The Word: Music / Winter 2014:15

the on the streetsAyrshire’s arts music & culture magazine Issue 1 Winter/Spring 2014/15

BARNSTORMERSThey came, they saw, they conquered.

Roman Nose and the electro invasion at Dalduff.

INSIDE: SOLDIER ON / CHRIS DOOKS/ SEAN KENNEDY / NIK KERSHAW/ SCOTT NICOL

Editor: Gerry CassidyM: 0798 543 9752E: gerry@ thewordayrshire.com

Writers:Gerry CassidyCraig McAllisterScott Wanstall

Design and Production:Raspberry Horse Limited97 Crofthead Road, Ayr KA7 3NE01292 268671

Advertising:01292 268671

Thanks:Ian WallaceSanchez Isle

Special mention to myhero and big brother,Mike Cassidy ;-)

the word is a

production

Nurturing Excellence in Arts and Culture ProgrammeSupporting talented young people to realise their full potential in the fi eld of arts and culture.

Are you or do you know a young person in North Ayrshire who has a talent in:

Creati ve writi ng Visual arts Music Dance New media art forms Drama Photography Film

The Nurturing Excellence inArts & Culture programme provides support and grantfunding to young people to access training professionaldevelopment and employment opportunities.

The programme is open to 11 - 25 year-olds in North Ayrshire who wish to improve their skills in their chosen art form.

Information on application forms available online at: www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/nurturingexcellence or telephone: 01294 274059

raspberryhorse

2 thewordonthestreets.co.uk

the music book

4-5

10-12

14-15

16-17

18-19

Scott Nicol on life inthe music business

Sound and vision: anew art collaboration

Not letting the sun godown: Nik Kershaw

Chris Dooks: Meet amulti-artist at home

Soldier On: Gigs,mods and videos

P8-9: Roman Nose, the interview

the arts parts

6-7

8-9

10-12

14-17

18-19

Sample the power of the written word

Sound and vision: anew art collaboration

Space: Have theybeen in contact?

From millionaireengneer to artist

Centrestage: a community at play

P13: Spooks out at Dean Castle

thewordonthestreets.co.uk 3

HOGMANAY HI-JINXn AYR’S Hogmanay Hootenanny shouldbe a blast this year. Hosted by panto starChris Taylor, the Ayr Town Hall eventfeatures music and fun from glamrockers Electric Warrior, the Peas, TheLounge Lizards and Francie & Josie.Doors open 7.30 and throwing-out timeis 1am. It’s a fundraiser for MalcolmSargent House, so well worth the £20ticket price. Tickets are available fromthe following outlets in Ayr: Body Art,Billy Bridges and The Black Bull. They’realso available at ticketweb.co.UK and viathe booking hotline on 08444 77 1000.Strictly 18+.

FATHERSON JET OFFn FATHERSON set out on a wee mini tourin December, with dates at LondonBorderline on the second, followed by PJMallows in Dunfermline on the sixth. Thefollowing week they’re supporting WeWere Promised Jetpacks at The Cluny,Newcastle, on the 12th and again atGlasgow Uni QMU on the 13th.

A FREW WEE EXTRAS n ALAN FREW has a hectic few monthslooming. December sees him playing inInverness, Skye, Perth and Balloch, beforea wee pre-Christmas home gig in Mojo inTroon. He’s also playing The Old IvyHouse in London. “I’m looking forward toit,” he says. “I haven’t been down thatway in a while, although I have played inLondon at the Troubador, The Bedfordand 12 Bar. Other than that, I have atour coming up in Spring in Holland,Germany and Denmark. I have also beenwriting, including some co-writing withStevie Young of The Imagineers andhave enough for a new album.”

PREACHING ONn PREACHER, whose stunning debutalbum met with great critical acclaim in2013, are working on new tracks for thefollow-up. Expect something special.

NEW YORK, New York,so good they bookedhim twice.

Little Fire will soon bepacking his bags andheading off to the US asa guest of the AmericanBurns Association.

It’s the third bit of goodnews he’s had followinga couple of months hesays were “a bit shit,really”. It comes on topof being the first artistever to record in BurnsCottage – and landing afull-time arts-based job.

Talking about hisinvitation to fly to theStates, he said: “The callcame out of the blue. Icouldn’t believe itbecause I thought I’dhad my chance a fewyears ago.”

The Ayr singer-songwriter had been

booked to play in NYCduring Tartan Week in2011 when familycircumstances meanthe’d had to pull out atthe last minute. But nowhe will have a chance tolaunch his new Burnscollection in New York.

“I’ve tried mainly tokeep away from theBurns songs that peoplehave already recordedbefore.Eddi Readermade a great job ofBurns on her own CDand I didn’t want peoplealways comparing my

version with hers.Meanwhile, there’s the

launch of his own long-awaited debut album,High Hopes, at Oran Mor.

Among the tracks aresome gigging favouritesas well as a brace ofnew songs, includingHave You Seen TheMoon, which he wrotewith Damien Rice at afestival in Switzerlandlast autumn. He hasalso played besideAndrew Roachford, KingCreosote and JoanArmatrading, above.

America callingLittle Fire: Wewant you here!

Pict

ure

© K

ARE

N G

ILLE

SPIE

IT’S been a great year for Soldier On,with gigs at King Tut’s, The Hard RockCafe and a series of dates for March ofthe Mods including appearances inGlasgow, Manchester and Liverpool.

They also released their first EP, Eggsfor Breakfast, with a brilliant videodirected by Árpád Horváth.

Among the other highlights were datesat scooter rallies, a gig at the Buff Club inGlasgow and a surreal slot at MotherwellBeer Festival.

“That was a cracking event”, leadvocalist Jordan Bastock laughs. “Theremust have been 500-600 people there totry all kinds of beers – Jamaican,

Canadian and Northern Irish – it wascrazy. Everybody was really tanking itand there we were playing our music.

“But we got a really good receptionfrom them and it was a great chance toplay our own songs in front of a verydifferent audience.”

Gig-wise, Soldier On’s scheduled workfor 2014 came to an end with arousing gig at The Clubhouse intheir home town of Irvine onNovember 7.

But that didn’t signalearly holidays for Jordanand the rest of theband – bass player Liam

Lambert, guitarists Ben Prescott andStevie Hunter and drummer Ross Butler.

They’re already planning their next EP,preparing for a nine-date March of theMods tour and getting to work on theirown short film, The Clingfilm Kid, a minirock opera, which they’re planning torelease in May.

Jordan has written thestoryboard and the script

for the film and theband will take his

songs into thestudio andcontinue to workon them until

SOLDIERS OF


they are finely-honed Soldier On songs.Jordan explains the thought process

behind the film: “The story is basicallyabout three differentiating states ofmind. Each state of mind representsdifferent emotions.

“These emotions are present throughthe music, the storyline and the actionstaken by the Clingfilm Kid.

“The film will include physicalrecordings and animations.”

He adds: “I want it to have the samedramatic underpinning as Quadrapheniaand I want the songs to follow on likethey do in Pink Floyd’s Wish You WereHere.

But it’s March of the Mods that yoususpect is uppermost in the bandmembers’ minds.

They’re steeped in mod culture andtake their influences from like-mindedbands and musicians such as the Jam,Oasis, Paul Weller and the Gallaghersamong others.

But it’s not all about style. MOTM wasdreamed up a couple of years ago toraise awareness and cash for theTeenage Cancer trust.

An increasing number of venues andacts across Britain have joined in alongthe years and in 2015 Soldier On havealready committed to events in

Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh andSouthampton.

Meanwhile, there’s that second EP torecord and market. If you haven’talready seen the vide for Eggs ForBreakfast, do yourself a favour and seekit out on YouTube now.

It clocked up close on 4000 viewswithin the first couple of months and it’snot hard to see why it is so popular. Itsums up the wit and creativity of theband. Check it out.

You can also catch up on band news,dates and events on their website:wearesoldieron.com and via theirFacebook page.

FORTUNE Soldier On, picturedfrom left: Ben, Liam,Ross, Jordan, Stevie


NOBODY knew quite what to expectfrom A Night of Archaic Resonance.Great bands, yes, a cool setting, yes,good ticket sales, yes. And yet... therewas that niggling feeling that it couldall go wrong.

What if... the sound was crap, theweather was vile or nobody turned up?

But guess what? It was a howlingsuccess.

So there were a few light showers. Sowhat? I piss on your half-hearted rainclouds. The crowd were here to partyand that’s exactly what they did.

And what a crowd. It was Hallowe’enand the costumes came in every accentof crazy. Scary, funny, tragic, awesome, itwas fancy dress through aprism. All of life was here.

Inside the T-shapedconverted barn at DalduffFarm the foot-thick wallsseemed to vibrate with thethrobbing rhythms.

Lasers sliced their multi-coloured paths mercilesslythrough the frenzied crowdin an endless shower offluorescent streamers.

It was party time for thepsychedelic at heart andeveryone was lapping upevery minute of it, knowingthey were all part of a veryspecial music event.

Outside the barn, the airwas refreshingly cool as wired-up raverspaused for a cigarette or a breath of airin the moonlit courtyard.

A couple of minutes for a chat, a drink,a seat in the chill room or a visit to theloo. Then back in to the barn where theDJs and bands were squeezing every lastdrop out of the sound as the midnightdeadline approached.

This was the first ever Night of ArchaicResonance. Ayrshire hasn’t seenanything quite like this before.

But if there is any justice in the worldthis will be just the first of many nightsof Archaic Resonance. Dalduff, be warned.


Dalduff:

Fire-breathingJordan Bryce,left, in devil get-up washell-raiser-in-chief with hisspectacular act

Hallowe’en night of


I feel that A Night of ArchaicResonance was a success. As afresh-faced business owner Ithrew myself into a worldwhere only the strong willedsurvive and I only just brokeeven.

However, I can still feel theamazing atmosphere that wascreated by people fromdifferent backgrounds and agegroups coming together andsimply enjoying great music,which made it all worth it!

The acts themselves wereabsolutely fantastic, with AcidHouse, Glitch, Kraut, ElectroRock & Electro Dub allperforming through fire, strobe& laser riddled fog. We pulledtogether a show that will notbe forgotten in a hurry!!!

As a business owner, Icontinue to find flaws in mywork which I will rectify in thefuture, but as an individual anda music lover I could not haveasked for more!

I managed to gather acollective of artists and peoplewho I felt would provide thepeople of Ayrshire with achance to experience what isout there at the moment…Scotland is alive with amazingand vibrant musical/creativetalent, and this event hasproved that we can forge newpaths for ourselves if we onlyTRY!

Now it’s your turn!

POST MORTEMBy Scott Wanstall

trick and treat

T-t-t-t-tatt’s all, folks!SCOTLAND Ink’s amazing mobiletattoo studio was press-gangedinto use as the ‘green room’.

The converted 1970s single-decker doubled up as thedressing room and chill-out areafor the bands on the night.

Outside it’s just your averagepast-its-best old bus, but inside ithas been transformed into a fully

functioning tattoo studio with allthe fittings, all meeting stricthealth and hygiene requirements.

It has been spectacularlysprayed by some of ScotlandInk’s star international tattooartists.

It’s available for private parties,too. Call Scotland Ink on 01292738405 or visit scotlandink.co.uk

A Night of Archaic Resonance

ROMAN NOSEElectro ThugsCRASH CLUBElectro FunkBIRDHEADElectro/KrautVIRUS ULOADElectro GlitchCHIGS + TECHIPAcid TechnoTHE WISE GOLDFISHElectro Madness

Dalduff FarmOctober 31 2014

musical excess a stunning success

With reference to the band’s glowingreviews, are you happy with the progress

of Roman Nose? Did you expect people to reactso well to the group’s overall representation orwas it all part of a well laid out marketing plan?

How was the band created? Did youalready know each other, or was there

some sort of mystical meeting?

We had moved in the same circles for awhile but we properly met at a friend’s

exhibition, exchanged some stories andpromised to hang out again. A few monthslater we were offered a support slot for theGlitch Mob but we weren’t really a ‘band’ atthat point so we bought a projector and someski masks - easy as that.

As a band from the glorious city that isGlasgow, Do you have any interesting

stories to share with the readers?

Because the three of us are prettyheadstrong, we fall out pretty easily. We

took the caravan down to play a festival inDerby a few months ago and had a massivefight inside it after the show. Suffice it to say,it’s very hard to throw a good punch whenyou’re standing in a 2 metre squared box.That’s probably been our highest point.

To continue with the previous questionstheme, what advice would you have for

an aspiring band / project trying to break intothe Glasgow scene? Did you have to work hard,or did you know key figures in the city?

Cetin is Turkish so he has absolutely noqualms with knocking on certain

doors. Perhaps ‘intimidation’ is a strong termbut it’s perhaps the correct way to describehow we have got certain gigs, that andobviously working hard!

What are your initial thoughts ofsmaller local events such as A Night of

Archaic Resonance? Are they still relevant toa band’s overall growth if they are alreadymaking waves in the bigger cities andfestivals?

We turn down more gigs than we take onand that’s been our rule of thumb since

the beginning. If the venue suits us then we gofor it. “A Night of Archaic Resonance” certainlyfits our criteria when it comes to the physicalspace itself.

SCOTT WANSTALL makes discreet enquiriesof Roman Nose, headliners of the legendary

A Night of Archaic Resonanceat Dalduff Farm


occult / masonic nature throughout yourshows?

The masks obviously aren’t the mostoriginal idea ever realised but it suits us

for a number of reasons. Its make-believe andit allows you to act differently. It also allows usto easily replace the first one of us to quit.

The occult imagery is purely aesthetic. We likedark music of all genres from metal to witchhouse so the 2 go hand in hand really.

At a previous show I noticed a lot of videoclips that almost serve as a warning to the

attendees, with subjects ranging from Fascism& Animal Rights to Orwellian visions of thefuture (the all seeing eye of “Big Brother” forinstance), Are these subjects that the band’smembers feel passionate about?

It’s another way of presenting ourselves,another avenue for artistic expression. We

are trying to create a visual language to fit themusic. It’s for people to interpret however theysee fit. Although at times some personal

propaganda might slip through the net! Butthen there’s no point in having a platform toengage with people if all you’re going to dois write a fucking album about how muchyou miss your ex and having a photo of heron the wall!

What are your plans (If any) for thefuture? Do you have any long term

goals set out or do you just prefer go withthe flow? Do you plan to record withAcoustic drums from now on?

We are always trying to evolve, eitherin the studio or on stage. As an

electronic band we try our best to play aslive as possible. That’s meant using acousticdrums, live projections and even electric guitarand bass. We try our best to make every showa bit different and the more control you haveover all aspects, the easier that is to do.

Ok, the last words are for you! Tell ussomething important!

Alice Glass left Crystal Castles last week sowe are going to Toronto to find her.

We never really intended on being a bandas such, so it’s all positive. It’s just a

hobby that we are good at and as long as thatremains true, then there’s no such thing as ashit gig or a bad review.

Can you talk a bit about the visual aspectof Roman Nose? Why have you decided to

wear masks and project various symbols of an



WHEN you hear about Alloway,what’s the first thing that comesinto your head? Burns? Anaffluent suburb of Ayr? The Kirk inthe old village? Wedding venues?The back of a Clydesdale fiver?

Probably not a guy in a smalloffice where the weight ofhundreds of vinyl records are

bending the floorboards, wheresprawled out on a table are riflemicrophones, mixing desks, minianalogue synthesisers, and over onthis table, several cultural productsto sell; on vinyl, Blu-ray, cd and dvd.So here I am, welcome to mycreative nook, which I informallycall Mount Oliphant Electronics…

AllowayMade

in


Some thoughts on vinyl, Scotland and Ayr in 2014. By Chris Dooks, filmmaker, artist, musician

‰

Robert Burns Birthplace Museumhas become the main draw formany in visiting Alloway. I’vecertainly become fond of sculptorKenny Hunter’s seven-foot highenchanting/disturbing wee tim'rousbeastie plonked en-route to it. Butmy creative life in Alloway has yetto directly encounter the bardhead-on as I wander aroundRozelle, into the village shop, pastthe cottage and meander intoBelleisle Park.

We might meet on a night walksomewhere as I wander down TheLoaning listening to German musiclabels on my iphone with namessuch as Kompakt, PAN or KareokeKalk. I do like a contemplative nightwalk. I sometimes emerge in theearly hours to clear my head frommy studio work, or kill some timewaiting for a wholemeal diabeticloaf to complete in my breadmachine. Sometimes I imagine theghost of the bard looking o’er agreen box plonked on the end ofour street where BT have recentlyinstalled fibre-optic broadband.What would he make of the phrase‘BT Infinity’ and of call centres inBangalore? Everyone else seems tobe in bed.

When I moved here, I foundAlloway to be a ‘neutral’ location. Itis so suburban and quiet that itallowed me to be myself. The workI make hasn’t become ‘about’ itdirectly, but it definitely has had aninfluence. Alloway is still a poeticplace, and keeps that energyflowing if you can look past theneat trellises and hedges. Perhaps

there is something in the ley-lineshere that has made the last half adecade a prolific time in mymultimedia work, which at themoment, happens to be about vinylrecords.

I am sat in the café in RozelleHouse, proofing the new 12” recordcovers for the last in a vinyl trilogythat will be launched in Berlin,London and Ayr in 2015. It’s thelast in a series of fairly niche audioartworks I have been making formy PhD that is hopefully nearingcompletion. Between 2011 and2014, three records were made ineditions of 500; the first is about adying harmonium in a barn nearLockerbie and the second featuresAyrshire voices speaking about theuniverse (some are Polish, some areAyr-born, some are English – theuniverse doesn’t care).

And finally, fresh off the press - inthe spirit of an entente-cordiale –the third LP I have been proofinghere with my coffee, features pipebands rehearsing in localcompetitions on Side One (recordedat Rozelle), followed by a dawnchorus / soundscape sourced inAlloway, and on Side Two the samemethodologies are carried out inthe South of France featuring thescratchy sound of insects,specifically cicadas. You mightthink, ‘what have bagpipes got todo with French insects?’ – well, theyboth have a kind of ‘Marmite’ effecton the public. I don’t think I need toelaborate.

One thing that only buying theserecords (Ian at Big Sparra in Ayr will

sort you out with them) will explainis how they are tied into thephenomenon of having ChronicFatigue Syndrome, or M.E. – andthere’s not enough space to talkabout that here, although the linksat the end of this article will allowyou to investigate further if you like.

I’ve been here in Ayr for six yearsnow, and I started my life here bygetting married and putting on afew experimental arts events withmy wife, featuring culturalluminaries like Janice Galloway,Alan Bisset, Alasdair Roberts,Wounded Knee and astronomerand author Pippa Goldschmidt (allof which have been archived atwww.ayrtime.org). Then we had ababy. And then we had another.

Ellie (Eleanor Thom) is an author.Her Scots-language The Tin Kinmade a notable literary dent acrossScotland the year we appearedhere. We used to live in Glasgow.We chose to spend our time herebecause we needed quiet. We cameto work. We work from home a lotof the time. We ended up doingPhDs at the University of the Westof Scotland in the new campus.There’s not enough linking betweenthe university and the town in myview, something I hope to changesomeday.

Ellie and I have been working oursocks off here in such a way thatsome of the folks that got to knowus in ’09 are just beginning to seeus emerge from this suburb againfive years later (big shout out toAyrshire Astronomical Society)! Wemade those babies in the process,


without leaving, my Alloway officehas become essential to me andshaped the projects that have comeout of the front door and throughthe village’s slowly improvingbroadband connection (where weleft Burns pondering the greenboxes at the end of the streetearlier)…

I am an internationalist who willdo everything in my power toremain someone who works andcelebrates the local andinternational together. I’mpassionate about broadbandinternet (see a theme emerginghere!?) and the better connected Iam, the more self-sufficient I canbe despite being ill. That way, I canquickly upload my film works tovimeo, to be shared at highdefinition in Japan and the easier itis to hear a German musician Ifancy bringing to Ayr, and the easierit is to work with my masteringengineer in San Fransico whoproduced my last yellow vinyl I waschecking, in Rozelle House…

So it really isn’t a mad idea to seeRobert Burns wandering around

Alloway checking the broadbandconnection, keeping BT on their toes(which they do need). People comehere for Burns, but we have to makesure it’s not a one-way dialogue forAlloway and Ayr, or even Ayrshire.

So. It’s with little literary gracethat I slam on the breaks! All ofthese words are basically a longpreamble into several links. That’sall. But there’s a few and I reallywant you to visit them. I’d even likeyou to buy some of the works!Although I sometimes do creativeswaps.

OK! There are seven links here –

linking to various parts of mycreative life, all of which have beenmade in Alloway, directly orindirectly. Enjoy them. And thendrop me a line if you like them!

www.idioholism.com/www.tinygeographi.es /chrisdooks.bandcamp.com /www.dooks.org / and one from Ellie:www.eleanorthom.com/podcast/TinKin.mp3

Lots of love from Alloway, ChrisDooks xxx [email protected]

surely that’s the real story here? Butthere are ‘other children’ emergingalso. My other babies. The non-human kind.

I make records and films but notin Berlin or London, instead, inAlloway. And I haven’t givenAlloway the credit it deserves inhow it co-produced the work withme. I just wanted to put somethingon record (literally) that says there’sfolk like me here. Odd folk. I thinkwhen people think of Alloway, theyimagine it to be a little gentrified oreffete. But I’m neither of thosethings. And partly one of themotivations for dropping these fewwords down was to see if I was theonly one. Or Ellie. I wanted just tosay hello – because it can be, notexactly lonely here in the studio, butI don’t have many local work-mates. So maybe this is a quickcommercial break to join me onTwitter @bovinelife or I’ll leave anemail at the end.

In 2013 I pursued a largecommission to see if someone withmy illness could make a feature-length work. Funded by VisitScotland and Creative Scotland andmanaged by Woodend Barn inBanchory, I made Tiny Geographies– six related short films all aboutAberdeenshire and Chronic FatigueSyndrome. But it was in my Allowaystudio-office that it was edited,some of the most intensive work Ihave ever done. I had to go on BBCRadio Scotland to chat about it withJanice Forsyth, not in Aberdeen –that was where my boss was sat inan un-manned studio, whilst I wassat in (drum roll) the Ayr studio!Although this wasn’t technically myoffice, it was a tiny un-manned BBCstudio in Ayr near the old harbour. Ididn’t even know we had a BBCstudio here.

But generally, in my creative life, alot of my work happens here. It ismy aim one day to do some kind ofregular broadcast from Alloway orAyr on an online platform. I’malready doing it with workcollaborations and I was an earlychampion of the internet since themid-nineties. And that stood me ingood stead for when I became ill(about sixteen years ago now, seewww.afme.org.uk).

I have forged internationalcollaborations via broadband withartists (who you need to google)such as Machinefabriek andbecause I often go for 48 hour-longstretches working, cooking, editingand being a dad in the house,


Irvine’s Sean Kennedy is a goodold-fashioned singer-songwriter.

In the fickle world of music, fadsand fashions come and go, butthere will always be a place for theartists blessed with the gift ofmelody and the ability to delivertheir songs with heartfelt passion.Sean falls into this category.

In the four years since Sean beganwriting and recording, he’s seen allmanner of reality TV ‘stars’ boomand bust, as their one big hit ishastily followed-up by a quickly puttogether album and ever-diminishing sales. All this time, Seanhas honed his act and his art,worked on his craft and has quietlygone about turning himself into oneof the best prospects our local scenehas produced.

Earlier this year he spent threemonths in Nashville, making theright connections, writing songs andplaying for everyone and anyone,making sure he got himself knownStateside.

“I left for Nashville knowing onlytwo people out there, when I left Ihad met so many. I worked withsome great songwriters andmusicians and I got to know someincredible producers, who I’ll be nodoubt working with in the future.”

Much of Sean’s time in Nashvillewas spent playing in Writers’ Rounds– songwriting sessions where agroup of songwriters play newmaterial to one another – “a greatway of showcasing new songs!”Sean’s music is perfect for thecountrified deep south, and he andNashville really hit it off. In fact he’salready planning a return trip for“more shows, writing sessions andthe possibility of moving there oneday.”

In the summer, Sean was invited

to perform in Ibiza and filmed avideo for Ibiza Uncut’s online TVshow. You’ll can watch Sean’sepisode online. In a bizarre twist,the video was filmed in the samehouse where previously Sean hadworked on his music with DuranDuran’s Andy Taylor. He’s a well-connected young man, is our Sean.

It’s the live arena where Sean’ssongs really come alive though, andluckily he’s been playing a lotrecently. Recently, he’s popped up inGlasgow, Motherwell and Irvine.Equally at home on stage as a soloperformer or with his band, Sean isslowly but surely creating a namefor himself.

The next few months are plannedout for Sean. “I’m having great funwith the band just now. I’m planningout my album release date with atour of Scotland, England andpossibly the US.”

A local musician withinternational ambitions, Sean isclearly in this business for the longhaul and it’s surely only a matter oftime before his hard work pays off.You can check out Sean’s work viawww.seanckennedy.com and theusual social media outlets.

EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

n Echo Valley are an alternative rock bandfrom Ayr. Over the past year, we haveheadlined King Tuts Wah Wah Hut twice tosold out crowds, been on tour up and downthe country and played at prestigious venuessuch as the Ayr Town Hall and Glasgow'sfamous QMU. n With an average age of only 18, we feelthings are only just beginning for us.n We take our influences from bands such asPixies, Nirvana, the Cure.n Echo Valley's sound has a melancholicundertone which is bolstered together withgritty guitars and a pop sensibility.We are planing a Single and an EP for nextyear with a tour, and hopefully a bunch offestival dates. Going to a few places we havenever been before.n We are most excited about going into a prolevel studio to record with producer CharlieLindsay, and we are really excited about ournew material.n If you want to catch us live, we have threeshows booked for the rest of the year. We'replaying a hometown show in Crumbs NCocktails with Brothers on November 22, UWS'international exchange gig at The Admiral inGlasgow on November 27 and we’resupporting Hector Bizerk at PJ Molloy's inDunfermline on December 5. n To keep updated with gigs and all info makesure to like our page atwww.facebook.com/EchoValleyBand andfollow us on Twitter: @EchoValleyuk

Echo Valley

PERSONNEL: Daniel

Taylor: bass & vocals;

David Henderson:

drums; brothers

Shaun and Liam

McCluskey: guitars

Guitarist Shaun McLuskey introduces us to Echo Valley

Craig McAllisterVIEWPOINT

Sean Kennedy


Nik Kershaw holds the record for thefastest-selling ticket in the history of theHarbour Arts Centre in Irvine. He recentlyplayed two sell-out shows at the venue.CRAIG MCALLISTER had questions for him.

What was the first music you can remember hearing? I grew up in a very musical house. Mymum was an operatic singer and my dadwas a flautist for an orchestra. Atgrammar school I’d played violin andaround the house there was always lotsof classical music playing. Amongst ourtiny record collection was LonnieDonegan’s Battle of New Orleans. Thiswas the first record I memorised all thewords to. The record that made thebiggest impression was Simon &Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water.Then in 1973 I saw a David Bowie ZiggyStardust documentary on the BBC and Ithought, “That’s for me!”Tell us about your first forays intoplaying music.My friend and I would get together. He’dbe Mick Ronson and I’d be David Bowie.We played Slade, T Rex, all the glam rockstuff. I really liked early Genesis withPeter Gabriel. But I also liked Deep Purpleand Led Zeppelin. I was a skinhead for awhile, so I listened to nothing but reggae.All of this filtered into my own playing.When did you realise you could make aliving from music?At the age of 17 I’d chucked my A-Levelsand was working in the UnemploymentBenefit office. A local band asked me tojoin on guitar. They played all the hard

notes; Steely Dan, Weather Report, all theprog stuff and for three years I learnedmy trade. I gave up working whilstearning a living playing music. Therecession put the band out of work so Ibought a little portastudio and startedwriting my own songs. These eventuallygot me my record deal.Then MCA Records signed you in 1983.They did. I had a grand plan. All mysongs were fully formed. I knew wherethe drums would go, how the hornswould sound, what the bassline was.Really, the records were bigger, bettersounding versions of my demos. I had agreat producer who allowed me to dowhat I wanted. On those first two LPs Iplayed everything myself. Suddenly you found yourself in thepublic eye, with hit singles and instantrecognition everywhere you went.That 2/3 year period is all a bit of a blur.You don’t get a letter through the postsaying ‘That’s you made it, Mr Kershaw!’It suddenly occurs to you that things arenot normal. I did lots of Top Of The Pops.I always seemed to be on with TheSmiths. There was an unwritten rule thatwe sat in the Smash Hits corner of thestudio and they sat in the NME corner. Itwas very tempting to follow Morrisseyand take a pair of secateurs to thosegladioli.During that period, was there ever atime when you thought, Enough’senough. I just want a normal life?In the music business there’s probably nosuch thing as a normal life! MCA gave mea four album deal, but by the release of

my fourth LP I’d had enough of the ‘popstar’ thing. I was beginning to lookelsewhere, thinking about writing songsfor others. I was playing Wembley Arenawith Elton John. At the soundcheck I wastold my contract wasn’t being renewed.So I was half-pushed and I half-jumped. You then wrote The One And Only,which Chesney Hawkes took to Number1. How did that feel?It was a bizarre feeling. I was aware ofthe work, the stress, the aggravation thatChesney had gone through to get toNumber 1. But I was able to sit back andwatch it all with a large glass of merlot inhand, free from the stress.Ayrshire is a hot bed of musical activity.There are lots of new bands playinglocal venues. What advice can you giveto bands and artists starting out?Well, the music business has changedbeyond all recognition in the 30 yearssince I landed a record deal. Nowadaysbands don’t need a record company inorder to release material, but that comeswith disadvantages as well as advantages.In the 1980s I could record with the bestproducers in the most expensive studios.The industry was awash money when Istarted out. My main advice is ‘love whatyou do’. Not everyone will like what youdo, but that’s OK. Make sure you havesomething to say and say it with passion.Play to as many people as possible. Takeall the gigs, no matter where they are orwho you’re playing to. This is whatshapes you as a musician. If you’reserious about your music, your audiencewill find you.

NIK KERSHAWFrom classical music to Top of the Pops via Bowie, Slade and Led Zeppelin

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At Top of the Pops it was verytempting to follow Morrisseyand take a pair of secateurs

to those gladioli

My friend and I would get together.He’d be Mick Ronson and I’d beDavid Bowie. We played Slade, T Rex, all the glam rock stuff

“

“

Sky-highdevotionScott Nicol: My passion formusic is stronger than everWITH his ninth CD nowavailable as a download oniTunes, Scott Nicol is as busy asever... and showing no sign ofslowing down.

His 2015 diary is alreadyfilling up with a short tour inthe States pencilled in for Apriland a couple of gigs later thatmonth already confirmed forAberdeen.

Scott Nicol is nothing if not agrafter. Most weekends he’spulling crowds at someAyrshire venue or another – ifhe’s not booked to play furtherafield. He took part in the two-day minifest #CS2014 whereunsigned acts took the stageto perform in Glasgow Central.

Earlier in the year, Scott andhis band The Limitless Skylaunched their latest CD, HighVelocity, storming through aclutch of songs from the 14-track collection.

Lending support were musicbuddies John Duffy and SimonAtkinson, with short sets alsofrom Erin McEvoy, Elisa Poli,Chloe Simpson and Sean CKennedy.

The event closed with aspontaneous version of King ofLeons’ Beautiful War. Scottcommented later: “It waselectrifying! It had the wholeplace on their feet and provedto be an amazing end to amost memorable night.”

The new album will not be adisappointment to the fans.There are shades ofSpringsteen in some of therockier numbers, withVelodrome and the title trackamong the stand-out titles ona very accomplished collection.

There are more thoughtful,quieter moments, too on theplaintive Factories andRomantic Notions.

And as if his own live datesweren’t time-consumingenough for someone runninghis own building business, he is investigating newopportunities in musicbusiness management. He hasset up Possibility Screams,aimed at nurturing the talentsof breakthrough acts andsetting them along the road tofulfilling their own ambitions.

He has decades of usefulexperience to share in abusiness which is infamous forexploiting then mercilesslydiscarding young hopefuls.

Scott’s come a long waysince he first took to the stage,aged 15, in a punk band calledThe Vice. Now, while the musicis a bit more melodic, his fieryenthusiasm still burns fiercely.

He admits to a fewdisappointments along theway, but insists: “I am morepassionate about what I donow than I was 20 years ago.”

Then he reveals the mantrathat he lives by: “There’s asaying that goes somethinglike: As long as your regretsdon’t overtake your dreamsyou will never be old.”

And regrets, yes, he’s had afew, but then again...

One particular regretoccurred around 10 years agowhen he had every reason tobelieve that he was finally onthe verge of a decent, long-awaited break. Scott, who hasmore than a dozen songs outwith three publishingcompanies in the States, got acall from London about a songhe had written called Beauty inthe Midst of Chaos.

“This was a guy who hasworked with Cat Stevens andDavid Bowie,” he says. “I sentthe song down to him and


I got a call from guy in Londonabout a song I had written. Thiswas a guy who had worked withCat Stevens and David Bowie... He flew me down twice to record,but in the end nothing happened

then he called me back, twicein the one day. When thathappens, you really feel you’reon to something.

“So he flew me down toLondon – twice – to record.They were talking about itbeing released as a charitysingle. Paul Jones, who sangwith Manfred Mann, was on it.

It was like: ‘Wow! I can’tbelieve this.’ I was gettingphone calls at work and beingtold they were talking to thefather of the Bedingfields andat one point they even saidthey might have Sting involved.Then nothing happened.

“Band Aid 20 came out justabout that time and I thinkthey must have thought therewas no point in bringing oursong out. That was a realdisappointment. To be built up so high and then havenothing happen. A bitdisappointing, to say the least,but you pick yourself up andmove on,” he adds, showingthe kind of grit that has takenhim through the highs andlows of a lifetime in the biz.

TLS is the band Scottcurrently fronts. Sort of. Thething is, there are two bandscalled TLS, and both of themfeature Scott as singer andsongwriter. One TLS – TheLimitless Sky – gig around theUK while the other TLS – TheLuminous Storm – get togetherfor Scott’s dates in the US.

Through a combination ofhard work, creating his ownchances and the benefits ofthe internet, he has developeda bit of a following across theAtlantic, particularly inWisconsin, where the secondTLS are based. “The first time Iever went to the Statesproperly to play was in 2003,”

he says. “To get thatopportunity, all I did wasliterally call round radio and TVstations in America from myhome in Prestwick.

“And because you have aninternet presence they cancheck you out and see whetherthey like you. Through doingthat I got slots on TV and radioand a few gigs. Since then Ihave played over there a fewtimes, in New York, Nashville,Florida and Houston.

“US audiences are great. Ihave found that if they like youthey will buy your CD at theend of the gig, more so thanpeople over here.

“They are also less ageist. Ihave fans in my audiencesaged 10 and I have played inschools. One of the biggestgigs I have done was in a UShigh school. I have played inenormous gym halls where onefull side is chock-a-block andthe audience are all agedbetween 12 and 18.

“Over there, if they like you,they like you, simple as that.”

So what does Scott put hislongevity down to?

“I think I’ve just got better, ifI’m allowed to say that,” helaughs. “Of course, you shouldget better if you do somethinglong enough.

“I am also lucky in that therehas always been a demand forthe type of music I play. I havehoned my act over the yearsand become a bit better –though maybe other peoplewould disagree.”

You can check that out foryourself by searching forScott’s music and videos onYouTube and CDBaby. And ifyou’d like to check out his livesound, take a look at hisFacebook page for gig details.


“


TAKE one Ayrshire musician, add an international multi award-winning Hungarian photographer and what do you get? StaraZagora, a multimedia partnership embarking on what promises tobe a stunning collaboration.

Of course to call Sean McGeoch just a musician and just aphotographer does a great disservice to both. Sean has been craftingsongs for a decade and the beautiful, haunting, ethereal tunes on theStara Zagora Soundcloud demonstrate what a special talent he has.

Árpád, meanwhile, is a photographer, film-maker and graphic artistwith a list of awards as long as your arm.

They met when Árpád took pictures for Selective Service, a bandSean played drums with. Sean says: “He did some really amazing andcreative pictures for the band. He's really easy to work with cause youknow he has a natural eye for a good picture.

“He's just awesome, can't really say much more. He is able toconvey in one picture what every artistic person feels about life...if thatmakes any sense.”

Although Stara Zagora is described as “a one-man project” Árpádregards himself as very much part of the act. “Yes, I do the visual partof Sean’s music,” he observes. And that Hungarian name? “It means‘city of poets’ in Bulgarian,” he adds.

As an accomplished short film maker, Árpád made a stunning videofor another Ayrshire band, Soldier On. Are there plans for Sean andÁrpád to make videos?

“I certainly hope so.,” Sean says. “I only started the Stara Zagoraproject a couple of months ago. I've been a bit of a frustratedsongwriter for a while so just decided one day I would just record abunch of songs on my own playing everything and not worry about ittoo much. I was delighted Àrpàd took an interest and I hope we canwork together for a long time to come.’

Reflecting on his inspiration for his music, Sean says: “I have lots ofinfluences. From an early age I fell in love with Radiohead and SigurRos. I have always loved ethereal sounding music and sounds thatmake you feel something you will never be able to explain in words. Iget really into one artist and do them to death so when I got intoolder folk music like Dylan and Neil Young I exhausted them. I hopethe music I love shines through.”

Sean, who lives in Dundonald and attended Marr College in Troonsays he is very keen to perform live, but has no firm plans as yet. “It'sstill very early days. I have 10 years worth of songs pestering me nightand day and I hope to get out and play them soon. I hope to hit theground running...” After a few evasive answers, he finally concedes:“I'm desperate to play live. I want to tear shit up! In a melancholicway of course. I would say I'll definitely have a gig by January.”

I’ll be having a ticket for that one, thankyouverymuch. See you there.No go and take a look/listen at: • soundcloud.com/stara-zagora

• soundcloud.com/sean • soundcloud.com/ager and both Sean’s andÁrpád’s Facebook pages.

SOUNDand vision

Two class acts collaboratein a project of great beauty

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WORD2 arts_newWord Pilot 21/11/2014 10:47 Page 19

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The Word: Music / Winter 2014:15