2016 Motif Music Award Nominees — Vote! VOTE NOW VIEW THE FACEBOOK INVITE (To the Awards Show on May 3 at the Met, 1005 Main St. Pawtucket) People often ask – here’s how the nominations are arrived at: We contact the booking agents at over 85 local venue that host live music. That’s every place we can find – but if you’re a live music venue that wasn’t contacted, please let us know. Many places are quick to respond by email – if they’re not, we also contact them on facebook, call them, and go to their locations to try to get their suggestions. We also send the nominating ballots to all the local music radio stations, to the local music labels, and to all our music writers (17 of them). Each nomination counts once. We add them up, and the most votes in each category are nominated. Here’s the tricky part – we get a number of nominations for the same band or performer in different categories or multiple categories (for example, americana and alt). We have a last-minute meeting with our senior writers in each category (a group of four) to review categories and make sure we have everyone in the right places. We may even ask nominees which category they belong in. If there are any ties, we break them at this point too. Then everything is proofed – for spelling and also, again, for categories and geography, first by our proofing team, then by our editor and then our publisher. We work very hard to get this right. We’re not saying we don’t make mistakes – there seems to be one every year – but we certainly do everything we can to keep them to a minimum. That’s the nomination process – the last part is then up to you – everybody votes (restricted to one vote per person). So chose wisely, its your civic duty. Vote! Here is a complete list of all nominees: [AMERICANA] BEST ACT Cactus Attack Consuelo’s Revenge Frankie Ranks and the Freeloaders Jay Berndt & The Orphans The Horse-Eyed Men Smith&Weeden SINGER / SONGWRITER Esmeree Skye Joanne Lurgio John Faraone Keith Munslow Mike Laureanno Nate Cozzolino Steve Volkmann FEMALE VOCALIST Amanda Salemi (Consuelo’s Revenge) Aubrey Atwater (Atwater-Donnelly) Jenn Lombari Jess Powers (Cowboy & Lady) Joanne Lurgio Kala Farnham MALE VOCALIST Brian McKenzie Dylan Sevey (Dylan Sevey & The Gentlemen) Elwood Donnelly (Atwater-Donnelly) Mark Cutler (Mark Cutler and Men of Great Courage) Steve Delmonico (The Quahogs) Steve Allain (Cardboard Ox) BLUEGRASS BAND Ten Rod Ramblers Blackstone Valley Bluegrass lizzie james and the grey stone rail Hope Valley Volunteers Local Freight Four Bridges BREAKTHROUGH ACT Back Rhodes Cardboard Ox Cowboy and Lady The Fates Great Gale BLUES ACT Big Cat Blues Cannibal Ramblers Johnny Watson Neal And The Vipers Roomful of Blues Tim Taylor Blues Band CHORAL ACT Assembly of Light Choir Chorus of Westerly North Kingstown Community Chorus Prism of Praise Community Gospel Choir Providence Singers Schubert-Lorelei Sängerchor FOLK ACT Allysen Callery Atwater-Donnelly Beth Killian Haunt the House The Vox Hunters Warbler Roost JAZZ / R&B ACT (1 more?) Brass Attack Cote Percussion Jazz Quartet Dick Lupino Band Greg Abate John Allmark Jazz Orchestra Miss Wensday & The Cotillions WORLD MUSIC Bohemian Quartet Eastern Medicine Singers The Gnomes Occidental Gypsy Pendragon Tom Lanigan Band BEST OPEN MIC Java Madness The Knickerbocker Cafe The Parlour Pub On Park The Spot Underground Wood River Inn ALBUM Dylan Sevey & The Gentlemen – “New Mischief” Joanne Lurgio – “Rise from the Storm” Consuelo’s Revenge – “Mercy” Flav Martin – “Indestructible” Mike Laureanno – “Road Signs” Torn Shorts – “Be My Mechanic” [ALTERNATIVE] BEST ACT bloodpheasant Jetty Last Good Tooth Math the Band the Band Roz and the Rice Cakes The Silks Twin Foxes BEST LIVE ACT bloodpheasant Cactus Attack Jetty Math the Band Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys Tall Teenagers The Viennagram REGGAE / SKA The Copacetics The Mintones Natural Element Band Professor Roots TRUTH in SOUL JAM BAND The Cosmic Factory Daddie Long Legs Green Tea Band Most Dangerous Men Alive Viral Sound GARAGE BAND Atlantic Thrills Eric & the Nothing NEUTRINOS Pyramid The Really Heavy Tall Teenagers POP PUNK ACT Anyone Anyway Morals The October Accord Sayings Trophy Wives War Games PUNK ACT The Down And Outs Downtown Boys Fucking Invincible GYMSHORTS Less Than A Felony Neutral Nation The Worried HARDCORE / METAL ACT Bad Marriage Black Acid Prophecy Churchburn Elder Reason To Fight Superlimit FEMALE VOCALIST Alyson Hell (Reign of the Last) Reba Mitchell (Whore Paint) Roz Raskin (Roz and the Rice Cakes) Sarah Greenwell (GYMSHORTS) Shannon Le Corre (bloodpheasant) Tammy Laforest (The Dust Ruffles) Tracy Garrity (VulGarrity) MALE VOCALIST Dave “Arsen” Laros (Blackletter) Derek Knox (WAY OUT) Kris Hansen (Viking Jesus) Sasquatch (Sasquatch and The Sick-A-Billys) Tony Jones (Tony Jones & The Cretin 3) Tyler-James Kelly (The Silks) BREAKTHROUGH ACT Blackletter Cat Has Claws Eric & the Nothing Jets Can’t Land Public Alley Tall Teenagers Arc Iris ALBUM Atlantic Thrills – “Vices” Dolan – “Kill the Wolf” Blackletter – “Station 15” Le Roxy Pro – “Le Roxy Pro” Math The Band – “Math the Band the Band – The Album” TRIBUTE BAND Black No. 1 (Type O Negative) Dirty Deeds (AC/DC) Hey Nineteen (Steely Dan) Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News) Playing Dead (Grateful Dead) Forever Young (Neil Young) COVER BAND Biscuit City The Mark Ray Band Sugar Sybil Disobedience Tanya McIntyre & The Professors HIP HOP ACT Dolan Big Rush Chachi and the International Players Sage Francis Spocka Summa Symmetry / Mike Slap BEST EDM DJ Blevin Blectum DJ Siren DJ Zydrate Jackie Treehorn Jeff LeClair Michael Savant BEST CLUB DJ DJ Lefty DJ Nook DJ Pauly Danger DJ Psycho Eddie Music Please Ty Jesso BEST DANCE NIGHT Foundation Mondays at the Parlour SinisteR Fetish Night at The Dark Lady Soul Power at Dusk The Sweatshop at The Salon Mike D’s Top 10 Can’t Miss Tracks of March 1. Angry Angles “Things Are Moving” In 2010, the world lost too soon the super talented musician Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Reatard. At 18 years old Jay released as The Reatards his first album, Teenage Hate, a memphis garage rock album that at first blast outshined his experienced peers. Jay had energy and talent that seemed limitless. In 11 years he had 9 projects, a solo career and was touring constantly. Angry Angles was formed in 2005 with Jay and then girlfriend Alix Brown. Jay intended to make this band his priority, but their relationship ended before they finished the album. Now a decade later, Goner Records is releasing what exists and what’s left and unreleased this May. This is the teaser and it’s vintage Jay Reatard. 2. DMA’s “Too Soon” The Australian heirs to the Oasis throne are back in my top 10 with their first full length Hills End. Their previous 2015 release, a self titled ep, had my favorite song of the year, “Your Low.” This track doesn’t have the bite that “Your Low” had, but it does show their range. This is more of a straight ahead ’90s brit bop banger. I can’t wait to see this band live, and I have a feeling that their profile is going to grow exponentially this year. (DMA’s play Great Scott in Allston, Massachusetts on 3.29) 3. Savages “The Answer” I am new to the Savages bandwagon. This song is a tour de force that is as personal and sonic as a punch in the face. I love songs that make you want to hit replay right afterward as if once and twice isn’t enough. This is that for me out of this batch. “The Answer” is off the band’s new album Adore Life out now on Matador Records. I hope their live shows are as chaotic as this music video. (Savages play The Paradise in Boston on 4.1) 4. Animal Collective “Golden Gal” It feels like forever ago since Animal Collective played the old beloved The Living Room in Providence. Here is the single off their 10th studio album, Painting With. It’s a great mix of psychedelic dance with a twinge of strange, but not so much that it seems out of place. It’s reminiscent of psychedelic pop cross-over act Super Furry Animals. And with the “Golden Girls” sample to start the song, its nice to reminisce about one of them golden gals while listening along. 5. Kanye West “Facts (Charlie Heat Version) Love him (I mostly do) or hate him (I sometimes do), Kanye West is one of the most talented artists of his time. When he is on point, he is unstoppable. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a hip-hop album masterpiece. But not only is he an artist, he’s also a provocateur. His desire to share with you his music comes with an overwhelming desire to share with you his often strange and sometimes out of wack views of life and circumstance. His new album, The Life Of Pablo, which currently isn’t for sale or available and may or may not ever be, is full of Kanye’s ranting and anger. Too much. I feel like his anger is distracting him from his talent. This track “Facts” is a good example of Kanye’s battle with everything and everyone. Here he goes at Michael Jordan, Drake and Future, Phil Knight and Nike shoe and boasts about selling emojis. While the rest of the album his anger feels lost, at least this track seems to be close to focused. 6. Macklemore And Lewis “Light Tunnels (featuring Mike Slap)” Vintage clothing song pioneers Macklemore and Lewis are back with the follow-up record from the Grammy winning album The Heist.