - "Afterlife"
Best Pop Album
Kevin Martin - Throwback Pop
Maren Parusel - Tightrope Walker
Mrs. Magician - Strange Heaven
Neon Cough - Dracula's Mixtape
Seaholm Macintosh - Monarchs
Scott Mathiason – Lost Along the Way
TV Girl - The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle
Wendy Bailey - String Theory
Best Rock Album
The Beautiful View - Life Is Beautiful
Italian Japanese - Two Islands
A Scribe Amidst The Lions - The Lidless Kind
Astra - The Black Chord
Coda Reactor - Parasite
Death on Mars - These Feelings
Taz Taylor Band - Straight Up
The Black Sands - 1977
Best Alternative Album
Crocodiles - Endless Flowers
The New Kinetics - Contact
Cuckoo Chaos - Woman
The Bloody Hollies - Yours Until The Bitter End
Hills Like Elephants - Endless Charade
Children of Nova - Impossible Landscape
Dead Feather Moon - Dark Sun
Wavves - Life Sux
Best Hard Rock Album
As I Lay Dying - Decas
Cage - Supremacy of Steel
Carnifex - Until I feel Nothing
Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity
Deep Sea Thunder Beast - self-titled
Griever - Inferior
Retox - Ugly Animals
Heretic - Blue Fires Away
Best Hip Hop Album
Autopsy - 21 Bodies
Black Mikey - Premeditated Music
Bully Blinders - Moon Under Eyelids
Don Diego - All Red Everythang
Left Handed Scientists - Kill Your Present Future
Parker & The Numberman - Clockwork Slang
theBREAX - I Never Arrive
Dubble-O-Beez & Young Sau – Monkey Beezness
Best Blues Album
Candye Kane - Sister Vagabond
Nathan James & the Rhythm Scratchers - What You Make of It
Stoney B Blues Band - Sho Nuff Blues
The Fremonts - Live at the Woodpit
145th Street - Where the Blues Lie
Hugh Gaskins & the G String Daddies - Workin’ at the Booby Trap
Best Jazz Album
Gregory Page - Shine Shine Shine
Ian Tordella - Tragic Comedy
Leonard Patton - Expressions
Montalban Quintet – self-titled
Nena Anderson - Beyond The Lights
Kevyn Lettau – Drawn to You
Mike Woffard & Holly Hofmann Quartet - Turn Signal
Teagan Taylor - Wonderland
Best Americana or Country Album
Eve Selis - Family Tree
Blaze / Eisner - American Spirit
Jesse LaMonaca & the Dime Novels - The Lament of the Tumbleweed Hawk
John Meeks and Joanie Mendenhall - From My Grave
Nena Anderson - Beyond The Lights
Roy Rapid and the Rhythm Rock Trio - One Last Chance
The Howls - Rocky Ground
Euphoria Brass Band - Coast to Coast
Best World Music Album
The Amalgamated - Boss Universal
Omar Lopez - Profundo Amor
Stick Figure - Burial Ground
Stranger - World Underground
The Devastators - Lights of Tomorrow
The Dread Crew of Oddwood - Heavy Mahogany
Reef Bound Sol - Under the Sun
Sunny Rude - Rudimentary
Best Local Recording
Beaters - Fishage
Nicey Nicey World - self-titled
Stephen Rey and The Slicks - Old Fashioned Future
The Styletones - self-titled
The Comeuppance – self-titled
Wayne Riker - Guitar Decathlon
The Lovebirds - Nutsy Pants
Blackout Party - Closed Mouth Don’t Get Fed
Album of the Year
Gregory Page - Shine Shine Shine
blink-182 - Neighborhoods
Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity
Crocodiles - Endless Flowers
Delta Spirit - self-titled
Jason Mraz - Love is a Four Letter Word
Steve Poltz - Noineen Noiny Noin
Rob Crow - He Thinks He’s People
