2019 Music Awards

The nominees are out!

We asked club owners, booking agents and journalists – anyone with expertise in our local music scene – to nominate their favorite musicians for the Motif Music Awards. We reached over 60 of them. The results of their efforts are here and now we turn it over to you, our readers, to make your voices heard. Vote for your favorite nominee or write in your favorite unofficial nominee before Sunday, March 17.

Vote here

Attend the 2019 Award Show on Monday, March 25 (chosen as the day of the week musicians are most likely to have off. But also, come on, where else can you party like a rock star on a Monday night?) at Pawtucket’s The MET.

And of course, pick up the latest edition of Motif Magazine wherever you usually find us! Can you name the guy on the cover?

AMERICANA
BEST ACT
Alec K. Redfern and the Eyesores
Brian Cabral
Cactus Attack
Consuelo’s Revenge
Dan Lilley and the Keepers
The Horse Eyed Men
The Low Cards

MALE SINGER / SONGWRITER
Dan Blakeslee
John Faraone
Josh Schurman
Ken Bryant
Nate Cozzolino
Steve K Carmody
Will Houlihan

FEMALE SINGER / SONGWRITER
Allysen Callery
Amanda Salemi
Jodie Treloar Sampson
Kate Mick
Meaghan Casey
Tammy Laforest

FEMALE VOCALIST
Allysen Callery
Heidi Nirk (Heidi Nirk Band)
Jess Powers (Cowboy and Lady)
Meaghan Casey
MorganEve Swain (The Huntress and Holder of Hands)
Tish Adams
Tracie Potochnik
(Cardboard Ox)

MALE VOCALIST
Anthony Loffredo
(Barn Burning)
Brian Cabral
Mark Milloff
(Cannibal Ramblers)
Nate Cozzolino (Nate Cozzolino and the Lost Arts)
Steve Delmonico (The Quahogs)
Will Houlihan
(Haunt the House)

BLUEGRASS BAND
Bill Thibodeau Band
Four Bridges
Hollow Turtle
Lizzy James
& the Greystone Rail
Seagrass
Ten Rod Ramblers
The Barley Hoppers

BREAKTHROUGH ACT
Geo Trio
Meaghan Casey
Morgan Johnston
My Mother
Trevor Hall & Will Evans
You & Everything

COUNTRY ACT
Back Rhodes
Barn Burning
Charlie Marie
Geo Trio
Joann Svedsen
RI Rednecks
Western Stars

BLUES ACT
Heidi Nirk Band
Kim Trusty Band
Neal and the Vipers
Superchief Trio
The Low Cards
The Silks
Wolfie & the Jam Daddies

CHORAL ACT
Alley Cats
Chorus of Westerly
Providence Gay Men’s Chorus
Providence Singers
Sine Nomine

FOLK ACT
The Horse Eyed Men
Ken Bryant
Mark Cutler and
Men of Great Courage
Mighty Good Boys
O.B. Howard
Quahogs
The Swamp Birds

JAZZ ACT
Baba Yaga
Doug Woolverton
Greg Abate
Joe Potenza Trio
Larry Brown
Swinglane Orchestra
Leland Baker Quartet
Take It to the Bridge

R&B ACT
Boo City
Kickin Brass Band
Mac Odom Band
Steve Smith and the Nakeds
The Autocrats
World Premier Band
WORLD MUSIC
Atwater Donnelly
Chachi Carvalho & the
International Players
Pourmen
Sidy Maiiga
The Gnomes

STREET BAND / MARCHING BAND
Big Nazo
Extraordinary Rendition Band
The Scruffy Aristocrats
What Cheer? Brigade

BEST OPEN MIC
Greenwich Hotel
Java Madness Acoustic
Song Circle
Madcap Mondays
Pub on Park Acoustic Mic
Tuesday @ the Parlour (PVD)
Two Hundo
@ the Parlor Newport
Wednesday @ The News Café

BEST ALBUM
“Far From Here” (Chris Capaldi)
“Light Upon” (John Faraone)
“One Drunken Kiss”
(Neal and the Vipers)
“Scared Fearless”
(Daphne Lee Martin)
“TeleDynes” (The TeleDynes)

BEST LOCALLY PRODUCED FESTIVAL
Barrington Folk & Fiddle Fest
Downtown Rising (Pawtucket)
Providence Folk Festival
Rhode Island Blues Fest
Rhythm & Roots Festival
Warren Folks Festival

ROCK
BEST ACT
Beta Motel
The Bucks Band
Jets Can’t Land
Mad Passenger
Nova One
Tall Teenagers
Zoink Zulag + the
Galactic Shag

BEST LIVE ACT
Blackletter
Hope Anchor
The Silks
The Viennagram
We Own Land
Z-Boys

REGGAE ACT
Hope Road (Bob Marley Tribute)
The Natural Element Band
Professor Roots
The Ravers
Roots Government Band

SKA BAND
The Agents
The Copacetics
Rival Roots
Sweet Babylon
They Were Robots

JAM BAND
The Cosmic Factory
Daddy Long Legs
Jabbawaukee
Little Compton Band
Northeast Traffic
Slurp

GARAGE BAND
Atlantic Thrills
Eric and the Nothing
The Hangovers
Harvey Garbage and the Flowers
Ravi Shavi
The Really Heavy
Sugar Cones

NOISE BAND
Double Dragon
Dropdead
Gyna Bootleg
Moisturizer
Sweetpea Pumpkin

GOTH / POST PUNK ACT
Blackletter
Boors
Darklands
Hope Anchor
Way Out

POP PUNK ACT
The Blasphemaddicts
The Callouts
The Essays
Minky Starshine
Shore City
Ten Cents Short

PUNK ACT
Freakbag
Holy Hands
Joy Boys
Pyramid
Song Birds
The McGunks
Whore Paint

HARDCORE / METAL ACT
Gaskill
Hairspray Queen
Reason to Fight
Rhode Kill
We Own Land
Wreak

MATH ROCK / PROG ROCK
14 Foot 1
Baylies Band
Coma Coma
The David Tessier All-Star Stars
People Eating Plastic

FEMALE VOCALIST
Erin Wright
(Karma Rocket)
Gabriela Rassi (silverteeth)
Jocie Adams (Arc Iris)
Laura Dowding
(Laura Dowding)
Missa Hills (The Callouts)
Tai Awolaju (Boo City)

MALE VOCALIST
Ian Rosenholm
(Tickle Tickle)
Jeff Robbins
(123 Astronaut)
Joe Touchette III
(Zero Holds)
Josh Brown (Josh Brown Music)
Paul Everett (Gladhouse)
Rafay Rashid (Ravi Shavi)

BREAKTHROUGH ACT
123 Astronaut
Benji’s
Bochek
Joy Boys
Lookers
Song Birds
The Bucks Band

BEST ALBUM RELEASE
“Blackout Deluxe”
(Ravi Shavi)
“Cassetting Son”
(Greg Lato)
“Give Up” (The Callouts)
“Life, Love & Loss” (Jay
Berndt & The Orphans)
“No One Is My Name (Gladhouse)
“The Frighteners” (Seven Hats Parade)
“The God King Gerald Ford” (Mighty Good Boys)
“Wonderland” (Deadlands)

TRIBUTE BAND
Dirty Deeds (AC/DC)
Green Sabbath
(Black Sabbath)
Hey Nineteen (Steely Dan)
Holy Diver (Dio)
Violin River
(Grateful Dead)
Whole Lotta Heart (Heart)

COVER BAND
Atlantic Ave Band
The David Tessier
All-Star Stars
Sugar Band
Sybil Disobedience
Tanya McIntyre &
the Professors
The Wheelin’ Dealers

WEDDING BAND
Party Girl
Brass Attack
The Free Downloads
The Keytar Bear
What Matters

HOUSE BAND / JAM
The Apex Players at Larry’s Lounge
Cady’s Tavern Sunday Blues Jam
Empire Revue Band
Knickerbocker
House Band
Nick-A-Nee’s House Band
Ten Rocks Jazz Jam

KARAOKE NIGHT
Friday @ The Parlour PVD
Karaoke Tuesday
@ Alchemy
TGIF @ JW’s Pub, Coventry
Trivioke @ The Boombox
WRIK Wednesday
@ Skyline
GOTH NIGHT
Gay Goth Nite @ Alchemy
Goth Dance Party at the
White Rabbit @ Thee Red Fez
Nokturnal @ Dusk
Phantasm @ Alchemy
Providence Emo Night
@ FMH

BEST FESTIVAL
Downtown Rising
Dusk 4th of July Fest
Foo Fest
PVDFest
Scurvy Dog Parking Lot Mega Show
Warren Folks Festival

FAVORITE SOUND PERSON
Dan Baldwin
Graham Mellor
Gregory Rourke
Justin Foster
Kris Hansen
Mike Arruda

LOCALLY BASED NATIONAL ACT
Daughters
Deer Tick
Duke Robillard
Epic Beard Men
The Low Anthem
Paper Cut
Roomful of Blues
Sarah Potenza

ELECTRONIC
HIP-HOP ACT
Chachi Carvalho
Dee Gomes
Doc Westchesterson
King OSF
Nino
Spocka Summa
Toad and the Stooligans

BREAKTHROUGH HIP-HOP ACT
$wifty
Hate Street Dialogue
Israel Wusu
JeanLou
Jesse the Tree

BEST EDM
DJ Don Dada
DJ Joey Electric
DJ Leucistic
DJ Venom
Michael Savant
Transcendence

BEST CLUB DJ
DJ Psycho Eddie
DJ Screwloose
DJ Superdope
John Got’em
Pauly Danger
Siskavitch
Westminster Yacht Club

BEST DANCE NIGHT
The Champagne Room
@ The Salon Desirenegade @ The Scurvy Dog
Phantasm @ Alchemy
Soul Power @ Dusk
Tight Crew
Vintage Rhythm and Blues Ensemble
@ Pub on Park
WattzBeatz @ The Salon

MUSIC VIDEO
“Do Your Thang”
(Scout Lyons)
“The Friction” (123 Astronaut)
“Night Life” (Hello, Atlantic)
“Trap Song” (Toad and
the Stooligans)
“Victims” (Mass of Man)
“your girl” (Nova One)

PHOTO / PHOTOGRAPHY,
Beth Packer
Eric Johnson
James Lastowski
Janet Moscarello
Lisa Gourley
Richard McCaffrey
Rick Farrell
Small Frye

Special Impact Award
Rudy Cheeks

Critic’s picks will also be presented this year!