HPMA Nomination Time: Vote by Tomorrow, or It’s Your Fault, Dammit

Yeah, yeah — I realized I’m way, way behind on this one; that’s just how the past month or so’s been, unfortunately. But hey, in case you, like me, are swamped and distracted and whatever else, consider this your wakeup call/reminder: the deadline to throw your ballot in the box for nominations for this year’s Houston Press Music Awards is 5PM tomorrow, Friday, October 14th.

So, get off your ass and on your, um, keyboard, and head on over to http://polls.houstonpress.com/polls/hou/musicawards2011/ to give your favorite H-town bands, musicians, scenesters, and God-knows-what-else the big thumbs-up so they can live to fight in the arena for another year. You’ve got the power, yo — if you don’t nominate your pals/heroes/etc., well, they may not make it on the ballot or play at the showcase. It’ll be on your head. (How’s that for guilt?)

Oh, and speaking of the showcase, the date’s apparently been set for the 2011 Music Awards Showcase, too — it’ll be on Saturday, November 12th, with a slew of bands for only a measly $10. The venues all look to be over on the east side of Downtown — Warehouse Live, House of Blues, Lucky’s, & Ben’s Beans are the ones they’ve got listed so far. More info to come, I’m sure…

Now, just in case you’re totally stumped and don’t know who the hell to nominate, well, we’ve got a few suggestions, ’cause we’re helpful like that. Here’re a few ideas from yours truly and fellow SCR contributor Jason Smith; your mileage may vary, and if we leave anybody out, well, um, sorry? There’re a lot of deserving folks to pick from, so many that I had a really damn hard time picking one in particular for most of these categories. So just take all of the below as ideas, ‘kay?

JEREMY H.:

4. Best LP/CD/EP
Something Fierce, Don’t Be So Cruel
football, etc., The Draft
The Mathletes, Excalibur
Roky Moon & BOLT!, American Honey
Finnegan, What Happened To Jacqueline?
Jealous Creatures, Little Heaven Big Sky
Sideshow Tramps, Revelator
Folk Family Revival, Unfolding
Robert Ellis, Photographs
The Tontons, Golden EP
Two Star Symphony, Titus Andronicus
The Manichean, Sakura
The Literary Greats, Black Blizzard
Scale The Summit, The Collective
The Energy, Get Split

5. Best Mixtape
What’s a mixtape?

6. Best Song
Folk Family Revival, “Unfolding”
Finnegan, “B-Team Squad Leader”
Roky Moon & BOLT!, “When the World Was Changed”
football, etc., “Safety”
Scale The Summit, “Whales”
The Julys, “Declan”
Robert Ellis, “What’s In It For Me?”
Rivers, “Spirit Child”

7. Local Musician of the Year
Robert Ellis
Roky Moon
Fat Tony
Tyagaraja
B L A C K I E

8. Best New Act
Jealous Creatures
Art Institute
Day Sailor
Harts of Oak
Young Girls
Bang Bangz
Oax
Peloton
AThousandColours
The Ghost of Cliff Burton
Rivers
The Illegal Wiretaps
The Dead Rabbits
A Sundae Drive
Machinotaur
Square and Compass
The Paperwaits
Second Lovers

9. Best Male Vocals
Roky Moon
Tyagaraja
Evan Lecker (Holy Fiction)
Robert Ellis
Cory Sinclair (The Manichean)

10. Best Female Vocals
Sara Van Buskirk
Asli Omar
Sarah Hirsch (Jealous Creatures)
Paige Lewis
Lindsay Minton (football, etc.)
Zahira Gutierrez (The Wild Moccasins)

11. Best Songwriter
Joe Mathlete(!)
Robert Ellis
Roky Moon
Tyagaraja
Brandon Elam (The Literary Greats)
Taylor Lee (Finnegan/The Literary Greats)
Cory Sinclair & Justice Tirapelli-Jamail (The Manichean)

12. Best Rock
the last place you look
Roky Moon & BOLT!
American Fangs
Tax the Wolf
Adelaine
The Lotus Effect

13. Best Indie/Alternative
football, etc.
The Tontons
Finnegan
Featherface
Holy Fiction
The Wild Moccasins
Tyagaraja
Co-Pilot
The Manichean
Young Girls
Alkari

14. Best Punk/Garage
Something Fierce
Muhammad Ali
Black Congress
Weird Party
Art Institute
The Mahas
Born Liars

15. Best Metal
Omotai
Cavernous
Ghost Town Electric
Scale The Summit
Venomous Maximus
Hell City Kings

16. Best Experimental/Noise
Balaclavas
Indian Jewelry
Giant Battle Monster

17. Best Electronic Act
Day of the Woman
LIMB

18. Best Solo Rapper
Fat Tony
B L A C K I E
Perseph One
Nosaprise
Kyle Hubbard

19. Best Rap Group
The Niceguys
H.I.S.D.

20. Best Rap DJ

21. Best Club DJ/DJ Night

22. Best Pop Artist

23. Best Latin

24. Best Reggae/Ska/Dub
The Suspects (never die!)
Los Skarnales

25. Best Jazz
Kris Becker

26. Best Blues
Grandfather Child
Little Joe Washington

27. Best Soul/Funk/R&B

28. Best Zydeco

29. Best Country
Folk Family Revival
Buxton
Robert Ellis
Miss Leslie

30. Best Folk
listenlisten
Sara Van Buskirk
Paige Lewis

31. Best Americana
Bright Men of Learning
The Literary Greats
Ragged Hearts

32. Best Cover/Tribute Act
Dann Halen

33. Best Guitarist
Chris Rehm (Caddywhompus)
Chris Letchford & Travis LeVrier (Scale The Summit)
Richard Sherwood (the last place you look)
Aaron Echegaray (Roky Moon & BOLT!)
Benjamin Wesley
Jason Willis (Buxton)

34. Best Bassist
Brian Harrison (Balaclavas)
Brandon Lemons (Co-Pilot)
Melissa Lonchambon (Omotai)
Jason Smith (Alkari)
Chris Wise (Buxton)

35. Best Drummer
Anthony Vallejo (Omotai)
Sean Hart (Caddywhompus)
Charlie Patranella (Balaclavas)

36. Best Keyboards

37. Best Miscellaneous Instrument
Two Star Symphony

38. Best Producer
Dan Workman

39. Best Radio Personality
Ian Wells/Kirston Otis (KTRU)
Jeffrey Thames (KPFT)

40. Best Radio Station
Fuck it: KTRU 4 Life, y’all.

41. Best Radio Program
Sound Awake (KPFT)

42. Best Record Store
Cactus Music

43. Best Local Label
ZenHill Records
Cutthroat Records
HomeSkool Rekordz
Mia Kat Empire
Drifting Falling

44. Best Live Music Venue
Fitzgerald’s
Warehouse Live
The Mink
Walter’s (pour one out)

45. Best Instrument/Equipment Store

46. Best Scenester
Marc Brubaker

JASON S.:

4. Best LP/CD/EP
Featherface – It Comes Electric
The Manichean – Sakura
Roky Moon & Bolt – American Honey
Pale – In The Time Of Dangerous Men

5. Best Mixtape
H-Town Mixtape – Spacecityrock.com

6. Best Song
Featherface – A Youthful Offense
The Manichean – Icarus
Roky Moon & Bolt – American Honey

7. Local Musician of the Year
Robert Ellis
Tyagaraja
Roky Moon
Asli Omar

8. Best New Act
The Dead Revolt
Featherface

9. Best Male Vocals
George Baba – The Dead Revolt
Cory Sinclair – The Manichean
Blake – Electric Attitude
Roky Moon
Robert Ellis
Calvin Stanley – Pale

10. Best Female Vocals
Asli Omar
Winter Wallace

11. Best Songwriter
Kenny and Steve – Featherface
Cory and Justice – The Manichean
Robert Ellis

12. Best Rock
The Dead Revolt
Tyagaraja
Roky Moon and Bolt
American Fangs
Another Run

13. Best Indie/Alternative
Featherface
Alkari
The Tontons
Winter Wallace
The Manichean

14. Best Punk/Garage
Caddywhompus
Something Fierce
Black Congress
Art Institute

15. Best Metal
American Fangs
Ghost Town Electric

16. Best Experimental/Noise
The Manichean

17. Best Electronic Act
LIMB

18. Best Solo Rapper
Perseph 1

19. Best Rap Group
HISD

20. Best Rap DJ

21. Best Club DJ/DJ Night

22. Best Pop Artist

23. Best Latin

24. Best Reggae/Ska/Dub

25. Best Jazz

26. Best Blues
Grandfather Child

27. Best Soul/Funk/R&B
Electric Attitude
Ozeal
The Funky JA’s

28. Best Zydeco

29. Best Country
Robert Ellis
Mantis
Folk Family Revival

30. Best Folk
listenlisten

31. Best Americana
The Literary Greats
listenlisten

32. Best Cover/Tribute Act
Picture Book
Beetle
Alyson Chains

33. Best Guitarist
George Baba – The Deead Revolt
Mike Beatty – Alkari
Justice Jamail – The Manichean
Chris Sacco – Dune.tx

34. Best Bassist
????

35. Best Drummer
Dylan Golvich – The Dead Revolt
Marc Badillo – Alkari

36. Best Keyboards
Meghan from Tyagaraja

37. Best Miscellaneous Instrument
Geoff who plays the saw wins this just about every year…

38. Best Producer
Dan Workman for all he does

39. Best Radio Personality
Jeffrey Thames – KPFT

40. Best Radio Station
KPFT

41. Best Radio Program
Soundawake
Gunter The Band Hunter

42. Best Record Store
Cactus is all that’s left…

43. Best Local Label
Zen Hill

44. Best Live Music Venue
Fitzgerald’s
Warehouse Live
House of Blues
Hate to be all corporate here, but it’s bleak right now…

45. Best Instrument/Equipment Store
I go to Guitar Center, but I buy online…

46. Best Scenester
Probably Levi Johnston knows the most people in the scene.