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COUNTRY
Shelby Lynne Glasgow: The Old Fruitmarket, Sat I
apt
ho is Shelby Lynne? Been offworld recently? OK Brief resume: Born in Virginia in 1968 and raised in Alabama, Shelby’s marine poppa taught her guitar and entered her in bluegrass contests. But family life was always volatile and at seventeen, Shelby was orphaned. Her father had shot his wife, then himself.
At eighteen Shelby determined to make it in Nashville. She fell on her feet when one of the biggest names in country, George Jones saw her on a local TV show, signed her up and produced her first record.
But after ten years frustration grew. She famously fumed: ’They sign you ’cos you're unique, then they want you to be like everybody else.’ Disillusioned by the sterile Mills and Boon-ish formulaic country machine, she disentangled herself from Blandville Nashville and entered songwriting purdah, until she heard her first Sheryl
Crowe record. Upon which, she hunted down the producer, Bill Bottrell, proved her worthiness and worked with him in his North Californian hideaway. The bold result, IAm Shelby Lynne, wowed the press into wide-gaped lock-jawed amazement. Its ten songs total 36 minutes. At first listen, it’s as refreshing as a glass of water to the face; on the second, it still stops you in your tracks; subsequent hearings just eat into you deeper. Lynne’s molten voice wraps itself around a meld of mellow southern soul, stompin' rock ’n' roll, R ’n’ B,
swing and jazz.
An Uncut cover story gained the 32-year-old quite a reputation. Although plainly a straight-talker, she says their projection of fast-drinkin’ sassy ball-breaker is just another misconception. ‘Everybody wants the best story, and things are a little fabricated,’ says Lynne. 'Two drinks turn into ten, you know what I mean? I don’t pull any punches. In print, it sometimes looks a little harsh.’
"Mo drinks turn into ten, you know what I mean? I don’t pull any punches. In print. it
sometimes looks a little harsh.’
That same honesty rings true in her songs. 'l've lived those songs. I'm still living them. Musically, it feels good to me they weren't made the way I had been used to making records in Nashville.’
But how does it feel to have the CD hailed as record of the year, if not the decade? ’Well, that's kind of crazy,’ Lynne says. ’I knew when l was making the record and when I was finished that it was going to be one of those records that I could definitely be proud of. I expected some good reviews but I
never expected people to lose their minds. The
(Gabe Stewart)
pressure’s on now.’
As well as touring, the single, ’Leaving' and is already on the Radio 1 playlist, and Chris Evans netted her for TFI Friday on 31 March. Who is Shelby Lynne? Sure as hell every critter gonna know soon ’nuff.
m Leaving is out Mon 70 Apr on Mercury.
Ex osure
Every rtnight, we point out what new musical talent you’ve been missing out on. This issue: Stuart MacRae.
Four of his pieces were premiered within the space of one month last year. Is this a record? It could well be. Demand for music from the 23-year— old is high. The four works premiered last June ranged from the choral Psalm 42 for the Highland Festival and Three Pieces for Cello and Piano at London’s Royal Academy of Music to two orchestral works, Sinfonia and Portrait. Is it mostly orchestral music he writes? Well, he’s been given the new specially-created post of Composer in Association with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, so he’d better be busy with orchestral scores.
Has be written a lot of music then? Seven orchestral works, eight chamber/instrumental pieces and one choral piece, but that doesn’t count a
few scores held by the Scottish Music Information Centre and any old ones lurking under the bed.
Any special influences on his music? Stuart came to classical music relatively late at the age of twelve. Seemingly, his mum had to play Leonard Cohen songs to keep him quiet as a baby and he was pretty keen on Pink Floyd's ’Shine On You Crazy Diamond’. But Scottish traditional, jazz and techno play their part too.
He's from lnverness. Can he ever be famous? Not a town swarming with famous people, the novelist Alistair Maclean was brought up here and 18th century Gaelic scholar James Macpherson was born here. Still, the Loch Ness Monster has done quite well. (Carol Main)
The Hebrides Ensemble give the world premiere of Piano Quintet by Stuart MacRae at Glasgow: Royal Concert Hall, Tue 7 1 Apr; Edinburgh: Queen’s Hall, Wed 12 Apr.
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LIST COVER STAR Richard Ashcroft is rumoured to be among the special guests at the Gig on Glasgow Green on the August Bank holiday weekend. Now officially retitled simply ’Glasgow Green’, Oasis and Primal Scream are believed to be topping one day of the two day show. An official announcement will be made on Sunday 9 April. See next issue of The List for full line up details.
IN THE WAKE of the floods in Mozambique, The Bongo Club are hosting a benefit night on Thursday 13 April featuring the Lizzard Lounge All Stars and La Boum. The Jazz Joint also promote the spirit of giving at their Warchild Benefit Night on Thursday 30 April. For more details see rock listings on page 47.
ELASTICA’S DATE AT the Garage, Glasgow on Thursday 6 April has now been rescheduled to Tuesday 9 May. Tickets for original show are still valid.
ALL SAINTS, DARREN Emerson of Underworld, Iggy Pop, The Wannadies and The Bootleg Beatles are confirmed for T in the Park on Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 July. Others now rumoured to be playing but as yet unconfirmed include The Divine Comedy, Foo Fighters and The Beta Band. See Book Now on page 52 for ticket details.
JUST ANNOUNCED HIP HOP FEVER continues to spread at the Arches with several more dates being announced for the coming months. LA hip hop crew The People Under The Stairs play on Wednesday 26 April, 705 jazz/ hip hop/rock fusionist Bobby Hughes brings his band on Sunday 7 May and Ninja Tune's Cinematic Orchestra show up on Sunday 4 June with more to be announced. Other gigs announced: Moody Blues Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, 18 Apr; Leatherface The Cathouse, Glasgow, 23 Jun; Average White Band Liquid Room, 25 & 26 May; One Minute Silence 28 May, St Etienne Art School, Glasgow, 25 May; Asian Dub Foundation Garage, Glasgow, 25 May; Pantera Barrowland, 28 Apr; The Beta Band Garage, Glasgow, 23 Jun.
APOLOGY
In issue 382, dated 16—30 March, there was an entry in the Glasgow Rock listings for Brand New Heavies playing at the Barrowland on Saturday 18 March. This was in fact an error, the correct date for the show is Tuesday 18 April. Apologies for any confusion this may have caused.
30 Mar—13 Apr 2000 THE UST 41