As 2024 winds to a close, Northern California residents are likely still a bit shell-shocked by end-of-year events.
Fortunately, the Sonoma County music scene has rarely been more vibrant, with live music venues big and small attracting touring acts and incubating local music with pretty much something for everyone interested in any genre.
As you likely noticed, since we had a rousing turnout, the 2024 North Bay Music Awards (or NorBays) solicited your votes for favorite bands, performers and music supporters, and we have some winners!
Of course, anyone giving of themselves to put positive, creative energy into the world is automatically a winner in our book. Here are the 2024 North Bay Music Awards winners, as voted by the readers of the North Bay Bohemian, as well as some highlighted artists.
Best Blues and Best Northbay Vibe: Spike Sikes and His Awesome Hotcakes
Check out this very paper, and you’ll see several gigs by Spike Sikes and His Awesome Hotcakes any night of the week. While there’s no real way to prove the old idiom, “hardest working band in showbiz,” a quick peek at their events page makes that designation pretty hard to quibble with. A lively mix of blues, brass and soul makes Spike and his carb-loaded band not only the 2024 NorBay winner for Best Blues. They also captured the vote for Best Northbay Vibe.
Best Live DJ: DJ Fabian
A Sonoma County mainstay for over 20 years, DJ Fabian won the vote for Best Live DJ. His fun mix of different genres infused with different eras can be caught throughout Sonoma County at weekly events and weekend parties. He’s also fully mobile, so give him a holler for your next event.
Best Electronica: Eki Shola
Inspired by the devastating loss of her mother, Eki Shola decided she had to share the transformation she experienced through creating music with the masses. Self-described as “half-time electronic soul for the mind,” Shola has already caught the ear of bigger Bay Area and national radio. She also just got home from a tour of Japan, where she’s gaining popularity. For now, however, Sonoma County is home, and we’re proud to have her.
Best R&B: The Soul Section
The mighty and mighty good Soul Section has once again captured the vote for local R&B faves. The band typically performs as an 8-piece and also brandishes a killer, all-female horn section. As more and more spots for live music with space for dancing open up, the more chances you’ll get to see these cool cats and kittens at a stage near you.
Best Punk and Best Metal: BLVKOUT
Is it possible for a band to be both punk and metal? If you’ve heard local heavy hitters BLVKOUT, the answer is either “yes” or “I’m too scared to ask.” But seriously, BLVKOUT (pronounced “blackout”) seems like nice enough folks, and the 5-piece is picking up steam in and around Northern California as they take home a NorBay award for the second year in a row. Also, kudos to the band’s lead singer, Jay Williz, who blends just enough metal and punk with hip-hop to garner the NorBay for Best Hip-Hop Artist as well.
Best Female Solo Artist and Best Songwriter: Ellie James
Ellie James is no stranger to NorBay voters, as she was awarded Indie Artist of the Year in 2020. She also captured the 2023 NorBay award for Songwriter & Female Artist of the Year, a feat which she can now brag about winning in back-to-back years as your 2024 selection for both as well. Boasting a mix of genuine and danceable, indie pop and rock, James is one busy gal, hitting the stages in and around Sonoma County on the regular.
Best Radio DJ: Doug Jayne
A musical mainstay in Sonoma County, as well as a local treasure and one heckuva guy, KRCB’s midday jock, Doug Jayne, was voted Best Radio DJ. Tune in to his weekday show from 1-3pm, aptly named Midday Music, and you’ll hear an eclectic blend of new and old with a more than occasional journey into random oddities and lots of prog rock. Jayne also co-owns The Next Record Store and frequently plays guitar and sings in and around the county.
norcalpublicmedia.org/staff/doug-jayne
Best Country: Dry Creek Station
Country music has been mired in a bit of a personality conflict for the last few decades, so it’s refreshing to see readers selecting legit country locals Dry Creek Station as their favorite country band. These folks are old skool country, with fiddle, banjo and mandolin, as well as a pair of awesome vocalists, male and female. As if that wasn’t enough, their setlist manages to mix favorite country tunes while also adding some twang to pop classics and newer pop hits as well.
Best Folk: Dave Hamilton
If the name Dave Hamilton sounds familiar, you must be a fan of local music, as he’s been kicking around our fair county for well over 30 years. There’s simply not enough space in this NorBays award winner article to name all the bands, albums, shows and people he’s opened for and played alongside in that time. And he’s won more than a few NorBay awards as well. Hamilton also isn’t shy of playing live. You can find him out and about several nights of the week at a variety of venues, large, small and everywhere in-between.
Best Indie: Evening Glass
Melodic-noise isn’t quite a genre yet, but local indie sensations Evening Glass certainly fit that designation. The 4-piece honed their sound during Covid seclusion and put out Steady Motion, a 6-song EP that garnered national acclaim. The range of influences in the band is almost as varied as their ages (20s-60s), which all adds to the intriguing blend of Northern California surfer vibe chill.
eveningglass.bandcamp.com/album/steady-motion
Best Music Venue: The California
There was a time in the ’80s and ’90s when downtown Santa Rosa was a hotbed of musical activity. Lately, there’s been stops and starts. But it’s a real joy to see newer club The California take the prize for best music venue. Located on 7th Street in Santa Rosa, the venue is an intimate one and features a very Sonoma County-esque slate of performers (Americana, blues, singer-songwriter) almost every night of the week.
Best Male Solo Artist: Nate Lopez
Eight-string guitar virtuoso Nate Lopez is one of those musicians you really have to witness if you haven’t done so already. To say he “shreds” isn’t quite right, although it’s definitely true. To say his fingers are magic is impossible, but nonetheless, it’s a notion worth considering. What we’re trying to say is, your eyes and ears may not completely be on the same page when you catch Lopez playing his combo guitar/bass throughout Sonoma County. And catch him you should.
Best Americana: Foxes in the Henhouse
Sonoma County faves Foxes in the Henhouse are not only stellar musicians. Their name is also a clever play on words, as is their music. The four women in the band play “Americana classics and lost gems.” But when the songs, typically written and performed by men over the years, come out through the amazing harmonies and female driven attitudes, they take on a whole new meaning. Plus, this band is a real hoot!
Best Drag Show: Travel Daddyz ‘Witch Perfect’
The Travel Daddyz (a married couple) seem to be living their best lives as they travel the world and immerse themselves in the culture: wine, food, music, all the things that create bonds between strangers. The duo also presents themed drag shows around Sonoma County and beyond. Their take on the spooky season classic, Hocus Pocus, entitled “Witch Perfect,” is locals’ choice for best drag show of 2024.
Best Lead Vocals: Sophia Kandler
Twenty-one-year-old Sophia Kandler has some killer pipes, and she’s not afraid to use them while performing all over the North Bay. Maybe you caught her with her duo partner, Trey, when they perform as Sophie and Trey. Or, maybe you caught her out in front of local rockers 945 (who, incidentally, y’all voted as winners of the Best Rock NorBay). Wherever you’ve seen her, consider yourself lucky to say, “I saw her before,” because Kandler is a star on the rise.
