Cover Story
The San Antonio Music Awards 2015 Winners List
Welcome to the 2015 San Antonio Music Awards, the San Antonio Current’s annual voter-driven review of SA’s music scene. Over 23,000 votes were cast this year, determining the finest musicians and venues that the city has to offer. With a quick cross-examination of the 2014 issue, there’s a good number of returning champions (with a…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: Elora & Gasoline Alley
Most Underrated Artist 2nd Place: Sire FNS | 3rd Place: PeanutGallery As in past years, this award is something of a paradox. Elora Valdez and the members of her Gasoline Alley band are at the top of the polls for each of their instruments (vocalist, guitarist, bassist and drummer), but still represent on the underrated…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: Grupo Texas Heat
Best Tejano/Conjunto Band 2nd Place: Son Latino Show Band | 3rd Place: Ricky Valenz In 2014, Grupo Texas Heat took home some serious hardware, winning Best Tejano and a slew of instrumentalist awards. A year later, in addition to repeat wins in the aforementioned categories, the band’s crossover country project The Ranch Road Band pulled…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: FEA
Best Punk Band 2nd Place: Kill Liberal | 3rd Place: Haunter This town loves it some Girl in a Coma. And why not? The all-girl, alt-rock trio has made us proud, climbing into the national spotlight on the strength of their songwriting and sheer moxie. Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Nina Diaz is one of…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: Richie Branson
Best Hip-Hop Artist 2nd Place: Peanut Gallary | 3rd Place: Reek Savage Thankfully, it’s been a long creative route for rapper Richie Branson. Emerging in 2011 with “Jersey Shore Fist Pump” — we’ll let you guess the hook — Branson has since rebranded as a nerdcore rapper. Though the new stuff is more niche, it’s…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: Aliens WITH Halos
Best Electronic Artist/Band 2nd Place: Femina-X | 3rd Place: SubCulture Collective As a part of SA’s Dreamland Collective, an organization dedicated to all mediums of the arts, and produced by accomplished maestro Bryan Hamilton, Aliens WITH Halos is from realms unknown. In AWH’s single “The Source” there’s a touch of stark minimalism, otherworldly synths and…
San Antonio Music Awards Critic’s Pick: Alyson Alonzo
For those who consistently attend local music events, San Anto soul crooner Alyson Alonzo has been one of the most mesmerizing vocalists and pure musical talents in town. Her voice, which draws comparisons to Joni Mitchell, Billie Holliday and Amy Winehouse, is as gravelly as it is sweet, as voluminous as it is intimate and…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: KRTU Live and Local (Jeannette Muniz)
Best Local Radio Show 2nd Place: Street Dreamz Radio | 3rd Place: Friday’s Fresh Air with John Morgan (KRTU) Since taking over KRTU’s Live and Local program in 2013, Jeannette Muniz has transformed the show, turning it into a Thursday night preview of the weekend to come. From 10 p.m. until midnight, Muniz welcomes touring…
San Antonio Music Awards Critic’s Pick: COMPUTER JESUS REFRIGERATOR
There’s a certain suspension of sensibility necessary when encountering KOKOFREAKBEAN, be it his recordings as COMPUTER JESUS REFRIGERATOR, the animations he’s produced for Adult Swim or Funny or Die, or even his emails. For example, when asked what’s the one thing people should know about CJR, he responded as such: “The COMPUTER JESUS REFRIGERATOR is…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: Imagine Books & Records
Best DIY Venue 2nd Place: Riff House | 3rd Place: K23 Gallery Independent bookstores are often places that foster growth in local art communities. Since its opening in October 2011, SA’s Imagine Books and Records has — through countless readings, exhibitions and book release parties — played this role exceedingly well. But that’s not all…
San Antonio Music Awards Critic’s Pick: Ellis Redon
Speaking with him in the bowels of Paper Tiger, Ellis Redon is one of those wiry, strong-featured dudes who manages to be both nervous and confident in conversation. With the material on his debut record Into the Jungle, Redon should veer toward self-assurance. Released in March, his Casio effort is disarmingly simple, with keyboard textures…
San Antonio Music Awards Critic’s Pick: P2THEGOLDMA$K
With his prolific presence on YouTube, Far Westsider P2THEGOLDMA$K is gaining attention from the right crowds in hip-hop, with support from Top Shelf Shows and features from TeamSESH. But if you ran into him somewhere in his jurisdiction on Marbach Road, you’d be none the wiser. In the tradition of MF Doom and early Ghostface…
San Antonio Music Awards Critic’s Pick: Ritual Art Gallery
To reach Ritual Art Gallery (514 El Paso St.), drive past the Pik Nik, the bail bondsmen in the old fire station, the Magistrate and the unfortunate souls in its grasp, past the mural of Edward Snowden as a candy-caned Where’s Waldo and the shuttered DIY spot Café Revolucion (RIP). Wait! If you hit the…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: Alvaro del Norte
Best Accordionist 2nd Place: Bobby Garcia (Grupo Texas Heat) | 3rd Place: Flaco Jiménez Even within the vaulted San Antonio tradition of Flaco Jiménez and Esteban “Steve” Jordan, it’s doubtful any accordionist has wielded the instrument with as much electric fury as Piñata Protest frontman Alvaro del Norte. Like most kids, del Norte rejected his…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: ‘Hotel Lobby’ (Michael J. & The Foxes)
Best Song 2nd Place: “The Source” (Aliens WITH Halos) | 3rd Place: “Broken Promises” (A1 Pusha) At the helm of his country side project Michael J. & The Foxes, Deer Vibes frontman Michael Carrillo takes an intimate approach on “Hotel Lobby,” allowing his musicianship and storytelling to shine. “You’re the victim of your own yearning/in…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: Desert Sons (Lonely Horse)
Best Album 2nd Place: The Door into Summer (Gary Davenport) | 3rd Place: Sunsets & Pickups (Ty Dillon & The Wilde Fire) Unfortunately, with Nick Long and Travis Hild shuttering Lonely Horse at the end of the year, their debut record will also serve as a final statement. But, if you need an album to…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: ‘Strong’ (Kae Hache)
Best Video 2nd Place: “Back to San Antone” (Felix Truvere & The Open Road Band) | 3rd Place: “Find Me” (Twigutta) “Money my only concern” raps a confident Kae Hache in “Strong,” a testament to being a badass who’s on her way to the top (and the bank). In the high-energy video, Hache gets down…
San Antonio Music Awards 2015: PeanutGallery
Best New Band 2nd Place: Doral Club | 3rd Place: Creciendo Fuerte Combining boom-bap traditionalism with the wordy hooks of Childish Gambino; Acid Rap beats with Anthony Kiedis cadences; Future’s auto-tune textures with — I think you get the picture. Since their first show in April, SA hip-pop trio PeanutGallery has gathered all its influences…
