You will be redirected to the page you want to view in seconds.

Here's to an incredible Pensacola 2012 in live music

6:16 PM, Dec. 26, 2012

Written by

Michael Smith

Filed Under

Top 10

Marcus White, criminal investigator

1. “The Gap Band III,” The Gap Band.
2. “The S.O.S. Band,” The S.O.S. Band.
3. “Keep It Live,” Dazz Band.
4. “Something to Love,” L.T.D.
5. “Fire,” Ohio Players.
6. “Emergency,” Kool & the Gang.
7. “That’s the Way of the World,” Earth, Wind & Fire.
8. “Get Off,” Foxy.
9. “As the Band Turns,” Atlantic Starr.
10. “Midnight Magic,” The Commodores.
Share your all-time Top 10 favorite albums with the world. Email your list to pnjmusic@yahoo.com.

It was an amazing year for live music in Pensacola. If 2013 matches the level of entertainment of the past 12 months, it’s going to be another exciting year for music lovers.

Here are a few awards for my favorite moments, artists and shows of 2012.

• LOCAL GRAMMY WINNERS: Drummer Tyler Greenwell won a Grammy with Tedeschi Trucks Band for Best Blues Album for “Revelator” and Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria won his Grammy as contributing artist for Best Children’s Album “All About Bullies…Big and Small.”

• MOST MOVING CONFESSION: Steve Earle detailing his fight with addiction and the struggle for redemption before his song “Jerusalem.”

• CHRISTOPHER WALKEN COWBELL AWARD: Neil Fallon, frontman of Clutch, for deploying the cowbell in the heaviest (and funkiest) assignments I’ve witnessed this year.

• BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS IN A HORROR MOVIE DISGUISED AS A CONCERT: GWAR. Filled with fake blood and crushing metal, the entire show was a red band tribute to every George A. Romero film ever made.

• MOST MINDBLOWING GUITARIST: Eric Johnson’s concert was a master class in musicianship and explored the possibilities of guitar as if it were contained in a dream. Runners-up: Chris Thomas King and Jerry Dawson.

• PENSACOLA POWER: The first concert of White Tie Rock Ensemble’s performance of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” in May was amazing, but the second concert in September elevated the overall production. The ambitious project was full of highlights, including the finale of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” as a preview to the group’s next project.

• “I’M SLIPPIN’, I’M FALLIN’, I CAN’T MAKE IT TO THE SHOW: To DMX for canceling two shows. Reports stated the rapper was “suffering severe headaches after crashing his ATV” and required “three stitches to treat a head wound.” I wonder what Metallica’s James Hetfield would say about that.

• I’LL ALWAYS LOVE MY MOMMA: Mad Violinist Ashanti Floyd for bringing his mother onstage to show his love and appreciation.

(Page 2 of 2)

• FAVORITE CONCERT: It wasn’t just that every minute of their two-hour set was filled with hits. It wasn’t just Bob Mould joining them onstage to perform “Dear Rosemary.” It wasn’t just watching Joan Jett celebrate her birthday and perform “Bad Reputation” with the band in a once-in-a-lifetime rock ’n’ roll moment. It ‘s that all of this happened in one concert on Pensacola Beach that makes the Foo Fighters at DeLuna Fest my favorite concert of 2012.

Mad Violinist

Expect more amazing moments as The Mad Violinist (Ashanti Floyd) and the Symphony Crack Orchestra return to Vinyl Music Hall tonight, 2 Palafox Place.

Tickets for this all-ages show are $10, with a $5 surcharge if you are younger than 21. Doors open at 8 p.m. Details: www.vinylmusichall.com.

Punk Rock Holiday

Celebrate the New Year with old-school punks at the Punk Rock Holiday Showcase Saturday at Vinyl, featuring Earl’s Killer Squirrel, Nik Flagstar & His Dirty Mangy Dogs and more. Tickets for this all-ages show are $5, with a $5 surcharge if you’re younger than 21. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

New Year's Metal

Celebrate 2013 with metal during the New Years Evil XVI at The Handlebar, 319 N. Tarragona St. Parabellum, Breccia, Rainey’s Revenge and Wulfshroud will perform. Tickets are $7, and the show starts at 9 p.m. For details, visit www.pensacolahandlebar.com.

Page