Nominations are in for Scots Trad Music Awards

Shortlisted nominations for the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards 2017 wewere announced on Tuesday November 7.

Heralded as the most prestigious awards ceremony in the traditional music calendar, the winners will be revealed during a glitzy ceremony on Saturday December 2, at Lagoon Centre in Paisley, which is bidding to be the UK City of Culture 2021.

Organising body Hands Up for Trad unveiled the shortlist via Facebook live, and will hand out a total of 16 awards to the best trad talent throughout Scotland.

Voting for the shortlisted acts will be open until November 24 and votes can be cast online via www. scotstradmusicawards. com.

The night will be jam-packed with live performances from The Shee Big Band, who are roping in honorary Shees from throughout their 11 years to join them on stage, as well as performances from nominees Elephant Sessions and Siobhan Miller. Tickets are available now, and can be purchased by calling 0300 300 1210 or visiting http://www. paisley2021.co.uk/ events/ or directly from Paisley Arts Centre.

The Album of the Year (sponsored by Birnam CD) is one of the most sought-after awards and competition is stiff this year, with 10 nominees all vying for the top spot including Elephant Sessions, Mànran and Ímar, alongside Ryan Young who last year won the Up and Coming Artist.

Oban Live and the Killin Music Festival are among the nominees for the Event of the Year category (sponsored by VisitScotland), while Community Project of the Year (sponsored by Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust) nods to Tiree Songbook and EPL Events, among others.

Tide Lines and Skipinnish are on the shortlist for Live Act of the Year (sponsored by Greentrax), and Gnoss, Hò-rò, Heron Valley, Inyal and Brighde Chaimbeul all compete for the Up and Coming Artist (sponsored by the Royal Scottish Conservatoire) category.