Tenement Trail 2024

Last October, on a particularly wet, windy and stormy day, I ventured into Tenement Trail to catch Kerr Mercer opening the day at Saint Lukes. I was quite taken by the buzz around the area as fans and bands headed to BAaD to pick up wristbands and to check in.

I couldn't hang around due to a family engagement, but I vowed to return in 2024.

Return I did. My friend Joe and I headed toward the Barrowland, BAaD and Saint Luke's for just after 1pm and literally as we picked up our wristbands the heavens opened and the blue skies turned to grey. The rain battered it down, so we opted to head to stay exactly where we were and grab a beer and some lunch in the BAaD courtyard - thankfully covered! 

Hanging outside BAaD

There was sunshine after the rain though and we headed round to the Barrowland for our first bands of the day. Peach Crumb opened proceedings in the downstairs (Barrowland 2) bar with a short 25-minute set, ending with their two singles NBDY and Keeping Busy. The third song in their set stood out for me though. Singer Becca ditched her acoustic guitar to strut, dance and pull shapes to a more energetic style and sound in comparison to the rest of the quite dreamy set. 

yesandmaybe 

Yesandmaybe were on next and they absolutely blew me away. I can't recall seeing a band so perfectly formed at such an early stage since .... probably Chvrches. Joe and I caught them line checking and they had quite the set up. It turns out that yesandmaybe are a Scottish/French duo who met online and worked up an album that way. Live, they were amplified by an ace drummer (Craig who was formerly in Twin Atlantic), bass and additional guitars/synths.

Think The Strokes crossed with Phoenix. Gigi (I think) from France is an exceptionally inventive guitarist, while the singer (I didn't catch his name) played soaring stadium synth riffs and sang with a similar cool distorted effect on his vocals like Julian Casablancas. 

Every song sounded like a potential single. Train To Nowhere is apparently the title of their forthcoming debut album (they already have that in the bag, despite this being their second gig) and thr title track sounded impeccable. Songs like God Isn't Real and Bloody Madness also sounded sublime. Dressed in sharp black suits, the band looked as sharp and cool as their songs. 100% ones to watch.

DEFINITELY YES - yesandmaybe in Barrowland 2

While tempted to stay in the Barrowland 2, Joe and I opted for some fresh air and a walk round to BAaD to see a band called Dallas Love Field, simply because we liked the name. We enjoyed the band too! The four piece created a glorious shoegaze, psychedelic racket with some dreamy lead vocals. Some of the lead guitar work was reminiscent of the sounds Nick McCabe would create on the first Verve singles and album.  I'd definitely go and catch them live again. There is little information about them online at present, but it sounds like they made their live debut at BLOC in March 2023 and are now working with Jason Shaw who has previously worked with Ride. Sounds like a good match! I can imagine them releasing on the Sonic Cathedral label that Andy Bell is involved with.

Dallas Love Field in BAaD

After catching up with a couple of friends, a further walk led us to The Gate, a beautiful speakeasy style pub across the road from The Barrowland. We arrived in time for most of a secret acoustic set by Slix, a band from Greenock that my friend Joe (a native of that part of the world) had his eye on. We somehow managed to get a seat at the far side of the bar and enjoyed the few songs we heard, that included a cover of Digsy's Dinner by Oasis. Slightly odd choice of cover, but hey.

Exiting on to the Gallowgate we decided that more food was in order, handy as we were right outside Ho Lee Fook, a super cool Thai street food 'hole in the wall' type place that is becoming an Instagram hit. Having sampled their food before, I was delighted to go back. They were in demand, so Joe and I had 20-25 minutes to kill, so we opted for a nearby Celtic bar for a quick beer.

TTSSFU

We then took our food back to BAaD for TTSSFU from Manchester. More cool shoegazey sounds from the 4-piece who looked super delighted to be up in Glasgow and playing in such a large venue to a packed crowd.

That is one thing Tenement Trail has going for it, the festival puts (often) fledgling bands on big stages to crowds way bigger than they would normally play to. It's a little sink or swim, definitely an incredible opportunity.

Last up for me, as I had yet another prior family engagement, was a trip back to the Barrowland to see Greenock boys Slix on the main stage. They pulled a sizeable crowd and seem to be on the up as they have announced a headline show at The Garage in April. 

We didn't catch all of their set as I was getting picked up and Joe decided to head to Saint Luke's where he caught some of Imogen and the Knife, Parliamo and then headliners Neon Waltz who he particularly enjoyed.

Congratulations to Tenement Trail on a fantastic 10th anniversary festival. I remember when it started up at the top of Sauchiehall Street. It is amazing to see how it has grown to become an absolute staple in the Scottish music calendar. I hope to attend next year.

Sonny Marvello 10th anniversary

Sonny Marvello celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band with a show at Stereo on Thursday 26th May.

Here are 10 amazing memories I have of the band as a fan, manager and friend;

1. Seeing them for the first time
Back in November 2008 I went to the aftershow party of Glasgow versus Cancer at Sloans in Glasgow City Centre. I was rather drunk and stumbled into one of the upstairs rooms where a number of bands were scheduled to play. Kassidy (who went on to be signed) were on and I was reminded of Mr Big!

I stumbled into another room where Will Sergeant from Echo and the Bunnymen was playing some cool sounds and then back to the live room to see who was on next.

The performance I witnessed may well be my favourite ever from an unsigned act in Glasgow. The five piece smashed it out the park. They had a gaggle of loyal friends and fans down the front but more importantly they got others who had never heard of them, never mind hearing their music, dancing.

They had a song that sounded a little like Girls and Boys by Blur, echoes of The Beatles and Bowie, they were sensational. They looked the part, dressed in vintage blazers and the singer had a red top hat on.

I asked the bassist between songs who the band were called but I couldn’t make it out. I think I asked him at least 3 more times including once on the stairs afterwards.

The next day I woke with a stinking hangover (although not as bad as the one my friend Wigs had when he woke up on my sofa) and I couldn’t remember the bands name, or find any trace of them in the listings for the aftershow online.

Finally I tracked them down...the band were called Sonny Marvello. And I wanted to manage them. I sent them a message on MySpace to talk about how I was blown away.

2. Meeting Stephen Farrell for the first time.....and then the rest of the band
In April 2009 I met with singer and songwriter Stephen Farrell in the 13th Note and we shared several pints of Stella to discuss music and the bands history. The band were prolific, they’d self funded a trip to New York City for a week and had an incredible time, winning best unsigned act at a prestigious festival. They’d played the popular Burlesque night Club Noir and smashed it out the park, they’d set up their own Sssshhhh club night - kidnapping people and taking them to secret locations in a bus, they’d gone close to being signed but like so many had been f**ked over by people promising them the earth and failing to deliver.

They wanted to release music. (check their BANDCAMP page as they have put up loads of old demos)

Within a couple of hours I had scribbled together a plan and we were a team.

After winning Stephen over we then arranged further beers with Mick Caldwell (guitar), Craig Douglas (bass), Mike Walker (keys and synths) and Michael Bryans (drums). We met at Bar Soba in Mitchell Lane and got quite pissed (again) before heading back to Sloans where i had invites to a showcase by a band called Sugar Crisis that producer John McLaughlin had somehow got signed!

They were terrible but I was keen to network. When I told the band where I was off to it was like a red flag to a bull. I found out that John had messed them around a little.

The band came along and waltzed into the venue. Stephen found John and called him something unprintable in this blog. As much as I respect what John has achieved in the music industry, I thought this was great - PUNK ROCK!

3. The Oxfam Basement photo shoot

First things first, I wanted to get some band promo shots done that highlighted their style and image. I knew Andrew who managed (and still does) Oxfam Music and Byres Road and I had been down into their basement and being the geeky kind of music guy I am, I thought ‘this would be great for a photo shoot’.

My friend Dave took some great shots of the band checking records and goofing around. It was my first experience of the Sonny Marvello gang mentality. They were in a different zone, bouncing off each other, ripping the piss, generally just being sound guys.

I love the photo’s. The band just looked and sounded great, I had really fallen for them.

4. The Stereo shows
The band wanted to get some money together to record with Brian O’Neill at Cava Studios in Glasgow - not cheap! I asked them how many people they could realistically get to a Glasgow show. They said 200 no bother so I went out and booked Stereo for a show in early July.

They packed the place out and we easily cleared £500 after rewarding the support acts with some good money.

We rebooked Stereo for September and all of a sudden the band had more than £1,000 in their account to head into Cava. I think it was at the second show that a fellow Castlemilk band called The Cinnamons (led by Gerry Cinnamon) supported. The atmosphere was incredible, everyone was totally up for it, it was a celebration of music and art from Castlemilk.

The area of the city has a rough reputation. Through Sonny Marvello I have met some amazing people, all based around Castlemilk Youth Complex - an amazing facility that offers kids in the area an opportunity into the arts.

Sonny Marvello were super tight; Stephen patrolled the stage, hit all the notes and gave it 100%, Mick Caldwell was the best guitarist I had (and have) ever seen on the unsigned band circuit, Craig Douglas held it all together with funky bass and amazing harmonies, Michael Bryans created beautiful beats and Mike Walker played keys and synths to lift things even higher,

5. Easy Boys/We’re All Cruel 7-inch single
A fan of the band ran a blog called Bluesbunny and wanted to start a label. He liked the recordings from Cava and so pressed up some delicious 7-inch singles on gatefold vinyl.

The feeling I had of getting the test pressing and then the final copies was incredible. Easy Boys was the song I thought sounded like Blur. It was total euphoric pop.

We’re All Cruel was epic (and the band went on to make it even better) later in life for their Sparks to Fire album.

6. The Pull Me Up EP

The next release was the Pull Me Up EP. The review above captures it pretty perfectly. Then there was time for another photo shoot with Dave, this time in a field on the outskirts of my hometown of Carluke. It was another great day with the band....being a band and we had a great time.

7. Charlie Sheen
Stephen is writing songs and coming up with ideas all the time. In an ideal world he would be a songwriter based in New York or London.

Around the time of Charlie Sheen’s meltdown with drugs and orgies I sent Stephen a text and set him the challenge of writing a song called Charlie Sheen - You’re Living My Dream

Stephen responded the next day and published a film of him, Craig and Mick singing it acoustically into an inflatable crayon!

The lyrics were clever and playful, I particularly like;

I saw you once in my hometown, scoring some Charlie

8. The 100 club - Fire Went Out and the Ruby Tuesday’s Vintage Store secret show

I was keen to keep momentum going and came up with the idea of a fanclub to raise funds. For £10, people would get a mini acoustic album (on a CD that looked like vinyl), a badge and access to a secret gig. Early crowdfunding!

So another £1,000 was raised.

The mini-acoustic album was recorded in just one day and features my favourite Sonny Marvello song, the absolutely stunning Fire Went Out. The closing section still sends shivers down my spine. I think it shows just how close they are as a band and friends and how supremely talented they are.

The secret show mentioned as part of the 100 club was to be held at a vintage clothes store above a tea room in Bath Street following a talk and performance at the Apple Store surrounding the use of Apple products at Rocket Science studios and for filming the above Fire Went Out video.

Everyone invited followed me up Buchanan Street and along Bath Street to the ‘secret’ location. It was hilarious. Federico (who owned the now closed store) was the perfect host. We got in loads of booze and the band played an acoustic set. Kevin Harper, friend and fan of the band, also ended up playing an impromptu set from the roof outside the shop!

Good, good times with good, good people.

9.  The Loch Lomond Festival
The band were keen to keep things going and I was also keen to make sure the band were a little different. Rather incredibly (considering their songs and ability) they were overlooked for festivals in favour of bands deemed a little cooler.

Being the creative and determined guy that I am, I thought ‘I’ll organise our own festival’, so I did!

My original idea of booking a campsite was cancelled as I worried about the weather and the logistics involved. Instead Craig and I drove up to a youth hostel on the banks of Loch Lomond to meet the manager and agreed to book out the whole hostel for a Saturday night in October for a festival.

Tickets were £40. For that you got a roof over your head, Sonny Marvello, Model Jet Pilot, Kevin Harper and entertainment by rising magician Ryan Davidson. Oh and i DJ’d long into the night.

What a day and night it was! Check in was at 2pm and drinks were flowing shortly after. Someone took a dip in the loch at midnight, there was the mystery of the dump in the sink (don’t ask!), Sonny Marvello somehow blagged a laser light show and smoke machine, Kevin Harper was sensational and we had a great laugh talking music and film, Model Jet Pilot rocked and everyone had an amazing time.

10. Rocket Science and the Sparks To Fire album
All the momentum and all the fun we had was incredible. It really was a great time. After all the fun there was a different kind of momentum as the band got down to the serious business of recording an album at Rocket Science studios with Ross Hamilton and Michael Bannister.

It took a while! But the results were incredible.

Time moved on and I suggested (foolishly looking back) that perhaps a change in band name would be good for the band. So the band name changed to Flash Talk for the Sparks to Fire album.

The album is incredible! It really is; check it here - now newly (and rightly) available as Sonny Marvello.

Going into Rocket Science Studios to hear the songs being played back was a different kind of excitement and fun. They were f**king good. Tiny Little Sparks was played on Radio 1 only days after being completed.

Check the videos for Miracle and Run to the Horizon below. I/We should have done more with them.

Life kind of caught up with the dream of being a band - quite a lot of crazy stuff happened around that time. I still hope that this album will be picked up in some shape or form one day. Ripe for TV, film and advertising.

Making friends
My best memory though is of making friends. I had some great nights out; Stephen and Hayley’s wedding, Beatles guitar band, the Buff Club, various bars and venues, the Complex for Craig’s 30th and I still play 7-a-sides most weeks with Craig and Walker. All of the band (and I) have experienced and shared highs and devastating lows in our time as friends. That’s life I guess...and it is a little easier to get by with a little help from your friends.

Sonny Marvello may have a new album out next year. Stephen has also recorded some solo stuff under the guise of...Stephen Solo and I’ll be blogging about that in the very near future.

It’s been great looking back at some of the achievements, the music and thinking about what could have been, what should have been.

The band play Stereo on Thursday 26th May.

Be great to see you there.

The band are also looking to the future and should have a new album out next year. The first side was recorded over 3-days at a rented house in the countryside, the second side is being recorded at present.

Beerjacket - the 10th anniversary interview

Beerjacket in action at King Tut's for his 10th anniversary

Beerjacket, AKA Peter Kelly, has just celebrated his 10th anniversary with a career spanning show at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, complete with special guests.

I first stumbled across Beerjacket back in 2009 and I have followed his music with interest ever since; admiring the poetic, emotional and descriptive lyrics, the melodies, invention and the independence that has been clearly displayed. 

The personal touch is sadly missing from many things in life these days, so a nice hand written note to accompany an album bought from the Beerjacket Bandcamp page was a lovely gesture.

I thought it would be a good idea to catch up with Peter to look back at his career to date and just as importantly, to look forward to the future.

I am very grateful to Peter for taking the time to answer my 10-questions for his 10th anniversary. It is a fascinating interview that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading.

I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone reading this blog to follow the link above, or to click on the links to Peter's personal 10-song selection at the end. But don't jump ahead just yet! Read on and find out about Beerjacket's extremely limited edition first album, what Peter thinks is the best Beerjacket song, a metal band with an indie legend and lots, lots more!

1. 10-years and 5-albums (I think it is more but there are 5 on your Bandcamp) is quite prolific and consistent by many artists standards. Can you share any memories about how, why and when you first started writing your own music? Did the music or lyrics come first? Were any of those songs recorded and released?

There have technically been eight, although I would only really speak of the past three being proper albums and especially the past two as they are studio albums. Up until then, I was a self-recorder and I basically released everything I ever wrote in that period. I certainly wasn't any good at recording my own music and I think a bunch of songs were really stunted by poor home production.

By the time I went into the studio to record The White Feather Trail - my first recorded with producer, Stuart MacLeod - I had managed to refine what Beerjacket is meant to sound like and I think it's a really good album as a result.

My writing has changed a lot over the past ten years. I always wanted to write songs even before I could play a musical instrument and before I had anything to write about. I was only about seven or eight years old when I first started writing 'songs' and compiling them as 'albums'  with artwork and all the rest. These, by the way, were blank C60 tapes with covers drawn with felt tips and accompanying lyrics about WHO KNOWS WHAT.

Initially, I hadn't much direction about what Beerjacket was other than acoustic music influenced by Will Oldham, Lou Barlow and Bill Callahan, amongst others. That said, I still released everything utterly rough around the edge. Truthfully, it was probably live performances that brought together a following for Beerjacket - recordings were not a strong point until I recorded my last homer, Animosity. I thought that was probably the best I could manage until I went into the studio with Stuart in 2011 for The White Feather Trail and now I couldn't even think about doing a record with anyone else, let alone by myself.

The White Feather Trail

2. Has your writing style changed through the years - if so, how? How often do you write and have you ever had the dreaded ‘writers block’?

I used to write very traditionally, albeit taking the unorthodox approach of recording and releasing everything! The turning point for my writing came when I stopped adopting that 'songwriter-mode' and just wrote in a stream of consciousness style for Animosity. I would step onto a train and just write continuously in a notebook and revisit it when I next held a guitar, taking the same approach to the music. That was pretty revelatory for me as it removed any anxieties about writer's block and made me feel much more creative. I think the truth is that everyone is on the edge of being creative all the time and we put the block in the way through trying too hard.

I don't write continuously and I can't decide it's time. I just have to respond to it when it's on the way and record what appears. I never write anything down in a notepad now and I'm never in the process of writing something. If I'm writing it, I've written it. For me, writing it just means I listened to what appeared in my head, followed my hands and captured it in a recording.

3. Tell us about the lead up to the release of your first album. How were you recording, what shows were you playing and what ultimately made you feel ready to release an album?

There was no lead-up to the release of the album! My first Beerjacket gig was with Roddy Hart at Brel and it was supposed to be the first and last one. I wrote and recorded an album at home on 4-track for the gig, called it Oh My Head and burned 5 copies onto CD-R with cover art made on Microsoft Word! Every copy sold and there was no going back!

Beerjacket's first show at Brel, 10-years ago

4. What lessons have you learned since your first release? What advice would you give to any artists self releasing?

I have learned that it is best to record songs properly! Whether you record yourself or with someone else, whether you are solo or in a band… Whatever the case, it’s a myth that having technology or a machine of some sort means you can release an album! It took me five years to realise that and I managed to make Animosity sound respectable. Even then, I wish that I had recorded it with Stuart in the studio.

Self-releasing is absolutely something I would recommend though if artists can be organised enough to do justice to what they produce. 

The traditional idea of a record label as a stamp of quality is still relevant where we’re talking about the likes of Sub Pop or Bella Union and it’s certainly not the case that we don’t need labels because of the Internet. 

Nevertheless, it’s definitely got definite plus points in that you don’t have to negotiate (probably hopelessly) for complete creative control, you control everything by default! Nowadays, word of mouth is all the more powerful online as it spreads worldwide rather than being limited to a small circle of mix-CD swappers.

I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved despite not being attached to a label or management company and there are most definitely advantages to being truly independent.

5. Have you been approached by any labels to release through them? If so, why have you chosen to continue the DIY approach?

I have been approached by labels in the past and I’m always really honest with them. I’m not available in the way that other musicians might be: I have a family and a job I really care about. It’s in the situation I am in that I can be creative and leaving that would not only make me unhappy, it would stall my writing.

Being DIY (although I’m not quite anymore, I work with a number of other folks now in recording and performance) is advantageous as I can decide what works for me. I feel that no-one can care as much about an artist’s music than the artist. I respect the industry though and there are good people working all over it. As long as you are doing what suits you best, you can’t go wrong.

6. You have collaborated with a number of other artists on your releases and had a number of guests at your 10th anniversary show. If you could choose a local, national or international artist to collaborate with on your next album who would you choose and why?

Collaborating is great as it not only encourages a fresh voice in your music, it’s just very friendly and human. I’ve been really enjoying that over the past few years.

The people I’ve collaborated with have brought a lot to Beerjacket songs (roll call: Julia Doogan, Louise Connell, Ross Leighton, Emma Pollock, Stuart MacLeod, Rachel Sermanni and Michael Cassidy) and these collaborations have come about very naturally.

Beerjacket with Rachel Sermanni

I would love to work more with Kristin Hersh, who I invited to sing on Darling Darkness when we were playing shows together. It didn’t happen, although I think we’ll certainly do more together more over the years. Maybe we’ll get our metal band Mildred together one day!

7. You first came to my attention in 2009 with your gorgeous cover of Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’, which, if memory serves me correct, was picked up by Rolling Stone magazine. Was that a ‘breakthrough’ moment for you? Or do you feel you have had a ‘breakthrough’ moment(s)?

That was weird. I recorded that in twenty minutes on a 4-track and having sent it to a pal, it made its way to an American blogger and then a Rolling Stone journalist. There was quite a lot of fuss made about that and, in retrospect, I now wish I had spent more time on it! It was the only cover I had done amidst all these Beerjacket songs and it was, in some ways, a little bittersweet that it got so much attention.

The funny thing was that it was never supposed to be a cover. When I started playing the riff, I thought I was writing something new…

8. You’ve just played a special 10th anniversary show at King Tut’s. Does it feel like a landmark? Are you ready for the next phase (so to speak)? What are your future plans/ambitions?

That was an amazing night. It was the longest set I’ve ever played at one hour twenty minutes! The nature of the occasion meant I really had to play all night as old school members of the audience 

expected it. There were so many songs and yet still some inevitable omissions…

In a way, it was both a retrospective evening and a hint of the next step. I’ll be going into the studio with Stuart next month to begin recording an album of ten of the best Beerjacket songs from the past decade when I was still home recording. There will hopefully be some more guest turns on there too…

9. Could you list 10 of your all-time favourite bands/artists?

This is impossible. Here are ten I love:

Nirvana. Kristin Hersh/Throwing Muses. Neil Young. Jeff Buckley. Simon and Garfunkel. Leonard Cohen. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. Elliott Smith. Bruce Springsteen. Cat Power.

10. You’ve been approached by the BBC for a special TV show to celebrate your 10th anniversary and you have to play a 10-song set. What do you play?

Intriguing and quite unlikely scenario, Murray! (Murray - You never know Peter!)

Poor Captain of the Soul:

The first song I ever wrote or could even play on ukulele. The ukulele is a fairly divisive instrument and some people really, really hate it but I probably don’t play it too much like a ukulele. Personally, I think it’s a really beautiful instrument and this song has served me very well, especially when I play it first in a set. It sets a tone and asks for quiet but best of all, it’s a strong song about weakness.

Drum:

There are lots of things I love about this song. I wrote it on the train in 2009 and the words just fell into my notebook. This was when I had a notebook! Now the words fall into my head instead, which is fun and strange. It's a song about the destructive potential of passive aggression and how damaging it is to relationships.

Antlers

This song is based on the image of having one of my children on my shoulders and their arms making it look like I have antlers. I make no apology for writing about my kids and fatherhood in general as that's real and the most important part of my life.

Lay your weight upon me

Your lungs make me breathe

Eggshells

The last thing I wrote before I recorded The White Feather Trail and absolutely inspired by the sound of Louise Connell’s voice, who agreed to sing on it and who was subsequently grabbed for lots of other Beerjacket songs on that album and Darling Darkness.

The Bar That Never Closes

The first Beerjacket show opened with this song and it’s the only song I’ve played at almost every other gig since.

Jack Chasing Jill

As much as it surprises me, this is the favourite Beerjacket song of many folks. It’s really a pretty sad song and yet people always ask for it. Maybe it’s the appearance of eggs in the lyrics, a pretty common theme in my songs bizarrely…

Volcano, you melt me

I'm devastated by your grace

Make me pass on my living love

Through hysterical destructive haze

The witches that watch you just wilt and then with away

For no riches or fortunes could ever lay claim to your face

Cape

This is the ‘superhero song’. It’s another song about being a Dad but it could relate to any protective relationship really and is about human failings not getting in the way of everyday heroism.

Two Travel

For my money, this is the best ever Beerjacket song. It has every element of the music I’ve been writing over the past ten years and perhaps that’s why it’s been so successful. I love hearing it on the radio, I love playing it live and I love hearing people sing along. I just love it.

House of Toys

This song was inspired by my own home but also Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I refuse to wait for everything to be destroyed before appreciating it.

Cave

My first big tune! I was totally honoured to have the opportunity to play this song completely live on BBC 2’s The Review Show when The White Feather Trail came out in 2011. Paul Morley was a guest on the show and I’ve always been a huge fan of his writing, plus everyone I knew was watching along with half a million others. Monumental for me and one of my happiest memories of playing Beerjacket music.

Tied like courage to the mast

But losing to an undead past

Tired, discouraged by the act

Of choosing the bruised old path