Starboard Hazes EP2

My band, Starboard Hazes recorded our second EP at La Chunky Studio in Finnieston, Glasgow on Saturday 28th January. It was almost exactly a year since James and I had ventured in to record our first EP. 

On that occasion we roped in our friend Calum on drums. We hadn't rehearsed with Calum in advance. Indeed Calum thought he was only in to record 2-songs. We persuaded him to record a couple more and the songs Out Of My Mind and Reflected Sunlight were both recorded in 1-take to create a 4-track EP. Calum's skills helped us produce something we loved. 

This time James and I were going in as a fully formed band after the addition of Andy (bass) and Jamie (drums) and we had rehearsed!  

The cover of EP2-Sunshine

Taken in Elie, August 2022

We recorded 3-songs with the magnificently named Gaspard Casanova on production & engineer duties and have again produced something we love. Here is my take on the EP;

• Sunshine - One of the very first songs I wrote as a teenager! The song only ever had two verses, just using the D and G chords, but it always stuck with me. I guess due to the simplicity and the fact the melody is pretty strong (in my opinion!). Years later I wrote a third verse/chorus/outro section after meeting my wife. I loved the way she would tilt her head to the sunshine and close her eyes. This wasn't a song I intended to bring to the band but last September I was jamming the chords during a break in a practise session, Andy had picked up James guitar while he was out the room and asked me what I was playing. We jammed along with Jamie on drums and by the time James came back we had something! So James then picked up Andy's bass - the joy of having a talented band! I couldn't believe how quickly we transformed it. Sunshine was always an acoustic song and I'd always just played it in a normal tuning. But when we jammed I had my Capo on the 3rd fret and I just kept it there. Now it's kind of Lemonheads-y/Velvets-y and then the outro goes a little Stone Roses. Andy's guitar on the outro is sublime. James switches to bass, creating a very Mani-esque bass groove. Jamie's drumming throughout is superb.

• Yeah! - I love the groove of this song, just the same 4 chord sequence over and over again. Great to jam on. There is a warmth to it, brilliant lead guitar from James. It's got a real Teenage Fanclub feel to it - obviously a good thing in my book! 

• I Still Dream That I Can Fly -  A two chord song that was originally inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain's Why'd You Want Me? Or you could say it rips it off! Garage pop psychedelia. I like the way we build this up, break it down and then let loose. Who knew what fun you could have with 2 chords! I really love the way James introduces the organ sound in the outro. I think we only rehearsed this a few times before going into the studio and we captured it in two takes. I think there is a real freshness to this song as a result. Fun to play in practice, I look forward to playing it live.

• Sunset - The dreamy psychedelic groove at the end of Sunshine reminded me of the Stone Roses, so I wondered what it would sound like backwards. An old Roses trick that inspired Don't Stop and a number of b-sides. This is the result. Rather gorgeous! I think I sound better backwards! 

All of them are love songs. Sunshine about the heady heights of young love and walks in the summer sun. Yeah! and I Still Dream That I Can Fly have that broken heart, lets try it again/I'll never get over you/keep positive vibe.

The EP is out now exclusively via our BANDCAMP page where you can stream/download. We'll get it up on other sites in the near future.

We play 13th Note next Friday, 10th March with support from Scottish Fault Lines. DJ Phil Redfearn will be playing before, during and afterwards.

The event is SOLD OUT!  Hopefully we'll get another gig in the diary before too long.

Starboard Hazes - EP2 and gig

Save the date! 

Plans are underway to rehearse, record and release the second Starboard Hazes EP within the first few months of 2023.

Is it just me or does 2023 still sound very futuristic? Time flies and time has become a little weirder since March 2020 when the world stopped for a while as the COVID pandemic took a hold.

However, I am reliably informed that 2023 is indeed just around the corner!

So, to kick things into gear, I've booked the good old 13th Note for the next Starboard Hazes show. Hopefully our second EP will be ready by then. The plan is to catch up to rehearse in January, then record the EP, a few more rehearsals and then play again.

3-songs are definitely ear marked for the EP;

1. Yeah!
2. Sunshine
3. So In Love With You (Beta Band Blues)

With a potential 4th song called Hung Up (not the Madonna song!) if we have time in the studio. Probably just an acoustic version - rough n raw ... and quick!

Sunshine was one of the very first songs I wrote as a teenager using the D & G chords. It was great to jam it with the band back in October. Jamie's pounding drums, Andy (picking up James guitar) going for Velvets-y sounds on guitar and James (taking on Andy's bass) came up with a great groove.

Yeah! is another old song, very Teenage Fanclub! It's the same 4 chord rhythm groove from start to finish, giving James freedom to do his thing on lead guitar.  Personally, this is one of my favourites to play with the band.

Beta Band Blues is an old idea that always stayed with me. With the capo on 5 I found two chords that worked really well together and I thought they sounded like the Beta Band. The lyrics are pretty simple and I never managed to write more than a verse, so the song is just the same verse/chorus repeated 3 times. I always liked the song/idea though and it was one of the first songs James and I played when we got together. He came up with a brilliant guitar line in between the verses.

When we took the song to Andy and Jamie, they also loved James guitar line and wondered if we could really expand the song into far out Beta Band territory. So when we have jammed, we finish the song and the beats really kick in, allowing James to go all Nile Rodgers on guitar and Andy to underpin everything with a bass groove. When we played live, Ronan from La Chunky joined in on trombone for the second section so we hope he'll play on the recording. And we might add melodica, synth and cowbell - really go for it and have fun.

If we can get the instrumentals down in one day, Andy and I will go back in and record vocals one evening. That worked last time, although I wonder if we might need another evening for Beta Band Blues. But then, Yeah! and Sunshine should be really quick and easy to record, leaving us with a chunk of time for Beta Band Blues. We'll go with the flow!

Our first gig and party was a brilliant night, it was sooooooooooo good to see lots of people enjoying live music and then dancing the night away. I'm delighted to say that Phil Redfearn will be back on DJ duties at 13th Note. We'll see what delights he can pull out the bag to get us dancing again!

It's not BYOB this time, but we've kept the ticket price as low as possible and hope you can join us for some fun. And that's what Starboard Hazes is all about - fun. Fun in rehearsals, in the studio and when we play live.

Tickets, priced at £7, are on sale from Event Brite HERE

It would be amazing to see you there.

Thanks

Murray

Everything Flows 1,000 blogs party

On Saturday night I put on a wee night at La Chunky Studio in The Hidden Lane, just off Argyle Street in Glasgow. In hip happening Finnieston.

I put 40 tickets on sale and within a couple of social media posts, all were bought in just a few days, even though the line-up was a secret.

There were a couple of changes to the line-up in the weeks leading up to the event and unfortunately a train strike meant a few people couldn't attend, but everything came together on the night.

I first came across La Chunky through my sister Carla's first band Futuristic Retro Champions. They recorded an EP in the studio and also played a very memorable gig outside on a glorious sunshine day for the old Hidden Lane Festival way back in 2010. I've stayed in touch with Ronan, one of the owners and was delighted when he said he'd be up for hosting a small night.

My friend Phil DJ'd before, between and after the live acts, wowing us all early on with an edit of Bowie's Young Americans. The lights were dimmed and friends started to stream in to the back room of La Chunky which had been turned into an intimate venue for the night. 

Carla went on first, opening with the beautiful Dreamers On The Run and then the playful Impossible Stuff. I love the feeling of Dreamers On The Run and the line we chased down our fears with a smile, chased bad demons into exile. 

Jenna always used to generate a reaction in the Futuristic Retro Champions days and it did again on Saturday night, but in a different way. The tale of friends forgetting worries for nights out sounded beautiful, stripped back to just Carla and her trusty Juno keyboard.

New song Sugar Honey Ice Tea hit a mark. Carla told of how she wrote it after being afraid to walk home alone in the dark and a few people in the crowd told me how the lyrics resonated with them. The demo is on a Fanclub CD that we've been playing in our car and the girls sing along with it as it's super catchy. Thankfully, they don't know that the lyrics have a darker edge. Sadly, one day they will. There is still so much to be done to help make women feel safer when walking alone at night.

Closing with Poster Paints Number 1 ahead of the album being released next week, Carla's voice sounded as crystal clear as I have heard it. I'm so glad Carla could play and open the night.

Then next up was my band Starboard Hazes. I think we just about passed the audition! Raw n fun indie pop. It's been such a rewarding experience to form a band. Initially it was just my friend James and I working on old songs I had written many years ago. Then, after recording an EP, we decided we wanted to play and recruited James' friends Andy on bass and Jamie on drums. We only got together for the first time on 1st September and we immediately gelled. 

We played; 1. Out Of My Mind 2. Yeah! 3. Keep On Dreaming 4. Beta Band Blues (with Ronan on trombone) 5. Kicking Our Heels 6. Reflected Sunlight

I think we'd had 6 practice sessions. Maybe just 5. But we played well (a few mistakes but nothing major). We only had one very quick practice with Ronan on trombone for our song Beta Band Blues, but he was great, playing on the balcony section and jamming brilliantly (video below). We loved it and it was nice to receive some positive feedback on the EP and show. 

Stephen Farrell AKA Stephen Solo has featured heavily over the course of this blog. With his band Sonny Marvello and then under his solo guise, releasing majestic DIY pop recorded on his iPhone/iPad - in his car, in his bathroom, behind his sofa, under bed sheets ... sublime dreamy melodies, heartfelt lyrics, insane imagination, all kinds of sounds and ideas.

In typical Stephen fashion, he'd spent ages working on backing tracks, beginning with him recording his worries about playing live for the first time since 2019. It broke the ice beautifully. Humour and honesty.

Suddenly Heaven soared with ease, new song Losing It Over You was super catchy and I'd forgotten how good Plastic Heart from the Pii album is. The way Stephen switched from vocal effects to the purity of his voice sounding super dreamy reminded me of Damon Albarn's work with Gorillaz.

Behind Your Eyes was one of the first iPhone recordings that Stephen sent me a number of years ago (must have been 2015) and I urged him to do more. The Albarn reference above was one that first came to me on the beautiful refrain.

Behind your eyes, I'll be waiting

It's so dreamy, you could float away with the melody. The little synth riff in the background is gorgeous. Then you have the crazy but clever verses.

Sonny Marvello's Whispering Song was utterly magical. The way Stephen pulled back from his microphone to sing from the bottom of his heart was spine tingling.

Who are you, who are you to hold me in your arms?

Crying Because, backed only by a blue ukulele was fragile and beautiful, interrupted slightly by someone having a sneezing fit.

And then we had some audience participation for Sonny Marvello's hit that never was - Made of Magic. The super catchy pop had everyone singing the chorus M - A - G - I - C what you're made of, is magic.

It was then time to dance the night away with DJ Phil Redfearn on the decks. Phil immediately kicked off with Come Together by Primal Scream. The Weatherall mix from the classic Screamadelica album. You'll see from the video below that he really got the party started!

We  know that music is music, gospel, gospel, gospel

People did come together for live music and to dance. And it was brilliant. The night ended with an encore, after shouts of one more tune, of Phil playing Neneh Cherry's Buffalo Stance followed by everyone getting together to hug in groups to The Beatles All You Need Is Love.

We must do it again.

Keep On Dreaming

Keep On Dreaming is the second single from my sometime/part-time band Starboard Hazes.

The song had the working title Lemonhead right up until when it was recorded. It's one of the few songs where I had the music before the lyrics. I thought the chords were very Lemonheads-y, so that became the title.

A lot of musicians who are much better than me will say that eventually you just have to let go of a song. Stop tinkering with it, stop taking things out or adding things in..

I get that. I'd have liked to spend more time on this. To make it a little more Lemonheads-y, maybe with some warm acoustic guitar for the rhythm. But we recorded 4 instrumentals in around 6-hours, going back another day to record vocals. We didn't have much time! 

So although it didn't turn out quite the way I had it in my head, it does capture the energy and zest from the recordings. I was absolutely buzzing, so we raced through it! Me on rhythm guitar, James on lead and Calum Muir on drums.

I think we recorded in 3 takes. Then James overdubbed bass. I went back one evening in February to record vocals with Annmarie Lochrie. Done!

What next?

Well we have another 2 songs we recorded at the start of the year that we'll put out over the summer. We'll start with Bandcamp and then put all 4 out as an EP on other digital channels. I'm at the age where I can't keep up with them all, but I used Spotify!

Then James and I are getting together in the summer to work out 3 or 4 more. After that we'll find out who is available to go into the studio with us to record them. And we also hope to play a gig!

In the meantime, you can stream or download (for free) the single via our Bandcamp.

Me and James working out the songs

Introducing Starboard Hazes

Reflected Sunlight (instrumental) (100 second clip)

For a few decades I had an imaginary band. 

I wrote loads of songs as a teenager and into my early 20's, but other than the odd occasional open mic and the creation of a MySpace page, I never did anything with them. I never formed a band, other than in my head.

Anyway, last year I found folders of my old songs up in my Mums loft. I enjoyed looking through the lyrics; some were terrible, some were real teenage angst, others were OK. There were loads about dreaming, some even had chords I had written down and as I poured through the songs I found myself remembering some of them. Some were actually alright!

I dug out my guitar and recorded some very rough demos. I really enjoyed playing, it was fun and something to do during lockdown. It was escapism. After a while I sent a few of the demos to my friend James. I was delighted that he like them and we booked a rehearsal room to jam them out. 

I talked about combining acoustic guitar with electric, like The Lemonheads did so well with their It's A Shame About Ray and Come On Feel albums. James introduced me to Strung Out In Heaven by Brian Jonestown Massacre. He totally got the sound I was looking for and was amazed I hadn't heard the album.

We had 3 very sporadic sessions over 18-months before regrouping in January for one final rehearsal, then we went into a studio to record an EP.

I think I might have formed a band! I have formed a band! We're called Starboard Hazes.

Read on for more details.

Kicking Our Heels (excerpt)

Personnel - Murray Easton & James Barker + whoever we can rope in. 

So far that has included Callum Muir (drums), Annmarie Lochrie (vocals) + Norman Blake (backing vocals).

Sounds like - Warm, melodic garage guitar pop & psychedelia. Dreams, memories, fantasies, regrets, musings, teenage angst, love, loss, heartache, heartbreak & falling in love. (Hopefully!). The Lemonheads are a big influence on how I want the band to sound. 

How did Starboard Hazes form? - As above, I started playing old songs I had written up to 30-years ago! I really enjoyed playing, working out some chords and melodies to go with lyrics, combining half finished songs and recording some very rough Garage Band demos. 

After a while I was confident enough to send them to my friend James who I've known for 20-years or so. We used to work together at Abbey National, in the big office at the top of St Vincent Street. James was someone I knew was into the same music as me through his mod style haircut, Fred Perry bag and his jacket. James and I met up a few times to jam on them. 

And it was great fun. Actually it was more than that. I felt pretty elated after meeting up to play guitars and talk music, especially as we couldn't go and see bands. So we were forming one! After decades of being a music fan, following bands, writing about bands, managing bands and putting on bands ... I decided I wanted to be in one. It's my lockdown/midlife crisis! Or awakening!

Recordings? - I booked La Chunky studio in the Hidden Lane, Glasgow.  The first session at the end of January (2022) was immensely energising and great fun. We recorded the instrumental sections for 4 songs. James played lead guitar, I was on rhythm and our friend Callum was on drums. James overdubbed bass afterwards and I added some acoustic.

The 2 main songs (Kicking Our Heels and Keep On Dreaming) were recorded in 2 or 3 takes. Then we recorded 2 instrumentals completely live and unrehearsed which was great fun. One (Out Of My Mind) has lyrics that were then recorded in February , the other (Reflected Sunlight) is a psychedelic freakout instrumental - see above.

I invited my friend Annmarie down to the studio when I was recording vocals at the start of February and asked if she would sing on Kicking Our Heels. I was very much going for a Lemonheads (Evan & Juliana) vibe. Annmarie kindly came down and asked if a friend could pop in later on as they were going out for drinks. I was pretty amazed when Norman Blake showed up!

Norman hung out and offered some ideas on Annmarie's harmonies. She improvised something really nice over the instrumental section as she was warming up that I loved. So Norman got up and sang harmonies with Annmarie. Amazing! If I hadn't asked Annmarie (and I only gave her 3 days notice!) and it hadn't been that specific night, then Norman wouldn't have been on the song. Fate!

Annmarie also added some lovely touches to Keep On Dreaming. In just a couple of hours she made a big difference.

Influences - The Lemonheads, Teenage Fanclub, The Velvet Underground, The Jesus and Mary Chain (and loads more) 

Songs - 4-songs recorded; Kicking Our Heels, Keep On Dreaming, Reflected Sunlight (instrumental), Out Of My Mind. Recorded at La Chunky, Hidden Lane, Glasgow on 29th January & 9th February 2022.

Plans - We'll release Kicking Our Heels to introduce the band to everyone. And see what the reaction is! Our main goal is to play a gig! Even if we just release a single, EP and play a gig I'll be pretty happy! Things I have always wanted to do. 

Having said that I've really loved the whole recording experience and I've earmarked another few songs to work on with James and go back into the studio. So we might do it all again.

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