Dear Deli Readers,

We are proud to announce that The Deli’s Best of 2012 Emerging Nashville Artist is Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes! The band received high scores all around in our poll, with votes pouring in from jurors, Deli writers, and readers, which is something quite rare and conjures up a fully deserved win. Indie-rockers The Paranormals placed second followed by the Southern blues band Luella & the Sun who came in at third.

Please take a look at our chart of 50+ Nashville-area emerging artists below. The highest value of votes came from our jurors, who included individuals involved in local music. This includes promoters, venue owners, press, DJs and other music experts, who are listed below (thanks y’all). The remainder of the votes was compiled by The Deli Nashville contributors, readers, and open submissions voted on by national Deli editors.

BEST OF 2012 POLL FOR EMERGING NASHVILLE ARTISTS - FINAL RESULTS -

ARTIST J W R OS TOT   1 Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes 10 1 1.5 1 13.5 2 The Paranormals 7 1 0.012 1 9.012 3 Luella & the Sun 8   0.005   8.005 4 Ponychase 7   0.011   7.011 5 Wild Cub 7   0.007   7.007 6 Cherub 5   0.029   5.029 7 Natalie Prass 4   0.017   4.017 8 The Vespers 3   0.007 1 4.007 9 Anna Haas     2 2 4 10 Alanna Royale 2 1 0.5   3.5 11 Adam Burrows 3   0.139   3.139 12 The Young International 3   0.084   3.084 13 Andrew Combs 3   0.019   3.019 14 Natural Child 3   0.015   3.015 15 Fly Golden Eagle 3   0.01   3.01   Kopecky Family Band 3   0.01   3.01 17 Magnolia Sons 3   0.009   3.009   Promised Land 3   0.009   3.009 19 Foreign Fields     0.008 3 3.008 20 Nahnee Bori 3   0.002   3.002 21 Linear Downfall 2   0.5   2.5 22 Billy Swayze 2   0.17   2.17 23 The Gills 2   0.075   2.075 24 The Kingston Springs 2   0.059   2.059 25 Hanzelle 2   0.04   2.04 26 Great Peacock 2   0.032   2.032 27 Little Bandit 2   0.011   2.011 28 Jessie Baylin 2   0.006   2.006   RayLand Baxter 2   0.006   2.006 30 Marc Scibilia 2   0.005   2.005 31 Heidi Feek 2   0.004   2.004 32 DeRobert & the Half-Truths 2   0.003   2.003 33 Echo Group 2   0.002   2.002 34 Sharpneck 2   0.001   2.001 35 Steelism 2   0   2 36 Herschel Garrison     0.017 1.5 1.517 37 Diarrhea Planet 1   0.5   1.5 38 Blackfoot Gypsies 1   0.082   1.082 39 Kelly Ruth     0.065 1 1.065 40 Roy Ira     0.028 1 1.028 41 Della Mae 1   0.025   1.025 42 Kristen Cothron & the Darkside     0.023 1 1.023 43 Two Bit Charlie     0.022 1 1.022 44 Eastern Block 1   0.017   1.017 45 Honey Locust     0.015 1 1.015 46 Poly 1   0.011   1.011 47 World.I.Made     0.01 1 1.01 48 Waked Lunch     0.007 1 1.007 49 Anchor Thieves 1   0.006   1.006 50 Evan P. Donohue 1   0.004   1.004   The Lonely Biscuits 1   0.004   1.004 52 Max and the Wild Things 1   0.003   1.003   Quichenight 1   0.003   1.003 54 Meadownoise 1   0.001   1.001 Legend: J = Jurors, W = Deli Writers, R = Deli Readers, OS = Open Submissions

Jurors List: Brianne Turner (The Deli Nashville), Chris Mara (Welcome To 1979), Marissa Moss (Lockeland Springsteen), Louis (The Groove), Erin Manning (The Deli Nashville), Justin Hammel (Lightning 100), Brandon Jazz (Mercy Lounge), Jesse Willoughby (ASCAP), Steve Cross (photographer), East Nashville Underground (East Nashville Underground), Patrick Rodgers (The Nashville Scene), Elise Tyler (The Stone Fox), Mike Reuther (OurVinyl), Kyle Kelly (Villain Place), We Own This Town (We Own This Town), Wells Adams (Lightning 100), Cayla Mackey (Native Magazine), Allen Ralph (OurVinyl), No Country For New Nashville (No Country For New Nashville), John Walker (Music City Roots), Lloyd Aur Norman (Villain Place).

Nashville's underground music scene rules!

The Deli's Staff

On Friday night, the Basement housed the sold-out EP release show for Alanna Royale, also featuring Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes, Golden Spurs, and Maureen Murphy. We told you to head down there, but even we had no way of anticipating of what was in store.

Maureen Murphy can sing. Holding long and powerful notes like a 2013 Whitney Houston (truly, though), the strength behind Murphy's voice will take you to church, regardless of whether or not you want to go there. The Massachusetts-born singer/songwriter opened the show to a packed house and made some new fans in the process, as exemplified by the boy behind me who couldn't contain himself and kept screaming "I fuckin' love you!" (It was well-deserved praise.)

Continuing the Massachusetts theme, Golden Spurs brought their garage-style rock vibe to the stage, adding an additional layer of sweat to every member of the packed and dancing audience. The only surprising thing about the rock trio's talent is that more people aren't aware of it. But the band is still relatively new to Nashville, so there's no doubt we'll all be on board soon.

We first wrote about Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes back in April of last year and they were fantastic then. But the four piece has sharpened their sound and their live show so effectively that they are currently winning our year-end poll (to your right) and accomplishing everything every independent band sets out to accomplish. After returning from their recent U.S. tour, the band hasn't stopped, giving everyone little choice but to become a fan of their eclectic blues pop-rock. Essentially, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes are blowing up-- and no one is surprised. Their set at the Basement was a testament to how far they've come.

Alanna Quinn-Broadus is a powerhouse, both vocally and in personality. Unrivaled when it comes to stage presence, it makes sense that the refreshingly sassy frontwoman is balanced at the front of the stage by the six male band members behind her. From making their radio debut earlier this month to selling out the Basement just a few weeks later, it's difficult to deny that Alanna Royale are onto something. Playing a set consisting of the songs from their Bless Her Heart EP and a cover of Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box," Quinn-Broadus announced the end of the show and responded to the subsequent groans in the crowd with, "We don't have any more fuckin' songs!" Though it seems we've all become rabid superfans before Alanna Royale was ready for us, the recently-formed band seems to be handling our new-found obsession like seasoned veterans. And I cannot wait until they give us some more fuckin' songs. –Brianne Turner

Photo by Lauren Napier Photography

This weekend stands to be fairly quiet here in Music City, but if you'd like to hang with us, we've found perhaps the two best parties in town, hosted at one venue, for your convenience.

Tonight, the Alanna Royale Bless Her Heart EP release show is happening at The Basement. Along with Golden Spurs, Maureen Murphy, and one of our favorites, the always incredible Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes, the Nasvhille-united seven piece will bring their fantastic and self-described "dirty pop/raunchy soul" to the stage to officially unveil their heavily-anticipated EP. Alanna Royale has been getting the full hype treatment from the Nashville music community lately and the buzz is well-deserved. Alanna's voice establishes the line between "sweet" and "strong" and dances all over it effortlessly. You can spend the day learning every word to the Bless Her Heart EP over at Bandcamp and then come dance and sweat with us to this fantastic lineup at The Basement.
Details for the event can be found here.

On Saturday night, we're back at the Basement for our first Photo Ops experience. The solo project of Terry Price, Photo Ops' prismatic and mesmerizing February release, How To Say Goodbye, makes showing up for this one a no-brainer. Price manned each of the instruments on the record, but for this set, he'll be backed by a full band. Joining Photo Ops on the bill will be Westbound Rangers and Fox Bear Snake.
Details for this one can be found here.

Pick one or both nights to come out to The Basement and say hi and watch some fantastic music with us!

The results are in from the Open Submissions stage for our Nashville Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. All of the submissions were ranked by Deli Editors from other scenes and the list of acts that have advanced to our Readers’/Fans’ Poll phase are below. We will also be releasing the list of nominees chosen by our local "scene expert" jurors very soon. 

Photo by Will Vastine

Like most members of the Nashville music scene, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes are not actually from Nashville. Bassist Marshall Skinner and guitarist Timon Lance are from Ohio (Columbus and Youngstown, respectively), Daniel Ellsworth hails from Minneapolis and drummer Joel Wren ended up in Nashville via Wichita, Kansas. Track-by-track, the band's eclectic Midwestern roots become apparent and are directly reflected in their music, as each song oscillates seamlessly through various genres and stories.

After a short but impressive stint as part of the a capella group The Collective on NBC's “The Sing Off,” Daniel Ellsworth returned to his instruments and joined his eponymous band for a US tour in support of their second and most recent release, Civilized Man. Self-produced and funded by fans through Kickstarter, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes found success in the independent approach that nurtured Civilized Man and applied the same DIY spirit to their recent national tour, booking and managing every aspect themselves, and then relying on their rapidly-growing fanbase to support and contribute to the outcome. Despite being Tennessee immigrants, the band has quickly established themselves within the Nashville music community, creating enough enthusiasm to accomplish the somewhat rare feat of successfully funding a Kickstarter campaign.

As the band continues to gain nationwide recognition, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes continue to make a name and a home for themselves in their adopted hometown. If you'd like to get an idea of what makes them unique, the four-piece will take the stage at The Basement on Saturday, April 28, alongside Jeremy Lister and Kelly McFarling. Listen to “Shoe Fits” from Civilized Man below. – Brianne Turner