This is the category gathering NYC based bands who play roots music in all its traditional glory. Or at least that's what we intended it to be - a couple of bands in the list (namely, Sewing Machines and The Balboans) obviously mis-categorized themselves when submitting for this poll...

Total Submissions in this category: 23

Artists Qualified to the Poll's Next Stage (starting soon):

1. Swear and Shake - 8.16 (out of 10)
2. The Ludlow Thieves - 7.66
3. The Courtesy Tier - 7.5

Honorable Mentions (score above 7):

Sewing Machines, The Balboans, Ten Ton Man, Runaway Dorothy, Zak Smith, Mail the Horse, Alana Amram & the Rough Gems, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, David King + The Confirmed Bachelors, Elijah Ocean, This Old Ghost, Thomas Bryan Eaton.

Jurors: Ben Toledo (Deli Portland), Jacqueline Caruso (Deli LA), QD Tran (Deli Philly)

The Deli' Staff

For the lower east side's The Ludlow Thieves, life is a continuing anthem, filled with moments larger than they may seem, only your lens needs shifting. Projecting an exuberance that harkens back to hair metal's declarations of passion and love, The Ludlow Thieves do it all with mandolins and acoustic energy instead. Songs like 'Sing Me Back' (streaming) might very well harken a new national anthem with all their love for their hometown New York and all the circles of friends they're surrounded by. Check the band out when they play Arlene's Grocery on Jan 16. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

It seems kind of random that an Iowa gospel guy, a classically trained musician and a Manhattan hippy got together in a band that actually makes sense. The Ludlow Thieves have been playing in NYC for less than a year with a sound that is hard to pin down: Alt-Folk? Classic rock with a rustic Americana feel to it? Whatever you call it, all that matters is that it sounds good - and fun. Dan, the lead guitarist and composer, brings a classical foundation, weaving in string elements and some of the harder hitting stuff. Danny, lead singer, carries the heart of the band’s sound in his voice. And Walker, the drummer, brings a tribalism to the band that you can hear in almost every song. See them at The Mercury Lounge on July 12. - Read Keith Putnam-Delaney' sinterview with the band here.