WPGU/Buzz Local Music Awards Nominees

BEST FEMALE ARTIST

Angie Heaton
Angie Heaton has been a part of the Champaign-Urbana music scene since approximately three days after the dawn of time. Angie has been a part of many great local bands, including Corndolly, Liquorette and the Tractor Kings. In addition to this, she is also an accomplished solo artist. She has released two albums on MUD (Calamities and Restitution, Sparkle) and her newest record (Let it Ride) was released through Parasol. You can currently catch Angie playing her country-western tinged music with The Gentle Tamers.

Joni Laurence
Singer-songwriter Joni Laurence strayed from the styles of her previous two records with this year’s Thrashbag Birdie in which she pushes the boundaries of the folk genre with upbeat tempos and even electric guitar. A native of Quincy, Ill., and former University employee, she released Thrashbag Birdie last year on Browntown Records. Laurence has also been showcased in Writers in the Round and was recently in town performing at the Virginia Theater with Patty Larkin and Catie Curtis. Laurence is currently on tour in the Northwest with Rachel Garlin, but will make her way back to Champaign-Urbana this May.

Kayla Brown
Former member and founder of the teen-punk group Feaze, when she was just 13, Kayla Brown currently brings her brand of folk music to the Boltini Lounge every Thursday night. She was also featured at the Writers in the Round this past October.

Dawna Nelson
Known for her powerful, intense vocals, Dawna Nelson brings her talent to a number of blues groups in the Champaign-Urbana area, including The Impalas and Bruiser and the Virtues. Nelson has been involved in music since the age of seven when her and her family’s band, Gator Alley, relocated to Illinois from Florida. Currently she is lending her talents to a jazz combo with Peter Roubal and Ed Schaller.

Kate Hathaway
Kate Hathaway has been playing and writing music since the age of 13. Kate exudes energy and a broad range of emotion with each of her performances. She creates songs about love, self discovery and everyday life. Kate released a three-song EP entitled One, Two, Three in 2003 and is currently working on a full-length album in addition to playing locally, Kate has toured as far as Austin to share the stage with Fastball.

BEST DJ

DJ Delayney
Working with hip-hop, soul and dancehall tracks, Delayney creates a sound much funkier than the originals, bringing out the crowds in the process.

DJ Limbs
In addition to heading up the UC HipHop Congress, Limbs has a residency Wednesday at Boltini, where he’ll turn your head and keep you moving with hip-hop, soul and dance.

DJ Resonate
Resonate rocks out up-tempo music, seamlessly shifting from classic hip hop to rock cuts. Catch him every Saturday at Mike & Molly’s.

DJ Tim Williams
As resident DJ at the Highdive, Tim spins classic and cutting-edge tracks all night, everything from top-40 to disco. Check him out Fridays and Saturdays.

DJ Bozak
Bozak’s music meanders through the highlights of the ’80s, ’90s and outer space and seeks to shift how people perceive the music they listen to. He also works as a producer and a radio host for WEFT-FM’s “Needle Drops” and can even be seen playing at an art museum!

BEST ROCK BAND
(The other nominees appeared in last weeks issue)

Lorenzo Goetz
Described with terms like “American Britpop” and “The Beatles meet Sublime,” Lorenzo Goetz is hard to pin down. Ignoring the iconic status of leader Larry Gates, the band’s groovy sound stirs up retro and foreign sounds, fuzzy bass and reggae rhythms, while it is equally friendly to both new and old listeners. The band’s most recent album, Jesus Elephant, contains plenty more catchy tracks. This is a band a few steps away from taking over the world.

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