Hear all about the 14th annual New Times Music Awards winners 

If you were at SLO Brew Rock last Friday, Nov. 4, for the 14th annual New Times Music Awards (NTMAs), you witnessed a magic night with an enthusiastic crowd and a whole heap of spectacular local music. Emceed by Suzanne Schonig of American General Media, the event began with youth category winner Jacqui Bomben, who quickly won over the audience with her original songs and lovely voice.

Morro Bay singer-songwriter and past NTMA-winner Jody Mulgrew performed next as winner of the Best Song category for "Phony Gibson (Waiting Around)," an emotive autobiographical narrative tune about how his budding music career undermined his first marriage: "Looking back we married early, though the reasons were all wrong/ We had spent ten years together, and ten years seemed way too long/ to still be hanging round your hometown with your old high school flame/ Still we never merged accounts and she never took my name// Took the money from our wedding and I bought my first PA/ I spent nights out on my own, anywhere they'd let me play/ I drove miles for little money, I drove miles for their own sake/ And never thought too hard about the hearts I might be breaking."

Warning! It's a real earworm that's still buzzing around my head a week later.

Next up was triple crown winner Derek Senn, an incredibly witty songwriter whose new record The Big Five-O won Album of the Year. The record's title track, "The Big Five-O" won second in Best Song and another track, "Texas Legislators," won third in the Rock/Alternative category. He no doubt needed help carrying all his awards to his car.

R&B/Blues genre winner Susan Ritchie performed next and delivered a blistering three-song set off her terrific new album, How Many Miles? She was clearly a crowd favorite and had them eating out of her hand with her sassy lyrics, bluesy tunes, and rich voice.

Country/Americana/Folk genre winner Stephen Styles should be headlining in Nashville. His radio-ready songs check all the boxes for hit singles, and his voice is pure gold. He nailed his set.

Open genre winner Megan Stoneson was up next, and her soulful, elastic voice is absolutely mesmerizing. Her winning song, "Mine," chronicles her love for her wife and coming out to her parents as bisexual: "When your daughter comes to you/ And says mom I fell in love/ She'll say it's not what you had in mind/ But this girl she is the one."

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• Photo By Jayson Mellom
• BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE Ha Keem and Vincent Angelo, who won best Hip-Hop/Rap song for "Bloodline," also took home Best Live Performance at the 14th annual New Times Music Awards at SLO Brew Rock on Nov. 4.

First place Rock/Alternative winner Trapped Like Rats couldn't play the show, but second place winners Dead Magic stepped in and killed it. They call their style funeral rock, and their new EP Somewhat Pathetic is a great showcase for this rising quartet.

Last up on the bill was Hip-Hop/Rap genre winners Ha Keem & Vincent Angelo, whose energetic set of hip-hop and R&B swept the judges off their feet and had the duo crowned for Best Live Performance.

In between, second and third prizes were awarded, Cassi Nicholls—who won third in Best Song for "Grave Digger"—won the Readers' Choice Award, and Elizabeth Johnson won the Sterling by Music Man Albert Lee Ernie Ball electric guitar raffle. Congratulations!

This year's Local Legend Award went to Merrell Fankhauser, the '60s surf rock legend, '70s psychedelic folk originator, and local treasure who's written and released more than 400 songs over the last 60 years. Since 2001, he's hosted Tiki Lounge, a music and interview program that airs on the Central Coast and in Southern California, Hawaii, and parts of the East Coast. Just last month on Oct. 28, Amazon released an anthology titled Goin' Round in My Mind: The Merrell Fankhauser Anthology 1964-1979, which compiled many of his biggest songs. He's truly a living legend and international treasure who happens to call the Central Coast home.

Thanks to all who came out and supported local music!

(Editor's note: This segment has been edited from the print version to correct the spelling of several winners' names. New Times regrets the errors.)

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• Photo Courtesy Of Patrick Niddrie
• FEEL THE PULSE Grammy-winner British reggae act Steel Pulse plays the Fremont Theater on Nov. 10, one of five big shows coming to the venue this week.

The Fremont

Reggae superstars Steel Pulse play this Thursday, Nov. 10 (9 p.m.; all ages; $30 at seetickets.us). The roots band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham originally formed at a boys school there and went on to win a Grammy for Babylon the Bandit (1986). Their most recent is Mass Manipulation (2019), which was Grammy-nominated.

"Somewhere between the charisma of Frank Sinatra, the empathetic tone of Bob Marley, and the smooth and sultry vocal runs of Lauryn Hill, lives the warm and kind voice of Sammy Johnson," according to press materials about the Australian native, who plays this Friday, Nov. 11 (8 p.m.; all ages; $25 at seetickets.us).

Rock and alt-country superstar Ryan Adams plays Sunday, Nov. 13 (8 p.m.; all ages; $59.50 at eventbrite.com). The former Whiskeytown frontman set off on his own in 2000 and never looked back. He's also become a star producer, working with Willie Nelson, Jesse Malin, Jenny Lewis, and Fall Out Boy.

South Carolina singer-songwriter Trevor Hall plays Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8 p.m.; all ages; $35 at seetickets.us). He blends roots and folk music "with touches of electronic elements ... imbued with a deep love of Eastern mysticism," according to press materials.

Finally, electronic music fave Borgore plays next Thursday, Nov. 17 (8 p.m.; all ages; $25 at seetickets.us).

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• Photo Courtesy Of Voodoo Glow Skulls
• MORE PUNK THAN YOU Ska punk heroes Voodoo Glow Skulls play a Good Medicine and Numbskull show on Nov. 12, in The Siren.

The Siren

Numbskull and Good Medicine present ska punk act Voodoo Glow Skulls at The Siren on Saturday, Nov. 12 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with DFL and Mother F Bomb opening. VGS got their start in 1988 in Riverside. The DIY act recorded a four-song demo, duplicated about 60 cassettes, and sold them at shows. Eventually they were signed to a number of labels, including Epitaph and Dr. Strange, though they never lost their DIY ethos.

Also at The Siren, Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras play on Friday, Nov. 11 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20.50 at eventbrite.com). Sandoval is a B-movie actor and part of the Bravo reality TV show Vanderpump Rules. "That's why it's called Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras because we're fucking extra as fuck," he modestly said in press materials.

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• Photo Courtesy Of Dirtwire
• WEIRD GOOD Dirtwire—self-described purveyor of "back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang"—plays SLO Brew Rock on Nov. 10.

SLO Brew Rock

Don't forget this Thursday, Nov. 10, Dirtwire, Ghost Catcher, Vincent Antone, and Banjoelectric will play (7 p.m.; all ages; $20 at ticketweb.com). Dirtwire calls their music "back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang."

Skate Safari and SLO Brew present Tommy Guerrero with Ragged Jubilee on Tuesday, Nov. 15 (7 p.m.; all ages; $15 at ticketweb.com). "In partnership with Skate Safari and Skate Cambria, we're proud to present skateboard legend Tommy Guerrero and his full band to our main stage," the venue announced. "There will be a raffle to win rad prizes all in support of helping raise money to build the new skate park in Cambria!"

DENM returns to SLO Brew Rock next Thursday, Nov. 17 (7:30 p.m.; 18-and-older; $18 at ticketweb.com), touring in support of his genre-hopping debut album Slum Beach Denny.

More music ...

The SLO Symphony presents East Meets West this Saturday, Nov. 12 (7:30 p.m.; ages 5 and older; $25 to $89 at pacslo.org). They'll celebrate America by remembering the music that brought jazz to the concert hall with George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F featuring visiting Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev, who will also perform Tsfasman's Jazz Suite for Piano and Orchestra. Other selections include Valerie Coleman's Umoja, an "Anthem for Unity;" and Tchaikovsky's homage to Italy with "Capriccio Italien."

Cal Poly Arts presents the Watkins Family Hour on their Vol. II Tour with special guest Margaret Glaspy on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the Performing Arts Center (7:30 p.m.; $35 to $55 at calpolyarts.org). The bluegrass collaborative is led by siblings Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins—two-thirds of the Americana music group Nickel Creek. Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].