facebook.com/photosynthesizers

Second Place: Tie: Noah-O / Luggage

For the second year in a row, Richmond's Photosynthesizers take the hip-hop crown. "It's always a privilege to be recognized by Style Weekly and its readers," the band's bassist, Mike "Mikemetic" Williams, says. It's been a busy time for the funk-rap outfit. The Photos not only opened Style's first Shadrock Music Festival in late April, they're also "tweaking" tracks recorded at Battleground Studios in Virginia Beach with hopes for a CD release later this summer (the group landed the studio time by beating out nine other acts in a Hampton Roads battle of the bands contest). The prolific Noah-O (listen to his song "Oh My" on our 2012 "Sounds of Richmond" compilation at styleweekly.com/music2012) is tied for second with the veteran duo Luggage, once known as Speakeasy.