The 1997 Dallas Observer Music Awards

--Matt Weitz

The Sutcliffes
Nominated for: Cover Band
The mark of a great cover band is the ability to render tunes identifiable, but also identifiably your own. That isn't a problem for the Sutcliffes; not only can they perform lively, wonderful versions of songs by everyone from Hank Williams ("part of our white-trash repertoire," singer-harmonica player Jeff Hill jokes) to Lionel Hampton, they also explore the realm of how many instruments they can play. (When a Fisher-Price xylophone makes it on stage, you can stop counting.)

In addition to their covers, though, the band has some great original material, like "Gin Blossom Girl," full of the mocking sound of the British invasion. The Sutcliffes have a goofy, playful stage presence too--singing a distorted "A Bicycle Built for Two" in homage to HAL from 2001, for example--that's instantly ingratiating. They thread together covers and originals fluidly; at a recent concert, they started the set with a shit-kickin' hoedown number, and by the end had seamlessly segued into a jazzy pop sound. It reminded me of the joke whose punchline is "You can't get there from here." But of course, you always can; you just need to know how. The Sutcliffes know.

--Arnold Wayne Jones

Tablet
Nominated for: Alternative Rock/Pop;
Best Male Vocalist (Steve Holt); Best Songwriter (Steve Holt)

Few anticipated the sudden breakup of one of Dallas' best prospects for national recognition. If you ever caught Tablet at one of their better live shows--when Steve Holt allowed his soul to come soaring out from deep within his throat, music hitting every beat--you'd have been a believer, too.

But looking back on it all, something just wasn't right. Holt is a master architect of the pop song, and he's as prolific as a North Dallas homebuilder. Maybe that was part of the problem. Instead of directing so much energy into building the ultimate pop song via the perfect pop band, Holt needed to let the reins hang a little looser and see where his creativity would lead him. It worked for Frank Black, and his hit-and-miss approach to pop songwriting is exactly what makes him so attractive as an artist. In its best form, music is essentially about art. About screaming, whispering, howling, painting, writing because you feel it. That's where Holt's career began, but it got off track. He might be delayed, but the boy ain't canceled just yet.

--Richard Baimbridge

Cricket Taylor
Nominated for: Blues
Cricket "I Am Not A Blues Singer" Taylor won renown singing blues with hardliners like Hash Brown at such events as the Benson & Hedges Blues Festival pubcrawl, and at clubs like Schooners, Muddy Waters, and Blue Cat Blues. The pint-size Mississippian flounced about in feather boas and sported an onstage persona like that of a cheerleader who gets lots of cheers but not for the game. A fitful career marked by starts and stops was followed by a period where she stressed her original material, then dropped out of sight. Back in town in February of this year, she popped up at a Greenville Bar and Grill jam night and did "Walkin' The Dog" and a torchy, slow blues number, garnering far more applause than famed soul-blues belter Vernon Garrett. Cricket's right to want to spread her stylistic wings, but blues will always be at her core.

--Tim Schuller

Andy Timmons
Nominated for: Blues, Local Musician of the Year
If Timmons ever retires, the Observer will probably name the Musician of the Year award The Andy Timmons Trophy. After all, Timmons has won the honor two consecutive times. Considering that Timmons is a shred instrumentalist with a magus' sense of guitar poetry and the songwriting acumen of Eric Johnson by way of Elvis Costello--decidedly out of the Metroplex musical mainstream--it's an amazing vote of community confidence. Given his new CD, ear X-tacy 2, it's not out of the question he'll win again.

As for his blues candidacy, it's actually a tribute to Timmons' all-star blues-based Pawn Kings, an amazing group for whom "blues" is actually just the exoskeleton that holds together their musical explorations. Whatever you call it, Timmons cooks in any environment.

--Rick Koster

Toadies
Nominated for: Best Act Overall; Single Release (Paper Dress); Male Vocalist (Todd Lewis), Songwriter (Todd Lewis)

Problems, problems--the Toadies have had a few over the last couple of years. They didn't like touring with Bush. They're also sick of singing that dark little ditty--set in a Texas campground--about murder or rape or vampires or homosexuals or childhood crushes or something. Of course, "Possum Kingdom" is the song that catapulted their previously ignored Interscope release Rubberneck into the platinum stratosphere, and you can imagine what a pain in the ass it must be to deal with that.

As you can see, the Toadies have the problems that just about every other band on the planet would kill to have. It's what they get for being one of the best acts playing today--recorded, live, local or not. Their songs are coarse and catchy, so simple in structure they're primal. Todd Lewis' vocals, resonant with emotional subtext, give away more than his lyrics report.