For three weeks in December we ran our second year-end music poll about the best in the greater Oshawa area in 2011. 171 people voted in 9 categories. For many of the categories we provided options to select from. In every category, however, we allowed the option for voters to add their own selections if they felt we overlooked someone.

It was really interesting watching the results coming in. The dedicated fanbase of certain bands was evident. The final diversity of the results in terms of genres and locations was especially nice to see as it underscores the variety of individuals who voted.

The only category whose results we will not reveal right now is The Top People, Places, & Things Making Oshawa Cool. In order to find out those results you’ll have to pick up a copy of our next zine, Now Or Never: Spring 2012, on sale this March 3.


Note: The number in square brackets after certain names is their ranking in the same category in our previous 2010 year-end poll. The numbers in parentheses are the percentage of votes they received in that category this year.


ARTIST OF THE YEAR
1. Watershed Hour
2. The Stone Sparrows
3. Viva Mars [27]
4. The BoneDevil
5. Patrick Dorie [13]
6. Katrina James [27]
7. The Micronite Filters [2]
8. Matthew James
9. Elephant Shoes
10. Hairy Holler [15]
11. Jeff Leech & The Pepperbox Choir [10]
12. Benjamin Reines [18]
13. Darling Meadow
14. Chris & Cassy
15. Cry Wolf
16. Strange Peaks
17. The Standstills
18. Holy Mount [18]
19. Trish Robb [3]
20. Home Movies [36]
20. The Undrummer
22. Busker Bros
23. Anagram
24. Dave Espeut
25. Jake Vanhaverbeke
26. Amorak
26. Deejay Crack@h
28. The Kennedy Swing
29. The Cane Toads
30. Bloody Boy Blue [18]
31. The Harvest Conspiracy [1]
31. Heather Luckhart [11]
33. Big Crimes
33. Volcano Playground [13]
35. Shark Week
36. Jennifer Loyola
37. District Down
37. Kill The Messenger
37. Stereo Moon [27]
37. The Stellas [16]
41. The Bird Boys
41. Bradleyboy Mac Arthur [26]
41. The Stables [8]
41. How Sutherland & The Tangerine Dream
45. The Recroom
46. Baker Muck Rattlers
46. Bootleg Glory
46. Mellowkotzen
49. Stranded Cruiser
50. End Program
51. Braeden Mitchell [7]
52. I Hate Spacecamp
52. The Kardiak Kids [9]
54. 6th Floor Balcony
54. 20 Amp Soundchild
54. Alley Kat & The Boozehounds
54. Fish Head Phil
54. Doug Hell (27)
54. Anthony Howell (16)
54. Alfie Latanski
54. London Swagger
62. Curtain Jumper
62. High Top Society
62. Kori Kameda
65. The Corporate Life
65. Devoked
65. The Goombas
65. The Hard Party
65. Icy Redd
65. Lost Cause
65. Our Summer Silhouette
65. Rebel Scum
65. Dave Statham
65. Two For The Show
65. Ron Warne [18]
76. Absence Of Fear
76. Seann Battams
76. The Drive Chimes
76. Hello Beautiful
76. Lead Sled Rocket [27]
76. Like Animals
76. Dan Liscio
76. The Mark Inside
76. New Threads
76. The N.S.P.
76. Pineapple Convention
76. Dan Squires
76. This Is Death Valley
76. Women And Children
76. Wade Woodward


ALBUM OF THE YEAR
1. Patrick Dorie - Goodbye Expectations (13.1%)
2. The Stone Sparrows - The Stone Sparrows (12.4%)
3. Jeff Leech & The Pepperbox Choir - Pointin’ Fingers (11%)
4. Viva Mars - More And More/Better And Better (10.8%)
5. Cry Wolf - Cry Wolf, Cry (7%)
6. The Standstills - The Human Element (6.8%)
7. Holy Mount - We Fell From The Sky (6.3%)
8. Matthew James - Generations (5.9%)
9. The Harvest Conspiracy - Fireside Stories (5.4%)
10. Dave Espeut - Revelation (4.4%)
10. Jennifer Loyola - Stronger Than You Know (4.4%)
12. Deejay Crack@h - Songs To Abuse (4%)
13. Bradleyboy Mac Arthur - Salt Gun (3.3%)
14. Big Crimes - Balsam Lake (2.6%)
15. The Sleeping State - For Dreams & For Nightmares (2.3%)
16. The Mark Inside - Nothing To Admit (0.2%)


SINGLE/EP OF THE YEAR
1. The BoneDevil - The BoneDevil [7” Single] (11.4%)
2. The Micronite Filters - The Rise Of The Machines [7” Single] (9%)
3. Home Movies - Bozo Variations [EP] (8%)
4. Darling Meadow - Self-Recorded [EP] (7.8%)
5. Viva Mars - Smile With Viva Mars [EP] (7.5%)
6. Katrina James - Everything Is Relative [EP] (7.1%)
7. The Standstills - Live [7” Single] (6.8%)
8. Shark Week - Nobody Famous [EP] (6.3%)
8. Volcano Playground - Waiting [Digital Single] (6.3%)
10. The Harvest Conspiracy - Fall Of Free Thought [Digital Single] (5.4%)
10. Holy Mount - Breeze Blows West [7” Single] (5.4%)
12. Strange Peaks - Strange Peaks [EP] (4.9%)
13. Stereo Moon - In Effigy To Scenic Happenings, We Applaud [Digital Single] (4.1%)
14. Bloody Boy Blue - Chrome Arctic [EP] (3.4%)
15. I Dunno - Paranormalities [EP] (2.7%)
16. Avery Island - Demo (1.7%)
17. Jake Vanhaverbeke - Weeks Of Sleep [EP] (0.7%)
18. The Stone Sparrows - Cold Out, Sunshine [Digital Single] (0.5%)
19. Busker Bros - Demo (0.2%)
19. End Program - Balatus [EP] (0.2%)
19. Our Summer Silhouette - At Least I’m Honest [Digital Single] (0.2%)
19. Watershed Hour - Bend Your Knees [EP] (0.2%)


VENUE OF THE YEAR
1. Murphy’s Pub (10.4%) [3]
2. The Atria (9.7%) [1]
2. The Bombshell (9.7%)
4. The Village Inn (7.8%) [4]
5. Mad Cafe (6.8%)
6. The Thirsty Monk (6.4%) [4]
7. E.P. Taylor’s (5.9%) [6]
7. The Regent Theatre (5.9%)
9. The Garden Grove (5.5%)
10. The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (4.9%)
11. Cocoa & Joe (4.7%)
11. The Music Scene Inc. (4.7%)
13. The Junction (3.8%)
14. The Diezel Room (3.6%)
15. The Bittmore (3.2%) [6]
15. Simcoe Blues & Jazz (3.2%)
17. The Corral (1.9%)
18. The Roi (1.3%)
19. Isabella’s Chocolate Cafe (0.2%) [2]
19. Two & A Half Pints (0.2%)
19. Walsh’s The Snug (0.2%)


RECORD SHOP OF THE YEAR
1. Star Records (24%) [1]
2. HMV (18.9%) [3]
3. Vinyl Alibi (17.6%) [4]
4. Wilson & Lee (13.8%) [5]
5. Deja Vu Discs (12.6%) [2]
5. Hands On Music (12.6%)
7. Value Village (0.6%)


POSTER ARTIST OF THE YEAR
1. Dani Crosby (28.7%)
2. Skot Holt (14%)
3. Ryan Howe (12.6%)
3. Amanda Sampson (12.6%)
5. persephone&hades (11.2%)
6. Erin Pazaratz (8.4%)
7. Defne Inceoglu (2.8%)
8. Kathleen Malloy (2.1%) 8. Paul Riss (2.1%)
8. Zach Weaver (2.1%)
11. Sarah Felgemacher (0.7%)
11. James Gorry (0.7%)
11. Zafer Izer (0.7%)
11. Kristin Phasey (0.7%)
11. Janine Stoll (0.7%)


RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
1. Get Bent Records (60%) [1]
2. Backrow Records (19.1%)
3. Coletrainmusic (18.4%) [2]
4. Volt Music Group (1.4%)
5. Prime Suspect Records (0.7%)


PRIMARY SOURCE FOR LOCAL MUSIC NEWS
1. Facebook (64%) [1]
2. Scene And Heard With Will McGuirk (12%) [2]
3. BrokenArts.ca (11.4%) [3]
4. Now Or Never zine (6.6%)
5. word of mouth (3.6%) [4]
6. Twitter (1.8%)
7. Get Bent Records (0.6%)


COMMENTS
“I’d like to see more electronic acts getting off the internet and into the world. Seriously, I know they’re out there, why can’t they ever play a show?”

“We need more bands with synth! But overall, things seem to definitely be on the rise in this area.”

“Hope to see more bands that stretch the spectrum of genres. Be nice to see more variety other than just metal and hip hop.”

“More diversification among acts would go far to improve the state of the local music scene, but that really falls upon artists to work on and likeminded artists to group together.”

“Jazz festival for 2012?”

“More outdoor festivals, maybe even one at the Lakefront!”

“More house shows and guerilla jams!”

“More affordable housing and safe music venues”

“More venues spread across a greater area to cater to those who don’t have easy access.”

“A stable, bigger venue for artists and musicians to jam, perform and chill in.”

“Isabella’s shutting down was a real blow, I think. What we really need is a venue like that, that everybody knows about, that’s in a prominent and convenient location, that’s comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.”

“Not attending a show due to one’s opinion of the venue only hurts the artists. Some of the greatest moments in Oshawa’s music scene happened in venues people ignored.”

“Better openers for the larger acts that come into town”

“Needed badly is a live music web page listing ALL live music events and band links for Durham Region.”



Thank you once again everybody who voted. If you didn’t vote then you should make a note to do so by joining us right back here this December when we hold our Best Of 2012 poll.

We would also like to point out that three of your top four artists of the year formed in 2011. So your favorite local music act of 2012? They might not even exist yet. Now isn’t that exciting?