I’m spending this Holiday season listening to the 350+ local artists who submitted to be considered for our Year End Best of NYC poll. I won’t have any power in the final selection of the nominees (I delegated it to the out of town Deli editors to avoid conflicts, as I know many of the bands in the list), but I thought I’d give some exposure to some of the artists I wasn’t aware of that I found interesting. Here we go!

Happy 2010! – Paolo De Gregorio

In the age when the hipster reigns, storming the streets in search of all things “vintage,” it is truly earth-shattering to come across anything new. Which is why Gangstagrass is such a shock to the system. Self-proclaimed “lightning on the strings, thunder on the mic,” T.O.N.E.Z. isn’t a gangsta who loves his herb, but one who spits rhymes about diamonds, the hood, and shorties in the club, while classic bluegrass fiddle and banjo carry the “beat.” What’s more surprising than a sound influenced equally by Tupac and Allison Krauss is the fact that it is aurally pleasurable. After their single “Long Hard Times to Come” was chosen as the theme songs for FX’s acclaimed TV show “Justified,” the group was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. – Katherine Bennett

Paper or Plastic is kicking off its West coast tour, January 6th, with a night of relentless rock at one our favorite Portland venues, Doug Fir. They’re just itching to court you with their rock, let’s be honest. Joining Paper or Plastic will be AM Exchange, who rocked so hard at Backspace recently they almost shut the place down, as well as Hutson, who will surely bring their soulful hard hitting sound to fresh ear buds everywhere. Check this out, a show not to be missed! Make it your new years resolution. Doug Fir Lounge Doors at 8pm, Show at 9pm 21+ ,$6 cover

My Cousin, The Emperor may just be the band to make you reconsider your long-standing dismissal of country music. Winner of WNYC’s Battle of the Boroughs Brooklyn Throwdown, they’ve been converting rock ‘n rollers by filtering their classic country sounds through low-fi nuances, such as heavy guitar reverberation and lower-quality recording techniques to add the ‘alt’ to their ‘alt-country’ categorization. “Long Way From Home” won the Independent Music Award for best alt-country song, and features finger-pluckin’ quick enough to challenge any Appalachian band, and in “Montevideo,” lead singer/ songwriter Jason Reischel laments about lost love to the accompaniment of country music fundamentals pedal-steel guitar and banjo. – Katherine Bennet

Somewhat reminiscent of an acoustic, lo-fi version of The New Pornographers, Like, Mountains employ their indie-pop sensibility through an amalgamation of techniques, layering seemingly simple and catchy melodies with untraditional sounds. In “Call Me A Liar,” chimes punctuate the concerns of a 20-something (“What are you doing/ With your life?”), in the title track off the band’s latest EP, “If We Break Up Right Now,” accordion plays in chorus with male and female vocals musing about the material side of a relationship, and in “Mexico,” French horn and trumpet harmonies accompany tales of west-coast kids’ escape to the country that’s the “closest “furthest” place from what they know.” The band’s currently planning an early 2011 tour with Brooklyn neighbors Field Mouse, and hard at work on a full-length release. – Katherine Bennet