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Once again, the people have spoken, and we have listened just as intently as they have. I’m quite impressed with the music selections for the Nappies this year. As you will see, your choices skip across many different genres of local music, but enough with the small talk. Let’s get to the music!

The Nappie for “Best Local Band” once again goes to Peek. Even after four years in the Port City music scene, Peek has not lost its touch for winning over local crowds with its straightforward rock sound. When I spoke with drummer John Hamilton, he was extremely surprised they were still chosen this year.

“I don’t think we can believe it,” says Hamilton. “It’s been a long, strange trip. We didn’t even think that the band would make it four years, but here we are.”

All you Peek fans out there will be even happier when their new CD hits the streets before the end of the year. With the success of their first album, Peek was able to put back money in order to invest in their next release. Right now, the boys are shopping around musical Meccas Austin and Nashville for a worthy producer for this project. So, how will this one be different from “Safe Harbor?”

“I think the original songs are better,” Hamilton explains. “On this album, we’ve all written songs together as a band. The first CD, we wrote a lot of songs as individuals. This upcoming CD will be a very good band effort.”

They plan on pitching this release to several labels, but don’t think that they’ll let a thing like that go to their heads.

“All of us have day jobs, and we don’t have any delusions of being the next MTV star,” Hamilton says. “We’re all in it for the love of music. If the CD does anything or not, it still will be a big accomplishment for us.”

The next time you’ll be able to catch Peek is Aug. 11 at Grand Central.

With their outlaw country sound and well-populated shows, it’s no surprise that The Colonel Dixies placed second for “Best Local Band” in the Nappies. What is surprising is that their down home sound appeals more to the Mobile underground scene. This comes as no surprise to guitarist Andre Dardeau. When I asked him about this phenomenon, he was still recuperating from a successful show in NOLA with punk masters The Uptown Ofays.

“All of the underground forms of music are basically the same thing,” says Dardeau. “If you listen to our song ‘Siren Song,’ ‘The Undertones Song,’ ‘Get Over You,’ a Chuck Berry song, a Ramones song and a Clash song, they have the exact same chord progression with different instrumentation. It’s not a big step from The Uptown Ofays or Hush Hush Revolution to us.”

When The Colonel Dixies finish their second EP, they plan on shopping it around to major labels with the hopes that someone will finance their musical journeys across the world.

The ESho “represented” in the “Best New Band” category with Daphne’s Jon Maddox Band snatching the Nappie Award. Pulling inspiration from bands ranging from Alice in Chains to The Commodores, front man Jon Maddox first gained his musical reputation from his solo acoustic act. Putting a full band behind his music seems to have worked out well for him, especially when it comes to the Nappies.

“It feels awesome, actually,” says Maddox. “I’ve been around for a while doing the acoustic thing, so now that I have my band out and get known for it, it feels good.” With his original Southern rock sound, Maddox has shown great talent in both his instrumental and songwriting talent.

So, where does Maddox find the inspiration for his songs?

“Normally, the songs come from real life situations,” Maddox says. “Like, I got one called ‘Drunk Driving’ that’s actually about me driving home drunk from Mobile to Daphne.” Maddox plans on releasing a self-titled CD in the next month and has a full performance schedule. If you’d like to see who has the ESho rocking, then catch Jon Maddox Band at Bilotti’s on July 25. Until then, Maddox and the boys plan on playing as much as they possibly can and to “keep on rockin’!”

Second place in the “Best New Band” category goes to Mobile’s September Son. After playing only four gigs, September Son’s impressive mainstream rock sound has hurled them into local fame. This is no surprise with original rock ballads like “Restless” and powerful anthems like “Endeavor.” With an individual need to create original music, it seems as if the hands of Fate forced this band into existence.

“I had been playing with Jason (Breland, lead vocals/piano/guitar) for a while doing some things and writing some songs,” says Rick Amonett (guitar/vocals). We met Sam (Anderson, drums/vocals) before that and played with him a little before we formed the band. We met Daniel (Tillman, bass) from another band he was in, and we were all tired of what we were doing, so we put the band together. We all wanted to write original music and put a real album out, so we got everyone together and put original songs together.”

One thing that impresses me about September Son is their drive to make it in the music business. Instead of playing live then recording a CD, these guys had a different idea in mind for getting their sound out.

“We recorded half the CD before we even played a show and put the music on the Internet on various Web sites,” says Amonett. “We had music on the Internet before we even played around here, so we’ve had a good response.”

September Son plans on finishing their debut CD and touring extensively across the U.S. very soon. You can catch them with Peek August 11 at Grand Central.

So, there you have it! My only hope is that each of you will continue to experience the various musical acts that the Port City and E Sho have to offer. You have a whole year to decide whom to vote in for next year’s Nappies, so I hope all of you already have on your game faces. I offer my sincerest congratulations to each of the bands that were selected, and I wish the best of luck to each of you. Judging from each band’s sound, I see nothing but good fortune coming your way.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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