SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL >>

• BEST ADULT VIDEO STORE
  Sex World
  It's a strange time for adult video stores just now. With all the talk of how the internet has affected industries such as music and publishing, it's easy to forget that the web was colonized first and fastest by pornographers, and they have been pushing the possibilities of the internet further... More >>
• BEST ALBUM OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS
  Atmosphere, Strictly Leakage
  Slug and Ant didn't necessarily have to release this album, at least from a commercial standpoint. They could've coasted on the success of the intermittent Sad Clown EPs that showed up every few months in 2007, taken a breather, then unleashed When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold... More >>
• BEST ALL-AGES VENUE
  The Garage
  There's a reason it keeps on winning. Located in Burnsville, the Garage is one of the few joints in town that offers teens a break from their parents' basements and also spares them the embarrassment of getting turned away from a 21+ show. Many Twin Cities venues have all-ages nights, but this... More >>
• BEST BAND NAME (1 Comment)
  Emerson, Lake and Lyndale
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• BEST BAND TO BREAK UP IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS
  The Hockey Night
  Remember when that one really awesome rock band came along, and it totally kicked ass? With the dudes who were best friends from high school and were all super cool? And they attracted the attention of record industry muckety-mucks and were on the cusp of a huge deal? Yeah, so do we. The band... More >>
• BEST BARTENDER
  Nick Kosevich, Town Talk Diner
  If you're lucky enough to find a seat at the bar in the often crowded Town Talk Diner, Nick may come over to take your order—or ask you to taste something. He tends bar at the popular south Minneapolis eatery, but the word "bartender" is a touch misleading; he's more of a cocktail chef. He... More >>
• BEST BLUES BAND
  The Butanes
  Why do the Butanes consistently rule as the Twin Cities' best blues band, despite plenty of legitimate contenders? Simply because no other band near the northern reaches of the Mississippi has a similarly encyclopedic knowledge of blues, classic R&B, and soul, nor the versatility to play... More >>
• BEST BLUES BAR
  Famous Dave's BBQ & Blues Club
  It's always seemed a bit incongruous to find the area's best blues bands at a chain restaurant tucked away in the corner of an Uptown shopping mall. But there's nothing quite like listening to the whine of an electric guitar crying the blues from the stage at Famous Dave's in Calhoun Square, and... More >>
• BEST CD STORE (NEW)
  The Electric Fetus
  Whoever first observed that location is everything obviously never stepped inside the Fetus. Our community's most venerable purveyor of pre-recorded audio media couldn't be tucked into an odder pocket. How to explain its 40 years of glorious success? "Parking, parking, parking!" maybe, or better... More >>
• BEST CLUB DJ
  Soviet Panda
  Soviet Panda may travel rather light, without vinyl crates to tote to his weekly residency at First Avenue's Too Much Love dance nights. But whether holier-than-thou crate diggers like it or not, the new millennium is upon us, and the title "disc jockey" now has a secondary definition. Soviet... More >>
• BEST CD STORE (USED)
  Cheapo Discs
  It's easy to be overwhelmed when you walk into this candy-cane-colored store full of new and used CDs in every imaginable genre. From punk to psychedelic to glam, from bubblegum to surf rock, Cheapo is likely to have something—often someone else's castoff—to suit your mood. Take a... More >>
• BEST COCKTAILS
  Manhattans
  There are plenty of places in town to get a great cocktail, but only one serves up an adult libation so happily reminiscent of childhood as the "Rock Star" ($9.50) at Manhattans. From the "Champagne Cocktails" portion of the restaurant and bar's extensive drink menu, it's a concoction of Three... More >>
• BEST CONCERT OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS (LOCAL)
  Doomtree Blowout at First Avenue
  There are but a handful of local acts capable of overfilling First Avenue, that cavernous oubliette capable of swallowing our Turf Club heavyweights in a single gulp. There are even fewer that can whip a capacity crowd of 1,500-plus into a unified feeding frenzy. Doomtree is our most weathered... More >>
• BEST CONCERT OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS (TOURING)
  M.I.A.
  There are plenty of reasons that Kala was one of the most invigorating albums of 2007—its populist internationalism, its tendency to blur genres as frequently as it did borders, its general sonic inventiveness (it's an album that made didgeridoos sound cool)—but under all that, it's... More >>
• BEST CONCERT VENUE
  First Avenue
  Like a medieval peasant who, barehanded, kicks the shit out of knight after mounted knight, First Avenue stays on top of its racket with intuition and finesse. Sure, the best sightlines in town help, along with the 71-year-old structure's incomparable acoustics...which maybe, as management... More >>
• BEST DANCE CLUB
  The Front
  You know how you have that certain group of friends that gathers now and then, and although you're happy to see them, the evening always seems strained? Sure, everyone is excited to "go out" because that's what you always used to do, but it's not the same. Cure this sad social... More >>
• BEST ECLECTIC BAR CROWD
  Palmer's Bar
  Palmer's. Walk into this West Bank dive bar and you'll encounter diversity on many levels: ethnicity, age, gender, income level, and personal disposition. You've got your bearded, bespectacled hipster brooding over his sketchpad near the back. See him? There's a jaded old woman sitting alone at... More >>
• BEST GAY BAR
  Jetset Bar
  Lately, the Gay '90s feels more like the Trail of Terror—what lurks around the next dark turn? Sure, it's a cheap thrill, but Twin Cities queers who crave a different scene land at Jetset. While some competitors have come and gone, this unlikely, inconspicuous (but not necessarily... More >>
• BEST HIP-HOP ARTIST
  Brother Ali
  The problem with writing about Brother Ali is that eventually you run out of things to say about him—and the reason is because there's already been plenty of other opportunities to point out how great he is. Since The Undisputed Truth was released just over a year ago, barely a month has... More >>
• BEST HAPPY HOUR
  Lyle's Bar & Restaurant
  If you're looking for a temperate night out or insist you just want to "drink socially," for the love of Christ and sobriety stay away from Liquor Lyle's. It's impossible to spend more than 20 minutes in this Lowry Hill dive bar and not get completely wrecked, thanks to the seemingly continuous... More >>
• BEST JAZZ ARTIST
  Irv Williams
  At 88 grand years of age, tenor saxophone icon Irv Williams could very well rest on his considerable laurels, which include nearly seven decades on the Twin Cities jazz scene as a musician and educator. Instead, Williams continues to explore the rich arsenal of elegant emotions he uses to... More >>
• BEST JAZZ CLUB
  Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
  With a notoriously schizoid tendency to waver between smugness and insecurity about their own attributes, Minnesotans may be genuinely shocked when it finally sinks in that the Dakota ranks among the premier jazz clubs in the known world. It's long been an open secret shared by jazz's elite... More >>
• BEST JUKEBOX
  331 Club
  On a Saturday afternoon in mid-February, winter is making its presence felt. The TV weather terrorists are in a tizzy, giddily predicting a foot of snow by day's end. We've got laundry to do and a sidewalk to shovel, but then we spot the sandwich board on the sidewalk in front of the squat,... More >>
• BEST KARAOKE
  Staraoke Karaoke at Grumpy's
  Show us one person who claims to not secretly wish to be a country, rock, or rap star, and we'll show you a liar. Music celebrity will never happen for most of us, but that doesn't mean we can't dream. If you're ready to show a little of your exhibitionist side, Staraoke Karaoke may offer the... More >>
• BEST LIVE ARTIST
  Skoal Kodiak
  On the Turf Club stage, Skoal Kodiak's vocalist and master electrician Markus Lunkenheimer raves with the impassioned stagger of a preacher possessed. Bit-crushed samples throb from his bay of handcrafted effects, while a clash of drums and fuzzed bass keeps unwavering time. The sight would be... More >>
• BEST LOCAL MUSIC COMPILATION
  Foreclosure and Eviction
  Times are tough for local musicians who want airplay. Request a local song on any Clear Channel-affiliated station around town and you'll probably be answered with a silent phone. So it's fitting that Homegrown's last CD was dubbed Foreclosure and Eviction. Homegrown began in 1996 as a single... More >>
• BEST LOCAL RECORD LABEL
  De Stijl
  Anyone who insists that physical product is dead in the record industry needs to be put in a home. Sure, mere mundane copies are now worthless. But—as Trent Reznor demonstrated so brilliantly in March when the signed, limited edition of Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I-IV sold out in a day,... More >>
• BEST MARGARITA
  Salsa a la Salsa
  The origins of the margarita are hazy at best. Some say it was invented in Galveston in 1948 for Peggy Lee; others contend that Margaret Sames made up the cocktail in Acapulco. There's a bit of disagreement as to how the drink ought be made as well, from debates about rim salt to the proper... More >>
• BEST MARTINI
  St. Petersburg Restaurant and Vodka Bar
  The martini is probably the most iconic cocktail on any drink menu, and even for people who can hold their liquor, it's not for those with a weak stomach or liver. Like a quality scotch, a martini is made to be sipped, and part of its charm is that you'll look classy drinking it. But unlike... More >>
• BEST MOJITO (1 Comment)
  Babalú
  Not sure about what a mojito is? Though in the past it's resided in the realm of obscure cocktails, as of late the mojito has seen a resurgence on drink menus around the city, and has even been made into an Orbit chewing gum flavor. Traditionally served in a Collins glass, this Cuban beverage... More >>
• BEST MUSIC STORE
  Vintage Music
  We've all heard the stories: In the out-with-the-old orgy of the 1970s, the Twin Cities lost many of what should have been their most prized historical landmarks. In their place rose boxy, drab architecture that neither sought nor achieved anything more than to entomb the 9-to-5ers inside. Hell,... More >>
• BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR (MINNEAPOLIS)
  Grumpy's Bar & Grill
  In February Grumpy's Bar & Grill celebrated its 10th birthday. For those who appreciate divey neighborhood bars, it's not hard to see how it's lasted so long. The crowd is a good mix of old veterans who have been there since mid-afternoon, Uptown hipsters cruising through Northeast,... More >>
• BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR (ST. PAUL)
  The Happy Gnome
  The Gnome is all about choice. To begin with, you have three options as soon as you walk in the swank, wooded interior of this Cathedral Hill tavern. Do you park yourself in the classic bar section, with its long, L-shaped wooden counter and a basketball game playing on the muted TV? In the more... More >>
• BEST NEW BAND
  Gospel Gossip
  With an EP and a full-length already in their discography, and a West Coast tour behind them, Gospel Gossip are the overachieving Bobby Fischers of our musical community. Drawing on old-soul pop awareness they must have accrued in their past lives, these wunderkinds have made a high-wattage... More >>
• BEST NEW NEIGHBORHOOD BAR
  Buster's on 28th
  South Minneapolis has long been in dire need of decent neighborhood watering holes. The old 3.2 corner joints that litter the blocks south of Lake Street just don't cut it these days. The near ravenous response that greeted the opening of the Chatterbox Pub in 2000 was one indication of this... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BUY PUNK/METAL MUSIC
  Extreme Noise Records
  This metal-studded collective gives dedicated listeners a safe haven from stores that think Fall Out Boy is "punk." Inside you'll find a dizzying collection of rare, new, local, and obscure punk rock of all stripes. Looking for the latest noise from Japan? You'll find vinyl copies of Gauze's... More >>
• BEST R&B ARTIST
  The New Congress
  As genres are getting harder and harder to peg, we're left with the question: What are the signs of a great R&B group? Take a cue from the New Congress, who combine mixing and scratching with great bass lines, solid guitar work, and a super-tight percussion section in their blend of jazzy,... More >>
• BEST ROCK BAND
  Vampire Hands
  From Portland to Princeton, the blogosphere hums with whispers about Vampire Hands, and not one LiveJournal has been able to muster the ironic sneer necessary to make a single "they suck" joke. In the last few years, which have seen the local four-piece release two EPs (At Wizard Island: Too... More >>
• BEST ROCK CLUB (1 Comment)
  Turf Club
  St. Paul's Midway neighborhood can be a desolate place. There's something defeating about those chain stores and DMV outposts gazing imperiously on Snelling and University from their bituminous moats. But nestled here in this wasted economic hub is St. Paul's crown jewel of live music, glowering... More >>
• BEST SONGWRITER
  M.anifest
  Look, we like capital-S Songwriters as much as anyone—those cute indie chicks and dudes who bare their souls with just an acoustic guitar and a microphone, delivering masterful lyrics on the whimsical nature of love and life in a well-developed falsetto. But this year the word craft and... More >>
• BEST STORE FOR SEX TOYS
  Smitten Kitten
  America loves sex toys. Still, even the most resolute thrill-seekers among us tend to acquire their dildos and butt plugs online, out of simple shame. After all, who wants to get caught red-handed exiting a sex shop by a neighbor or co-worker, especially a square one of the "Hey, what's in the... More >>
• BEST STRIP CLUB
  The Seville
  There are many reasons to fall in love with Seville: its exceedingly courteous wait staff/bouncing crew, an elegant decor, impeccably clean bathrooms complete with attendant, and of course—and this is key—tits. But what sets Seville apart from other skin shacks is the obvious effort... More >>
• BEST VOCALIST (FEMALE)
  Laura Larson of Baby Guts
  Beautiful female voices are something to be treasured. The sorrowful, bluesy wails of Joanna James, for instance, or the lilting harmonies of Allison LaBonne and Maria May of the Owls. But sometimes we're left wanting something less polished and more primal from our local ladies—and Laura... More >>
• BEST VOCALIST (MALE)
  Mike Gunther
  When it comes to the discography of Mike Gunther and His Restless Souls, comparisons to Tom Waits are a necessary evil. But while Waits's voice box took nearly three decades to stagger from the piano lounge to the flophouse to the chicken coop to the machine shed, local Mike Gunther has... More >>