Vote for Brandon McPhee

11th November 2012

October 2012, what a month for Caithness’s own Brandon McPhee—October 1st saw the
release of the October edition of the Box & Fiddle Magazine (a monthly magazine published by the National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs) a full front cover photo of Brandon and a 3 page editorial about his life in music and the Brandon McPhee Trio voted Guest Artist of the Year winning a BAFFI award presented at a ceremony in July at Perth, also nominated CD of the year Brandon’s latest recording ‘The Flying Scots’. Saturday 13th October saw Brandon in Dunoon competing in the Royal National Mod in the senior open accordion championship taking first place with the adjudicator congratulating him on a faultless performance.

One week later we receive an e-mail from the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards from Simon Thoumire creative director of that organisation telling us that Brandon McPhee has been nominated in the ‘up and coming artist of the year’ category. The voting process begins on Wednesday 31st Ocober and finishes Friday 16th November and I quote from the e-mail “so please encourage people to vote, it not only helps you but spreads the word about Scottish Trad music in general—you can vote by visiting www.scotstradmusicawards.com/voting

The awards ceremony takes place 8th December in the Nevis Centre, Fort William. The following week another celebration for Brandon, a 16th Birthday this time, however birthday cake and celebrations had to be put on hold as immediately after school on 26th he had to head for Perth where he was taking part in the 63rd Perth All Scotland Accordion and Fiddle festival. Brandon entered 3 categories as 16 is the cut off for the juniors they were now all senior or open competitions. First competitor of the day in the first competition “Open Continental Solo” Brandon played Will Starr’s Bluebird taking 3rd place. Next competition of the day “All Scotland Senior Trad Accordion Solo” this competition runs 2 heats—out of the first heat they pick 6 winners going forward to a play-off in the afternoon, Brandon was one of the six playing a March, Strathspey and Reel. Next up “Button Key Trad Accordion Solo” playing for the Duncan Campbell Memorial Trophy, a new trophy the first time this has been presented, for Brandon a first with a score of 98 out of a possible 100. Next in line back to the play-off for the “All Scotland Senior Trad Accordion”, this competition started off with a total of 16 competitors, with the exception of Brandon’s button they are all piano key—for the final
6 there are 2 adjudicators both piano key players themselves, Brandon is placed 2nd.

The standard of music at this festival was of an extremely high level, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that Brandon’s achievements are simply remarkable. October 2012 what a month. Manson Grant and the Dynamos have a new 12 track CD hopefully in the shops mid November all country music. Brandon features on some of these tracks with a totally different style of accordion playing namely ‘Cajun’ which he has mastered with ease. He plays Blair Douglas’s ‘Celtic Cajun’ and is joined by Steve Hinson on pedal steel, (Steve plays steel with Dolly Parton) also Hank Singer on fiddle, plays fiddle with many top American artists one of them being Randy Travis. Track 5 a song ‘Castle In The Sky’ features Brandon with his debut vocal recording.

Vote for Brandon at
www.scotstradmusicawards.com/voting