Heavy-duty effort
Winners of six Portland Music Awards are Geno’s regulars
If your favorite band appear regularly on the stage pictured here, they seem to have had a pretty solid advantage when it came to winning a Portland Music Award this year. Two bands waged aggressive write-in campaigns that beat the nominees and won themselves first-time top honors in three categories. And three other Geno’s bands fended off the competition to win the categories they had been nominated in.
This is a tight, friendly town. But the loyalty spawned at Geno’s is legend even here, with a strong community of fans, bands, as staff who both epitomize what Portland’s scene is, and show us possible futures. It’s just another reminder to check out the clubs you aren’t a regular at; see what you learn.
Two thinkgs we do know, as we announce the winners of our 10th annual Portland Music Awards: 1) Next year, the voting campaigns will be even fiercer than this year (in which you, the readers, set a new record for votes cast, tripling the previous record!); and 2) Portland is on notice that powerhouse rock plus PBR equals serious popularity.
Of course, we have to point out some repeats by past winners — including Rustic Overtones, who won two awards in our first Best Music Poll, back in 2000. Other past favorites winning again include Pete Kilpatrick, Sly-Chi, Paranoid Social Club, and Jason Spooner.
But comparing this year’s list of winners to the past ones, the difference is clear: whatever that crew up at Geno’s is drinking, it’s the right stuff.
_Jeff Inglis, managing editor
Presented By
