Carolyn Wonderland and the Imperial Monkeys
Nomination: Best Blues; Best Female Vocalist; Songwriter(s) of the Year; Song of the Year ("Blue Lights"); Best Guitarist (Eric Dane); Best Bassist (Chris King); Best Drummer (Leesa Harrington Squyres)
Sound: Rock gets the blues
Time logged: Six years
Etc.: In the last few years, Carolyn Wonderland and the Imperial Monkeys have taken the concept of rock as a purely road-bound medium and run with it -- literally. The band has spent so much time touring of late that it's easy to forget its roots are still in Houston -- that is, until you take a gander at this year's Music Awards ballot. Frankly, Wonderland's dominance year after year has become so predictable that it's no wonder the Imperial Monkeys haven't shown up in person to claim their trophies at a Music Awards ceremony for quite some time now. Still, that hardly detracts from the fact that the heartfelt slow-burner "Blue Lights" is easily one of the best tunes the group has recorded and ranks among the best holiday tunes of the '90s. Merry Christmas, Carolyn, wherever you are.
Wyndnwyre
Nomination: Best Traditional/Ethnic
Sound: Celtic folk
Time logged: 15 years
Etc.: The recent Celtic music resurgence hasn't exactly sparked a renaissance for Renaissance-era music. Wyndnwyre addresses such neglect by relying heavily on that period, while providing equally energetic, expressive, hauntingly beautiful renditions of Celtic fare -- all of it played on authentic instruments such as the bodhran, hammered dulcimer, Celtic harp and bouzouki.
Wyndnwyre performs at 6 p.m. Sunday at Cent'Anni.
Tony Xpress
Nomination: Best Reggae/World Music
Sound: Atypical reggae
Time logged: Five years
Etc: Talk about a jack of all trades. When native Nigerian Tony Xpress isn't performing, he's working part-time work as a mechanic and a private detective And to accommodate his mix-and-match lifestyle, he has a recording studio in his auto shop. If you can believe it, his otherworldly vocals have been compared to those of punk freakazoids the Cramps. He's also been given the esteemed title (by whom, it's hard to say) of "Barrister of Roots Rock Reggae." Definitely not your run-of-the-mill Rastaman vibration.
Norma Zenteno
Nomination: Best Tejano/Latin
Sound: Jazz, rock, salsa, you name it
Time logged: 43 years
Etc.: Kind of a skimpy Music Awards showing this year for Houston's most energetic and versatile diva. Not to worry, though. Come next year's ballot, Norma Zenteno will have already wrapped her raspy, soulful pipes around another genre or two (as if fronting the Calvin Owens Orchestra for a big-band jazz album sung entirely in Spanish wasn't eclectic enough).
Norma Zenteno performs at 9 p.m. Sunday at McElroy's.
Zydeco Dots
Nomination: Best Cajun/Zydeco
Sound: One guess
Time logged: 11 years
Etc.: You've got to respect a band that still manages to see itself as just another humble nominee despite owning this category for eight years running. The "Pierre" factor no longer a part of the band's name or its well-established game plan, this Houston quintet nonetheless remains synonymous with the Gulf Coast zydeco scene, transporting revelers to the bayou's edge with veteran ease and ear-to-ear enthusiasm.
The Zydeco Dots perform at 7 p.m. Sunday at McElroy's.
