Local music to be featured at San Diego Music Awards

Photo from 'rexboggs5' via Flickr

The San Diego Music Awards are finally here. The event takes place tomorrow at Viejas Concerts in the Park. Many local artists as well as several established artists will be performing, including Players Inc ( featuring members of Slightly Stoopid), Scarlet Symphony, Get Back Loretta, and many more.

Local bands have been selected as part of 27 categories including Best Cover or Tribute Band, Best Blues, Best Rock, Best Pop Album, Best Local Recording, Best New Artist, and the always popular Album and Song of the Year. Who made this years cut?

Voting is closed, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the results. Because many of the bands are relatively unknown, the Entertainer has put together some information that you can use to get better acquainted with some of the nominees.

Tape Deck Mountain is one of the nominees for Best Alternative Band. This group originally released their debut album, EP Sparks, on cassette tapes. Their band members include Paul Remund, Jordan Clark, and Travis Trevisan. A few of their influences are No Age, Beach Boys, The Microphones, and Sonic Youth. They have a full-length album called Ghost that has been released this past year. A few of their songs are It Goes Down, A Cool Thing, and In the Dirt.

As far back as the Best Rock Band category goes, The Night Marchers were one of the nominees. They were formed in 2007 by John Reis, Gar Wood, Tommy Kitsos and Jason Kourkounis. Their debut album, See You in Magic, was released last year by Vagrant Records. Each member has been in previous bands before The Night Dabbers was formed. Compared to the other groups they were in, The Night Marchers seems to have more of a varied sound to their music. A couple songs you might be interested in listening to are Who’s Lady are You and Scene Report.

A Hip Hop group that has been nominated is The Concrete Project. This group is a mix of soul, funk, and a little bit of rock and roll. They were formed in 2007 by Caleb Cruz, Tory T, Eddie Barnachea, Jen MAnglicmot, Shean Borja, and Cody Branin.  What is different about this band is that they perform with live instruments rather than the traditional devices used for hip hop. A couple songs to listen to are Feel Good Music and Future Box Part 1.

If you love music, this event is for you.  With several great new local bands out there, we are sure you will have a great time. Tickets are still available and range from $25 – $75.

If you are interested in seeing other artists who will be at the San Diego Music Awards, check out www.sandiegomusicawards.com.