1st Place: South Farwell
2nd Place: New North String Band
3rd Place: Duncan Ninja

If the one ring to rule them all was forged in Mt. Doom, then South Farwell must have been forged by local rock gods somewhere near Mt. Simon. That is to say that the local supergroup comprised of Tim Coughlin, Phil Joadis, Cory Dahl, and Bill Boles (former members of Easychair, Half Life, or Mojo Lemon) is the new band to rule them all and they’ve been turning heads since the release of their debut album in July. In New North String Band’s first year they’ve already gained regional notoriety as one of the best bluegrass bands in the Midwest, getting invited to all kinds of festivals and jamborees and hootenannies, and are definitely one of the best dressed five-piece bands to release an album in May. And that’s saying a lot. Playing nearly every weekend at some venue or another, Duncan Ninja is picking up speed with their pulsing funk melodies vocalized by Adrian Klenz (Eau Claire Blues All-Stars) and drummed by Dave Power (Meridene). – Trevor Kupfer