SCOTTISH ARTS & MUSIC since 2007. Imagining SCOTIA! Photographer & Blogger - Musicnotes, Poetrynotes, Histories, Celtic Connections, Edinburgh festivals.
Friday 21 December 2012
Viking Galaxy photoshoot
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Thursday 20 December 2012
Glasgow Independent Record shops
LOVE
music, 34 Dundas Street, Glasgow, G1 2AQ
Love
Music specialises in new, indie and alternative vinyl and CDs. Important
section of Glasgow's music scene with a great
selection of local acts and specialises in indie, rock, punk and Americana. Love Music Glasgow is an Independent
Record Shop in Glasgow,
the shop was previously known as Avalanche Records.
Love Music
Glasgow is an old-school independent record shop, selling both new and
second-hand music. They buy and sell CDs, vinyl LPs & singles, music DVDs
and movies on DVD, as well as a range of merchandise such as T shirts, coffee
cups, fridge magnets etc. They specialise in rock music, in all its various forms.
They are supportive of local groups and record labels and stock hundreds of
unsigned artists. They also do in-store performances and signings - Moby, KT
Tunstall, James Blunt, Futureheads. http://www.lovemusicglasgow.com/
Monorail,
12 Kings Court, King Street,
Glasgow, G1 5RB
Rubadub Records, 35 Howard Street, Glasgow, G1 4BA
Specialist record
shop. http://www.rubadub.co.uk/
Missing Records, 247 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL
Alba Second-Hand
Music, 55 Otago Street, Glasgow, G12 8PQ
Sturdy,
long-running store handily situated for the College of Piping, dealing in
printed music for most instruments, ensembles and orchestras. http://www.albamusick.co.uk/
Play It Again* Records, 47 Ruthven Lane, Glasgow, G12 9BG
Fopp Records Westend
From its
origins as a one-man stall in Glasgow,
Scotland, in
1981, it expanded to a chain of over 100 branches[
throughout the country in 2007. With the demise of Music Zone, Fopp became the
third largest specialist music retailer in the UK in terms of store numbers (after
HMV and Virgin Megastore). Shortly after the takeover of rival chain Music
Zone, Fopp went into administration in June 2007, resulting in the closure of
many of its stores. Eight stores survived and are operating under the Fopp
brand as an independent part of the HMV group.
The first
Fopp store was a market stall in Decourcey's Arcade near Bryes Road in Glasgow opened 1981 by Gordon Montgomery.
The Leamington
spa store was reopened as Head, a separate store from Fopp, but retaining
Fopp's stock and assets. The HEAD store opened on 2007 and employed some of its
predecessor's former employees. The store hosts regular performances from local
bands, to allow musicians, artists and authors from Leamington
and its surrounding areas to sell their work. This was initially a single
store, but has expanded into a chain of four sites.
And least we may not all be
swallowed up by some big media conglomerates.....Let's remember Virgin media
was once a tiny shop in Rose Street Edinburgh owned by Richard B and a pal..
small beginnings...and yes small is sometimes better. Support your small local
shops.
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Wednesday 19 December 2012
Scottish Portraits
Alexander McCall Smith - author |
Rab Noakes singer songwriter |
Alex Salmond - Scotland's First Minster |
Emeli Sande - singer songwriter |
Karine Polwart - folk singer songwriter |
Dikc Gaughan - traditional folk singer |
John Byrne - playwright and artist |
Eddi Reader - singer |
Ian Rankin - writer |
Iain Banks - novelist |
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Scottish Portraits
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Emeli Sande at Royal Albert Hall
Some days are ordinary grey days,
but yesterday was an extraordinary day.
There was a glorious blue sky and
those small fluffy white clouds as I headed to South Kensington via bus and
tube and for a late lunch at the V & A café, where the pianist played under
the ornate Victorian rooftops.
2012 has
been a big year for Sande, not only did she get married, her debut album Our Version of Events was the top
selling album and went triple platinum in the UK. She has a
glowing warm stage presence with her large smile and her sincerity. I have seen
her perform at several of Glasgow's top venues -
the Oran
Mor, King Tuts and the Old Fruitmarket.
It felt very strange to be in such an iconic venue. I entered the hall via its Stage Door entrance for my Pass, where we waited.
Professor Green came in shortly after! I
shook his hand and said how much I enjoyed his big hit song with Emeli - Read All About It. Green had a beautiful
girl with him who looked like a model. I
took in the images on the walls – in particular one memorable image of Frank
Sinatra as he waved to his enthralled audience taken from the stage by
photographer David Redfern, I was in
awe!. I thought how hard it is now to get those kind of images with all the
restrictions imposed on photographers these days – only the first three songs,
no moving about etc. etc. I wished to
savour every moment knowing these were moments I would never forget.
Another
Emily, from New York
– an Emily King played as the support.
When Emeli
appeared in the shadows at the top of the dark steps we know she is a star in
the making. She savoured the experience, as she paused to take in the
atmosphere and those moments as she arrived on the iconic stage. The halls doomed arena offer perfect
acoustics for voices to reverberate and bounce into the air.
Sande began
with her distinctive song Daddy, which
was followed by Tiger and Where I Sleep. Then
the backing singers and band got a chance to shine with the refrain I Left My Heart in Pluto.
In the
middle of her set Emeli sat at the piano centre stage and said, 'This is where I know myself and where I am
raw.’ She started with the emotional Clown
and she said sometimes we all need to show the Clown in us. Next she sang her well loved song River. She said she’d had emotional responses to this song and that one
young girl who’d never been to a music concert before had said to her that
Emeli was 'her river of music.' Then she
sang a song by one of her main musical influences, Nina Simone, ‘I Wish I Knew How It Feels to Be Free’ which
drew positive audience reactions.
‘We should all speak up and use our
voices.’ Emeli said when she sang Read All About It: and the audience was delighted when Professor Green came on stage to perform for this
number one hit song. Emeli
returned to the stage in a red dress and with her song Wonder: a song full of light when she got the audience on their feet
Anything can be achieved if you have
love, when she spoke of
the support of her parents. Then she
sang her hit song Heaven that has
that danceable drum beat and soaring vocal. Labrinth then appeared to sing
their chart song Underneath Your
Beautiful. And for her encore she sang her touching Maybe, followed
by her rousing Next To Me.
Emeli makes the dream her own, but
she also takes us with her. This was one of my best days too.
Having followed Emeli's career for
five years since 2007, it is both strange and wonderful to see her now on the
Big Stage and called the Voice of 2012. I remember the intimacy of her Oran Mor gig and how
moving her voice was there.
THE
SET: Daddy,
Tiger, This is Where I Sleep, Breaking the Law, ( two new songs) My Kind of Love, Abide With Me, Clown, River,
Nina Simone’s How It feels to be Free, Read all About It, Wonder, Mountains,
Heaven, Maybe, Next to Me,
Proceeds to
the Princes Trust. The concert was being filmed for a DVD, photography was restricted, but the colours and vibe were awesome.
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Music 2012
Music 2012
It’s been a year of weddings, nostalgia, resolutions and it has been an interesting hectic year.
Music gigs and Royal Albert Hall. I continue to shoot occasionally at my local folk club. Along side this bigger concerts. It was my delight and pleasure to take photos of Emeli Sande at the Albert hall London at her gig there in November. It’s a venue I never dreamed of going to never mind taking photos at.
Festivals. This year at Celtic the highlight was the Gerry Rafferty Remembered concert organised by Rab Noakes. Rafferty was a truly great Scottish singer songwriter (Stealers Wheel, Bakers Street, Stuck in the Middle With You and much more) who sadly died in 2011. As always the Transatlantic Session proved the value of a great band and excellent musicianship. Edinburgh Book festival, I particularly enjoyed Nile Rodgers talk as he strummed his guitar. Rodgers has written songs for some of the greats – Bowie, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and more.
It is fun to follow the older folk tunes and folk artists alongside the newer pop music songs. I begin to wish some of these older folk artists would collaborate more with the younger musicians. A two way street though - experience and wisdoms might be passed on and the energy and enthusiasms of the younger artists could inspire and innovate. Mumford have cleverly mixed dance rhythms with folk tunes to great success
It’s been a year of weddings, nostalgia, resolutions and it has been an interesting hectic year.
I continue to love music photography but I am much more
selective these days about gigs I cover as I have many other priorities. This
year was quiet for bigger artists for me – well in 2011 I saw Bob Dylan and
Paul Simon and not much can compare with that!
I’m so proud of the
Scottish folk artists and contemporary ones too. Some have recently passed,
sadly Michael Marra and there is a concert for him at Celtic 2013. It’s good to
follow the new artists coming up such as Biffy Clyro and Karine Polwart.
New Artists
Emeli Sande
Our Version of Events, Lana Del Rey Born to Die, Jake Bugg Jake Bugg, (the new Bob Dylan? Time will tell), Grizzly
Bear Shields, Lucy Rose, Django
Django (from Edinburgh).
Biffy Clyro
on Jools Holland stood out for me. They are from Ayrshire Scotland and I had
heard of the band but had never seen them live – and what a good live band they
are who have paid their dues and are more than ready for those bigger stadiums.
Wow is all I can say.
Older Artists –
Bob Dylan, Tempest, Leonard Cohen, Old Ideas, Muse, The 2nd Law.
Folk Artists - Scottish Folk Concerts – Benny Gallagher, Rab Noakes,
Younger
folk musicians - Kris Drever, Karine
Polwart, Manran, Madison Violet,
Scottish Singer Songwriters
*Emeli Sande.
It’s hard to know what to say. I have followed Emeli’s career for five
years and to be there to see her take over the Albert hall stage this November
was quite emotional for me, so I can only imagine what this year has meant for
her. She sang the most moving moment at the Olympic opening ceremony with a
haunting refined and breath taking version of the Welsh song Abide With
Me. Her single Heaven was her first hit
song – she also sings of Wonder, Next To Me, My Kind of Love. It certainly has
been her path in life to sing for us.
There is Love in this world for everyone, Every precious smile you make, Be sure love is out there looking for you.' Michael Marra
*Respected songwriter Michael Marra died suddenly. He Paints With Words. Sadly quirky and humorous and sometimes poignant artist Michael Marra passed away in November 2912. I have seen him live several times and the last time at Milngavie Folk club in 2011. I wondered he didn’t look so well in the photos. At the sound check he set his keyboards on an ironing board. I will never forget his singing Robert Burn’s 'Green Grown the Rashes O' at his concert at Mugdock theatre in 2007. He returned again in 2008 when I was lucky enough to meet and chat with him and where he signed one of my prints. He said he enjoyed playing in the small theatre with its semi-circle of tiered seats and grand piano. He looked so frail when he first comes on stage but then he lit up the venue with his deep gravelly voice - with his endearing manner and ironic dry wit, Marra sang his medley of songs which are full of unforgettable characters and images of place and time. Mugdock was a perfect venue for him and he held the audience in the palm of his hands. I’m not sure I have ever been so engrossed at a live gig. Songs.Kelly's Visit to Dundee,' 'Muggie Shaw', 'Freda Kohl's Visit to the Tay Bridge Bar', and 'Lonesome Death of Francis Clarke', 'Schenectady Calling'. Music gigs and Royal Albert Hall. I continue to shoot occasionally at my local folk club. Along side this bigger concerts. It was my delight and pleasure to take photos of Emeli Sande at the Albert hall London at her gig there in November. It’s a venue I never dreamed of going to never mind taking photos at.
Festivals. This year at Celtic the highlight was the Gerry Rafferty Remembered concert organised by Rab Noakes. Rafferty was a truly great Scottish singer songwriter (Stealers Wheel, Bakers Street, Stuck in the Middle With You and much more) who sadly died in 2011. As always the Transatlantic Session proved the value of a great band and excellent musicianship. Edinburgh Book festival, I particularly enjoyed Nile Rodgers talk as he strummed his guitar. Rodgers has written songs for some of the greats – Bowie, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and more.
It is fun to follow the older folk tunes and folk artists alongside the newer pop music songs. I begin to wish some of these older folk artists would collaborate more with the younger musicians. A two way street though - experience and wisdoms might be passed on and the energy and enthusiasms of the younger artists could inspire and innovate. Mumford have cleverly mixed dance rhythms with folk tunes to great success
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Monday 10 December 2012
Is social mobility dead?
'Is social mobility
dead in the UK?
We are now ruled by unexceptional people with exceptional education.' British author Tony Parsons
There is
now no social mobility says Parsons.
From 1960
to 1975 we had five Prime Ministers who were from ordinary beginnings and who were educated at state schools - from Harold Wilson to John Major. Parson argues that there is now no way for that to happen now and the gap between
the rich and the poor has got wider.
The
argument against the Grammar schools is that they only lift up 20% - well the Comprehensives lift up zero per
cent! Some argue that Grammar school
selection is unfair - well life is tough
and life is unfair.That
selected group at least had a chance for university education - now it is zero
%.
What
happens now in schools is that mediocrity
is encouraged in preference to excellence.
I know
because my three children went through the present day school system recently.
No matter how much work for excellence my daughter put in her efforts were consistently
ignored while the less able were favoured. The attitude is that the bright
children will do well no matter. What message does this send out to the
children when high standards are ignored. My daughter is now training as a
paediatric doctor, thanks to her own efforts - and yes my chidlren all went to the local state school.
One thing
that does make a big difference is offering good nursery education, and a good
grounding in pre-skills BEFORE schooling even starts. We lived in America for ten years where my
older son was educated until he was six and he benefited greatly there from
the training given in Kindergarten school.
It is wrong
to say that the Grammar school system was inflexible. There was a young boy who
lived near me - he was immature at 11 and never made the Grammar school cut off,
but he started to perform well at secondary school and after two years he was
moved to the Grammar school and he went on to study for a science degree at university. In Scotland the Grammar schools were
known as secondary moderns.
Parson
states that the major parties are against social mobility and that we need to
put family back at the centre. British
author Tony Parsons on This Week BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/This_Week_06_12_2012/
Tony Parsons (born 6 November 1953) is a British journalist broadcaster and author.
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Kate and Morning Sickness
I post here mostly about music, art
and words but I digress here...
Kate Middleton's Morning Sickness. I've been
through it. I found it best to throw up an hour before meals! That way there
was some chance of keeping the meals down, oh dear. Also have regular small
protein snacks every few hours to keep blood sugar levels as normal as possible
- nuts, cheese, tuna, oatcakes, whatever you feel able to eat. Drink water in
small amounts regularly too. I remember
even smells in the food stores made me feel sick! Especially raw meat.
Also - DON'T TAKE ANY DRUGS for
morning sickness.
Sadly I was given an anti-sickness
drug with my second pregnancy and had a very scary drug reaction several days
later when my jaw started to freeze up and we had to drive to the emergency at
the hospital. This drug allergic reaction caused me to
loose the baby at 16 weeks a few weeks later. Drug allergies can be life
threatening. My very strong advice is -
DON'T take any medicine when you are pregnant.
I went on a few years later to have my beautiful daughter (not without the heartache of the loss though). I was sick again this time and sorry to say sickness can last most of the pregnancy, while it was better the last few months - and I took no drugs this time. Who says having a baby is easy! Maybe if men had to carry babies there would be less war and bloodshed I've wondered? I couldn't watch the news when I was pregnant.
I went on a few years later to have my beautiful daughter (not without the heartache of the loss though). I was sick again this time and sorry to say sickness can last most of the pregnancy, while it was better the last few months - and I took no drugs this time. Who says having a baby is easy! Maybe if men had to carry babies there would be less war and bloodshed I've wondered? I couldn't watch the news when I was pregnant.
It may well be a girl for Kate - I had two
boys and a daughter and was only sick with my daughter. I wish her well. : )
Ps Also shouldn't be called morning sickness, more like all day sickness. : (
Ps Also shouldn't be called morning sickness, more like all day sickness. : (
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Sunday 2 December 2012
Trip to the Royal Albert Hall
I headed to South
Kensington via bus and tube and for a late lunch at the V & A
café, where the pianist played under the ornate Victorian rooftops. I’ve seen
the Albert hall on tv with the Prom nights and for Adele’s triumphant concert
there in 2011, and I never imagined myself
going to a concert there. I headed past
the white stoned historic museums to Hyde Park
as the sun moved lower in the winter sky. I walked around the several entrances to
the hall. I am early so I went to the café first - I can’t quite
believe I am here and I wanted to savour the moments and those anticipations... I wondered
how emotional the sound check would be for Emeli - she has
put in so much work since I first heard her sing in Glasgow in 2007.
It feels
very strange to be in such an iconic venue. I entered the hall via the Stage Door entrance for my Pass. Professor Green came in shortly after! I
took in the images on the walls – in particular one memorable image of Frank
Sinatra as he waved to his enthralled audience, taken from the stage by
photographer David Redfern, I was in
awe!.
I will never forget ascending the
narrow steps that entered the arena the theatre’s red and gold lights shimmered
above us, where there were the shadow outlines of people on the tiered circle
galleries as spotlights hovered and I feel I have now entered a realm of
fantasy, folklore, mystique and hidden memories. The knowledge that dreams
can come true and Sande’s songs of hope.
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