Best DC Area Emerging Artists of 2014: FINAL RESULTS: 1. Typefighter, 2. Sleepwalkers, 3. Teen Mom

Deli Nation,

Our Year End Poll for Emerging DC Area Artists was – as usual – a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it off with remarkable flair!

Congratulations to garage-pop wizards Typefighter for winning the poll! Typefighter released The End of Everything in early 2014 to much critical acclaim. Their tight and energetic live shows make them a must see, and obviously one of DC’s most exciting bands. We wait with baited breath for their next move. 

Richmond’s Sleepwalkers came in a close second with our jurors, thanks to their phenominal debut album, Greenwood Shade. Less than two years after they formed, Sleepwalkers released an impressively ambitious and succesful collection of well crafted psychedelic pop-rock that defies categorization and leaves jaws dropped.     

Teen Mom keep our excitement bubbling on a constant simmer, dropping lo-fi fuzz-pop gems every few months. A staple of DC’s rich house-show scene, they do everything you love about electric guitars. We want more. Now please. Thank you.  

Here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ DC Area scene expert (our jury) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each. Then we polled our writers, then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.

If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music DC Area produced in the year 2014, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2014 POLL FOR EMERGING
DC AREA ARTISTS
****** FINAL RESULTS ******
 
ARTIST  
J
OS
R
TOT
 
1
Typefighter   7   0.001 7.001
2
Sleepwalkers   6   0.051 6.051 icon
3
Teen Mom   5   0.003 5.003 icon
4
Dead Professional   5     5 icon
5
GEMS   4   0.001 4.001 icon
6
Footwerk   2   2 4 icon
7
People’s Blues of Richmond     2 1.5 3.5 icon
 
The Walking Sticks   3   0.5 3.5 icon
9
Party Like It’s   3   0.072 3.072 icon
10
Dr. Robinson’s Fiasco   3   0.026 3.026 icon
11

Avers     3 0.019 3.019
12
Louis Weeks   3   0.018 3.018 icon
13
ELM   3   0.007 3.007 icon
14
Spirit Plots   3   0.006 3.006 icon
15
Owen Danoff   3   0.004 3.004 icon
16
Hot Dolphin   3   0.003 3.003 icon
17
The Deadmen   3   0.002 3.002
 
The NRIs   3   0.002 3.002 icon
19
Barbelith   3   0.001 3.001 icon
  Disciples of Christ   3   0.001 3.001 icon
  Lowercase Letters   3   0.001 3.001 icon
  Navi   3   0.001 3.001
  PLOY   3   0.001 3.001 icon
  Putrisect   3   0.001 3.001 icon
25
Art Sorority For Girls   3     3 icon
  Black Clouds   3     3 icon
  Curse   3     3 icon
  Loud Boyz   3     3 icon
  Old Lines   3     3 icon
30
Sean Barna   2   0.037 2.037 icon
31
The Cowards Choir   2   0.028 2.028 icon
32
Feed God Cabbage   2   0.023 2.023 icon
33
The Trillions   2   0.015 2.015 icon
34
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong   2   0.012 2.012 icon
35
MH & His Orchestra   2   0.006 2.006 icon
36
Cigarette   2   0.003 2.003 icon
 
Two Inch Astronaut   2   0.003 2.003 icon
38
7 Door Sedan   2   0.002 2.002 icon
  Furniteur   2   0.002 2.002 icon
  Priests   2   0.002 2.002 icon
  The Milkstains   2   0.002 2.002 icon
42
Chaz French   2   0.001 2.001 icon
  Pure Disgust   2   0.001 2.001 icon
  Terracide   2   0.001 2.001 icon
45
Cemetery Piss   2     2 icon
  Lightwaves   2     2 icon
  Lobo Marino   2     2 icon
  Unsacred   2     2 icon
  Vexine   1   1 2 icon
50
The Northerners     1.5 0.008 1.508 icon
51
Andrew Aylward     1.5   1.5 icon
52
Walk the Plank   1   0.032 1.032 icon
53
Fortress   1   0.031 1.031 icon
54
Sun Cycle   1   0.025 1.025 icon
 
The Duskwhales   1   0.025 1.025 icon
56
Sol Root   1   0.019 1.019 icon
57
Moogatu   1   0.012 1.012 icon
58
YUM   1   0.009 1.009 icon
59
Baby Bry Bry   1   0.007 1.007 icon
60
Black Water Gold   1   0.006 1.006 icon
61
Wanted Man   1   0.004 1.004 icon
62
Shark Week   1   0.003 1.003
63
Mirror Kisses   1   0.002 1.002 icon
 
Pleasure Curses   1   0.002 1.002 icon
65
Diamond District   1   0.001 1.001 icon
  Friendbeast   1   0.001 1.001 icon
  Margot MacDonald   1   0.001 1.001 icon
  Marian McLaughlin   1   0.001 1.001 icon
  Pree   1   0.001 1.001 icon
70
Blockhead   1     1 icon
  GHz   1     1 icon
  Harmonic Blue   1     1 icon
  Joy Buttons   1     1 icon
Legend: J = Jurors, W = Deli Writers,
R = Deli Readers, OS = Open Submissions

Jurors List: Lynda Lu (DC Rocks), Mike Rutz (WRIR), Nestor (Velvet Lounge), Matty Pants (The Sidebar), This Is Our Jam staff (This Is Our Jam), Jon Meyers (The Vinyl District), Mark (Strange Matter), Andrew Cothern (RVA Playlist), Josh Sisk (photography), Alley Gibson (DC Music Download), Craig Boarman (Ottobar), Chris Naoum (Listen Local First), Daniel Brindley (Jammin Java), Bobby Egger (Vinyl Conflict), Vincent Brown (Freedom Village), Tori Kerr (DCist), Andy Hess (DCist), John Church (Heady Entertainment), Jennifer Vinson (DC Setlist), David Hintz (DC Rock Live), Katie Bowles (DC Music Download), Metal Chris (DC Heavy Metal), Kevin Hill (Chunky Glasses), Brandon Wetherbee (Brightest Young Things), Erin Coulehan (DC Music Live/Rolling Stone), Kisha Shorter (9:30 Club).   

Hope you’ll find some awesome new artists you weren’t aware of!

The Deli’s Staff