KT
Tunstall, Scottish singer songwriter played a gig at the O2 Academy Glasgow 21st
November 2013 as part of her UK Tour for her fifth studio albumInvisible
Empire // Crescent Moon.
The new
album is a step on for KT and she spoke of touring with folk royalties the
Carthy family and learning so much from them.The diverse folk roots influence can be heard in a more mature and
sophisticated sound and songs.She has
also been over working inthe States
which gives this album a more cross over feel with both Scots and American
influences. Tunstall has won a Brit and an Ivor Novello Award. http://kttunstall.com/
Check out HAIM's Days Are Gone, first album. Good vocals and cool bass lines
- http://haimtheband.com
Lorde (Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor) Only
17 (!)is a New
Zealand singer songwriter with a style all her own, I saw
her on the Jools Holland
tv show and I was impressed. She has topped charts with her first EP The Love Club and singles
Royals. Interestingly her mother is a poet. Her debut album Pure Heroine, was released Sept 2013. http://lorde.co.nz/
A diverse and colourful
cast of musicians and singers took to the stage for a memorable night to
celebrate Michael’s life and songs. Artists taking part - Alice, Matthew and Chris Marra, Andrew Mitchell (The
Hazey Janes), Eddi Reader, Dougie MacLean, The Mackenzie Sisters, Pat and Greg
Kane (Hue & Cry), John Spillane, Jimmie MacGregor, Kris Drever and Musical
Director and host Rab Noakes. Dundee
singer-songwriter Michael Marra died in October 2012.
The concert opened with the
entire cast and The Hazy Janes, Marra’s children, singing his songs When These Shoes Were New and The Midas
Touch. Eddi Reader, Rab Noakes and Dougie MacLean next performed Dear Hank Williams, proved an iconic
moment to see all three Scottish legends on stage together. We were then
treated to the lovely female harmonies from the Mackenzie sisters who sang Happed in Mist and The Lonesome death of
Francis Clarke.
Rab Noakes, Alice Marra and Andrew Marra
This was a concert of many voices. Dougie MacLean gave a moving interpretation of a song he said Marra had once sung at the Blair Gowrie folk club, a song that Marra never recorded called Goodnight To Lovely You. Hue & Cry sang Mother Glasgow and Like Another Rolling Stone -Pat Kane spoke affectionately about Marra and he said that quality would always shine through.
Sylvia Rae sang one of Marra’s jazzier songs Under the Ullapool Moon with a captivating slow husky voice. Noakes put his melodic guitar spin on Marra’s song General Grant. Eddi Reader gave a rousing performance of Here Comes the Weak. Marra enjoyed his 'footba' and often wrote songs about the sport. Rod Paterson stood out with the Marra songs Hamish and The Bawbee Birlin and his deep gravelly voice sounded as if Marra was actually there with us. There was a top class band on stage with a saxophone player and more.
Eddi Reader, Rab Noakes, Dougie MacLean
Hue & Cry
Near the close Alice Marra gave
a haunting rendition of Michael’s favourite song Monkey Hair. There were tears on All Will Be Well when we could feel the warmth both on stage and in
the audience. Scots Maker read a poem about taking flight. I am sure Marra
would have been proud as the night ended with a poignant rendition of Hermless.
Noakes proved an informed host
and he drew from his many years in music. He said Michael was able to sing in different dialects and
that he could switch easily from the mid-Atlantic pop music accent that they
grew up listening to and a broad Scots Dundonian accent. Marra’s music drew from
many influences – and there are many references in his songs from pop, Dylan,
musicals, and more. Marra liked to think
sideways. He mixed celebrities with the ordinary man in his songs and he looked
at the small details. The music Labels wanted him to change his song titles and to
smooth and soften the edges but Marra refused to
compromise his music. He said that Marra wanted to have his name in brackets not in
lights.
Rab Noakes & Jimmie MacGregor
Dougie MacLean
Mackenzie
sisters
He was a wee man with a quizzical look, a big heart and a
gift for expressing the absurd. To me Marra painted with words and I’ve never seen an audience
so engrossed at a gig as at Marra’s Mugdock theatre one. He kindly signed a
print for me there and said how much he enjoyed playing at small intimate venue
gigs like this – where the theatre had a grand piano in the corner and tiered
seating. I remember at his Milngavie folk club gig he oddly set his keyboard on
an ironing board. He was a humble and keen observer of our human foibles and contradictions
and the humorous side of life. Thanks Michael.
PHOTOS - http://pkimage.co.uk/AllWillBeWell SET - ALL: When These Shoes
Were New/ Hazey Janes; The Midas Touch/ Hazey Janes; Dear Hank Williams/ Rab
Noakes, Eddi Reader, Dougie MacLean: Niel Gow/ Tom Mitchell: Frida Kahlo/ Mackenzie
sisters & Kris Drever: Happed in Mist/ Hue & Cry: Mother Glasgow/ Riley
Briggs: Alter Boys/ Dougie MacLean; Goodnight To Lovely You/ Eddi Reader; Machushia/
Rod Paterson: The Bawbee Birlin/ John Spillane: The homeless do not seem to
drink here
II Hazey Janes: Golden
Slippers/ Mrs Gorrie/ Rab Noakes: General Grant/ John Spillane: Chain up the
swings/ Sylvia Rae: Under the Ullapool Moon/ Dougie MacLean: Peddie Street/ Hue
& Cry: Like another Rolling Stone/ Mackenzie sisters: The Lonesome death of
Francis Clarke/ Kris Drever: Scenectady calling/ Eddi Reader: Here come the
weak/ Rod Paterson: Hamish/ Alice Marra and Andrew Marra: Monkey Hair/ ALL: All
Will Be Well/ Hermless ‘He can’t catch a rose between his teeth. I can’t lay my
head on an olive branch. ‘
Kris
Drever, Aidan O'Rourke and Lau on Jools Holland this week - it is good to see
folk and indie music is alive and well! Folk/Blues Chart - Mumford No 1.
- plus Kate Rusby, Bellowhead, Paul Simon, Laura Marling, Chieftains,
Neil Young. Good chart! : )) http://www.bbc.co.uk/lau/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/joolsholland
Polwart is one of Scotland’s best
loved songstress with her beautiful voice and relevant moving songs.
Many
folk artists fill the folk clubs but not so many can fill halls the size of the
Oran Mor church auditorium. Her pure softly soothing voice captivated the full
house in the clear acoustic church setting with its ornate stained glass
windows and with Scottish artist Alastair Gray's colourful mural ceiling.
.
Karine
sang the flowing harmonies and melodies of her story-telling and honest songs.
She had her usual two backing musicians, her brother Steven on guitar and Inge
Thomson on accordion, plus for this larger event - percussionist Iain
Sandilands who added depth and energy to the new songs along with a wind
section that included flute and clarinet.
She performed
songs from her well received third album Traces - Strange News, We’re all
Leaving, Tears For Lots Wife,
Salters Road and Sticks and Stones.
One
highlight was a lovely duet of the song Solstice
with the guitarist Craig from the Scottish band Unwinding Hand. Another set highlight was a haunting solo song from
Inge Thomson.
The
set included songs from Polwart's new album Traces.
The song Tinsel Show was written
about the lights of Grangemouth which shone in the night sky near to where
Karine grew up in East Lothian. Karine also
included a few of her classic well loved songs from previous albums - Daisy, Rivers Run.
She
spoke of her fascination with birds and how many of her songs reflected this.
One stand out song from Traces was
the song King of Birds. For an encore
she sang Follow The Heron. Her new
album has her classy songs and a more intricate depth to it.
Karine
said that as she wasn’t an Indie artist she wouldn’t simply come on and play
the album songs and leave and that as she had come up through the folk circuit
she would play two full sets with an interval and a raffle!
I’ve
heard Karine at several of those smaller folk venues, as well as her leading a
Celtic Connections concert on Scottish songs at the Glasgow concert hall. This was another
perfect setting for her intimate songs.
I
have met Karine a couple of times and just a week later at the Lake of Monteith
Hotel Bar the night before my son's wedding!She recognised me by name which made me feel just that little bit
famous!. She is such a genuine person and this reflects in her music.
Crosby, Stills and Nash; Neil Young; Joni Mitchell; David Geffen. And The Laid back acoustic sound of Laurel Canyon - All about the SONG
In the early 70s LA became the centre of the music business as young artists moved there rather than to New York city. Artists came to play the well renowned LA Troubadour venue.
The artist was the centre of the business, which was driven by the songwriter and by self publishing singer songwriters. Crosby, Stills and Nash were known for their beautiful 3 part harmonies and exquisitely roving melodies. Then we had flower power and hippies.
Carole King and James Taylor moved there from New York and King’s Tapestry album spent15 weeks at no 1.
Ambition and idealism ‘counter culture' was the name of the game.
However.....eventually the business men moved in and it became more about managers and lawyers - more about business and less about the music. The Corporation of Rock.
Recently I thought... where are the great songs of today?
And so I begin to wonder about the cheap club nights and that's what ears get used to.... and that it is it simply not about THE SONG anymore?
In my view the cheapening of music has led to some kind of diluted commodity with no thought about quality anymore.
Unbelievable clip -
John Lennon and Paul Simon present the Best Song Award 1975 at the Grammy's when Olivia Newton John beats icons - Elton John, Joni Mitchell and Roberta Flack!!
The Industry never ceases to amaze me!
Most amazing CLIP of Judy Blue Eyes ( Joni mitchell)
He has a hardness in his eyes while his songs are sensitive and true. I first heard his Baker Street album during my folk festival days, with its' soaring sax and hard-hitting lyrics. Then he had a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic with "Stuck in the Middle With You."
He always refused to play the big Label game and refers to this in this hit song with the lyrics - 'Clowns to the Left of me, Jokers to the right...' . He never toured in the US, even while this song had No 1 Radio airplay. In a sense Rafferty was full of those Scottish contradictions with his strengths and weaknesses. He was from Paisley and sadly died early this year from alcohol related illness. His funeral was held at St Mirin's Cathedral in Paisley and attended by the first minister Alex Salmon.http://www.gerryrafferty.com/
ArtWorks Scotland - Gerry Rafferty: Right Down the Line - BBC 2 Scotland Documentary aired August 2011
Elton – Music Magic from
the Rocket Man SECC Glasgow
June 2009 Elton John was fabulous – dynamic vocals and piano and
even after all these years performing he seems to thrive on it, while his voice
gets better and better. Elton appeared up the steps and paused to bask in the
audiences thrill to see him there!
Elton John...- I had forgotten how much I love ‘Your Song’
– Great gig!. Adrenalin rush to the head..I’m still standing!
These photos of Elton were
such an honour for me and I was hugely excited about my first time shooting at the SECC. It
seemed quite restrictive and they were surprised I was there to shoot the
support artist too. I always shoot support artists too, well you never know they
might be big one day! Other press
snappers turned up and we were all taken into the arena, where there was more
waiting about in the dark at the front of the wide stage. Elton’s piano was the only
shape lit up and then suddenly through the darkness he appeared up the side
steps. We were only allowed the one song and the adrenalin rush was incredible
and the knowing you only have such a short time to get that one shot. Nerve
wracking!! I thought after what an
honour to shoot Elton.
Elton was wearing a pink
shirt and pink glasses and a black jacket covered in colourful music notes and
a keyboard and with the words ’music magic’ embroidered on the back. He ran through
his back catalogue of hits and the packed SECC loved him.
He built up the energy with
strong renditions of 'I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues' and 'Daniel'.
Followed by a full fifteen minute arrangement of his well known hit ‘Rocket
Man’ which took the energy up after which he performed 'Sad Songs' and
'Sorry' which took the tempo
down.
The most moving moment was
‘Candle in the Wind‘ when you could hear a pin drop in the dark
with only Elton and his spot lit piano it felt like candles blowing in the air
of the vast arena. I heard echoes of Norma Jean and of Diana both
beautiful ladies who shone for a brief time. He also sang 'I Need Love',
'Fly Away', 'Are You Ready For Love' and more from his wonderful back
catalogue. He had his long time band members with him and Nigel Olsen on
drums. I was pleased that for his encore he played my favourite Elton
song 'Your Song'. I had my Your
Song piano sheet music with me with the vague hopes of getting it signed. I
did get down near the front for the last songs and Elton was signing
autographs, mostly gig tickets.
Elton writes piano melodies
that touch people’s hearts and you could feel the love! Now this year I’ve
taken photos of Richard Thompson and Elton both. If I could ever take shots of
Paul McCartney (!!) I could die happy. I’d no idea what to expect and I guess
the next time I take photos at the SECC I won’t be so nervous!
The theatre highlight was Michael Marra. Marra is a Scottish songwriting legend from Dundee. Out of this small grey haired man with the weather beaten face came this huge gravely voice and clever songs, with a strong Scottish and American favour to them. With his clever wit and playful way with words, his songs talk about the eccentricities of the Scottish character. He writes about women’s choirs, meeting artist Freda Kahlo at the pearly gates -well more exactly at a pub on the Tay Bridge because she’s held up! He sang ‘If Dundee was Africa’ ‘Maggie Shae’ ‘Wa can Tell the Difference’ Jersey Kitchen Partner’ ‘Hamish’ and Dylan’s ‘Tomorrow wasn’t such along Time’. He’s the real deal! He finished his set with a perfect version of a Burns classic - ‘Green Grow the Rashes O’
While Marra’s voice draws from jazz, blues, pop and folk with the likes of Tom Waits, Randy Newman and Dylan, he keeps it essentially Scottish in flavour. In 1985 he released his solo album, Gaels Blue, on his own label. .’.
MARRA's music is soaked in the Scottish experience, strained through a gauze of ragtime blues-piano and shot with filaments of traditional folk and American voices ... ‘; Scotland on Sunday
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