All the Rage

Miles Bonny is a daddy now, and it's only appropriate, given his fatherly status in the local scene. The former producer of SoundsGood rebounded from that group's dissolution by forming the 20-strong Innate Sounds Crew: a busybody collective of local heads that strives to keep KC on the international radar. This past year brought the release of Bonny's eclectic solo debut, Smell Smoke; a remix EP for CES Cru; a production credit for the new Sage Francis record; and a solo EP called Closer Love. British DJ Gilles Peterson has played Love on his BBC radio show. Oh, yeah, and Bonny's a sick DJ, too. myspace.com/milesbonny

We heard something about DJ Shad awhile back — something that puts his influence over local DJs into some real perspective. Evidently, local radio personalities tend to eavesdrop on Shad whenever he's performing to find out what the hottest, newest tracks are. But Shad is no stranger to playing the hits before they blow up the radio. He'll be celebrating 15 years of DJing in January. myspace.com/djshadmzamber

DJ Sku

With years of experience under his belt, it isn't hard for DJ Sku to find a regular gig these days. The two-time Pitch Music Award winner has been filling dance floors on a weekly basis with events such as Sake Bar's Tabu Thursdays and Flash Fridays at Club 5401. In his spare time, the Lawrence turntablist mans the decks for some of the metro's finest MCs. myspace.com/djsku

Female Vocalist

Abigail Henderson (the Gaslights)

If Willie Nelson is a punk-rock cowboy, the Gaslights' Abigail Henderson is a riot-girl rodeo queen. Under that shock of blond hair is a woman with some serious outlaw country attitude and the voice to match. Whether her trademark growl is the result of too many shows in smoke-filled honky-tonks is unclear, but one thing's for sure — see her live once, and you'll never forget her.

the gaslights.com

Anna Cole (Lights & Siren)

Anna Cole has the kind of voice one might expect to hear in the middle of a David Lynch movie or perhaps at the carnival in Something Wicked This Way Comes. The frontwoman of Lights & Siren (formerly Anvil Chorus) possesses a seductive, breathy delivery that can silence a roomful of boozers. It's by far the most potent instrument in any Cole collective, and it's part of the reason that our dreams are getting more vivid these days. myspace.com/lightsandsiren

Kim Anderson (Flee the Seen)

Kim Anderson of Flee the Seen has become, on a smaller scale, what Gwen Stefani was to No Doubt — a talented singer whose gender and good looks draw attention to a solid group. "The singer's cute!" reads a YouTube post at Flee the Seen's online video for "Wire Tap Out." Another, over at MySpace: "ive been looking for a good screamo band with a chick singer GOOD JOB GUYS!" Anderson surely rolls her eyes and knows she's not just a girl — she's one badass performer. fleetheseen.com

Kirsten Paludan (Olympic Size, solo artist)

Third-time nominee Kirsten Paludan played regular shows over the past year with her three-piece backing band, supporting her 2006 solo debut, Princess in the Tower. Gigs with her other groups (Olympic Size, the Belles, Kokomo and the Metropolitans) filled out her concert calendar. Paludan's plans for this fall include releasing Olympic Size's inaugural full-length, recording her own sophomore album and dueting with John Travolta at a fundraiser at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport — yet another celebrity encounter for a sometime thespian whose credits include Ride With the Devil and Melrose Place. myspace.com/kirstenpaludan

Kristen May (Vedera)

At 2006's South By Southwest, Vedera played Austin, Texas, venue Emo's as part of an Alternative Press magazine showcase. Sure, the gig sounds big-time, but the band still had to load its own gear. You'd think Kristen May, Vedera's petite lead singer, would stand back and let the boys do all that heavy lifting, but you'd be wrong. Girlfriend was lugging monitors bigger than she was — in her bare feet, no less. That strength is evident in May's powerful, crystal-clear voice, the driving force of this band, which, having recently signed to Epic, will be facing fewer barefoot load-ins. myspace.com/vedera

Folk/Roots

The Afterparty

There really ought to be a jukebox genre, because that's where the Afterparty belongs. Drawing from the sounds of AM country, Motown, vintage girl groups and juke-joint blues, the seven-strong collective pens the kind of numbers that Nat King Cole would have snapped up. The band added electric-bass ace Cody Wyoming and tightened up its live act during the past year, booking a busy tour schedule and never sounding the worse for wear. myspace.com/afterpartykc

Arthur Dodge & the Horsefeathers