After a long night of deliberation, the performance of the year award goes to... - By N.L. Belardes

This is the only music trophy you ever need...

The envelope please?

Thank you Ms. Belton...

And the winner is...

Bum bum de bum bum bummmmm....

Flashing lights and the crowd takes a deep breath in anticipation...

You quit your mega-millions rock star band. Then, without any contract to speak of you partner up with investors, create new music out on an isolated ranch. Then, you swallow your pride, schedule a ‘Family Show’ and face potential fans and old friends who just might be staring you in the eye as having fallen from grace. I was at the show at Studio 99. I heard the rumors. I heard the local rock stars in the shadows lurking, some watching jealously, others anticipating, others telling stories of olden days of Bakersfield rock and how this or that band was formed, made it, or didn’t. There was a lot of talk about Marky Chavez that night: just who he was and where he was going with this new endeavor. The question was a part of the very air itself: Had Marky Chavez fallen from rock star grace?



This was the most judgmental crowd of the year, all on hand to see the new coronation or the end of the road for Mark Chavez. Yet this fallen rock star bounced back with a set of songs played as if Midnight Panic had been together for 5 years. The songs were tight, hard-rocking with catchy, driving bass lines, edgy vocals, and riffs that took the latest hard pop trends and gave them a new spin.

Congratulation on your awards, boys. The infamous golden N.L. statue will be mailed to you anyday...


Runner Up: Karmahitlist at the Reggae-less Reggae Fest. Until the Coronation of Mark Chavez, Karmahitlist had this category won hands down with Seantastic's onstage antics, Iggy-Jagger swagger, climbing onto the Budweiser trailer, diving off speakers; guitars were smashed, drumsticks flew and Sean stood like a black-winged rock god. It was still a difficult decision up to the last minute. Karmahitlist had come to Stramler Park pulling out all the stops in a gutsy performance that had Jessie of Illpressed with shaking hands snapping gnarly photos of the blessed black-winged affair.





Second Runners Up: The Filthies and American Standard every show they ever put on. Two bands with Bakersfield pioneers in local talent in Kenny ‘Motor’ Mount and Marc DeLeon. These bands always without a doubt every stinkin’ time put on not good shows, but great shows.

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Monday, January 02, 2006. You can leave your response.