Here at the Weekly, November means the beginning of Music Awards season! During the voting phase for Best Of 2025 in August, we asked you to nominate businesses and people in various categories, including local music, and you did not disappoint. When the special issue hit the stands in late September, we put the Readers’ Choice music results on ice. Along with your top choices, we added a few of our critic’s picks, and now it’s time to make your final votes. Without further ado, here are the #FWWMA25 nominees:
MUSIC AWARDS 2025 NOMINEES
Album
The nominees are 100 Monkeys and a Broken Clock by Itchy Ritchie & The Burnin’ Sensations, 300 by Christian Carlos Carvajal, Bait and Switch by The Spectacle, Gold & Rust by Cameron Smith & The Slings, Keep on Flowing by The Troumatics, Life in the Faust Lane by Joe Gorgeous, Power Lunch by Cool Jacket, Sippin’ Bourbon in Hell by Two Guys Walk Into a Bar, Superliminal by Flickerstick, and White Hot by LABELS,
Americana/Roots Band
The nominees are the Bronson Louis Band, Cut Throat Finches, Denver Williams & The Gas Money, Kendi Jean & The Velvet Smokeshow, and Two Guys Walk Into a Bar.
Avante Garde/Experimental Band
The nominees are A Fail Association, The Go-Go Rillas, The Liquid Sound Company, Rage Out Arkestra, and T.E.F. (Texas Expeditionary Force).
Bassist
The nominees are Amanda Brown (The Fender Benders), Chuck Brown (Ghost Roper), David Cross (The Flying Beets), Marcus Gonzales (Royal Sons), and Mike Pritchard (Two Guys Walk Into a Bar).
Blues Band
The nominees are Aurora Blue, EJ Mathews Band, The Fender Benders, James Hinkle Bluesband, and Playtown.
Country Artist
The nominees are Broke String Burnett, Counterfeit Cowboy, Cory Cross, Ghost Roper, Runaway Sky, and Summer Dean.
Cover/Tribute Band
The nominees are Barbara & The Dirty Shirleys, Bikini Whales (B-52s, Devo), Deja Vu, Guttersluts (Alice in Chains), Oatmeal Pizza (Nirvana), and Poo Live Crew.
DJ Artist
The nominees are Alkemyst, DJ Dogstyle, DJ Pibb, DJ TeK, and DJ Soft Cherry.
Drummer
The nominees are Breaun Bell (A Dangerous Affair), Eddie Dunlap (Rage Out Arkestra), Dan Elliot (The Troumatics), Felipe Rosales (Court Hoang & The Love Children), Javier Garza (Royal Sons), and Lionel Claxton (Barbara & The Dirty Shirleys).
Folk Act
The nominees are Theo Carancino, Simon Flory, Jacob Furr Band, Darrin Kobetich, and Tipps & Obermiller.
Guitarist
The nominees are Chad Beck (Royal Sons), Bird Brown (The Fender Benders), Heath Frazier (Betamax), Morris Holdahl (Cameron Smith & The Slings, Simon Flory), Bronson Louis, and Steffin Ratliff (Hotel Satellite, Sleepy Atlantis).
Hip-Hop Artist
The nominees are 88 Killa, Doc Strange, Fort Nox, ItsErnie, J/O/E, and SageMode Wrex.
Keyboardist
The nominees are Barbara Claxton (Barbara & The Dirty Shirleys), Maui Mang (Bikini Whales), Martin Morgan (Kollective Sound), Katie Robertson (Genini, Hot Knife), and Danny Ross (Playtown).
Latin Music Act
The nominees are Carolina Imperial, Latin Express, Mariachi Espuelas de Plata (North Side High School), Squeezebox Bandits, and Tejas Brothers.
Metal Band
The nominees are Born in Blood, Caddis, Gammacide, Iron Jaw, Ox Combine, Rotting Corpse, and The Spectacle.
New Band
The nominees are Dream Deleter, Ghost Roper, Horsepowers, Love Cuts, Runaway Sky, and Sheprador.
Pop Act
The nominees are Cavono, Darstar, Hayden Miller, Simone Nicole, and Phantomelo.
Producer
The nominees are Blake Barker, Clint Niosi, Rodney Parker, Jordan Richardson, Joe Tacke, Taylor Tatsch, and Nick Tittle.
Punk Band
The nominees are A Dangerous Affair, Ex-Regrets, Hen & The Cocks, LABELS, and Mean Motor Scooter.
R&B/Soul Group
The nominees are Bazurk da Bandit, Ladi Indika, Ben C Jones, Larry Lampkin, Legacy 4, and Retrophonics.
Regional Act
The nominees are Beyond Destiny, Brave Combo, Flickerstick, Michael King & The Icebreakers, The Vandoliers, and Wee-Beasties.
Rock Band
The nominees are Court Hoang & The Love Children, Hotel Satellite, Itchy Ritchie & The Burnin’ Sensations, The Me-Thinks, The Plum Boys, Royal Sons, Spring Palace, and The Troumatics.
Singer-Songwriter
The nominees are Mollie Danel, Ryker Hall, Jered Parker Harlan, Claire Hinkle, Taylor Craig Mills, and Cameron Smith.
Song
The nominees are “As If by Magic” by Itchy Richie & The Burnin’ Sensations, “Blood Mouth (Call It the Blues)” by Cameron Smith & The Slings, “Devil’s Game” by Two Guys Walk Into a Bar, “Sound the Alarm” by Court Hoang & The Love Children, “Sweet Things” by Runaway Sky, and “Who Is On the Outside” by The Troumatics.
Sound Engineer
The nominees are Cynthia Acebo, Clay Anderson, Blake Barker, Andre Edmondson, Brian Garcia, Joshua Jones, Mark Randall, Peter Weirenga, and Mel Willmann.
Video
The nominees are “Candy Coated” by A Dangerous Affair, “Let It Ride” by Denver Williams & The Gas Money, “The Loop” by The Plum Boys, “Matador” by Royal Sons, and “Queen’s Night Out” by Gregg A. Smith.
Female Vocalist
The nominees are Mollie Danel, Lisa Hardaway (Darstar), Claire Hinkle, Taylor LaCourse (Runaway Sky), Gabby Minton, Simone Nicole (Runaway Sky), Katie Robertson (Genini, Hot Knife), and Hilary Tipps (Tipps & Obermiller).
Male Vocalist
The nominees are Pete Gargiulo (Two Guys Walk Into a Bar), Taylor Jordan (A Dangerous Affair), Anthony LaRose (Qxotica), London Morris (Cavono), Blake Parish (Royal Sons), Nathan Waller (The Flying Beets).
Open-Mic Night
The nominees are The Cicada, Electric Starship Arcade, Gustos, The Mad Hatter, and Poop Deck.
Place to Hear Live Music
The nominees are The Cicada, Crystal Springs Hideaway, Maggie’s RR, Magnolia Motor Lounge, Our Taphouse, The Post, and Tulips FTW.
Go to FWWeekly.com/Music-Awards-Ballot-2025 and complete your ballot by midnight on Sun, Nov 30. Voting is limited to one ballot per person.
