Quaker City Night Hawks rule the roost.
In our 15th Annual Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards, celebrated on Sunday at Piper Hall in the West 7th Street corridor, the gritty rock quartet won all four categories in which it was nominated: best band, rock album of the year (¡Torquila Torquila!), rock song of the year (“Bible Black Lincoln”), and artist of the year. And Matt Mabe, who also plays full time in Jefferson Colby, best cover/tribute band winner Big Mike’s Box of Rock, and best hard rock winner Stella Rose, took home best drummer honors.
There weren’t many surprises. Holy Moly won all three of its categories –– best live band, album of the year (Grasshopper Cowpunk), and song of the year (“The Moustache Song”) –– and Josh Weathers & The True+Endeavors won their two categories (best blues/soul and frontman Weathers for best male vocalist). Lola’s Saloon was once again voted best venue, Burning Hotels’ self-titled sophomore recording won indie-rock album of the year, and Telegraph Canyon took home best Americana/Roots Rock honors.
But there was a lot of new blood in the 2012 Panthys. Newbies Southern Train Gypsy won for best heavy metal, Wild//Tribe was voted best hardcore, Moonshiners won best C&W, The Owl & The Octopus was voted best avant-garde/experimental act, D-Snacks won best pop, China Kills Girls was voted best punk, Gunga Galunga won best jazz, Tripp Mathis was voted best acoustic/folk, and The Breakfast Machine’s Meghann Moore won best female vocalist.
And some familiar names finally took home Panthys as well. The Hanna Barbarians, perennial nominees in multiple categories, won best rock band; Dru B Shinin’ was voted best R&B/rap; and Brad Hines won best Texas Music. For the second consecutive year, Bart Rose of Fort Worth Sound was voted best producer, and for the second time, storyteller Scott Copeland won best songwriter.
Spune Productions won for best record label, Rusty Burns was voted best guitarist, John Shook Jr. won best bassist, Exit 380 was voted comeback of the year, and Lou Charle$’ Fish Out of Water won EP of the year.
The most surprising category is always Best New Artist, and this year was no different. In fact, it was probably the most hotly contested New Artist race ever, with nine nominees. Sparkling indie-rockers We the Sea Lions came out on top.
The winners of our newest category, best semi-local band, were the two Dallasites and one Fort Worthian of Oil Boom.
Also, as part of the awards every year, we induct into our Fort Worth Music Hall of Fame musicians who make or have made lasting impacts on the Fort Worth scene and the national consciousness. This year, we posthumously honored two legendary rock guitarists, Mace Maben and Rich Mauch.
Thanks to our sponsors: Bud Light Platinum, Art Institute of Fort Worth, Jose Cuervo, Captain Morgan Black, and KXT. Thanks also to everyone who voted, to everyone who came to the festival last weekend, and to Fort Worth musicians past and present, nominated and non-nominated.
’Til next year.
For a complete list of winners, see HearSay.
