Winners Named in 8th Annual Independent Music Awards

Winners in the eighth annual Independent Music Awards were announced this month. Produced by Music Resource Group, publishers of The Musician’s Atlas, the Independent Music Awards feature more than 50 music and design categories and were open to any indie-label release or self-produced, self-distributed recording released between July 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008.

Among the winners were such seasoned veterans as Martin Sexton, whose career-spanning retrospective, Solo, won in the Live Performance Album category; banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka’s latest release Territory, took top honors in the Americana Album category); Dan Zanes, whose Nueva York was named best Children’s Album; and the late blues guitarist Jeff Healey, whose 2008 release, Mess Of Blues, captured best Blues Album.

Emerging artists winning Independent Music Awards include three New York-based singer-songwriters. Rebecca Martin’s The Growing Season was named best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album.

Kelleigh McKenzie took top song honors in the Americana category for “Gin,” while Lucy Wainwright Roche’s track “Snare Drum” won in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category. McKenzie also was a finalist in the Americana Album and Cover Song categories. Missouri-based The Wilders took top honors in the Alt. Country Album category for Someone’s Got to Pay and, as noted in a November posting, also were finalists in the Americana Album category.

According to the Music Resource Center, the awards are designed to enhance visibility and opportunities for independent artists through year-long promotion, marketing and distribution programs. These include distribution of an IMA winners’ compilation CD to hundreds of college and public radio stations, as well as at music conferences and festivals.

Additional information about the winners and their music can be found at www.independentmusicawards.com. Music fans also can hear all of the nominated songs and a track from each of the nominated albums and vote for their favorite finalists in all categories at the IMA Vox Populi Jukebox. Balloting runs through February. Music Resource Group plans to announce these “people’s choice” winners and promote them throughout 2009 alongside the formal IMA winners.