LA Weekly Awards Buzz With Diversity

A wildly diverse group of Los Angeles musicians filled the Ruby nightclub in Hollywood for the third annual LA Weekly Music Awards on Wednesday, reminding us that although these artists thrive in a seemingly endless array of niches rather than one coherent “scene,” when they come together it’s an impressive testament to all the city can sustain.

Unfortunately, the variety on display was the show’s most impressive aspect.

Like last year’s, the program started late, and though it ran about the expected three hours, the chaotic presentation was a serious drag. It wasn’t necessarily a bad idea to hold the awards in a nightclub rather than last year’s theater setting, but this venue was more suited to schmoozing than paying attention, which made it almost impossible for host Bob Forrest, the presenters and the few accepting winners in attendance to compete with the invitation-only crowd’s happy buzz.

The evening’s concert portion was similarly plagued. Rap/hip-hop winner Medusa & Feline Science didn’t even go on, because of accumulated set-changing delays. Nevertheless, the 25-minute opener by Slowrider (best new artist) got booties shaking to an energetic blend of Latin, hip-hop, R&B; and rock.

Other acts had less time, which was a relief in the case of a caterwauling solo acoustic turn by Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante, and a disappointment in the case of B.R.M.C. (best rock band). On a side stage, Anna Homler’s avant-garde stylings were barely audible.

The list of winners, determined by the alternative weekly’s music writers, reflected a sometimes eclectic consensus, as with the three-way tie in one of the DJ categories among DJ Nobody, DJ Daz and Garth Trinidad, the dead heat between Nebula and Tool for hard rock/metal band and the choice of Glendale-born Captain Beefheart for pop/rock lifetime achievement.

There were many predictable nods to such deserving-but-obvious folks as Beck (rock/pop songwriter/composer), Macy Gray and Jill Scott (tied for contemporary blues/R&B; artist, though Philadelphian Scott’s presence is a puzzle), Poncho Sanchez (salsa/Latin artist) and Dave Alvin (country artist).

Other honorees were Horace Silver, the Negro Problem, Texas Terri & the Stiff Ones, Brad Mehldau, W.A.C.O., Xu Xu Fang, Very Be Careful, Cut Chemist, Supreme Beings of Leisure, the L.A. Philharmonic and the KCRW-FM (89.9) radio show “Chocolate City.”