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With the Band

Everyone a winner at the NORBAY Awards

By Gretchen Giles

A petite brunette in a gold, mesh top made her way to the backstage area of the NORBAY Awards early in the evening on June 10. "I need an all-access pass," she explained. When asked why, she uttered those delicious words, "I'm with the band."

The band she is with is DDK, a guitar-bass-drum trio composed of two brothers in fifth and ninth grades and a seventh-grade friend, all from the Sonoma Valley. They kicked off the first annual NORBAYs with a glimpse of the future as they wailed a hard-edged lament to the miseries of the middle school years.

Held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on a warm, clear evening, the first annual North Bay Music Awards heralded a new tradition. Co-sponsored and co-conceived by this paper and the Harmony Festival, and graciously hosted by KRSH 95.9-FM morning host Doug Smith, the NORBAYs aimed to fete the enormous musical talent we in the North Bay are so blessed with.

With house sounds provided by hip-hop jazz popsters the Shot Gun Wedding Quintet, the evening was a blur of excellence. Among the evening's many highlights were Celtic goddess Kate Price spinning a golden ephemera; blues artist Marcus James bringing two of his colleagues from Mali onto the stage for a too-brief set of pentatonic magic; American Drag lighting up the place just as dusk settled; Wisdom proving to be excellently named; the cool cats from Girls in Suede performing directly after high school graduation; that perfect moment when the long-limbed Lisa from the Lemon Lime Lights put down the cello and broke into tap dance; the furious, impeccable duel of Carter and Bodlovich's guitars; and the Johnny Otis Tribute Band almost literally bringing the house down as everyone danced in the darkening night to their tight set of R&B classics and Otis faves.

Thanks to all who participated by voting, performing, volunteering and attending! Here is the list of the artists who were nominated in this inaugural year. Winners names are italicized. See you there next year.

Bluegrass / folk / Cajun:
David Thom Band
Nina Gerber
Hot Buttered Rum String Band
Skiffle Symphony
Stiff Dead Cat

Blues:
Elvin Bishop
Norton Buffalo
Maria Muldaur
Charlie Musselwhite
Roy Rogers

Celtic:
Chris Caswell
Greenhouse
Kate Price
Mad Hannans
Spiral Bound

World music:
Ancient Future
Markus James
Hamsa Lila
Mickey Hart
Zakir Hussein

Children's music:
Tim Cain
Jim Corbett
James K
Kid Kaleidoscope
Katie Ketchum

Classical:
Cotati Philharmonic
Jeffrey MacFarland-Johnson
Marin Symphony
Napa Valley Symphony
Santa Rosa Symphony

Country / Americana:
Free Peoples
Dave Gleason
The Jenkins
Audrey Auld Mezera
Mother Truckers

DJ / electronica:
Rob Cervantes
Zack Darling
Dragonfly
Foxgluv
Gianni

Hip-hop / rap:
Derivative
Jebidiah & Natron
North Coast Underground
Wisdom
Zealous

Jazz:
Carter & Bodlovich
Dave MacNab Jazz Lab
Mel Graves
Julian Lage
Ian Scherer

Latin:
David Correa & Cascada
Grupo Atlantis
Los Esclavos del Amor
Cautivo
Banda Show los Amantes

New Age:
Suzanne Ciani
Steve Gordon
Steve Halpern
Daniel Kobialka
Jai Uttal

Punk / industrial / alt rock:
Girls in Suede
Lemon Lime Lights
The Rum Diary
Toast Machine
Tsunami Bomb

R&B / soul / funk:
Eric Lindell
Rhythm Town Jive
Pride & Joy
Shotgun Wedding Quintet
Vinyl

Reggae / ska:
Amha Baraka & Jahkuumba
Groundation
Luna Angel
Rootstock
Sol Horizon

Rock:
American Drag
Les Claypool
New Monsoon
Righteous Fists of Harmony
The Velvet Teen

Vocal group / choir:
Copper Wimmin
Les Etoiles
Love Choir
Occidental Community Choir
Sonoma Chorale

North Bay legends:
The Dead
Journey
Huey Lewis
Bonnie Raitt
Carlos Santana

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From the June 15-21, 2005 issue of the North Bay Bohemian.

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