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Photos: Smashing Pumpkins at the Wang Theatre

Live Reviews

’S no joke

The announcement of the Phoenix/FNX Best Music Poll nominees provided a convenient excuse to get some of our favorite names from the local music scene together, and the scene didn’t let us down: a roomful of local nominees and friends made it to the Paradise last Wednesday.

Braving the April snowstorm were Ad Frank (nominated as Best Male Singer), Monique Ortiz (Best Singer-Songwriter), Dominique Eade (Best Jazz Act), the World’s Greatest Sinners (Blues), and no fewer than four nominees as Best Female Vocalist: Anna Price (Silver Lining), Jordan Valentine (World’s Greatest Sinners), Heidi Saperstein (SnowLeopards), and Jennifer de la Osa (Aloud). Also in the house were a handful of writers and two of my favorite band managers, Mark Kates (Mission of Burma) and Michael Creamer (Kay Hanley). And I can already name the biggest loser in the room: the newly svelte Planetary Group promotions honcho Adam Lewis, whose diet and gym regimen have lost him 166 pounds in the past year.

Five of our Best DJ/Dance Act nominees (no Porsches on the Autobahn) were on hand to provide music. As a fan of Northern soul, I had to admire the obscure nuggets picked by PJ Grey (who spins at ZuZu’s Soul-a-lujah nights). Maybe someday he’ll reveal where he got that Spanish version of “Reach Out, I’ll Be There.” There were also the eclectic mixes thrown out by Red Foxxworth (whose set took in everything from deep house to “Another Brick in the Wall”) and Baltimoroder. DJ-C of Beat Research had the widest palette, using bass lines to draw together short snippets of world, punk, easy listening, and anything else he could find.

Many of the guests hadn’t known they were nominated till they turned up. “Every year I’d see the nominees and notice I wasn’t there,” noted Saperstein, who’s been making good music for nearly 10 years. “So I have to say I’m a little touched to be here now.” This, on the other hand, from the ever-quotable Jordan Valentine: “If I’d known we’d be nominated in two categories, I’d have asked for twice as many drink tickets.”

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