Spiral Earth Awards

Subject: Spiral Earth Awards
From: S.T.M.
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 08:00 AM

It's that time of year again! Who are we all voting for (if you're inclined to tell others that kind of thing?) I think there are some really tough ones this year...

Here is the link!

For me, I'll probably be voting...

Best Album: Laura Marling (can never decide which song is my favourite because they're all so amazing. If I was a songwriter, I'd want them to sound like this! Not overly folky though...)
Instrumental Album: White Nights by Catriona McKay (just such a brilliant harpist. Enough said.)
Best Debut: Haven't heard any of them...
Male singer: Chris Wood (I just love his voice and the way he interprets songs)
Female singer: Norma Waterson (same as above really! I lover her strength, her gusto...her voice is so rich and warm and...homely!)
Duo: Jonny Kearny and Lucy Farrell (I've seen them a couple of times now, and they are just completely charming and captivating. They deserve all of this success they're getting, imo...)
Group: Fisherman's Friends (for their first albums only!)
Trad song: Haven't heard any of those nominations...
Original song: Fleetwood Fair by Katriona Gilmore (Just a lovely, haunting song! And really rooted in the tradition, I think, which is good to see.)
Musician: Sam Sweeney (he just plays everything with so much life and vibrancy- completely refreshing and engaging to watch/hear. Not to mention the fact he learnt bagpipes in 6 weeks- how?!)
Live Act: Haven't seen any of them live!

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: Acorn4
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 08:04 AM

I've voted for Nancy and James as best duo and for Sam Sweeney as musician - after I voted the radio buttons came up again - is this open to abuse in people voting over and over, or is there some record of your email address to stop this?

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: S.T.M.
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 08:52 AM

I don't really know.
I'm just assuming your vote becomes void if you vote over and over- they will see from your ip address.

I love Nancy and James too, very much. I think Nancy has one of my all time favourite voices.

Glad to see we agree on Sweeney though :)

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: evansakes
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 10:25 AM

I'm not a fan of any kind of award where you see the latest standings as soon as you've cast your vote.

I reckon all artists in contention will soon be emailing everyone in their database, facebooking like crazy and twittering to high heaven (especially in the last few days if the voting's close.

Makes a bit of a mockery of the whole process.

Spiral Earth is without doubt a wonderful website and resource though.....more power to their elbows.

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: S.T.M.
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 10:31 AM

I do know what you mean, but we do have the BBC folk awards which of course use the other option of industry insiders... so at least there is a little variety!

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: evansakes
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 11:03 AM

I notice the 'canvassing' has already started in certain camps

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: Folkiedave
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 12:40 PM

recisely the point that John Leonard makes about the BBC awards. Not subject to the same sort of "canvassing" pressure.

(Though I wonder how the short list is arrived at!)

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 01:42 PM

One of the main problems are those short lists - most of us would put other people on them. Live band? No Bellowhead?

I voted twice by mistake for someone - waste of time really

Mustn't grumble

L in C#
Off to The Beech

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: GUEST,plebian
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 01:57 PM

Well at least it isn't all the same old same olds that you get on the radio 2 folk awards, zzz

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: S.T.M.
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 04:07 PM

To be fair, I think you have to plaster it around if your nominated, because everyone else does- so it probably evens itself out quite a bit. Not to mention that the folk world is quite closeknit anyway, so say... Andy Cutting decides to tell all his facebook friends to vote for him, the ones who do will probably be folkies, and then they may vote for someone else anyway (even if they said they voted for him!) Am I making sense?!

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: theleveller
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 04:24 AM

Just had a look at the Original Song section - what a host of goodies, how on earth can you judge between them? I love them all so it really is hard to vote. I think that at the moment I'm leaning towards Kat Gilmore and The Old Dance School.......

Subject: RE: Spiral Earth Awards
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 16 Dec 10 - 05:20 AM

Well I've voted for Andy Cutting as best musician without any FaceBook prompting :)