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The 2010 JAGERMEISTER INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS have rolled up the red carpet for another year, wrapping up a fun filled evening which delivered 11 Awards to some of Australia's hottest young talent, with first-time winners CLOUD CONTROL and DAN SULTAN taking out the major honours with two awards apiece.

Now in their fifth year, The JAGERMEISTER INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS continue to grow and are now recognised as a barometer for future 'big' acts, with this years list of winners no exception. 

Blue Mountains four piece CLOUD CONTROL well and truly made their mark on the evening with the first-timers picking up 2 awards, taking out Best Independent Album for their critically acclaimed Ivy League debut "Bliss Release" and the award for Breakthrough Independent Artist. With stunning sun-drenched pop songs like 'There's Nothing in The Water We Can't Fight' and Gold Canary The band have seen their fan base sky-rocket both locally and internationally over the past 2 years, so its little wonder they've been earmarked as a band to watch.

Awards for the Best Independent Artist and Best Independent Blues and Roots Album (for his debut album Get Out While You Can) were taken out by DAN SULTAN.  His second full-length release, the album was an electrifying romp through rockabilly, blues, soul, country and swing, and saw Dan's star continue to shine when it reached Number 1 on the Independent Music Charts back in 2009 on release.

Best Independent Single or EP went to Melbourne 5-piece LITTLE RED for their single 'Rock It'. With a sound steeped in classic R&B, garage and rock'n'roll, yet possessing a thoroughly modern spark, LITTLE RED won with this tasty morsel from their recently released album Midnight Remember.

Best Independent Hard Rock or Punk Album went to arguably the most formidable force on the Australian hardcore scene, Byron Bay's PARKWAY DRIVE.  Winning for their third studio album Deep Blue which incorporated everything from anthemic punk to bloodcurdling death metal, the album also achieved Number 1 status on the Independent Charts on release.

Best Independent Country Album went to an Australian Country family dynasty - KASEY CHAMBERS, POPPA BILL AND THE LITTLE HILLBILLIES - for their Lost Music Blues album.  A unique collaboration of 3 generations - the 16 original songs were crafted together by KASEY, Father BILL, Brother NASH and their collective brood of Little Hillbillies.

With 2 prior nominations, 2010 proved to be the lucky year for URTHBOY, who took out his first Independent Music award for Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album for Spitshine. His third solo album, the critically acclaimed, and now award winning album "Spitshine" has proved to be his most successful to date.

The Gathering - the latest suite from pianist/composer and producer STU HUNTER - was awarded Best Independent Jazz album. His second release, the album received extraordinary accolades, and has been described as representing a milestone in contemporary Australian jazz, proving to be a more than worthy winner.

MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS' second album The Crystal Axis won Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album in a hotly contested category. Hailed as de facto pioneers of a new frontier of "indie-dance", the band pushed the boundaries even further on album number 2, and were rewarded for their efforts as they also brought home their second award in this category, after winning back in 2007.

And finally, the inaugural award for Most Popular Independent Artist (as voted by Nova listeners) went to JOHN BUTLER TRIO.  Undeniably one of the most successful independent artists in Australia and no strangers to picking up Awards, this is the second Independent Music Award the band have collected, after Best Independent Artist in 2007, in a career spanning more than a decade.

The 2010 Jagermeister Independent Music Awards winners:

Most Popular Independent Artist (as voted by Nova Listeners)

John Butler Trio

Best Independent Artist

Dan Sultan (Independent/MGM)

Breakthrough Independent Artist

Cloud Control (Ivy League)

Best Independent Album

Cloud Control – Bliss Release (Ivy League)

Best Independent Single/EP

Little Red – ‘Rock It’ (Liberation)

Best Independent Blues And Roots Album

Dan Sultan – Get Out While You Can (Independent/MGM)

Best Independent Hard Rock Or Punk Album

Parkway Drive – Deep Blue (Resist/Shock)

Best Independent Country Album

Kasey Chambers, Poppa Bill And The Little Hillbillies – Lost Music Blues (Liberation)

Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album

Urthboy – Spitshine (Elefant Traks/Inertia)

Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album

Midnight Juggernauts - The Crystal Axis (Siberia/Inertia)

Best Independent Jazz Album

Stu Hunter - The Gathering (Vitamin)

For more info on the Awards, Charts and Independent music, check out http://www.ausindies.com.au/

Melbourne-based trio Midnight Juggernauts [pictured below] are nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album at this year's Jagermeister Independent Music Awards, for their second album The Crystal Axis; the music video for their song 'Vital Signs' is embedded above.

Ahead of this year's awards night - more details on that at the bottom of this post - we briefly caught up with Midnight Juggernauts' drummer, Daniel Stricker.

What's your favourite musical moment of 2010 so far, Daniel?

We've played a lot of great shows so far this year, even playing in an old Serbian fortress which had 40,000 people coming in each day, which was pretty amazing. But I'd have to say playing in Turkey for the first time would be my highlight. I just kept thinking about 'The Chase' by Georgio Moroder while walking around the Grand Bazaar.

What's your favourite song of 2010 so far by an Australian artist?

'She' by Kirin J Callinan. It doesn't sound like anything else.

What does being independent mean to you?

It just means we can put out our music and whatever creative endeavours freely, without feeling pressure or having the need to change our vision. It's just something we've always done so it was natural for us to be and stay independent.

What's the biggest challenge you face as an independent musician?

Its hard as obviously we run our own label, so anything we do is self-funded and self-created. So I guess you spend a lot more time and money organising things - there's no big marketing budget coming from a big label. That said, I think that's the best way to promote anything - word of mouth and genuine interest in anything will always be better than shoving it down someone's throat.

Conversely, what's the best thing about being independent?

Just the creative freedom for whatever idea you have. Even if it ends up creating a little Stonehenge that comes down from the sky.

As a band, what would you ultimately like to be known and remembered for?

That we did our thing and never compromised.

Favourite music video of all time by an Australian artist?

The Easybeats - 'Friday On My Mind' [live footage embedded below]

Which Australian independent act deserves to be the 'next big thing'?

Kirin J Callinan. He's a star.

Finally, who do you think is going to win your category this year? 

Yolanda B Cool and D-Cup.

Thanks for your time, Daniel! For more info on Midnight Juggernauts, visit their MySpace.

The 5th Annual Jagermeister Independent Music Awards are held at The Forum Theatre, Melbourne on Friday October 1st, 2010, featuring live performances from British India, Cloud Control, The Amity Affliction, M-Phazes, Sally Seltmann and Joe Chindamo. Doors open at 8:00pm; tickets are $29+BF and available now via Ticketmaster.

For more info on AIR and Australian independent music, visit http://www.ausindies.com.au/