Chances are, by now, you’ve heard of Sonic Guild. Founded in Austin but with a beefy Seattle presence, the Guild has made it its mission to offer Northwest musicians validation, stages, and (in the case of a few lucky, hard-working individuals) $10,000 in grant money. Previous winners include Dean Johnson, Deep Sea Diver, Shaina Shepherd, Thunderpussy, Sol, and so many more.

Here's how it works: Every year, the Guild puts out a call for grant nominees. (This year, more than 630 names made the list!) Then Sonic Guild's donors, advisors, and previous grant winners cull through that list of names and whittle it down to 40. After one more round of voting, a final 10 are chosen to receive $10,000 each. And along with the cash, which they can use however they’d like, the artists are also invited to participate in Sonic Guild’s annual showcase, scheduled for February 21 at the Triple Door. 

Sonic Guild has something to celebrate, too; it’s the Seattle chapter’s fifth anniversary, after having expanded to the Northwest by scene lifer Ben London in 2020. Since then, in his words, “The city’s creative energy has accelerated beyond anything we have seen in decades.” If these 10 artists are any indication, he’s right on the money.

Here are this year's chosen artists:

Acapulco Lips

Formed in 2012 and led by bassist/vocalist Maria-Elena Herrell, Acapulco Lips’ rise to local prominence has been steady and self-assured. Whether they’re taking the stage at one of Seattle’s many festivals or laying down grooves within the grooves of their latest LP Now, they blend surf, psych rock, and garage in ways that have made them a longtime local favorite. Go celebrate with them at their show on December 11 at Chop Suey, where they’ll be showcasing their live power as a newly beefed-up quintet.

Chinese American Bear

If you weren’t already aware, Chinese American Bear are absolutely killing it. In 2019, husband/wife duo Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten started releasing winsome multilingual indie pop, and six years later, they’ve parlayed that spirit into global recognition. Their art, which regularly sees them taking on pop/rock staples in addition to their uber-catchy originals, has netted them attention from VOGUE+ to the BBC and earned them spots at festivals across the country. Theirs is a burgeoning success story borne of the necessity to, in Tong’s words, keep things “fun and authentic and lighthearted.”

Coral Grief

This year was Coral Grief’s breakout year. With their first two EPs, the Seattle trio (Lena Farr-Morrissey, Sam Fason, and Cam Hancock) announced themselves as purveyors of krautrock rhythms and a chromium glisten, akin to bands like Stereolab and Seefeel. Those EPs sound embryonic compared to their debut LP Air Between Us, released in July of this year to high acclaim. Having just ended their West Coast tour with a massive show at the Paramount opening for Deep Sea Diver, the group has fully stolen Seattle’s hearts. Now it’s time to take on the rest of the country.

Emi Pop

Of the 10 grantees in this year’s batch, Emi Pop might be a relatively fresh face, but the artist behind the group is no rookie. A veteran of the underground punk scene of Puerto Rico, Emi planted her flag in our city’s rain-soaked city this year with the garage-pop earworm “Lo Sé,” and in November she followed it with No Te Voy a Extrañar, a debut record full of songs as catchy and true to the spirit of rocanrol as its lead single. 

Gabriel Teodros

If you’ve even a passing familiarity with 21st-century Seattle hip-hop, you probably know of Gabriel Teodros. The globally-recognized South Seattle emcee has been a fixture in the city since his days spitting with Khingz as Abyssinian Creole two decades ago. Since then, he’s released six solo LPs (the latest being 2023’s medicinal From the Ashes of Our Homes and its remix album Embers) while also regularly guesting on records, DJing around town, and producing for local artists. Throughout his career, Teodros has also tirelessly advocated for the wellness and uplift of the desperate, not only in his art but through his actions: just last year, he co-founded the Palestine Will Live Forever festival to raise money for Gazans in need of aid.

Kate Dinsmore

Those who’ve heard Kate Dinsmore’s voice understand that it’s something to behold. Born and raised in the PNW, Dinsmore spent the early years of her adulthood honing her musical chops in the Oklahoma jazz-pop band Harumph before returning to Washington in 2019. Since then, she’s restlessly graced stage after stage, spreading word of her talents, both her voice and the way she uses it to slide effortlessly between Americana, jazz, and rock stylings.

Ollella

Ellie Barber first brought a bow to the cello at the age of nine, and today she’s an expert, acclaimed for her string work by everyone from Bob Boilen to Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner. In 2020, Barber started releasing her own songs as Ollella; her solo work, including this year’s Antifragile, demonstrates that she has a knack for taking something as potentially stuffy as cello-led indie folk and making it approachable. Early next year, she’ll be decamping to DC to film her first Tiny Desk Concert, a check off the bucket list for someone still at the start of their musical journey.

Sea Lemon

To say Natalie Lew “does dream pop” is an understatement. Diving for a Prize, her debut album as Sea Lemon, is by any measure exemplary of where the genre is now—a heavy late ’90s rock pulse, waves of shoegaze textures, and Lew’s crystalline vocals floating like seafoam over it all. The fact that the record  also features Ben Gibbard supports that Lew is continuing a genre that his band the Postal Service helped popularize. You can catch her at Neumos on December 19, opening for fellow soundscaper Jay Som.

Warren Dunes

Chances are you’ve caught Warren Dunes playing around the city over the last few years, and you’d know it if you did. The sight of singer Julia Massey sandwiched in between two keyboards isn’t so easily forgotten. The self-described “beach music family band” makes stirring, dense pop tunes, but the people behind it harbor no pretense about their music—they just want people to enjoy it. They also endeavor to use their powers for good, hence their annual holiday show (this year it’s December 19), where they raise money to fund childcare for touring musician parents with kids.

Zookraught

Formed as an eccentric four-piece punk band during COVID, Zookraught was reshaped into a searing dance-punk trio featuring original drummer Baylee Harper and bassist Stephanie Mills, along with guitarist Sami Frederick. By now, Zookraught have earned a reputation as one of Seattle’s most electrifying live acts—one of the hardest things you can do is get a crowd here to dance, but they accomplish that challenge handily thanks to blistering tempos, serrated textures, and call-to-action vocals. If you need proof, catch them at the Sunset Tavern this New Year’s Eve. There, you can kickstart your new exercise regimen among all the moshers.