{"id":271410,"date":"2026-08-24T19:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/271410\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T19:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:42:08","slug":"exclusive-2026-steamtown-music-award-nominees-in-37-categories-announced-in-scranton-voting-now-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/271410\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: 2026 Steamtown Music Award nominees in 37 categories announced in Scranton, voting now open"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The nominations are in. The votes have been tallied. And, once again, Northeastern Pennsylvania has made one thing very clear \u2013 there is a lot of music being made around here.<\/p>\n<p>Today, the Steamtown Music Awards is officially announcing the nominees for the 13th annual Steamtown Music Awards exclusively on NEPA Scene.<\/p>\n<p>Now it is time for the fans to have their say. Public voting for the awards is open at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.electriccitymusicconference.com\/2026-steamtown-music-awards-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">electriccitymusicconference.com<\/a> and will run through Monday, Sept. 7.<\/p>\n<p>Fan voting determines the People\u2019s Choice Award in each category and is also factored into the awards committee\u2019s consideration when selecting winners. It is not, however, the sole deciding factor. The committee looks at an artist\u2019s work and accomplishments over the past year while taking into consideration things like releases, live performances, touring, notable opportunities, media attention, audience growth, creativity, marketing, and overall impact.<\/p>\n<p>The winners will be announced at the Steamtown Music Awards ceremony at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vspotbar.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The V-Spot<\/a> (906 Providence Rd., Scranton) on Thursday, Sept. 10.<\/p>\n<p>What started 13 years ago as an idea to put a bigger spotlight on Northeastern Pennsylvania musicians has grown into one of the biggest annual gatherings of the regional music community.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s Steamtown Music Awards will feature 37 awards, a red carpet entrance, photography, interviews, guest presenters, live performances and, most importantly, a room filled with musicians, fans, venue owners, photographers, DJs, journalists, producers, radio personalities, and many of the people who keep music alive in NEPA.<\/p>\n<p>The nominees tell that story pretty well. There are artists appearing on the ballot for the first time alongside names that have been part of the NEPA music scene for years. There are metal bands and country acts, rappers and singer\/songwriters, and DJs and jazz musicians alongside cover bands, punk bands, tribute acts, photographers, producers, radio personalities, venues, and more. The massive \u201cBest New Artist\u201d field shows just how much new blood continues to enter the regional scene.<\/p>\n<p>But before looking toward the next generation, the Steamtown Music Awards will also take some time this year to honor a few people who established the music scene that exists today with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Local legends <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100058163343979\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Wannabes<\/a> will be honored for their lasting contribution to the regional music scene, while a posthumous award will recognize the late Bob White, vocalist of Meat Loaf tribute band <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/batoutofhellpa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bat Out of Hell<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe awards are our chance to celebrate people who have helped create the culture that we have here,\u201d organizer Joe Caviston said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat means recognizing the artists doing incredible things right now, but it also means making sure we honor the people who built this scene, supported it, and gave generations of musicians a place to belong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following the awards ceremony, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.electriccitymusicconference.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Electric City Music Conference<\/a> will expand throughout Scranton on Friday and Saturday with performances taking place across 12 participating venues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis weekend has always been about putting a spotlight on the incredible musical community we have in Scranton and throughout Northeast Pennsylvania,\u201d Caviston emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is an unbelievable amount of talent here. Our goal has always been to give those artists a platform, bring people into the city to discover them, and remind everyone that Scranton has a music scene worth paying attention to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lifetime Achievement Awards<br \/>The Wanabees<br \/>Bob White of Bat Out of Hell<\/p>\n<p>Best New Artist<br \/>All in Blood<br \/>Amber November<br \/>American Vanity<br \/>Briggle Jaxon<br \/>Lindsay Van Gorden<br \/>Zeu<br \/>Crybaby Cult<br \/>Dan Ferino &amp; The Broken Hearts<br \/>DJ House Bunny XXO<br \/>Electric City Surf Club<br \/>Eraser<br \/>Freefall<br \/>John Bower<br \/>Lord G Boston<br \/>Mmachi O. Dimoriaku<br \/>Ravyn<br \/>Safe Sermon<br \/>Surrounded in Static<br \/>Sunblush<br \/>Taz Zingale<br \/>The Sciatic Nerves<br \/>Ticket to Yesterday<br \/>Xdrenaline<br \/>The Love Melons<\/p>\n<p>Acoustic\/Solo Artist of the Year<br \/>Mike Barresse<br \/>Bryan Banks<br \/>Gabby Tolerico<br \/>Jase Mathews<br \/>Jimmy Stranger<br \/>John Bower<br \/>Ken Norton<br \/>Riley Loftus<br \/>Squid Sterling<br \/>Mike Elward<\/p>\n<p>Blues\/Funk Artist of the Year<br \/>Brendan Brisk Band<br \/>Dustin Douglas &amp; The Electric Gentlemen<br \/>Matt Bennick Trio<br \/>Phyllis Hopkins Electric Trio<br \/>The Just Alright Band<br \/>The Tribe<\/p>\n<p>Country Act of the Year<br \/>Boots and Bangs<br \/>Flatland Ruckus<br \/>Jase Mathews Band<br \/>John Bower<br \/>Lindsay Van Gorden<br \/>Lipstick &amp; Rye<br \/>Luke Stone<br \/>Wagner Road Band<\/p>\n<p>Cover Act of the Year<br \/>Almost Infamous<br \/>Better Than Bad<br \/>Chase Who Band<br \/>Dance Hall Devils<br \/>Guilty Pleasure<br \/>Nowhere Slow<br \/>The 335<br \/>Daddy-O and the Sax Maniax<\/p>\n<p>Tribute Act of the Year<br \/>Ticket to Yesterday \u2013 A Beatles Tribute Band<br \/>Deadfish \u2013 Grateful Dead Tribute<br \/>Eclipsed \u2013 Pink Floyd Tribute<br \/>A Proud Monkey \u2013 Dave Matthews Band Tribute<br \/>Lost Dogs \u2013 Pearl Jam Tribute<br \/>Eastern Tribute Collective<br \/>Courtesy by Flatland Ruckus \u2013 Toby Keith Tribute<br \/>Sweet Little Lies \u2013 Fleetwood Mac Tribute<\/p>\n<p>EDM\/Electronic DJ Act of the Year<br \/>Amber November<br \/>Cowgirl Pills<br \/>Flipswitch<br \/>DJ Robair<br \/>Nasstronaut<br \/>Oath<br \/>House Bonny XXO<br \/>Bob Miller<\/p>\n<p>Club DJ\/DJ Party Act of the Year<br \/>DJ Hersh<br \/>DJ Downtown<br \/>DJ AR<br \/>Jay MC<br \/>Electric Lady<br \/>SaturBae<br \/>Chris James<br \/>Jamie Callen<\/p>\n<p>Duo\/Trio of the Year<br \/>A &amp; D Acoustic Duo<br \/>Atari &amp; Mari<br \/>CC Music Duo<br \/>The Frost Duo<br \/>The MDG Crew<br \/>Wildcard Duo<br \/>The Two Taboo<\/p>\n<p>Folk\/Americana\/Bluegrass\/Jam Act of the Year<br \/>Justin Bravo &amp; The Kind<br \/>The Sorters<br \/>The Downpatrick Band<br \/>Gracie Jane Sinclair &amp; The Band<br \/>The Sciatic Nerves<br \/>The Broke Pines<br \/>Greenfield III<br \/>Brendan Michael Smith &amp; The Susquehanna Boom Co.<\/p>\n<p>Hip-Hop\/Rap\/R&amp;B Artist of the Year<br \/>Alahji D\u00e1Quan<br \/>Alexis Cosgrove<br \/>Lord G Boston<br \/>Maine the Medicine x Son Lee<br \/>Ray Blacc<br \/>Taz Zingale<br \/>Xdrenaline<br \/>John Anthony<\/p>\n<p>Jazz\/Fusion\/Reggae\/World Music Act of the Year<br \/>Elephants Dancing<br \/>Young Lion<br \/>West Third Street Band<br \/>Hot Club of Scranton<br \/>Tyler Dempsey<br \/>Peach Polaroid<br \/>Special Characters<br \/>Duds<\/p>\n<p>Metal Act of the Year<br \/>Cruel Bomb<br \/>Drowning Kelly<br \/>Purple Lung<br \/>The Serpent Underneath<br \/>Traverse the Abyss<br \/>We the People<br \/>Toothless<br \/>Scorched Mind<\/p>\n<p>Pop\/Top 40 Act of the Year<br \/>MDG Crew<br \/>Popstar Drive<br \/>The Blend<br \/>Chase Who Band<br \/>Meet Me on Marcie<br \/>Fake 58<br \/>Totally Taboo<br \/>Last Call Beautiful<\/p>\n<p>Punk\/Hardcore Act of the Year<br \/>Acid Rat<br \/>Old Daggers<br \/>Pucker Up!<br \/>Side Over<br \/>No Limitations<br \/>The Mesos<br \/>A Constant Murder<br \/>Loading<\/p>\n<p>Indie Rock\/Pop Punk\/Emo Act of the Year<br \/>Broken Alibi<br \/>Delaware Ave<br \/>Esta Coda<br \/>James Barrett<br \/>Look Back Luna<br \/>No Take Backs<br \/>Street Ave Blvd<br \/>Sweet Anne Marie<\/p>\n<p>Rock\/Alternative Act of the Year<br \/>American Vanity<br \/>Portland Frank<br \/>Ravyn<br \/>Safe Sermon<br \/>So Much Hope, Buried.<br \/>Spellslinger<br \/>Tori V &amp; The Karma<br \/>University Drive<\/p>\n<p>Female Vocalist of the Year<br \/>Abigail Chase<br \/>Alexis Cosgrove<br \/>Amanda Rogan<br \/>Cierra Cellerari<br \/>Dianna Brown<br \/>Gabby Tolerico<br \/>Gracie Jane Sinclair<br \/>Kate Mangan<br \/>Kayla Grzech<br \/>Riley Loftus<br \/>Tori Viccica<br \/>Sherry Klaproth<\/p>\n<p>Male Vocalist of the Year<br \/>Adam Farley<br \/>Chase Robinson<br \/>Christian Michl Brown<br \/>Danny Sales<br \/>David Wood<br \/>Jase Mathews<br \/>Jeremy Burke<br \/>John Bower<br \/>Kelly King<br \/>Nick Van Wagenen<br \/>Patrick McGlynn<br \/>Kenneth Watkins<\/p>\n<p>Guitarist of the Year<br \/>Ben Bush<br \/>Chris Gratz<br \/>Dave Kline<br \/>Donald James<br \/>Duds<br \/>Glenn Clark<br \/>Jacob Bagasevich<br \/>Jimmy Reynolds<br \/>Kevin \u201cKJ\u201d Stone<br \/>Mike Heitczman<br \/>Tyler Salak<br \/>Rob Husty<\/p>\n<p>Bassist of the Year<br \/>Jon Ventre<br \/>Ben Mattey<br \/>Ben Roper<br \/>Brad Chikowski<br \/>Connor Langan<br \/>David Wood<br \/>Jasper Paci<br \/>Jesse Viola<br \/>Joe Terry<br \/>Michael Iorio<br \/>Stefan Ogonosky<br \/>Demi Belzer<\/p>\n<p>Drummer of the Year<br \/>Anthony \u201cShiny\u201d Montini<br \/>Armando Toledo<br \/>Brody Stewart<br \/>Chad Wescott<br \/>Chuck Grabosky<br \/>Dave Cali<br \/>Harold Jones<br \/>James Brown<br \/>Kevin Hall<br \/>Tanner Snyder<br \/>Anthony Viola<br \/>Kenny Vandermark<\/p>\n<p>Auxiliary Musician of the Year<br \/>Brendan Lesavage \u2013 violin<br \/>Christian Michl Brown \u2013 saxophone<br \/>Jase Mathews \u2013 trumpet<br \/>Melanie Hansen \u2013 harmonica<br \/>Seth Eisenberg \u2013 keyboards<br \/>Amber November \u2013 keyboards<br \/>Bill Davis \u2013 pedal steel, mandolin<br \/>Butchy Jones \u2013 pedal steel, banjo<br \/>Callie Puzak \u2013 cello<br \/>Cierra Cellerari \u2013 flute\/harmonica<br \/>Daniel Sperlein \u2013 trombone<br \/>Mario Tombasco \u2013 keyboards, trumpet, fiddle<br \/>Robert Jurkiewicz \u2013 keyboards, fiddle<\/p>\n<p>Song of the Year<br \/>Alahji D\u00e1Quan \u2013 \u201cFashion Killa\u201d<br \/>American Vanity \u2013 \u201cLifeline\u201d<br \/>Apollo Putnam \u2013 \u201cChampion in Shame\u201d<br \/>Eraser \u2013 \u201cBlind\u201d<br \/>Gracie Jane Sinclair \u2013 \u201cDangerous\u201d<br \/>Crybaby Cult \u2013 \u201cMore More More\u201d<br \/>Spellslinger \u2013 \u201cVivianite\u201d<br \/>The MDG Crew \u2013 \u201cAlone Again\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Album of the Year<br \/>Christian Michl Brown \u2013 \u201cChapter II\u201d<br \/>Drowning Kelly \u2013 \u201cEclipse\u201d<br \/>Electric City Surf Club \u2013 \u201cNo Waves All Coal\u201d<br \/>Scorched Mind \u2013 \u201cEmbracing the Dying Sun\u201d<br \/>Side Over \u2013 \u201cLoves You\u201d<br \/>So Much Hope, Buried. \u2013 \u201cWither | Grow\u201d<br \/>Brendan Michael Smith \u2013 \u201cThe Susquehanna Boom Company\u201d<br \/>University Drive \u2013 \u201cFirst Stage Separation\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Video of the Year<br \/>American Vanity \u2013 \u201cPoison in Your Cup\u201d<br \/>Gracie Jane Sinclair \u2013 \u201cDangerous\u201d<br \/>Free Fall \u2013 \u201cLast Hoorah\u201d<br \/>So Much Hope, Buried. \u2013 \u201cPaper Thin\u201d<br \/>The Sorters \u2013 \u201cCardboard Kids\u201d<br \/>No Take Backs \u2013 \u201cICantWaitForSkate4\u201d<br \/>Look Back Luna \u2013 \u201cFalling Up\u201d<br \/>Jay Luke \u2013 \u201cMalice in Wonderland\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Recording Studio of the Year<br \/>BBE Entertainment<br \/>Encore Studios<br \/>JL Studios<br \/>Mazin Studios<br \/>Novro Studios<br \/>SI Studios<br \/>Windmill Agency<\/p>\n<p>Producer\/Recording Engineer of the Year<br \/>Steeze<br \/>Joseph Wegleski<br \/>Chev Robinson<br \/>Dan Dearborn<br \/>Eric Novroski<br \/>Ethan Cutillo<br \/>Jay Preston<br \/>Joe Loftus<\/p>\n<p>Music Publication\/Blog of the Year<br \/>1120 Mag<br \/>Echo Wave Media<br \/>NEPA Scene<\/p>\n<p>Podcast\/Vlog\/YouTube Channel of the Year<br \/>The Popko Project<br \/>The Middleman Podcast<br \/>Talk of Fame Podcast<br \/>NEPA Scene Podcast<br \/>GhostWulf Underground<\/p>\n<p>Local Radio Station of the Year<br \/>107.5 The Diamond<br \/>97.9 X<br \/>98.5 KRZ<br \/>Fuzz 92.1<br \/>Rock 107<br \/>VMFM 91.7<br \/>90.3 WESS<\/p>\n<p>Music Journalist\/Reviewer\/Writer of the Year<br \/>Jennifer Racho<br \/>Rich Howells<br \/>Melissa Janoski<br \/>Jess Meoni<br \/>Alonna Weaver<\/p>\n<p>Radio Personality\/Podcaster\/Internet Personality of the Year<br \/>Johnny Popko<br \/>Melissa Kranke<br \/>Kate Macintyre<br \/>Lazy E<br \/>Amber Viola<br \/>Mike Duffy<br \/>Keven Martinez<br \/>Rich Howells<br \/>Kylie Montigney<\/p>\n<p>Music Photographer of the Year<br \/>Anthony Schutz<br \/>Donna Rose<br \/>Eugene Lucas<br \/>JD Ashford<br \/>Jenn Fry<br \/>Jennifer Kucharski<br \/>Kayla Grzech<br \/>Keith Perks<br \/>Nadia Wegleski<br \/>Rich Howells<\/p>\n<p>Best Place to See Music in 2026<br \/>The V-Spot<br \/>Backyard Ale House<br \/>Benny\u2019s of Downtown Scranton<br \/>The Bog<br \/>Sergei\u2019s Live<br \/>Dungeon at the Ritz<br \/>The Ritz Theater<br \/>River Street Jazz Cafe<br \/>Union Vapors 570<br \/>Tony\u2019s Wine Cellar<br \/>AJ\u2019s Bar-N-Grill<br \/>Arlo\u2019s Tavern<\/p>\n<p>Artist of the Year<br \/>Elephants Dancing<br \/>James Barrett<br \/>Traverse the Abyss<br \/>Gracie Jane Sinclair<br \/>University Drive<br \/>So Much Hope, Buried.<br \/>American Vanity<br \/>Tori V &amp; The Karma<br \/>Brendan Michael Smith<br \/>Cowgirl Pills<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The nominations are in. The votes have been tallied. And, once again, Northeastern Pennsylvania has made one thing&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271411,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[9747,80507,178,180,179,80508,80509],"class_list":["post-271410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-awards","tag-electric-city-music-conference","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-steamtown-music-awards","tag-v-spot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}