2020 SAMMIES nominees

SN&R’s annual Sacramento Area Music Awards are back and have already set a record with more than 6,000 votes received for nominations.

What’s new? This year we introduced two new categories—spoken word (with music) and revival band. Nearly 200 bands and artists were nominated by our readers, with new talent staking their claim in each genre. SN&R also asked local music experts for advice on who actively gigged last year, who put out solid albums and also who’s new to the scene and deserves the recognition. After all, the busiest promoters, venue owners and record producers know best as they have their ears to the ground on what artists are working hard for audiences throughout the region.

In 2020, SN&R will again include audio as part of the voting process, so readers can listen to nominees and discover new music. The 28th annual SAMMIES aims to be the best yet; SN&R welcomes any suggestions on how to improve, so feel free to email stephr@newsreview.com.

It’s time to go discover your new favorite artists and start voting Jan. 20 until March 11 at Sammies.com.

Artist of the Year

Amber DeLaRosa

Chrome Ghost

Jessica Jolia

Kennedy Wrose

National Lines

Release of the Year

Basi Vibe - Somnus

Chrome Ghost - The Diving Bell

Delta Mystics - 369

Hobo Johnson - The Fall of Hobo Johnson

Jennifer Belle - Moving Day

Kennedy Wrose - Wrose to the Occasion

Mi$tuh G - Local GZ Koolin

Mondo Deco - Take What Ya Like

National Lines - Staring at the Ceiling

Sad Girlz Club - Hard Feelings

Blues

The Austin Mo Xperience

Katie Knipp

Leo Bootes

Matt Rainey and the Dippin’ Sauce

Michael Ray

Turnbuckle Blues Review

Red’s Blues

Country/Americana/Alt-Country

Brotherly Mud

Delta Mystics

House of Mary

Jennifer Belle

Jon Emery & The Unconventionals

Noelle & The Deserters

The Ariel Jean Band

The Nickel Slots

Cover Band/ Tribute Band

Cold Shot

Hipper than Hip Band

Joel The Band

Journey Revisited

Night Moves

Mix N’ It Up

MoonShine Crazy

Peter Petty & His Terpsichoreans

Red Voodoo

Remix

Shades of Pink Floyd

Thunder Cover

Creative Achievement in Support of the Music Scene

Cider Sessions

Elle Jaye (Music photography)

Gabriell Garcia (Blue Lamp/Cafe Colonial)

Girls Rock Sacramento

Heather Evans (Sacramento Song Writers Circle)

The Library of MusicLandria

The Silver Orange (Teen music venue)

Deejay

DJ Elements

DJ Epik

DJ Hektor S

DJ Lady Char

DJ Madsticks

DJ Zay

DJ Zephyr

Louie Giovanni

Mike Diamond

My Cousin Vinnie

Electronica/Experimental

Czechmate

Echo the Natives

Spacewalker

Emcee

Andru Defeye

Illa Jay

Kennedy Wrose

Mahtie Bush

Mi$tuh G

Folk/Bluegrass

According to Bazooka

Jessica Malone

Me&You

Red Dirt Ruckus

The Herald

Tre Burt

Funk

Black Yacht Club

Big Sticky Mess

Ideateam

Joy & Madness

The Gold Souls

The Pressure Lounge

Hardcore/Industrial/Post-Hardcore

A Foreign Affair

Nail the Casket

Wolf & Bear

Hip-Hop/Rap

Andru Defeye

Antwon Vinnie

Aye Tee

Bru Lei

Diamond Dez

Illa Jay

Jules Burn

Kennedy Wrose

Master Kingdom

Mi$tuh G

POOR Majesty

Indie

Dads Under Where

Flight Mongoose

For the Kids

Roland Tonies

So Much Light

The Bad Barnacles

The New Crowns

Todd Morgan

Vinnie Guidera & the Dead Birds

Jazz

A Tribe Quartet

Dos Hombres Trio

Doug Pauly

Tropicali Flames

Live Performer

Aye Tee

Drop Dead Red

Jessica Jolia

National Lines

Red Voodoo Band

Samantha “Spike” Vaughn Höerner

The Bad Barnacles

The Ghost Town Rebellion

Metal/Hard Rock

A Waking Memory

Astral Cult

Chrome Ghost

Dreams of Madness

Ellusive Furs

Failure by Proxy

HellHeart

Samora

The Last Titan

TriggerEffect

Music Video

Harlequin Rose - “Ride Around”

National Lines - “Staring at the Ceiling”

Sad Girlz Club - “Again”

The Last Titan - “Seven Days of Reckoning”

The New Crowns - “Focus”

The Philharmonik - “Drugs”

New Artist

Amber DeLaRosa

Brotherly Mud

Delta Mystics

Gamma People

The Bad Barnacles

Producer of the Year

Joe Johnston, Pus Cavern

John Morris, Tanglewood Recording Studios

Patrick Hills, Earth Tone Studios

Ree Realz

Sean Stack, Fat Cat Recording Studio

Tom Jiminez, The Audio Edge Studios

Punk/Post-punk

Addalemon

Captain Cutiepie

Clevers

Creux Lies

Gamma People

Jib and the Swigs

Lamonta

Las Pulgas!

Lightweight

Marigold

Sad Girlz Club

Th’ Losin’ Streaks

The Moans

Yawzea

R&B/Soul

Basi Vibe

Harlequin Rose

J Black

Levi Moses

Mona Villamayor

Shadia Powell

STRQ x Camilla

The Philharmonik

Yoey Composes

Reggae/Jam

Arden Park Roots

Eazy Dub

Element of Soul

Island of Black and White

Mau

Mind X

Riotmaker

The Sacto Storytellers

William Mylar

Revival/back from the dead band

Bypassing Oblivion

Flip the Switch

The Knockoffs

Unprovoked

Rock

Band of Coyotes

Cities You Wish You Were From

Ghost Mesa

Humble Wolf

Life of the Afterparty

Mondo Deco

ONOFF

Roa

Shotgun Sawyer

The Zach Waters Band

Rockabilly

Dyanna & the Cherry Kings

Frankie and the Defenders

Twilight Drifters

Singer Songwriter

Amanda Gray

Heather Evans

Jasmine Bailey

Jessica Jolia

Kaylee Starr

KC Shane

Richard Urbino

Zachary Van Dyck

Spoken word (with music)

Alé Twosense Hernandez

AndYes (David Loret de Mola)

Bethany Crouch

Grace Loescher

Terry Freeman Moore

Teen

Arte de Amar

Landline

Paper Airplanes

NoJay

World Music

Carlos Kandia

Don Gato Latin Band

Sol Peligro