Sunday, 1 July 2007

My Kappa Roots, Eagle Owl, The Wee Rogue - Nice n Sleazy

Late again, Do I win a prize? Look, I bumped into a friend from school with her 6 month old baby, intervened in a fight in the street, bumped into a friend from uni who I haven't seen this century and briefly sketched out a business plan to save the concept of 'the record shop'. (exclusive CDs of specially recorded sessions)

On stage is a chap sat with acoustic guitar, with three microphones, with the most delicate music coming out. Songs about maritime disasters on the Isle of Lewis.

Mig's rather jolly idea to have Sunday afternoon gigs at Sleazys. Laid back affairs, where you can have you lunch with a live soundtrack, only £3 in today.

The audience sits enraptured, in silence, you wouldn't get this at The Cottiers. A couple of familiar faces here, well Ceylan once again and entourage, a Glasgow filmmaker, and various hairy people.

I hope there's going to be more people on stage, and I didn't just pay to hear two songs. Ooh, uncertainty.

Pretend cigarette break upstairs and the realisation that "Enumenu" would be a cool name for a band.

Eagle Owl however, is a better name for a scout leader or something. You know gonks, the wee fuzzy mascot thigs with plastic eyes, perched on computer monitors throughout the eighties, the singer / guitarist looks like one of those. Violin, guitar, cello, so its that warm blanket like music, but its just a little unmusical. It doesn't tie together, all doing their own thing and not at the same time.

The overdrive effect on the violin is a nice touch and boy / girl harmonies.

A few songs in and they swap violin and guitar for ukulele and glokenspiel, this is how they ought to have started. Is this a song about having a pet dog?

The final song is a rather rocking track, drum machine, three part vocals, biolin, guitar and cello, shadows of The Levellers and The Staunton Lick. Ceylan is personally shocked that the word "Mother-fucker" is used throughout the song, I think its quite refreshing. If only their other songs were more like this.

Headlining this afternoon is My Kappa Roots. Potentially, its really good, if you ignore the finger noise, the buzzing, the extractor fan, the out of tuniness and the uncertainty, then its okay, but that takes a lot of ignoring. So its warm, delicate and messy, could be better.
My Kappa Roots
There was an instrumental song he wrote, but I think its stretching the concept of writing a song a little far, playing the same combination of noodles today as you strung together last night just doesn't qualify.

You're harsh upon him Christopher. He has the delicate whisper of the night and flaws like the sea. I think his music is mesmerisingly drowsy. His lyrics are sometimes lost in his Fife burr, but if you read them outside of the music, they have a yearning ache. I'm definitely a fan and I feel he stands at the forefront of the 21st century folk music scene.

While Ceylon took control of my notebook, I started thinking about metallic hydrogen. In theory hydrogen could be a metal solid, its just above Lithium in the periodic table, but it would only be a solid in certain conditions, very high pressure and very low temperature. Certain conditions that could never occur in real day to day life.

Similarly, there can only rarely be the ideal conditions for My Kappa Roots to be beautiful in real life, the rest is just theory.

Photie
here

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love your blog - keep going!

Anonymous said...

It's a double bass muso. Not a cello. x