For the most part, the readers' poll in these Best of Tacoma issues vacillate between fairly predictable and completely out of left-field. No more so is this represented than in the music poll, I've found. In the past few years, winners have been as diverse as the wall-of-sound punk of the King Eagles and the Southern fried rock of SweetKiss Momma. There's no hard and fast way of predicting where the readers' eyes will turn next.

This year's Best Band, as voted by you, has perhaps been a long time coming. Kim Archer has been active in the Tacoma music scene since 2004, after she moved here from her hometown in Indiana.

"It's just been a really great ride," says Archer. "Tacoma, and Washington in general, have opened their arms wide open for me. There's a lot of opportunity, and it's great to be a part of the scene. It's so connected and thriving."

Archer's music is a mixture of blues, soul and classic rock licks. A typical live performance of hers will feature plenty of lively covers and heartfelt originals. She's not breaking the mold, exactly, but her presence and delivery has garnered her a passionate fan base. The community of singer-songwriters and their fans has always been a tight-knit one in Tacoma, with more than their share of supportive open mics and bars that tend toward the blues and the folk.

"I'm honored to be voted Best Band," says Archer. "I think, when it comes down to a decision being made by the readers and the voters, it's extra special. It feels really awesome."

When I spoke with Archer, she was calling from Indiana, where she had gone to visit family. It's easy to imagine her coming of age in the Midwest, hearing the no-frills earthiness in her music. Her voice is forceful when it needs to be, but nimble enough to navigate songs of heartbreak and loss. She cites Melissa Ethridge and Bonnie Raitt as influences, which makes sense. There's a no-nonsense strength to her songwriting that betrays a woman who long ago learned the value of forthrightness and being able to say what you mean and mean what you say. Bonnie Raitt, in particular, comes across as a spiritual forebearer to Archer's music.

All of the winners of the music poll in this year's Best of Tacoma are more than worthy of their honors. In a scene that seems to frequently exist in a state of flux, having as much talented people as we do can feel like a lucky accident. Bands dissolve all the time, and it's never a certainty if something as great will come along to fill certain holes. Kim Archer, meanwhile, has been a mainstay for a decade, now, and she doesn't show signs of slowing down. Her new single, "Lover," is available on her website, kimarcherband.com, and she tells me that a new album is in the works.

SEE ALSO
Other 2014 Best of Tacoma readers' poll winners and Weekly Volcano staff picks