Bryan Sutter

Alvin Jett, one of this year's winners. See a slideshow of winners here!

Last night at the Schlafly Tap Room, we announced the 2010 RFT Music Award winners. Here are the results, which are based on thousands of votes from people around St. Louis -- not winners chosen by the RFT itself. We'll be adding photos from the night once they arrive!

Best Americana/Folk Band (Indie-Leaning)
The Monads

Best Americana/Folk Band (Untraditional)
Brothers Lazaroff

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Huzzah!

This blogpost serves as a reminder that next Tuesday, June 22, is the second @rftmusic tweet-up! We had one last summer, and so nearly a year later, I figure it's time to try again. No RSVP required. Spread the word!

The tweetup's taking place at the Schlafly Tap Room -- not-so-coincidentally where we're having our music awards presentation! Everyone will find out the winners in the June 24 issue of the RFT. But you can get a sneak peek at the winners there: The free event starts at 7 p.m. and will feature performances from Cassie Morgan and the Lonely Pine, the Blind Eyes and Funky Butt Brass Band, and awards given out by yours truly and other fine RFT freelancers.

Wikimedia Commons

Not an actual RFT award.

Right now, we're hard at work fixing the music awards counting ballots cast on Saturday night at the RFT's Music Showcase. Some of the categories are close, y'all, let me tell you. I can't wait to find out who wins. Now, everyone will find out the winners in the June 24 issue of the RFT (not the June 17 issue, as might have been reported; the date shift had to do with editorial calendar changes I had nothing to do with). But you can get a sneak peek at the winners on Tuesday, June 22, at the Schlafly Tap Room, when we have our music awards presentation! The free event starts at 7 p.m. and will feature performances from Cassie Morgan and the Lonely Pine, the Blind Eyes and Funky Butt Brass Band, and awards given out by yours truly and other fine RFT freelancers.

As an added bonus: This will also serve as the second @rftmusic tweet-up! We had one last summer, and so nearly a year later, I figure it's time to try again. Details on this TBA, but spread the word!

Mabel Suen

Eric Hall during one of his many sets

What do you do when you've been asked to perform at the RFT Music Showcase, and you just can't? Some bands would simply decline. If you're Tone Rodent, and you're pals with one of St. Louis' finest experimental sampling/mixing/distorting/manipulating DJs, Eric Hall, you improvise. Or, rather, you ask him to improvise.

And that's precisely what Tone Rodent did. The day before the showcase, Hall received a bundle of instrument and vocal tracks from Tone Rodent, all pieces of a recording of the so-far-unreleased track, "I Love You." He stayed up much of the night cutting and pasting them to prepare for the performance of this 16-minute rock/trance experiment that's nothing if not a testament to the limitless creativity -- and possibilities -- inherent within a DJ mix.

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Jon Gitchoff

Cross Examination at the 2010 RFT Music Showcase. More photos here

On Saturday night, we headed to Washington Avenue to see what we could see at the annual Music Showcase. New intern Steve Hardy talked to some of the bands, the bartenders and any random attendees, all in the name of finding out who really deserves to be crowned one of St. Louis' top acts. After washing the beer and shaving cream out of his hair (more on that later) he transposed these notes from five hours at the Showcase.

8:10
There's a full house at Mosaic, but less than half a block away a crowd is gathered for a performance by Nato Caliph and others. The hip-hop stalwarts are bringing a crowd from all over downtown to the outdoor stage. There's an old lady leaning on a stoplight to watch, a kindergartener hanging on the fence, and a crowd at the bus stop getting down. An appeal to "spin your shirts around like a helicopter" goes unheeded. Maybe later tonight.

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If you missed it over the weekend, the Riverfront Times Music Showcase went on from about noon to 2 a.m. up and down Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis. We dispatched three music photographers --  Jon Gitchoff, Jason Stoff and Steve Truesdell -- to the streets on Saturday. Check out this photo slideshow for the full gallery. Below is a sampling.

Photo: Jon Gitchoff

Cassie Morgan

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Tomorrow is finally the day: The RFT Music Showcase is happening on Washington Avenue. Really, what else do you have going on? (Don't answer that.) Bands, booze, more bands, more booze -- it's all shaping up to be a lovely summer day in the Lou.

Since so many music fans (including us!) are on Twitter, we're going to try something new: If you're out, use #rftshowcase as your hashtag on Twitter to let your friends (and us -- we miss stuff) what's going on.

We'll compile our favorite tweets in a blog post on Monday.

Don't forget -- here's the schedule of events. And you can still vote for your favorites right here.

The powers-that-be have informed me of a few schedule changes for Saturday's RFT Music Showcase! First, Spelling Bee has been added to the Nara Cafe & Hookah Lounge lineup, at 9:30 p.m. Second, because the Shiver Vodka Bar and Champagne Lounge had to drop out of the showcase, the acts there have been moved to other venues/times. Earthworms is now opening the day at noon on the outdoor stage at 14th and Washington, while Scripts 'N Screwz is at Rue 13 at 8 p.m. and the Force is on the outdoor stage at 11th and Washington at 7 p.m. The entire schedule is here. And if you're curious about any of the nominees performing? Check out our mega-comprehensive guide to all of the musicians right here.

On June 5, the RFT Music Showcase is happening on Washington Avenue. All day, all night. Have you voted yet for your favorite bands? If not, I suggest you do that right here! Perhaps the schedule for the music showcase will spur on your clicking fingers. Read on below for the bands, venues and set times for the event. Just a note: If you have problems, questions or concerns, please email Emily Kohler. I was not involved at all in the booking; in fact, I saw this schedule yesterday for the first time. More information on the event is contained right over here at this microsite.

14TH & WASHINGTON OUTDOOR STAGE
noon Earthworms *new*
1:00 Fresh Heir
2:00 The Hibernauts
3:00 Magnolia Summer
4:00 LucaBrasi
5:00 The Feed
6:00 Building Rome

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Wikimedia Commons

Don't forget, voting is now open for the 2010 RFT Music Awards. You can vote right over here! The showcase is in the process of being put together -- and I know absolutely nothing about venues, times or the schedule. Seriously.

If you do have any questions about the showcase itself -- technical specs, booking, advertising -- please don't email me. I have nothing to do with that. You can contact Emily Kohler, and she'll be happy to help or point you in the right direction.

Also, if you are a nominated band, our art director, Tom Carlson, has a request: Send him photos of yourself! Hi-res JPEGs are preferable, although lo-res JPEGs are okay too. His email is tom.carlson@riverfronttimes.com. Be sure to include the name of your band, contact info and a photo credit (if applicable).