flossie suvara

Chris is right - Scat have a regular session at the Glentanar on a Tuesday evening: Scottish Culture & Traditions - Events Calendar (This is one that used to be in the Globe I think). Scat sometimes run good events - I went to a mandolin workshop there a couple of years ago. Regards Flossie

I'm the fucker with the ukelelelelelele (mandolin actually), and sometimes a kilt (but glad I was in shorts last night) - but I'm not Frosty Jack... Regards Flossie

Hi folks - Aberdeen Scout Network are looking for a musician to help with their camp on the weekend of 16th-18th April. They are looking for: "some accoustic, folk type music. But at the same time I'm looking for someone who can play well known songs which everyone can sing along to. If you have ever heard of Accoustic Dave from Edinburgh that's exactly what I'm looking for. I can't offer much in the way of payment other than some burgers, sausages, a crate of beer and a banterous evening. We can provide transport." Scout Network is the oldest age group in the Scout movement, for ages 18-25. The camp is in Glentanar. If anybody is willing to help, please contact Adam Douglas at: adam0douglas@yahoo.co.uk Many thanks Flossie

The Lorelei have Diane, who plays viola - she's on maternity leave at the moment though - it's hard enough to fit all 6 of us on a stage anyway, without having to fit a baby bump too... Flossie

Playing live, for me, is the whole point of being in a band. I'm lucky to be in a band with friends who I view more as family, and we've played together for (on and off) almost 20 years. The more you play with a group of people, the bigger the sense of unspoken communication, verging on musical telepathy. There are quite often moments when we're playing where it really does feel that we're at the pinnacle of what we can do - I would guess it's the same sort of feeling a surfer gets when they ride a really big wave. These moments, whenever they come are magical and can't be explained properly to non-musicians. I get a bit nervous before I go on - I'm quite anal about making sure I've got everything (and since I play a lot of instruments on stage, that's a lot of stuff), and being on time for soundchecks, etc. If I'm late, that pisses me off, even if I know (as we all do) that soundchecks only run on schedule about 1% of the time. I'd agree with the previous comments about how touring can really tighten your game - The Lorelei mark 1 toured a lot and it really made us coherent as a band, and able to cover each others when strings/sticks, etc broke. If you make a mistake - never ever stop. Instead, glare angrily at the nearest band member to you as if it's their fault. (and a wise person once said - "If you don't make mistakes, then you're not trying hard enought". Regards Flossie

25th December was also the birthday of the Roman god Mithras... Flossie

You'd be better getting a 5 string banjo if you're wanting to play bluegrass - 4 string (or tenor) banjo is more commonly associated with traditional jazz (when tuned cgda) or irish/scottish music (when tuned gdae). Blues banjo is something I'm not familiar with, but shouldn't be too hard on a 4 string. Of course, if you can play the guitar already, then you could just get a 6 string banjo and get the banjo sound and vibe without the learning curve. Regards Flossie

Great thread - lots to think about/discuss. Is it not perhaps an element of the other way about, in that the music you like influences which instrument you play? As a child, I wasn't exposed to a lot of recorded music, but the little I was exposed to consisted of mainly Scottish folk music. I was exposed to a reasonable amount of live Scottish Ceilidh music also - I play a lot of instruments (too many according to my wife), but my main instruments are recorder, mandolin (and octave) and violin, and when I'm not doing original stuff with the band, I play Scottish and Irish jigs, reels, etc for fun. The majority of the other instruments I play can also be used in a folky style - I don't play any brass or woodwind - possibly due to not being exposed to the styles of music they are used primarily in as a child. I think I can appreciate good musicianship on any instrument when I hear it, but I get really excited about it when it's in the folk genre - if you fancy, have a look at this: Phil Cunningham (who plays regularly with Aly Bain) and his brother Johnny (now sadly passed away) - absolutely stunning fluidity, musicianship and skill - this is the sort of excellent musicianship that personally gets me excited. I am a sucker for big strings on any recording however - is this due to having been taught violin at school and having been in the school orchestra? I however don't have any idea where my liking for heavy metal/rock comes in.... From personal experience, the process of recording with a band changes how you listen to music - especially the immediate period after you've mixed a recording - you find yourself with a sharper sense of what's going on in any track, which makes listening to the radio, etc a strange experience for about a week afterwards. As I said at the top of my reply - an excellent and intersting thread - I look forward to reading more replies. Regards Flossie

When I were a lad (which is going back about 30 years), the phrase used was "ace-ical" I think it's very much a north-east Scotland phrase - I've never heard it used anywhere else Flossie

I was in a band with Spike the talking cactus - my first band ever. (or at least, a bloke who had a summer job doing the voice) Flossie

Hi folks - I've got birthday money burning a hole in my pocket and would appreciate some advice. I currently play 3 instruments on stage with The Lorelei - mandolin (solid electric with single coil pickups), violin (piezo pickup) and octave mandolin (stick on piezo pickup). In places such as The Lemon Tree, it's relatively straightforward (well, maybe not for the sound engineer), as each instrument goes through it's own DI box. However, in smaller venues, it can be a nightmare - there is often not enough DI boxes for all 3 instruments, so I end up either not playing one or two instruments, or having to swap instruments into the same DI (which can cause lots of eq problems) I have thought of buying an amp which could be used in smaller venues, and was looking at something like this: Peavey KB3 Keyboard Combo *SPECIAL OFFER PRICE* - Nevada Music It's a keyboard amp with 3 seperate channels. It's within my budget, and I believe (but I'm willing to be corrected if necessary) that keyboard amps have a "flatter" response - i.e. they're not aimed to enhance the specific range of an instrument as perhaps an acoustic guitar amp is. The sonic range of the mandolin and violin is much higher than that of an acoustic guitar. My (master) plan would be to be able to have all 3 instruments plugged in at the same time, with some sort of muting device on each for when I'm not actually playing (possibly planet waves cable with the mute switch built in). There is a balanced lineout on the amp, so that could be used, or it could be miked up So - help me out please, sound engineer types, with answers to the following: 1) Does the above make sense? 2) Will it work, or will it cause more problems than it's worth Any advice gratefully received. Regards Flossie

Felicity the Puma was caught and discovered to be very tame - obviously somebody had owned her as a pet and then released her into the wild. She she lived out the rest of her days at the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Kingussie. Her stuffed remains are in the Inverness museum Am Baile - Felicity the Puma, caught at Cannich, 1980 There's even an audio file at the above website. Regards Flossie

Such a thing has been done before, in the dim and distant past - "The Big Bang at Bonkers" (horrible name, I know), happened in May 1992 at Bonkers nightclub (between the two times it was called Ritzys, and now known as Liquid), and featured 9 Aberdeen local bands of a variety of musical styles. It was organised by members of one of the nine bands who played, and was completely sold out. (IIRC about 1200 punters) Northsound recorded and broadcast 2 tracks from each band on a special show which went out live. The whole point behind the gig was to get A&R scouts up to Aberdeen to check out what was going on - because only 9 bands were playing, 2 other similar events happened on the same night at Drummonds and the Pelican club, meaning approximately 20 Aberdeen bands were playing on the same evening. It was held on the Sunday night before the May day public holiday - no worries about work the next day. In those days however, there were a lot fewer venues for bands to play in - The Lemon Tree hadn't even opened - it was really Drummonds, and occasionally Student Unions - nowadays ,there's a lot more possible venues. There were also a lot fewer bands - there's heaps more in Aberdeen nowadays. Hope that's useful Regards Flossie

Did you get in touch with Frosty Jack - he's just moved house and is having problems sorting out his internet connection - You can always PM me if you want... Regards Flossie

The substance you're referring to is called "Peg Paste" - I've never had to use it myself, but I'd be surprised if Top Note on Crown Street, or Bruce Millers don't stock it. Regards Flossie

Your age and the standard of your instruments shouldn't matter - what does matter is being ready to gig. If you practice enough so you can play your music confidently and competently, then you'll look competent and confident on stage. A lot of bands make the mistake of gigging too early, make lots of mistakes, have a bad gig experience and are put off. Practice until you can play your stuff backwards, forwards, upside down, and until you believe you are the best you can possbly be - then go for it. Crappy instruments don't matter - as long as they sound alright (especially if they stay in tune) - talent and practice will shine through - on the flipside, you can have the best equipment in the world, but if you haven't got the talent and haven't put the practice in, then you'll sound rubbish. Regards Flossie

(takes deep breath) - Here goes: Live Eastwood mandocaster solid electric mandolin Crafter Semiacoustic mandolin Musikalia Octave Mandolin Violin with pickup Home Piano Yamaha keyboard Eko banjo mandolin 5 string banjo Washburn Acoustic guitar Peavey Horizon II electric guitar Blue Moon travel guitar half size electric guitar (currently with 5 strings and tuned gdaeb) Antoria Archtop acoustic guitar Donjon electro classical guitar Alvarez classical guitar Autoharp 4 other violins - one tuned daeb, one just a shell bodhran recorders - soparino, treble (3), alto(3), tenor tin whistles - keys of C and D melodica (2) Xaphoon glockenspiel ukelele Variety of additional instruments, including nose flute (seriously), jaws harps, washboard, kazoos, etc plus the plethora of noisy things my 5 year old daughter has. Amps - 1 peavey basic 40 watt bass amp (the heaviest amp in existence) 15 watt practice amp On the wishlist (but unlikely to be obtained, due to spousal embargo): Celtic harp 12 string guitar tenor banjo But,(said before in a previous thread) a wise man once said to me: "But you've only got one pair of hands". Regards Flossie

"Greenblade anyone? Actually came across a live recording from the Pelican. Not too shabby and some fine musical moments. Remember getting The Big Bonk at Bangers bouncing... " "The blade is keen, the grass is green - Greenblade, live in the big city" I remember your set at the Big Bang very well - completely different from anything else and you did indeed get the place jumping - think I might have a copy of the northsound live recording of the gig somewhere (2 songs each) Flossie

Here's what I know of bands from that era: The Lorelei did get a record contract with Glasgow based Klub records - released 2 albums and then split in 1997. We reformed 2 years ago with a new frontman - John Martin from The Dawntreaders, and are still on the go, but being older and wider, and with a lot more going on outside music, are playing/recording as and when we can. Tinderbox/The Dreaming - reformed last year for a one-off charity gig at the Lemon Tree. Men Lie - became J60, and various members have been in various other bands - most recently Short Notice. Sunfish - got signed, changed their name to Geneva, released one single (that I'm aware of) that charted in the lower end of the top 40 (I think) - don't know anything else. One God Universe - members scattered throughout UK and the world. The Last Divide - recently reformed as a three piece. Hope that helps jog some memories. Regards Flossie

Do you have an autoharp tuning key too? It's pretty essential for putting the strings on (available from the same bit of hobgoblin) - and as a bonus it's exactly the right tool for bleeding radiators. Flossie

You can order them from hobgoblin: The Hobgoblin Online Catalogue - under "harp and zither spares". Hobgoblin are based in England, and have a pretty quick turnaround (as far as I can remember), as long as what you want is in stock. Is it a full set you're after, or just replacement strings? I acquired an autoharp years ago and filled in the missing strings with guitar strings quite successfully (thankfully, none of the bass strings were missing). Regards Flossie

25th Clwb Ifor Bach, cardiff, Wales w/KLING KLANG/Brown Wings Make sure you get decent directions - The Lorelei played there a loooong time ago (at least 13 years ago) and we had to drive around Cardiff for ages, trying to get hold of the promoter to find out where to go - only later discovering that it was the club night which had the name "Clwb Ifor Bach" and not the venue. Oh, and it was a very strange night.... Regards Flossie

Very interesting - the first thing I thought whilst listening was that, apart from the fact it had male and female singers, was that it reminded me of "Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares", which I've had on tape for years - (mostly) unaccompanied close harmony female singing with unusual intervals and time signatures. Either Orbital or Leftfield (I forget which) have sampled them' Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia YouTube - Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares Regards Flossie

Bands reforming can help pay the mortgage? Tell me more... Flossie

It's the same quiz I've been doing at work (270 bands), and my learned colleague Frosty Jack is correct - it is indeed Miles Hunt, and the correct answer for the quiz is The Wonder Stuff (3 words) Flossie