Scots Trad Music Awards 2006 Nominations page 1 Pages 1, 2, 3, 4

Album of the Year sponsored by Birnam CD
Black Water (Kris Drever) Reveal Records
Kris is a fine singer and instrumentalist, his debut solo effort 'Black Water' features 12 tracks, approximately half of which are traditional folk songs with the others comprising all new material, mostly written for Kris by his talented musical friends.

Heart of America (Donnie Munro) Greentrax WINNER
'Heart Of America -Across The Great Divide' is a very powerful collection of songs, that tell of displacement, travel, hardship and opportunity and the very contradictory nature of the images America has presented throughout its history. A new studio album from the former Runrig frontman, Donnie Munro - his first for four years.

Og-mhadainn Shamhraidh (Summer Dawn) (Kathleen MacInnes) Greentrax
Kathleen, a leading performer of Gaelic song. She sings a combination of traditional and more recent material, including a Gaelic version of the Scots song The Twa Corbies, all enhanced by sensitive accompaniments.

Scribbled in Chalk (Karine Polwart) Spit and Polish
Karine Polwart is an exceptional singer and writer of songs. Scribbled in Chalk is her second solo album, a follow up to her celebrated debut CD ‘Faultlines'. Its title comes from a phrase in one of its songs: 'where truth is a story scribbled in chalk just an hour before the flood'.

Club of the Year sponsored by Living Tradition Magazine
Leith Folk Club
Since Leith Folk Club was started in 2004 - motivated by the committee's wish to introduce a variety of high quality folk music (in its widest possible sense) to local audiences – it has done just that! The club meets weekly on Tuesday evenings at The Village, South Fort Street, Edinburgh. Guest performers plus floor spots.

Lewis and Harris Accordion and Fiddle Club
The club meets at the Royal British Legion, Stornoway: Started in 1994, and meeting on a monthly basis, the club aims to provide a platform for local players of all ages and abilities to entertain in front of a live audience. The club not only promotes accordion and fiddle music, it also caters for dance enthusiasts, has a weekly radio programme on Isles FM and enjoys exchange visits with other clubs around the Highlands and Islands.

Partick Folk Club
A friendly club with great regular performers and special guests which meets the last Friday of the month in Stewartville Street, Partick. The nights are MC'd by singer Mick West who also cooks the interval speciality soup!

Wick Accordion and Fiddle Club WINNER
This club meets in MacKay's Hotel, Union Street, Wick, on the third Tuesday of the month from September to May. Over the years the club has entertained its members with a superb array of guest bands but local and visiting musicians are always made very welcome at the club.

Community Project of the Year sponsored by Scottish Power
Fèisean nan Gàidheal WINNER
Established in 1988 as the independent umbrella association of the Fèis movement. Fèis (plural Fèisean) is the Gaelic word for a festival or feast. However over the past few years the word has become synonymous with the Fèis movement; a group of Gaelic arts tuition festivals, mainly for young people, which now take place throughout Scotland. The organisation offers grant-aid, training programmes, insurance, instrument-bank administration, published resources and many other services to its member Fèisean. A Fèis is an opportunity for individuals to come together to develop skills in the Gaelic arts - song, dance, drama, and traditional music on a wide range of instruments. Tuition is accessible and fun, but professional and effective. The focus of activity for most Fèisean is an annual, week-long festival, but increasingly Fèisean offer a full programme of year-round follow-on classes to ensure sustained provision.

Kennoway Classes
Taking place on Sundays in Kennoway Primary & Community School, the Music Workshops were founded in the 1990's to promote the playing of Scottish music whilst giving access to as wide a range of people as possible to Scottish Music at an affordable cost and allowing people to develop their potential.The Workshops have groups for all levels in Fiddle, Accordion, Whistle, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Button Key. At the end of the session, everyone is encouraged to share their skills in a music session where different groups combine and play together.

Orkney Traditional Music Project
The Orkney Traditional Music Project was formed in 1998 by three music-playing societies in Orkney to revive the art of accordion playing. From small beginnings the Project has grown and now includes local fiddlers. Nearly 200 people, mostly young, attend weekly accordion and fiddle classes in Kirkwall and Stromness and 140 students come to the Summer Schools. Musicians travel in from all over Mainland Orkney and a few from the Isles, notably Rousay.

Sangschule
Sangschule grew out of a weekly singing class which was run in Linlithgow for West Lothian Council by one of Scotland's finest traditional singers, Christine Kydd. It now has over 30 members who come from all around West Lothian and the surrounding area to learn new songs and learn more about old favourites. Anyone can start coming any time. All that’s needed is an interest in traditional song and the desire to sing. They believe that singing is something that everyone can do, and don't see any need for auditions. Sangschule sings songs from all over the world, some brought along by their tutors, and many brought in by their members. The only rule is ‘no solo songs, everyone joins in’. Sangschule meets in Linlithgow (at the Robing Room, at the Burgh Halls) on Wednesdays 7.45 - 10.00pm.

Composer of the Year sponsored by Distil
Aidan O’Rourke
Top fiddler Aidan O’Rourke performs with the sensational Blazin’ Fiddles. He is also in the trio Lau alongside Martin Green and Kris Drever. A sought after as a musician and composer, Aidan is currently musician-in-residence at the The Tolbooth, Stirling. His new commission, ‘Forward’ was premiered as part of The Blend Festival in the Tolbooth in March 2006.

Donald Shaw WINNER
Throughout his musical life Donald has been involved in composing for film and TV. In 2000 his 70 minute score for the feature film 'Transition' was BAFTA nominated for best soundtrack and two years later he was rewarded with two Royal Television Society awards for Best Soundtrack and Best Theme in UK television. His composition ‘Harvest’ was performed at the opening of Celtic Connections Festival in 2004. Donald is a founder member of world renowned folk band Capercaillie.

Eddie McGuire
Eddie is the flute player with popular Scottish folk band The Whistlebinkies. He was the recipient of a British Composers Award in 2003 and a Creative Scotland Award in 2004 which culminated in the collaboration between The Whistlebinkies and Scottish-based Chinese traditional music group Harmony in the premiere of Tian Di Yuan (Defying Fate) , a one-act ballet with music written by Eddie McGuire. He was commissioned to compose the finale for the 2006 St Magnus Festival.

Karine Polwart
Karine established herself at the forefront of the UK folk-roots scene after scooping three prizes at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in February 2005. With two acclaimed CDs, Karine has grown in confidence, allowing her broad range of musical and social interests to influence both her traditional repertoire and her own thoughtful songwriting. Karine fronts her own band and was formerly a member of Malinky and The Battlefield Band.

Pages 1, 2, 3, 4

Back to Scots Trad Music Awards