BEST
BAND
Clampitt’s
album has been out for a while but has obviously stuck
in listeners’ hearts and minds. The Moseley Brown
is so new the Beat hasn’t heard it yet. Waddle’s
Piece by Piece, released in early September, shows the
singer-songwriter at a transitional period—it
is his finest effort to date.
BEST
MALE VOCALIST
Good to see
that the voters were able to see past Moseley’s
guitar wizardry enough to recognize his singing abilities.
BEST
FEMALE VOCALIST
Bradshaw
is the current lead singer for Black Eyed Blonde.
BEST
GUITARIST
A nice mix
of acoustic (Dread Clampitt’s Ogle), electric
(BEB’s Gettinger), and young genius (Moseley).
BEST
KEYBOARDIST
Wixted-Hogue’s
style is deeply rooted in her New Orleans past, while
Jones—who would certainly have been named Best
Kalimba Player had we thought to include it—and
Sundal are two of the most versatile players around.
BEST
BASSIST
There’s
the Moseley Brown contingent again, represented by Packer’s
strong finish. No surprise to find Dread Clampitt’s
Oliverio and BEB’s Collins in the running.
BEST
DRUMMER
Cobena plays
with the Loco Locals among others and records inventive
instrumental albums as “Cliff Boulder.”
Morgan is the drummer for the Moseley Brown Band, and
Peet bashes the skins for Black Eyed Blonde.
BEST
HORN PLAYER
All are saxophonists,
and all are extraordinary. This was the closest category
by far, with Ike Bartley, Randy Sherwood and Michael
J. Thomas—also sax guys—nearly making the
cut.
BEST
DANCE BAND
The last
two didn’t strike the Beat as your typical “dance
bands,” but hey, whatever gets your toes to tappin’…
Hubba Hubba would have certainly qualified for Best
Party Band had we thought to include that category.
BEST
ALTERNATIVE BAND
The Fudpucker's
house band’s repeated calls to their MySpace following
helped seal the deal for Black Eyed Blonde. The Beat
has yet to profile Dog Spankin’ Monkeys in these
pages, although Roving Rogue Bill Campbell mentioned
them in his column several issues back. Newfangled Theory
are a relatively new outfit anchored by lead singer
Derek Givans and young fiddle virtuoso Matt Miller (who
also picked up several nods in the Best Guitarist category—we’ll
remember to include a fiddle category next time).
BEST
SINGER-SONGWRITER
Lew has written
many fine songs that embody the Emerald Coast, some
of which can be heard on the recent Loco Locals CD It
Is What It Is. Moseley’s fan base apparently came
through for the guitar hero based on the strength of
his band’s new album, which the Beat has not heard
yet. Waddle’s appearance in the top three is a
no-brainer.
BEST
CLUB DJ
Doc Roc and
Sudario are known to local club-goers, while nationally
touring Brian B makes the occasional appearance around
these parts. All three can be tracked down at www.myspace.com.
BEST
"HOMEGROWN" CD
HALL
OF FAME
Individual
votes for Jones and Company’s Cheryl Jones and
Al Alvarado were included with the band’s total.
Bardwell is hailed as “The Godfather” of
many south Walton County bands, while Collins—frontman
for Black Eyed Blonde and radio personality on MIX 103—has
gone out of his way to promote other local musicians.
