Well, my efforts to get a new band together got a major boost when Dumfries-based band Big Red and the Brockenspectre advertised for a new singer on facebook. We got together for a jam and hit it off, and over the course of a few weeks, a new band took shape. They already had guitar and ukulele, so I thought I’d try mandolin. That maybe hints at a folky, old-timey feel but it’s quite varied. Early days yet – let’s see where it goes. We covered some classics and some newer songs in our own way, but straight away started on some original material.
We decided on ‘Kurlew’. It’s a challenge finding a new, novel band name these days! We liked curlews, their evocative call – haunting heralds of spring, a link to nature and the local landscape. The ‘k’ spelling is a nod to Burns, apt for a Dumfries band…
Mourn, ye wee songsters o' the wood; Ye grouse that crap the heather bud; Ye kurlews calling thro' a clud; Ye whistling plover; And mourn, ye whirring paitrick brood ! He's gane for ever ! - discovered in an 1845 paper 'The character and Genius of Burns' by Professor Wilson of the University of Edinburgh
It also helps to make the name distinct from all the other curlew inspired bands out there!
The line-up is Nick (uke), Darren (guitar), Jake (harmonica), Rich (bass), Neil (cajon / drums) and myself (mandolin).
We’re starting to book dates for May onwards. Looking forward to playing live, and to recording some original tunes. I think we’re starting with a very catchy, quirky number called ‘Quite the catch’ – more on that soon.