Welcome to the Machine

Some insist that the Texas state capital doesn't have a music industry infrastructure – just a lot of motley musicians wandering aimlessly from club to club. Dispelling that long-held notion, the Austin Music Industry Awards drew a mind-boggling local network to the Palm Door on Sixth Monday night.

Initially, the event was a way to streamline the Austin Music Awards – coming Wed., March 18, to the Austin Convention Center (see SXSW supplement) – by breaking off the technical categories into a separate night. That quickly morphed into an expansion of such categories in order to spotlight the key businesses and characters whose contributions make Austin's music community globally singular.

The two-hour awards presentation, hosted by myself and Chase Hoffberger, teeter-tottered between sincerity and snark. Suzanne Estes, owner of Best Specialty Instrument Store winner Violins Etc., accepted her plaque with a tearful remembrance of her late husband, who founded the business. Meanwhile, South by Southwest director Roland Swenson turned his guest presenter slot into a roast, aiming ruthlessly hilarious barbs at friends and colleagues. Recently ousted Texas Music Office Director Casey Monahan, winner of the Music Business Hall of Fame, provided a full house with marching orders: Fight for the respect our work deserves.

Radio Station

1) KUTX

2) Sun Radio

3) KUT

4) 101X

5) KOOP

6) KLBJ

7) KGSR

8) KOKE

9) The Fringe

Radio Program

1) Twine Time, Paul Ray, KUTX

2) Jason & Deb, 101X

3) Eklektikos, John Aielli, KUTX

4) Dudley and Bob with Matt, KLBJ

5) Blue Monday, Mike Buck, Sun Radio

6) No Control, Chuck Loesch, 101X

7) Horizontes, Michael Crockett, KUTX

8) A Hill Country Saturday, Kevin Connor, Sun Radio

9) Next Big Thing, Andy Langer, KGSR

10) Texas Radio Live, David Arnsberger, Sun Radio

Radio Personality

1) Jason & Deb, 101X

2) John Aielli, KUTX

3) Dudley & Bob, KLBJ

4) Michael Crockett, KUTX

5) Laurie Gallardo, KUTX

6) Mike Buck, Sun Radio

7) Kevin Connor, Sun Radio

8) David Arnsberger, Sun Radio

9) Chuck Loesch, 101X

10) John E. Dee, KUTX

Record Store

1) Waterloo Records

2) End of an Ear

3) Antone's Record Shop

4) Breakaway Records

5) Trailer Space Records

6) Encore Records

7) Friends of Sound

8) Piranha Records

9) Superfly's Lone Star Music Emporium

10) Half Price Books

Music Store

1) Strait Music

2) South Austin Music

3) Austin Vintage Guitars

4) Guitar Center

5) Tommy's Drum Shop

6) Switched On

7) Rock n Roll Rentals

8) Musical Exchange

9) Blackerby Violin Shop

10) Street-Legal Guitars

Instrument Repair

1) Strait Music

2) South Austin Music

3) Austin Vintage Guitars

4) Violins Etc.

5) Lauren Ellis

6) Musical Exchange

7) Switched On

8) Blackerby Violin Shop

9) Sam Bass Music

10) Tom Oatley

Specialty Instrument Store

1) Violins Etc.

2) Fiddler's Green

3) Switched On

4) Tommy's Drum Shop

5) Strait Music

6) Austin Vintage Guitars

7) South Austin Music

8) Blackerby Violin Shop

9) Guitar Resurrection

10) Westbank String Shop

Equipment Rental

1) Rock n Roll Rentals

2) Loudmouth Rentals

3) Strait Music

4) Music Lab

5) Soundcheck Austin

Recording Studio

1) Arlyn Studios

2) 512 Studios

3) Gerron Music

4) Cacophony Recorders

5) The Bubble

6) Ohm

7) Orb Recording Studios

8) Bismeaux

9) The Congress House Studio

10) Jackrabbit Soundshack

Producer

1) AJ Vallejo

2) Omar Vallejo

3) Ray Sr.

4) Tim Gerron

5) Chris "Frenchie" Smith

6) Erik Wofford

7) Adrian Quesada

8) Jim Eno

9) Michael Ramos

10) Cisco Ryder

Local Label

1) Raw Paw Records

2) VMG

3) Modern Outsider

4) Punctum

5) 12XU

6) Saustex

7) Capitol City

8) Chicken Ranch

9) Lounge Side

10) Playing in Traffic

Music Writer

1) Kevin Curtin

2) Neil Ferguson

3) Michael Corcoran

4) Peter Blackstock

5) Doug Freeman

6) Margaret Moser

7) Greg Beets

8) Jennifer Stark

9) Jim Caligiuri

10) Chase Hoffberger

Album Art

1) Billy Perkins, for Butcherwhite, White Widow

2) Unidentified Artist for Sam Pace & the Gilded Grit, Rapture

3) Mishka Westell, for Golden Dawn Arkestra EP

4) Grace Park for Grace Park & the Deer

5) Wim Delvoye for Churchwood, Trickgnosis

Poster

1) Billy Perkins: Widespread Panic

2) Chepo Peña

3) Guy Juke: Alejandro Escovedo, Moody Theater

4) Mishka Westell: Patty Griffin, Moody Theater

5) Billie K Buck: Of Montreal

6) Evan Bozarth: Airship

7) Jim Franklin

8) Gary Dorsey: All ATX Invasion, Moody Theater

9) Unidentified Artist: Bob Schneider & the Moonlight Orchestra, Valentine's Day, ACL Live at the Moody Theater

10) Unidentified Artist: South Austin Moonlighters, Saxon Pub

Live Music Photographer

1) Merrick Ales

2) David Brendan Hall

3) Gabriella McSwain

4) Dave Pedley

5) Winker Withaneye

6) Roger Ho

7) Rodney Bursiel

8) Maurice Eagle

9) Todd V. Wolfson

10) Bob Zink

Live Music Booker

1) David Cotton, the Roost

2) Kacy Crowley, Strange Brew

3) Transmission Events

4) Graham Williams, Transmission Events

5) Marcus Lawyer, Transmission Events

6) Mike Boudreau, Red Eyed Fly

7) Anthony Stevenson, Come and Take It Productions

8) James Taylor, Holy Mountain

9) Travis Newman, Parish

10) Howdy Darrell, White Horse

New Club

1) TIE: C-Boy's Heart & Soul/The Roost

3) Vulcan Gas Company

4) Dozen Street

5) Cheer Up Charlies

6) Indian Roller

7) Sweetwater

8) The Highball

9) Radio Coffee & Beer

10) Hard Luck Lounge

Best Music Venue

1) Strange Brew

2) Mohawk

3) ACL Live at the Moody Theater

4) Continental Club

5) Saxon Pub

6) Empire Control Room

7) Vulcan Gas Company

8) ABGB

9) Cheer Up Charlies

10) Stubb's

Live Music Venue

1) Strange Brew

2) Mohawk

3) Continental Club

4) Saxon Pub

5) The Roost

6) ACL Live at the Moody Theater

7) Empire Control Room

8) Vulcan Gas Company

9) Stubb's

10) White Horse

Club Lighting

1) Vulcan Gas Company

2) Empire Control Room

3) Parish

4) The Roost

5) ACL Live at the Moody Theater

6) Ilios

7) Strange Brew

8) Cheer Up Charlies

9) The Highball

10) Emo's

Club Sound

1) Strange Brew

2) Vulcan Gas Company

3) The Roost

4) Parish

5) Saxon Pub

6) Mohawk

7) Cactus Cafe

8) ACL Live at the Moody Theater

9) Continental Club

10) Emo's

Outside Austin City Limits Club

1) Gruene Hall, Gruene

2) The Roost

3) Poodie's, Spicewood

4) Triple Crown, San Marcos

5) Luckenbach Dance Hall, Luckenbach

6) Nutty Brown Cafe

7) The Bugle Boy, La Grange

8) The Backyard

9) Hanover's, Pflugerville

10) Giddy Ups

Ongoing Music Residency

1) Church on Monday, Continental Club Gallery

2) Motown Monday, the Highball

3) Durawa, Strange Brew

4) James McMurtry, Continental Club

5) Bob Schneider, Saxon Pub

6) Toni Price, Continental Club

7) David Grissom, Saxon Pub

8) Tameca Jones, Continental Club Gallery

9) Jon Dee Graham, Continental Club

10) The Resentments, Saxon Pub

Music Support Nonprofit

1) HAAM

2) Black Fret

3) SIMS

4) Austin Music Foundation

5) Anthropos Arts

Music Business Hall of Fame

1) Casey Monahan

2) Clifford Antone

3) Steve Wertheimer

4) David Cotton

5) Nancy Coplin

AMP "Unsung Hero" Award

Casey Monahan

AMP Esme Barrera Award for Music Activism & Education

Gina Chavez