Blues band
Root Doctor
Runners-up: Steppin’ In It and Frog & the Beeftones
Combing traditional blues with classic soul, Root Doctorhas been entertaining Lansing for nearly 20 years. Led by vocalist FreddieCunningham (who formed the band with bassist/vocalist James Williams) andbacked by a cast of veteran local musicians, the band is known for a tight liveset that gets the crowd moving. If you love the smooth style of Sam Cooke, butalso tend to crank up some Buddy Guy, this band is just what the doctorordered.
Cover band
Starfarm
Runners-up: Global Village and Soulstice
Remember when MTV still played music videos? Starfarmplays stunning covers of all those ‘80s pop classics. While the band has beenthrough a few incarnations, it’s currently busier than ever, with steady gigsat Dublin Square, Green Door and Rick’s American Cafe. With crowd favoriteslike “Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey) and “Livin’ on a Prayer” (Bon Jovi) it’shard not to sing along. “It’s perfect music for a cover band,” said vocalistWhitney Spotts. “It’s upbeat, fun and danceable. It’s a great reminiscencething for people who see us.”
DJ
DJ Ruckus
Runners-up: DJ Donnie D and DJ Sammy
Known for his long, blonde dreadlocks, two turntables andhuge obsession with vinyl records, DJ Ruckus has been rocking parties inLansing since 1994. Aside from DJing hip-hop shows, Ruckus also spins hip-hipand dance tracks every Thursday and Saturday at The Post in East Lansing. Afteryears of spinning, he is now able to DJ full-time — not a bad gig for a recordjunkie. “My vinyl takes up a room and half of my house,” Ruckus said. “The oneroom is floor to ceiling almost. It needs to be dealt with.”
Original Band
Loune
Runners-up: Root Doctor
Loune has been mixing pop melodies and minimal indie rocksince it formed in November 2008. The band, which is influenced by Grizzly Bearand Mason Proper, may be new to the scene, but it’s already found its ownsound. “The way I used to describe it is, ‘It sounds like the day after aparade.’ It’s kind of ambient,” said Kevin Pritchard of Loune. “There is a lotof room in the sound. We let little details do the talking as opposed tojamming it down people's throats.”
Radio Station
88.9-FM
Runners-up: 97.5-FM and 90.5-FM
The Impact 88.9-FM, the Michigan State University radiostation, has been delivering a diverse blend of cutting-edge music to theLansing area since 1989. “During the day, it’s mainly just college and indierock,” said Autumn Maison, Impact music director. “But we also have a localmusic show, we play metal, hip-hop and other alternative programming.” Thestation also launched its YouTube channel in 2008. “Since then it’s been anupwards slope of getting people in to perform,” Maison said. “I think it's thecoolest part of our station.”
Solo Performer
Jen Sygit
Runners-up: Wally Pleasant and Griff
Jen Sygit began performing her catchy blend of Americanaand folk music not long after moving to Lansing 10 years ago for college.Sygit, who hosts a weekly open-mic every Tuesday at Dagwood’s, has beenperforming as a duo with fellow songwriter Sam Corbin. She said her sound is ablend of various forms of roots music. “It’s really a hodgepodge,” she said.“After a few years of living here, I started to work at Elderly Instruments.The couple years I worked there I got exposed to a larger variety of music. Istarted to branch out.”
Venue
The Green Door Blues Bar & Grill
Runners-up: Mac’s Bar and Small Planet
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