Rock & Roll in the NEWS: Where New Rock Meets Old Rock...March 7, 2018 (Libera Awards Nominees 2018 - All Categories)

A2IM Reveals 2018 Libera Awards Nominees: Chuck Berry, Cigarettes After Sex, Father John Misty & More

  Chuck Berry poses for a portrait in 1958

The Jun. 21 ceremony will honor independent artists across genres.

A2IM has announced its final lineup of 2018 Libera Award Nominees, which includes a variety of artists from all genres. The independent music-celebrating award show will be hosted by stand-up comedian Kate Wolff and take place Jun. 21 at the PlayStation Theater in New York City. 

Among the nominees are late rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry, up for both album of the year and best blues album, as well as Deer Tick (best country/American album), Powerflo (best metal album) and Manchester Orchestra (best rock album).

Other album of the year nominees include Big Thief, Cigarettes After Sex, Father John Misty and Slowdive. 

"Since Edison invented the phonograph, independent music labels have defined American musical culture and disseminated it to the world," said A2IM CEO Richard James Burgess in a statement. "The Libera Awards is the first platform to celebrate and honor the entrepreneurial spirit, creative independence, and cultural diversity that undergirds these genre-defining American artists and businesspeople."

Leading up to the award ceremony is A2IM's indie week, an international four-day conference and networking event for fans presented by SoundExchange in partnership with BuzzAngle, which will take place June 18-21 in New York City's Lower East Side. 

 See the full list of nominees below:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Big Thief | Capacity
Saddle Creek Records

Chuck Berry | CHUCK
Dualtone Music Group

Cigarettes After Sex | Cigarettes After Sex
Partisan Records

Father John Misty | Pure Comedy
Sub Pop Records

Slowdive | Slowdive
Dead Oceans

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS & FOLK ALBUM

Aimee Mann | Mental Illness
SuperEgo

Big Thief | Capacity
Saddle Creek

Hiss Golden Messenger | Hallelujah Anyhow
Merge Records

Kevin Morby | City Music
Dead Oceans

Phoebe Bridgers | Stranger In The Alps
Dead Oceans

BEST BLUES ALBUM

Benjamin Booker | Witness
ATO Records

Chuck Berry | CHUCK
Dualtone Music Group

Joe Bonamassa | Live at Carnegie Hall
J&R Adventures

Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo' | TajMo
Concord Records

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band | Front Porch Sessions
Family Owned Records

BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM

Boris Giltburg; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Carlos Miguel Prieto (conductor) | Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 - 8 Études-Tableaux, Op. 33
Naxos

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta (conductor) | Novák: In the Tatra Mountains, Lady Godiva & Eternal Longing
Naxos

Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin (conductor) | Copland: Symphony No. 3 & 3 Latin American Sketches
Naxos

Grandbrothers | Open
City Slang

Luca D'Alberto | Endless
7K! Records

BEST COUNTRY/AMERICANA ALBUM

Deer Tick | Deer Tick Vol. 1
Partisan Records

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit | The Nashville Sound
Southeastern/Thirty Tigers

Lee Ann Womack | The Lonely, The Lonesome, and The Gone
ATO Records

Midland | On The Rocks
Big Machine Records

The Wild Reeds | The World We Built
Dualtone Music Group

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM

Bicep | Bicep
Ninja Tune

Four Tet | New Energy
Text Records

Nicolas Jaar | Sirens (deluxe edition)
Other People/Kobalt

Oneohtrix Point Never | Good Time Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Warp Records

Sylvan Esso | What Now
Loma Vista Recordings

Yaeji | EP2
GODMODE

BEST HIP-HOP/RAP ALBUM

Lil Baby | Harder Than Hard
Quality Control Music

Meyhem Lauren & DJ Muggs | Gems From The Equinox
Soul Assassins

Sean Price | Imperious Rex
Ruck Down Records

Shabazz Palaces | Born on a Gangster Star
Sub Pop Records

Wu-Tang | Saga Continues
eOne/36 Chambers

BEST JAZZ ALBUM

Kamasi Washington | Harmony of Difference
Young Turks

Kiefer | Kickinit Alone
Leaving Records

King Krule | The Ooz
Matador Records

Mike Stern | Trip
Heads Up International

Thelonious Monk | Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960
Sam Records

BEST LATIN ALBUM

Chicano Batman | Freedom Is Free
ATO Records

Él Mató A Un Policía Motorizado | La Síntesis O'Konor
Nacional Records

Eliane Elias | Dance of Time
Concord Jazz

Ibeyi | Ash
XL Recordings

La Vida Boheme | La Lucha
Nacional Records

BEST LIVE ACT

Father John Misty
Sub Pop Records

Flying Lotus
Warp Records

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
ATO Records

Nick Cave
Bad Seed LTD

Queens Of The Stone Age
Matador Records

BEST METAL ALBUM

Chelsea Wolfe | Hiss Spun
Sargent House

Converge | The Dusk In Us
Epitaph

Mutoid Man | War Moans
Sargent House

Myrkur | Mareridt
Relapse Records

Powerflo | Powerflo
New Damage Records

BEST OUTLIER ALBUM

Alex Cameron | Forced Witness
Secretly Canadian

Arca | Arca
XL Recordings

Moses Sumney | Aromanticism
Jagjaguwar

Sleaford Mods | English Tapas
Rough Trade Records

Sneaks | It's a Myth
Merge Records

BEST R&B ALBUM

Jamila Woods | HEAVN
Jagjaguwar

Katie Hargrove | Katie Hargrove
Transoceanic Records

Kelela | Take Me Apart
Warp Records

Mavis Staples | If All I Was Was Black
Anti- Records

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings | Soul of a Woman
Daptone Records

BEST RE-ISSUE

Alice Coltrane | World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda
Luaka Bop

Elliott Smith | Either/Or: Expanded Edition
Kill Rock Stars

Fela Kuti | Fela Kuti Box Set #4 Curated By Erykah Badu
Knitting Factory Records

Hüsker Dü | Savage Young Dü
The Numero Group

Radiohead | OKNOTOK
XL Recordings

BEST ROCK ALBUM

Bully | Losing
Sub Pop Records

Manchester Orchestra | A Black Mile to the Surface
Loma Vista Recordings

Queens Of The Stone Age | Villains
Matador Records

Sorority Noise | You're Not As _____ As You Think
Triple Crown Records

The National | Sleep Well Beast
4AD

BEST SYNC USAGE

Cigarettes After Sex | The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu
(Music Supervision: Jessica Dolinger)
Partisan Records / Spanish Prayers

Luca D'Alberto | Salvation Episode One
(Music Supervision: Nora Felder)
7K! Records

Run the Jewels | EA's FIFA '18 Official trailer starring Cristiano Ronaldo
(Music Supervision: Raphaella Lima)
Run the Jewels, Inc.

Sofi Tukker | Apple - Meet iPhone X
(Music Supervision: Natalie Cervelli)
Sofi Tukker LLC/Ultra Records

William Onyeabor | Apple - iPhone 7 Plus - Barbers
(Music Supervision: Fine Gold Music)
Luaka Bop

BEST WORLD ALBUM

Forró In The Dark | Sandcastle
Nacional Records

Ibeyi | Ash
XL Recordings

Ibibio Sound Machine | Uyai
Merge Records

Tribalistas | Tribalistas
Phonomotor

Vieux Farka Touré | Samba
Six Degrees Records

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

Alice Merton | No Roots
Mom+Pop Music

Jamila Woods | HEAVN
Jagjaguwar

Power Trip | Nightmare Logic
Southern Lord

Princess Nokia | 1992 Deluxe
Rough Trade Records

Trippie Redd | A Love Letter To You
Caroline

CREATIVE PACKAGING

Bob’s Burgers | The Bob’s Burgers Music Album
Sub Pop Records

Father John Misty | Pure Comedy
Sub Pop Records

Hüsker Dü | Savage Young Dü
Numero Group

Sharon Jones & the E.L. Fields Gospel Wonders | Heaven Bound/Key to the Kingdom
Daptone Records

The National | Sleep Well Beast
4AD

INDEPENDENT CHAMPION

Bandcamp

MERLIN

NPR

SoundExchange

Thirty Tigers

Vinyl Me Please

LABEL OF THE YEAR (BIG)

ATO Records

Dead Oceans

Loma Vista Recordings

Ninja Tune

Numero Group

Warp Records

LABEL OF THE YEAR (SMALL)

Awesome Tapes From Africa

Daptone Records

Kill Rock Stars

Sacred Bones

Triple Crown Records

MARKETING GENIUS

Bob's Burgers | Bob's Burgers
(Marketing Lead: Jon Strickland)
Sub Pop Records

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | Polygondwanaland
(Marketing Lead: Eric Moore / Jon Salter / Dave McClain)
ATO Records

Perfume Genius | Wreath Video Contest
(Marketing Lead: Rian Fosset, Marisa Gesualdi, Gabe Spierer, Hana Mogulescu)
Beggars Group

Radiohead | OK NOT OK
(Marketing Lead: Radiohead, Patrick North, Blake Thomas, Pablo Douzoglou, Claire Taylor)
Beggars Group

Run the Jewels | Call Ticketron! - 646.846.RTJ3 (www.1215.runthejewels.com)
(Marketing Lead: Amaechi Uzoigwe & Lee Martin)
Run the Jewels, Inc.

Slowdive | Slowdive Album Campaign
(Marketing Lead: Phil Waldorf / Tom Davies)
Secretly Group

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Arca | Reverie
XL Recordings

Noga Erez | Off the Radar
City Slang

NxWorries | Scared Money
Stones Throw

Perfume Genius | Die 4 You
Matador Records

Superorganism | Something for your M.I.N.D.
Domino Recording Company