Continuing one with my theme of trying to introduce you all to something that isn't Scottish, here's a little piece about a talented fella by the name of Conor Mason all the way from Northern Ireland. Having just released his new album on one of my favourite labels, Armellodie Records, I caught up Conor to ask him a bit more about the album, how he ended up on a Scottish label and whether he recalled having to put with a very drunken Peenko at last years goNorth....
Hello Mr Mason, my name's Lloyd. I have very vague
recollections of meeting you at last years goNorth Festival, so first
off I'd like to apologise for rambling pish in your ear. You and I might
well have met, but a lot of the readers of my blog might not know who
you are, so would you care to introduce yourself to them? How's it going there Lloyd. Aye, pretty hazy recollections here
too, though the ramblings of pish were more than likely coming from my
direction. Anyway, hello Peenko readers. My name is Conor Mason, and
I've been doing the Singer-songwriter thing for quite a bit now. I have
two previous albums and just released my new album, 'Standstill' with
Armellodie Records on March 19th.
I've never written a song in my puff, it looks far too
complicated a process for my brain to handle. What sort of process do
you go through when you start writing a song? I'll usually start by sitting at the piano or guitar and rattle out
a few chords that sound nice to my ears that day. After putting them
into some sort of structure I'll record a rough version. Once I've done
this and added various other instruments to the equation start thinking
about lyrics. I like to have the music as close to finished as possible,
before writing lyrics.
The majority of my music to date has been recorded at my home studio, but I plan to work a little different on the next record.
You're just about to release your new album with those nut
jobs from Armellodie Records, how on earth did a boy from Derry get
talked into working with a Scottish label? I lived in Glasgow for about 3 years a while back and met Al and
Scott through friends of mine who were living there at the time. When I
let Al hear my new album, he was really enthusiastic about putting it
out on Armellodie. I'd already been a fan of Le Reno Amps, and when I
got to hear music from other bands on the label, I was and am excited to
be part of it.
My wee world has pretty much been taken over completely by
bands from Scotland, hence I know feck all about the Northern Irish
music scene. Are there any of your fellow county men/women that you'd
suggest I check out? The scene here at the minute is remarkable. In my hometown of Derry
alone, there seems to be quality bands and solo artists appearing every
few months, the most recent additions being an amazing band called
Little Bear and singer-songwriter Soak. We're lucky to have such great
radio shows here like Electric Mainline, Across the Line and BBC
Introducing that help get the little guys music heard by a wider
audience and get involved in promoting the live scene.
Last, but not least, what have you got planned for the
foreseeable future and do you have any plans to come back to play in
Scotland any time soon? I have nothing planned at the minute, but hopefully I can sort out a few gigs across the water over the coming months.
Sharon Van Etten
I think I might well be one of the last music bloggers to have jumped on the Sharon Van Etten bandwagon. The Brooklyn based singer-songwriter seems to be the current darling of hipster sites such as Stereogum and Pitchfork, having been listening to her new album, Tramp, a hell of a lot this week I can see why folk have been getting their knickers in such a twist. If you haven't picked up on her yet or you just to see what all the fuss is about then just head on over to Amazon where you can download her song Leonard for free.
Two Wings
If you frequent other Scottish music blogs other than this one then I think it's a safe bet to warn you all that the blogosphere may well start getting a wee bit over excited about the forthcoming album from Glasgow-based band Two Wings. Featuring Hanna Tuulikki who features on the latest RM Hubbert album and Ben Reynolds who has played with the likes of Alisdair Roberts and Trembling Bells. The duo are set to cause a bit of a stir with the release of their excellent debut album, "Love's Spring" which comes out on Tin Angel Records at the end of April. As a wee teaser they're giving away the opening track from the album, 'Eikon' as a free download in exchange for your email address.
Marionettes
The Aberdeen based label, Bedford Records continue to impress with their ability to unearth little hidden gems from the North East of Scotland. Boasting an impressive repertoire which includes the likes of IndianRedLopez, Steven Milne and you can now add frantic indie pop outfit, Marionettes to that list. With their their debut single, "The Rightness Of Blindless" due out on the 9th of April, the band are giving away a free download of "De Ja When?" as a wee introduction to the band. If oyu like what you hear then you can catch the band playing live at The Doghouse in Dundee on the 12th April, then The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on the 13th, then on the14th April they'll be at Pivo Pivo in Glasgow, on the15th they're at Sneaky Petes in Edinburgh, before finishing up on the16th at Madhatters in Inverness.
Bobby Womb
It was only last week that I was raving about the latest release from Wiseblood Industries, now I find myself in the situation where once again I am raving about their output. This weeks offering is a wee bit different mind, if you like ambient instrumental tunes then the new Bobby Womb EP should tickle yer fancy.
Blank Canvas
Keeping up with all of the goings on in the Scottish music scene really is a job in itself, every week it feels as if there is a new record label or blog cropping up. Not that I am complaining mind, the more folk that are out there promoting what's going on in our backyard the better. The latest addition to the family are COME Records, who have just put out their first release with Edinburgh outfit, Blank Canvas, which is free to download here.
Be Like Pablo
Morayshire indie popsters, Be Like Pablo have announced that their new album, "The New Adventures".will be available for free in August from their fancy new website interactive website As if that wasn't enough on the first weekend of every month, they will be releasing free material as well as album artwork, b-sides, covers and a lot more to boot. If you register your details just now on the bands site then they'll send you 2 free new tunes which should whet your appetite for what's to come over the next few months.
Lovers Turn to Monsters
Prolific lo-fi music maestro, Kyle Wood, aka Lovers Turn to Monsters is back after what must be all of a month's absence with another slice of alt-pop goodness. His new album 'Mumblecore' (top name for an album) is out now on limited edition cassette or an a pay what you want basis from Bandcamp.
Schwervon!
The only bad thing that's come from listening to the Edinburgh Man podcast is that it usually ends up with my bank balance taking a bit of a battering as he continually seems to unearth little hidden gems that I would never have stumbled across. A few months back he turned me on to the New York duo, Schwervon!, yet another ace find on his part. Until the end of this month they're going to be giving away a new free tune every Friday, last weeks offering Cougar Pride might still be up for grabs if you're quick.If not then just check out their Bandcamp page for this weeks freebie.
Vasquez
Naming yourself after a character from Aliens gets you brownie points in my book, having the tunes to back them up is another matter all together. Thankfully Edinburgh's noise-wielding trio do that and then some, they've just released EP2 for nowt on their Bandcamp page, fans of Lady North and Bronto Skylift should really check this out.
Shooting Stansfield
Edinburgh outfit, Shooting Stansfield have posted up a series of songs that they recorded at The Cottage on the beautiful setting of the banks of Loch Fyne. Billed as The Cottage Sessions, there are 3 songs up for grabs on their SoundCloud page, you can also read more about how the songs came to be on their blog. Fans of Frightened Rabbit and Admiral Fallow would be urged to check this up and coming act out.
The Melvins
Legenadry gruneg outfit, the Melvins have made their latest release, The Bulls & The Bees, available for free in exchange for your email address. If you've never heard of the Melvins before then now's your chance to acquaint yourself with one of the bands that helped to start the whole grunge movement.
The Kays Lavelle
Bloody hell, The Kays Lavelle are back, I guess I must have missed that memo. Having apparently disappeared off the face of this earth shortly after the release of their debut album, Be Still This Gentle Morning, the Edinburgh outfit are back and they've got a new song called Hiding in Ditches available on a pay what you want basis on Bandcamp.
Conor Mason
If you missed Conor Mason's session that I posted earlier in the week, I'd urge you to scroll down a bit and check it out. If you can't be arsed with all of that effort, then you could always jut follow this link and download his new single, Misunderstood, for nowt. His new album, Standstill, comes out on Monday on Armellodie Records and it's well worth investing yer pennies on. Hopefully we should have an interview with him up fairly shortly too.
