Music SA today announced the finalists for the SAM Awards Peer-Voted and People’s Choice categories for their third annual event, with the winners to be celebrated on Thursday 9th November at Thebby Lane (Thebarton Theatre) in Adelaide.

Boasting an exciting and diverse list of finalists, the 2017 SAM Awards nominations are led by political hip-hop duo A.B. Original who have received six nominations and pop superstar Tkay Maidza with four nominations. Other exciting new acts breaking through are rising young South Sudanese-born rapper DyspOra and indie folk singer Naomi Keyte, who is nominated for Best Female, Best Release and The People’s Choice: Folk Award.

With over 6,500 individual votes cast across the 12 genre-based awards categories on themusic.com.au, the People’s Choice Award finalists have been narrowed down to 60 of South Australia’s favourite musicians, highlighting the broad array of excellence within the South Australian music industry. Familiar People’s Choice Award finalists include Aussie pub-rockers Bad//Dreems with a total of 4 nominations, 3-piece punk rockers Grenadiers, and triple j favourites, Heaps Good Friends, also nominated for Best New Artist.

Music SA’s General Manager Lisa Bishop said she is excited by the calibre of talent chosen by the Australian public, anticipating a difficult decision for the judges to pick just one winner from these finalists.

“The 2017 SAM Awards are shaping up to be the biggest to date with a record-breaking amount of votes cast by the public. I’m proud to see the diversity and talent represented across the board and I’m looking forward to celebrating at Thebby Lane in 6 weeks’ time. 50% of tickets have already sold so get in quick to secure a spot for the night.”

Musician, media personality and double j radio host, Henry Wagons, will walk us through 29 award presentations, 5 live performances, via a rollicking 6-tap trailer of Little Bang Brewing Company’s local craft beer, to a late night food-truck feast under the stars and one hell of a show.

2017 SAM Awards nominees Timberwolf, Grenadiers, Glass Skies, Hana & Jessie-Lee, Dyspora, Lonelyspeck and Allume will all be taking to the stage on the night for a very special performance which includes reinterpretations of the 5x Best Song finalists. Expect some genre-bending, creatively reworked versions of Tkay Maidza’s ‘Simulation’, A.B. Original’s ‘January 26th, West Thebarton’s ‘Moving Out’, Bad//Dreems’ ‘Mob Rule’ and Timberwolf’s ‘Washed Out’.

Funded by the SA Government’s Music Development Office, major sponsors Moshtix, and an array of supportive industry sponsors, the 2017 SAM Awards will be brought together on stage with the assistance of Novatech who have custom-designed an incredible set and lighting installation to be fitted out Thebarton Theatre for the evening.

Many surprises await – but the tickets won’t – so get onto buying yours now!

For more information and tickets: www.southaustralianmusicawards.com.au

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THE PEER-VOTED AWARDS

Best Studio
Chapel Lane Studios
Hillside Recordings
Island Studios
Stormfront Productions
Wizard Tone Studios

Best Engineer
Gabs Agostino
Kiah Gossner
Matt Hills
Simon Kither
Tom Barnes

Best Music Festival / Event – presented by moshtix
Blenheim Music & Camping Festival
Futuresounds
Porch Sessions
Scumfest
WOMADelaide 

Best Music Venue
Crown & Anchor Hotel
Exeter Hotel
Fat Controller
Grace Emily Hotel
Jive

Best Manager
Ben Martin
Craig Lock
Matthew Hayward
Sian Walden
Tom Gordon

Best Cover Art
Capital Waste & Jamie Brockenbrow – Space Bong’s ‘Dead In Paradise’
Hebe Sayce – Neon Tetra’s ‘Relections’
Henry Stentiford – The Bitter Darlings ‘Stuart Highway’
Nic Ames & Sam Kruckemeyer – Kaurna Cronin’s Southern Loss
Todd Fischer – Donnarumma’s ‘Billy Billy’

Best Music Video
Aaron Schuppan – Cosmo Thundercat’s ‘Warning Bell
Kieran Ellis-Jones – Sleep Talk’s ‘Mother’
Lewis Brideson – Donnarumma’s ‘Love Your Man’
O’Foley – Standard Union’s ‘I Don’t Care’
Richard Coburn – A.B. Original’s ‘January 26th

Best Song – presented by APRA AMCOS
A.B. Original – January 26th feat. Dan Sultan
Bad//Dreems – Mob Rule
Timberwolf – Washed Out
Tkay Maidza – Simulation
West Thebarton – Moving Out

Best New Artist
Bec Stevens
Donnarumma
Dyspora
Heaps Good Friends
Lonelyspeck

Best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island Artist
A.B. Original
Corey Theatre
Glenn Skuthorpe

Best Group
A.B. Original
Bad//Dreems
Battlehounds
Cosmo Thundercat
Wanderers

Best Male Artist
Adam Page
Dyspora
Ross McHenry
PNK FME
Thom Lion

Best Female Artist
Allume
Bec Stevens
Hunt
Naomi Keyte
Tkay Maidza 

Best Release
A.B. Original
Bad//Dreems
Lonelyspeck
Naomi Keyte
Tkay Maidza

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

Blues/Roots Award – presented by Radio Adelaide
Cal Williams Jr
Donnarumma
Glass Skies
Lazy Eye
Wanderers

Country Award – presented by Grace Emily Hotel
The Bitter Darlings
Hana & Jessie-Lee
The Heggarties
Kiera
Workhorse

Electronic Award – presented by Fresh 92.7
Abbey Howlett
Hartway
Nakatomi
Southpaw
We May Be Creatures

Experimental Award – presented by Ancient World
Cobra
The Cortex Shift
Darknife
Thanes
Timberwolf

Folk Award – presented by Wheatsheaf Hotel
Banjo Jackson
Kaurna Cronin
Naomi Keyte
Tom West
The Winter Gyspy

Heavy Award – presented by Australian Rock & Metal Institute
Behold The Sea
Ice On Mercury
Sleep Talk
Terminal Zero
Wounded Pig

Hip Hop Award – presented by Northern Sound System
A.B. Original
Daydream Fever
Hinkey The Snail
DyspOra
3SIDEZ 

Jazz/Art Music Award – presented by Elder Conservatorium
Alzarin Crimson
Angus Mason
Ashley Hribar
Lone Soul Syndicate
Ross McHenry

Pop Award – presented by The Gov
Dino Jag
Germein Sisters
Heaps Good Friends
Rachael Leahcar
Tkay Maidza

Punk Award – presented by Crown & Anchor
Ambleside
Bec Stevens
Grenadiers
She’s The Band
Young Offenders

Rock Award – presented by Fat Controller
Bad//Dreems
Baltimore Poet
Cosmo Thundercat
The Motive
West Thebarton

World Music Award – presented by WOMADelaide
Adam Page
The Coconut Kids
Dadanii Okwabi Damushiensemble
Daniela Ion
RAVie