Last night was the big Plug Independent Music Awards shindig, which I was sadly unable to attend. Apparently I didn’t have enough frequent flyer miles to get from Austin to NYC, so I had to live this year’s extravaganza through friends who did attend. I’ve been told that Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds were amazing, which is something I would have definitely liked to have seen. Damnit.
As for the winners, many were right on, while a few categories were questionable. For next year, I’d like to see them separate some of the media categories differently, perhaps even splitting the blog category into two – professional and amature. There are some outstanding blogs out there that are done by writers on the side in their spare time, and they deserve a nod as well.
I also want to take as second to tip my cap to all the nominees in both the college/non-commercial and specialty radio program categories. On the college end, it was no surprise to see KEXP take the prize, but everybody in the list deserves a pat on the back. As commercial alternative radio continues to go down the crapper, it is great to see non-comm and college stations step up to the plate and become a vital source for discovering new music. The same goes for everybody nominated in the specialty radio category. From Aaron Axelsen’s Soundcheck on Live 105 in San Fran to Tom & Rudy’s Independent Playground on CD101 in Columbus, OH, keep on fighting the good fight!
Here are this year’s winners:
Album Of The Year – Arcade Fire Neon Bible
New Artist – Justice
Female Artist – St. Vincent
Male Artist – Andrew Bird
Indie Rock Album – Animal Collective Strawberry Jam
Americana Album – Iron & Wine The Shepherd’s Dog
Metal Album – The Dilinger Escape Plan Ire Works
Hip-Hop Album – Aesop Rock None Shall Pass
Punk Album – Gogol Bordello Super Taranta!
Electronic/Dance Album – Justice Cross
DJ Album – Hot Chip Dj-Kicks
Avant Album – Liars Liars
Artist Of The Year – Radiohead
Song Of The Year – The National “Fake Empire”
Live Act – Arcade Fire
Music Video – Battles “Atlas”
Album Art/Packaging – Menomena Friend And Foe
Record Label – Merge
Live Venue – Bowery Ballroom (NYC)
Music Festival – Coachella
Online Radio Station – KCRW
Record Store – Other Music (NYC)
Online Record Store – iTunes
College/Non-Comm Radio – KEXP
Specialty Show – Sirius “Blog Radio”
