For our annual Rock ’n’ Roll Poll, we at the Scene once again dialed up a select group of Nashville’s finest rockers, rollers, bloggers and bookers, and asked them what got their attention — good and bad — in the local scene this year.
What local artist/band ruled Nashville in 2017?
Margo Price. —Alex Caress, Larissa Maestro, Terry Rickards, Evan P. Donohue, Michael Eades
I’d have to say Ms. Margo Price and her crew did some serious damage. The woman is a force, not one measurable amount of quit in her. Also? That’s a goddamn BAND. —Steve Poulton
Six sellouts at the Ryman + artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame = Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. —Heather Lose
Bully. —Deezy Violet, Alex Mojaverian, Jesse Rhew, Michael Eades
Twen. —Leah Miller, Todd Sherwood, Chappy Hull, Kathryn Edwards
R.LUM.R. —Jared Corder, Taylor Cole, Liz Meade, Chris Sunday, Kent Marcus, Samantha Zaruba
Daddy Issues. —Ale Delgado
Little Bandit. —Rashad tha Poet
Bermuda Triangle. —Ariel Bui
Black Venus. —Kari Ames
B|_ANK. —Maddy Madeira
Ron Gallo. —Samantha Zaruba, Gary Branigan, Kent Marcus, Caroline Bowman, Ariel Bui, Jenna Mitchell
Liz Cooper and the Stampede. —Samantha Zaruba, Gary Branigan, Kent Marcus, Caroline Bowman
Fever Blush, fka Lean, aka my jam. —Mikey Owen
Tim Gent; Rashad tha Poet; BeHoward; Priestess of Planet X. —AL-D
Datenight; Ornament. —Zachary Prosser
Queens of Noise. In their first year, they’ve already played the main stage at Tomato Fest and opened for Tristen. —Tiffany Minton
Soulman Snipes; Mutual Groove; L Roy Da Boy; BeHoward. —Virghost
Skyway Man; Tristen; Lillie Mae; Becca Mancari; Coupler; Ornament; Sun Seeker; Kesha. —Sam Smith
Spodee Boy; Blank Range. —Cam Sarrett
Aaron Lee Tasjan. —Jerry Pentecost
Soccer Mommy. —Olivia Scibelli
Okey Dokey. —Tyler Walker
What local artist/band is going to rule in 2018?
Every single band that is going to perform at Southern Girls Rock Camp’s showcase in July. —Sarah Bandy
Probably some badass Rock Camp kid’s band, or Country Westerns. —Mikey Owen
Becca Mancari. —Alex Caress, Ariel Bui
Twen. —Deezy Violet, Alex Mojaverian, Ale Delgado, Gary Branigan, Chappy Hull
Fever Blush. —Weston Sparks, Katie Banyay, Ale Delgado
Joshua Hedley, the definition of a “country crooner” and a multi-tool musician. —Joseph Hudak
Madam President, baby! Get ready. —Leah Miller
Microwave Mountain. —Gary Branigan, Caroline Bowman
Meg Myers. —Ariel Bui, Evan P. Donohue
Tom Violence. —Maddy Madeira, Zach Prosser
Daddy Issues but even more. —Ale Delgado
Sad Baxter. —Jared Corder, Ale Delgado, Gary Branigan, Michael Eades
Ellen Angelico, one the greatest utility players in Nashville. May she continue to reign! —Tiffany Minton
Biyo; Katie Pruitt; Ashley Leone; Wilder; Andreas Moss; Devin Dawson; James Droll; Liza Anne. —R.LUM.R
Bryant Taylor. —Mike Floss
The Jag; Nordista Freeze. —Taylor Cole
Virghost; Petty. —AL-D
Dancers; Zach Halfhill. —Zachary Prosser
Ttotals. They rule every year whether people pay attention or not. —Lawndry
Datenight, ’cause they’re freakin’ ferocious and it’s about damn time for their LP to come out. —Jonathan Marx
Bentley Caldwell; Soulman Snipes; Mutual Groove. —Virghost
New Man; Patrick Damphier; Tower Defense; Yon Ort; two new secret projects called The Robe and You Drive. —Michael Eades
Ponychase. —Beth Cameron
Watcher; Sallow. —Chappy Hull
Music Band. —Jesse Rhew, Jenna Mitchell
Kacey Musgraves; Joe Pisapia; Kai Welch. —Sam Smith
Sun Seeker; Soccer Mommy. —Cam Sarrett
Devon Gilfillian; Molly Tuttle; Joshua Hedley. —Larissa Maestro
Daniella Mason. —Liz Meade
Amanda Shires. —Jerry Pentecost
I wish it was Concurrence. They are probably the best Nashville jazz band in decades. But the kids seem to like Arlie. —Chris Sunday
Billy Raffoul; Jillian Jacqueline; Devon Gilfillian. —Kent Marcus
Kashena Sampson. —Terry Rickards
What was your favorite discovery this year?
Twen. —Weston Sparks, Ale Delgado, Kari Ames, Olivia Scibelli, Caroline Bowman
WXNA’s weekday afternoon lineup. Especially Rock and Roll High School, Fridays at 3 p.m. —Joseph Hudak
Friggin’ Donors! —Leah Miller
DJ Chill. —Mike Floss
Thayer Sarrano. —Alex Caress
Dream Chambers. —Katie Banyay, Maddy Madeira
Wu Fei and chatterbird are collaborating on an amazing project where they live-score videos from the Nashville Metro Archives. —Sarah Bandy
Republican Hair. —Todd Sherwood, Samantha Zaruba
HARI. —Deezy Violet, Alex Mojaverian
Musically, Katie Pruitt. Emotionally, Julien Baker. As performers, Biyo or Andreas Moss. —R.LUM.R
I met Imani (aka IAMLove) through a music education program called Girls Write. She wrote and produced her own album called Experimental Philosophy. —Tiffany Minton
Jordn; BEZ; Blizz; Tiara P. —AL-D
Champagne Superchillin; The Pills. —Caroline Bowman
Cavalia, as it is commanded. —Zachary Prosser
Facemajik. —Mikey Owen
Chris Townsend. —Virghost
Molly Tuttle, the first woman to win the IBMA’s Guitar Player of the Year Award. —Larissa Maestro
Cutting Heads DJ night at L.A. Jackson. —Jerry Pentecost
Luthi. —Kent Marcus, Samantha Zaruba
Chaos Emeralds. —Tyler Walker
The Brummies, Monica Martin and the wormhole under the secret place with the scary monsters. —Jeremy Ferguson
John Richard; The Medium; Welles. —Evan P. Donohue
BRiLeY. —Brian Siskind, Michael Eades
Woodsplitter; Elite Geographic; Mom and Dad. —Michael Eades
Birdcloud’s Twitter and Jasmin Kaset’s drummer, Tyler Coppage. —Beth Cameron
Black Moon Mother. They play with the same energy whether it’s a room of five or 100. —Jesse Rhew
Kyshona Armstrong’s live show. Holy moly! —Heather Lose
The history and music of Sarah Records. Also, “S.O.S.” by ABBA — the song and video make me feel both the gravity of the music and full-on weightlessness. —Cam Sarrett
Best/worst band breakup of the year?
Soft Option and Essential Tremors can fight it out for this one. Some of them probably already are. —Steve Poulton
Mom and Dad. —Samantha Zaruba, Taylor Cole, Gary Branigan, Ariel Bui, Lawndry, Larissa Maestro, Jenna Mitchell, Tyler Walker, Caroline Bowman
Mom and Dad meant a lot to me. Sad to see her die. RIP. —Leah Miller
The worst is the affordable housing market in Nashville breaking up with the artists who drive this economy. According to Open Table Nashville, you can fill Bridgestone Arena with the amount of people who experience homelessness in our city. Fair-market rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,399 a month. That is criminal. —Tiffany Minton
Every Nov. 1 when the Boo Dudes descend into their crypts. —Kari Ames
Roman Polanski’s Baby. —Olivia Scibelli, Ariel Bui, Zachary Prosser
Allen Thompson Band. —Todd Sherwood
Dudette; Clear Plastic Masks. —Ariel Bui
Negra. —Mikey Owen
Promised Land Sound. —Chris Sunday
Big Surr. —Caroline Bowman, Evan P. Donohue
I wish they’d all break up! —Jeremy Ferguson
Best music story of the year?
The way the Nashville music community came together to help those in its ranks affected by tragedy. Whether it was a concert to raise funds for guitar hero Todd “Toddzilla” Austin or a teary memorial for drummer Ben Eyestone, a number of benefits proved that Music City takes care of its own. —Joseph Hudak
The outpouring of love in our community during a year of death and loss. —Alex Caress
The tender way our community enfolded Jessi Zazu with profound, generous and complete love in her last few months of life. —Heather Lose
Anything on Jessi Zazu was moving me so much that I wrote a lot more than I had in a long time. What an inspiration she was to our community! —Taylor Cole
Numero Group releasing a boxed set of Jackie Shane’s music. She’s a black, transgender soul music pioneer from Nashville, who came up in the 1960s. —Tiffany Minton
WXNA on the air for one whole year and kickin’ ass the whole time! —Maddy Madeira
Saving Grace Project and the hurricane relief benefit shows. —R.LUM.R
Jessica Lea Mayfield speaking out about her experience with domestic abuse, leaving her abuser and releasing a badass masterpiece of an album. Nothing will stand in her way! —Deezy Violet
Sturgill Simpson busking outside the CMAs. —Cam Sarrett, Larissa Maestro, Evan P. Donohue
The saga of Ashlee K Thomas’ “Ghetto” music video. —Mikey Owen
YK Records opening an office in Nashville. —Beth Cameron
Drkmttr reopening. —Olivia Scibelli
Fyre Festival. —Larissa Maestro, Jenna Mitchell
Dolly Parton + Kesha + Steelism. —Jerry Pentecost
When Noel Gallagher said he liked METZ but thought they probably looked like nerds. —Chappy Hull
What trend would you like to see left behind in 2018?
Sexual predators as artistic gatekeepers. Asking women carrying gear if they’re the girlfriend or the merch girl. —Larissa Maestro
People not using their privileges to work to dismantle oppressive systems. —Sarah Bandy
The patriarchy. —Alex Caress
I’ll just quote myself and Olivia Scibelli from last year’s poll, because things haven’t changed entirely: “Our peers staying out of politics and not speaking out about messed-up things within the local scene.” Kudos to those who have. —Katie Banyay
People feeling the need to mention when a band has a woman in it. Gender isn’t real, stop trying to point it out. —Deezy Violet
Corporations using buzzwords like “experiential” and “immersive” as smokescreens to sell branded art to music fans. —Tiffany Minton
Contemporary outlaw country. —Joseph Hudak
“Authentic Country” that really isn’t all that authentic. —Chris Sunday
Death. —Jesse Rhew, Jared Corder, Beth Cameron
Xanax. —Mike Floss
Unnecessary temporary or permanent closing of DIY spaces. “Music City” my chapped, white ass. Also, please have ridden a horse at least once if it’s boots and cowboys for you. —Steve Poulton
Boring bands. —Leah Miller
I’d like to see more people up front at shows instead of paying money to stand by the exit sign! —Taylor Cole
Segregation in the hip-hop community. —AL-D
The same bands playing every big show or fest in Nashville. There’s a lot of good bands! Do some research, folks! —Chappy Hull
While I know I won’t see fewer tribute nights in 2018, I would love to see more local bands as openers in order to expose audiences to the greatness of our local original music. —Michael Eades
Nazism, sexism, racism, toxic masculinity and mental health stigma. —R.LUM.R
Donald Trump. —Virghost, Jenna Mitchell, Maddy Madeira
Stylizing your name or your record title in all caps. —Liz Meade
Band names with no vowels, and as always, stupid hashtags. —Kent Marcus
The Grateful Dead worship (again), young people dying (I’m not grateful). —Jeremy Ferguson
Who deserves more coverage than they got in 2017?
Dream Chambers. —Weston Sparks
Cordovas. —Joseph Hudak
Darrin Bradbury. —Alex Caress
nobigdyl. —Rashad tha Poet
Chris Davis and the shows he presents as FMRL. Much respect to all bookers, but dude has brought more adventurous music to Nashville in the last 20 years — music that never would have been heard live here otherwise — than anyone, period. —Steve Poulton
Creature Comfort and the local hip-hop community in general. —Samantha Zaruba
Jacob Disedare. —Deezy Violet, Alex Mojaverian
Biyo; Bantug; Katie Pruitt; Caleb Groh; Mike Floss; Tim Gent. —R.LUM.R
Telefones; The Medium. —Gary Branigan
Petty; FU Stan; D.O.U.G.H. —AL-D
Shell of a Shell (not sure if they want it, though). —Zachary Prosser
Charlie Worsham. —Terry Rickards
Crypt of Carmilla, for all the ghoulie babes out there. —Kathryn Edwards
Tram Planet Records. —Mikey Owen, Cam Sarrett
Soulman Snipes; Mutual Groove; Bentley Caldwell; BeHoward; L Roy da Boy. —Virghost
Black Cat Sylvester. —Brian Siskind
Makeup and Vanity Set deserves more dues for the insane amount of quality music he puts out. —Michael Eades
Donors. —Chappy Hull
Muddy Roots founder Jason Galaz. —Heather Lose
Nashville meme accounts. —Cam Sarrett
Stereo Specter. —Liz Meade
Andrew Combs. —Jerry Pentecost
Birdtalker; Shmuck the Loyal. —Kent Marcus
Soft Bodies. —Tyler Walker
Sexual misconduct in the music industry. I’m here for it. Keep speaking out so we can dethrone them! —Tiffany Minton
What was your favorite local record of 2017?
Deep Dream by Daddy Issues. The songs are powerful, sharp and true — the lyrics alone are worthy of winning this category. I’ve probably listened to it 100 times. —Robert Ellis Orrall
Virghost, No Sleep Under the Circumstances. —Rashad tha Poet, AL-D
Jessica Lea Mayfield, Sorry Is Gone. —Katie Banyay, Jenna Mitchell
Soulman Snipes and KingPin Da’ Composer, Classic Soul Project 2. —Virghost
Skyway Man, Seen Comin’ From a Mighty Eye. —Michael Eades, Todd Sherwood
Idle Bloom, Little Deaths; Paramore, After Laughter. —Beth Cameron
Little Bandit, Breakfast Alone. —Larissa Maestro, Terry Rickards, Tiffany Minton, Michael Eades
Tristen, Sneaker Waves. —Sam Smith, Evan P. Donohue, Jeremy Ferguson, Gary Branigan, Caroline Bowman
Margo Price, All American Made. —Cam Sarrett, Alex Caress
Travis Meadows, First Cigarette. —Joseph Hudak
Crave On, Evergreens. —Steve Poulton
Kelly Hoppenjans, Dreaming Is Easy —Samantha Zaruba
Derek Hoke, Bring the Flood. —Todd Sherwood
Yautja, Dead Soil. —Maddy Madeira, Chappy Hull
The By Gods, Move On. — Deezy Violet, Alex Mojaverian
Bantug, Blue; Paramore, After Laughter; JMR, Boyish. —R.LUM.R
BeHoward, Plan Be. —Mike Floss, Virghost
Phangs, Get in My Arms. —Taylor Cole
Soccer Mommy, Collection. —Zachary Prosser
Los Colognes, The Wave. — Alex Caress
The only record I listened to was Young Breh’s Rap Mansion. —Mikey Owen
Daniella Mason, Daniella Mason. —Liz Meade
Becca Mancari, Good Woman. —Tiffany Minton, Samantha Zaruba, Alex Caress
Lilly Hiatt, Trinity Lane. —Jerry Pentecost, Terry Rickards, Alex Caress, Heather Lose, Tiffany Minton
Ron Gallo, Heavy Meta. —Chris Sunday, Caroline Bowman
Mike Floss, Tennessee Daydreams. —Kent Marcus
Bully, Losing. —Olivia Scibelli, Jesse Rhew, Caroline Bowman
Charlie Whitten, Playwright. —Tyler Walker
What was your favorite local song of 2017?
Lilly Hiatt, “Trinity Lane.” —Alex Caress
Lilly Hiatt, “The Night David Bowie Died.” —Taylor Cole, Terry Rickards
Mike Floss, “Sasha.” —Rashad tha Poet
Tristen, “Glass Jar.” —Sarah Bandy, Jared Corder, Chris Sunday
“Invention III: Gifts from the Ebb Tide” by Coupler when I’m doing watercolors on my living room floor. Proh’s “New Boyfriend” is very good for workout dancing. —Sarah Bandy
Whoa Dakota, “Patterns”; Republican Hair, “Miss Prince.” —Samantha Zaruba
Mark Fredson, “Bitchin’ Summer.” —Todd Sherwood
Liza Anne, “Paranoia.” —Jared Corder
Holy Mountain Top Removers, “Feverdreamer.” —Kari Ames
Shill, “You Lie.” —Maddy Madeira
Katie Pruitt, “Ordinary”; Devin Dawson, “All on Me.” —R.LUM.R
Jon Latham, “Major Key.” —Joseph Hudak
Daddy Issues, “I’m Not”; Kesha, “Woman.” —Ale Delgado
Shmuck the Loyal, “Cough.” —Mike Floss
The Inscape, “Step Away”; Bermuda Triangle, “Suzanne.” —Caroline Bowman
“Solvency” by Faux Ferocious makes me wanna set fire to a Gateway PC. —Zachary Prosser
Zook, “Grass.” —Lawndry
Idle Bloom, “Dust.” —Kathryn Edwards
Loss, “Horizonless.” —Mikey Owen
Soulman Snipes, “Southern Girl”; Truth Clipsy, “No Safety.” —Virghost
IAMLove, “Feel the Rain”; Thelma and the Sleaze, “Secretary”; Becca Mancari, “Golden.” —Tiffany Minton
Sad Baxter, “Baby.” —Jenna Mitchell, Caroline Bowman
Margo Price, “A Little Pain.” — Evan P. Donohue, Kent Marcus
Super Duper, “Nothing Scares Us.” —Kent Marcus
Bully, “You Could Be Wrong”; Jessica Lea Mayfield, “Sorry Is Gone.” —Olivia Scibelli
The Jag, “A Star Is Born.” —Caroline Bowman, Tyler Walker
Steelism, “Anthem.” —Jeremy Ferguson
Julien Baker, “Appointments”; Madi Díaz, “It’s Okay to Be Alone.” —Beth Cameron
Little Bandit, “Sinking.” —Sam Smith
Little Bandit, “Scattered and Smothered”; Happy Little Trees, “Full Steam Ahead.” —Larissa Maestro
Faux Ferocious, “Solvency”; Jessica Lea Mayfield, “Offa My Hands”; Smart Objects, “The Autumn Man.” —Michael Eades
Soccer Mommy, “Last Girl”; Ornament, “Family Happiness”; No Ritual, “Me 2.” —Cam Sarrett
Maybe it’s because I lost my dad this year, but “If We Were Vampires” by Jason Isbell unravels me, every damn time. —Heather Lose
Best show of the year?
Mdou Moctar; White Rope; Noname; Naan Violence. —Sarah Bandy
Nameless Fest III. —Maddy Madeira, Zachary Prosser
Charly Bliss or Cherry Glazerr, both at The High Watt. —Deezy Violet
U2 at Bonnaroo. —Joseph Hudak
JayVe Montgomery and Ryan Jewell at Betty’s Grill, any show Susan Alcorn played, Joe McPhee at the Legion, Mdou Moctar at Fond Object, or Marshall Allen and crew at the Legion with Kenito Murray behind the drums. Every one of these was an FMRL joint. —Steve Poulton
THE YEAH! ROCK ’N’ ROLL CAMP SHOWCASES, BABY, YEAH! —Leah Miller, Olivia Scibelli
Kesha with Old Crow — a dream I didn’t know I had. —Ale Delgado
The Ben Eyestone memorial show at The 5 Spot. —Alex Caress, Todd Sherwood, Larissa Maestro
Big Boi, with myself and The Street Band Clan opening. —Rashad tha Poet
Boy Harsher with Hold, Erika Gluck and Serration Pulse. —Katie Banyay
Both Spewfests! —Alex Mojaverian
I’ve never felt so alive as when I saw Paramore at the Ryman. It reminded me why I started music. —R.LUM.R
The Jag comeback show at Mercy Lounge. —Taylor Cole, Samantha Zaruba
Cold Lunch Black Out. —Gary Branigan, Caroline Bowman, Jenna Mitchell
She’s a Rebel 3: A Girl Group Tribute Show. —Ariel Bui, Heather Lose, Larissa Maestro, Tiffany Minton
Not really a show, but my favorite event is the open-mic cypher every Tuesday at Bearded Iris Brewery. —AL-D
The Drkmttr comeback shows. DIY isn’t dead, sometimes it just takes a nap. —Kathryn Edwards
311 and Pilfers at Marathon Music Works was slightly better than Far Out Fest. —Mikey Owen
Getting to see Jessi, Emmett and Oakley Wariner and Linwood Regensburg play a few songs in the middle of the Art & Soul exhibit was a pretty special and inspiring moment. —Jonathan Marx
Southern Girl Sundays hosted by Soulman Snipes. —Virghost
Kool Keith at The Basement East; The Jesus Lizard at Cannery. —Brian Siskind
Kendrick Lamar at Bridgestone Arena. —Sam Smith, Jerry Pentecost
Pile with Gnarwhal and Husband Stitch at Drkmttr. —Cam Sarrett
Daniella Mason with EZA and Jessie Early at The High Watt. It was a full-blown laser-light show featuring some of Nashville’s best pop acts performing for an over-capacity crowd. —Liz Meade
Bermuda Triangle’s debut, or Patrick Sweany with Aaron Lee Tasjan, Little Bandit and Brian Wright during AmericanaFest. —Terry Rickards
The one the kids put together on their own and didn’t invite you to because you’d narc. —Jesse Rhew
Respondents:
Mike Ackley and Karl Merkley: musicians, Lawndry
AL-D: founder and host, Meant for the Milk Crate; host, The Fringe Radio Show on WRFN
Kari Ames: WXNA DJ; founder, Far Out Nashville
Sarah Bandy: executive director, YEAH!; member of Hula Hi-Fi, Lady Condor, Melissa Drone Harp
Katie Banyay: bass for Idle Bloom, Stone Jack Jones and Utopia Brigade
Gary Branigan: Cold Lunch Recordings
Caroline Bowman: Cold Lunch Recordings; Vinyl Tap; your biggest fan
Ariel Bui: musician; activist; founder, Melodia Studio; host, Hello Hooray on WXNA
Beth Cameron: recovering musician, Forget Cassettes, Ponychase
Alex Caress: frontman, Little Bandit
Chris Cobb: co-owner, Exit/In and Marathon Music Works
Taylor Cole: talent buyer, The East Room; frontman, Tayls; drums, Creature Comfort
Jared Corder: performer, *repeat repeat
Ale Delgado: cassette hoarder, Infinity Cat
Evan P. Donohue: front of house, Margo Price; vocals, Moruga Scorpio
Michael Eades: YK Records; We Own This Town
Kathryn Edwards: show mom; Drkmttr collective co-wrangler; music booking bae
Jeremy Ferguson: Battle Tapes Recording; earth human; hobby napper
Mike Floss: musician
Joseph Hudak: senior editor, Rolling Stone Country
Chappy Hull: guitar and vocals, Gnarwhal, Shell of a Shell; Drkmttr volunteer
Heather Lose: WXNA co-founder and board president; idealist
Maddy Madeira: member, Sallow, Thirdface; Drkmttr volunteer
Larissa Maestro: member, Poly, My So-Called Band; co-founder, Nashville Concerto Orchestra
Kent Marcus: partner, Marcus & Colvin, entertainment law firm
Jonathan Marx: DJ, WXNA; member emeritus, Lambchop; general chump
Liz Meade: founder, Elizabeth Meadia
Jenna Mitchell: bass, Daddy Issues
Alex Mojaverian: drums, Sad Baxter
Leah Miller: co-director, YEAH!; graphic designer; musician
Tiffany Minton: drummer; music educator
Robert Ellis Orrall: producer; Infinity Cat guy; band dad
Mikey Owen: bass, Ascent of Everest, Lawndry; Master of Scaremonies, Boo Dudes
Jerry Pentecost: drummer; DJ; style coach
Steve Poulton: Taurus
Zachary Prosser: artist/songwriter/producer, Z; existential jester
Rashad tha Poet Rayford: actor/soul conveyor; hip-hop/jazz-hop
Jesse Rhew: dictator for life at RudeTech Guitar Effects; thrall of the Boo Dudes
Terry Rickards: talent buyer, The Basement and The Basement East
R.LUM.R: musician; songwriter; P.O.C.; anime fan; Tekken enthusiast
Cam Sarrett: distribution, Third Man Records; drums, Big Surr
Olivia Scibelli: member, Idle Bloom, Husband Stitch; Drkmttr volunteer
Todd Sherwood: dude of all operations, The 5 Spot
Brian Siskind: beatmaker, Beat Hollow Records; filmmaker, Those Drones; co-host, Art Fight Club podcast
Sam Smith: drummer; producer; album-cover designer
Weston Sparks: drums, Idle Bloom
Chris Sunday: manager, Bedlam Music Management
Deezy Violet: musician; the “Sad” in Sad Baxter
Virghost: rapper; founder and organizer, Villematic showcase; member, Capitol Minds
Tyler Walker: member, Meth Dad; producer; performer; party starter
Samantha Zaruba: CEO, LunaSea Media; semi-professional music lover
