30th Annual Review Music Awards - Top Five Finalist Nominees & Final Voting Round

The Final Round of voting in the Review’s 30^th Annual Music Awards Ceremony is now underway.  During the nomination round we had a total of 6,986 votes cast for all categories and divisions during the nominating round.  And now is your opportunity to determine the top selection for each division by going to our online edition at www.review-mag.com and casting your vote in the finals.

The total number of artists nominated in each division is noted beneath each category; and only the top five nominees are listed in the finals, except for instances where a tie occurred.

The FINAL VOTING round will run until THURSDAY • MARCH 10th, which will determine the top artist in each division.

VERY IMPORTANT:  IF YOU ARE A NOMINATED ARTIST OR BAND PLEASE EMAIL YOUR ‘Snail Mail’ Postal MAILING ADDRESS (along with your e-mail address) to robert.review@gmail.com so that invitations for the ceremony can be sent to you.    Also please include the names of all members in your band.

Please Note: if you are already a registered user, you do not need to re-register to vote in the finals. If you’ve forgotten your password, simply click the ‘forgot password’ link. You should not vote for any awards or categories you aren’t familiar with. Winners will be honored at our special 30th Annual Review Music Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Wednesday, April 20^th at Lumber Baron’s in Bay City.

Miscellaneous

Best Radio Station
(Total Nominees: 8)
Z93
Q90.1 Delta College Public Radio
94.5 The Moose
97.3 JOE Fm
96.1

Best Music Festival
(Total Nominees: 9)
Dirtfest
Hairbilly
MARXFEST
Parkapalooza
#Kidstock

Best Recording Studio
(Total Nominees: 9) 
Reed Recording Co
Maple Hill Studios
Fire Hyena Recording Studio
Winchester Studios
Hott & Bothered Productions

Best Concert/Album or Project
(Total Nominees: 10) 
Counter Culture
Written In The Mitten
Hairbilly
Marxfest
Rocktropolis
Greta Van Fleet

Best Metal Band
(Total Nominees: 10) 
Crazy Babies
Polychromic
Rocktropolis
Shadow People
Severance

Best Videographer
(Total Nominees: 10) 
Bub Fish
Drake Whelton
Tyler Roggmann
Al Martinez
Charles Conley

Best Band Website
(Total Nominees: 10) 
Tweed & Dixie
RocktropolisMusic.com
MikeSpitzMusic.com
Donald Benjamin & Less Than Ordinary
Mandi Layne & The Lost Highway

Best Music Video
(Total Nominees: 11) 
Big Brother Smokes - In The Mood
Mike Spitz - Long Day
The Mongrels -  Saginaw
Hollow Man - The Tosspints
Kris Pride - 98 Pound Madonna
Clarity - Second Best

Best Waitress
(Total Nominees: 12) 
Erin - Log Cabin
Nikki Herron - Tavern 101
Rachel - Prost!
Kari Jean -  Stables
Heather Cory-  Drakes
Cydney Weiss - Hamilton St. Pub

Best CD Release
(Total Nominees: 12) 
Less Than Ordinary: Live at the Ryman
ADABOY!
Rocktropolis 3113
The Crushtones
The Mongrels 4383

Best Folk Band or Duo
(Total Nominees: 13) 
Tweed and Dixie LITe
Melissa May & Brian Coonan
Mel & Michelle
Ronnie James & Donald Benjamin
Joe Kidd & Sheila Burke

Best Variety Band
(Total Nominees: 15) 
Jedi Mind Trip
Avenue 5
The Hipakritz
Road Dawgz
23 North
Mama 'Mokey & The Smokey Lynx

Most Innovative Artist
(Total Nominees: 15)
Aaron Johnson
Andy Reed
Donald Benjamin
Mike Spitz
Pete Metropoulos (Rocktropolis)
Kris Pride Helm

Best Sound Technician
(Total Nominees: 16) 
Robyn Bailey-Grimsley
Carey Limberg
Pat Manke
John Lacross
Joe Christensen

Best Bartender
(Total Nominees: 16) 
Alex -  Log Cabin
Kristen - Whites Bar
Lindsey -  Stables
Nikki Herron (Tavern 101)
Ashley Houghtaling - Bay Shore Bar
Strez - Hamilton St Pub

Best New Artist of the Year
(Total Nominees: 17) 
Tweed & Dixie
ADABOY!
Mama 'Mokey & The Smokey Lynx
Severance
Torn Into

Best Alternative Band
(Total Nominees: 17) 
Black Flower Blossom
Distorted Waltz
Story Book
Brett Mitchel and the Giant Ghost
Big Brother Smokes
Sprout and the Orange

Best Solo Artist
(Total Nominees: 17)
Kris Pride Helm
Mike Spitz
Joe Gibson
Donald Benjamin
Aaron Johnson

Best Live Event of the Year
(Total Nominees: 18) 
Written in the Mitten
Counter Culture (re) Grand Opening
Parkapalooza
Saginaw On Stage
Marxfest
4th Annual Major Chords for Minors Benefit

Best Duo
(Total Nominees: 21) 
Mel Curry & Michelle O'Neil
Mandi Layne & Greg Kevorkian
The Rick -Tones
Melissa May & Brian Coonan
Ronnie James & Donald Benjamin

Best Original Band
(Total Nominees: 32)
Tweed &  Dixie
Black Flower Blossom
Mandi Layne & The Lost Highway
Donald Benjamin & Less Than Ordinary
Second System
Big Brother Smokes

Rock

Best Rock Video
(Total Nominees: 6) 
Big Brother Smokes - In The Mood
The Mongrels -  Saginaw
Gordy Garris Group - Runnin'Through the Streets
The Tosspints - Hollow Man
Chase Engel Band -  Michigan

Female Vocalist
(Total Nominees: 11) 
Melissa May
Izzy Rose
Honesty Elliot
Danielle Katsoulos (Road Dawgz)
Noel Howland

Favorite Rock Club
(Total Nominees: 11) 
Hamilton Street Pub
Bemos
B.B. Kanes Sawmill
Whites Bar
Machine shop

Rock Keyboardist
(Total Nominees: 15) 
Bob Holtzapple
Les Wilder
Noel Howland
Dave Banks
Mark Shelley
Rey Chingman
Tommy K

Best Rock Songwriter
(Total Nominees: 21) 
Melissa May
Bum Wardin (Big Brother Smokes)
Jim Walkowski
Aaron Johnson
Chase Engel
Mike Richards
Chris Zehnder
Justin O'KElly
Pete Metropoulos (Rocktropolis)

Male Vocalist
(Total Nominees: 22) 
Rick Maida
Patrick Brennan
Kurt Dahlburg
John Cudworth
Bum Wardin
Boyd Quinton

Rock Bassist
(Total Nominees: 25) 
Bruce LaFrance
Scott Egglefton
Rick Maida
Derrick Fisher
Joe Balbaugh

Best Rock Band
(Total Nominees: 28) 
Crazy Babies
Road Dawgz
Severance
The Hipakritz
Big Brother Smokes
Jupiter's Child
Distorted Waltz

Rock Guitarist
(Total Nominees: 30) 
Jason Culhane
Kurt Bahlburg (Road Dawgz)
Scott Van Dell
Matt Hyatt
Brian Coonan
Travis Wardin

Rock Drummer
(Total Nominees: 33)
Randy Lazarov
Doug Hetherington
Justin Clifford
Patrick Cherry
Tyler Johnson
Jeff Douglas

Rap/Hip Hop

Best Promoter
(Total Nominees: 2) 
Sarah Parker
Damon DuBois (ISMA)

Best Mixtape / Release
(Total Nominees: 3) 
Kill Em All Social Club
Freshly Snipes - Love Me or Hate Me
TruthJones - Greedy State of Mind

Best Producer
(Total Nominees: 7) 
Phil Thon
Sneak Beatz
Double R
Kevin Quoss
Adam Santoya

Rap/Hip Hop Artist of the Year
(Total Nominees: 8) 
Mike Spitz
TruthJones
HBK Boom
PO-LOC
Meko Supreme
Emcee Gyp$y Thief

Best Rap/Hip Hop Songwriter
(Total Nominees: 8) 
Mike Spitz
Seth Patrick
Meko Supreme
TruthJones
Emcee Gyp$y Thief
Jacob Essex

Best DJ
(Total Nominees: 9) 
D.J. ODIE
DJ Junior PeepShow Ent.
DJ Snakes
Lightnin Licks Vinyl Preservation Society
Campus Legend
Tim Morningstar - Morningstar ent.
DJ Fade

Best Performer
(Total Nominees: 9) 
Astray
Mike Spitz
TruthJones
OJ The King
Count Dollaz of YungDay1

Country

Best Country Video
(Total Nominees: 2) 
Steve Armstrong - Her Tail Lights
Lonny Ray-That Summer Again

Favorite Country Club
(Total Nominees: 5) 
Stables
Willew Lounge
Tool Shed
Whites Bar
702 Bar

Country Female Vocalist
(Total Nominees: 7) 
Mandi Layne
Dani Vitany
Danielle Katsoulos (Road Dawgz)
Laurie Middlebrook
Sheila Burke

Best Country Band
(Total Nominees: 11) 
Tweed & Dixie
Road Dawgz
Mandi Layne & The Lost Highway
Deadman Serenade
Steve Armstrong & The 25 Cent Beer Band
Jen Cass & The Lucky Nows

Country Songwriter
(Total Nominees: 12)
Mandi Layne & Greg Kevorkian
Donald Benjamin
Matt Ryan & Randy Badour
Barry Forster
Billy Gunther
Chris Zehnder
Jen Cass

Country Male Vocalist
(Total Nominees: 12) 
Donald Benjamin
Kurt Dahlburg (Road Dawgz)
Barry Forster
Greg Kevorkian
Joe Kidd
Billy Gunther
Steve Armstrong

Best Country Musician
(Total Nominees: 19) 
Bob Holtzapple
Greg Kevorkian
Rick Maida
Ronnie James
Barry Forster

Jazz

Favorite Jazz Club
(Total Nominees: 2) 
Brooklyn Boyz
Spencers Route 46

Best Big Band
(Total Nominees: 2) 
Baytown Big Band
SAYJE

Female Jazz Vocalist
(Total Nominees: 3) 
Monique Ella Rose
Alisha Wisniewski
Kristine Goodwin

Best Small Combo
(Total Nominees: 4) 
Jim Pagel Trio
Straight 8s
Bryan Rombalski & Three Worlds
Standard Session

Jazz Songwriter
(Total Nominees: 5) 
Jim Pagel
Bryan Rombalski
Kristine Goodwin
Timothy Jay Ross
Darin Scott

Best Jazz Musician
(Total Nominees: 8)
Jim Pagel
Scott VanDell
Darin Scott
James Besaw
Sean Drysdale
Bryan Rombalski

Blues

Favorite Blues Club
(Total Nominees: 4) 
Bemo’s
Whites Bar
Slo Bones
Scotty’s Sandbar

Best Funk Band
(Total Nominees: 4) 
Soul Xpress Band
Sprout and the Orange
The Temperpadics
The Elements of Funk

Blues Instrumentalist
(Total Nominees: 5) 
Hooker Man
Larry McCray
Craig Ziegler
Mario Turner
Eric Janetsky

Best Blues Band
(Total Nominees: 5) 
23 North
Bluesmobile
Larry McCray Band
Ike Beehr and The Blues Guise
The Lucky Nows

Blues Songwriter
(Total Nominees: 4) 
Bob Charlebois
Bob Wall
Kyle Mayer
Timothy Jay Ross

Female Blues Vocalist
(Total Nominees: 7) 
Sharrie Williams
Lady Love (Laverne Wilkins)
Helen Hendrick
Monique Ella Rose
Luann Erving

Male Blues Vocalist
(Total Nominees: 8) 
Matt Nyquist
Bob Charlebois
Eric Johnson
Kyle Mayer
Ike Beehr
Eric Middlebrooks
Dan Thorp