Stand in line and vote

This post is blatantly for the Montrealers and ex-Montrealers. The Mirror is once again holding its Best of Montreal poll. When I first moved here it was a pretty good guide for places to check out in the city, and as I've spent more time here it becomes a matter of curiosity as to who will place in which categories - will the perennial victors keep their stronghold or will an underdog make headway?

Last year, through the power of Facebook spam, I saw a lot of messages to stuff the ballot box in favour of certain musicians or organizations. (No disrespect and I'm not naming names - it's totally fair in online voting.) It's obvious that not many people are filling in the field of Best Montreal Jazz Musician, and that it doesn't take a lot to skew the vote. While I'm not imploring you to vote for me in that category (though I'd be honoured if you did), I am asking you to vote honestly in that category and others. In this cultural and economic climate, with grant programs disappearing and budgets constantly being cut, we need ink to be spilled on the people actively on the cultural scene of Montreal. As much as I love Oliver Jones and the late Dr. Peterson, there's many more players active at this instant that don't get enough love. There's promoters and hidden venues doing great things off the radar; give your neighbourhood café the shout-out it may desperately need.

The only trick about the Mirror ballot is that you need to fill out 25 of the categories for your votes to be valid. So please click on over and vote! Results will be published May 14.