Shetland well represented in trad music award nominations

THERE are a number of Shetland nominations for this year’s Scots Trad Music Awards.

Arthur Nicholson is up for the Scots Singer of the Year award.

The guitarist, singer and songwriter is one of Shetland’s most active musicians, playing with bands like First Foot Soldiers and The Dead Pans as well as performing solo material.

Shetland Folk Festival’s Mhari McLeman is also nominated in the ‘traditional music enabler’ category.

She has been volunteering for the festival for 30 years now, and has been in the programming role since 2014.

The Cullivoe Band are shortlisted for the dance band prize, while Jenna Reid is nominated in the music tutor section.

Paul Jennings, who grew up in Shetland before moving away, is up for the photographer prize.

Meanwhile the Peatbog Faeries, who feature Shetlanders Ross Couper and Norman Willmore, are nominated in the album of the year category.

The public can vote in the awards, and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in Dundee on 2 December.

The online voting form, which is open until 19 November, can be found here.