The Bang Camaro Choir

Best MALE VOCALIST in BOSTON

Sometimes more really is more. At least that’s the philosophy that guitarists Alex Necochea and Bryn Bennett latched onto when they first went into the studio with a couple of big guitar riffs, a band name, and a mutual fondness for the operatic vocals of ’80s hard rockers. Rather than go out in search of a singer, they simply brought a whole bunch of singers together from bands they were friends with — Taxpayer, Bon Savants, Noble Rot, the Distinguished Members, and the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra — and turned simple lyrics (like “Bang Camaro”) into grand, operatic statements with multi-part harmonies to go along with muscular metallic guitar hooks. The results aren’t quite Jesus Christ Superstar. But they’re quite a bit grander than your average pop-metal band — sort of like Def Leppard on steroids. So this year, thanks to a little idea that’s grown into a monster rock band, our voters didn’t have to narrow the Best Local Male Vocalist down to one guy. Instead, some of the best singers from some of the best bands in town get to share in the glory.

— Matt Ashare

Runners-up
1. Ryan Walsh
2. Ad Frank
3. Eli “Paperboy” Reed