Festival daze
Everyone left the inaugural SN&R Music Fest bushed but in high spirits—and the area’s most outstanding musicians went home with hardware
Was it some kind of bad joke that Latin groove band Sol Peligro kicked off the inaugural SN&R Music Fest? Their name literally means “sun danger,” and Saturday was the hottest day of 2009. We can laugh now, of course, because Sunday was even hotter.
Anyway, evidently nothing chills things out like cumbia beats and a quartet of brass horns, because as soon as Sol Peligro finished, Ninth Street’s towering U.S. Bank building cast welcome shade on the all-day festival in Cesar Chavez Plaza. Thirteen more local acts performed: Hip-hop troupe Righteous Movement collaborated with truckin’ Americana band Light Rail; metal outfit Category 7 had revelers disrobing; and thank God everyone kept their clothes on for teen band Dog Party. Shaun Slaughter deejayed for a crazy six hours, which must be some kind of record.
And at the end of the day, when emcees Miss Ashleigh, Big Sammy and Clay Nutting handed out the Sammies hardware, the local music scene had one of those “aww, shucks” very Sac moments. And hot damn, even Mom won a Sammie.
2009 Sacramento Area Music Award winners
Outstanding Emcee
Random Abiladeze
Outstanding Rock
Middle Class Rut
Outstanding Punk/Hardcore
Final Summation
Outstanding Hard Rock/Metal
Man Automatic
Prieta
Outstanding Hip-hop/Rap
Righteous Movement
Outstanding Turntablist
DJ Epik
Outstanding Jazz/Blues/Latin
Ross Hammond
Outstanding Indie
The New Humans
Outstanding Country/Americana/Folk
Light Rail
Outstanding Experimental
Mom
Outstanding Singer-Songwriter
Be Brave Bold Robot
Outstanding Teen Band
Red Wire Army
Outstanding Reggae/Ska/Funk/Jam
Arden Park Roots
Outstanding Pop
Agent Ribbons
Outstanding Electronica
Tha Fruitbat
Outstanding Dance Deejay
DJ Whores
Outstanding Hip-hop Producer
Jae Synth
Outstanding Sacramento Band
Middle Class Rut
Outstanding Release of 2009
MC Rut, Middle Class Rut