Named after the debut single by Teenage Fanclub.
This blog is all about being a music lover in Glasgow; reviews, interviews, memories, old faves, new discoveries (past and present), playlists and more. Thanks for visiting - I hope you discover something amazing you have never heard before, or that you rediscover an old favourite.
Regular features/playlists; Never Ending Mixtape / Cover Version of the Month/ Trust Me.
Insta - @everythingflowsglasgow
The lovely Lloyd who runs Olive Grove Records has brought his label family together to celebrate Christmas and to raise awareness and funds for a cause close to his own family's heart. All of the profits that are made from the album are going to be donated to CDH UK, a charity who support and advise families who are affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). My son Luke was born with CDH three years ago this month, so it means a lot to me to be able to give something back to families who might not have been as lucky as ours.
The Olive Grove Records family have done Lloyd proud with an eclectic and beautiful album.
Pocket Knife really caught my ear and demanded an immediate repeat listen with a song called Half The Presents which addresses Jesus being such a capricorn and assesses some of the traits that make him such.
There is an early Belles bassline that keeps a loose indie groove throughout the song, spoken word starsign patter and a great melody and humour throughout. This is rather brilliant and rather promising for what Pocket Knife will deliver in 2018. Can't wait to see them live.
My own sister has 3-songs on the album including 2 duets with Eugene Kelly (Vaselines/Eugenius/). Carla's natural sense of melody and flow pours out on to Christmas Eve Alone and talks of her love working late while she wants an open fire, to be toasting marshmallows and watching Christmas movies. In turn Eugene promises he'll be home for Christmas Eve to the sound of Christmas bells ringing. The song breaks into a real flow and the voices combine beautifully.
Carla's song Spending Every Christmas Day With My Boy (about her old cat!) was on her Homemade Lemonade album and it has another heartfelt melodic flow to it.
The trilogy is complete with another cracker (xmas pun!) It's Starting To Snow (Please Be Mine). You would never guess that she counts Phil Spector'sA Christmas Gift For You as a favourite! :-)
You are my winter sunshine
You are my Christmas time
Campfires In Winter simply call their song Christmas Song and call to burn the tree, have fun and get out of hand. The performance mataches the lyrics - great fun, great sound.
Randolph's Leap drop in with a fragile beauty that contains some great lyrics, sung with tender care over a sparse acoustic guitar that rises with the introduction of some considerate beats, organ, percussion and keys.
There were moments when Santa Claus
Wasn't sure who he was
He's got a sleigh to ride
But baby it's warm outside
As the climates change
That doesn't seem so strange
Henry and Fleetwood come up with the goods, The State Broadcasters have that tender gorgeousness that Lloyd seems to spot in artists and Woodenbox come up with a wonderfully warm soaring song that captures all of their strengths. Then we have Jo Mango with a beautifully slow and melodic song and The Son(s) with some glorious guitars.
There really isn't a bad track on the album. The initial pressing has already run out but head to Monorail or Love Music in Glasgow for physical copies. You can download from Olive Grove's band camp page or stream on Spotify.
There are many great things about being a music lover. Discovering great music is one thing, sharing is another, meeting inspiring people through a shared love, one more.
Lloyd Meredith of Olive Grove Records is someone who discovers, shares and inspires. His enthusiasm is infectious, his energy is enviable.
I met Lloyd when I started blogging and his Peenko blog was one I always read and enjoyed. We met through gigs, blogs and a shared love of music and I'll back up what most people will say - Lloyd is hands down one of the most lovely, loyal and hard working people you will ever meet.
We have both blogged, put on shows and ultimately co-founded DIY record labels. We each also have 2 kids each - so our paths are quite similar in many ways!
1. How long has Olive Grove Records been going for now (I've lost track)?
The label is now in its seventh year, but to be honest it feels like I've been doing this a lot longer - in a good way I should add.
2. Tough question - where do you find the time and energy?
I'm not going to lie, it can be pretty exhausting running the label these days. When the label first started my daughter had just been born a couple of months prior, so initially it was pretty tough. Now I have two kids, it's utterly knackering, so most of the time I'm running on empty, but then I can't imagine not having the label so I guess that's what keeps me going. That and a very understanding wife.
3. What have been the biggest lessons you have learned?
Not to take things personally, although that's easier said than done. If one of my bands gets a poor review or their album doesn't get featured by a site or magazine that you'd expected, it can be pretty hard to take. I am very protective of my artists, if I work with them then it's because I think the world of them, so when someone else doesn't share that enthusiasm it can be hard to take. Learning to realise that not everyone will love everything I release was a pretty tough lesson in life, but nowadays I tried to be more thick skinned and not take things personally.
The other lesson would probably be around not getting too hung up on other label envy. I often find myself seeding other labels getting features or radio plays that I'd love to get, but rather than being bitter I have come to recognise that the Scottish music scene has some of the most supportive folk I know. We are all working to support the bands we love, so it's better to look at these things in a positive manner. Plus I can also help motivate you more to do more to support your own artists.
State Broadcasters - Break My Fall
4. Not wanting to encourage favouritism - but what have been your top 5 Olive Grove moments from through the years?
Top 5?! Jeezo, this almost feels like you're asking who my favourite child is...
Top of the list has to be the Olive Grove showcase that we did at Oran More as part of Celtic Connections. Having all of my artists on the one bill at a sold out show really can't be beaten. Finishing the night drunkenly dancing on stage with Woodenbox will live with me until my dying day.
I'm not sure if this counts as a moment, but I'm going to shoe horn it in here anyway. I love the fact that I've brought so many different musicians together. Be it Pete from the State Broadcasters recording Randolph's Leap, then eventually joining the band, or Alex and Cat from Skinny Dipper playing on the last Woodenbox album, Foreign Organ. I'd always wanted the label to feel like a musical family, which I guess it kind of does now.
Third on the list, meeting Jon from Smallfish Recordings. He's been a total god send and massively helped with the label. He does a lot of my mixing and mastering, I genuinely don't know what I'd do without him. He's done stuff for Randolph's Leap, Woodenbox, Jo Mango, Call To Mind, the State Broadcasters, The Son(s), the Royal Male and he's just been working on Jared Celosse's stuff too. If you're ever looking for someone to help mix or master your tracks, then I would thoroughly recommend you drop him a line. Not only is he great at what he does, but he's an awesome human being to boot.
Fourth, again it's not a moment, but it's something which is massively important to me, which is artwork. I've always wanted by artwork to reflect the beauty of the music that I release, which I think I've done. Kris Ferguson who has done stuff for me, including Randolph's Leap, Woodenbox and Jo Mango, feels like Olive Grove's answer to Vaughan Oliver.
Lastly, I guess it would be just meeting so many amazing people, who were brave/crazy enough to trust me with their music. I've made a lot of great people who are now some of my greatest friends.
5. And you're planning for the future - tell us about your new signings.
I am indeed, it's been a while since I added anyone new to the Olive Grove family, but in the next few months I'll be releasing music with two relatively unknown acts, Jared Celosse and Pocket Knife.
Both artists are only just starting to find their own feet, Jared is a 21 year old singer songwriter, who has been aptly described as a modern day Nick Drake. Pocket Knife are a Scottish and French duo, who write incredibly catchy lo-fi pop songs.
Both Jared and Pocket Knife are playing at the Olive Grove showcase gig at St Luke's on Sunday 1st October, alongside Grover veterans Randolph's Leap and the State Broadcasters. So if you fancy coming down and checking them out for free, then that's your best bet.
Jared Celosse
6. How do you think the Scottish music scene, I guess with particular reference to the DIY scene, has changed during your time with Olive Grove? Is it meeting modern day challenges?
Man that's a tough question, so much has changed since the since the label started. I think the most noticeable thing for me is the reduction in the number of Scottish music blogs. Plus there doesn't seem to be as many DIY labels kicking about. Then again I don't really have my finger on the pulse anymore, so there's probably loads going on that I just don't know about.
I think the best challenge these days is actually selling CDs and records, folk just don't seem as interested in buying CDs anymore. Plus records are so damn expensive to manufacture, that it can be really tough to break even, nevermind making a profit.
Without blowing too much smoke up your backside, I'm a massive fan of what's going on with Last Night From Glasgow, it's such a simple, yet utterly brilliant business model for running a record label. The passion that they have for what they do is really infectious!
7. And lastly, what can we expect from your show at St Lukes?
Four great acts and a big hug from a sweaty bearded man.
An exhausted but happy sister at The Girl Effect #1
watching Stanley Odd cover her song 'Honey'
Earlier on this year my sister Carla decided to do something rather special to mark her 30th birthday.
In actual fact it was truly special - Carla curated a night to raise funds and awareness for Scottish Women's Aid with a whole heap of bands and artists covering girl group songs from the 1950's through to present day.
The event at Summerhall in Edinburgh sold out and raised almost £3,500. Artists including Eugene Kelly (The Vaselines), Duglas T Stewart (BMX Bandits), Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Broken Records, The Spook School, Machines In Heaven, Flash Talk, Stanley Odd and of course Carla's band TeenCanteen covered artists ranging from Martha Reeves and the Vandellas through to The Sugababes with Betty Boo, Destiny's Child, All Saints and TLC in between. A full list of artists and the songs they covered is available HERE
Scottish Women's Aid were so delighted with the awareness and funds raised that they asked Carla if she could do a second night to mark Glasgow taking part in 16 days of action this November.
Emma Davies from Scottish Women's Aid explained; "The 16 days take place every year between November 25th - the International Day of No Violence Against Women, and December 10th - Human Rights Day. The global campaign sees communities, NGO's and charities hold events aimed at raising awareness of violence against women, and trying to influence behaviour and secure political commitment to ending it. Every year as a different theme and 2015 is about the links between militarism and the right to education - both in conflict and in peace. The most recent estimates suggest that, worldwide, 31 million girls at primary level and 34 million at lower secondary level are not enrolled in school. Scottish Women's Aid has used the 16 Days Campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence and to push for changes that make women and children safer."
It is 2015. Lets make a difference.
So here is the line-up for The Girl Effect #2 taking place at Mono in Glasgow on Thursday 26th November. All the artists, the production crew (La Chunky Studios) and the venue are giving their services for free!
Please spread the word and I hope to see you there! Who will SAY Award winner Kathryn Joseph cover? And will anyone cover 'Trouble' by Shampoo?! You'll need to attend to find out.
