The complete winners list for the 13th annual Independent Music Awards (IMA) was released today and though you might only recognize a name here and maybe another one there, one name, The Bankesters, jumps out boldly.
The Bankesters were voted the best Bluegrass band using their album LOVE HAS WHEELS for their entry.
"LOVE HAS WHEELS, our first CD on Compass Records, generated a lot of attention both within the bluegrass genre and from the outside," said Phil Bankester. "We first learned about the IMA awards late last fall and decided to enter. "
In 2012, Emily Bankester won the IBMA Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year. "It was the first award any of us had ever experienced," Phil told Prescription Bluegrass.
"We really didn’t expect to win (the IMA Award) since this was our first time to enter, and it was a big surprise and honor to win Best Bluegrass Album."
"While the number of outlets that promote new, independent music continues to grow, audiences that frequent these are splintered and don’t coalesce into a critical influencing group that artists once depended upon to achieve mainstream success,” said Martin Folkman, Executive Director of The Independent Music Awards. “The IMA program goal is to gain exposure for extraordinary self-released and independent label artists and their recent recordings.”
"The judging panel is made up of well-known musicians including Jim Lauderdale, Suzanne Vega, Judy Collins and many others from a broad range of musical genres," said Bankester. "It’s a real honor to be known as a bluegrass band and to play folk festivals and rock & roots festivals. We want to take our music to anyone willing to listen and hopefully this award will open new doors for us."
Known for championing original work by artists who follow their own muse, The IMAs provides Winners with performance, promotion and distribution opportunities that will place them in front of music supervisors, talent buyers, record label executives, and most importantly, fans worldwide.
The veteran artists and rising stars named as 13th IMA Winners in more than 80 Album, EP, Song, Music Producer, Music Video and Design categories were winnowed from thousands of submissions from around the globe, and were determined by a panel of influential artists and music industry executives.
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