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

Miaoux Miaoux, 13th Note, Glasgow

Glasgow Podcart Session, 22nd April 2010

There is nothing like discovering new music that inspires and makes you smile. In March I saw a poster advertising a gig by an act called Miaoux Miaoux and I immediately thought that was a cool band name, checked them out on MySpace and bought the EP 'Blooms' off his bandcamp page. I also discovered that Miaoux Miaoux had released an album entitled 'Rainbow Bubbles' 2-years ago, before moving down south the very next day and then returning back to Glasgow last year.

The album and EP are excellent examples of creative electronica, at times with an electro edge, others with a twinge of pop, always with sprinkling of melodies to bring a smile to your face. So  I was quite excited about going to see Miaoux Miaoux live at the 13th Note as part of a Glasgow Podcart Session.

Dead Boy Robotics were on first. Two guys, a number of keyboards, synths and laptops, 3 mics, bass, guitar and each with a drum that they occassionally pounded. They were a curious couple, the guy on the left seemed quite 'EMO' (without wanting to put a label on him) with shrieks and screams, while the guy on the left seemed more intent on finding melody and harmony. At times it worked and their second last song flowed into a lovely electronic instrumental, with the guy on the right conjuring up a gorgeous gentle vocal melody. At other times they were lacking a chorus or tune. The drums at the front of the stage seemed more for visual effect, rather than actually serving a musical purpose, with the same beats played several times over a few songs. To end on a positive note they are still a relatively young band and they are not lacking in ideas. From my own personal point of view I'd be curious to see what the guy on the right could do solo, but that is purely in relation to my own taste.

And so on to Miaoux Miaoux, essentially Julian Corrie. Taking to the stage (actually the floor) armed with a guitar, a few pedals, synth and a couple of interesting looking things that provided beats and samples, Miaoux Miaoux had the crowd smiling before he played a note when he realised that a battery had gone flat on his effects pedal. With help from Dead Boy Robotics he was soon creating an elctronic landscape in front of our very eyes and to the pleasure of our ears.

The first song in was the instrumental 'The Colours of Glass' and the melodies, beats and feeling from the song set heads nodding and feet tapping. The size of the crowd (only around 30) and the relaxed environment created by the Podcart team meant that there was no dancing, however I can imagine a packed club dancing away to this tune and others. 'Rainbow Bubbles' was an instrumental album, yet the 3-tracks on the 'Blooms' EP indicate that Miaoux Miaoux is indeed blossoming (pardon the pun) with vocals and a poppier edge (particularly on 'Snow' that features New Order-esque guitar).

'Pixellated' off the album feels it's way, layers are added throughout the song to create something quite special, 'Dream On' continues in a similar vein, while the aforementioned 'Snow' builds from a guitar riff that Bernard Sumner would be proud of into an epic song with the refrain/chorus 'I don't wanna be my own best friend, I don't wanna be my own best friend'.

On stage (the floor) it all looks so easy but the talent and vision required to layer melodies on melodies, change beats and introduce soaring moments that lift you higher in such a natural fashion is immense. Mylo sprung to mind a couple of times during the set, but I don't want to make lazy comparisons.

With another couple of songs from 'Rainbow Bubbles' and a free track 'Hrvatski' (available from www.miaouxmiaoux.com ) it's all over too soon and I'm already looking forward to the next time, just like an early romance, when one date ends you look forward to the next one.

For the record, Miaoux Miaoux will be playing Heavylight Darkbright at Captains Rest on May 8th where there may well be some dancing. And more romancing…

April musings

Well it is 21st April and I've not been to a gig in Glasgow yet this month.

I have ventured to Bathgate and Edinburgh, but finances, work and other mundane things have meant that I haven't been out and about much.

That is about to change, starting with a trip to the good old 13th Note this week to catch Miaoux Miaoux and Dead Boy Robotics as part of a Glasgow Podcart night.

One of the great things about the 13th Note (and there are many) is that it is cheap to hire. If you make a certain amount at the bar then the venue hire (including soundperson) is free. So that allows new bands coming through the chance to put on their own night and either make some money, or not lose that much! The booker (ex-Teenage Fanclub drummer Brendan O'Hare) is also very reliable.

The Glasgow Podcart have been a welcome addition to the Glasgow music scene. Their enthusiasm and knowledge of music is infectious and who knows where their little venture could take them.

Next week I will be heading to Glasgow Barrowlands to see one of my favourite bands/acts of current times - the majestic LCD Soundsystem. I was lucky enough to catch them at the Barras several years ago when Too Many DJ's/Soulwax were supporting. My memories of that night are a little hazy as it was a messy affair, I just remember dancing my socks off!

In other news I'm excited by the prospect of seeing Martha Reeves & The Vandellas perform Motown classics like 'Heatwave', 'Nowhere To Run', 'Jimmy Mack' and 'Dancing In The Streets' at The Arches in the summer. Although I am sure the £26 ticket will be well worth it, I am having to wait until payday to buy one.