If you are like most UCSD students — that is, from somewhere other than America’s Finest City — your knowledge of San Diego music is pretty much limited to Blink-182 and Jewel. Never mind that Blink comes from that distant, red-headed stepchild of a suburb: Poway. And never mind that the Coffee House Queen is an Alaskan masquerading as a SoCaler.
Our local music scene has much more to it than that. Pick up a copy of Slamm or the San Diego Reader, available on campus, and dive into the myriad musical events and CD reviews. There’s plenty of homegrown talent around, in all musical genres — and yes, many are purveyors of poppy punk or are soulful singer-songwriters.
The best of the varied and dizzyingly talented pool of music acts in San Diego are honored every year at the aptly named San Diego Music Awards.
This year’s ceremony is Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Humphrey’s by the Bay. Its performers include The Incredible Moses Leroy, whose obnoxiously upbeat “”Fuzzy”” swamped alternative radio last spring, as well as Convoy, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, NovaMenco, Switchfoot and Soulcracker.
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Humphrey’s box office if you’d prefer to avoid the service charge.
Local music fans can get involved with the awards before the show date, though. Voting for many of the top honors is now underway at http://www.sandiegomusicawards.com. Anyone with a few spare minutes can shape San Diego music history.
To steal a line from better-known awards shows, “”And the nominees are…””
FOR PUBLIC VOTING:
Best Bar Band
80s All Stars
Liquid Blue
Pink Froyd
Private Domain
Rockola
Siers Brothers
Best Mainstream Jazz
Charles McPherson
Chris Klich Quartet
Dave Patrone
Gilbert Castellanos
Peter Sprague
Tim Maglione
Best Pop-Jazz
Fattburger
Hollis Gentry
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Reggie Smith and Pressed for Time
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress
Spaceman Spiff
Best Latin Jazz
Agua Dulce
B-Side Players
Jack Costanzo
Jaime Valle & Equinox
Kokopelli Latin Jazz Ensemble
Orchestra Primo
Best Big Band
Benny Holman Orchestra
Big Daddy Orchestra
Big Time Operator
Ira B. Liss Big Band
Ray Barrie Big Band
San Diego Youth Jazz Band
Best Acoustic
Anya Marina
Berkley Hart
Gregory Page
Joe Rathburn
Lisa Sanders
Steve Poltz
Best Blues
Bill Magee
Candye Kane
Len Rainey & the Midnight Players
Michele Lundeen
Robin Henkel
Scottie Blinn & the Tiki Torchers
Best World Music
Common Sense
Crucial
Earth Ride
NovaMenco
Psydecar
The Revelations
Best Roots, Rockabilly or Swing
Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs
Billy Midnight
Cowboy Nation
Hot Rod Lincoln
The Paladins
Scotch Greens
Best Dance or Funk
Clyde’s Ride
d*fRost
Fat Beat Squad
Honey Bucket
Mix Mob
Wise Monkey Orchestra
Best R & B, Hip Hop or Rap
Downlow
Father & Son
Icons
MainFlow
Roundtable MC’s
Tony da Skitzo & Mr. Brady
Best Country
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash
The Dorados
Frank Sullivan and Texas Sky
Hill Country
Honkytonk Kings
Nickel Creek
Best Adult Alternative
34 Below
Eve Selis
The Good China
The Hatchet Brothers
Jolly Lamas
Swerve
Best Pop
Dave Howard
Incredible Moses Leroy
The Shambles
Switchfoot
Teacher’s Pet
Vertibird
Best Rock
Convoy
Powerthud
Soulcracker
Sprung Monkey
Ten Pound Brown
The Dragons
Best Hard Rock or Metal
Cage
Ghoulspoon
Life Hates Me
Mower
Stretcher
Teabag
Best Alternative
a.m. Vibe
Black Heart Procession
GoGoGo Airheart
Jack’s Broken Heart
The Album Leaf
Tristeza
Best Punk
Agent 51
The Classified
Dogwood
Furious IV
The Locust
Lucky 7
Best Electronic
DJ Jon Bishop
DJ Greyboy
Nortec Collective
Rotator
Scooter & Lavelle
Square Circle
ACADEMY-ONLY VOTING
Artist of the Year
Billy Bacon (The Forbidden Pigs)
Jimmy Lavelle (Tristeza/The Album Leaf)
John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt)
Jon Forman (Switchfoot)
Karl Denson (Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe)
Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession)
Ron Fountenberry (Incredible Moses Leroy)
Song of the Year
Blink-182 — The Rock Show
Convoy — Caught Up In You
Incredible Moses Leroy — Fuzzy
FenixTX — Threesome
Nickel Creek — Reasons Why
POD — Alive
Sprung Monkey — What’s That You Say
Album of the Year
Blink-182 — “”Take Off Your Pants And Jacket””
Convoy — “”Black Licorice””
Incredible Moses Leroy — “”Electric Pocket Radio””
Karl Denson — “”Dance Lesson #2″”
Nickel Creek — “”Nickel Creek””
Sprung Monkey — “”Get A Taste””
Switchfoot — “”Learning to Breathe””
Best Pop Album
Dani Carroll — self titled
Cheryl Bliss — Angels Running After
Incredible Moses Leroy — Electric Pocket Radio
Scorch — Pop with a Twist
Switchfoot — Learning to Breathe
The Joey Bowen Band — In This World
The Shambles — What You’re Missing
Best Adult Alternative Album
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash — Walk Alone
Chris Torres Band — Signs of Hope
Comanche Moon — Old Dogs
Gregory Page — And I Look Up
Jeff Clark — Nashville, CA
The Hatchet Brothers — Tools of the Trade
The Paladins — Palvoline No. 7
Best Rock Album
Convoy — Black Licorice
Government Grown — New Pieces of Clay
Mike Keneally & Beer for Dolphins — Dancing
Rocket From The Crypt — Group Sounds
Rochelle, Rochelle — self-titled
Sprung Monkey — Get A Taste
Soulcracker — At Last For You
Best Hard Rock or Metal Album
Acid Nine — Mess With The Bull
Brothers From Another Planet — Resistance Is Futile
G-13 — Just Another Day
Life Hates Me — Imperfections
Mindsize — Gravity
Mower — Mower
Stretcher — Annomundi
Best Alternative Album
Black Heart Procession — 3
Buckfast Superbee — You Know How The Song Goes
Jack’s Broken Heart — Against Forgetting
Counterfit — From Finish to Starting Line
The And / Ors — Will Self Destruct
The Album Leaf — One Day I’ll Be On Time
Tristeza — Dream Signals in Full Circles
Best Punk Album
Agent 51 — Just Keep Running
A Little Punk, Slightly Drunk — San Diego 2001 (compilation)
Blink-182 — Take Your Pants Off and Jacket
FenixTX — Lechuza
One Track Mind — Can I Have Your Number?
Spazboy — Alright Tokyo
The Locust — Flight of the Wounded Locust
Best Dance or Funk Album
Cult of Soul — Walkin’ My Planet
d.fRost — Digital Dustbowl
Fat Beat Squad — Delicious
Honey Bucket — Boombox Hero
Psydecar — On a Wing
Wise Monkey Orchestra — They Live
Square Circle — Say Hello to Square Circle
Best Rap or Hip Hop Album
Downlow — Vegetables for your Noodle
Icons — Capture The Flag
Kastle Vania — Str8 From the Dungeon
Mission Infinite — WordSoundPower
Mr L’il On — Tha 13th Skorn
Rekless — self titled
Best Jazz Album
Agent 22 — First Witness
Holly Hofmann — Live at Birdland
Jack Costanzo — Back From Havana
Karl Denson — Dance Lesson #2
Mike Woffard — Time Cafe
Robert Walter’s 20th Congress — Money Shot
Spaceman Spiff — The Love EP
Best Blues Album
Billy Watson — Little Snick meets Junior Mint
Blue Largo — What A Day
Buddy Blue — Pretend It’s Okay
Hoodoo Blues — Running for the Light
Martha’s Kitchen — Women Trouble
Sue Palmer & Her Motel Swing Orchestra — Soundtrack to a B Movie
The Blues Invaders — The Invasion begins
Best Local Recording
Chuck Perrin — Swallow Life
Earth Ride — Tree of Life
F.O.N. — Cease & Desist
Jeff Clark — Nashville, CA
Lizzy Wann — A Wing and a Prayer
Slightly Stoopid — Live & Direct Acoustic Roots
Via Satellite — Wake Up Heavy
ACADEMY
Best New Artist
The Deere Johns
Jason Mraz
Rochelle Rochelle
Square Circle
Lovelight Shine
The And / Ors
Via Satellite
Group of the Year
Black Heart Procession
Blink-182
Convoy
Nickel Creek
P.O.D
Rocket From The Crypt
Sprung Monkey
