Musician and producer James Yancey, better known as J Dilla and Jay Dee, was honored as artist of the year, with his mother and hip-hop superstars like Common and Pharrell contributing thoughts in a video montage. As previously reported, Yancey passed away last February at the age of 32 due to complications from lupus.
Other big winners included Arctic Monkeys as new artist of the year, Neko Case as female artist of the year, Sufjan Stevens as male artist of the year and Yo La Tengo's "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" as indie rock album of the year. A full list can be found at the PLUG Awards Web site.
The ceremony was as much about performances as it was about the winners. Hosted by comedian David Cross, the show kicked off with a short set by Ontario indie rock quartet Tokyo Police Club. Highlights from Deerhoof included a tight performance of "Twin Killers" and a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" by the crowd for singer/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki, who blew out the candles on her birthday cake onstage.
For the first time in four years, El-P performed solo on stage, recruiting a full band (complete with a horn section) for the second of his two-song set. His new album, "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" (Def Jux), hits stores March 20. Silversun Pickups, whose Dangerbird debut "Carnavas" currently crowns the Heatseekers chart, performed several tracks from the effort, including current single "Lazy Eye," "Rusted Wheel" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles."
Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks signed off the night, but not before Cross interviewed 2007 PLUG impact award winner Malkmus in the style of "In the Actor's Studio," leading him through questions like "What is your favorite curse word?" and "What turns you on?" The group soared through "Baby C'Mon" and "Post-Paint Boy" with former Sleater-Kinney principal Janet Weiss on drums.


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