The Wisconsin Area Music Industry announced today the nominees for its 30th awards show. The WAMI Awards have made great strides toward becoming less insular over the last several years, and by and large this year's list of nominees is pretty astute, including many of the state's breakout musicians from the past couple years and the most probable breakouts of next year—though the WAMI's usual bias toward WAMI members remains in some of the small categories. What's most impressive about this list is how many emerging Wisconsin artists have made a name for themselves outside the state. In years past, the WAMI Awards felt mostly like wish fulfillment, but this year there are genuine success stories to celebrate.

This year's ceremony is Monday, April 12 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton. The complete list of nominees...

The youthful five-piece lineup, featuring the soulful vocals of Miss Jamie Brace
and the playful musings of 20-year-old blues guitar prodigy Jared James
Nichols, will perform at 180 Main July 31 as part of its tour across the upper
Midwest.

A younger addition to the city’s bar-blues scene, Hounds Tooth has already emerged as staples of just about every regional blues festival worth its salt, thanks in large part to singer Jamie Brace, whose potent wail is loud enough to set off car alarms from blocks away.

Jamie Brace really rocked the house at the Madison Blues Society 2009 Wild Women event.

Steve Cohen’s production is outstanding for its organic qualities, making each song come alive. Jamie Brace’s voice is gutsy and melodic without sacrificing grit.

On their self-titled album and complementing the band's [Hounds Tooth] seven original pieces are John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom," Junior Wells' "Little By Little" and Susan Tedeschi's version of "Rock Me Right" -- a song done some powerful justice by lead vocalist Jamie Brace.

Hounds Tooth, showcasing the dynamic and soulful voice of Miss Jamie Brace, has stormed onto the local scene with their high-energy show of Soul Rockin’ Blues. Miss Jamie captivates an audience as she caresses them intimately with a soulful ballad and then takes them over the edge as she kicks it into high gear with a blues-rock anthem.

The blues may be the cornerstone of Brace's music, but her obvious reverence for straight-ahead rock takes it to a higher level, especially in live performance.

You don't have to be a 60-year-old black man born in the Mississippi delta to play the blues (but it helps).