GRAND RAPIDS --

Several Kalamazoo musicians snagged some big honors at the 2012 Jammie Awards, a celebration of independent music put on by

.

The event, held

, featured several performances from bands from around the region.

One of the more pleasant surprises came in the Listener Choice category, where Red Tail Ring, the Kalamazoo folk duo of Laurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp, won for Best New Artist. It was Premo and Beauchamp's first time attending the event.

"It was really wild and really fun. I'm in awe of the people who put on the event. It looks like a lot of work," said Beauchamp, who helped organize last weekend's Cooper's Glen Music Festival in Kalamazoo.

For Red Tail Ring,

, the award helps build momentum for 2012.

"The award we won was all the sweeter because it was voted upon by listeners," Beauchamp said Tuesday morning. "Looking ahead, it makes me really excited about the future."

Bringing in a couple awards was longtime Kalamazoo musician and engineer Ian Gorman, who won for Best Production / Engineering and for Best Roots Album as a member of Kalamazoo's Red Sea Pedestrians,

.

Kalamazoo winners

Best Roots Album: The Red Sea Pedestrians – "The Electromagnetic Escape"

Best Alternative Album: The Go Rounds – "The Go Rounds"

The "Traditions!" Award: An Dro – "Tribe" (featuring Carolyn Koebel, of Kalamazoo)

Listener Choice: Best New Artist of 2011 – Red Tail Ring

Best Production / Engineering: Ian Gorman