ACOUSTIC MUSICIAN
Derek Sallmann
A breezy pop songwriter with a sweet voice and an Ed Sheeran-esque ear for melody, Derek Sallmann has spent the past few years playing the local festival circuit, with performances at Wisconsin State Fair, Summerfest and Bastille Days. Relentlessly upbeat, he sings of young love, good times and a better world on his chipper 2016 album All Seasons. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: August Battles Jay Matthes Keanen Kopplin
ALT COUNTRY
Road Crew
Though they aren’t alt-country in the traditional No Depression/Uncle Tupelo sense of the term, the Milwaukee cover band Road Crew puts their own spin on the classic and modern country hits that they cover, infusing them with rock ’n’ roll energy. They’re one of the region’s busiest country cover acts, playing dozens of shows a year all around southeastern Wisconsin. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Bella Cain Jay Matthes Driveway Thriftdwellers
BLUES BAND
Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys
Milwaukee blues fans shouldn’t be too surprised by this pick. Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys have run the table in this category for years, thanks to the dedicated following they’ve built up from playing just about every major blues festival in the region. They prefer their blues with a hard edge, slathering their songs in electric guitar and roaring harmonica. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: J. Ryan Trio Altered Five Andrew Koenig Band
CHORAL GROUP
Master Singers of Milwaukee
Overcoming competition such as the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Chant Claire and the Bel Canto Chorus is no mean feat. Now in their 45th season, the Master Singers of Milwaukee are clearly making themselves heard. Music Director Eduardo García-Novelli brings out the best from this talented group of vocal musicians from the greater Milwaukee area through his rich and detailed music background. Master Singers of Milwaukee has a four-concert season with each concert performed twice—normally in different venues—thus, no doubt, boosting their obviously growing reputation. (John Jahn)
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Runners-up: Chant Claire Chamber Choir Bel Canto Milwaukee Symphony Chorus
CLASSICAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Although southeastern Wisconsin can now boast numerous talented classical music instrumental and vocal ensembles, the “big boy on the block” continues to tower over the Shepherd’s “Best of” category like a colossus. Understandably so. The MSO is one of the nation’s finest orchestras, and its reputation has only grown over the decades since its founding in 1959. Its legacy of world-class music director-conductors and full-time professional musicians performing more than 135 classical, pops, family education and community concerts every season in venues statewide mean that the MSO’s the go-to ensemble for a first-rate live orchestral music experience. (John Jahn)
Runners-up: Present Music Sorkin Institute of Chamber Music Philomusica String Quartet
CLUB DJ
DJ Shawna
DJ Shawna learned from the best. Some of her earliest gigs were at Walker’s Pint in the mid-’00s, opening for Milwaukee’s late DJ Rock Dee, and she shares Dee’s gift for working crowds. These days her reach extends far beyond Walker’s Pint—she performs her houses mixes at clubs all over the city, and has become a favorite of local sports teams, spinning for the Brewers, the Bucks and the Marquette women’s basketball team. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: DJ Breezy Antics DJ King James
COVER/TRIBUTE BAND
Almighty Vinyl
As their name suggests, Almighty Vinyl’s preferred style of music predates the CD era. The band has made the music of the ’70s in particular their calling card, covering hits by The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty and Santana, among many others. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: FM Rodeo The Toys The Cheap Shots
ELECTRONIC ARTIST
GGOOLLDD
No Milwaukee band wears glamour quite as well at GGOOLLDD. Fronted by singer Margaret Butler, who often takes the stage in some combination of capes, sequins and spandex,
the band pairs their peppy yet wistful songs with a dramatic electronic pulse. This winter they released their latest EP, Teeth, another five songs of shimmering, rafter-scaling pop that features their biggest single yet, “Undercovers,” a song sure to be a staple of local playlists for years to come. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: LUXI Theodore Elektrk RCKT PWR
GUITARIST
Joey Carini has always gravitated toward some of the showier styles of guitar. Inspired by hotshots like Jimmy Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck, Carini also credits some of his technique to local guitar hero Greg Koch, whom he took lessons under. These days when Carini isn’t playing guitar (most notably in the Led Zeppelin tribute band No Quarter), he’s teaching it. He currently provides guitar and bass lessons to more than two dozen students. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Theodore Koth Andrew Koenig Greg Koch Aaron Jellish
JAZZ MUSICIAN
Ellen Winters
Milwaukee jazz singer Ellen Winters modeled her style after some of the greats, including Ella Fitzgerald and Rosemary Clooney, both of whom she’s covered in popular tribute programs. A frequent Wisconsin Area Music Industry Award nominee, Winters also teaches a variety of workshops for aspiring jazz and musical theater singers. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Carlos Adames Ryan Janscha Steve Peplin
METAL BAND
It Bleeds
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Milwaukee metal upstarts It Bleeds beat out some true heavyweights in this category—not bad for a band that just put out its first demo this summer. Though it runs just four songs and less than 15 minutes, their debut demo teases the band’s vision, combining doomy riffs and prog-rock guitars over whiplash drums. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Lokke Lithic These Fading Visions
RAP/HIP-HOP ARTIST
soundcloud.com/websterx
WebsterX
After several years of escalating hype, including some big singles that extended his fanbase well beyond the city, WebsterX came through in a big way with his official debut album, Daymares. Highlighted by his blustery flow and unusual melodic instincts, the record details WebsterX’s struggles with depression with unusual bluntness, ultimately celebrating his triumph over it. Packaged with some of WebsterX’s most massive singles yet, it’s one of last year’s most inspiring hip-hop records. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: November Criminals Vincent VanGREAT Opis
RAP/HIP-HOP PRODUCER
Klassik
Right out the gate Klassik established himself as one of the Milwaukee rap scene’s elite producers, a musical savant as versed in jazz and soul as he is in hip-hop and electronic music.
Even without a new album out, Klassik had a big 2017 that saw him play an array of memorable solo shows and curate the mammoth A Tribe Called Quest tribute “Tribe Uncovered” at Turner Hall Ballroom. Few local musicians, rap or otherwise, rival his ambition. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Vincent VanGREAT VZ Q The Sun
ROCK BAND
Never Doubt The Worm
It’s hard to forget a Never Doubt The Worm show. In the spirit of Cheap Trick and AC/DC, the band performs in matching prep school outfits. It’s a fittingly silly gimmick for a frequently silly band: The group’s alt-rock draws liberally from the rumble and roar of modern metal music, but it’s filled with mirth and whimsy. They prove it’s possible to be heavy without taking yourselves too seriously. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Well-Known Strangers Abby Jeanne Stories for Strangers
VOCALIST—FEMALE
Betsy Ade
Formerly the frontwoman for the regional alt-rock band Rainy Day Crush, Betsy Ade currently fronts the Well-Known Strangers, a band that puts an assertive, modern-country spin on classic ’90s alternative sounds. Throw a prominent cello into the mix and you have a sound that requires a bold voice to hold it altogether, and Ade fits that bill. The band puts her resolute voice front and center. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Alison Helf Abby Jeanne Lauryn Reiterman
VOCALIST—MALE
Adam Fettig
Between his country band FM Rodeo and his occasional solo performances, Adam Fettig keeps a full schedule. It’s easy to see why so many country fans seek him out: His hearty voice has the same breezy, easygoing quality of so many of commercial country’s biggest stars of the moment. And for a guy born in the Midwest, he makes the twang in his voice sound mighty natural. (Evan Rytlewski)
Runners-up: Josh Quinn Jay Matthes Rich Hoffman
