The lead singers of three bands are going on a mini tour of the Scottish Highlands.
Local musicians James Mackenzie (of Verona) will be joined by Ashley Mackay (of Ashley & The Cosmonauts) and American musician Kyle Woolard (of The Anatomy of Frank).
We caught up with James and Ashley before the gigs to have a chat about their plans.
Both James and Ashley have just finished writing some new material, with James boasting four new songs. For both it will be the opportunity to see how the new tracks work and also to hear each others latest material for the first time.
James explains that it is perfect timing for him as currently his band Verona is concentrating on writing material and it allows him to focus purely on his own material. He talks confidently of being able to separate the two apart, both in writing and performing. He anticipates that there will be a formal launch for his EP once it is ready.
The tour takes them to a number of venues off the beaten track, but for Ashley it will act as a homecoming of sorts, and so it is anticipated that the gigs will be well attended. However, whilst returning home has its benefits it is also a source of anxiety as Ashley explains; “I am really looking forward to playing in Lochinver but I would be lying if I didn’t say I will be a little nervous. It has been a while since I played on my own without the Cosmonauts behind me, but I’m looking forward to putting myself out there and doing it.”
Referring to the choice of gigs, James admits “They’re not typical venues”, then explains “Basically I wanted to do a spot of camping and kill two birds with one stone. We wanted to do something different and explore the Highlands of Scotland”.
The local acts will be joined by the not so local, Virginia based, Kyle Woodward which came about when James was approached by Kyle’s management and was asked if they wanted to “hook up”.
Kyle normally fronts The Anatomy of Frank of whom it has been described that they “blend the complexity of post-rock with the immediate likability of pop-rock to create music that will get stuck in your head without ever driving you crazy.” Whilst James describes them as “a folk version of Weezer”, he is looking forward to showing Kyle around the area.
With four dates in five days and camping to boot, James describes it (tongue in cheek) as “Intents”. “We all have our own sound so we should keep the crowd on their toes.” James reflects, “There will be something for everyone on this tour”.
After the tour, Ashley plans more camping;” The plans after the tour will be to get together with the band and work on our set for Jocktoberfest but I also really need to spend some time on my own writing new material, which I will have more time for through the summer holidays. I’ll be taking my guitar camping and seeing what comes out of it.”
The full dates are; Gairloch (The Steading Bistro, 04/07), Lochinver (Caberfeidh, 05/07), Tongue (Ben Loyal Hotel, 06/07) and Inverness (Market Bar, 08/07).
All shows are free entry except Gairloch – £7.50 per ticket. Follow link for more info.
