Our annual NorBay Music Awards online readers’ ballot received its biggest turnout ever, and this year’s winners include a lot of new faces among the North Bay’s favorite bands, venues, promoters, DJs and more. The 2018 NorBay Music Award winners are:
Americana
Sean Carscadden Sonoma songwriter (pictured) effortlessly blends funk and blues into his electric and eclectic sound.
www.seancmusic.com.
Acoustic
Bloomfield Bluegrass Band While the band is only a year old, its members have been active in the Northern California bluegrass scene for decades. facebook.com/BloomfieldBB.
Blues
The Dylan Black Project Soulful band remains a fixture at community concerts and gets the crowds moving. thedylanblackproject.com.
Country
Third Rail Sonoma County outfit plays a hearty mix of contemporary country staples with splashes of R&B and classic rock. thirdrailband.com.
Electronica
Eki Shola Soloist dazzles North Bay audiences with her worldly influenced synthesizer melodies and jazzy vocal harmonies. ekishola.com.
Folk
Fly by Train Penngrove’s folky five-piece band can ride the rails with the best of them with a self-described railroad-roots sound. flybytrain.com.
Hip-Hop
Pure Powers Independent Santa Rosa rapper continues to impress with his new LP, Year of the Peacock. purepowersmusic.com.
Indie
Justin Schaefers & the Blind Barbers With a frontman who just enrolled at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, this outfit’s future is bright. blindbarbers.com.
Jazz
Acrosonics Catch this swinging band playing weekly on Wednesday nights at Sonoma Speakeasy.
Metal
Immortallica North Bay Metallica tribute act rips with a searing intensity. facebook.com/ImmortallicA707.
Punk
One Armed Joey Petaluma trio continues to build a following with melodic pop-punk songs full of infectious fun. facebook.com/onearmedjoey.
R&B
Stax City Big band led by saxophonist Cliff Conway blasts out a Memphis-inspired sound with a high-energy delivery. staxcity.net.
Reggae
Sol Horizon Seven-piece band is renowned for both their energetic live shows and powerful lyrical themes. solhorizon.com.
Rock
Two Lions Band Geyserville guitarist and vocalist Mitchel Slade leads the four-piece, displaying a wide range of rock music. twolionsband.com.
Singer-Songwriter
Dave Hamilton Veteran songwriter is a folk and Americana master. davehamiltonfolkamericana.com.
Live DJ
DJ Cal Sonoma DJ is a favorite of the North Bay nightlife and spins a dance party mix of EDM and hip-hop. deejaycal.com.
Radio DJ
Brian Griffith (KRCB) Start your mornings with music from Griffith’s weekday show airing 9am to noon on KRCB 91.1-FM. radio.krcb.org.
Venue
Sonoma Speakeasy Intimate music hall offers live music six nights a week just off the Sonoma Plaza. sonomaspeakeasymusic.com.
Open Mic
Tuesday Open Mic at Brew The coffee and beer house’s weekly open mic is inviting and often surprising. brewcoffeeandbeer.com.
Promoter
Jake Ward The North Bay Cabaret’s master of ceremonies is everything that’s awesome about the region’s music and arts scene. facebook.com/jakewardpresents.
Music Festival
Railroad Square Music Festival Outdoor event in the heart of Santa Rosa is summertime must for music lovers. railroadsquaremusicfestival.com.
