Let the battle for St. Louis supremacy begin:

With the 2007 RFT Music Awards showcase a mere two months away (save the date: June 3, from 2 p.m. onward in the Loop), it's time to unveil this year's nominees, which were compiled via a combination of my opinion and the thoughts of 70-plus musicians, venue employees and other music-scene denizens.

This year's nominees are:

Best Americana/Folk: Bad Folk, Jesse Irwin, Magnolia Summer, the Monads, Rats and People

Best Blues Artist: Bottoms Up Blues Gang, Big George Brock, Tom Hall, Marquise Knox, Casey Reid

Best DJ: DJ Foster, Adrian Fox, Flex Boogie, Rob Lemon, Scotty Mac

Best Eclectic/Uncategorizable: Conformists, Ghost Ice, Eric Hall, Skarekrau Radio, Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship

Best Funk/Soul/R&B: Dogtown Allstars, Lamar Harris, Arvell Keithley, Kim Massie, Nite Owl

Best Garage Band: The Gentleman Callers, Johnny O & the Jerks, the Nevermores, Long John Thomas & the Duffs, the Vultures

Best Hard Rock/Metal: Cross Examination, Harkonin, Head-On Collision, Shame Club, Spark Thugs

Best Hip-Hop DJ: Crucial, Needles, Mahf, Trackstar, Charlie Chan

Best Indie Band:Berlin Whale, Bunnygrunt, Ghost in Light, Say Panther, So Many Dynamos

Best Jazz Artist: Willie Akins, Hamiet Bluiett, Erin Bode, Dave Stone Trio, Brian Sullivan Quartet

Best Live Act: Berlin Whale, Femme Fatality, Riddle of Steel, 7 Shot Screamers, So Many Dynamos

Best Local Release (on a label): Blinded Black, Under the Sunrise (SideCho); Finn's Motel, Escape Velocity (Scat); Casey Reid, Cephalclog (Big Muddy); Sex Robots, Sex Robots (Roadhouse Tunes); So Many Dynamos, Flashlights (Skrocki); Target Market, No Thrills (Afternoon)

Best Local Release (self-released): Gentleman Auction House, The Rules Were Handed Down; Ghost in Light, After Fox Meadow; Jumbling Towers, Jumbling Towers; The Linemen, Through Side One; Nite Owl, Now You Can Boo Me; Red Water Revival, In the Frostbidden Years

Best New Artist: Daybreak Boys, Heroes of the Kingdom, Huey, Humanoids, Stella Mora, Walkie Talkie U.S.A.

Best Punk/Hardcore: The Cuban Missiles, the Humanoids, Lye By Mistake, the Pubes, 7 Shot Screamers,

Best Pop Band: Gentleman Auction House, the Hibernauts, Ludo, Sex Robots, That's My Daughter

Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist:Earthworms, Family Affair, Midwest Avengers, Ruka Puff, Toyy

Best Reggae Band: Dub Kitchen, Dubtronix, Murder City Players, Yard Squad

Best Rock Band: The Bureau, Finn's Motel, Riddle of Steel, Team Tomato, Walkie Talkie U.S.A.

Best Vocalist:Irene Allen (Round-Ups), Kevin Butterfield (Linemen), Joe DeBoer (Jumbling Towers), Kim Massie, Casey Reid