CONGRATS! 2015 Spectator Readers' Choice Award Winners

The Hamilton Spectator readers have spoken!  After tabulating the votes, the winner of the 2015 Readers' Choice Awards were announced in the October 30, 2015 edition of the popular local paper.

The top prize (the Platinum award) for local musicians went to folk rockers Eclectic Revival.



Links: More Eclectic Revival Stories, Video above courtesy of Chris McLeod

Area Metalheads Prismind earned the Diamond award.



Video above courtesy of JohnnyMo69

The Gold award went to the late Hamilton guitar slinger Brian Griffith.

Links: More Brian Griffith Stories, Video above courtesy of Justin Dunlop

Click here to see the rest of the top ten

CONGRATS EVERYONE!

Click here for a complete winners listing. Below are the music-relate categories.

Category (Click to see top ten)

• Platinum
• Diamond
• Gold

Local Musician

• Eclectic Revival
• Prismind
• Brian Griffith

Concert Venue

• Hamilton Place
• FirstOntario Centre
• The Casbah

Live Entertainment Facility

• Hamilton Place
• This Ain't Hollywood
• FirstOntario Centre

Live Music Bar/Lounge

• This Ain't Hollywood
• The Cat 'N Fiddle
• The Casbah

Live Jazz Club

• The Cat 'N Fiddle
• Artword Artbar
• Stonewalls

Festival

• Supercrawl
• Dundas Cactus Festival
• It's Your Festival

Record/CD Store - New

• Dr. Disc
• Cheapies
• HMV

Record/CD Store - Used

• Cheapies
• Dr. Disc
• Beat Goes On

Musical Instrument Store

• Long and McQuade (Burlington)
• Picks and Sticks
• Mountain Music

Music School

• Intune Music Academy
• Hamilton Academy of Music
• Hamilton School Of Music

Music Intructor

• Sotyria Violaris (Intune Music Academy)
• Emma Borsellino
• Hanna Bech

Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

Links: Readers' Choice Awards, More Spec Readers' Choice Awards Stories

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Previous (Halloween Videos) - - - Next (Harrison Kennedy to Receive European Blues Award)

2014 Hamilton Spectator Readers' Choice Award Winners

The Hamilton Spectator has tallied all of their 2014 Readers' Choice votes and the people of Steeltown have chosen the best of their city.

This year, they included a Local Musician category.  Popular cover band, Freedom Train won the Platinum Award followed by Ginger St. James with Diamond and Shanya Lynn Dawson with Gold. Congratulations!



Links: Freedom Train, More Freedom Train Stories,  More Louis Armstrong covers/stories,, Video above courtesy of Freedom Train



Links: Ginger St. James, More Ginger St. James Stories, Video above courtesy of Bill Griffin



Links: Shanya Lynn Dawson, More Shanya Lynn Dawson Stories, Video above Courtesy of Janice Pinch

Here are the results of the music related categories.

Local Musician

• Freedom Train
• Ginger St. James
• Shanya Lynn Dawson

Festival

• Supercrawl
• Winona Peach Festival
• Sound of Music Festival

Concert Venue

• Hamilton Place
• This Ain't Hollywood
• FirstOntario Centre

Live Entertainment

• This Ain't Hollywood
• Hamilton Place
• The Casbah

Live Jazz Club

• Artword Artbar
• The Cat N Fiddle
• Augusta House

Live Music Bar/Lounge

• This Ain't Hollywood
• The Casbah
• The Baltimore House

Record/CD Store - NEW

• Dr. Disc
• Cheapies
• HMV

Record/CD Store - USED

• Dr. Disc
• Cheapies
• The Beat Goes On

Musical Instrument Store

• Long and McQuade
• Mountain Music/Pick 'N Sticks
• Payne's Music/The Music Stand

Music School

• Intune Music Academy
• Pick 'N Sticks
• Hamilton School of Music

Recording Studio

• Hive Studios/QED Media
• Grant Avenue Studio
• Catherine North Studios

Radio Station

• K-Lite FM 102.9
• KX 94.7 New Country
• Oldies 1150 CKOC

Music Instructor

• Sotyria Violaris, Intune Music Academy
• Steve McRae
• Jack Pedler, Pick 'N Sticks

Click here for the full list of winners.

Blast from the Past: Last Year's Winners

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Previous (Halloween Videos) - - - Next (Local Musicians Up for Maple Blues Awards)

2014 View Magazine Readers' Choice Winners

The readers of View, Hamilton's favourite independent weekly magazine have spoken!  They recently voted on the best that Steeltown has to offer.  Below are the music-related results. CONGRATULATIONS to everyone.

Top is Gold and bottom is Silver.

Local Band

• Arkells
• Monster Truck

Local Female Artist

• Ginger St. James
  
  
  
  Links: Ginger St. James, More Ginger St. James Stories, Video above courtesy of Shotgun Jilly
  
  
• Robin Benedict

Local Male Artist

• Tom Wilson
  
  
  
  Links: Tom Wilson, More Tom Wilson Stories, Video above courtesy of Tom Wilson
  
  
• Steve Strongman

Local Cover Band

• Freedom Train
• The Undercovers/The Crimps

Local Band Most Likely to Make it Big

• Cadillac Bill And The Creeping Bent

Local Band Name

• Tongue Fu
• Uncorked

Local Festival

• Greenbelt Harvest Picnic
• It’s Your Festival/Midsummer’s Dream

Free Event

• Supercrawl
• Dusk Dances

Local TV Personality

• Matt Hayes
• Cadillac Bill

Local Radio Station

• CFMU
• Funny 820/Y108 Rocks

Local Radio Personality

• Mike Alfano@95.3
• Mike Nabuurs@Funny 820

Local Show Promoter

• John Balogh
• Patrick Coppolino/Tava Lesku

Local Independent Record Label

• Sonic Unyon
• Hidden Pony Records

Coolest Instrument to Play

• Drums
• Harmonica

Local Recording Studio

• Grant Avenue Studio
• Catherine North Studios/B-Town Sound

Local Recording Producer

• Bob Doidge@Grant Avenue Studio
• Nick Blagona/Justin Koop@B-Town Sound

Local Rehearsal Space

• Rock Haven
• The Jam Zone/SoundCheck

Live Venue

• Stonewalls
• This Ain’t Hollywood/Absinthe

Country Bar

• Dirty Dog Saloon
• Galley Pump

Jazz and Blues Venue

• Bay City Music Hall
• Cat ‘N’ Fiddle/The Masque

Open Stage

• Lazy Flamingo
• Carrigan Arms/Rebel’s Rock

Musical Instrument Store

• Long and McQuade (Burlington)
• Mountain Music

Store to Buy New Music

• HMV
• Cheapies/Dr. Disc

Store to Buy Old Music

• Dr. Disc
• Where Heads Meet/Cheapies

Click here for the Complete List

Links: View, More from the View's Readers' Poll

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Previous (News Roundup w Laura Cole, Ensemble!, MizA, Nick Doneoff, Cartoons)

News Roundup (Steve Sinnicks, Ed Vandendool, Felicia McMinn)

Local

• Junkhouse 20th Anniversary Facebook Page
• Dr. Disc Local hashtag now a seperate Twitter feed
• Kevin's Barbershop Podcast w/Steve Sinnicks: MP3, Video
• Cool homemade blues tie
  

World

• Songs That Sound Alike: Beatles vs the Jam
• Podcasts: Nothing But the Blues 227, Nothing But the Blues 228, Roadhouse 412

Blasts From the Past

• 2009: Lee Harvey Osmond Videos
• 2010: New Halton Blues Society Live CD
• 2011: Design Hope CD Release Party
• 2012: Andy Griffiths@Moonshine Cafe

 Featured Videos 
 


Links: Ed Vandendool, Video courtesy of Ed Vandendool



Links: Steve Sinnicks, More Steve Sinnicks Stories, Video courtesy of Kevin Barber




 Links: Felicia McMinn, More Felicia McMinn Stories, Video courtesy of Lauren Clendinning

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Previous (2 New Episodes of Ensemble on YouTube)  - - - Next (New Pete Tigchelaar CD)

Drew Smith@Dr. Disc (September 15, 2012)

Bonus video courtesy of ridinmy63




Blast from the Past: Drew Smith@Casbah

Links: Drew Smith, More Drew Smith Stories

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Previous (News Roundup+Videos) - - - Next (Jon Brooks@Moonshine Cafe)

Wax Mannequin@Dr. Disc (September 15, 2012)

More Stan Rogers covers/stories



Bonus video courtesy of POGA Productions 

  

Links: Wax Mannequin, More Wax Mannequin Stories

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Dave Rave and Friends@Dr. Disc Rooftop (July 16, 2011)

Click here if you can't see the videos.

Dave Rave (guitar, lead vocals), Bill Culp (bass, lead vocals on third song), Mark Foley (guitar), Paul Panchezak (Trickbag)(drums)











Links: Dave Rave, More Dave Rave Stories, Photos of the Event