Critics Poll


Best Local Show

Greg Beets: Almost There Records' tribute to Neil Young, Stubb's

Jim Caligiuri: Topaz, somebody's house in Rollingwood, July

Robert Gabriel: Public Offenders, Momo's

Christopher Gray: The Ugly Beats, Amplified Heat, Continental Club, April

Melanie Haupt: Scratch Acid, Emo's

Raoul Hernandez: Rolling Stones Hoot, Ruta Maya

Andy Langer: The impromptu Antone's celebration, Antone's, May

David Lynch: Grupo Fantasma, anywhere, anytime

Margaret Moser: Jon Dee and Willie Graham, Austin Music Awards

Austin Powell: Explosions in the Sky, Emo's, January

Audra Schroeder: Scratch Acid, Emo's

Darcie Stevens: Scratch Acid, Emo's

Jay Trachtenberg: Redd Volkaert, Continental Club, any Saturday


Best Roadshow

Beets: The Woggles, Habana Calle 6

Caligiuri: Rolling Stones, Zilker Park

Gabriel: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Antone's

Gray: Sisters of Mercy, La Zona Rosa

Haupt: Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand, the Backyard

Hernandez: Rolling Stones, Zilker Park

Langer: Sam Roberts, ACL Music Fest

Lynch: Lenine, Caribbean Lights

Moser: Rolling Stones, Zilker Park

Powell: Rolling Stones, Zilker Park

Schroeder: Dead Moon, Emo's

Stevens: Shellac, Emo's/Morrissey, Austin Music Hall

Trachtenberg: Rolling Stones, Zilker Park


Local Venue You Visited the Most

Beets: Hole in the Wall

Caligiuri: Cactus Cafe

Gabriel: Flamingo Cantina

Gray: Emo's

Haupt: Emo's

Hernandez: Emo's

Langer: Antone's

Lynch: One World Theatre

Moser: Momo's

Powell: Emo's

Schroeder: Emo's

Stevens: Emo's

Trachtenberg: Antone's


Local Act You Saw the Most

Beets: Graham Reynolds/Golden Arm Trio

Caligiuri: Butch Hancock

Gabriel: Young Nick

Gray: The Black Angels

Haupt: What Made Milwaukee Famous

Hernandez: Alejandro Escovedo

Langer: Zykos

Lynch: Magic Surprise

Moser: Jo Carol Pierce

Powell: Scott H. Biram

Schroeder: Horse + Donkey

Stevens: Voxtrot

Trachtenberg: Alejandro Escovedo


Best New Local Act

Beets: Hit Space

Caligiuri: Band of Heathens

Gabriel: Ryno

Gray: Brothers & Sisters

Haupt: Alex Dupree

Hernandez: Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel

Langer: Tacks, the Boy Disaster

Lynch: Debo Adejobi

Moser: Idgy Vaughn

Powell: Tacks, the Boy Disaster/ The Lovely Sparrows

Schroeder: The Strange Boys

Stevens: Golden Bear

Trachtenberg: Suzanna Choffel


Best Reissue/Box Set

Beets: Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Legends of Country Music (Columbia/Legacy)

Caligiuri: Gram Parsons, The Complete Reprise Sessions (Rhino)

Gabriel: Panama!: Latin, Calypso and Funk on the Isthmus 1965-75 (Soundway)

Gray: The Pogues, If I Should Fall From Grace With God (Rhino)

Haupt: Sufjan Stevens, Songs for Christmas (Asthmatic Kitty)

Hernandez: The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 6 (Hip-O Select)

Langer: ZZ Top, Fandango! (Rhino/WEA)

Lynch: Jackie Mittoo, Wishbone (Light in the Attic)

Moser: Doug Sahm, Doug Sahm and Band (Collector's Choice)

Powell: This Heat, Out of Cold Storage (ReR)

Schroeder: Josef K, Entomology (Domino)

Stevens: The Cure, The Head on the Door (Rhino/Fiction/Elektra)

Trachtenberg: Miles Davis Quintet, The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions (Prestige)


Best Soundtrack

Beets: A Scanner Darkly (Lakeshore)

Caligiuri: The History Boys (Rhino/WEA)

Gabriel: When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (HBO)

Gray: Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny (Epic)

Haupt: Fast Food Nation (Park the Van)

Hernandez: A Scanner Darkly (Lakeshore)

Langer: The O.C. Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks (Warner Bros./WEA)

Lynch: The Last King of Scotland (Universal)

Moser: A Scanner Darkly (Lakeshore)

Powell: Little Miss Sunshine (Lakeshore)

Schroeder: Marie Antoinette (Verve Forecast)

Stevens: Stranger Than Fiction (Sony)

Trachtenberg: A Scanner Darkly (Lakeshore)


Best Music DVD

Beets: The Passing Show: The Life & Music of Ronnie Lane (Eagle Vision)

Caligiuri: Marah, Sooner or Later in Spain (Yep Roc)

Gabriel: The Coup, The Best Coup DVD Ever! (MVD)

Gray: U218 Videos (Interscope)

Haupt: Austin City Limits Music Fest 2005 (Image Entertainment)

Hernandez: Kissology (VH1 Classic)

Langer: The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder: Punk & New Wave (Shout! Factory)

Lynch: Asylum Street Spankers, Re-Assembly (Spanks-a-Lot)/Porcupine Tree, Arriving Somewhere ... (Navarre)

Moser: Blind Faith, London Hyde Park 1969 (Sanctuary)

Powell: The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Sony Pictures)/Gram Parsons, Fallen Angel (Rhino)

Schroeder: The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Sony Pictures)

Stevens: The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Sony Pictures)

Trachtenberg: Captain Beefheart, Under Review (Sexy Intellectual)


Best Discovery

Beets: www.bedazzled.tv

Caligiuri: Beyond Jazz channel on XM Radio

Gabriel: Friends of Sound and Backspin Records

Gray: Gold Bond Medicated Anti-Itch Cream (for ACL Fest chafing)

Haupt: Motherhood means you don't get to go out anymore

Hernandez: Van den Budenmayer

Langer: www.blurb.com

Lynch: The Sword

Moser: Downtown Buda

Powell: Tonewheel Collective at Beerland

Schroeder: The jukebox at Barfly's

Stevens: Creekside Lounge, Nueva Onda, pastis

Trachtenberg: YouTube


R.I.P.

Beets: Clifford Antone, Don Walser, Wilson Pickett

Caligiuri: Don Walser

Gabriel: Big Hawk, Desmond Dekker, Ali Farka Touré

Gray: Syd Barrett, Wilson Pickett, the Republican Congress

Haupt: Don Walser

Hernandez: Cliffy, Ali Farka Touré, Mariska Veres

Langer: Clifford Antone, Don Walser

Lynch: Ali Farka Touré, György Sándor Ligeti, Desmond Dekker

Moser: Clifford Antone, Jesse Taylor, Jack Jackson

Powell: Clifford Antone, Syd Barrett, Arthur Lee

Schroeder: Syd Barrett, James Brown

Stevens: Syd Barrett, Desmond Dekker, Sleater-Kinney

Trachtenberg: Clifford Antone, Jackie McLean, Dewey Redman

Clifford Antone
Clifford Antone (Photo By Winker)

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