2018 Year End Awards: Staff Picks

Amber Miller – Middays 10a-3p/Assistant Program Director

Top 5 favorite songs: 

Top Song #1: Dave Matthews Band “Samurai Cop”
Top Song #2: Phantogram “Someday”
Top Song #3: Death Cab For Cutie “60 & Punk”
Top Song #4: Blue October “I Hope You’re Happy”
Top Song #5: AJR “Burn The House Down”

Best Album of 2018:  Superorganism “Superorganism”

Artist of The Year for 2018:  St. Vincent

Best New Artist of 2018: Superorganism

Favorite Philly area Band/Artist: The Districts

Favorite Concert/Show of 2018:  David Byrne (Honorable Mention: Nine Inch Nails)

Favorite Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party of 2018:  Endless Summer Show

Best Philly Area Concert Venue: Union Transfer

Most Anticipated Album for 2019: Vampire Weekend

Best Radio 104.5 Studio Session of 2018:  Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Most Overlooked Artist of 2018: Superorganism

Favorite App:  Instagram

Jammin' Jessie - Weeknights + New Music Discovery Show

Top 5 favorite songs: 

1) Mumford & Sons "Delta"2) Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats "Shoe boot"3) Twenty One Pilots "Jumpsuit"4) The Lumineers "Scotland"5) Imagine Dragons "Whatever It Takes"6) Panic! At The Disco "High Hopes"7) Mike Shinoda "Running From My Shadow" ft. Grandson

Best Album of 2018: one word... 'DELTA'. Runner Up = Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats 'Tearing At The Seams'

Best Music Video of 2018: Portugal. The Man "Tidal Wave"

Favorite Philly area Band/Artist: Daddylap (DUHHHHHHHH) 😉 *new music in 2019* give us a "like" on Facebook

Band who had the best 2018 = Panic! At The Disco. 2018 Belonged To BRENDON URIE.

Best Show of the Year = Mumford & Sons at Wells Fargo Center

Best Dad of The Year = Gritty

Mike Jones -  Afternoons

Top 5 favorite songs: 

Top Song #1: Bastille / Marshmello - Happier
Top Song #2: Weezer - Africa
Top Song #3: Twenty One Pilots - Jumpsuit
Top Song #4: Albert Hammond Jr. – Far Away Truths
Top Song #5: AWOLNATION – Handyman

Honorable Mention – The Struts – Body Talks

Best Album of 2018: Twenty One Pilots - Trench

Most Disappointing Album of 2018: Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino

Artist of The Year for 2018: Twenty One Pilots

Best New Artist of 2018: Greta Van Fleet

Best Music Video of 2018: Bastille / Marshmello – Happier (even if it makes everyone cry)

Favorite Philly area Band/Artist: Daddylap

Favorite Concert/Show of 2018: David Byrne (greatest performance I’ve ever seen)

Favorite Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party of 2018: Endless Summer (everyone brought their A+++ game!)

Best Philly Area Concert Venue: Electric Factory / North Seventh / Franklin Music Hall

Artist/Band You Hope Takes A Long Break in 2019: Radiohead

Most Anticipated Album for 2019: Cage The Elephant / Judah & The Lion / Weezer / Alice Merton

Best Radio 104.5 Studio Session of 2018: Death Cab For Cutie / Judah & The Lion

Most Overlooked Artist of 2018: Franz Ferdinand

Favorite App: Twitter / Amazon / WWE

Favorite Band/Artist to Follow on Twitter: @RiversCuomo – he’s full of nonsense and awesome

Favorite Band/Artist to follow on Instagram: @Joywavemusic

Favorite Band/Artist to follow on Snapchat: I’ve stopped the Snap. 

Favorite Podcast: Besides “It’s Mike Jones” (please subscribe to my podcast), I’ll say “Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard”

Josh - On Air Weekends / Fill-In

Top 5 favorite songs: 

Top Song #1: Africa by Weezer
Top Song #2: Body Talks by The Struts
Top Song #3: She’s Kerosene by The Interrupters
Top Song #4: My Blood by Twenty One Pilots
Top Song #5: No Roots by Alice Merton

BONUS: Natural by Imagine Dragons
BONUS: Happier by Marshmello/Bastille
BONUS: Saturday Sun by Vance Joy

Best Album of 2018: The Interrupters – Fight The Good Fight

Dave Matthews Band - Come Tomorrow

Artist of The Year for 2018: The Struts

Best New Artist of 2018: The Interrupters

Best Music Video of 2018: Childish Gambino – This is America

Favorite Philly area Band/Artist: The Wonder Years

Favorite Concert/Show of 2018: (TIE) Radio 104.5 11th Birthday Show with 30 Seconds to Mars (Night 1) and Radio 104.5 11th Birthday Show with Imagine Dragons (Night 2) and Radio 104.5 Winter Jawn 2018 with The Struts

Favorite Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party of 2018: August: Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs, Alice Merton & Deadfellow.

Best Philly Area Concert Venue: (TIE) BB&T Pavilion, Xfinity Live (both outside AND inside at Victory Beer Hall), Festival Pier

Artist/Band You Hope Takes A Long Break in 2019: Imagine Dragons - These guys work their asses off! 

Most Anticipated Album for 2019: forthcoming Judah and the Lion album (untitled as of this writing)

Best Radio 104.5 Studio Session of 2018: Mumford and Sons (12/7/18)

Most Overlooked Artist of 2018: The Interrupters

Favorite App: iHeartRadio (take RADIO 104.5 with you wherever you go!)

Favorite Band/Artist to Follow on Twitter: Any band that follows me (@JoshMRadio hint hint)

Favorite Band/Artist to follow on Instagram: See above (@JoshMRadio hint hint)

Favorite Podcast: “It’s Mike Jones” on iHeartRadio

Cole - On Air Sundays/Blogger

Top 5 favorite songs: 

Top Song #1: Death Cab For Cutie- Gold Rush

Top Song #2: Panic! At The Disco- Dying In LA

Top Song #3: Bastille- Quarter Past Midnight 

Top Song #4: Twenty One Pilots- The Hype 

Top Song #5: Jukebox The Ghost- Everybody’s Lonely

Best Album of 2018: Twenty One Pilots- Trench

Most Disappointing Album of 2018: Arctic Monkeys- Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Artist of The Year for 2018: Twenty One Pilots

Best New Artist of 2018: Mike Shinoda? Does that count? 

Favorite Philly area Band/Artist: Plead the fifth. Our Philly music scene is incredible!

Favorite Concert/Show of 2018: Twenty One Pilots At Wells Fargo Center 

Favorite Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party of 2018:  October/ Endless Summer Show: Bleachers, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, The Wonder Years, Two Feet & The Unlikely Candidates

Best Philly Area Concert Venue: The Trocadero

Most Anticipated Album for 2019: Bastille 

Favorite App: Instagram 

Favorite Band/Artist to follow on Instagram: John Mayer

Karah Leigh

Top 5 favorite songs: 

Top Song #1: grandson – blood//water
Top Song #2: Mike Shinoda ft. K.Flay – Make It Up As I Go
Top Song #3: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – You Worry Me
Top Song #4: lovelytheband – these are my friends
Top Song #5: Bastille – World Gone Mad

Best Album of 2018: twenty one pilots - trench
Most Disappointing Album of 2018: Muse – Simulation Theory
Artist of The Year for 2018: grandson
Best New Artist of 2018: billie eilish
Best Music Video of 2018: Childish Gambino – This Is America

Artist/Band You Hope Takes A Long Break in 2019: Greta Van Fleet
Most Anticipated Album for 2019: Badflower
Most Overlooked Artist of 2018: Nothing But Thieves
Favorite Band/Artist to Follow on Twitter: Highly Suspect
Favorite Band/Artist to follow on Instagram: Badflower
Favorite Podcast: Serial

Tricia Gdowik - Digital Producer/Photographer/Philly Music Podcast

Top 5 favorite songs: (by Philly area bands) 
JoJo & the Neon Grease - It Ain't Important Now
Grace Vonderkuhn -  Cellophane
I Think Like Midnight - Fierce Majesty
RunHideFight - Because I Love You
David Fantasy & Adult Content - Get Up and Shake That Ass 

Non Philly Band Picks: Twenty One Pilots - My Blood, Alice Merton - No Roots, Jukebox the Ghost - Everybody's Lonely, Panic! At the Disco - Say Amen

Artist of The Year for 2018:  Panic! At the Disco

Best New Artist of 2018: Rylan Brooks

Favorite Philly area Band/Artist: David Fantasy & Adult Content ... OOOLALA... Johnny Showcase

Favorite Concert/Show of 2018:  Rebirth Brass Band in New Orleans right before Mardi Gras! And Antibalas at Ardmore Music Hall, January & October 2018

Favorite Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party of 2018: Endless Summer Show

Best Philly Area Concert Venue: Union Transfer

Artist/Band You Hope Takes A Long Break in 2019: Imagine Dragons

Best Radio 104.5 Studio Session of 2018: Death Cab for Cutie, Superorganism

Most Overlooked Artist of 2018:  Antibalas

Favorite App: Hipstamatic

Favorite Band/Artist to Follow on Twitter: Jim Boggia

Favorite Band/Artist to follow on Instagram: Rylan Brooks or Ortlieb's bar...

Favorite Podcast: Philly Music Podcast  or WTF with Marc Maron