The 2020 Dallas Observer Music Award Winners

2020 is over at last, and we have more than one thing to celebrate with the end of the year: The time has come to announce the winners of the 2020 Dallas Observer Music Awards.

Traditionally, we celebrate our awards with a music showcase and a balls-out ceremony, but, our plans to host such an event were thwarted. (Sit tight until that vaccine hits the market — we'll party so dirty that you'll need a different kind of shot the next day.) This doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t announce our award winners in the meantime.

In a music scene ravaged with COVID losses and closures, we didn’t need to rummage too deeply to find some gems through the wreckage — this year’s DOMA winners would’ve stood out any year.

We’ve also included special awards for the pandemic heroes of the music scene — a few industry people who have done their share to uplift the community in difficult times.

Here are the 2020 Dallas Observer Music Award winners:

Best Album
Winner: Spinnin', Bastards of Soul
Cashmere Don, Jayson Lyric
Exit, Def Rain
Glad You Made It, Joshua Ray Walker
Quiet Lives, Garrett Owen
Vanishing Light in the Tunnel of Dreams, Yells at Eels and Pinkish Black
WAR, Medicine Man Revival

Best Americana
Winner: Justin Pickard & the Thunderbird Winos
Nicholas Altobelli
Kristy Kruger
New Ellum
Garrett Owen
Texicana

Best Bassist
Winner: Kevin Butler
Dave Farrell
Braylon Lacy
Jeffrey "Grits" Lewis
Mike Luzecky
Wes Stephenson

Best Blues Act
Winner: Nick Snyder & The Real Deal
Jack Barksdale
Elm St. Blues
Michael Lee
Holland K. Smith
Tin & Tonic

Best Brass/Wind Player
Winner: Gaika James (trombone)
Brianna Compton (tuba)
Sarah Hatler (trombone)
Jonathan Mones (saxophone)
Kazunori Tanaka (trumpet)
Matt Thelen (saxophone)

Best Country Act
Winner: Meredith Crawford
Bill Brimer
Tommy Luke
Squeezebox Bandits
Joshua Ray Walker
Austin Waymire

Best Cover Band
Winner: Panic
Krautstein
Mobscene
Mr. Self Destruct
The Battle of Evermore: A Led Zeppelin Experience
The Gorehounds

Best DJ
Winner: Mike B
Sarah Battle
Jay Clipp
Red Eye
DJ Inzo/Feezy
Christy Ray

Best Drummer
Winner: JD Beck
Gino "LockJohnson" Inglehart
Cedric Moore
Max Oepen
Brandon Price
Jackie Whitmill Jr.

Best Electronic Act
Winner: Blixaboy
China Club
Cygnus
Fissionary
Smoking With Strangers
Welcome Center

Best EP
Winner: COTY, Coach Tev 3
Before You Leave, Deep Red
Immortals, Bayleigh Cheek
It's an OK Life, Kyoto Lo-Fi 2
LV Tape Vol. 1, LaVoyce
Slide, Willo

Best Experimental/ Noise Act
Winner: Seres
Allison Janney
MATTIE
M'ress
Pinkish Black
SRSQ

Best Funk/ R&B
Winner: LaVoyce
Bree & The Fellas
Loners Club
Kaash Paige
TryMore MOJO
Angel White

Best Group Act
Winner: Ottoman Turks
Bastards of Soul
Brave Little Howl
Frances Heidy
Go-Go Rillas
Kyoto Lo-Fi

Best Guitarist
Winner: Mark Lettieri
Jason Bucklin
Scottie LePage
Kingston Livingston
Stone Mecca
Ally Venable

Best Jazz Act
Winner: Randy McGill & Eclectic
Big Ass Brass Band
Peter Rioux Trio
Kwinton Gray Project
La Pompe
Song Dynasty

Best Live Music Series
Winner: Front Yard Concerts
Art Yard at Deep Ellum Art Co.
CarBaret Drive-In
Kessler Green
Last Ditch Drive-In
The Rustic

Best Livestream Series
Winner: Three Links
Lava Cantina
Marc Rebillet
Opening Bell Open Mic
Chad Stockslager
Sudie and Sober's Bedroom Boogie

Best Metal/ Hardcore
Winner: Power Trip
Creeping Death
Doomfall
Frozen Soul
Kólga
Phorids

Best Music Video
Winner: "I Still Can't Breathe," Jui$e Leroy
"Close," MATTIE
"I Don't Wanna Die Tonight," These Machines Are Winning
"Just Wait," ManifestiV
"Tomorrow Ain't Promised," Chilldren of Indigo
"Voodoo," XO and Nine

Best New Artist
Winner: Jacks Haupt
Crisman
Duche$$
Bayleigh Cheek
Ego Jones
Penny & Dime

Best Pianist/ Keyboardist
Winner: Thiago X. Nascimento
Kwinton Gray
Ginny Mac
Adam Pickrell
Paul Slavens
Eric Willis

Best Pop Act
Winner: Larry g(EE)
Big Heaven
Abby Cole
Danielle Grubb
LO
Taylor Young Band

Best Producer/Engineer
Winner: Morgan Matthews
Zach Balch
Jason Burt
John Pedigo
Adam Pickrell
Billy Syn

Best Punk Act
Winner: The Scandals TX
Bad Sports
Narrow Head
Noogy
Rei Clone
Thyroids

Best Radio Show/ Podcast
Winner: Da Realist Radio
De Colores Radio
Mostly Local with Michael Briggs, KUZU
The Corpsepaint Show, On-Air Media
The Local Show with Amy Miller, KXT
Underground Kings, RadioUTD

Best Rap/Hip-Hop Act
Winner: Jayson Lyric
Evry Day Tony
FlowerChild
Honie Gold
Sincerely, Esco
Willo

Best Rap/Hip-Hop Producer
Winner: Monstah Beats
Donny Domino
JWhiteDidIt
Oktober 1st
Shun On Da Beat
Reezy Tunez

Best Record Label
Winner: PAEME/GMG
Dolfin Records
Dreamy Life
E- World
Flint Creek Records
Triptych Records

Best Record Store
Winner: Red Zeppelin
Born Late Records
Josey Records
Truth Vinyl
T-Town Music
ZT Records

Best Rock/ Hard Rock Act
Winner: Kyoto Lo-Fi
BULLS
Great Heart
Record Setter
The Infamists
Ting Tang Tina

Best Solo Act
Winner: LeRoyce
Cody Lynn Boyd
EBO
Jacks Haupt
Sara King
LaVoyce

Best Song
Winner: "Lady," Dezi 5
"10-15," Sub-Sahara
"Autumn Leaves," Flower Child
"Can't Say," Brave Little Howl
"Driving Me Crazy," Jayson Lyric
"Then You Met Me," The Deathray Davies

Best Songwriter
Winner: Joshua Ray Walker
Grand Commander
Tony Ferraro
LaVoyce
Bobby Sessions
Cameron Smith

Best Talent Buyer/ Promoter/ Booker
Winner: Galaxy 9
13th Floor Music
Das Glue Entertainment
Margin Walker
Premier Live Experience
Regina Bugarin Booking

Best Venue
Winner: Double Wide
Dan's Silverleaf
Deep Ellum Art Co.
Revelers Hall
The Nines
Three Links

Best Vocalist
Winner: Damoyee
Paul Cauthen
Key Latrice
LaVoyce
Jade Nickol
Keite Young

And this year's Pandemic Hero Award recipients are:
Hyancith Belcher
Mike Brooks
Edwin Cabaniss
Kim Finch
Jay Gavit
Norman Roscoe (Eric Pulido and Ranger Ewing)