Hen Hoose at Celtic Connections

Photo - Hannah Brodie

Last year, 12 members of the Hen Hoose collective travelled to the Isle of Lewis to write and record an album ... in 6-days ... from scratch. Staying at Black Bay residential studio, the members were directed by Hen Hoose leader, Tamara Schlesinger who split them into songwriting teams and within 3-days they had the 9-songs that make up The Twelve, their new album released on 23rd January. 

HEN HOOSE BANDCAMP - order the record here

The Twelve is a wonderful album. I love compilation albums that display a wide variety of talent and taste. This feels like that ... but with an added sense of friendship and community. The album feels fresh, full of vibrancy and energy. Artists collaborating, pushing each other, being lifted by each other ... you can feel it and sense it.

And on Friday night, it was on display. To celebrate the release, Hen Hoose Collective played a sold out show in the beautiful Tramway Theatre in the Southside of Glasgow. And this really did feel like a celebration - it was euphoric and emotional, bristling with energy and intent. Artists who have been brought together through music, artists who have become friends. Artists performing their new work live for the first time. 

The energy and freshness of the album was transferred to a live show. The stage floor was set up almost like a large living room or rehearsal studio. Two sofa's flanked the microphones and the impeccable 'hoose' band. Singers and musicians chilled and watched on when they didn't need to get up to perform. Everyone was in it together, supporting each other, cheering for each other, laughing and smiling. A simple but beautiful set up.

SHEARS, AMUNDA, Malka & Emma Pollock on the sofa

the supremely talented Cariss Crosbie on keyboards

Photo by Hannah Brodie

The Hen Hoose band definitely deserve a mention! Cariss Crosbie (synths/keys and vocals), Inge Thomson (flutes, synths and percussion), Sarah Hayes (synths/keys and flute), Suse Bear (bass and synths), Lauren MacDonald (drums) and Jill Lorean (guitar and vocals).

The Hen's that went up to Lewis were Tamara Schlesinger (AKA Malka), Suse Bear, Ray Aggs, Inge Thomson, Frances McKee, Carla J Easton, AMUNDA, SHEARS, Cariss Crosbie, Emma Pollock Djana Gabrielle and Jill Lorean.

Where to start?! I think I'll combine an album and live review!

Malka started things off, flanked by a beaming Ray Aggs (who has the most delightful smile) with opening song Wipe Out. The song veers off into a sublime melodic breakdown. Gorgeous. 

Photo by Hannah Brodie

Next up, my sister Carla with her song Rich (Katy's In Space) about the crazy news story that broke around the time of recording in Lewis - Katy Perry hanging with Elon Musk and taking a trip to space! Loads of fun on record, the hooks were even more infectious when performed live - rammed home an extra few times for good measure.

Photo by Hannah Brodie

I was at the show with my daughter Rosie and she was particularly taken by songs involving AMUNDA and SHEARS. They have an ear for pop! Just like Rosie! Out My Mind is full of fast paced melodies and like the opening song it has a gorgeous break that builds back up. Euphoric! SHEARS had a lot of fun as the beat kicked in and she stretched her vocals. Like Ariana Grande according to Rosie.

Sirens Call My Name has been receiving a lot of love on 6 Music. A synth-y bass is broken by Emma Pollock urging us to hold on, hold on. The burst and lift into the chorus is glorious.

And I just love the way that I feel when I hear the song

Djana Gabrielle and Ray Aggs sing the deeply moody disco number Promise, an early favourite of mine.

I promised myself, I'll never fall for you

Here we are again

Photo by Hannah Brodie

Game of 2 had loads of hens on stage, exchanging vocals for different sections, AMUNDA and Carla with some pop moments, Djana Gabrielle with the breathy and sexy French(?) vocal section.

Frances McKee was typically self effacing when introducing Ego Trip, highlighting the talent on stage and that she had experienced in Lewis, wondering why she was with them.

Well, Frances quickly showed why, with her autobiographical lyrics, about the 90's and then to present day.

No drugs since 1995

I'm alright now, made it out alive

I love the lines that Cariss sings;

I forgot who I was 

And I don't know who I am

Then Emma Pollock comes in with an outstanding chorus. It's so uplifting!

Standing on an island with no lifeboat

And I don't need pills to teach me how to swim

In Control with lead vocals by SHEARS and Jill Lorean was outstanding! My daughter Rosie's favourite! This is powerful pop, with a samba-esque breakdown. Live at Celtic Connections, SHEARS and Jill Lorean came out in front of the stage floor and danced around looking super cool.

I'm in control

You're not at all

So back it off

I'm showing up

Stop showing off

Cause I'm the boss

The Twelve ends with the beautiful Blessings On The Day, it's like a psychedelic nursery rhyme full of observations.

Everybody does what they do

Nobody is judging you

Follow the herd

Don't be heard

Should any promoters be reading this - an all-ages Hen Hoose event at the Kelvingrove Bandstand this summer would be an absolute winner... or the Barrowland, I'm not too fussy!

Well done to all the artists involved in the album and the live show - wonderful!

Photo by Hannah Brodie

American Trilogy

 

Trust me # 48
American Trilogy by The Delgados

Lifted from The Delgados outstanding The Great Eastern album in 2000, American Trilogy reached number 61 on the UK singles chart (11 in the indie charts). The Great Eastern only reached 72 in the album charts (12 in the indie). Evidence that chart positions don't matter when it comes to art.

The Delgados developed their own art form rather beautifully over the years. Improving as songwriters and musicians, working in different producers and bringing in extra musicians. In addition to the band, Alun Woodward, Emma Pollock, Stewart Henderson and Paul Savage starting their own label Chemikal Underground and opening their own studio CHEM19 allowed them to be fiercely independent and also release records by the likes of Mogwai, Arab Strap, De Rosa and BiS! 

 I've enjoyed revisiting The Delgados back catalogue in advance of their Barrowland show on 25th January. The four friends were clearly burning bright with creative energy. 5 albums in just 8-years (1996-2004) is pretty prolific. There is great beauty and depth across this body of work and, for me, one of the real standouts is American Trilogy.

The lyrics, delivered in a gorgeous tumbling melody, to the first couple of verses are confessional, therapy, a call for help and then the chorus explodes gloriously with a realisation.

It's the simple things that crush

And I'm crying far too much

So much that I'm thinking

My control on life is shrinking

There's a light on my head and I'm thinking what I said

All the freedom in my brain

I'm alright now

I'm just thinking, what to say

The third verse is darker, yet with Pollock gently singing under Woodward the beauty remains. Suicidal thoughts are there, then the chorus kicks back in, the uplifting melody with soaring strings makes you think - yeah he's gonna be OK. We're gonna be OK. We can live with it. We can get through it.

But lately I've been feeling that I'm gonna give up breathing

There's a light on in my head and I'm thinking what I said

All the fever in my brain

It's alright now, I can even take the pain

The Great Eastern (2000) was produced by Dave Fridmann. In the previous years he produced Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips (1999) and Deserters Songs by Mercury Rev (1998). It's an astonishing trilogy of albums - no pun intended! Fridmann also produced Mogwai's Come On Die Young in 2000.

Check the official video for the edited single, full length album version and a brilliant live performance for the BBC below. 

Official video

Album version

Live for the BBC

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. American Trilogy join them.

I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

Interview - Tamara Schlesinger

 Only 14% of songwriters signed to publishing companies in the UK are women. Just 12% of those registered with the Music Producers Guild (MUG) are women. 

That is staggeringly low! So I was keen to find out more about Hen Hoose a new Glasgow based female songwriting collective formed by songwriter Tamara Schlesinger who records under the guise of Malka.

Malka (Tamara Schlesinger)

Schlesinger has a clear vision for what she wants Hen Hoose to be and she has recruited; Emma Pollock, Beldina Odenyo (Heir Of The Cursed), Karine Polwart, Stina Tweeddale (Honeyblood), Pippa Murphy, Amandah Wilkinson (Bossy Love), India Rose, Rachael Swinton (Cloth), Elisabeth Oswell, Suse Bear (Pictish Trail & solo), Carla J Easton, Sarah Hayes & Inge Thomson into the Hoose.

It's a fantastic pool of diverse talent, beautifully mixing youth with experience and a melting pot of styles. 

Rachael Swinton (Cloth)

Amandah Wilkinson (Bossy Love)

I always find it interesting when artists get together to collaborate, so I'm really looking forward to hearing what these artists create when they begin to work together, particularly when some of the artists are quite distinctive in their style and delivery - how will that change when they get together, how will they inspire each other?

Tamara very kindly answered a few questions for the blog;

What is your 'usual' (if there is such a thing) writing style?

I have changed my style so much over the years. Initially I would wrote with my ukulele or guitar, often writing the lyrics first and the music after. I was in an alt-folk band called 6 Day Riot and that seemed to fit the overall vibe of the band at the time. But after leaving the band I began to write melody lines over beats. Now I am combining a bit of both, but I usually come up with the melody line before the lyrics and that tends to set the mood for the song. I am pretty solitary now in my process, writing, playing and producing most of the music myself these days.

What changes when you add 1 or 2 new people to it?

I think that everything changes when you add others to the writing process, just the general style of the song will automatically change. But also the direction in which you may have taken something can be thrown into something new and exciting when other people are involved. You no longer have complete control over the music and that is not always a bad thing, as long as your ideas align then it can be a very inspiring and exciting experience, for me it often shifts my writing process and makes me open up to new ideas that I may not have thought of previously.

How did you approach the other artists? What was their reaction?

I reached out to a few artists initially and floated the idea and I was really excited when they wanted to be involved. Once I knew that I had a core group that wanted to get involved I was keen to widen it as much as I possibly could - trying to get a number of writers from different genres and with diverse styles so that we could create something really fresh and exciting for each group. I couldn't quite believe the calibre of writer that took an interest in getting involved, they all saw it as something positive and fresh to be involved in which has been amazing.

If you could choose any 3 artists (outwith this project) to collaborate with, who would you choose and why?

I am a big Jane Weaver fan, so I would love to work with her and also Pictish Trail, his album was on of my favourites released this year and finally, I will go big and say Missy Elliot, that would be pretty awesome.

What would you like to achieve from the first round of collaborations?

I have a few hopes, I want everyone involved to feel like they have gained something from the experience, to push themselves into new spaces and roles that they would not usually take on. But mostly I would love it if we create a body of work that we are all excited and proud of that I can pitch out for sync to generate an extra income for all of the writers involved. Finally, if we are really pleased with it all then I would love to put it out there into the world and release it and let everyone hear the music.

What are your hopes for 2021 and beyond with Hen Hoose?

I really hope that I can make this something beyond the first round. I would love to have a round 2, 3, 4 and so on ... expanding the writers, perhaps bringing in writers from the rest of the UK to work with the Scottish writers and generally inspire everyone involved, along with the new young writers by just highlighting just how amazing the female songwriting talent is in Scotland

Record Store Day 2016

Record Store Day 2016

I really enjoyed Record Store Day 2016 in Glasgow. I visited Love Music and Monorail; bought some records, caught some live music, met some friends and also had a great family day out with my wife and 2 daughters. The sunshine even appeared in the afternoon, perfect for a few beers outside Mono.

Zoe and I caught the 1pm train into Glasgow and headed straight to Love Music to look for the Ette album Homemade Lemonade. Not due until July, Olive Grove Records released 10 copies to Love Music for Record Store Day.

The added incentive was that Zoe is on the cover - Ette is the solo project by my sister Carla who is in TeenCanteen.

Zoe and I were filmed in Love Music and you can see us at 40-seconds in, I’m also back in at 2 minutes 20 seconds.

Love Music had wisely decided to put live bands on in The Vale pub, mere yards from the store. While this took some of the buzz away from the shop, it meant that those purely interested in shopping had space (sometimes) to move. The store was busy and the half a dozen staff that were on looked tired but happy.

Space is at a premium in Love Music and putting the bands on in The Vale meant that people could get a drink and catch bands like Man of Moon and hotly tipped artist Be Charlotte alongside DJ’s from Podcart and Scottish Fiction.

We hot footed it over to Monorail and immediately bumped into friends Ben, Matt, Alison, Anissa and young 15-month old Martha sitting outside. Zoe and I attempted to go record shopping, but as it was mobbed we settled for a beer (me) and some chocolate and water (Zoe) and went outside for a natter.

Monorail and Mono Cafe Bar make a real effort to include youngsters and they had face painting and arts and crafts for the kids. Zoe got a fairy tattoo on her arm and I got a RSD16 tattoo!

My wife Lynn and youngest Rosie joined us and I finally got into the record store and bought releases by The Charlatans - Trouble Understanding (Norman Cook remix), Primal Scream - Mantra For A State of Mind - a cover of S-Express with Jason Pierce on guitar and a beautiful 7-inch by Glasgow band Spinning Coin - Albany. (blog coming soon).

I bumped into Greg from Machines In Heaven who will be dropping their new album in May. They’ve already released this gem 20xx and Greg was talking passionately about the album and the process behind the way they recorded it. Expect a blog and interview in the future.

Emma Pollock started a live set at 4pm, playing a beautiful old guitar. I was right down the front with Zoe and I couldn’t help think about how positive it was that Zoe (4) was able to watch Emma playing live at such close proximity and at such a young age. I swapped with Lynn halfway through the set and went outside with Rosie, but was able to bring her in to take this cracking picture.

It was a top day - records, music, family, friends, beer, sunshine and Glasgow. I need to make sure I have another day like this soon!