MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2008
Nominations announced

The nominations have been announced for the sixth annual Scots Trad Music Awards taking place at Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket on 6th December. The nominations celebrate a huge variety of Scottish musical talent, from 2007’s Best Album winner Julie Fowlis to Novice World Pipe Band Champions Bucksburn and District; composer Sandy Wright who’s worked with the likes of ITV and Channel 4 to veterans of Celtic fusion, The Peatbog Faeries.

Between the 1st and 17 of October members of the public nominated their favourite acts online.  Nominations were then shortlisted by a panel, from record labels to venue owners and other industry representatives.  From today, the vote goes back to the public who have the final say on who will clean up at this year’s award ceremony, on December 6th at The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow. Last year a phenomenal 30,000 votes were cast for the Scots Trad Music Awards from all over the world. You can vote now at www.handsupfortrad.co.uk.

The programme for the 2008 Gala concert held after the award ceremony includes world renowned folk band Capercaillie, multi-award winning singer songwriter Karine Polwart, the current folk band of the year Lau, all-star group Session A9, ‘The Cast’, whose version of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ has recently become the hit of the Hollywood movie ‘Sex and the City’ and many more.

Highlights of the nominees include seven-strong ensemble group Mary Ann Kennedy & Na Seoid featuring some of the finest in today’s Gaelic talent as well as Fiona MacKenzie’s ‘Elevate’ co-produced by The Blue Nile producer Calum Malcolm who both find themselves up for the prestigious Album of the Year award.

Put forward for Scottish Folk Band of the Year are 8-strong The Chair from the Orkney Islands are taking on the might of ‘Scotland’s Supergroup’ Session A9 and Edinburgh’s Malinky who have celebrated their tenth anniversary but are still going strong.

Pitting pipe and bag against each other in the Scottish Pipe Band of the Year category this year are some real heavyweights of the piping world. Both Scottish Power Pipe Band and Spirit of Scotland are Grade 1 bands while Bucksburn & District N/J have won the World Pipe Band Championships in their grade. Working just as hard on a local level, Johnson Pipe Band do fantastic work within their community.

The dedication of Blackford Fiddlers of Blackford in rural Perthshire in helping people of any age learn to play the fiddle in traditional style has earned them a nomination for Strathspey and Reel Society of the Year sponsored by Royal Scottish Country alongside groups such as Scottish Fiddle Orchestra who have performed all over Scotland and around the globe.

The Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year will be a category to watch, with Mick West, one of the foremost exponents of Scottish Folk Song in the World up against relative newcomers like multi award winning Emily Smith and Fiona Hunter.

While Up and Coming Artist of the Year sponsored by Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama is a battle of the award winners with BBC Radio 2’s Young Folk Band of 2005/06 (Bodega) up against the 1st prizewinner of the inaugural London Harp Compeition (Ailie Robertson), Radio 2 Young Folk Award 2008 (Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller) and BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2007 (Catriona Watt).

Yet more award winners crop up in the Live Act of the Year category sponsored by Greentrax Recordings including Julie Fowlis, winner of the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award for best newcomer. Also making an appearance are veterans of contemporary Celtic fusion, The Peatbog Faeries and Radio 2 Folk Awards Best Group, Lau.

Please see here for a full list of nominations.

Also included in the ceremony are three awards not for voted for by the public:

Scots Traditional Music Hall of Fame sponsored by Fèisean nan Gàidheal
Awarded to musicians who have been in the industry over 30 years and altered our musical landscape for the better including musicians now no longer with us.

Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Award
Introduced in 2003 to celebrate those special people that Scottish traditional music couldn't do without, it was posthumously awarded to Hamish Henderson and thereafter known as "The Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Award." In 2005 when the Hall of Fame was born we decided to bring the two awards together and insert recipients of both into the Hall of Fame.

For further information on Hands up for Trad please contact
Jenny Mungall | Material | 0141 204 7970 | 07813 886 448 | jenny@materialmc.co.uk

For information on MG ALBA please contact
Murdo Morrison | MG ALBA | 01851 705550 | 07525 893367 | murdo.morrison@mgalba.com

5 December | Scots Trad Music Awards Spectacular Ceilidh | Old Fruitmarket | £8 (£6 conc)
Tickets are available for the ceilidh from Old Fruitmarket box office +44 [0] 141 353 8000

6   December | MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards | Old Fruitmarket
Ticket arrangements for the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards Ceremony and Gala Concert on Saturday 6th December are still being finalised. There will also be a late-night concert at the Festival Club with the band Session A9.  Register for updates at www.handsupfortrad.co.uk

Notes to Editors

• 2008 is the first year which will see the award ceremony televised as part of a new partnership with MG ALBA, the new Gaelic channel from the BBC.  It will be broadcast on December 20.
• The inaugural Scots Trad Music Awards took place in Edinburgh in 2003
• Since then the celebration has taken place in Fort William and will this year be in Glasgow for the first time in the event’s 6 year history
• 2009 will see the event take place in Dumfries as part of Homecoming 2009
• The award ceremony on December 6th at the Old Fruitmarket will host around 500 guests including representatives of the Scottish music industry as well as the general public.

Memorable moments in 2007 included a performance from Scotland’s favourite rock and roll pipe band The Red Hot Chilli Pipers and a show stopping opening performance from The Unusual Suspects.

Back to Scots Trad Music Awards