BEST PUNK BAND/ARTIST

BEST HARDCORE BAND/ARTIST

NIL8 Was there any question that those Williams boys, Jeff (guitar vocals) and Bruce (bass), would, could and should take these categories? As one of the first skateboard punk bands in Springfield during the early ’80s, the brothers Williams, always the constant in the band, had an assorted array of drummers and guitarists through the ensuing years, including current cohorts Wes Selinger and Damon Soper. Garnering more than three times the votes of their closest competitor in punk and twice as much in hardcore and registering a close second in metal and hip-hop, NIL8 continues to be one of the best draws in town, playing about five shows a year, including the long-running and now legendary Hobgoblinspookadelic Halloween show. Bruce attributes the band’s incredible longevity to doing all-ages shows that connect the group to anyone out there. Someday your grandchildren can go see an NIL8 show or maybe they already have! Bunched in third place for punk were Our Lady, Obi-Wan Kanblo Mi, X-Crush, Lovecow and Epsom, and for hardcore Powerhouse, Grim, Mother Leopard, Broken Stone and the Timmys. Runners-up punk band/artist: The Timmys Runners-up hardcore band/artist: Novocaine