Going Bananas for Banzai!

We know where to find the best acai bowl in town—and some say on the West Coast! Banzai Bowls, only 5 months old, is a premiere acai café in Costa Mesa that serves nine varieties of acai bowls, as well as organic salads and smoothies. Husband and wife owner Tiana and Joe Bard both live a healthy lifestyle—they surf, hike, and camp—so Banzai Bowl is their dream café.

In case you don’t know what an acai bowl is, it’s a popular breakfast bowl featuring acai blended with fruit, frozen and blended to a thick consistency with either apple juice or soy milk topped with granola. And Banzai Bowls is offering you $2 off a large bowl just for mentioning Greer’s OC through February.

The acai berry is called the Amazon powerfruit with antioxidants, healthy omega fats, protein and dietary fiber. Your choice of smoothies can include acai, fresh bananas, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, shredded coconut, bee pollen, and more.  Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekends. 488 E. 17th. St. in Costa Mesa. 949.722.8329.

And the OC Music Awards nominees are...

The Awards Academy has voted, the ballots have been sorted and the 2010 OC Music Awards nominees in 21 Academy-selected categories have been solidified. This year’s list welcomes back some OC Music Awards previous winners and nominees, a few fresh faces, and introduces one new category of Best Folk. Included in Tuesday’s announcement are the recipients of both the Orange County Impact and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Orange County punk legends, The Vandals, received the 2009 Orange County Impact Award. The 2010 honor will be presented to Orange County band of 21 years, Sugar Ray, which got its start in the late 80s with five Corona del Mar High School friends performing under the moniker of Shrinky Dinx. It didn’t take long for the group to change their name, sign with Atlantic, and release their second album “Floored” in 1997 which included the hit single “Fly” that was co-written and producer by the band’s longtime friend and now star director, McG. That release shot the band to double platinum. Just two years later, their album “14:59” saw triple platinum. Today the band’s numerous unforgettable hits are still played regularly in rotation on major radio stations across the globe.

OC Music Awards Founder and Producer of seven years, Martin Brown, took home the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010 a highly respected rock ‘n’ roll expert and long time member of the press will be honored. Jim Washburn has been writing music criticism and review since his start with the Orange County Register in 1983 and is today considered the go-to musical historian of our county. Jim’s impeccable knowledge of Orange County’s rooted music scene and his endearing first hand experiences in creating the legacy are voiced in pen like no other.

This announcement covers 21 of the 24 total 2010 Awards category nominees. Still to come are the Best Live Band and Best Live Acoustic Showcase Series finalists to be announced after the last Showcase on Feb. 17. The People’s Choice Award nominees will be announced on March 1. Make sure to vote online for your favorite band in Orange County.

And the 2010 OC Music Awards nominees are ...

Best Album – Released in 2009
“Asleep in the Wake” - Melanoid
“Beggars” - Thrice
“In Search of Solid Ground” - Saosin
“Palace and Stage” - Dusty Rhodes and the River Band
“Portable Record Player” – Michael Ubaldini

?Best Song – Released in 2009
“El Capitan” – The Steelwells
“Tuck (How it Feels Away)” - Aushua
“Oh Goodbye” – The Colourist
“Storm” – Atreyu
“Walk Like a Gentleman” – Eye Alaska

Best New Artist – New to 2009 Music Scene
Blok
The Colourist
I Hate You Just Kidding
She Screams Remedy
The Steelwells

Best Alternative
Aushua
Eye Alaska
Saosin
Stereofix
Thrice

Best Blues
Parker Macy Blues
Mississippi Man
Roman Alexander and the Robbery
Savage City
Walter Trout

Best Club DJ
Bobby Soul
DJ Dan Sena
DJ Oldboy
Free the Robots
Rachael Starr

Best Country/Americana
Billy Kernkamp
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band
The Fallen Stars
Michael Ubaldini
Pawn Shop Kings

Best Electronic
Blok
Break the Circus
Color Theory
Electric Valentine
Free the Robots

Best Folk
Argyle Smile
Barrett Johnson
I Hate You Just Kidding
Matt Kollar and the Angry Mob
Yellow Red Sparks

Best Hip Hop
Blok
Brawdcast
The Dirty Heads
Loose Logic
My Hero

Best Indie
The Color Turning
The New Limb
The Steelwells
The Union Line
Young The Giant

Best Jazz
Dana Parker
Rare Form Band
Riff Raff
Todd Oliver
Translucent Ham Sandwich Band

Best Latin
Boogaloo Assassins
Chris Williams
Miguel Garcia and the Vaquetones
Robert Anthony Aviles
Soul Hustlers

Best Metal
Atreyu
Avenged Sevenfold
Death by Stereo
Pistolero
Throwdown

Best Pop
The Bolts
Cambria Detken
Molly Jenson
The Sequence
Stacy Clark

Best Punk
The Adolescents
Audacity
Chaser
Franki Doll & The Broken Toys
Longway

Best Rock
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band
Melanoid
Thrice
Stereofix
Sederra

Best Surf
Gantez Warrior
Hindu Pirates
Marc B
The Eliminators
The Growlers

Best World
The Dirty Heads
Humanlab
Pilot Touhil
Reel Big Fish
Starpool

Orange County Impact Award
Sugar Ray

Lifetime Achievement Award
Jim Washburn