Fresh Meat Monday - Poor Things

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello! We are Craig, Richard and Gav - Poor Things, pleased to meet you! We're a three-piece collective based in Glasgow but originally from the beautiful lands of Perthshire/the wee backwards town of Perth and we've been active since May 2010.


How would you describe the music you make?

We write catchy, memorable, and dynamic slices of pop mayhem - influenced by Pavement, Pixies and Super Furry Animals.


How did you start out making music?

We played in some terrible, terrible bands back in school together, and if any of our friends start digging up the evidence we will systematically batter them.

Richard and I moved to Glasgow in 2008; our eyes were opened to a mass of new music and from there, we started writing new songs about our new lives. After a while we missed Gav, and lured him to the big smoke with promises of a new band, 2 became 3, and we haven't looked back from there.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

The approach to songwriting is varied in the group - we've all contributed our own material at different stages. The biggest buzz we get comes from the little things you can create in a room with 3 people - all from scratch, our own wee inventions. It's a comfortable process where we all chip in, and put all of our influences to good use.


What can people expect from your live shows?

We want people to be impressed that 3 people can play an expansive set and not be limited... Otherwise expect us to be loud, soft, loud again, and expect a genial host in Mr. Richard Stratton - a man dedicated to perfecting the art of on-stage banter.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

Recently I've been falling in love with Interpols 'Turn on the Bright Lights' all over again, as well as Tom Waits, Mercury Rev and Deerhunter. I got a copy of 'Treacherous' by Over the Wall too, and i'm just playing it to everyone who'll listen, it's a really wonderful album.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2011?

We're releasing our debut single 'Innocence/18' through Red Hat Records on May the 30th - we're also having a launch party on May the 26th at Bloc in Glasgow to celebrate! After that we'll probably try and fine tune more of our recent material, with the aim to recording an E.P in time for the end of the year!

Poor Things - Innocence by peenko

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News, Schmooze and Summer Time Blues

The title of this post might be a little misleading, yes there will be news, however, I am not too sure about the schmooze and blues. It just seemed like a good idea as it kind of rhymed, plus my head is slightly frazzled after far too much alcohol abuse, so it's the bst you're going to get from me today I am afraid...

First off, I have a wee reminder that this Thursday we are putting on our third live Peenko Session at the Hidden Lane Tea Room with Randolph's Leap, I Build Collapsible Mountains and all the way from the US of A, we have Daniel G Harmann, who is over here on a tour of the UK. Regular visitors will have heard me banging on about Randolph's Leap and I Build Collapsible Mountains for a while now, having put out records with both artists it made sense to me to ask them to come along and record a session. If anyone is interested in coming along for the evening, then let me know asap as we still a handful of spaces left, you could still pre-book a space here.

It's been a while since weve heard anything from the Lava Experiments, or at least it's been a while since I mentioned them on the blog. They've been busy working away on their new EP, 'Love Lust and Loss' which comes out tomorrow (30th May), to celebrate it's release they're having a launch night at the Captains Rest this coming Saturday, the 4th of June. As wee teaser the band have let me give away one of the new songs from the EP which you can stream/download below.

The Lava Experiments - Time to Forget

Over The Wall finally come to the end of their 'Around the Isle's in 80 days tour' next weekend with shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow. On Friday 3rd June, they're playing at Nice N Sleazy's in Glasgow with support from John Knox Sex Club, then on Saturday (4th) they're through in Edinburgh at the Cabaret Voltaire, with Cancel The Astronauts and Washington Irving doing the honours . Tickets for both gigs are just £5 and doors are at 7pm. The boys round up the tour with a gig at in their own flat, which will be available to stream thanks courtesy of the awesome folk at Glasgow Podcart.

Over The Wall-History Of British Welfarism 1945-1984 (Vic Galloway Session)


The renowned music charity Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland and Creative Scotland have teamed up to launch a once in a lifetime opportunity for new and emerging Scottish bands to win The Big Apple Award, which will see the winner playing at the prestigious Scottish Music Awards held annually in Glasgow this November, and in New York City with the American-Scottish Foundation during Scotland Week 2012. Bands that enter will be short listed by a panel of music industry experts over the summer before the top five are selected to play their own gig at the Garage in Glasgow. The winner will then be revealed at this years, The Scottish Music Awards – The Tartan Clefs which take place this November. The winning band will then be given the opportunity to show off their skills In New York as part of Scotland Week 2012
The competition is being promoted in association with News of the World’s A-Listed magazine and is open to Scottish bands only. Artists should send demos along with any pictures into the A-Listed magazine office as follows:
The Big Apple Award Entry A-LISTED - Scottish News of the World, 6th Floor, Guild Hall, 57 Queen Street, Glasgow G1 3EN

Next weekend sees the return of the annual Edinburgh Meadows festival, which boasts an array of local talent including Foxgang, Jesus H. Foxx, Stagger Rats and the The Pineapple Chunks. Further details on times and who else is playing can be found here.

I'll finish this wee post off with a video from Glasgow folk four-piece, The Porch Song Anthology. Who released their new EP The Late Mournings a few weeks back, but I only just got round to watching it, my bad, they're good though...

We've Got It Covered #52

I am going to keep this post short as I am feeling very rough this morning, fun times were had at Pin Up Nights yesterday evening. Highlights of the evening included dancing (badly) to Aye Tunes DJ set with the Mondegreen boys, Endor (who were awesome),rambling pish to anyone that would listen to me and off course Greggs at 2am.
I am paying for today mind you, so I have decided to post something nice and soothing to ease my sore head. I posted a link in yesterdays Friday Freebies of Steven Milne covering Bob Dylan, today he's going one better with this cover of Sam Cooke's 'A Change is Gonna Come'. I reckon it's a pretty brave move to take on such a classic song, but I reckon he does it justice and then some. Anyway, I think that's enough rambling for one day, I'm going back for another lie down...

Steven Milne - A Change is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke cover)

Friday Freebies

Steven Milne
I know I am about to lose a lot of credibility in a lot of eyes, by saying this, but I don't really care for Bob Dylan. There I have said it, I know that we're all supposed to bow down to his suppose genius, however, I really couldn't give less of a fuck about him or his music. So in the week when the world celebrated his 70th birthday, I shrugged my shoulders and moved on. God, that was a terrible introduction to this freebie, I'll stop rambling and get to the point. Singer song-writer and frontman of The Little Kicks, Steven Milne, has posted up a free download of his cover of the Bob Dylan song, Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol for free download on his Bandcamp page. Hopefully my rantings won't put you off checking it out (sorry Steven).

White Denim
At the start of the year there were three albums that I was really looking forward to, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and White Denim. So far the Foxes and Bon Iver have been a bit of a disappointment, perhaps they'll grow on me more with repeated listens, I guess we'll see. White Denim however, haven't let me down with their new album 'D'. You can download a live version of their song 'At The Farm' for free now from RCRD LBL.

She's Hit
I am still undecided about She's Hit, I have been listening to their album a fair bit lately on my way home from work. It's a grimy scuzzy listen, it's not something I would normally find myself listening to, but I do keep going back to it so I guess must be seeping into my brain though. If you head over to NME.com you can download the album track Miriam Hollow for free for one week.

LightGuides
I don't think I have mentioned this on the blog yet, I so I guess this as good a time as any. Next month myself and my fellow bloggers, Matthew from Song By Toad and Jason from the Pop Cop have been asked to take part in this years goNorth festival. As part of our involvement we're going to be taking part in a panel all about surprisingly enough, blogging. In addition to this we're also putting on our own showcase night, featuring Kid Canaveral, PAWS, Indian Red Lopez and LightGuides (see there was tenuous link there). Funnily enough LightGuides are giving away their new single 'Old Bucket Seats' as a free download ahead of their debut album being unleashed this summer.

Frightened Rabbit
This week was the fifth anniversary of Frightened Rabbit's debut album, Sings The Greys, being released. To celebrate this the band have posted up old OLD demo of 'The Greys', which was recorded on one £35 microphone to cassette. Download it here.

Beerjacket
You've all checked out the Peenko Session we recorded with Beerjacket didn't you? If you haven't you should, as it's fucking awesome. If you liked it an you want to hear more you can download a fair few songs for nowt from Soundlift.

Piet Haag
How could I resist a press release which describes an artist as being like 'Jim Noir, Arab Strap, meeting vaudeville era Erik Satie and Kate Bush up a close in Govan'. I know I certainly couldn't! You can download some free tunes using this link, I'd suggest you start with Sign Me Up To Chemikal Underground.

Running on the Rooftops
Glasgow based folk-rock band, Running on the Rooftops got in touch with me a while back, but I only got round to listening back to them this week. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by their gentle folk lullabies. You can check them out for yourself by checking out their Soundcloud page where there are several songs up for free download.

White Heath
Stow College have released an array of local talent on their Electric Honey label over the past decade, their past roster boasts artists such as Belle and Sebastian, Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro. Now you can add White Heath to that impressive line up, this week they've released the bands new single '7:38AM' which you can download for free on Soundcloud.
Also as if that wasn't enough they've posted up a cover of Benjamin Britten's 'O Waly, Waly' for download, plus their debut single GG is still available to download for free on their Bandcamp page.

Blank Canvas
This weeks Fresh Meat starlets, have posted up a live recording of a live recording of their recent set at the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh, download it for free here.

Villagers
To celebrate Villagers' Becoming A Jackal winning an Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically & Lyrically, Domino Records are giving awat an acoustic rendition of the victorious song taken from the Live At Working Mans Club LP. Just sign up to the Villagers mailing list to get your download.

Stuart Newman
Fans of your more chilled out indie-folk music might well find something they like in Stuart Newman's songs. He's got a whole load of song available for free download on his homepage. 'The Temperature Rising' and 'Head Hurts' would probably be your best a starting point.

Dalyrimple Goes Wrong
There are two things I like about this freebie, the lo-fi sound and the obscure song titles. What you need to know is that this is the work of Edinburgh musician, Daniel Parry, and it's rather nifty. Then again I think I was also going to like songs with titles such as 'The Iceberg Melting Atop the Dinner Table Makes a Mess of the Meal' and 'It Stinks in Here Like Fetid Brains in a Hirst Gallery'. You can download his EP for free on his Bandcamp.

The Black Ships
You can download a free copy of The Black Ships EP, Kurofune for free here.

Three Trapped Tigers
Here's a late addition to this weeks freebies which comes from my blogger friend from the East, Stuart from the Tidal Wave of Indifference, who's just posted an MP3 and a review of Three Trapped Tigers, enjoy.

Videos Killed The Lazy Blogger

Thursdays are always a bit of a quiet day on the blog, I guess most folk have much better things to do than read my waffle. Since things are a bit slow, then I guess it justifies me using this time to post a few videos that I have been enjoying.

First up we have the new video for 'Anti Climb Paint' by FOUND.

Continuing on with another Chemikal artist, we have the quite stunning video of 'The Copper Top' by Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat.

And to finish us off we have a new video from Sons & Daughters

See I did warn you that was going to be a bit of a lazy post :

Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - Marc Riley Session (24/05/11)

Track Listing
1. The Copper Top
2. If You Keep Me In Your Heart
3. Dinner Time

Download

Scots Way-Hay #61 - Sparrow and the Workshop

For those of you who visit this blog on a regular basis, you might already be well aware of just how much I like Glasgow three piece, Sparrow and the Workshop. I would probably have asked them to do an interview for me a long long time ago, however, I built them up so much to myself that I got to the stage that I started to think that they were just out of my league. Thanks to my tendency to record the many sessions that they perform on UK radio, I developed a slight rapport with the band, mainly because lead singer Jill thanked me as it gave her dad who lives in Chicago, the opportunity to listen back their performances.
I know I have said this already, but their current single 'Snakes in the Grass' is the finest song I've hear all year. Having listened back to the stream of their album, I think it's safe to say that their new album, 'Spitting Daggers', is equally as good. Filled with a mix of bolshy vocals and beautiful harmonies, they're one of the most exciting bands to have emerged from Scotland in recent years. Here's Jill to tell you a bit more about the band...

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are Jill Nick and Gregor A.K.A. Sparrow and the Workshop and we stay in Glasgow but Nick is from Wales and I'm from the States but was born in Ireland. Gregor is the stock Scot in the band, even looks a bit like Groundskeeper Willie....

How would you describe the music you make?

Always the simplest and most difficult question, it's like being asked to describe yourself - In many ways, we're just 3 people playing guitar, drums, bass - and I'd say we're always trying to push against this constraint and make as much as we can out of our limited number of arms. We're fans of melodies but also making songs more interesting that just a three chord verse chorus verse chorus thing. And I guess I'd say our music is emotional because the lyrics come from very personal places...And we can get loud too!

How did you come together as a band?

It was by accident, sort of. Nick and I moved into a flat and Gregor was one of the people living there and we all had a lot of instruments and similar tastes in music so we gradually and organically came together musically.

How did you start out making music?

We've all been playing music since we were kids. I started out on classical violin but taught myself guitar later in life and played in a couple of bands in Montreal and Chicago, Gregor started playing brass instruments and drums from a young age and has been in tons of Glasgow bands through the years, and Nick learned cornet as a kid and makes his own beaty stuff on the computer (he's the geeky one in the band).

What process goes into the way you write songs?

I guess I'd say we are a very instinctual band - for my part, i tend to write the base of the song and usually its the result of sort of emotional experience I'm going through. When I bring the song into the guys, and if they like it, they usually come up with their parts by feeling out the mood I've brought to the table. We'll discuss the arrangements together and try to reign in the 'epic' thing, it's always tempting to completely lose control but it's also fun to try and control that urge. We also like to push ourselves within the 3-piece constraint, as I mentioned earlier...I dunno, we also always think we could be better musicians or have made better decisions, I guess that's what keeps us going.

Who are your big musical influences?

We have very diverse musical tastes, there are very few 'genres' that are completely offensive to all of us. I guess some of our all-time faves are Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons, The Pretty Things, the Pixies, Sebadoh, Fleetwood Mac's Rumors album, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Black Sabbath, Violent Femmes, Slayer, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the Beach Boys, Etta James, Arab Strap, Talking Heads, Horace Andy, Barrington Levy, Dirty Three, Jeff Buckley, the Slits, Crass....egad, very diverse list, eh?

What kind of influence do you feel that where you come from has had on the music you create?

It's a funny one this, as I think it's fair to say that both Nick and Gregor would say they have a lot of American Influences, and I certainly have more European. It's just the things we each were listening to as kids...

I think that the things you don't know always seem more romantic to you than the things you do know. For instance, I LOVED the idea of rain more than I actually like the rain now that I live over here.

What can people expect to see/hear from your live shows?

Well, we're trying to organize some kind of rollerskate dodgeball event as a prequel to the show but the venues seem oddly cold to the idea...We'll have feathers and lights and maybe some cardboard skulls and we'll also have all our amps, pedalboards and a full kit. We might have extra percussion and we'll have Nick doing some singing too, which is new! We'll also be playing a lot of new stuff off our album 'Spitting Daggers'. SO expect a lot of new but also a lot of old too. Oh, we're trying to get a few guests to play violin and horns at some of the gigs since we played them on the album. It would be fun to have some more people on stage occasionally.

Has there been a particular gig that has stood out for you so far (good or bad)?

Last year we played a frightening amount of gigs but were luckily enough to go play some incredible places - the two that jump out at me right now are the Bastard Bar in Tromso, Norway - a town within the arctic circle - we totally didn't know what to expect - had anyone even heard of us up there? whether they had or not was irrelevant - the venue was rammed and there was a great vibe, it seemed like people that far north were genuinely happy that bands were touring that far north. We can't recommend it enough to other bands!!! The other would probably be the last night of our tour with the Pogues - playing in front of 5000 people at Brixton Academy was terrifying but exciting too. The Pogues were amazing, the crowd were in pure xmas mode, and we got to conga on stage during fiesta!

What are your plans for the rest of the year and beyond? Do you have any new releases planned for any time soon?

We have our album 'Spitting Daggers' coming out on May 30th and we're going to tour the UK in support of the Album, then we'll do some festivals like Rockness, Secret Garden Party and Willowman Festival. We'll be heading over to Europe in September/October and if the stars align we might do another UK tour with one of our fave Glasgow bands in October...but we can't say anything more on that yet. Fingers Crossed!

Sparrow and the Workshop - Our Lady Of The Potatoes (Selector Radio Session)

Sparrow and the Workshop release their new album 'Spitting Daggers' on May 30th through Distiller Records. The album will be available on CD and download from all your usual stores.
The band are currently touring around England with support from Meursault, they return to Scotland on the 12th of June to make an appearance at this years Rockness Festival. You can find further details on their live shows on the bands homepage.


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Presenting: The Peenko Sessions #5 - Beerjacket

I guess it safe to say that sessions play a major role in the... erm popularity of this blog, I very much doubt that the majority of folk that come on here do so for my ramblings. If it's tune that you are after, then it's tunes that you shall have (good tunes at that). Back in March myself and Sean, who we have to thank for making this all happen, put on our second ever live session night. I have previously posted the session that Michael Cassidy performed, so now it's time for the main course, a live session from Glasgow's finest alt-folker, Beerjacket. I did think about rattling of an array of superlatives to describe just how awesome this night was, but it really wouldn't do it justice. You really had to be there to fully appreciate how much fun this intimate gig was, I guess you'll just have to console yourself with these recordings.

Track Listing
1. Poor Captain Of The Soul
2. Island
3. The Bar That Never Closes
4. Fresh Legs
5. Drum
6. House Of Toys
7. Blood Roses
8. The Blues
9. Belong In
10. Crooked Finger
11. Cave

12. Barricade

Download

These recording were brought to us care of the amazing Sean Mccann from Light Up Glasgow's Skyline, a massive thanks goes out to him for making this all possible. Also, if you scroll down then you can check out the amazing paintings that Jenny Soep did on the evening, quite stunning I am sure you will agree. I'd also like to thank Kirsty for letting us take over the Hidden Lane Tea Room for the evening, it really is a special wee venue to be putting on live music in. If you can't be bothered downloading all of the tracks, then if you scroll to the bottom of this page there is a link embeded that will let you listen to or view the session in full.

Lastly, I will round this ramble up by letting you know that we're putting on our third live session on the 2nd of June with Randolph's Leap, I Build Collapsible Mountains and all the way from the US of A, Daniel G. Harmann. We only have a few spaces left, so if you fancy coming along either drop me an email or even better pre-book your tickets here.

The videos for all of the songs can be viewed on my YouTube page.

Peenko Presents: Beerjacket Live @ The Hiddden Lane Cafe by Seanlugs on Mixcloud

Fresh Meat Monday - Blank Canvas

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are Blank Canvas from Edinburgh. Callum (Vocals) Daniel (Guitar) Douglas (Bass) and Arran (Drums)


How would you describe the music you make?

This is a tough question that we always find irksome to answer. Obviously it’s a reasonable question to get and its one I find myself asking peoples in other bands myself. The music can be abrasive but also more tightly wound and sombre. Bradford Cox (Deerhunter) came up with “Ambient Punk”, which I’ve always liked and felt a connection to, although I’m unsure as to what extent it fits the music we create.


How did you start out making music?

Me, Arran (Drummer) and Douglas (Bassist) had been playing music in bedrooms and garages since we were around 14. Callum joined a year or two after that and everything seemed to come together nicely in that period of time.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

It varies, but almost always begins with an idea or motif that comes from an individual that we then flesh out as a band. Sometimes we have vague abstract ideas about what sort of song we want to write but almost always that falls away to chance and happy accidents. This can be frustrating but is also the reason that writing songs is so exhilarating, as each time the trajectory of a song being written is like a voyage into the complete unknown.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Seeing us live is the best way to engage with our sound. Although we are pleased with the recordings we have made, they don’t come close to capturing how we can sound live. Until we can record and produce our music properly, the live gig is where we are happiest to be judged.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

A couple of recent records that have grabbed our attention have been produced by British groups, which is fairly unusual as for quite some time the majority of our attention has been on bands from America or elsewhere in Europe. Callum (Vocals) has been listening to Faris Badwan and Rachel Zeffira`s new project Cats Eyes a lot, who are very good. Me and Douglas recently caught Mount Kimbie at The Bongo Club in Edinburgh, and they’re record “Crooks and Lovers” has been on heavy rotation since it was released. From America I’m very much enjoying Odd Future, the Earl album is fantastic as is the Jet Age stuff.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2011?

In terms of the near future we are playing at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh on the 22nd of May. The songs that appeared on the “Veins” EP were written two or three years ago when we are all only 17, so we have a lot of stuff that we want to record. We are still undecided as to which recording route to go down, be it going into the studio again or getting all the equipment together ourselves and recording it at home. We tend to have a short attention span and get impatient when not writing new material, but getting the songs that we’ve written in the last two years recorded and out into the world is our major priority at the moment. A new website is also in the works, so we can vent more frequently which is always a good thing.

05 The Wrecker by Blank Canvas

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We've Got It Covered #51

Another Saturday, another cover. I swear these post are getting earlier every week. Seeing as me and my wife rotate our weekend lie ins, Saturdays have become my morning to get up with Erin. In this past week she's started deciding that 6am on the dot is a good time to wake up, it's not, it's really not. I spoke to a friend about this the other day as I was bemoaning the fact that I had only had about 5 hours sleep that night. He duly informed me that I best get used to surviving on that amount of sleep from now on, and that soon my body clock will get used to having such little sleep. Being a big fan of my bed this thought scares me a fare bit, mainly cause I can be a bit of a lazy bugger. On the plus side though, waking up so early will give me more time to try and keep on top the blog and the label, whilst Erin causes mayhem around the house.
Talking of blog related stuff, I am going to be putting on my third ever Peenko Live Sessions a week on Thursday. I will be posting about it in the next couple of days, however, if you are interested in coming along then you can find out all of the details on my BigCartel page.
If you do fancy coming along make sure you book your space nice and early, as there were only 20 places available a few of which are already gone.
Which in no way whatsoever links me to this weeks cover version from the awesome Sparrow & the Workshop. Their new album 'Spitting Daggers' comes out this Monday and I must admit I am a wee bit excited about getting my hands on a copy. Sadly I won't be able to make it along to their headline show at King Tuts on Monday night (I have a good excuse), however, that shouldn't stop you from going to check out one of the finest bands that Scotland has recently produced. Plus as if that wasn't enough, Peenko favourites Le Reno Amps and Haight Ashbury are supporting. Anyway, I think that's enough rambling for one morning, here's a wee cover that the Sparra kids did when they were in session for Vic Galloway last year...


Sparrow and the Workshop-Trouble In Paradise (Loretta Lynn cover)

Friday Freebies

Bon Iver
So the big question in indie circles at the start of the year was whether or not Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver could live up to the high standards he set up with his debut album 'For Emma, Forever Ago'. With his new self titled album due out soon, you can get a taster of what to expect by downloading new song Calgary, in exchange for your email address.

Discopolis
I briefly mentioned Edinburgh electro outfit, Discopolis in a post yesterday. If you read The Pop Cop blog (you should), then you might already know what a stir they caused amongst the judges of this years T Break stage. I guess that technically makes them the hottest band in Scotland at the moment, or at leats it makes them the hottest band in Scotland this week. I have given them a good few listens now and begrudgingly I have to admit that the judges were spot on, I am just disappointed that I didn't pick up on them first. If you fancy giving them a chance then check out their Soundcloud page where they have a few songs up for free download, just scroll down towards the bottom of the page.

The Second Hand Marching Band
A massive band with grand plans at least, I think that's the best way to describe the SHMB. I gave up counting how many of them are in the band a long time ago, not enough fingers you see. Last I heard the band were set to release 3 albums this year, plus they're also due to be playing at this goNorth (god knows how Inverness is going to find enough beds to put them all up), plus they're also playing at the Last Battle's EP launch in June, a gig which is being put on by Jim Ayetunes. They may wel have 3 albums worth of material, but they've still been working away on new songs. One of which is called 'Mull' and it's free to download here (just right click save).

Miaoux Miaoux
I have mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating that Miaoux Miaoux's new single Hey Sound is a belter of a tune. If you head over to his Soundcloud page then you can download a promo mix of material that includes the afore mentioned single. If it floats yer boat then come down to Mono on Tuesday for the single launch, where I will be attempting to DJ.

Kowalskiy
It's that time of the month again when my fellow blogger, Kowalskiy, puts out his new EP of local acts. This month he's got tracks from 4dayweekend, How Garbo Died, Matt Norris & the Moon, Laurence & the Slab Boys and Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers. Further details can be found here.

Foxgang
Glasgow folk-rock outfit, Foxgang have made their song 'White Picket Fence' available for free download on their Bandcamp.

Fatherson
Another freebie from a band who are also playing this years T Break stage. DF Concerts really seem to be bigging this powerpop outift up a fair bit, I am still sitting on the wall as I want to hear more before I make my mind up whether they're for me or not. You can decide for yourself by downloading Town For Tourists for now on their Bandcamp.

Haddowfest
I appreciate that I have spent most of this post banging on about other bloggers, this is the last one I promise. Myke from edRock has posted up a whole load of sessions that they recorded at this years Haddowfest onto Bandcamp. You can find free acoustic tracks from Homework, Steve Heron and The Fire & I, among others, here.

Fionn Regan
The Irish singer-songwriter has put a free download of new track '100 Acres of Sycamore' on his homepage.

Ready to Burst

I might well sound like a broken record, but running this site does sometimes feel like a full time job without the pay. I took Tuesday night 'off' for the Randolph's Leap single launch, which meant that I now have a mountain of emails to work through, some of which are awesome and others which will be filed in my Trash. The ones that end up in the trash tend to be those from PR companies trying to get me to check out some new hot American indie band, welcome to the joys of being added to a mailing list at random. Then again I can't really complain, as I have been at the other end sending folk unsolicited emails, or spamming as it's more commonly known. It's a thankless task sending emails out in the void, so I do try my best to reply to folk who send me personalised emails. I can't always promise that I will get back to everyone as I just don't have as much time as I used to. Not that I am complaining though, it's genuinely flattering to be in demand. I thought I'd use this opportunity to tell you a about some interesting things that have been sent my way...

Those awesome Detour boys have just announced their next A Wee Jaunt and this time they're doing it through in Edinburgh. For those of you who haven't been on one before, it's a pretty awesome wee idea where they get a small band of folk and take them on a wee adventure in which they get to see an array of acts playing in strange places. In the past venues have ranged from the middle of a river to a venues toilets. The last Wee Jaunt looked like this, while the first looked like this. If you fancy going along to this years event which takes place on Saturday 4th of June, then you can find out more details on how to book a place by checking out further details here. The event kicks off at around 3pm through until 8pm, culminates with an after party gig at the Electric Circus, featuring the awesome FOUND, plus some very special guests who have still be announced. Tickets for the evening part are only £5, further details can be found on the Detour boys Facebook page.

Tomorrow night in Glasgow, Communion are having their second ever outing in Glasgow. This time round they've lined up Bear Bones, In Flight Safety, Little Kicks and The Echoes for their northern leg of the Mumford & Sons affiliated Communion music/club night. The gig is at the 13th Note, tickets are only £5 and it all kicks off at 7:45pm. Further details can be found here.


On Saturday 18 June, Blank Canvas (who will be next Mondays next Fresh Meat stars) & Discopolis (who seemed to have emerged as the surprise package from this years T Break selection), are playing a free gig with Michael McNelly at the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh. Further details can be found here.



Now for some festival news...

I guess by now everyone knows who's playing T Break and once again the usual it's a fix conspiracies have cropped up again. To be honest with you I am pretty sick of all the chat already, so I thought I'd give you an update on some of the smaller more interesting festivals that are taking place across Scotland this summer.


First up we have Doune The Rabbit Hole, which is returning for it's second outing this year from the 10th to the 12th of June. Having done a much better job of promoting themselves this year, the festival which takes place in Old Newton of Inverardoch near Doune have an array of act including the Vaselines, BMX Bandits and Zoey Van Goey lined up for this years event. Tickets are available for the bargain price of £58 for full adult weekend passes with camping, (£40 for under 16s). Day tickets are £32 for adults and £18 for under 16s, and admission is free for under 10s. Parking is £10. These prices apply until 1st June. Weekend tickets bought after this date and at the gate will cost £68. Further details can be found here.



Another wee festival taking place in the Central Belt is the Solas Festival which takes place in the grounds of Wiston Lodge,which is near Biggar apparently. The festival features an array of acts including Emma Pollock, Stanley Odd, The Starlets, We See Lights, Aerials Up, Open Swimmer, RURA and Silver Caves. Further details can be found here.

This might sound stupid, but although I have never been to the Insider Festival, it's still got a special wee place in my heart. Mainly because they started around the same time that this bolog started to focus a lot more on Scotttish music. The festival takes place in the grounds of Inshriach House near Aviemore, runs from the 17th to the 20th of June. Everyone that I ever spoken to who has been before comes back raving about what an amazing time they had. Which only goes to make me even more jealous that I've still not been. This year again I am going to have to give it a miss, as I can't really afford to do this and go up to goNorth, that and I think Mrs Peenko would divorce my ass if I fucked off to another music event without her.
If you are going or are just thinking about going I would recommend it highly as they've lined up some great bands for the festival, including Peenko favourites Admiral Fallow, Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers, Let's Talk About Trees and Bronto Skylift. Further information on tickets and all of the bands that are playing can be found here.

Right I think that's enough of my waffle for one evening, I'll round this ramble up with a video for Randolph's Leaps new single Counting Sheep, enjoy...

Scots Way-Hay #60 - United Fruit

About ten years ago I was really into much louder stuff than I am nowadays, I guess I am just mellowing/getting boring in my old age. I spent many a night lying in bed with my ears ringing having deafened myself by standing down the front next to a speaker seeing bands like At the Drive In and Rival Schools. Nowadays I am far more likely to be found at out seeing bands that are a bit more folk or indie-pop orientated. It's safe to say that I have mellowed with old age, however, I do still like to dip my toe in and listen something a bit heavier from time to time. One such band that have been floating my boat a fair bit as of late are Glasgow four piece, United Fruits. The band first came to my attention after my partner in crime, Halina from the Glasgow Podcart continued to band on about how amazing they were. I must admit that I was a bit reluctant to check them out at first, for fear of being too much of a sap to appreciate them. How wrong I was, as their new album 'Fault Lines' which is due out at the end of the month is one of most brutally awesome albums I have heard in ages. Let's just say it certainly blows away a few cobwebs from my head on my walk into work in the morning. The band are currently out on a UK tour which culminates with a headline show at Bloc in Glasgow at the end of the month, followed by an appearance on the T Break stage at T in the Park in July. I caught up with the band to ask them a few questions about their influences and what they've got in store for the rest of 2011...


Would you care to introduce yourself?

Iskandar Stewart +Stuart Galbraith + Marco Panagopoulos + Ross Jenkins = United Fruit


How would you describe the music you make?

Angry Happiness euphoric terror


How did you come together as a band?

It was a totally organic process man! Yeah we all met by pure chance at a house party, bashing our heads to Hey Joni and talking for hours in the depths of some basement flat. It just so happened we all could play an instrument or 2. the rest is history!


How did you start out making music?
We flat hopped from place to place just to get a practice in. We were too skint to afford rehearsal space, so we settled for peoples homes. Marco's mum has a garage she never goes in, and we kinda turned it into a music space. We used to use a couple of abandoned warehouses. But we cant mention where, otherwise we would get in trouble from the collective think-tank that supplies so much of the creative output of the Glasgow music scene.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

We only write songs when something bad happens, but, the knock on effect of the band doing well has created far too much happiness within the ranks. We have now come to the conclusion that a healthy dose of sabotage for each individual member of the band is necessary in creating a mood of unhappiness which ultimately leads to better song-writing.


Who are your big musical influences?

Its such a big question with too many people to mention. We allow people to ask themselves what they think we sound like, we tend to respond with enthusiasm as it means they are relating it to something they appreciate most of the time. That will do for us. But we are very much influenced by the bands we play with. But if we had to put an influence on our band why not read, ' Our Band Could Be Your Life'.


What kind of influence do you feel that where you come from has had on the music you create?

Bands are always going to be influenced by where they come from and the people they are surrounded by on a daily basis. We don't really make a conscience effort to make music that sounds typically from Glasgow. We could start writing about housing schemes and high rise flats and junkies but it's not who we are are. We think the music we make is actually more universal than that. We want to create music and lyrics that have mass appeal.


What can people expect to see/hear from your live shows?

United Fruit shows are an assault on the eardrums. We like it loud and fast and so do our fans so we always try to put on a show. It can sometimes get pretty chaotic and we've had a few venues switch from glasses to plastic cups because we expect our fans to be as into the show as us.


Has there been a particular gig that has stood out for you so far (good or bad)?

One gig stands out from the rest due to the fact we had a guy somersault into the drum monitor. Don't actually know how he managed to get onto the stage as the amount of beer on the floor was insane. This guys ludicrous act had a knock on affect on the rest of the crowd and they proceeded to steal our instruments off us while our drummer kept the song going. We ended up dancing and becoming part of the crowd. There was no pretension that night and we really felt connected to everyone.


What are your plans for the rest of the year and beyond? Do you have any new releases planned for any time soon?

We're doing a UK tour in May to promote our new album 'Fault Lines' which is released on the 30th of May. There's a lot of new songs in the pipeline as well so there could very well be another release towards the end of the year. We just want to gig in as many new places as possible so we're doing our first French tour in September. We will be working on a music video for the first single off of the album and that will be made available as a digital download. We will confirm the release of the video through one of our tour blogs but you'll have to keep an eye on it as we have a sneaky competition in which we will be asking fans to decipher hidden messages in our video tour diary. The lucky winner will receive a United Fruit goody bag!


United Fruit - Kamikaze

United Fruit release their debut album Fault Lines on the 30th of May, you can catch the boys in action on the 
27th at The Balcony Bar in Dundee 
and the 28th at Bar Bloc, Glasgow
, which will also be the albums official launch night.

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Sparrow and the Workshop - Vic Galloway Session (16/05/11)

Track Listing

1. Snakes in the Grass
2. You Don't Trust Anyone
3. Faded Glory

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Ayetunes vs Peenko 4: The Revenge

Yes, I know we said we weren't going to be doing any more Ayetunes vs Peenko gigs, but as everyone seems to think that Jim and I have fallen out, it felt right to prove that we do still love each other. What better way to do it than by reviving our series of AvP gigs, so on August the 20th, 2011 we will be taking over Stereo in Glasgow for our fourth Vs gig. This time round we've upped the anti somewhat, we've gone for our biggest venue to date, plus this time round we have a four band bill. So I am very pleased to announce that joining us in August we have former 'y'all is fantasy island' frontman, Adam Stafford, PAWS, Miaoux Miaoux and Mondegreen. Stick that in your pipe! In a bit of a twist to our previous outings, this will also be Adam Stafford's launch night for his stunning forthcoming LP "Build a Harbour Immediately". Although the pair of us know these artists really well, I am pretty sure that some of the names might be new to you so here's a wee introduction to all of the artists who will be playing at AvP4:

Adam Stafford - A Temple of The Holy Ghost

Adam Stafford - formerly the frontman of Falkirk's y'all is fantasy island, is set to release his forthcoming album, Build a Harbour Immediately, in August. I'll shit you not, it's one of the finest records that you'll hear all year. Both myself and Jim feel pretty honoured to be involved in the launch night for the album.

Scots Way-Hay

PAWS - Kim Deal

PAWS are arguable the best live band in Scotland at the moment, bold words you might argue. But they weren't mine, they in fact uttered by the manager of We Were Promised Jetpacks, so I think she might know a little about what a good live band sounds like. Personally I couldn't agree with her more as they blew me away in Edinburgh last month. Also, they just got announced that they'll be gracing the T Break stage at this years T in the Park, which I guess they'll be using as their warm up gig before AvP4.

Scots Way-Hay

Miaoux Miaoux - Knitted

Miaoux Miaoux - on Fridaay night I declared Miaous Miaoux's new single, 'Hey Sound' as one of my singles of the year so far. Even once I'd sobered up I stick by those words, not that he's a one trick pony as I have seen him play a few times now and each time he's been fucking amazing. I guess as he's more dance/electronica orientated, he might be deemed to be the surprise act on a more indie-rock bill, but we wouldn't have asked him if we didn't think he was up to the task.

Scots Way-Hay

Mondegreen -Speaking Clock Lighthouse

Mondegreen - On record they're sublime. Live, they're tighter than a nun's chuff. Completing the bill for AvP4 are Mondegreen, a cracking band from Glasgow, who have in the past been compared to Glasgow's answer to Pavement. Their cover of the Super Mario Bros soundtrack is worth the admission fee alone!

Scots Way-Hay

So there you have it, AvP4, we're back and we're surprisingly organised for once. Hand on heart I am really excited about the bands that we have lined up for you all. Tickets for the gig are on sale now from Tickets Scotland or via our BigCartel page for just £6. Myself and Jim will also be selling tickets in person for the discounted price of £5, so look out for us at gigs, in the pub or just out and about. Hopefully we'll see a few of you coming along for a night of awesome music.

The Douglas Firs - Happy as a Windless Flag: Track By Track

Today sees the release of the debut album from former Fresh Meat starlets, The Douglas Firs. Now this isn't the most comfortable of listens, for me it took a long while before the album actually sank in. It's very much a late in the evening kind of album, that the band reckon would be verging on prog-rock if they could play their instruments - their words, not mine. It's the kind of album that you will love or hate, there is no in between. Personally I think it's a great wee album, hence the reason why I asked them to do this Track By Track. Right I think that's enough of my rambling pish, I'll pass you across to Neil from the band to talk you through 'Happy as a Windless Flag'...


I Will Kill Again

This song is literally a song of suicide, as the protagonist of the song waves goodbye to everything, and himself. it is a farewell to doctrines of self proclaimed visionaries, false causes, delusions, fear; an acknowledgement that we can never really know the world for what it really is. there's also a goodbye to romantic thought, and ends feeling a bit useless and tired. the "bloody landing rag and tooth" line is autobiographical - from when I was a postman in Aberdeen and found some grizzly scenes whilst climbing tenements.

A Military Farewell

This was just a bit of fun because i liked the song, the harmonies, and it fit in with the record thematically. it follows the dull thud of suicide, jumping from a great height. this is the version paratroopers used to sing in WW2 - they were terrified they'd get caught in their parachutes and just fall to their death.

Sepulture

The cover became less funny the older the recording got, and I've noticed it has annoyed several reviewers! it leads into a short cover song originating from near where i was born, called "yellow's on the broom", then there is a funereal march called "sepulture" (literally meaning 'tomb').

Future State

Future State is supposed to be passing into another life. though I don't necessarily believe there is an afterlife. probably just blackness, forever?

The Quickening

The Quickening is a song about being born, being comforted by the feeling of safety until you're old enough to understand the horrors of the world. the lyrics are supposed to be quite simplistic, and there are a couple of deliberate references in there but I won't say what. But ultimately the song is a celebration of the camaraderie that exists when people get together to play music, and this represents this false comfort we have as children.

The Shadow Line

"The Shadow Line" is about an imaginary line that we cross from youth into maturity. the first stanza is about 'endless' youth like a drawn-out note. the second is about sentimentality failing, and fading. then old age / death arrives, a bit like a giant storm that we know is coming, eventually.

Balance of Halves

"Balance of Halves" is about leaving the freedoms of our early days behind, but sometimes there are flashes of that ecstatic youthful feeling throughout the rest of life. I suppose it is this transient feeling that provokes middle aged people to buy Ferraris and have ludicrous affairs with younger men/women. though perhaps I'm just upset that I'll never own a Ferrari.

Grow Old and Go Home

"Grow Old and Go Home" is about the feeling of fatigue and uselessness, and soundtracks my walk home to my old flat in Edinburgh. I could hear the trains rattling over Abbeyhill as I drifted off to sleep.

Soporific

"Soporific" is about dreaming dreams where you are sort of watching yourself take part. it feels like this to me sometimes in waking life as well. it's a song about surrendering to sleep, and it being a little like death in some ways. I've always had pretty bad nightmares, but when i lived in Aberdeen it was interspersed literally with the screams of people outside (I lived in the thick of town).


The Douglas Firs play live at Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh on the 18th of June. 'Happy as a Windless Flag' is available to buy now from their Bandcamp page for just £5.

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Armellodie

Fresh Meat Monday - Black International

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hallo! My name is Stewart, I’m the singer and guitarist with an Edinburgh-based group named Black International.

How would you describe the music you make?

I’d describe it as pop music, although I’m not sure anyone else does. It’s pop music viewed through a grubby window, or buried under a few layers of dirt perhaps. Generally you can dance to it.

How did you start out making music?

Ah, it happened so long ago… as individuals we’ve all been playing instruments since we were about 14 or 15, and have dabbled in different things. It’s chance more than anything else that’s led us to our current roles, I actually consider myself a keyboard player first and foremost, Gavin prefers the guitar to bass, Craig likes playing guitar and piano as well as drums… We all had inquisitive natures and the desire to mildly annoy our parents I suppose.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

When we first started I’d come in with fully written songs, but these days it tends to be much more of a collaborative process. There’s often a fairly vague initial idea, usually just a little guitar doodle, then it’ll get twisted and pulled and beaten out between the three of us until it resembles something tangible, and I’ll start thinking about lyrics and the like towards the end. Sometimes it takes a few hours, sometimes it takes months. The first song on the album took about two years to finish, it was pretty excruciating.

We’re keen to try out new ways of writing though, if it got to the stage where we had a definite process or formula it’d get pretty dull. We’ve had some fairly outlandish ideas about how to write our next record, perhaps we’ll implement some of them when the time comes.

What can people expect from your live shows?

Our shows can be quite intense, but we try to avoid rockist clichés and macho nonsense where possible. You can expect a lollipop though, be sure to ask for one next time you see us play!

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Craig seems to be tapping his foot to Le Tigre a lot, he’s also playing the first Aberfeldy album a fair bit along with an old McCarthy compilation (a tour van favourite). Gavin is currently conkers deep in stuff like Elliot Smith and Kings of Convenience, while I’m enjoying some 70’s Afro Funk, Bobby Beausoleil’s Lucifer Rising soundtrack and some bands from down south we’ve been introduced to recently: Rumour Cubes, Colonics, Orders of the British Empire, Alright The Captain and a few others.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in 2011?

We’re about to start work on a new batch of songs, there’s an album’s worth on the boil but I suspect we’ll pick a few to record and release an EP later in the year, and possibly a split single at some point too. Apart from that we’ll be out gigging as far afield as we can; we’ll most likely do another full UK tour around September time if everything goes to plan. The group has achieved a fair bit so far this year, we’re just looking to build on that and see where we end up, really. Hopefully not in prison!

Black International - Know You Exist


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