‘I THINK CARS AND TRAINS ARE GOOD FOR MELODY, BUT WORDS NEED SILENCE’
«:33-
The plau
Id u
l s showering down over singer/songwriter Karine Polwart’s extraordinary
style are not unfounded. Norman Chalmers talks technology, touring and travel with her.
liter the deeades—long rise (ti~ IhL‘
instrumentalist. the song. the singer and.
espeeially. the songwriter are on the way haek. .'\ltilti—award winning Borders-hased Karine l’olwart thiitks so too.
‘lt's happening. May'he it's not so \‘isihle yet in Seotlaitd. htit in lingland there are ahsolutely‘ tons! I can‘t heliey'e there are so many songwriters. I heard Martha 'l‘ilston. Steye‘s daughter. She’s so good. and Very independentAminded. 'l'hat's also happening as it's so muelt easier now to make your own reeordings. at home. with simple equipment. And people are doing that; organising things themselves. promoting gigs and selling alhtims. Look at Seth lakeman he‘s htiilt tip a massiy'e l‘an hase trom a eottage industry and I know he's not .itlsl starting out: he's already had so mueh esperienee.‘ she muses. 'But that's the age thing. Being that hit older. late 2(ls. 30. is an ady'antage. The songs are hetter. 'l‘ltey"re not kids.‘
Then there are the new ways of getting your musie aeross. the major networking wehsites like My'spaee. 'lt’s pretty iiiind-hlowing to see .ltlsl ltow many musieians are out there on My'spaee. It‘s hill of musicians} Polwart enthuses. 'l really like it. You ean diseoy'er all sorts. ()n My'Spaee l ean read about you. listen to traeks. write to you. I write to someone. or someone eontaets me we haye mini eony'ersations. and then people turn up at gigs.‘ This isn‘t an unfamiliar set tip perhaps; the traditional
musie seene has always heen ahout meeting tip. sharing ideas. songs and gigs. 'l'he ditl'erenee now perhaps is that it is happening instantly and on a global seale.
Word ahotit l’olwai't has spread sw il'tly til late. Iler new alhtiin .S't'ri/i/Ilr't/ in ('liu/lx'. the l‘ollow up to her solo dehut. 2004‘s l‘riii/I/I'Iit'x. has garnered her a eluteli ol‘ awards. among them the BBC l?olk Awards Best Neweomer title. This is ironie considering she is at 35. a y'eritahle \eteran ol‘ the seene. haying sery ed her musieal apprentieeship as a memher ol' hoth Malinky' and the Battlefield Band.
ll‘ l’olwart's sueeess means more touring. it helps that lter hushand and hrothei' are in her group. ‘lt’s a niee e\perienee. and eyeryone‘s happy in the hand; no eompeting egos. But the most enioy'ahle part is still going on stage. I love the leedhaek from an audienee. I'm not so eonlident that I don‘t need to know what people think. But writing on tour is a dil'lerent thing. I eolleet things then. talking to people. hearing things. And I keep notes. store hits ol‘ melody. To write songs though. I'd ideally like to he haek in the house with nothing important to do. I‘m linding it hard to write in the y'an.‘
She pauses. '| thinks ears and trains are good for melody. hut words need silenee.'
Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 10 Jun; Oran Mor, Glasgow, Sun 1 1 Jun. Scribbled in Chalk is out now on Spit and Polish Records.
Guitars 3 A stellar string line up featuring Martin i.t‘,l()t' lpirtturedi. Neil Stat ltttl Dontiriir: Miller ('Xl)l0lt .i mitts: ranging spet‘tiuni tit l- :t ~ti:.tit: guitar styles Otlt‘t’ll" it'd/l, [dinning/i, l’ti/ h‘ Jan ilm'i i‘. 7m (ii/(lSCth‘v, Ft" ‘1‘ .li i./a‘.'.’l ' ‘ Karine Polwart Set: preview. left. (June/t}. l tilt, ['(illllfl/fg/l, Sal ilk/(Hi, (lurk? Mar. Glasgow. Sun .' 1 Jun (I . tilt
7 MyFestival A rather (llillltl name for three damn good (;l(lf, on one day. Front the toeigootl iangles of the Ha/y .lanes to the aperbie (itiips ot Pot )lll) illttl the penny elbowerl r()(’;l/ shapes of the Ciriei‘iiatirga, this is a treat no matter what sl'iriw yo'i go to See caption. page Hi Hart/i: King li/t's‘, All School, (ii/astray. Sat JOJi/ri Wonk (K Pop)
' Tool lour intense. metal muso odrlballs; from l_/\ ‘Nllt‘ have ploughed a resolutely unique furrow over the last it, years. See caption. page (58. Car/mg Academy; (rilt'isgow, Stir: 7 l Jun/ROCK 8 Pop;
" Khoma llinea in Sweden won't be familiar to litany but it home to this breathtaking the who out big. bold SWHllIQS out of rocks canvas. See preview. page 64. King Tut's. Glasgow. Mon 72 Jun. (Rock 8 Pop)
- Tam White’s Big Band An all too rare outing With a large ensemble for the gravel VOICQN Edinburgh blues Singer. fronting a superb ninepieer-z rriridern iazz blues outfit. Oran Mor. G/asgow. Sat 77 Jun. (Jib/Y) Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee The two originators of the Vaselines perform on the same stage (albeit in separate solo sets) for the first time since199t. With both on form. this should be pretty speCial. ABC. Mon 79 Jun. (Rock <3 Pop)
‘ THE LIST 63