The ’01 L.A. Weekly Music Awards (LAWMA) were held at Ruby nightclub on Wednesday, June 27, and all things considered were pretty much a smash(ed) success. A packed house of jolly music-bizzers and those who love them enjoyed an evening of glad-handing, milling about and general frivolity, as well as strong sets by the likes of funky party boys Slowrider, an erratic but compelling John Frusciante and merry mixmaster Madlib; thanks also to Anna Homler and Michael Intriere, who tackled their voice-and-cello improvs at evening‘s end as if in command performance at Royal Albert Hall. All the while host Bob Forrest did a fabulous job of holding the sometimes loose proceedings together, which, along with plenty of clever quips, heartfelt pronouncements and bared breasts by award winners and presenters along the way, made for a night to remember.

And here are this year’s LAWMA honorees:

BEST NEW ARTIST

Slowrider

BEST ROCK BAND

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

BEST HARD ROCK

METAL BAND

tie: Nebula and Tool

BEST POPROCK BAND

The Negro Problem

BEST PUNK

HARDCORE BAND

Texas Terri & the Stiff Ones

BEST RAP

HIP-HOP ARTIST

Medusa & Feline Science

BEST JAZZ ARTIST

Brad Mehldau

BEST COUNTRY ARTIST

Dave Alvin

BEST CONTEMPORARY

BLUESR&B ARTIST

tie: Macy Gray and Jill Scott

BEST SALSALATIN ARTIST

Poncho Sanchez

BEST INSTRUMENTAL BAND

W.A.C.O.

BEST NEW-GENRE

UNCATEGORIZABLE ARTIST

Xu Xu Fang

JAZZ EMINENCE AWARD

Horace Silver

POPROCK LIFETIME

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Captain Beefheart

BEST WORLD MUSIC

RECOMBINANT ARTIST

Very Be Careful

BEST DJ — MIXMEISTER

Cut Chemist

BEST DJ — SELECTOR

tie: DJ Nobody, DJ Daz

and Garth Trinidad

BEST RADIO SHOW

Chocolate City — KCRW

BEST ROCKPOP SONGWRITER

COMPOSER

Beck

BEST DANCE MUSIC ARTIST

Supreme Beings of Leisure

OUTSTANDING CLASSICAL

ENSEMBLEARTIST

L.A. Philharmonic

Our first annual MVP Award,

in which readers chose the most valuable player on the L.A. music scene, goes to:

DJ Keoki

Other top vote-getters

in the MVP stakes include:

East L.A. Sabor Factory

Kim Hill

John Frusciante

Even Rude

Gwen Mars

Lily‘s Siren

Come and Go

Huayucaltia

Brilliant Sins

Jerry Quickley

Nik Frost

Sheila Nicholls

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