Reader ballots for the 2009 Dallas Observer Music Awards are out on newsstands, and the instances of impromptu trashketball should be slightly fewer than last year: The list of nominees has increased from five to seven in some categories this time around.
This can be attributed to a major change in the nomination-seeking. The nominators -- plucked from a pool of producers, musicians, bloggers and journos considered authorities on DFW music-makin' and analyzin' by the paper -- could suggest up to five artists under each subhead, instead of having to pick their one pet fav to nominate. We could say a lot about the artists we're rooting for, like Yeahdef for Best DJ, Mi Son Mi Son Mi Son for Best Latin/Tejano Act, and Sabra Laval for Best Female Vocalist, all new to the nominee list this year.
Denton artists made a solid showing on the nom list, as they have in the past. Those artists' grassroots supporters play a large role in linking music to often tricky niches in bills and in fan bases. So we feel particularly compelled at this moment to share a couple names we missed in the Best Music Advocate category, from our northern view.
It's a shame the folks behind MyDentonMusic.com didn't make the category. The site started up early last year and morphed from mostly show listings to a full-on social networking go-to spot for an easy look at what's going on, without the gratuitous pot-stirring of, say, We Shot JR, whose blog posts stoke tiresome gossip and whose commenters spare nothing in the way of asinine. StonedRanger, an anonymous writer on the site, was nominated again for Best Music Advocate. We're guessing his (her?) arms are still crossed right now.
And Sarah Crisman is the most compulsive local music Tweeter we follow, a rare self-starter of a writer/scene advocate who regularly uses her connections to do things like find Denton's Snarky Puppy a gig in Montreal and creatively raise studio funds for Oso Closo's new album. If anyone works across platforms to boost the best of DFW music in a fresh way, it's her, and it would have been nice to see her on the list.
