Arts DEVO

New summer music At least four local artists have new albums (and there are probably more—I know that Teeph and White Russian are lying in wait). Two are hitting local venues this week: Mark McKinnon’s Celtic crew Ha’Penny Bridge will be releasing its second album, At Fiddlers Green, at a CD-release party at the Chico Women’s Club Friday, April 27 (with The Railflowers opening), and Saturday, April 28, at Café Coda, The Remainder will drop Patterns in Static with fellow local rockers Surrogate and Goat joining the party.

There’s also Kyle Williams’ brand-new She Is, which, even though the official release party won’t be happening until May 19 (at Paradox Fitness and Martial Arts), you can find now at www.ilovekylewilliams.com for purchase. And next week, local faves MaMuse will be returning from a tour in support of its latest, Integration of the Awkward, for a proper hometown release party at Bidwell Presbyterian Church on Saturday, May 5.

CAMMIES lost and found Any musician out there missing a light-blue denim guitar strap with an embroidered dragon on it? It’s just one piece of forgotten debris (also one guitar stand, a tiny amplifier, and a handful of CAMMIES plaques) left in the wake of the big and sweaty explosion of local music at the Chico Women’s Club during the CAMMIES finale last Sunday. (Email Arts DEVO to claim your goods.)

The awards part is actually way down at the bottom of the list of things I like about the CAMMIES. At the top is the finale. Hanging out with music people is my idea of a perfect time, and sharing the day with you all was, once again, a blast.

But, for posterity’s sake and to give a proper shout-out to the folks who deserve to be honored for their work at keeping the scene hot, here are the winners of 2012 CAMMIES awards. Congrats and thanks for being rad!

People’s Choice Awards:

Best Acoustic/Folk Act: Kyle Williams

Best Americana/Country Act: Three Fingers Whiskey

Best Jazz Act: Chico Jazz Collective

Best Blues Act: Big Mo & The Full Moon Band

Best Funk/Jam Act: Alli Battaglia & The Musical Brewing Co.

Best World/Celtic/Reggae Act: Boss 501

Best Rap Act: The Hooliganz

Best Rock/Pop Act: Surrogate

Best Hard Rock/Metal Act: Armed For Apocalypse

Best Punk Act: Brass Hysteria!

Best Indie/Experimental Act: The Shimmies

Best Electronic Producer: Billy the Robot

Best Electronic DJ: DJ Whitlock

Best Horn Player: Patrick Hilton (trumpet, Big Mo & The Full Moon Band)

Critics’ Choice Awards:

Best Keyboardist: Joshua Hegg (Clouds on Strings)

Best Bassist: Zach Ahern (Cold Blue Mountain, Birds of Fire)

Best Drummer (tie): Alex Coffin (Teeph, Count Funkula) and Lew Langworthy

Best Guitarist (tie): Mike Perry (White Russian) and Eric Peter

Best Female Vocalists: Karisha Longaker & Sarah Nutting (MaMuse)

Best Male Vocalist: Garrett Gray (Perpetual Drifters)

Best Songwriter: Sean Harrasser (The Envelope Peasant)

Best Local Album: Pomology, Clouds on Strings

Best New Band: Voltare

Best Local Act: The Railflowers

Local Badass (tie): Scott Barwick (Origami Lounge), Dan Elsen (Café Coda)

Hogan / West / LaPado Lifetime Achievement Award: Lew Langworthy