On Jan. 31, 2016, the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards winners will be announced at the 19th-annual ceremony/show/party at Covington’s Madison Theater. Today we are happy to announce the nominees for the CEAs, which are presented by CityBeat and honor Greater Cincinnati’s rich and eclectic music scene.
Again this year, the public was invited to submit nominee suggestions via an online ballot; a list of the top vote-getters in each category was given to members of the CEA nominating committee for consideration. The committee, which features local music writers, club owners, radio DJs and others, helped decide the final slate of nominees in the genre categories, as well as categories for Best Live Act, Singer/Songwriter and Best Music Vide (which are open to all genres). Public vote decides the winner of a majority of the categories; the nominating committee determines the winner of the Critical Achievement categories (Album of the Year, New Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year).
This year’s nominees include several artists who have previously been nominated (or won) CEAs, as well as numerous first-time nominees. Walk the Moon have scored two Artist of the Year CEAs in past years and return to the category after exploding internationally with its ubiquitous, Platinum-selling hit “Shut Up and Dance” and Talking is Hard album (both released towards the end of 2014). Singer/songwriter Jess Lamb, who kicked off 2015 by appearing as a contestant on American Idol (and is a previous CEA performer and nominee), earned five nominations, including her first Artist of the Year nod. Artist of the Year nominee Wonky Tonk (the Indie/Country guise of Jasmine Poole) also earned nominations in the Singer/Songwriter, Best Music Video and Country categories, following a 2015 that saw her Stuff We Leave Behind album earn widespread national acclaim. Perennial Hip Hop nominee Buggs tha Rocka, who has been working with indie Hip Hop legend Talib Kweli’s Javotti Media label and played the 2015 A3C Hip Hop fest in Atlanta and Cincinnati’s own Ubahn fest, earned his first Artist of the Year nomination.
First-time CEA nominees this year include Country artist Taylor Shannon, Jazz player/composer Brad Myers, Metal newcomers Casino Warrior and jazzy Soul/Pop ensemble Krystal Peterson & the Queen City Band.
The New Artist of the Year category (as well as other promising new performers) will again be spotlighted at CityBeat’s Best New Bands showcase at Bogart’s on Jan. 16. This year’s New Artist of the Year nominees are Dawg Yawp, Coconut Milk, The Skulx, Go Go Buffalo, JSPH and Mutlimagic. New Artist nominees from the 18th-annual awards program returning to the CEA ballot this year in a big way include Leggy, Honeyspiders and Noah Smith.
Public voting opens at noon on Monday, Dec. 21 here.
Bluegrass
Mamadrones
Ma Crow and the Lady Slippers
The Missy Werner Band
Rumpke Mountain Boys
Comet Bluegrass All-Stars
My Brother’s Keeper
Country
Jeremy Pinnell
Bulletville
Dallas Moore
Wonky Tonk
Noah Smith
Taylor Shannon
Folk/Americana
Arlo Mckinley & The Lonesome Sound
Willow Tree Carolers
Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle
Young Heirlooms
Honey & Houston
Wilder
World Music/Reggae
Elementree Livity Project
Baoku
The Cliftones
Queen City Silver Stars
Mayan Ruins
Know Prisoners
Rock
Mad Anthony
Wussy
Alone at 3AM
Lovecrush 88
Honeyspiders
Zebras in Public
Hard Rock/Metal
Electric Citizen
Ethicist
Moonbow
Lift The Medium
Casino Warrior
LiViD
Singer/Songwriter
Wonky Tonk (Jasmine Poole)
Jess Lamb
Kate Wakefield
Royal Holland (Matt Mooney)
Dallas Moore
Daniel Van Vechten
Indie/Alternative
Motherfolk
Us, Today
Daniel in Stereo
Jess Lamb
The Yugos
DAAP Girls
Punk/Post Punk
Leggy
The Slippery Lips
Tweens
Tiger Sex
The Z.G.s
Vacation
Blues
Noah Wotherspoon Band
Silver Pockets Trio
Kelly Richey
Sonny Moorman
Johnny Fink and The Intrusion
The Whiskey Shambles
R&B/Funk/Soul
The Almighty Get Down
Krystal Peterson and the Queen City Band
The Perfect Children
The Cincy Brass
Freekbass & the Bump Assembly
JSPH
Jazz
Brad Myers
Dan Karlsberg and the ’Nati Six
The Faux Frenchmen
Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
Blue Wisp Big Band
The Hot Magnolias
Hip Hop
Napoleon Maddox
Ilyas Nashid
Sleep
Buggs Tha Rocka
Abiyah
Mix Fox
Electronic
Moonbeau
Ethosine
Black Signal
Skeleton Hands
Playfully Yours
Umin
Best Live Act
Tiger Sex
The Whiskey Shambles
The Yugos
The Slippery Lips
Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle
The Cliftones
Honeyspiders
Noah Smith
Best Music Video
Molly Sullivan - "Before”
Jess Lamb - "Memories"
Automagik – “Pop Kiss”
Playfully Yours – “Colorvision”
Puck – “Ruined”
Electric Citizen – “Light Years Beyond”
Wonky Tonk – “Denmark”
"Denmark" by Wonky Tonk from Mopics on Vimeo.
Zebras in Public – “John Doe”
Critical Achievement Awards
Album Of The Year
Honeyspiders – Honeyspiders
Us, Today - T E N E N E M I E S
Dawg Yawp - Two Hearted
Honey & Houston – Barcelona
Jess Lamb - Circles
Noah Wotherspoon Band – Mystic Mud
Dan Karlsberg - The ’Nati 6
The Sundresses – This Machine Kills
New Artist Of the Year
Dawg Yawp
Coconut Milk
The Skulx
Go Go Buffalo
JSPH
Mutlimagic
Artist Of The Year
Leggy
Walk the Moon
Jess Lamb
Noah Smith
Wonky Tonk
Buggs tha Rocka
