Richy Muirhead

There doesn't seem to be anything more popular in the mainstream charts these days than Scottish pop music (need I even mention Biffy Clyro or Frightened Rabbit?). The Scottish music scene is unearthing hundreds of brilliant new bands; may they be in the charts or not, Scottish bands are putting forward the most exciting path for music enthusiasts worldwide. Amongst this booming scene is Richy Muirhead, a student with a passion for new music who has created something brilliant:

The Scottish Alternative Music Awards is a ceremony and show designed to honour and celebrate the non-Biffy Clyros - the alternative and best new bands in Scotland. As the nominees are announced and the SAMA website growing each day, I caught up with Founder Richy Muirhead to find out more about the event.

What are SCOTTISH ALTERNATIVE MUSIC AWARDS?

The Scottish Alternative Music Awards is a brand new, unique creative project that sets out to recognise and award some of the best new talent emerging in the Scottish music industry across various genres. Voting takes place on the official website by the public in the following categories: Best Rock/At, Best Metal, Best Live Act, Best Electronic, Best Newcomer, Best Acoustic, and the winners are announced on 25/02/10 at the Classic Grand, Glasgow. The event will feature some special performances, with some secret guests involved.

Where did the idea for SAMA come from?

Strangely enough I got inspired from attending MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin 2009 and was completely blown away from the high production and scope of artists/event. Then I had the ambitious idea to recreate it back in Scotland, at the time it also tied in with a creative music module at university so it made a lot of sense to try something new!

You are the founder and organiser of SAMA, but who else has been involved in this project?

A few of my close friends help with aspects such as creating a hype, poster/flyer campaigns. To generate the nominees I organised a music panel of regional bookers, a&r scouts, and radio pluggers with a set criteria to select various artists. Other people involved include web designers and graphic designers, as i've no experience in these fields.

How far has SAMA changed since last year, and what can we expect from this year’s show?

Its changed quite a lot. This year I felt the need to grow the nominees out to 6 categories, these are Best Electronic and Best Acoustic. The reasons for this are simply because there is a real scene all around Scotland for these two types of music, from innovative producers such as Akira Kiteshi, through to really gifted performers such as RM Hubbert. The scene is great! I'm also pleased to announce that the project now runs in association with Red Bull, Jagermeister, Shootback Productions, Music-News, Ignite Records & Jamhut Studios.

What was the highlight of last year’s awards? What will be this year’s highlight?

Last year was a great show, Billy Kirkwood done a fantastic job hosting it and all the bands were having a great time. Personal highlight for me would be the aftershow...too many stories!

Last year’s show was possibly one of the best gigs of 2010 for me, how are you going to top last year?

This years show will feature some of the best artists from around the country performing, with some special guests, and of course there will be some surprises thrown in the mix!

2011 will only be the second year of SAMA, where do you see it ten years time?

Time will tell, but you gotta start small and remain completely focused and realistic in order to progress.

How much goes in to production back stage for SAMA?

As much as possible – its very important that the artists and crew involved all work as a team, and are all excited to be a part of the project and of course they are well catered for.

Obviously you can’t announce the nominees for the awards as yet, but what bands should we keep and eye out for in 2011?

A local band from Ayrshire called Athos Vienna really caught my attention recently– they're a 3 piece who are a really tight band, with good arrangements and big harmonies. Can't really go wrong with that mix! The band are heading down to Manchester to record in February with Gavin Monaghan (Kings Of Leon / Ocean Colour Scene / The Editors)– can't wait to hear the results! A few other artists to look out for are Miniature Dinosaurs and Xavia. they're ticking all my boxes.

Apart from SAMA, what other projects are you working on and what’s your plan for 2011?

Well I'm currently doing a postgraduate course in entrepreneurship & music innovation, so my main goal is to successfully pass that. I also work for Red Bull & AEG Live which keeps me busy! Roll on 2011.


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