And just like that, the 2018 San Diego Music Awards have come to a close. There were winners, there were losers, but nearly everyone left House of Blues happy on March 19.
The notoriously noisy ceremony started off with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. followed by award presentations and performances by SDMA nominees Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Whitney Shay, Berkley Hart (joined by the Farmers), P.O.D. and Parker Meridien -- all of which were highlight moments in their own right.
But enough lead-up ... Who actually won? Who surprised us? Who made us proud? Who made us laugh? Who made us cry?
The SDMAs started with a bit of a curveball. Joining the ranks of Soda Pants and Skyterra, Jumbotron took home this year's award for Best New Artist -- a category that inches nearer and nearer to "Somewhat Unknown Artist" year after year.
While the Schizophonics' splintering set last year might get the win for "Best Live Performance" of last year's SDMAs, the energetic rock band lost out to the Creepy Creeps in the official category of Best Live Performer this year.
We were happy to see a number of SoundDiego TV Spotlight veterans win awards as well -- Marie Haddad secured Best Pop Album, Birdy Bardot got Best Pop, Marujah (pronounced "Ma-roo-ha") won Best World Music and Authentic Sellout lived up to their name by winning Best Indie/Alternative. But where does the biggest spotlight shine? On Trouble in the Wind, who took home two awards -- one for Best Country or Americana Album and the other for Artist of the Year. Hats off to those boys, who also should have won "Best Dressed."
The SoundDiego love only got better from there as SoundDiego TV's Alysha Nett and Daye Salani presented the award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Album, which our own J. Smith took home for 1019 the Numberman's "Solus Superstes." Elsewhere, former SoundDiego contributor Matthew Burke won two awards for two different bands: Best Rock Album for Mittens and Best Indie/Alternative Album for Grizzly Business. We couldn't be more proud of our SoundDiego staffers and affiliates, who ... won more awards than anybody else, sort of.
Maybe the most special moment came in the form of Little Hurricane's Album of the Year win for "Same Sun, Same Moon." Anthony "Tone" Catalano and Celeste "C.C." Spina, who comprise the blues-rock duo, recently married after years of playing music together. Within the last year, the couple celebrated the birth of their first child -- now that's quite a lot to celebrate.
About halfway through the evening, Casbah owner Tim Mays inducted 2018's Lifetime Achievement Award winners, the San Diego rockabilly legends Paladins, and the award was accepted by bass player Thomas Yearsley and the mother of guitarist Dave Gonzalez.
All in all, the 2018 SDMA ceremony was a tame affair, with many artists receiving the recognition they deserve. While there are others we would like to have seen honored as well, I guess we'll just have to wait and cross our fingers for next year.
For now, check out the complete list of the winners of the 2018 San Diego Music Awards below.
Best Singer/Songwriter
- Lindsay White
Best Jazz
- Danny Green
Best Blues
- Whitney Shay
Best Country or Americana
- Sara Petite
Best Hip-Hop/Rap
- Vokab Kompany
Best Indie/Alternative
- Authentic Sellout
Best Pop
- Birdy Bardot
Best Rock
- The Farmers
Best World Music
- B-Side Players
Best Live Performer
- The Creepy Creeps
Best New Artist
- Jumbotron
Artist of the Year
- Trouble in the Wind
Best Jazz Album
- Rebecca Jade & Peter Sprague - "Planet Cole Porter"
Best Blues Album
- Robin Henkel - "Slippery Like a Watermelon Seed"
Best Hip Hop/Rap Album
- 1019 The Numberman - "Solus Superstes"
Best Indie/Alternative Album
- Grizzly Business - "Spanish Old Fashioned"
Best Pop Album
- Marie Haddad - "Stories From Atlantis"
Best Rock Album
- Mittens - "Endlessly"
Best Local Recording
- Wish & the Well - "Darling Darling"
Best World Music Album
- Marujah - "Marujah Rising"
Album of the Year
- Little Hurricane - "Same Sun, Same Moon"
Song of the Year
- Ariel Levine - "Sunshine Part 2: On My Color TV"
Rutger Ansley Rosenborg has been an Associate Editor at NBC SoundDiego since 2016. He is an avid creator, communicator and purveyor of bad jokes. Find out more here, or contact him here.
