Casting Votes: Music Awards 2008

Every fall, SF Weekly tackles a new election season. While this November offers significant political issues for voters to decide upon, in October we host our own essential ballot — for the annual SF Weekly Music Awards.

Darn right, it's a tough position we take, paring down the Bay Area's considerable music community to the 40 artists and club nights that make our finalists. Creating fundamentally different categories alone produces migraines. We'll never have the space to include every genre on Joe Six-Pack's list, and Joe Record Store Clerk will always bitch about how certain artists shouldn't be considered together. But hey, here at the Weekly we try to reach across the aisle a little.

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• Lyrics Born
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So how did we arrive at these nominees? We contacted local club bookers, music promoters, label owners, PR types, music journalists, radio DJs, and Internet gurus, and asked them to talk straight about who most deserves recognition for excellence in San Francisco music. Bless their hearts, they helped us compile the comprehensive list of candidates you see today. And bless your hearts, you performed your duty as San Francisco music fans by voting in these 10 categories and choosing the winners, who will be announced at our big party at Ruby Skye on Oct. 16. In addition to these elected leaders, we will also be awarding Lyrics Born a special honor for building an impressive career outside the major label system. The man is truly a maverick in the hip-hop community.

In covering everything from Main Street to Exile on Main St., here at the Weekly we are committed to celebrating the fundamentals of the local music community. And now it's time to celebrate the men and women who make us proud to be San Franciscan. God bless, and see you at Ruby Skye.

2008 Music Awards Program Guide
The Host, Performers, DJ and Special Attraction
Nominees