The City Paper Music Awards offers an annual opportunity to celebrate the best in local music. This year, CP readers voted for their favorite artists across genres including country, reggae, hip-hop, indie, metal and more. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, nominees and winners alike rocked the stage at the Best Dance Club in Charleston, the Commodore, for this year’s awards show.
Read on to learn about the 15 musicians and musical groups who took home CPMA titles this year. Congrats to our winners, and we’ll see y’all next November! — Chloe Hogan
Hip-Hop Act of the Year AND Studio/Producer of the Year: Slim S.O.U.L
Music Video of the Year AND Country/Americana Band of the Year: “Red Stripes and Rum” by Mike Martin & the Beautiful Mess
Album of the Year: Current by Danielle Howle
Screamo/Metal Band of the Year: All is Calm
Jazz Artist of the Year: Gino Castillo & the Cuban Cowboys
Male Singer/Songwriter of the Year: Grayson Little
Soul/R&B Act of the Year: Tonya Nicole
Reggae Band of the Year: Mystic Vibrations
Song of the Year: “WiFi Boyfriend” by Babe Club
Indie/Alternative/Rock Band of the Year: Alan Price and the Modern Day
Electronic/Experimental Act of the Year: Grandaddi Caddi
Up-and-Coming Musical Act of the Year: Tommy Brown
Jam Band of the Year: The Reckoning
DJ of the Year: DJ SCrib
Female Singer/Songwriter of the Year: Lauren Hall
Song of the Year: “WiFi Boyfriend” by Babe Club
I think you’re more than just my best friend…
Founded by Jenna Desmond and Corey Campbell, Babe Club makes dreamy new wave pop tunes with existential and confessional lyrics. The Song of the Year, “WiFi Boyfriend,” is no exception. Babe Club made the song in collaboration with the Austin, Texas-based podcast “The Song Confessional,” where musicians turn anonymous stories into original songs.
“I love being able to tap into other people’s stories — I can only write about my life in so many ways,” Desmond said. The song is about a teen keeping their non-binary identity secret from the world, except for one special more-than-a-friend, whom they were to meet in person for the first time soon. The resulting song hits as sweetly as the admission that inspired it:
I kinda think you’re more than just my best friend, you’re my boyfriend, boyfriend on the internet.
“In my songwriting, I gravitate towards lines that feel like conversation. I think it feels more authentic,” Desmond shared. The New York native got started in music around 2014, during her days at College of Charleston, first performing at open mics at King Dusko and then singing with Susto for three years. In 2017, she and Campbell started Babe Club together, at first under another name, with Julius DeAngelis joining on drums not long after.
Fast forward to 2022, when Babe Club’s popular song “Lazy Lover” was featured in a Taco Bell commercial; then, in April 2024, Babe Club headlined the High Water Festival.
Desmond, who is also working on a solo album, has been especially inspired lately by co-writing and working with other musicians. She’s looking to do more collaborating in 2025, and in fact, collaboration over competition is her biggest hope for the local music scene.
“I would love to see more people coming together as songwriters, as session musicians, and producing music in a way that’s establishing the Charleston scene as a force, coming together to create more opportunities – a rising tide lifts all boats.” —Chloe Hogan
Up-and-Coming Musical Act of the Year: TOMMY
The next generation of R&B
Tommy Brown, Jr. is a professional singer through and through — he’s been on stage for years, backing gospel artists like Kelontae Gavin and Mike Brown. But this year, Brown became TOMMY. The 36-year-old Summerville native’s step to the front of the stage began when his hometown pal, the producer King Kanobby, invited Brown to Los Angeles to record in 2023. “He said, ‘Bro, you’ve got to put something on wax. If you can just get here, we can make magic happen,’” Brown recalled.
The resulting song, “Like Water,” gave Brown the confidence he needed to step into a lead role. In October, he headlined the MOJA Block Party’s tribute to Maze and Frankie Beverly. Last May, he headlined the Blue on the River All White Party at Riverfront Park with a set of original songs, and he often collaborates with CP DJ of the Year, DJ SCrib.
This month, Brown will hold down the Commodore for two nights, Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, before leaving for a holiday tour in Spain. And in February, he’ll partner with Heather Rice to lead the Charleston Jazz Orchestra through their “A Love Supreme” show at the Charleston Music Hall.
“Hopefully winning Best Up-and-Coming Artist will put a battery on my back and add more fuel to the fire,” Brown said. “I’ve got the city’s ear, and all I want to do is sing.” —Stratton Lawrence
Jazz Artist of the Year: Gino Castillo & the Cuban Cowboys
A new lease on life
Enthusiastic Charleston percussionist and producer Gino Castillo has a new lease on life – literally.
Leader of Gino Castillo & the Cuban Cowboys, the smooth salsa musician who moved to Charleston 14 years ago is in remission from an aggressive leukemia that kept him in the hospital for three months last year.
And now, a year later as he and the band celebrate their third City Paper Music Award as Jazz Artist of the Year, there’s a new 10-track album of original songs to be released Nov. 20. Corazin Kamikaze is packed with a grooving salsa peal and beats of Cuba, where Castillo grew up. It’s fun and as comfortable as a favorite T-shirt paired with soft faded jeans. You’ll be sure to hear some of it when Castillo is back on stage at The Commodore during the first week of December.
For now, he’s in his native Ecuador getting ready for some gigs in South America as he continues to build strength for performing. Last year, he was at the Medical University of South Carolina for a month of continuous chemotherapy. Then he had another month of daily chemo treatments. And then he got an infection that kept him in the hospital for another month. But the treatments worked.
“I was, of course, wiped and then I thought I might not go back to performing because my instrument (conga drums) is very physical,” he said. “Luckily, I’m not only a percussionist, but I’m a producer, singer and songwriter.”
There were a lot of uncertainties, but he says he had a good attitude and learned what life meant to him. And part of that, he said, was how much Charleston has become a piece of his soul over the last 14 years.
“This made me realize how much I love Charleston and how much Charleston loves me. The music scene here is absolutely different from anywhere else I have been….There’s a unity of the musicians. We really love each other and really take care of each other. We really care about the community more than each other.” —Andy Brack
Jam Band of the Year: The Reckoning
Uplifting community through sound
It might sound a little odd, but The Reckoning, a veteran quintet that reinvents classic and obscure songs by the Grateful Dead, are a little ambivalent about being called a “jam band.”
“I think if you were to ask the five members of The Reckoning if we’re a jam band, you’d get a different answer out of every single person you asked,” bassist Bobby Hogg said. “But I don’t personally have a problem with it. I understand that it’s become a cliché or a joke, but I don’t think it’s a bad word.”
For singer/guitarist Wallace Mullinax, genre terms are irrelevant. The band has played Wednesday nights at the Pour House for 15 years, and there’s a common sentiment that the band’s fans express to him.
“Some of the people who have been there with us since the start call our Wednesday night gigs ‘church,’” he said, “and that means a lot to me. That’s the communal uplifting we’re trying to do every week because we all need that.” —Vincent Harris
Album of the Year: Current by Danielle Howle
Reports on the human condition with country-swamp-blues
Danielle Howle is a lifelong artist who has released dozens of albums in a four-decade career. She’s traversed genres, encompassing everything from folk, Southern rock, Americana and what she calls “country-swamp-blues” — all while exploring the depths of the human condition. Just last month, she was inducted into the Lowcountry Music Hall of Fame.
Howle said songwriting is her way of making sense of the world. “My songs are reporting on what I see. And sometimes that’s not popular. Sometimes that’s met with opposition. But I believe that we, as humans, have to speak our minds … I’m constantly in a beautiful struggle to be able to articulate what I’m seeing on the planet.”
Though there’s so much lore to cover in telling Howle’s story — she started in the 80s as a part of Columbia, SC-based new wave band, Lay Quiet Awhile, then led her own band before going solo and opening for legends like Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt — she’s focused right now on the tour of her 16th album, Current, released Nov. 3, 2023.
She’s currently performing the album on stages locally, (including a Nov. 8 show at the Pour House,) then up the East coast into Canada, and in 2025, South Africa.
Howle started work on Current in a cabin in Saluda, N.C., during the 2020 lockdown. The vision for the album happened to “cosmically fit” with the musicians who became involved in its three-year creation, Howle shared, including Producer Jeff Leonard, Jr., bassist Kerry Brooks (Amy Ray Band) and guitarist Josh Roberts (Josh Roberts & the Hinges), along with accordion player Tony Lauria (Spottiswoode and His Enemies).
“This was a unique dream team situation, a beautiful collaboration among musicians. I’m very proud of the album we created.”
Thematically, Current underscores what’s at the heart of Howle’s artistic vision: connection between humans and the environment.
“I feel like my songs are reminders that we’re not alone, and we’re part of something greater than ourselves, and there’s a responsibility there,” she said. “I still believe in the magic, and the beauty of the earth, even though sometimes it’s a dirty place to be.” —Chloe Hogan
DJ of the Year: DJ SCrib
Expect the unexpected
By day, James Vickers is a mild-mannered teacher. By night, he’s DJ SCrib, one of Charleston’s most popular DJs. The man has owned this CPMA category repeatedly over the years — he said it might be because when you catch one of his sets, you know who’s in charge, but you don’t know what to expect.
“I have a great stage presence, and I bring a lot of energy,” Vickers said. “And I’m a very unpredictable DJ. So I love to bring in a whole lot of different blends and mashups and have fun with music.”
Pulling from his massive music collection, DJ SCrib keeps an eye on the crowd while constructing a set, waiting for a chance to throw in the unexpected.
“I’m a very open-formatted DJ,” he said. “So I can play in a room full of hip-hop heads and I can play in a room with people who love jazz or country. My ears blend music differently than other people’s ears.” —Vincent Harris
Reggae Band of the Year: Mystic Vibrations
Bringing Jah Love to a Babylon System
Although they could play an entire show of Bob Marley songs without having to practice, Mystic Vibrations doesn’t lean on familiar covers to engage their audience. After 32 years of performing, most of their setlists consist of original songs like “Jah Love Conquer All” and “Rasta Nuh Play Gamez.”
“We throw in an unexpected American song done reggae style — like Neil Diamond’s “I Am…I Said” — to freak people out,” said drummer Andrew Whittaker, one of four Jamaican-born band members, laughing.
Led by guitarist/singer Ric Williams since its inception, Mystic Vibrations make annual appearances at events like Reggae Nights at James Island County Park and the Charleston Caribbean Jerk Festival. In their decades as a band, they’ve seen the popularity of reggae ebb and flow. Whittaker moved from Jamaica to Maine for a college scholarship before fleeing the cold weather to South Carolina in 1996.
“When I came down, I kept asking everybody, ‘Where’s the reggae?’ and somebody hooked me up with Mystic,” he recalled. “The scene went through a lull, but it seems to be picking up again. There are other reggae bands around now.”
But those other reggae bands are likely to be tributes, emulating the sound that the members of Mystic Vibration grew up hearing and playing in Jamaica. —Stratton Lawrence
Electronic/Experimental Act of the Year: Grandaddi Caddi
Music to make you feel good
Moonkat Daddi (left) is a Charleston artist, originally from Washington D.C. with roots in Holly Hill, S.C., who has evolved from a traditional emcee to a dynamic and unique performer.
His music blends genres — from classic rock to trap, seamlessly integrating singing, rapping and spoken word, with influences ranging from Kanye West to Jim Morrison.
Grandaddi Caddi is a collaborative effort between Moonkat and his friend and fellow artist (also a 2024 CPMA winner) Slim S.O.U.L.
Birthed from a newly formed friendship in 2023, Grandaddi Caddi takes the stage every Monday at the Charleston Pour House, plus performs regularly in area festivals and venues, like Royal American, Purple Buffalo and more.
Grandaddi Caddi offers a vibey live-looping experience that incorporates a bit of everything–. “One of my favorite songs to play is my hip hop rendition of ‘Landslide’ by Stevie Nicks,” Moonkat shared, explaining how he and Slim take songs that should not make sense together to create unexpected medleys.
“We use a lot of samples, so that we’re able to make original music while still giving people a taste of things that they know and can connect with.”
Moonkat’s musical journey has taken him all over the country — from his start in a marching band in Washington D.C., to rapping in Colorado, to making music in Big Island, Hawaii, where he graced stages at festivals like Shangri-La and Arise Festival, to his experiences sharing “conscious music” as a protester at Standing Rock Indian Reservation in 2016.
“Conscious music is not about partying; it’s messages about love, peace, connection, community,” he shared. “I make music to make people feel good.” With that in mind, it makes sense that Grandaddi Caddi’s distinctive sound is aimed at connecting people through the universal language of music.
“I want to just keep furthering my craft as an emcee, as a piano player, as a beat maker, as a singer-songwriter,” Moonkat said. “The music scene in Charleston is very welcoming, and really diverse and inspiring…I’m really grateful to have been welcomed into this scene.” —Chloe Hogan
Hip-Hop Act of the Year AND Studio/Producer of the Year: Slim Soul
Using creative vision to cultivate community
Slim S.O.U.L., a.k.a. Cody Dixon, wears many hats: he’s not only a hip hop musician, producer and poet – he’s also the leader of the nonprofit Soul Power Productions, which brings its mission of arts advocacy and education to underserved areas. Dixon actually started his nonprofit as a project for his arts management class at College of Charleston in 2017, and seven years later, the project has blossomed into a full service recording studio, too.
“Providing a space for people to be able to create was the main motivation,” Dixon shared. He established S.O.U.L. Inn Studios to create a place for Charleston artists to rehearse and record. In some ways, it’s a continuation of the work Slim did in his CofC days, during which he threw lots of house shows that featured hip hop artistry, having a big hand in helping the local hip hop scene to grow.
“Offering this kind of space for people at Soul Inn Studios at a reasonable cost was important to me, because that’s always been like a big need in the community — a place to put all the gear, a place to practice, a place for everybody to meet up and be able to explore creatively.”
As a musician, Dixon has opened and performed with artists like Shwayze, RA the Rugged Man, Stop Light Observations, The Psycodelics and Little Bird, plus he loves to create collaborative experiences on stage.
“With hip hop, unlike any other genre really, there’s a lot of beefing with each other. … For me, I always wanted to create a vibe of collaboration. Everybody has their own mental health things, especially artists, but having a community definitely helps…
“I always just wanted to build what I’m doing around less competition and more like, let’s work together.” The Florence, S.C., native said giving back to the music community that’s shaped him was “always the goal.” Later this year, he’s dropping a new EP named for the acronym in his artistic moniker, “Sounds of Universal Love.” —Chloe Hogan
Country/Americana Band of the Year AND Music Video of the Year: Mike Martin & The Beautiful Mess
Offering a down-to-Earth Americana
Mike Martin, the singer, songwriter and guitarist who fronts The Beautiful Mess, is happy to wear the country/Americana crown in this year’s CPMAs, even if some, or maybe most of his fans don’t actually think he’s a country artist.
“What surprises people is when I say I play country,” Martin said. “They usually say, ‘I don’t think of you as country at all,’ but I grew up listening to Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash; those are my biggest influences.”
Perhaps what those folks are thinking of when they hear the word “country” is the pop-oriented stuff that’s on the radio these days. But that’s where Martin makes the connection to the “Americana” part of the equation.
“Americana has become this cool, wider thing that came along,” he said. “It’s like a genre of country that’s not pop country. Americana is kind of alt-country now, but I call it ‘real country.’”
Martin and company also won the 2024 CPMA for Video of the Year for “Red Stripes and Rum.” Some music videos are high-concept, high-budget works of art that deal in metaphor and impressionistic imagery. The video for the down-to-earth tune “Red Stripes and Rum” is none of those things.
The video is as simple, and as fun, as it gets, with Martin and company on outdoor stages in front of smiling, dancing crowds enjoying the song’s distinct Jimmy Buffett-style country-reggae-rock vibe – which is fitting for a song that Martin wrote after a trip to Negril in Jamaica. —Vincent Harris
Female singer-songwriter of the year: Lauren Hall
Representing the genre she loves
Born and raised in Charleston, Lauren Hall grew up watching her father, Rick Hall, perform as a drummer for various groups and churches. He now plays alongside his daughter in her band.
“Music has always been something I’ve wanted to pursue,” she said in an interview. “I fell in love with the songwriting and the storytelling.”
Hall debuted her first single “Backwards” in 2020, and has since released ten more singles and two albums. Although Hall spends time working in Nashville, she is determined to stay true to her roots in Charleston.
“I feel like a lot of people in country music have moved,” she said. “So there’s been less and less country music in Charleston. Being a woman who has her own band that I’ve been running since I was a teenager, I feel like I want to represent the genre well. I want to honor country music.” —Madison Clark
Soul/R&B Act of the Year: Tonya Nicole
Love is always at the center
Tonya Nicole, a singer, songwriter and actress native to S.C., commands the stage with a powerful voice and energy. She started releasing original music in 2021, telling stories through her lyrics about her upbringing as a preacher’s kid, her experiences as a wife, mother, artist and educator. But her main lyrical focus centers around love, she said.
“There’s nothing greater than love, and so I love to write about love. When I’m deep in my creative bag, songs will come to me in my dreams. … Everything can inspire me, from reading poetry to listening to the birds outside.”
She works as a core cast member at PURE Theater, plus produces tribute showcases and holiday shows around town, so Nicole is used to the creative life on stage. But when, during the pandemic, she returned to her first loves of music and songwriting, she said, “I never realized how much my soul needed it. When I started writing again, I just got the bug,” sharing how she sees creativity as a powerful source of healing.
“With my music, I want to bring back those Saturday mornings when people would listen to classics and just feel with their family. … I want my music to transcend all age groups. I want my music to have an energy where it can help to heal the heart, help heal the pain you’re going through. I want someone to be able to pull any of my songs to help them go through whatever they’re going through, and see it from a new perspective.”
On Nov. 8, Nicole will open for Leela James at the Music Hall. Looking ahead to the new year, she’ll drop two singles for her next EP in February, which she teased will have a “jazz feel, mixed with a bit of soul and R&B.” —Chloe Hogan
Male singer-songwriter of the year: Grayson Little
Making his mark
Grayson Little’s musical journey began when he was only 11 years old, performing worship music at his church. After moving away to Colorado for college, the Charleston native found himself being drawn back to the familiar.
“I knew the music scene out here was great,” he said. “I experienced it while I was living here. Not from participating in it, but from an outsider-looking-in perspective.
“Charleston has a budding music scene and great music culture. So that’s what drew me back.”
His first single debuted in 2022, aptly titled “Goodbye to Colorado.” Since then, Little has released eight more tracks. Little’s relatable lyrics and country style quickly garnered attention for the rising artist. This year marks his second CPMA win for male singer songwriter of the year.
“I’m thankful people are enjoying my music … connecting with it and liking it enough to vote for me,” Little said, “it’s humbling. It’s an honor.” —Madison Clark
Screamo/Metal Band of the Year: All is Calm
Hitting the ground running
Local metalcore band All Is Calm got its start only a few years ago, jamming out in a garage in January 2021.
“I mean, we’re still in a garage,” lead vocalist Michael Browder joked. But the band has come a long way in the short time since it began — within the first year, they had played about 20 live shows, a number that is now well into the hundreds.
Featuring Brandon Lehman on guitar, Caleb Lackey on bass and backup vocals and Kyle Danforth on drums, All Is Calm brings heavy riffs and soft choruses with each song, a sound that they nailed early on, Browder said.
What sets the band apart though, he added, is its energetic stage performances, which have hit live stages across the Lowcountry, including Music Farm. “It was a great feeling,” Browden said. “I never thought we’d play Music Farm, but it’s probably my favorite show we’ve done so far.”
Coming off the unexpected win, Browden teased a coming single, “Blood Nothing.” He isn’t sure if the band will release it soon as a single, or wait for a new EP to drop. Stay up to date and jam out to All Is Calm on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify. —Skyler Baldwin
Indie/Alternative/Rock Band of the Year: Alan Price and the Modern Day
Charleston is home
Alan Price was “chomping at the bit” to get a band together last year, he said. Fortunately, he wasn’t alone. He formed the soulful alt-rock band Alan Price and the Modern Day alongside Thomas O’Brien V (drums), Josh Mitchum (lead guitar/vocals) and Jonathan Holy (bass) at the end of the summer in 2023.
“As soon as we were able to put the pieces together, I said, ‘Let’s do this thing,’” Price said. “We set lofty goals for ourselves, and we’ve really been able to accomplish a lot of them so far.”
With five singles and three music videos out already, the band has played shows across the Southeast, including the legendary Georgia Theatre. But despite the reach, Price said it’s important that he and the band keep Charleston as their focus.
“Charleston has always been home for me, so there’s always important meaning in being a part of the music scene here,” he said. “And Charleston has shown a huge amount of support for us so far. It really is, to me, one of the best music scenes anywhere.”
Catch their coming shows Nov. 16 at Tiki Taco in Summerville and Nov. 17 at New Realm Brewing on Daniel Island. Both shows are $5 at the door. —Skyler Baldwin
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
