Best Richmond Country Band

Andy Vaughan and the Driveline

andyvaughanmusic.com

Second Place: Jackass Flats

Third Place: HonkyTonk Heroes

“It makes me really happy,” bandleader Andy Vaughan says about his group’s win as best country band. “It shows me once again that there is a scene around here for roots country.” Vaughan and his spirited outfit emulate the classic twang of groups such as Buck Owens and the Buckaroos and Merle Haggard and the Strangers. There’s also a fair amount of western swing in the Driveline sound. “When we play outside of Virginia, people always assume we’re a Texas band,” Vaughan says, laughing. The group’s noteworthy debut CD, “Long Gone,” was released last year (you can hear a sample of it at styleweekly.com/music2012). A new ‘un, “Searching for the Song,” will arrive in early June. Second place goes to the chameleonic bluegrass unit Jackass Flats, while the popular cover band Honky Tonk Heroes — specializing in both kinds of music, country and western — ropes third.

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