Earlier this month I received a press release containing the nominations for a well-established UK-based Independent Music Awards which claimed to span the full spectrum of genres. Disappointingly, although the list of names was impressive there was a distinct absence of folk music.Then, along came the Scottish Album of the Year Award Longlist…a completely different story…With previous Longlist titles featuring hip-hop, rock, alternative, traditional, folk, classical, dubstep, reggae, pop and jazz, The SAY Award accommodates Scottish music in all its influential, inspiring and idiosyncratic glory. From mainstream platinum sellers to self-released left-field outriders, The SAY Award illuminates Scotland’s music scene with the ambition, credibility and commitment it so richly deserves.
The longlist includes 20 albums of which nearly a quarter are by artists that were covered here on Folk Radio. A sign that folk music is not only thriving well in Scotland but that Scottish Music Industry Association which produces the award is actively supporting the scene – how it should be. It’s a shame other similar awards can’t follow suit and broaden their music coverage.
The SAY Award is now in its seventh year and is Scotland’s most popular and prestigious music prize. The winning artist will pick up a £20,000 prize – provided by long-term Award partner Creative Scotland – with the nine runners-up each receiving £1,000.
Karine Polwart with Pippa Murphy — A Pocket of Wind Resistance (Hudson Records)
A previous Artist of the Month (Review | Interview). “A Pocket Of Wind Resistance isn’t so much a collection of songs, it’s theatre for the ears, but it surpasses radio drama. All the tension, the joy, the craft that’s part of the immersive experience of going to the theatre is achieved without the visual elements. Karine Polwart‘s music and poetry, with Pippa Murphy‘s exquisite settings, haven’t replicated the theatre production; it has brought Wind Resistance to a wider [ . . . ]
Continue at FRUK: SAY Award 2018 Shows Support for Folk Music | Folk Radio UK