The political season is on, and it can get nasty. Even if you're able to ignore the attack ads and mud-covered debate spectacles, we've all probably sneered a vicious sneer or two at a neighbor's disagreeable lawn sign or bumper sticker.

But who said a tight voting contest has to tear households apart? While the stakes may be a little lower than the fate of a nation, it still warms our rotten hearts to see Deli Readers' Poll competitors Damned Rivers sharing a bottle of bubbly and a song with their second-place co-occupants Terrible. In our analysis of the poll results and the dead tie between the two bands, you may remember that we suggested "maybe Damned Rivers could make an appearance on that rad-ass live series Terrible has been producing," and we're delighted to see that they delivered. Check out the video of that session below and, since they're such a bunch of upstanding guys and a personal favorite of ours, we've also embedded the inuagural episode featuring Terrible. -Austin Phy

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Fresh off the polls, the results for our Artist of the Year Readers' poll are in! We'd like to thank everyone who voted in support of their favorite artists, and a hardy congrats to everyone who made the poll this year!

1. All of our top nominees brought their A-game when it came to letting fans know about the poll, but the long arm of Smooth Hound Smith (pictured above) had the reach to snag them the top spot. This bluesy-folk duo had a busy 2015-2016 between putting out a new album, releasing a couple live videos while maintaining a demanding tour schedule, and even dropping by the Daytrotter studio to record a killer session. Now they can add winning the top spot as the Deli Nashville Artist of the Year to that list!

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2/3. If anyone ever tells you that a single vote doesn't mean anything, point them right here to our TIE for second place. Terrible came out swinging with a commanding early lead, but Damned Rivers wasn't about to sit back and let the poll slide by them. Both groups put up a strong fight for the top spot in our Alt-Folk category and, listening to these groups side-by-side, we can't help but think this is a great chance to get two top-notch bands talking to each other about sharing the stage sometime. Or maybe Damned Rivers could make an appearance on that rad-ass live series Terrible has been producing. How about it, guys?

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4. In fourth place is electronic dance-freakout project Night Auditor. Their live show is not to be missed, and we happen to know that they're working on funding a new album, so how about you click on over to their Bandcamp and congratulate them by picking up a tape copy of the excellent Romance EP?

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5. In fifth place is the bluesy-as-all-getout Bentley Caldwell. He released a way-solid album back in 2014, which you should check out at your earliest convenience.

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Again, congrats to everyone who was included! Our nominees went out of their way to promote the poll, and they certainly deserve your attention.

If you want to take a look at the results organized by genre, check them out here:
ALT FOLK - ALT ROCK - AMERICANA - ELECTRONIC - INDIE POP - INDIE/PSYCH ROCK - REVIVAL ROCK - SINGER-SONGWRITER

Thanks to everyone who shared and voted, and remember to keep an eye on the Deli year-round for all the freshest coverage on new music coming from Nashville!

The Folks at The Deli