Scotland Visit -

Quality quality gig tonight - Bonny Prince Billy. Pictures to come, along with drawings of RM Hubbert's wonderful album launch gig at Stereo on Friday supported by the right rivetingly off the wall 'Tattie Toes', plus some drawings of an alternatively and equally fascinating scientific music, poetry and art night at Inspace with Unravel (Aidan Moffat, Found as well as Chris Meade) last Thursday evening in Edinburgh.

Bonnie Prince Billy plays The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow as part of Celtic Connections, and courtesy of the lovely Nuala Kennedy who got him over here. 

Bonnie Prince Billy plays The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow as part of Celtic Connections, and courtesy of the lovely Nuala Kennedy who got him over here. 

Had a lovely rehearsal on Friday with Jer Reid and Monnica Deioanni for our trio piece at Sound Thought, The Arches. Tomorrow having a meeting about the fourth International Women's Day event I'm involved in, plus meeting with the rather fantabulous digital/animatory whizzkid Dave Sapien too for some projected digital drawing chat. All looking real good, enough to get rather excited about.

Aidan Moffat reads as part of the Unravel Installation created by him and the Found art collective with Simon Kirby

Words by Aidan Moffat, members of the art collective Found with Simon Kirby, members of the Electric Bookshop and Chris Meade of ifbook and bookfutures. Very exciting programme/residency with talks on each Thursday up until mid February. Well worth getting a ticket if you can. Inspace is a very exciting multimedia gallery based within Edinburgh university, and they've housed Found's wonderful Bafta award winning Cybraphon project there too.  You can see Cybraphon if you manage the Unravel expo before it finishes.

It's been a busy five days my friends, where I also managed to get my self - assessment/tax shenanigans dealt with, plus got a lovely 24 hours back with my Nana, my Folks, MacDuff the dog and Conan the cat. A good few pictures to upload so look again very very soon. Soon as I get back to my lovely Stockholm tomorrow night and crank up the Scanner. xx

Catchup - Mogwai and RM Hubbert, Stockholm

RM HUBBERT

One man and his accoustic guitar, speaking with a Weegie accent in between intricately beautiful flamenco based instrumentals before the anticipated noise onslaught of Mogwai, captivates and beguiles the Stockholm audience. Known for their lack of emotion, my Swedish chap remarks in admiration at how Hubbert moves them to applause his candid intimations on his chronic depression and the tragic incidents which fuel his music. No mean feat from a very warm, humble, highly talented and deserving chap.

Mogwai, featuring the many pedals and various stances/trainers of Stuart Braithwaite, as well as two appearances of Dominic Aitchison and 1 and a half of Barry Burns :)

There is little room for error from a Mogwai set so it was a tickle to witness somebody's pedal having a moment. Cue Stuart - 'Mass Hypnosis - The last 30 seconds did not take place - the future starts from 'now''.

I adore 'flaws'. Makes me engage with live performances by such highly creative humans much more. Neither do I see them as 'flaws' more as 'chance' or 'opportunity'.

This is possibly one of my favourite belongings, nay 'gifts' this year.

The colour, statement and subject hold a lot of significance for me.

I normally am termed 'photo' instead of 'band artist'. Bliss.

It is now in pride of place on my iPad cover.

Like I mentioned before, I will be spending a lot of time in Stockholm for the foreseeable future, so it was a real pleasure to see/hear, draw and meet Mogwai and RM Hubbert playing a sold out show. They played at the very nice Debaser Medis - great place, great sound, great location.

MusiCircus and Mondo Morricone

A layered drawing of the multitudinously talented and colourful MusiCircus Tag Team orchestrated by the wonderful Matt Ev and his beautiful assistant Stewart Smith :) One of the many inspiring, engaging, participative, wonderful and fun music happenings taking place throughout the second MusiCircus event curated by the marvellous Rosemary James.

A favourite picture of a favourite day - singing, dancing, drawing, drinking beer, eating great food, experiencing different types of music in different ways, all on a sunny spring day with good friends that turned into a lovely evening. One of those all time amazing times that have more than fully engaged all my senses. Brilliant, and thanks.

After all the above at MusiCircus I then went for a great curry at Banana Leaf just up the road from Tramway, before getting the train to the Arches for Mondo Morricone, where criminally, RM Hubbert was playing a beautiful gig in the adjacent arch to Mondo Morricone where I was also having some drawing fun. The only non positive point to the entire day, was not being able to be split into two folk, to enjoy both evening concerts. But I will see RM Hubbert play again. Mondo Morricone was a one off. Drawings to come soon, soon.

So after Billy Bragg buying my picture of him from last week's gig, drawing Efterklang on Thursday, Goblin on Friday, MusiCircus and Mondo Morricone yesterday amidst good wholesome Spring sunshine, tonight I'm off for some raucous fun courtesy of the John Knox Sex Club. It's been the best week in yonks.

KMR'S No Dancing - Adam Stafford, Deathpodal, RM Hubbert and PAWS

I expected the night to be great and it was. Could have been more people though - c'mon! Poster was great, venue was great, acts were great. What did people have to do last night? You're all just a bunch of dancers.

Owls, 2nd Hand Marching Band, Sarah Banjo, and RM Hubbert

Yep, as I'm writing this at 2.51am there is an owl hooting in the street outside - brilliant! Hope it eats the slugs and snails that have been massacring my basil and sunflowers. Wee bawbags.

Anyway, asides from that.

Been experimenting with my iPod touch and I think I'm finally managing to make friends with it, though blow me if the rubber bit on the end of my special stylus isn't wearing out and producing burning smells! I have to say, the NOKIA appears much more dependable so far, simpler, although I have just recently purchased 6 new stylus since I've lost 4 already. It's just so easy to lose that darned stylus when you whip your phone out your back pocket/handbag/shirt pocket etc. I wonder how long 6 will last me. :)

Anyway. Just going to upload the iPod drawings I did tonight, plus a few more showing my progression from total rubbish, to getting used to it.

Great night tonight at the 13th note. Second Hand Marching Band, Sarah Banjo (freshly heard and much enjoyed), and RM Hubbert. Class line-up, finished off nicely with Peter, the band leader, leading everyone to sing a chorus at the back of the room, and those that had been notified/seen his posting about writing a verse (see my post below) stood very tentatively around a microphone with their 15 seconds of fame or complete humiliation thrust upon them in friendly manner. I felt the latter.

Nah, not totally. I'm pretty sure my singing was sh**e, as my voice has been locked away in a cupboard for 3 years and I've been shouting through the keyhole all day, hence tonight I was warbling away quite unlike the nightingale I fancied. It's all in the words of the verse right? Ha.

Intense though. Felt like a baptism of fire, but luckily everyone was freakin' nervous so I didn't feel quite so bad. Apparently all the verse writers/singers will get a cd through the post of their efforts. I'm looking forward to experiencing that! ;)

Damo Suzuki, and this Thursday at 13th Note - Marching Orders with the Second Hand Marching Band

I did not go to see Damo Suzuki on Saturday at the CCA, Glasgow.

Since my decision not to go and see him play 2 performances - one with Vars of Litchi, and the other with the Glasgow Sound Carrier Collective featuring members of Ug and Tattie Toes amongst others - my stomach has been in knots at my knowing creative sado-masochistic deprivation. I missed, what sounds like, a total experimental, exciting, improvised quality evening of legendary status, with the chap who was found busking in a street in Germany only to be recruited that night as front man of the leading avant garde krautrock band Can. This was back in the days when their experimental music/artforms were kicking boundaries open with the force of a cornered man witnessing his freedom diminish.

This blurb is from the CCA website. Cry Parrot incidentally are a great collective that are increasingly becoming respected for booking excellent and quality experimental/revolutionary musicians/artists

'The goal is simple, for musicians to communicate with each other and with the audience. There are no ego's involved. Musicians send smoke signals to each other. They respond in kind. Damo selects musicians who have the potential to communicate freely and who are able to respond honestly to each other in the here and now. This also involves a respect for and dynamic communication with the audience. Both Damo and Can refer to this process as Instant Composing. Each concert is a unique event. There are never any rehearsals. Mistakes are moments of opportunity. For the musician, this process is in equal parts exciting and terrifying.'

With so much mirroring my own style of drawing music, why oh why oh why did I prioritise an alternative. I have my reason, and I'll just have to suffer it. But damn. I really wish I'd gone.

Meanwhile, I'm unable to attend this great little event, but I would thoroughly recommend it for any musically tainted folks with an itch to get creative. Second Hand Marching Band are great folks, as is RM Hubbert. Both with beautiful musical talents of their own. Check it out.

http://www.thesecondhandmarchingband.co.uk/me/

Finally - Mono Expo Launch Magic Wee Video!

Brillianto video of my Expo Opening 'live drawings' of Alan Bissett and RM Hubbert - video magic and animation by the fabulous Garry Whitton.

See it Here!

Just Goes To Show...

RM Hubbert, (who will be supporting Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs, Friday 08th May, Stereo.)


The rather splendid Mr Alan Bissett (My Nana thinks he's lovely!)

What a night. I've had 12 hours of sleep since Saturday, I didn't sleep last night but chose to work in my Dad's office designing, printing, emailing, listening to music until 7 this morning, then had breakfast, went to get the bus to the train station and just before it came around the corner to get me, I realised I'd left my mobile in Dad's office. Bugger, I thought. Once I got to Taynuilt, I managed to phone home and ask if the folks could bring it down with them to my expo launch at Mono tonight. That sorted I got on the train and went into a coma, being shaken awake by the ticket man, then again by some random stranger to let me know I was now in Glasgow.

On the way home, on the infamous no. 75 to Castlemilk, I realised I did not have my house keys.

Of all the days to be without my mobile and my keys and the ability to sort logistics out for tonight. I tell ya, everything was opposing the success of tonight, and DAMMIT IF TONIGHT JUST DIDN'T GO AMAZINGLY!!! Which, it did. I sold a picture for a start!!! Wooohooooo!
No red dots available so I had to sketch up my own. Darn, I forgot to take photos. Well, there were a few folk there doing just that, and most folk who were simply just enjoying the show!

My biggest thanks to the following people for making it all happen:
Hinterland for publicity and Red Bull alcoholic drinks (although I never managed to get one myself!); Stephen McSeveney and Mono for providing the venue, lighting, faith and funding too!! The wonderful AGKC, my 'Giclee Printers Par Excellence', who designed and printed the brochures for the expo plus a free framed print of the inimitable Arab Strap; Picture Framers in Shawlands for providing free mounts cut beautifully for most of the pictures in the exhibition, plus the artists who took part themselves - the writer Alan Bissett for his right raving captivating self -and for opening the show - the musician RM Hubbert for his beautiful music, and Garry Whitton for nipping through from Dundee to exert his masterful animatory/filming/VJ-ing magic.

Special thanks also to Charlotte Rodenstedt for designing my beautiful Sigur Ros Flyer, the lovely person who put up posters for me - you know who you are! My wonderful family , Nana!! and Shauna Cameron, who travelled down from Oban to a) give me my mobile phone back and b) to give me support!! An artist needs her groupies y'all!!

Last but not least, special mention to Lorraine for doing some general housekeeping duties - wiping down surfaces, brushing up rubbish, as well as the epic task of putting all the profiles under their respective pictures. You did a grand job lass!! I most certainly owe you one!!

Right, I think it's bed-time finally. It's 01.20 and I'm about to go through my comments book. Apparently my Dad has left a stormer of a comment so looking forward to that.

Cheers to everyone who came down for the expo, was really well attended, and everyone was very well behaved too!! Hope you enjoyed the show as much as I did - drawings to be posted tres soon!! xxxx

Confirmed - Lights, Camera, Action!

By Ms Charlotte Rodenstedt of http://www.bloodyhoney.co.uk/

That's right folks, this little expo is gonna be a darned sight more exciting than previously thought: Updated details below!

A Multimedia Event indeed!! Great music by RM Hubbert, Opening by Alan Bissett, both are being drawn during their performances with the images projected nearby, all the while being surrounded by a very select collection of drawings of some of the most exciting and memorable gigs and musicians Jenny's experienced, including:
Bjork, David Byrne, Crystal Castles, Arab Strap, Jeff Lewis & The Junkyard, Edwyn Collins' Come Back Gig, Mogwai, Melt Banana w. Dananananaykroyd - ooh! ooh! ooh! and there's a fair bit more! VJ-ing and animatory magic by Mr Garry Whitton.

It's all in conjunction with Hinterland Festival where Jenny will be 'resident drawer' at a few carefully chosen gigs. Sponsored by Hinterland and Red Bull. Nice one!!

And if you're feeling flush, support the artist by buying a very nice print/greetings card/artist book/catalogue - massive discount for one night only!!! Entertainment plus bargains in one night - Good Golly!!!

Details You Might Need To Know:

Host: Jenny Soep, Mono, and Hinterland
Type: Music/arts - Exhibit
Start Time: 29 April 2009 at 18:00
End Time: 29 May 2009 at 20:00
Location: Mono
Street: 10 King St
Town/City: Glasgow, United Kingdom
Phone: 01415532400
Email: info@jennysoep.com