QUT students, alumni, and staff are up for multiple 2015 Queensland Music Awards, a highlight of the Queensland music calendar since 2011 produced by QMusic.
The awards will be announced on March 30 at the Brisbane Powerhouse and Professor Phil Graham, head of QUT's Creative Industries Music and Sound, said both current students and recent graduates of the Music and Sound program featured strongly throughout the nominations.
"First year student Fionn Richards is nominated for his song Sapphire Eyes while Ball Park Music, a band formed at QUT and whose front man Sam Cromack is teaching with us this year, is up for a People's Choice Award for best group," Professor Graham said.
There are at least six QMA finalists with a connection to QUT and a number of others who have been highly commended in the awards.
Any Old Love is the fourth album from the band Halfway and three of its songs have been nominated in two different categories - Dropout for best rock track, Dulcify for best country song and Shakespeare Hotel for best country song. The band has also received a People's Choice Award nomination for best group.
"Halfway, the line-up of which includes QUT music lecturer and former Go-Between John Willsteed, is a band that's really getting some attention. They are in the unique position of being nominated in both the country and rock categories," said Professor Graham who mixed and recorded Any Old Love at QUT's Gasworks Studios.
"I'm pleased to see the number of other nominees associated with QUT. Mrs Curly & and the Norwegian Smoking Pipe by Linsey Pollak, which has been nominated for world music song of the year, was produced, recorded and mixed by QUT lecturer Gavin Carfoot.
"QUT PhD student Lawrence English has been nominated for The Liquid Casket in the best electronic/dance category and first year Business and Creative Industries student Alan Boyle is a member of The Bella Reunion which is in the running for a blues/roots gong for Tell Me Why."
"Then there is the world-wide, runaway smash Geronimo by Sheppard which is nominated for best pop song. It was produced by Stuart Stuart, a QUT Business and Communication graduate who will be teaching at QUT this year.
Professor Graham added that three of the four $10,000 Billy Thorpe Scholarship contenders are also linked to QUT.
"Ayla Scanlan, a VC Scholarship recipient in Music and Sound, is nominated, as are the bands Babaganouj, and Moses Gunn Collective. Aidin Moore, Samuel Sargent, Alex Mitchell, Lewis Stevenson and Isabelle Carrol from Moses Gunn Collective have all studied or are studying here. Harriett Pilbeam and Ruby McGregor from Babaganouj are both current Creative Industries students," he said.
"The nominations speak volumes about what QUT's Creative Industries can offer to musicians and other artists. I wish them all the best of luck when the winners are announced."
For more information on the Queensland Music Awards visit http://www.qmusic.com.au/qldmusicawards/2015/
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901.
