Ed. Note: This afternoon, moments before posting this piece, the news broke: Dallas Observer Music Editor Pete Freedman is stepping down after four years on the job. Fitting, then, that we look back at how the DO’s music awards have been doled out during Freedman’s tenure.
This was much more rhythmic and repetitive than I had even anticipated, but I don’t necessarily mean that in as damning a way as one might think. For instance, do we necessarily expect anyone else besides Good Records to win the award for “Best Record Store?” On the contrary, some of the winners do change at a healthy rate from year-to-year, especially in regard to the “best” hip hop, R&B, and DJ categories. Then there’s the tricky “don’t blame me” aspect of the nomination process. After all, they send the blank primary slip out to 122 people involved in North Texas Music, myself included. Admittedly, I did not fill one out. Don’t blame me.
People often point their fingers at Mr. Freedman. But it’s a general election and as influential as he may be, he’s no Scalia. But then again, if he has zero impact on the results, then what exactly is he posting about all year?
What do these awards ultimately tell us about Dallas music? Perhaps a professional statistician could sum that up in about thirty seconds. I have spent a brief part of today trying to make sense of it, continually readjusting my glasses like a concerned member of NASA in a Hollywood disaster film.
The most concerning part of the patterns presented below, is where these awards will go in the next three or four years. How long can we bear to be this redundant? For better or worse, if we’re to use this as a true gauge of local tastes, then one conclusion that can be drawn is that Dallas audiences will consistently support something, regardless of what’s going on trend-wise or even culturally outside of the city. A friend from Chicago recently bragged that the best thing about his chosen home was that the kind of tacky and rude sort of local music personality he took for granted in Dallas wouldn’t last a day in The Windy City.
On one hand, there’s a certain beauty to that blind yet focused support for certain artists and sounds that lasts long enough to constitute an era. And it does give the city its own character. But on the other hand if, heaven forbid, I were to have a child right now, the thought of that kid being twenty-years-old and watching Datahowler play in a Deep Ellum parking lot in 2031 is a tad bit depressing. It wasn’t what I wanted when I was hanging out in said neighborhood as a youngster, and I see no reason to accept it now. So, even though I strongly prefer looking forward, here’s an informative look back at the winners since 2008. Read it aloud, don’t squint, and tell me what you see.
Best Band/Group –
2008: Eleven Hundred Springs
2009: Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights
2010: RTB2
2011: Seryn
Best Solo Act –
2008: Sarah Jaffe
2009: Sarah Jaffe
2010: Sarah Jaffe
2011: Sarah Jaffe
Best Album –
2008: Country Jam by Eleven Hundred Springs
2009: Someday This Could All Be Yours, Vol. 1 by The Paper Chase
2010: Suburban Nature by Sarah Jaffe
2011: This is Where We Are by Seryn
Best Blues Act –
2008: Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights
2009: Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights
2010: RTB2
2011: The Red 100’s
Best Country Act –
2008: Eleven Hundred Springs
2009: The King Bucks
2010: Boys Named Sue
2011: Eleven Hundred Springs
Best Alt-Country/Roots Act –
2008: N/A
2009: N/A
2010: Whiskey Folk Ramblers
2011: Whiskey Folk Ramblers
Best Electronic Act (Originally combined with “Experimental.” Later a separate category called “Electronica,” then “Electronica/Dance” ) –
2008: Mom
2009: Vega
2010: Ishi
2011: Ishi
Best Experimental Act (First Combined with Electronic. Eventually combined with “Avant Garde”) –
2008: (see above)
2009: Shiny Around the Edges
2010: Mount Righteous
2011: Diamond Age
Best Metal Act –
2008: Fair to Midland
2009: Jacknife
2010: Fair to Midland
2011: Warbeast
Best Folk/Acoustic Act –
2008: Sarah Jaffe
2009: Sarah Jaffe
2010: Sarah Jaffe
2011: Sarah Jaffe
Best Funk/R&B Act –
2008: Erykah Badu
2009: Backside Pick
2010: Fergus & Geronimo
2011: Ducado Vega
Best Rap/Hip-Hop Act –
2008: Astronautalis
2009: Damaged Goods
2010: Dem Southernfolkz
2011: The Mohicans
Best Jazz Act –
2008: Snarky Puppy
2009: Snarky Puppy
2010: Snarky Puppy
2011: Paul Slavens
Best Female Vocalist –
2008: Sarah Jaffe
2009: Sarah Jaffe
2010: Sarah Jaffe
2011: Sarah Jaffe
Best Label –
2008: Good Records
2009: Kirtland Records
2010: Kirtland Records
2011: Spune
Best Producer –
2008: Salim Nourallah
2009: Salim Nourallah
2010: Salim Nourallah
2011: Salim Nourallah
Best Venue –
2008: Granada Theater
2009: Granada Theater
2010: Granada Theater
2011: House of Blues
Best Record Store –
2008: Good Records
2009: Good Records
2010: Good Records
2011: Good Records
Best Booking Agent/Talent Buyer –
2008: Kris Youmans
2009: Granada Theater
2010: Granada Theater
2011: Granada Theater
Best Music Advocate –
2008: Chelsea Callahan
2009: Chelsea Callahan
2010: Chelsea Callahan
2011: Mark Schectman
Best DJ –
2008: DJ Burlap (of Eleven Hundred Springs)
2009: Yeahdef
2010: Merritt
2011: Wanz Dover
Best Instrumentalist –
2008: Sean Kirkpatrick
2009: Chris Holt
2010: Ryan Thomas Becker
2011: Chris Semmelbeck
Best Cover/Tribute Act –
2008: Boys Named Sue
2009: Hard Night’s Day
2010: Boys Named Sue
2011: The Gorehounds
Best Male Vocalist –
2008: Matt Hillyer of Eleven Hundred Springs
2009: Jonathan Tyler
2010: Jonathan Tyler
2011: Trenton Wheeler of Seryn
Best Indie Act –
2008: Dove Hunter
2009: The Paper Chase
2010: Midlake
2011: Burning Hotels
Best Hard Rock Act –
2008: The Backsliders
2009: Toadies
2010: The Backsliders
2011: The House Harkonnen
Best Song –
2008: “Slow Southern Home” – Doug Burr
2009: “What Should We With the Body? (The Lightning)” – The Paper Chase
2010: “Clementine” – Sarah Jaffe
2011: “We Will All Be Changed” – Seryn (Also Nominated in 2010)
Best New Act –
2008: Whiskey Folk Ramblers & Tejas Brothers (tie)
2009: The O’s
2010: Ishi
2011: Datahowler
Best Radio Show/Podcast:
2008: N/A
2009: 90.1 at Night
2010: The Local Edge
2011: The Local Edge
Best Latin/Tejano Act:
2008: N/A
2009: The Tejas Brothers
2010: Mad Mexicans
2011: Mariachi Queztal
Best Punk Act:
2008: N/A
2009: Spector 45
2010: Spector 45
2011: Mind Spiders
Best Blog:
2008: N/A
2009: N/A
2010: Gorilla vs Bear
2011: Gorilla vs Bear
The It List:
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth/White Drugs/Final Club/Bearbare (Hailey’s): Had to stop myself from using the word “roaring” in this When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth description, because that’s just too easy, and well, nauseating. But it makes perfect sense. This group has been on a long-standing mission in Austin’s crowded scene, to poke, provoke, and annoy through a blend of high-pitched vocal antics and noticeably heavy riff-work. All which sets them apart from the more cooperative artists with which they share scene-space. They also have released work and been involved with Monofonous Press, which describes itself as an “Austin-based record label and multimedia organization.” Indeed, I had a chance to briefly visit their facilities on a recent visit, and was impressed at the seemingly round-the-clock work of the screen-printing chores coupled with a gigantic room of stock. Monofonous is no bedroom-operation, as is the vogue in this century. Solid locals round out this tough bill.
Peopleodian/Spooky Folk/Shiny Around the Edges/Botany (Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios): Botany is yet another off-shoot from the Mom (see above)/Sleep Whale family (by way of drummer Spencer Stephenson) and I must say, he really impressed the crowd in his opening slot for Panda Bear last month. He produced a fairly enveloping mix of guitar effect fog with a consistent drum machine beat that had everyone saying either how much they preferred him to the opening act, or assuming he was another big national on tour with that other well-known drummer on the bill. The Storm Thorgerson-like visuals from Sleep Whale’s Bruce Blay didn’t hurt his cause either.
And of course, I should mention that this is a release show for Peopleodian’s anticipated new EP “It Woke to the Moon.” We’ll have more on that very soon, but for now, download a track from the release by going here.
