Interview: Loch Awe

(Photo by Sophie Ruthven)

Who and what are Loch Awe?

Loch Awe is an ex-folk band comprised of myself (Matthew), Jack, Oliver, Brian and Joy.

How did the band come together?

We all met at Edinburgh University. Jack, Joy and I got together in July of 2010 and decided to make some music. Then we asked Oli to play on it and, about six months later, Brian as well.

Where did the name come from?

The real story of where we got the name is incredible dull and involves a Wikipedia search and not much else, so here’s a made-up story instead:

It was a cold, dark night and I was driving home from work (I can’t drive). All of a sudden there was a loud crashing sound – like a kitten being hurled into a gong (indeed that’s one of the percussion sounds we used on our first album) – and a bright light descended from the sky and landed on the bonnet of my car (still can’t drive). Naturally I got out to investigate this strange phenomenon. Sitting on the hood of my car (I don’t own a car) was a small, grey-haired man, in long wizard-esque robes. “Son,” he said to me, “one day you will start a folk band with some friends, and that band shall be called… THE BEATLES.” Excited, I rushed home and Googled this mysterious band name. Turns out it was already taken, so we chose Loch Awe instead.

Who inspires you musically?

I can’t speak for the others, but personally I’m inspired by most of the music I hear, in one way or another. I guess I’m particularly inspired by Buddy Holly, Phil Elverum, Gil Scott-Heron and Townes Van Zandt.

What local bands should we be listening to?

If you don’t yet own Adam Stafford’s record Build A Harbour Immediately then you’re missing out on one of the best records of 2011.
The Beerjacket album that just came out, The White Feather Trail, is excellent, too.
Additionally, go and listen to these bands: Ajimal, Rob St. John, Conquering Animal Sound, Eagleowl and The Scottish Enlightenment.
Obviously there are countless others, but this is what comes to mind right now.

Two of the band play ukulele, which is rather a cute piece of machinery, have you ever serenaded someone in a train station much like the adverts on the tele?

Never. In fact, allow me to state right now that if I ever do that you have permission to beat me senseless. With the ukulele.

You’ve previously created an EP in just two weeks, would you recommend that to other bands?

I think it depends entirely on the band. For us, when we got together, it was all we wanted to do. We weren’t at all interested in playing shows, we just wanted to write and record music. So we did. Had we formed the band without immediately writing and recording ‘Artificial Life…’ I doubt we’d still be going now.

Can we expect a new release from the band soon?

That all depends on your definition of ‘soon’, really. We should be releasing a few tracks quite early next year. Then we’ll try and finish recording the album in order to have it out at some point between May and September. That feels quite soon to me, mainly because I’m not at all ready.

Anyhow, here’s a link to a brand new demo we’ve recorded in preparation for recording: http://soundcloud.com/we-the-plural/i-will-drift-into-10-000

What about some live shows?

Only one live show on the horizon, and that’s one I’m promoting myself. It’s our first ever headline show, and it’s at Sneaky Pete’s on December 1st (which is also my birthday). We’re playing with Reverieme and Adam Stafford, so it’s bound to be a brilliant night.

We should definitely be in Glasgow at some point early next year, at the Chem19 Demo Fund launch gig thingy. No idea where that will be, or when. It’s bound to be fun, though.

You mention maths a lot on your Facebook page, is there a sense of number fetish amongst the band?

I’m a pure mathematics student, Jack studies artificial intelligence, Oliver’s doing electrical engineering and Brian studied geophysics, so most of us have done a hell of a lot of maths over the past few years. Except Joy. She studies English Language. She doesn’t like maths.

If Loch Awe inspired the creation of a tattoo what would that tattoo look like?

I really like the idea of somebody having my lyrics tattoed on them. The idea that they could be that important to somebody is lovely. Of course, this is highly hypothetical. I don’t think anybody would ever have some of the crap I write inked into their skin.

And finally,

What does the future hold for Loch Awe?

Second album and upcoming shows aside? Well I’ve already started writing for our third release. Absolutely no idea what it’s going to be yet, but with any luck it’ll take less time than the almost-two-years it’s taking to get this record done.

Harry Potter Tattoos

Who in their right mind would be fanatical enough for a Harry Potter tattoo… well I would. I am now sitting drooling over Google fantasising about getting a snitch tattoo. Or a lightening bolt. Oooh or Avada Kedavra to scare people on the street.

The thing is Harry Potter is cool. It appeals to people of all ages and will appeal to numerous generations to come.

And when it comes to symbolism Harry Potter has it all – whatever you wish to convey. As Stephen King said:

“Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity.”

So with just a simple lightening bolt tattoo you can symbolise all of this. Even if you’ve got it hidden on your bum.

Of course there are some TERRIBLE tats out there but there are also some magical ones. Have are my favourites:

 

Interview: MakethisRelate

Who and what are MakethisRelate?

MakethisRelate is a three piece rock band from Glasgow consisting of Kevin Walls (vocals & guitar), Aidan Scott (bass & vocals) and Danny Kelly (drums & vocals).

How did MakethisRelate come together?

We met in 2008 whilst studying sound production at college. I (Kevin) had been working on a solo project for a few years beforehand and the band initially came together as my backing band. After a year or so of gigging around Scotland, we noticed the sound we had been working on had started to change and everything became much more collaborative. That was about the time when we decided to adopt the MakethisRelate moniker.

Where did the name come from?

The name was a result of a lengthily process. We had been struggling to come up with something that we felt suited our band and our music. We would consistently send ideas back and forth and we eventually stumbled upon MakethisRelate during a series of text messages. Danny was texting me a number of possible band names one night but I didn’t feel they pinpointed what our band was about, so I text him back saying something along the lines of “I don’t know man. We need to make it relate to our band”. Then he simply replied “make it relate?”. From there it somehow morphed into MakethisRelate, which in hindsight is a bit of a ridiculous band name but it’s unique, so we’re easy to find on the internet!

Who inspires you musically?

Personally, our influences vary quite a bit however we’re all big fans of Jimmy Eat World and Biffy Clyro. Although we try to listen to as much music as possible, new and old. It’s always great to hear something for the first time that makes you want to go write a song or play a gig, so in that respect, our influences are pretty wide.

Who are your favourite local bands?

We’re all big fans of Aspen Tide, they’re brilliant! We’re good mates with them and we’ve played with them on a number of occasions. They’re definitely worth a listen. So Many Animal Calls are amazing. I’ve had their latest EP in my car for the past three months and I never get sick of listening to it. Sacred Betrayal, The Celestains, The Corleones and Whatever They Say are also worth checking out!

You’ve supported a lot of great bands in your time. What’s it like sharing the stage with such talent?

Insane! It’s a totally surreal experience. We supported The Damned Things at The Garage in Glasgow during the summer and it was just so strange to see Scott Ian, Keith Buckley and everyone just walking about the venue. They were great guys! It’s a great experience getting to see how a band at that level operates and we’ve been really lucky with the opportunities we’ve had.

What was playing TiTP for the first time this year like?

T in the Park was amazing. It was quite overwhelming, in a good way, but we had such a great time at T. Our tent was huge and we had a great turn out considering we were on fairly early! We actually got to hang out with Jimmy Eat World for a while, which in itself was such a surreal moment. I really wanted to ask for a picture with them but I don’t really know if that’s against band-on-band etiquette or not. We’ve definitely got a taste for T in the Park, so we hope we’ll be asked back in the future.

Have you got some live shows coming up?

We have one last show this year; we’re going to be headlining Nice N Sleazy in Glasgow for their 20th anniversary celebrations on the 22^nd of November. Tickets are available online from TicketWeb and in-person from Tickets Scotland. Unfortunately it’s an over 18 event but we’re going to try our best to sort something out for those who are under 18.

What about some new songs?

We’re working on quite a few new songs at the moment and we’re hoping to put together a more substantial and cohesive release for the near future. We don’t want to rush anything though, so we’re going to take our time to experiment a little and hopefully write some great new songs.

How would you describe your sound to a stranger in the street?

Honest pop-rock that you can sing along to. I think that’s how I’d pitch it but I’m really bad a selling things!

If someone was to design a tattoo inspired by MakethisRelate what do you think it would look like?

I think there’s already a few out there! I’m sure a few people got tattoos based on our lyrics, which is pretty incredible. I think we should maybe get ourselves a logo that people can also choose to get tattooed if they’re really into the band.

And finally…

What does the future hold for MakethisRelate?

Lots of writing. We really want to focus on getting ourselves a set of new songs that we are really proud of. We’re planning to try out some new things this time round and we really want to allow ourselves to be as creative as possible. If that means it takes us a bit longer to get something released then that’s fine, as long as we feel the end result is worth it and we’re proud of it, then that’s all that matters.

http://www.makethisrelate.com/

Grape Tattoos

Grapes can symbolise a variety of different things in the world of tattoos – not just a yummy looking fruit kiddos!

Traditionally grapes are the go-to hospital gift from visitors. Why you ask? Well grapes represent immortality and good luck so giving them to an ill friend is a swell thing to do. Or as I’ve always seen it you can’t (easily) drink wine in hospital so grapes are the closest you’re going to get.

Talking of wine, grapes are also symbolic of sex. May it be the intoxicating merits of wine-consumption that clouds our minds but grapes are often immortalised in paintings and sculptures with smoldering glances exchanged between partners as they exchange grapes.

So if you’re looking for a sexytime tattoo representative of wine, grapes are exactly what you’re looking for.

And here are some sexy grape tattoos to get your juices flowing:

 

 

Bradley Cooper Ink

Well there you go Bradley Cooper is the sexiest man alive according to People Magazine!

Do you know what we think would make Cooper even sexier? A few more tattoos.

From my scouring of Google I can only see the one tattoo on Cooper’s upper arm which with the aid of a magnifying glass – it’s a hard life – I THINK is a New York Rangers inspired tattoo. Any ideas on it readers?

Oi Bradley what’s the tattoo all about! Perhaps a sexiest man alive ink is needed…?

Flamingo Tattoos

I’ve always loved flamingos; from flamingo jewellery and printed scarves to the waist-high stuffed flamingo in my bedroom named Frank I’ve experienced a fair few.  Like me they’re quirky, dumb and the same colour as their favourite food. Rather in my case I have a slight orange tinge due to my love of carrots.

But not everyone loves the flamingo as I. To America the plastic flamingo owner is to Britain what the gnome owner is – a bit tacky. Ancient Egypt had a nobler meaning for the flamboyant bird. As it represented red in hieroglyphics people often regarded flamingos to be the living representation of Ra.  In Alice in Wonderland flamingos made an appearance in the world of nonsense as the rather dumb mallets used for croquet. Generally flamingos symbolize grace and elegance especially as they stand on one foot to sleep.

There’s no denying that flamingos are cool. I already have my flamingo tattoo planned in my head. What is it you ask? Now now don’t be nosey. In the meantime here are some rather dishy flamingo tattoos.

Interview: Alex Pearson

How did you get into music?

Green Day were my gateway drug! I was given a copy of Nimrod and from there things got heavier and heavier! I always loved singing; I was a choirboy when I was younger (probably not the coolest thing to admit!). When I was thirteen I was in a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar and I played Judas, I was totally bitten by the whole performance thing, the adrenaline buzz and the sheer fun of it, I knew when I was thirteen that’s what I wanted to do with my life.

What has the transition from being in a metal band to a solo acoustic artist been like?

It’s been a lot easier on everyone’s eardrums! Until third year of uni I barely ever picked up my acoustic, maybe I mellowed out with age? Its been a really liberating experience, I can write the songs I want to write without having anyone telling me it wasn’t “metal” enough. I do miss the distortion though… and the eyeliner.
Did you find graduating hard as it saw the end of NIAM?

NIAM I think came to an end at the right time. It had been my baby since I was sixteen and I guess it was time to let it go. But yeah it was really hard, graduation signaled a lot of changes for me, very few of them pleasant, splitting up the band was not fun especially as two of my best friends/flatmates/bandmates were no longer on speaking terms.
How would you describe your acoustic music?

It’s kind of like if James Blunt grew a pair, had babies with Frank Turner and the resulting child had a love of metal. I guess its acoustic/folk/punk with a few ballads and a zesty hint of bitterness thrown in for good measure.

Where do you take inspiration for your music?

I’d say the good people who refuse to sit down, shut up and get a “real job”, my anger at the people who try to beat the good people down, inspire my lyrics the most. Apart from that, I’m English and I’m inspired by the things I want to say but cant because of my English reserve, that very English trait known as the importance of not being earnest.

What kind of music do you listen to yourself?

Frank Turner is a real hero of mine so anything by him or similar, anything that has a bit of an attitude whilst at the same time carrying a great melody. Otherwise its metal, the symphonic stuff like Nightwish again, it’s all about the melody. I also really love a band called Blue October, huge amount of emotion in their work.

Do you have any releases planned?

My manger wants me to release an internet track that is available to download for free once a week for the foreseeable future, which is a big ask between my day job and university (second round) but I’m getting there so in essence, yes, loads, keep an eye on http://soundcloud.com/alexpearson-1 . Hopefully I will have a full-length album for release coming to summer of next year, with a full band

What about live shows?

I’m playing at the waterside in Haddington, East Lothian on the 29th of this month, otherwise got a few shows coming up in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and London, just need to confirm the dates, they will be going up on to www.facebook.com/alexpearsonmusic as soon as they are confirmed

If someone was to design a tattoo about your music how do you think it would look?

If my music was a tattoo I reckon it would be of a beautiful woman. I guess I think of all music as female, it’s too beautiful and subtle to be a bloke. She’d probably be having two different expressions on the same face (if that makes sense). One defiant, strong and energetic, the other sad and fragile. I think my music can be a bit schizophrenic in terms of mood.