Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, AgesandAges

[PUNKY BLUESTER] We'll be honest: Winning Willamette Week’s Best New Band poll is sometimes a bit of a curse. Much like the Grammys' Best New Artist, winners experience a brief flurry of increased attention, then, for whatever reason, either fade away or break up altogether. In the two years since being crowned Best New Band, though, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside have only flourished. The brassy, bluesy quartet put out a swinging-hot debut, played Letterman and blew up in France. And judging by the rough-’n’-tumble sound of just-released second album Untamed Beast, the experience has just made the band tougher. So don't worry, potential 2013 BNB nominees: There is hope!