Scots Way-Hay #65 - Sebastian Dangerfield

Some times with the large volume of stuff that I get sent there are quite often bands that I mean to come back to, however, due me being quite forgetful they end up slipping through the gaps. Sebastian Dangerfield are one such band,when they sent me their debut EP, 'The Sound of The Old Machines'way back in April, I remember thinking this is a bit good, I'll need to come back to it. I of course forgot and it wasn't until just recently that I decided to revisit the EP and remembered just how much I had enjoyed it. Imagine a less pretentious Broken Records and you are half way there, they have the rousing anthems and they have pop sensibility. If their first release is anything to go by then I hope to hear a lot more from Sebastian Dangerfield over the next few years...

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Certainly, we are a 3/4/5 piece (depending on our wandering guitarist and our part time fiddle player!) who largely hail from Edinburgh, although the bass player is from the sticks just outside Edinburgh and the fiddle player is an American currently hiding in Newcastle! Team sheet below:

Stu Baggs - Guitar, Vocals

Dave Baggs - Guitar, Banjo, Vocals

J Baggs - Drums, Vocals

Jim Baggs - Bass

Abbie - Violin

How would you describe the music you make?

Where to start?!? It's a rare mix of; country, indie, rock, americana with hints of bluegrass and the odd meatloaf solo. To be honest you're probably best just to listen to the songs!

How did you come together as a band?

Seems like a long time ago now, but if memory serves I think Stu Baggs and Dave Baggs met on account of living in the same street, where they found J Baggs the drummer on Gumtree. Jim Baggs completed the original foursome on account of being an old mate of Daves, despite only having 9 & 1/2 fingers and no bass at the time of his appointment.

How did you start out making music?

We'd just practise once a week and in-between playing cards seemed to write a few songs, so we started turning up at small Edinburgh venues to play them live.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

It usually goes one of two ways:

1: somebody will declare a "10minute tune" followed by 10mins of music inspired by one riff or beat that's been lying dormant in somebodys head for a while - mostly it's a load of rubbish but sometimes it throws up a nugget.

Or

2: More commonly, someone, usually the mysterious Stu-Baggs, has an idea which we work through adding in the various other elements until we are happy and can return to playing cards.

Who are your big musical influences?

There are a few! All of us have pretty ranging tastes, but the common ground would be:

Ryan Adams

Old crow medicine show

Tallest Man

Frightened Rabbit

WWPJ (We are related after all)

Tom Jones (no joke)

The daily disputes:

Bob Dylan

The Smiths

The Stone Roses

..... J-Baggs will take the default position that unless they are dead they ain't worth listening too!

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

None?

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

The live shows are usually tonnes of fun, we try not to take it too seriously and just have a good time. Its not unknown for us to sport costumes or bring along mascots! But it is really about the music. It's also a great chance to hear what people think about the music god or bad afterwards.

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

Supporting WWPJ at the Liquid Rooms was pretty special and is probably the biggest audience we've played to. Our recent EP launch was great fun too as we were all kitted out in the old time costumes with our video playing in the background. Don't think there are any bad memories, but if anyone says they saw us play the Ark, it's a lie!

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

Well!?! You'd have to ask our guitarist who has just ran off to America! Resultantly we're gonna be doing a few gigs as a 3piece and writing more new songs. We've a gig at Sneaky Petes on July 2nd, where we'll be playing most of the new hits mixed with a few classics then hope to get involve with the festival when it rolls into town.

Sebastian Dangerfield - The Sycamore Tree


Sebastian Dangerfield's 'EP "The Sound of The Old Machines" is available to download now through iTunes and directly from their Bandcamp. You can catch the band playing live this coming Friday (2nd July) at Sneaky Petes in Edinburgh alongside Steve Heron and Ded Rabbit.

Bandcamp
Twitter
Soundcloud
Facebook
Myspace

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins - BBC Sessions (25/06/11)

Track Listing
1. Bubble (Recorded for Radio 2)
2. I Have Been Losing You (A-ha cover) (Recorded for Radio 2)
3. Bubble (Recorded for Radio 4)

Download

Fresh Meat Monday - The Pineapple Chunks

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hiya, we are “The Pineapple Chunks”, but you can call us “The P chunks” for short. Or “The Chunks”, or just “Ch” if you want, as in roll your eyes back and exclaim “CH!”.

How would you describe the music you make?

Out of tune, out of time, whimsical lamoid weirdo nonsense.

How did you start out making music?

I think Tim and James started The Pineapple Chunks when they were at school in Kent in the mid 90s, they wanted to start a “Baggy Band” like the Happy Mondays or something, don't really know how they ended up in Edinburgh, but this current format has been going a few years and we are trying to keep it “Baggy”.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Erm, James makes up some sweet riffs, and half lyrics, Tim noodles wildly around and about, I invent drum beats that try to put everyone off and the bass player tries desperately to hold it all together, with mixed results depending on what day it is, plus how much beer has been drunk and what effects pedals are being used. There's a thought actually....Are beer and circumstance a metaphorical effects pedal? That's the kind of bollocks we are dealing with here!

What can people expect from your live shows?

Bad jokes and funny faces, sometimes some modern interpretive dance, oh and whoopee cushions, mini whoopee cushions

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Huey Lewis and the News on Laser Disc on our stereo in our time machine, fists pumping, faces grinning, tongues pumped.

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

We managed to record an album last year and finally finished it (Big props going out to my main man Pete Harvey) , so, “A Dog Walked In” is (self) released on 1^st August, we have some free preview tracks on the Bandcamp thing at the moment. We will have a launch show around that day and then looking forward to playing at a certain DIY music festival again at the end of August. We have loads of new songs in the poo pipe so going to commit them to hard disk and all. Pure Barry By The Way!


The Pineapple Chunks - (Magicland) Dizzy

Bandcamp
Facebook
Tumblr
Myspace

We've Got It Covered #56

It's Saturday which means that it's time for me to ramble some pish then make up for it by sharing a cover version with you all. So as I sit here writing this post, Erin is currently doing her level best to trash our living room, that's what my wife gets for leaving me in charge I guess. Once I have tidied up all of the carnage the plan of action today is to head over to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum as the awesome RM Hubbert and a few other artists are playing a free gig their this afternoon. It's been ages since I have seen Hubby, so I am really looking forward to it. It's also pretty exciting in that it's a family friend event so at 10 months old Erin will be going to her first ever 'gig', not that she'll ever remember it though. I think tonight will be a bit of a quiet one as I need to keep my head down after the past few weeks of craziness. If I was going out I'd be heading along to Nice 'n Sleazys for the Strike The Colours album fundraiser which also features Sparrow and the Workshop and Craig B from The Unwinding Hours. It's only £6 and you'd be doing your bit to ensure that we get another Strike The Colours album.
I know I have just said that I am going to be keeping my head down this weekend, technically I am as I am not going out drinking, but that doesn't mean I have stay in. Tomorrow I am planning on heading over to Oran Mor for 'The Big BBQ show' for a few hours to catch a bit of Washington Irving and PAWS. You can find out more details on the gig and the running order over on Ayetunes, personally I am most looking for to having some of the pig on a spit. Anyway, I think that's enough of me for one week, I better get this place tidied up before my wife gets home, so here's this weeks cover version which comes from former Beta Band frontman, Steve Mason and his take on Madonna's 'Borderline'. Which I ripped from a session that he did for Radio 2 back in May of last year.


Steve Mason-Borderline (Madonna cover)

Friday Freebies

Pet
Right this isn't technically a freebie as it's one of those pay what you like type scenarios, whether you choose to donate any pennies is up to you. The one thing that you do need to do is download their EP as it's fucking awesome, it's been a long time since I listened to something this good that wasn't emailed to me. Hailing from Edinburgh, the band describe their music as being 'heavy feather pop', fuck knows what that means, but it's probably a much better description than I would have come up with. You can find their EP, 'What You Building?' on their Bandcamp page, the band are having a launch night next Friday (1st July) at Super Club in Edinburgh. So if you're in the vicinity with nothing to do, then get yourself along to this one.

Kowalskiy
His Korner might have disappeared a while ago, but my blogger friend Kowalskiy has been keeping himself a busy boy as he's now onto his 12th Free EP. This months release features free downloads from Andrew Lindsay & the Coat Hooks, Innocents Civilian, The Tea Offensive, Le Reno Amps and The Black Hand Gang. You can download the EP directly from Mr Kowalskiy's Bandcamp page.

Twin Brother
Jamie who runs the excellent podcast, Net Sounds, in Inverness put me onto these guys earlier in the week. He suggested that their album 'Best Frenzy', might go down pretty well with folk who like Fleet Foxes, Department of Eagles or Doves. A pretty apt description in my opinion and a rather ace album too. You can download it for free on their Bandcamp, also make sure you check out Jamie's podcast, as its fucking ace.

Bon Iver
I am starting to think I might have to go back and give Mr Vernon's album another few listens, as it really does feel like I am very much in the minority of folk who didn't think much of his new self titled album. I think my friend Karl summed it up pretty well, when he suggested that it might be a good idea if Justin Vernon stopped taking so much fucking coke. Then again it did get a 9.5 review on Pitchfork, so perhaps that shows how much I know. Anyway, if you haven't already heard the album and am wondering what the fuck I am on about, RCRD LBL have a free download of the track 'Calgary' up for free download here.

Plastic Animals
For a Weegie I don't half talk about Edinburgh bands a lot on here, I am not sure whether it's just because I enjoy their scene more, or if just that Edinburgh bands just tend to email me more stuff. Whatever the fuck it is, I am not complaining. Plastic Animals have an EP out next month, I like it, I plan to feature them soon hopefully. Rather than making an attempt at describing them I am going to point you in the direction of a couple of free downloads that they have on their Bandcamp, then let them do all of the hard work in a few weeks time.

Cheesecake
I won't bullshit you, I had no idea who this lot where until just the other day when I emailed Halina from the Podcart. Seeing as she's the goddess of indie knowledge she soon put me right, apparently they're one them there supergroups made up members of Frightened Rabbit, Galchen and Union of Knives. If song titles such as 'Pure massive pubes' and 'Get Tae Fuck Ya Artists Cunt' sound like your cup of tea, then get download them from here.

Capitals
Having just played at goNorth and the Insider Festival, Edinburgh outfit Capitals, stock definitely seems to be on the up. Next month they're playing at King Tuts Summer Nights with Meursault and Over The Wall, then they have dates lined up in Berlin plus they've just been announced to appear at this years Edge Festival in August. With a mini album hopefully in the offing later in the year, the band are hinting on what lies in store by giving away their track 'Running and Hello World' for free in exchange for your email address.

Portishead
I never really got the excitement surrounding Portishead, it's just not for me. It might be for you though, so you might be interested that ATP have posted up a 2 Hour mixtape curated by the band, featuring tracks from the likes of Doom, Caribou and Beach House. You can download the mix for nowt using the following link.

Peace
Having just rambled about how I don't like Portishead, I am now about to tell you about something that's a bit Trip Hop-esque that I do like. It's by a guy who goes under the guise of Peace who's from Glasgow and has made his new Hungry EP available to download for free, and that's pretty much all that I can tell you about him. You can listen to his songs on Soundcloud, then if you like them, there's a link on the right hand side of the page to download the EP for free.

Dan Wilde
Exciting new indie label, Littlest Mojo Music, who promote Roddy Woomble among others, have recently taken on a fella by the name of Dan Wilde. You can download his rather enchanting song 'Nowhere' for free on his Soundcloud page.

Moddi
One of the things that I missed most at this goNorth was the chance to go and see a tonne of new bands, seeing as we were hosting our own night it would have been pretty rude if we'd have fucked off to another venue. Then again, we did have some a great line up, so there wasn't any real need for me to go anywhere else. So the next day when I was catching up with a few folk to find out what they'd enjoyed the previous day, the same name cropped up numerous times. 'Moddi, who the fuck is Moddi?', now I think I must have uttered this a few times, but it eventually seeped in as by the time I got home I was hunting some of his stuff down. It left me feeling two things, one I was happy that folk had told me about him and two, I was gutted that I had missed him. Hailing from Norway, Moddi's sweet acoustic have the power to be uplifting whilst also breaking your heart. You can find out yourself by heading over to his website where you will find a whole host of freebies.

Air Cav
On the odd occasion that I do listen to things that aren't Scottish, one of the main folk that I trust a lot is Ted who runs the excellent Cloud Sounds podcast. The boy knows his stuff, plus his rambling podcasts amuse the fuck out of me. One band that he has been banging on about recently are a Mancunian outfit by the name of Air Cav. Having checked out their Bandcamp page I can see why, see for yourself by downloading a couple of old singles for free.

Finding Fiction
Up and coming power pop outfit, Finding Fiction, who hail from Brooklyn, NYC, are currently giving away their new single 'Migraines & Sheep' for free download on their Bandcamp, catchy as fuck it is too.

Washed Out
Stereogum have a free download of new Washed Out song 'Amor Fati' taken from forthcoming post-chillwave album which is due out on Sub Pop next month.

Mazes
Fat Cat's very own Mazes have posted up new demo track 'Brunswick Stack' for free download on their Souncloud.

Sparrow and the Workshop - Ally McCrae Session (19/06/11)

Track Listing

1. Snakes in the Grass
2. You Don’t Trust Anyone
3. Old Habits
4. Faded Glory

Download

Presenting: The Peenko Sessions #8 - Randolph's Leap

I know this should have been up ages ago, but I had a wee problem with Firefox crashing on me last week, which meant that I lost this wee introduction piece. It was a cracking wee intro too, sadly I have gone back to my old self and decided and am going to ramble pish. Filmed and recorded a few weeks back at the Hidden Lane Tea Rooms, the session was one of the hottest gigs I have been to this year and that includes seeing Dananananaykroyd on hot summers night in a venue was packed to the rafters. Thanks to Kirsty who runs the cafe it was also the sweetest smelling gig of the year, unless of course you were standing next to me, as her baking made the place smell awesome. If you watch the video below you will get to see me making my live debut as I play one note for a whole song and I even got accused of ballsing that up. Another highlight of the evening was just before the end of Randolph's Leaps set when Sean who was doing all of the sound/recording, had to move his car as he was blocking someone in. This in turn lead to Adam Leap writing his future smash hit single 'Sean Don't Move Your Car Too Far', right there on the spot, it amused the fuck out of me at least. Anyway, here it is in all if it's glory the eighth Peenko Session featuring Randolph's Leap...

Track Listing
1. Please Don't Belong
2. Counting Sheep
3. Given Up
4. Cassie O'tone
5. The Nonsense In My Soul
6. Crisps
7. Itch
8. Sean Don't Move Your Car Too Far
9. Undergod

Download

You can view all the videos for this session on my YouTube page.

Peenko Presents: The Mad Hatters Tea Party - Randolphs Leap by Seanlugs on Mixcloud

Once again thanks to Sean from LUGS for filming and recording all of this and Kirsty from the Hidden Lane Tea Rooms for letting us take over her awesome wee venue.

Scots Way-Hay #64 - Second Hand Marching Band

"There's…too many of them!!"
―Lieutenant Telsij, Y-wing pilot from Return of the Jedi

I should have featured this lot bloody ages ago, I have mentioned them on here often enough. For those of you who haven't heard of the Second Hand Marching Band they're an unconventional folk band comprising of multiple band members, in the same vein as say bands like the Polyphonic Spree or I'm From Barcelona. They don't necessarily sound like the aforementioned artists, you could say they're more akin Scottish Beirut but with the added warmth of say Sufjan Stevens. Whatever they might sound like isn't really that important, all I know is that live they make me smile like a Cheshire Cat, and no that's not always because of my alcohol in take. Having said that, I was suitably intoxicated when I caught them up in Inverness a few weeks back. It was after that, that I remembered that I had always meant to go back and get them to a Scots Way-Hay post for me. So I guess by now you're getting a bit wearisome of me rambling on about being drunk, so here's Peter from the Second Hand Marching Band for some sensible words...

Oh and before I forget, the Second Hand Marching Band once covered an At The Drive In song for a Radio Scotland session they did. If you haven't heard it, hunt it down it's fucking ace (it's on this site somewhere I think)...

I'll shut up now...


Would you care to introduce yourself?

Peter Liddle of SHMB, playing accordion, tenor horn and singing. Also playing in De Selby, The Belle Hops, the Tannahill Ensemble and Benni Hemm Hemm. I write most of the songs and do all the exciting organisational tasks.


At the last count, how many folk are currently in the Second Hand Marching Band?

I had to check Facebook for the number but it's about sixteen regulars at the moment, and with occasional members we're up to about 22.


Who’s idea was it to form a band with so many folk in it?

It was my idea as I really liked big ensemble sounds like that of Beirut. I also spent my youth in wind bands and school bands and choirs and church groups and I think that has made me want to keep the big band spirit alive a bit. It's definitely better when you have a dozen people singing instead of one.


Is their one songwriter in the band or is everyone allowed to contribute ideas?

It's mainly me but we have some songs that others have written or co-written. I'm a bit selfish about that and never get round to finishing recording other people's before my own, it's a scandal. I only write the basic stuff though and it's fleshed out by the rest of the band. There are amazing musicians and composers in the band and they generally take my pish stuff and make it sound a lot better.


How difficult is it to organize so many people to do anything together?

Very. We just went up to GoNorth the other week and we've got Aberdeen and Dundee on the cards over summer, and a festival. This involves a caravan of cars, a ridiculous amount of money and a lot of phoning late people saying "We're on in ten minutes, Jamie". We use the money from our local gigs to save up to pay for gigs further afield, and CD sales and stuff goes into that too. We've been really lucky that people have bought our stuff and paid us well when we needed it so we have got around the country so far. England is next, somehow.


Is the band a democracy or a dictatorship?

I think it's a benevolent dictatorship but a soft one at that. I'm not bossy and we spend a lot of time dicking about instead of playing songs at our (rare) practices. On the other hand it's usually a lot more fun than other bands where things aren't so relaxed and I think that we've achieved a lot in our time as a band because everyone's up for having a good time and trying stuff out rather than looking for opportunities.


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

Lots of shambolic people playing shambolic tunes but with more gusto than the average band. Lots of great instruments and lots of interesting sounds. Lots of singy songs and lots of dancing.


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

We have had a selection of nuts gigs, including our recent case of mistaken identity as an actual marching band in the Southside Festival and our trip to deepest, darkest Ayrshire where we played to a bunch of people who looked like they were shat out of Middle Earth and were dancing like we were playing madrigals. My favourite gig might be the last time we were in Aberdeen, playing with Benni Hemm Hemm and Eagleowl. It wasn't our most busy or crazy gig but it was really nice. The Big Tent Festival in Falkland was also amazing fun.


Would you ever consider playing your cover of At The Drive In’s ‘One Armed Scissor’ live?

I am not sure we could play it now but we might one day. We played our cover of Atlas by Battles a few times. We do have a lot of songs of our own now that we try to play and lots more on the way so maybe when we exhaust them we will play ATDI.


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

We've got gigs coming up:
Fri 1st July: Stereo (Ayetunes presents with Last battle and Loch Awe) Sat 2nd July: Aberdeen Cafe Drummonds (IMP presents with RM Hubbert (Chemikal Underground) and Last Battle) Fri 15th July: Dundee Duke's Corner Saturday 16th July: Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh (Song by Toad night with Jesus H Foxx) We will finish off three albums in the summer called the Brightest of Ideas (pop album), A Hurricane, a Thunderstorm (a sad album) and a joint album with Benni Hemm Hemm that has no name yet but is full of weird but great songs. We'll try and do some gigs when we have copies of those and then see what happens!


Second Hand Marching Band - A Dance Half To Death

Normally I would add wee round up piece at this point to let you know all about what gigs the Second Hand Marching Band have lined up, but it looks like Peter already beat me to it. I can however let you know that the band have 2 EPs and a compendium up for download on their Bandcamp page, which should whet your appetite until they release one of their 3 albums (they really don't do things by halves).

Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Home
Facebook
Twitter
Myspace

Sons & Daughters - Marc Riley Session (16/06/11)

Track Listing

1. Breaking Fun
2. Rose Red
3. Don't Look Now

Download

Fresh Meat Monday - Lovers Turn To Monsters

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello, my names Kyle Wood. I’m from a failed miners village in West Lothian called Whitburn. and in my spare time I make music as the one man band Lovers Turn to Monsters; I’ve been doing it for some time now.


How would you describe the music that you make?
The most difficult question a musician can be asked… I guess the best way to describe it is just; me in music form. As possibly idiotic as that sounds, and as much of a cop out it sounds its true. It’s not really folk, or rock , or country, or pop. It’s just a variety of instruments in an arrangement I think sounds Nice… Does that constitute as an answer? I sure hope so. (I'd say that it did - Peenko)

How did you start out making music?

I started off as an after thought for a band who needed a bass player, they weren’t getting along with their current bass player and I was always at their practices so they just asked me to buy a bass and teach myself. Which I did and then after years of standing at the back with a couple of different bands I decided to have a go myself… Like most musicians I was greedy for the spotlight hah. Lovers Turn to Monsters basically just sprouted from there; me sitting about in my room, writing and recording songs then realising I only enjoyed them when I did everything in them.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

There’s nothing really exciting involved in my song writing, I’m no Brian Wilson or that. I don’t lock myself in a room for weeks in the darkness and sing one note for hours on end. Usually just something exciting or reasonably interesting happens; it sticks in my mind and I turn it into lyrics, or I turn the clever things my friends say around till they sound like lyrics and then the music swiftly follows. I suppose I’d point out I usually write lyrics first, I feel they’re the most important part of my music, but at the same time I don’t want to point that out in fear of being tagged a singer-songwriter ewwww.


What can people expect from your live shows?

I’d like to think some sort of honesty, but that‘s probably just an excuse for me buggering up all the time. It’s mostly just me and my drum machine so some mad beatzzz are always in order as well. I’ve always hoped Lovers would evolve into some epic Broken Social Scene typed collective but I can hardly organise me and my drum machine so I think that’s probably out of the question for now.


What are you listening to at the moment?

There’s never usually a pattern in my play lists but today I had a wee listen to Alex Turners solo EP and Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells album has not been off my I-pod. Oh I’ve also been listening to James Yorkston! Cause I’m reading his book, Lovely chap. Lovely music. I’m easily pleased.

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

I’m always writing and recording so there’ll probably be my usual overly prolific output. But after releasing “Beyond Glasgow Howls” I’ll probably just be doing my usual gigging trying to make some money back from all that I put in. And I guess I’ll probably be trying to get back to playing with my band Boygirlanimalcolour cause they’ve been slightly side tracked with all my album excitement. And that’s about it, my usual juxtaposition; jumping between laziness and too much work. I’m certainly a confusing entity to deal with…



Lovers Turn To Monsters - Come with Me


Bandcamp
Facebook

Talking More Rubbish Than Normal...

I know I keep moaning about how tired I am, today I have done relatively little but I still feel whacked. Please take this into consideration if you start to think that this post is a bit of ramble...


This week sees innovative arts facility, Platform celebrating their 5th birthday, in the next few weeks they have a series of special gigs lined up. Based out in Easterhouse in the East End of Glasgow, Platform will be hosting Ethiopian, Mulatu Astatke on the 30th June, were he will be playing his only Scottish show. On the 1st of July, they have Zu, a 3 piece from Rome who play a style of music best described as math/ jazz/ prog/ metal and a few others, will be at Platform, then the following night Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells will be playing songs from their fabulous new album, Everything's Getting Younger. This will be their first Scottish show since release and it promises to be something rather special, support comes from The Bill Wells Trio featuring Gail Brand. Details on tickets and the like can be found on the Platform website.




Edinburgh's finest, The Last Battle have new EP coming out next month. It's called, 'The Springwell E.P' and as a wee teaser they've put up a new song, Viv Nicholson to stream on their Soundcloud. The song is all about the tragic tale of 1960's Littlewoods pool's winner Viv Nicholson, who also featured on the sleeve of The Smiths single 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now'. You can pre-order the EP via their Bandcamp which includes an instant download of this track.
The band are having a couple of launch nights to celebrate the EPs release with two gigs in Edinburgh and Glasgow. On the 30th of June they'll be at the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh, support comes from King Creosote, plus a DJ set from wur blogger mate Stuart from Tidal Wave of Indifference. Last I heard this gig was sold out online, however, Avalanche have a few left so if you fancy going get your skates on. Talking off blogger mates, my partner in crime Jim Ayetunes will be putting on the Glasgow gig at Stereo, with support from the Second Hand Marching Band and Loch Awe. You can get tickets for this gig online via Jim's Big Cartel page. They round up their tour with a gig up in Aberdeen at Cafe Drummonds along with Second Hand Marching Band & R.M Hubbert. Tickets for that gig are available here.

Viv Nicholson by thelastbattlemusic

In terms of hotness, I think it's safe to say that Discopolis are the hottest band in Scotland at the moment, or at least that's what those in the know seem to be saying (I wouldn't include myself under this bracket). Since they created such a buzz about themselves after the T Break judges started creaming their pants over them. In the past month they've supported FOUND at a Detour night in Edinburgh, they're now about to release a single with uber cool label, Eli & Oz, and that's before they've even graced the stage at T in the Park. So is all the hype justified, well I'll let you make your own mind up as you can stream their new song 'We Should Have Been Born In Canada' below. I know I have said it before, but the only thing I dislike about this lot was the fact that it wasn't me that first 'discovered' them.

Discopolis - We Should Have Been Born In Canada by discopolismusic

Next Friday night Glasgow Podcart are taking over Bar Bloc in Glasgow for another of their Mix Up Mayhem Nights. This time round they've roped in So Many Animal Calls, Kill The Waves and The Dirty Beggars. For those of you unfamiliar with the night, the rules are pretty simple, basically each band covers each other as well as performing a well-known cover, amongst their own songs. The night kicks off at around 9pm running through until 3am, so expect things to get messy (in a good way), further details on the event can be found here.


Right time stop rambling, here's the beautiful new video from King Creosote & Jon Hopkins for their new single 'Bubble'...

The Big BBQ Show - Gala Drop

Admittedly I have been a bit rubbish with this years West End Festival, so far I have managed to miss the Fence Collective show and the Electric Honey Records Showcase. I am however hoping to make it along to the Big BBQ Show at Oran Mor which being put on by innovative promoters, KMR Promotions as part of the closing party for the West End Festival on Sunday 26th June. Running from 1pm through until 10pm, the event will showcase some fine local talent alongside some unique international acts, plus be a massive BBQ, pig on a spit, a mariachi band, margaritas, so it might be an idea to book the Monday off work.
Tickets for the gig are only £10 and the line up so far looks something like this:

Banjo or Freakout,
Vessels,
Wet Paint,
Gala Drop,
PAWS,
Washington Irving,
Top Dollar,
Male Pattern Band
Ryan Bisland

Further details on the event can be found on KMR's homepage.

Banjo or Freakout - Upside Down

Vessels - Art Choke

Gala Drop - Ital

PAWS - Boo Hoo

Washington Irving - Phantom Buck

We've Got It Covered #55

I was fully expecting to be feeling rough as a badger today, as last night I was out at the last ever Barmellodie gig at Bloc. A top night was had, although I must admit that my DJ-ing skills were pretty piss poor. However, they did seem to improve with the more beers I ad, or perhaps I just got to the stage where I didn't notice how rotten my mixing skills were. Still though a grand night was had, plus I got to see six bands that I'd never seen before. Before hitting Bloc I had popped into the Flying Duck for Jim Ayetunes birthday bash to catch a bit of the Big Nowhere and Verse Metrics. Sadly I had to leave before Black International came on, however, I though that the Verse Metric boys sounded ace.
At Bloc I saw Lady North, who really impressed me. Made up of 3/4 of Dupec, I am not normally one for instrumental music, as I have such a short attention span, however, they really impressed me. London band, Something Beginning With L, who turned up in something resembling the Scooby Doo van, were my personally highlight of the night. Their catchy pop songs reminded me that I really need to stop being so blinkered and listen to bands that aren't Scottish. After that I was well on my way, with things getting slightly blurry after Galoshins and Cuddly Shark, who I remember enjoying, but don't remember much about. Anyway, a top night was had and kudos goes out to Scott and Al from Armellodie for putting on such a top night.
If you're in Edinburgh today and you feel up to braving the rain, then get yourself down to Avalanche from 2pm to catch The Scottish Enlightenment, Le Reno Amps, Something Beginning With L and Cuddly Shark as part of the Armello-day takeover. In honour of this momentous occasion here's Le Reno Amps covering Johnny Cash taken from a session they recorded for Vic Galloway a few months back...

Le Reno Amps-Understand Your Man (Johnny Cash cover)

Friday Freebies

King Post Kitsch
I know I have been banging on about King Post Kitsch for a while now and I will continue to do so as his new album is fucking ace. If you still haven't checked him out then head over to Song By Toad where you will find a free download of the excellent 'Fante’s Last Stand'.

Michael Cassidy
First off he records a Peenko Session, then the next thing you know Michael Cassidy is being voted as one of Scotland on Sunday's Eligibles for 2011. I am sure the fact that he's handsome man and talented as fuck has nothing to do with it, it was all about the influential power of Peenko, or perhaps not. If you haven't checked the sexy beast out already, then you're in luck as he's just posted a free download of a new demo called 'You do it again' on his Soundcloud page.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
I am guessing that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's wee hiatus was brought to a bit of an abrupt end seeing as nobody gave a shit about any of their side projects, or am I just getting cynical in my old age. Whatever the reasons for them returning, it's nice to have them back, yes their second album wasn't the greatest but I did miss those odd sounding vocals. In September they're releasing their third album, Hysterical, to remind us that they exist(ed) the band are giving away a free download of new track 'Same Mistake'. A welcome return? that's up for you to decide, personally I like this new song and am looking forward to hearing more.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks
Having spent most of time recently touring with his old band, Pavement, Stephen Malkmus is set to release a new album, Mirror Traffic' with his new old band (that makes sense right?!), The Jicks. You can find yourself a free download of new song 'Senator' on his homepage.

Campfires in Winter
It's been a while since we've heard anything new from 'my boys', but Croy's finest are back and they finally managed to nab themselves a new drummer in the form of the awesome Denny, formerly of Macabre Scene, who sadly called it a day this week. Anyway to remind you all that they've not disappeared off the face of the earth they've posted up 3 demo tracks for free download. Two of the songs are new and the other is a reworking of an older song, With A Ragged Diamond, I know you probably haven't been itching for this as much I have, but I must say it's nice to have them back.

Vetiver
The rather ace Vetiver are giving away a free download of their song 'Wonder Why' from their new album, The Errant Charm, which is out now on SubPop.



The Pineapple Chunks
They're based in Edinburgh, they sound ramshackle as fuck but I can't stop listening to them, so they must be doing something right. Hopefully we'll have more information on them for you soon, for now you can help yourself to a couple of free downloads on their Bandcamp page.

The Deportees
Our friends up in Aberdeen, Bedford Records are set to put out their third release next month with Americana outfit The Deportees. In anticipation of it's release they've posted a free download up on their Bandcamp page.

Maydays
Originally from the North East of Scotland, but now having relocated to Edinburgh, Maydays are purveyors of charming indie pop. You can find out for yourself by downloading their songs for free on their Bandcamp.

The Boosts
Invernessian band, The Boosts have been developing a bit a buzz up in their neck of the woods, they write catchy as fuck pop tunes and they give all of their music away for free, what's not to like. Their Soundcloud page is full of infectious wee pop gems all of which are free, don't say they're not good to you.

Honey
Glasgow based band Honey, recently released their debut E.P, Taste It And See, which they've posted up for free download. It reminds me a bit of the Stone Roses but with a touch of post rock thrown into the mix. I still haven't quite my mind up if it's for me or not, if it sounds like it could be for you then you can download it for free on their Bandcamp page, they're also playing tonight at Slouch in Glasgow.

The Tolbooth Sessions 2011
There is a free compilation of local talent up for grabs on Bandcamp, which includes the much hyped Friends in America, Hey Enemy and Miniature Dinosaurs. Download it here.

How To Swim
If you're heading up to the Insider Festial this weekend then you might want to check out How To Swim before you head off. They've posted a couple of singles for free download via bandcamp, you can get ‘Corpsing’ and ‘She Gets Around’ for nowt here.

Breton
Fat Cat have signed yet another awesome band, fuck knows how they do it. This lot are called Breton and they have a free download up on their Soundcloud page.

Vigo Thieves
You can get yourself a free download of their song Love Is Dead in exchange for a tweet.

Fountains Of Wayne
Bloody hell they're still going, I remember listening to these guys when I was in fifth year school (which was a long long time ago), then they released that song about Staceys Mom, or whatever it was and to be honest it totally turned me off them. Anyway if you still like them and want to hear more they're about to return with their fifth LP. You can download a free MP3 of new song "Richie & Rubin" for free via Stereogum.

Presenting: The Peenko Sessions #7 - I Build Collapsible Mountains

I said earlier in the week that I'd have the next Peenko Session up and being a man of my word here we have it, it's I Build Collapsible Mountains recorded live at the Hidden Lane Tea Rooms. Since releasing his debut EP, 'A Month Of Lost Memories', the one and only release on Peenko Records, Luke Joyce (aka IBCM) has moved onto much bigger things having been signed up to an American Record label, making festival appearances and he's just been lined up to play with Scott from Frightened Rabbit later in the year. It's an exciting time for Team IBCM, then again all of that wouldn't have come about if he wasn't as talented as he is. Having heard some of his new material, it's amazing to see how he's developed as a songwriter and I loved his first EP.
So a few weeks back we had him down at the cafe to record a session for us, it was possibly the sweatiest, yet sweet smelling gig I have ever been to and Luke was fucking awesome. You don't have to take my word for it as you can stream, download and watch the session below...

Track Listing
1. Trail Song
2. Rails
3. History Making
4. Jump the Blue / Where We Go Tomorrow
5. Spectator and the Act
6. Burn

Download

Watch the rest of the session on my YouTube page.

A special thank you goes out to Sean from LUGS for filming and recording all of this, to Boab for his camera work skills, Kirsty for letting us take over her awesome cafe and to everyone who came along and made the evening as special as it was.

Peenko Presents: The Mad Hatters Tea Party - I Build Collapsible Mountains by Seanlugs on Mixcloud

Scots Way-Hay #63 - Mike Nisbet

Singer songwriters do feel like they're ten a penny at the moment, or at least that's the impression my inbox gives me. I do try my best to sit and give everything I get sent a listen, most of it sounds 'nice', but it takes a lot for something to really stand out. For me it's usually the voice or the lyrics, admittedly you can normally tell within a few seconds whether it is for me or not. So a few weeks back when my friend Phil from Elba Sessions got in touch to suggest that I check out an artist they'd had in to record a podcast, I was a little bit pessimistic, "not another singer songwriter" I thought. Thankfully though I was wrong as I really enjoyed the session tracks that Phil sent over, and once he sent me over a copy of his album I was sold. So here we go, here's Mike Nisbet, not just another run of the mill songwriter...


Would you care to introduce yourself?

My name is Mike Nisbet, I'm handsome singer/songwriter from Oban.


How would you describe the music you make?

One man and his guitar. A mix of acoustic, country, pop and Folk.


How did you start out making music?

Not really sure to be honest, pretty unmusical family, so it came about from discovering music with friends. There was quite a lot bloom of musicians when I was in high school, so I've always had a lot of great friends to jam with and lean on to record with.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

I'll write everything just sitting on my bed usually, spend a long time trying to find that good hook, or melody, quite painstaking! The record was all written sitting in my flat, putting demos down on a very old imac. It's a very personal process, just me and my guitar.


Who are your big musical influences?

At the moment I can't stop listening to Townes Van Zandt, as far as songwriting goes he's pretty much the man for that! I've learnt a lot from playing Townes songs. Also Simon & Garfunkle, Neil Young, James Taylor, Quite into americana as you can tell.


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

Being from Oban has had a big effect on the songs as far as setting goes, I love the sea, and the country side, 'Snow Me In' from the record is about wanting to live in the country, blues skies from hill to hill. So on the other side of that, living in the city now I'm conscious of wanting some grass and peace and quiet!


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

Me and my guitar, and a couple harmonicas. looking out to get some more people involved for some new tracks but I'm doing the troubadour thing for now. It's about getting the song across in it's simple, pure form. So hopefully people can relax and enjoy the music.


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

Best gig this year was up at The Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore. It's a great place to just hang out anyways, but we'd just finished doing a bunch of shows and spent the Sunday relaxing by the river, playing music, eating great food and then spending the night playing music with friends. Everyone sat down and really took in the show, was pretty much the perfect show for me.


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

Tour, tour, tour, make sure people get a chance to check out the songs live, pick up some new fans. Working on writing some new songs so maybe release a couple more tracks by the end of the year.


Mike Nisbet - Funny Little Windows


Mike's debut album, 'Vagrant', is out now, you can stream/download it now on his Bandcamp.
You can catch him live this coming Sunday afternoon at Fete De La Music, in Ashton Lane alongside the likes of Burnt Island, Esperi, Bronto Skylift and Blochestra. If you're heading along then Mike's on at 5pm in the Grosvenor Cafe.

Home
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
Myspace

Broken Records - East Village Radio Session (02/06/11)

Track Listing

1. The Motorcycle Boy Reins
2. A Darkness Rises Up
3. You Know You're Not Dead

Download

Trembling Bells - Marc Riley Session (06/06/11)

Track Listing

1. Colour Of Night
2. Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Little Longing
3. Goathland

Download

King Post Kitsch - The Party's Over: Track By Track

On Friday afternoon there I took part on a bloggers panel at goNorth up in Inverness, at which we could asked about how influential Scottish blogs are. I answered the question as honestly as I could, I simply don't know. I don't want to get a point were I get so big headed that I think everyone hangs on every word I say, although I would like to think I play a small part in making a difference to up and coming Scottish artists. One such act that I can say for certain that I have played my small part in helping is Charlie Ward, aka King Post Kitsch. Today he released his debut album, 'The Part's Over' today on Song By Toad Records, a stunning wee debut it is too.
So how did I play my part, well almost a year and a half ago Charlie emailed his self titled debut EP, which sat in my inbox for almost two months before I finally got round to listening to it. By the time that I did I was so impressed that I genuinely thought I'd missed the boat and that the rest of the blogosphere would already be all over him like a rash. In the end it turned out that everyone else had pretty much done the same as me, so after hearing his songs I almost took it as my personal mission to help him out a little, although I must I am surprised by how well things have worked out. In less than twelve months he's produced an album which is currently receiving rave reviews in both the mainstream press and through the blogosphere, plus he's 6Music legend, Marc Riley is a massive fan. Now I am not claiming that I managed to elevate him to that level, we have his label Song By Toad to thank for all of that. My claim to fame is that it was me that recommended that Matthew from Song By Toad check him out, he liked him enough that he offered to put his album out and the rest as they say is history. Seeing as I don't do reviews (cause I am not very good at them), I thought I'd get Charlie to tell you a bit more about the album so here he is to talk you through the album...

Portland Street Pt 2

I like that little riff, it's a piccolo. Piccolo-rock. The first song I recorded for the album.

01.King Post Kitsch - Portland Street Pt.2 by peenko2

Don't You Touch My Fucking Honeytone

Looking back now, I think this may be influenced by Too Much Monkey Business and The Sonics. It's should be, I listen to them often enough.

02.King Post Kitsch - Don't You Touch My Fucking Honeytone by peenko2

Fante's Last Stand

Wrote this after reading an article about John Fante writing his final book.

03.King Post Kitsch - Fante's Last Stand by peenko2

The Werewolf Hop

Typical song about wanting something you cant have and making a racket about it. Howling at the moon and all that.

04.King Post Kitsch - The Werewolf Hop by peenko2

Bricks and Bones

A song about a man who works in a factory all day, then goes home to a baby factory.

05.King Post Kitsch - Brick and Bones by peenko2

The New Gang

This is about an episode of Band of Brothers. I wrote a song for each episode but I thought better of a Band of Brothers concept album.

06.King Post Kitsch - The New Gang by peenko2

Walking On Eggshells

This started of as a folk song before I put an organ through a distortion pedal and my life changed forever.

07.King Post Kitsch - Walking on Eggshells by peenko2

You Talk Too Much

A song about good people doing bad things. The last song to be recorded for the album.

08.King Post Kitsch - You Talk Too Much by peenko2

Portland Street Pt 1

A song about the idiots who tore down tenements in Glasgow and replaced them with tower blocks.

09.King Post Kitsch - Portland Street Pt.1 by peenko2

Closing Time

About the last hour in an old mans pub when everyone is wired to the moon.

10.King Post Kitsch - Closing Time by peenko2

'The Party's Over' is available to order now through Song By Toad Records for the measly sum of £8, it's already one of my favourite albums of 2011, hopefully it will be for some of you too.

King Post Kitsch
Twitter
Bandcamp
Facebook
Song By Toad Records

Fresh Meat Monday - Skinny Villains

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Certainly! We're Skinny Villains, a troupe of troublesome troubadours intent on making music we find all at once interesting, honest and engaging. Individually we are known as; John Devlin (perscussion), John Paul Rafferty (lead guitar, vox), Paul McLaughlin (guitar, vox) and Scott Stevenson (bass, vox).


How would you describe the music you make?

Our music is a healthy mixture of imaginative and interesting licks and riffs entwined with catchy vocal hooks. Lyrically we tend to write tightly-packed, intricately-structured syllabic verses (similar to that description) whereas our choruses more often than not widen the tone and change the overall pace. We're open to any ideas though and we're never against trying out new structures, themes and patterns.


How did you start out making music?

All our paths towards music are different and detailed in their route but essentially we started out as friends with common interests and the band grew from there. We have all been friends since school at St Bride's in East Kilbride and, even with our extended group, we've always played music together. The only difference being it hasn't always been our own, until now.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

Each song develops in its own way and we don't tend to reserve ourself to a specific process of song-writing. Some songs begin with the lyrics and we then go about looking for some way of suitably meshing it together with instrumentation. On the other hand any number of our songs can be catalysed by a guitar or bass riff or drum sequence we all find interesting and from there begins the process of writing lyrics we think do justice to the instrumentation. There's always a healthy balance between the two sides of writing.


What can people expect from your live shows?

The very simple answer to this question would be 'hard work'. As a band who acknowledge the fact that they could only initially cut their live teeth with the help of their friends, we're very much rooted to the principle that the people in the audience deserve a good show and deserve the sweat on our brow. We very much resent the attitude of some bands who are quick to assume they are entitled to the full attention of a paying crowd. We work hard and pride ourselves on our ability to make people listen. Admittedly this may sometimes be due to how loud we play but in the end it's for their own good!


What are you all listening to at the moment?

I'm taking some liberties here in speaking for the rest of the band but I'll do my best to represent them fairly. There are few artists the whole band tend to agree on but I can confidently include The Black Keys, The Beatles and Eagles of Death Metal in the band jukebox as it were. Individually, we all have our own musical quirks and nuances. I'm big into Josh T. Pearson and Paul Simon right now, every Graceland track I can mime to perfection and I'm also getting to grips with Hearts & Bones. Myself and Scott have a shared love for Simon & Garfunkel and I never fail to start my day with at least one track from Wednesday Morning 3AM. John Paul and John have a much keener ear on new music and are both quick to highlight something to me or Scott that they feel we may be interested in. Most recently I know John has been listening to Lykke Li's new album as well as Vintage Trouble and John Paul has had Brothers on permanent rotation for months as well as some of The Hives older albums. That is far from the most comprehensive round-up to be honest but let's just say Spotify tends to be put through its paces when we all gather around a laptop.


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

The tail-end of 2010 will see us supporting bigger and better bands and more often than not attempting to escape the grid-iron streets patterns of Glasgow we love yet have become so accustomed. Gigs further North and further South, predominantly. 2011 will begin with some new releases yet to be decided and then a well-mounted media push will be surrounding said release so expect some more promotional videos and interesting ideas for live events which will hopefully be more interactive and intriguing than the usual three-band-gigs paying customers are used to. Those ideas are being kept under wraps at this time, however!


Skinny Villains - Young Love


Facebook
Myspace
Twitter