Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE *indicates different winner than last year (2011)
Local Artist/Group Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band You are undoubtedly fond of Rev. Peyton and his Big Damn Band, the country blues outfit that made it cool to play a washboard again, if not to actually use one. After wrapping a host of festivals in Calgary and Ottawa, they’ve spent the year recording their new record, Between the Ditches (out on Side One Dummy Aug. 7). As you read this, they’re somewhere in the Wild West, touring Utah, Wyoming and other big, wide, red-rocked places. Between The Ditches was recorded and produced in Bloomington’s White Arc Studio by Paul Mahern. They’ll return to Indianapolis for an in-store performance at Indy CD and Vinyl and a stop at the State Fair before hitting the road again. bigdamnband.com. 2nd: Jennie DeVoe 3rd: Cara Jean Marcy Local Roots Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band You can’t escape the Rev and his Big Damn Band, Indy’s favorite band, which makes them Indy’s favorite roots band, too. The Rev is on tour across these United States, making stops from the West Coast to the East and returning to play at one of the newly-retooled State Fair concerts. Washboard in hand, this fast-churning throwback group whips
their crowds into a frenzy. They sell out venues and festival stages both in our city and across the country. bigdamnband.com. 2nd: Cara Jean Marcy 3rd: The Cousin Brothers Local Punk/Hardcore Gay Black Republican Gay Black Republican has claimed top punk honors in NUVO again. They can add this to their award for most improved band way back in 2003, the same year that we called their Ballet on Barbed Wire a top 10 local album. They’ve been doing the Dead Kennedysinspired thing since 2001, attacking this fair nation’s unchecked consumerism, war-mongering and magical thinking. These Punk Rock Night regulars will be back in September for another night of rabble-rousing. gayblackrepublican.com. 2nd: Vacation Club 3rd: Stand and Deliver Local Metal Devil to Pay Not strictly a metal band, Devil to Pay stands at the intersection of Sabbath-style metal, classic rock and postgrunge, with an attentiveness to melody and song structure that sets them apart from other riff-based bands. Not that you didn’t already know that — Devil to Pay is a regular winner in this category. The band is
in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to fund their fourth full-length album, but they’ve already exceeded their goal by almost $1,000. All future funds will be used toward increasing production quality and time in the studio. deviltopay.net. 2nd: Coffinworm 3rd: Smoke Ring Local Jazz *Frank Glover Saxophonist-turned-clarinetist Frank Glover, easily one of Indy’s best jazzmen for the last 20 years, has finally won NUVO’s Best of Indy Jazz award. A former Gemini twin of the late, great jazz pianist Claude Sifferlin, with whom he was a regular at the Chatterbox and the Jazz Kitchen, Frank has probably logged more hours in Indy nightspots than any two musicians put together. Along the way he performed on stages as prestigious as Carnegie Hall, and recorded and produced five cutting-edge albums, including the internationally acclaimed Politico (2005) which, besides impressive soloing, also exhibits Glover’s composing and arranging prowess. One of the area’s most valuable yet under-appraised gems, Glover’s BOI award comes none too soon. owlstudios.com. 2nd: Rob Dixon (tie) 2nd: Cathy Morris (tie)
Local Blues *Governor Davis Having received an early blues education in the nightclubs of his native Chicago, and gone on to concoct his own stimulating blend of the genre, Indy-based singer and guitarist Governor Davis earns his third NUVO Best of Indy Blues award this year. Davis’ energetic mix of feel-good blues, soul, R&B, rock and funk, as well as his generous audience rapport, is legendary. One of the workin’est bands ever, and a staple of most major blues fests, Governor Davis and the Blues Ambassadors play up to 170 shows per year in the U.S. and abroad. The band just celebrated its 20th anniversary, which makes winning this year’s BOI award especially fitting. governordavisandthebluesambassadors.com. 2nd: Gordon Bonham 3rd: Gene Deer Local Label *GloryHole Records We wrote about GloryHole Records during our Psychedelic Square roundup of Fountain Square’s hottest and hippest bands. Helmed by Jim Peoni, GloryHole has released records (vinyl or cassette) for Indy artists Adam Kuhn, Apache Dropout, Christian Taylor & Homeschool, Crys, Learner Dancer and Vacation Club, with Knoxville-based Three Man Band and Bloomington-based Humans rounding out the roster. In the last few years GloryHole focused on nondigital, non-CD releases that highlight the best and brightest rock, psych and
100% RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO // 2012 // best of indy guide
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