Wednesday 31 July 2019

Scottish Music 2019

Scottish Music 2019 

Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Love
C Duncan - Like you Do (Garden)
Young Fathers
Pronto Mama
Arabesque         

CD Duncan – blissful digital dive into soft, anxious romance. 
Young Fathers – “shroud their soulfulness in a murk of machine chunks, wall of noise and serial loops. Their social tension.”

Rip it Up Vic Galloway – Exhibition and book on the story of Scottish Pop music.

Pat Kane writes in the National June 2018
“Here’s a history – a tradition even - of creative dissatisfaction, of endlessly fizzing fireworks in the suburbs, small towns and city centres of Scottish life.
A good flourishing society needs security but it also needs risk. When Scottish pop is exploding loudly its an indication that we’re holding that balance in a sweet spot. “

I am very encouraged to hear it is still about great melodies and anthems, those packed crowds can sing along to.

*Trnsmt – Showcase too for new artists - Catherine McGrath, Tom Grannan - https://trnsmtfest.com/


**Festivals
Doune the Rabbithole/ - https://dounetherabbithole.co.uk
Rewind,
Solas,

Comment to new Scottish channel
More music, culture and art please.
Not only aimed at twenty year olds. 

“We’re all looking for a lyric, or a melody or a groove ot bind the crowd together. 
And audiences want to embed in themselves a collective memory.” Pat Kane

The Best Concerts take place at Small Venues

The best concerts take place in small venues!

Many are spending ridiculous amounts of money to see the big stars of the 70s, 60s or 80s at the big venues such as the Hydro Glasgow, O2 London and others. 

This is Big Business Music! 
The issue is though that many of the best gigs are often at those intimate smaller venues. 
~Who wouldn’t want to see Arcade Fire at Glasgow’s Barrowlands or Radiohead at a small London venue? 

~Now with the master lyrical bard Bob Dylan – I have seen him play the huge dark and characterless Glasgow SECC and at a smaller Braehead arena. He was so much better at the smaller venue, there si no doubt of it.

~Also Paul Simon at the Clyde Auditorium, and he was wonderful at this smaller venue. 

A few of my best smaller venue gigs – 
~ Scots storytellers Michael Marra at the Mugdock theatre, Dick Gaughan at Milngavie folk club, 
~ The Caledonia soul of Blue Rose Code impressed also at my folk club; Rab Noaeks at a house party, Radiohead at the Edinburgh festival. 

This is not to say that I have enjoyed some incredible music experiences on the bigger venues or open air stages and tents. Its just that we don’t necessarily have to pay mega bucks to see an artist we admire. The other trick is to see emerging talent before they hit the big time and simply enjoy them in a more intimate setting. 

Or to hear the really talented songwriters and musicians who prefer to play the smaller circuits. 


Alan Raich 
“All the arts involve writing and reading, in the widest sense, writing as in composition, creation, production , publication and reading as in attentive analysis, interpretation, conversation, comparisons and contacts.”

Monday 29 July 2019

Scotia's Bard Dick Gaughan - NEW album Harvard Tapes

I am proud to have taken photos at Gaughan’s concerts and met him a few times. He spoke of singing with Emmy Lou Harris and was totally unassuming. I was sad to hear he had a stroke in 2017, and I attended a wonderful tribute concert for him at the Old Fruitmarket, during Celtic Connections 2019. 

Since the 70s, Gaughan has been one of Scotia’s most powerful, authentic and honest Bards. He does this through an open chord tuning on his Stratocaster, and an unerring, defiant and hard-hitting voice. Like Burns before him, he believes we all deserve an equal chance in life. Like Burns he draws on the old traditions and adds his own verses and tunes.

He digs deep into our social heritage of the voices of ordinary folks, unrecognised folk and of those who labour for a better world. He also includes the voices from further afield – America, England, Ireland, France, more . He was a central figure in 1970s Celtic folk revival with Boys of the Lough and his early classic album, Handful of Earth. He also worked with Billy Bragg, Andy Irvine, Five Hand Reel and Clan Alba. Gaughan is half Irish and Half Scots. 



**I first heard Gaughan back at a folk club in Edinburgh in the 80s, when he stood out as so different to the often romanticized view of soft, Scottish folk pop. I’d never heard folk music that challenged in this way. Since then I have heard Gaughan perform at the Celtic Connections concert hall his powerful version of Burns Parcel of Rogues to the Nation. I heard him take it intimate and emotional with Burns Westlin Windsat my local folk club, when he said, it was the best song ever written and says all there is to say really. He challenged with Outlaws and Dreamersand life on the edge. He told stories of old soldiers and miners, such as the powerful Why Old Mew Cry. Gaughan often starts his set with the honesty of the song, What You do With What You’ve Got.

He speaks of the English Diggers - "I tend to side with people like the Diggers, those English revolutionaries who fought without weapons for a fair share of the land that rightfully was the property of everyone to begin with," says Gaughan, summing up his philosophy, and smiling.
Between songs and while tuning his guitar, he tells his stories, often with dark humour and pathos. He talks of the real Scotland, the one he knows in Leith. “We used to elect our king in Scotland, you know. The last one we elected was Macbeth.”

**I heard an interview with Dick on radio Scotland when he spoke of his guitar playing being influenced by Davy Graham,

“When I heard of the murder of Chilean folk singer Victor Jara, by the fascist Pinochet. I knew, I couldn’t just play the old tunes, you had to speak out, and really that is what the tradition is all about. “
"I knew then I couldn't just play old tunes. You had to speak out. And, really, that is what the tradition is about. Traditional music--which to me has always meant just the songs that people sing and listen to, be that rock 'n' roll or old ballads--it has always had to do with politics. People's music, folk music if you will, is very dangerous stuff! It is subversive to acknowledge that ordinary people actually have a culture with artistic merit. This gives the lie to those who would like us to think that the poor are poor because they are stupid! There is a lot of wisdom in some of those old songs, and no reason I can see why songs about the politics of today are not part of The Tradition! I sing 'em, anyway, and that's the tradition I know."
Traditional music - It has always had to do with politics.”

Dick Gaughan at Milngavie folk club

Check out Dick Gaughan’s website -  NEW LIVE ALBUM The Harvard Tapes - https://www.greentrax.com/music/product/dick-gaughan-the-harvard-tapesI
Concerts at Celtic Connections and Milngavie folk club - all Photos copyright Pauline Keightley.

**Dick Gaughan Interview with Phil Cunningham Radio Scotland March 2012
Dick chose five songs that have influenced him –
(1) Big Bill Broonzy – Glory of Love
(2) The Shadows – Apache
(3) The Beatles – Love Me Do
(4)  Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues
(5)  Davy Graham – 67


Be Charlotte


I first saw Be Charlotte at the first ever TRSMT music festival Glasgow Green 2017. The major festival T in the Park had to be cancelled due to problem with the site at Balerno and then moved to Glasgow. She was one of the stand out and memorable performers. 

Since then she has received very positive attention and Charlotte was excited to support The Proclaimers on tour. She released her single, Do not Disturb 2019 and continues to tour.