Monday 28 June 2010
Friday 25 June 2010
A Dream I Had
I dreamt last night that someone reviewed a Randolph's Leap gig.
I've embellished it a little bit but this is pretty much how it panned out:
Sigh.
Firstly, Randolph's Leap are not a band who will be winning any beauty contests in a hurry. Frontman Adam Ross displays a mouthful of teeth almost as crooked as his sense of rhythm. I struggled to keep my eyes on the rag-tag formation, finding their desperate and misguided attempts at 'stage-presence' nausea-inducing.
And as for the performance? More like perfor-mess. The band stumbled their way though the kind of meandering, lightweight melodies and rhyming schemes most of us abandoned at nursery school.
However, unbelievably, the pain was worth enduring for one song. 'Going Home' is the jewel in a desert of shit. A song that (keeping in mind the otherwise abominable set) I struggle to believe is not a cover. For 5 sweet minutes, it all comes together for Randolph's Leap as they bellow the glorious chorus to what is surely going to follow Auld Lang Sine, Loch Lomond and The Proclaimers' 500 Miles into the annals of Scottish DJ classics, a sure-fire foot-stomping disco staple for future wedding-goers the world over. Ecstasy.
I've embellished it a little bit but this is pretty much how it panned out:
Sigh.
Firstly, Randolph's Leap are not a band who will be winning any beauty contests in a hurry. Frontman Adam Ross displays a mouthful of teeth almost as crooked as his sense of rhythm. I struggled to keep my eyes on the rag-tag formation, finding their desperate and misguided attempts at 'stage-presence' nausea-inducing.
And as for the performance? More like perfor-mess. The band stumbled their way though the kind of meandering, lightweight melodies and rhyming schemes most of us abandoned at nursery school.
However, unbelievably, the pain was worth enduring for one song. 'Going Home' is the jewel in a desert of shit. A song that (keeping in mind the otherwise abominable set) I struggle to believe is not a cover. For 5 sweet minutes, it all comes together for Randolph's Leap as they bellow the glorious chorus to what is surely going to follow Auld Lang Sine, Loch Lomond and The Proclaimers' 500 Miles into the annals of Scottish DJ classics, a sure-fire foot-stomping disco staple for future wedding-goers the world over. Ecstasy.
Insider Festival
Splendiferous festival. Lovely location, friendly chickens.
A giant of a man, resplendent in kilt and Santa Claus hair+beard combo gifted us the most touching introduction we've ever received: "Ladies and gentlemen, mmmfghl harrrumph ggl, mumphumblas Glasgow rumphundm farvrushghlln RANDOLPH'S LEAP!"
We didn't arrive until the Saturday, thus regretfully missing Washington Irving and a few other folk.
A large dose of the thankyouz goes to Washinton Irving's Chris McGarry for joining us (our own drumsman couldn't make it) in what turned out to be a ill-prepared disaster / endearingly shambolic triumph in the face of adversity.
My personal highlights were Andrea Marini (though my quest for a baked potatiola distracted me for a song or two), Sir Alasdair Roberts (see video below) and Rachel Sermanni who I'd never heard before but boasted good songs, a cracking fiddle duo and a sense of self-awareness which I personally find refreshing when compared with some of the dullards who graze in not-so-dissimilar fields...
Alasdair Roberts - The Cruel Mother:
A giant of a man, resplendent in kilt and Santa Claus hair+beard combo gifted us the most touching introduction we've ever received: "Ladies and gentlemen, mmmfghl harrrumph ggl, mumphumblas Glasgow rumphundm farvrushghlln RANDOLPH'S LEAP!"
We didn't arrive until the Saturday, thus regretfully missing Washington Irving and a few other folk.
A large dose of the thankyouz goes to Washinton Irving's Chris McGarry for joining us (our own drumsman couldn't make it) in what turned out to be a ill-prepared disaster / endearingly shambolic triumph in the face of adversity.
My personal highlights were Andrea Marini (though my quest for a baked potatiola distracted me for a song or two), Sir Alasdair Roberts (see video below) and Rachel Sermanni who I'd never heard before but boasted good songs, a cracking fiddle duo and a sense of self-awareness which I personally find refreshing when compared with some of the dullards who graze in not-so-dissimilar fields...
Alasdair Roberts - The Cruel Mother:
Battleships & Kettle Chips
An EP/mini-album is expected to be ready be September or so.
Gary Bolam is doing the pictures n that.
It'll have the following songs on it:
Going Home
As I Lie In The Mud
Cassie O'Tone
Back To Square One
Undergod
and maybe another.
Gary Bolam is doing the pictures n that.
It'll have the following songs on it:
Going Home
As I Lie In The Mud
Cassie O'Tone
Back To Square One
Undergod
and maybe another.
Bandcamp (free downloads)
You can get your filthy little mittens on some free mp3s here:
OUR BANDCAMP SITE
Including our new super summer smash-hit single Squeamish
FACTOID OF THE WEEK - Squeamish was recorded using a drum kit belonging to sports pundit and TV personality Dougie Vipond. Why he owns a drum kit I do not know.... Sorry? Who? Nope, never heard of them.
OUR BANDCAMP SITE
Including our new super summer smash-hit single Squeamish
FACTOID OF THE WEEK - Squeamish was recorded using a drum kit belonging to sports pundit and TV personality Dougie Vipond. Why he owns a drum kit I do not know.... Sorry? Who? Nope, never heard of them.
Album with Eldifidle
I recently spent some time with the incalculably talented 'eldifidle' recording "this year's most enchanting lo-fi pop masterpiece" (Adam Ross).
I discovered the enigmatic eldifidle this year after hearing about him on the Teenage Fanclub discussion forum. His debut instrumental album 'address is approximate' is a fantastic piece of work (Gareth from Randolph's Leap will disagree with me on this point, but I won't seek to open up old wounds between these two...)
In essence, the album we created together - 'My Great Auntie Syzygy - is me singing some songs to arrangements performed and produced by eldifidle. It's lo-fi to the triple-x-treme, but I like it.
I discovered the enigmatic eldifidle this year after hearing about him on the Teenage Fanclub discussion forum. His debut instrumental album 'address is approximate' is a fantastic piece of work (Gareth from Randolph's Leap will disagree with me on this point, but I won't seek to open up old wounds between these two...)
In essence, the album we created together - 'My Great Auntie Syzygy - is me singing some songs to arrangements performed and produced by eldifidle. It's lo-fi to the triple-x-treme, but I like it.
A Letter About Soup
Dear [CENSORED],
As a loyal consumer of [CENSORED] soup, I have always enjoyed the taste and choice provided by your range.
Today I bought a tin of [CENSORED] from my local [CENSORED] store. Minestrone has long been one of my favourite varieties, given your sagacious choice to use conchiglie-type pasta shells rather than the noodle-based approach adopted by many of your competitors. However, you can well imagine my disappointment when, after emptying the contents of the tin, I discovered the soup to be completely lacking in any pasta whatsoever.
The soup, sans pasta, was tasty enough, but I'm sure you'll agree that a bowl of minestrone soup without some quantum of pasta completely undermines the ideals and values intrinsic to minestrone tradition.
I felt I should bring this to your attention in the hope that my comments might prevent such mishaps from occurring in the future. I would like to wish you continued success with your excellent products and look forward to hearing your thoughts, if any, in regards to this puzzling debacle.
Yours,
Adam Ross
ps. I have photographic evidence of the soup in question if required.
UPDATE:
This letter resulted in £3 worth of vouchers.
As a loyal consumer of [CENSORED] soup, I have always enjoyed the taste and choice provided by your range.
Today I bought a tin of [CENSORED] from my local [CENSORED] store. Minestrone has long been one of my favourite varieties, given your sagacious choice to use conchiglie-type pasta shells rather than the noodle-based approach adopted by many of your competitors. However, you can well imagine my disappointment when, after emptying the contents of the tin, I discovered the soup to be completely lacking in any pasta whatsoever.
The soup, sans pasta, was tasty enough, but I'm sure you'll agree that a bowl of minestrone soup without some quantum of pasta completely undermines the ideals and values intrinsic to minestrone tradition.
I felt I should bring this to your attention in the hope that my comments might prevent such mishaps from occurring in the future. I would like to wish you continued success with your excellent products and look forward to hearing your thoughts, if any, in regards to this puzzling debacle.
Yours,
Adam Ross
ps. I have photographic evidence of the soup in question if required.
UPDATE:
This letter resulted in £3 worth of vouchers.
Randolph's Leap Music Blogstream Launch 2010.
Never mind the world cup
The Randolph's Leap blog is now up
See them flock from far and wide
As we will finally glimpse inside
The mind of Scotland's greatest group
But first, a letter about soup...
(see next post)
The Randolph's Leap blog is now up
See them flock from far and wide
As we will finally glimpse inside
The mind of Scotland's greatest group
But first, a letter about soup...
(see next post)
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