Spring Break

Spring Break are a three-piece hip hop collective who invite us to join them on their journey of ambitious diversity whilst they explore a broad palette of influences that they've marinaded in a melting pot of multiple genres. The result is one of the best albums I've had on repeat so far this year.

They cleverly fuse those influences into the delicious Tropicaledonia album in a Ralph's Life favourites Stanley Odd stylee who they've previously toured with and it will provide the soundtrack of my summer.

Photography by Project 246

A nascent Spring Break evolved at Belladrum 2014 where the band were organically assembled to play on the Burke and Hair stage. A winter in Thelonious Rumpus' studio birthed the spring time release of 2015's Departure Lounge EP. 

A hectic summer of festival appearances, with national press coverage, radio and tv appearances and an advert for Bowers and Wilkins speakers. 

A busy year was jubilantly capped off with a SAMA award for Best Hip Hop act.

Tropicaledonia artwork buy Calum Carr www.facebook.com/CalumbaInk 

For the last year Spring Break have been working on their debut album Tropicaledonia; a fusion of many styles, drawing influence from a rich palette of folk, funk, blues and jazz whilst all the while steeped in the cut and paste traditions of hip hop. 

Spring Break hope the musical diversity of the record will appeal to a wide range of tastes as it draws from the varied backgrounds of all the band members and collaborators. 

Lyrically it's a highland reportage on the human condition; detailing daily stresses, mental health, drinking culture and addiction, small town mentality, lampooning back stabbers and the foibles of the industry and pointing a clown gloved finger at toxic masculinity.

Photography Project 246

Live dates for 2018 include; 13th April playing with Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 at The Loft in Forres, 14th April Album Launch Party in Inverness. 

1st June in Glasgow playing with the Twistettes in Machullis, 16th June at Wildwoodz festival, July 21st at Audiosoup festival, 3rd August at Belladrum festival and August 31st at Lindisfarne Festival and November 9th at The Ironworks in Inverness with Urban Voodoo Machine. 

More dates to be added as they come in.

Mia Mackintosh

SOCIETY is a 3 track EP which is the debut release from Nairn resident Mia Mackintosh. Her ability to mix soulfulness and melody with a harder edge to her guitar playing has led to her music being compared to a range of artists such as Tracy Chapman and The Cranberries.

After her achievement of winning the Moray Firth Radio One to Watch award in 2016, she recorded 3 of her own songs with acclaimed producer Marc Clement and is delighted to be able to present them as her SOCIETY EP on the 28th of April 2017.

SOCIETY is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and more from tomorrow and Ralph's giving I Will Be Good it a spin on next Sunday's Radio KC Indie Show.



SOCIETY is an excellent fist dip into the music of Mia Mackintosh and lead track We R Mysterious shows a songwriting maturity beyond her tender years. That being said I Will Be Good is; for me, the more radio-friendly of the three tracks on SOCIETY whilst the poignant She's Resting With The Best Of Them immediately connected with me as a listener.

Mia Mackintosh is writing contemporary songs with an old soul and I for one can't wait to hear what she has to offer as a follow up to SOCIETY. If you're up in Inverness on May 14th you can catch her live in The Ironworks supporting another hugely talented young Scottish singer/songwriter Tamzene.

Mia Mackintosh taught herself guitar after taking an interest when she was 10 years old. After losing two of her grandparents when she was 12 she started writing her own songs as a way of dealing with her emotions.

“I found it very tough to deal with but I found music and writing songs gave me a focus to express my grief“

Supported by family and friends she started performing live in 2014 and by 2015 she made it to the last 16 in the Belladrum Festival Bellas Got Talent competition.

Mia Mackintosh has participated in the Scottish Music Centre’s Music Plus project in 2016 and aided by their mentoring scheme, started working with Marc Clement who has collaborated with many great scottish musicians, performed extensively as an acoustic guitarist and pianist plus was a founding member of Blazin’ Fiddles and a member of Session A9.

“Music Plus has been great. I’ve learned a lot, and learned there is a lot more to learn. Collaborating with Marc Clement as producer has been a real eye-opener. He has added real depth to my songs“

Roman Nose

The last time Ralph checked out Roman Nose and gave them a spin on the Radio KC Indie Show was back when they did a collaboration with SAMA Best Electro winner Plum. They've been quiet of late, but I can assure you they're back with a bang in the form of the excellent new Jacked Up On Mercy EP to be released on Monday 28th March. The EP will be out on the band's own label Badly Built Records and will be available as a download.

It kicks off with the hugely atmospheric and massively addictive Bloodstains which will be getting a spin on Ralph's Indie Show Sunday 3rd April. 




The year and a half hiatus Roman Nose have had has paid off big time as they've come back with a more egalitarian sound whilst holding firm to their full-on, bass-rich and deliciously dark electro roots.

Agoraphobic is a burgeoning beast of a track which should prove to be an absolute favourite live on their up-coming UK and European tour. Third track in Black Pope is probably as 'commercial' as Roman Nose are ever likely to get. 




It's lighter almost synth-popesque to kick off with before getting bass-heavy and will probably prove to be the most radio-friendly track on the EP. 

Final track Solid Gold is exactly that as it aggressively attacks your aural synapses with the musical equivelant of a baseball bat. Performed live in the usual Roman Nose style it'll be a killer and if you're at Brew At The Bog in Inverness on June 4th, you'll get a chance to see and hear them in the flesh.

Silver Coast

Ralph's given tracks by Inverness-based band Silver Coast spins on his Radio KC Indie Show a few times now over the last couple of years so it was with great interest that news of the new Seasons EP (which includes the recently released single Wake Up) hit the kennel's inbox.

Wake Up is possibly Silver Coast's most 'bouncy' track to date and definitely aimed at a wider audience. Still holding onto the anthemic feel of earlier releases (big guitars and soaring vocals) but it has a more 'populist' and radio-friendly feel in a Twin Atlantic stylee.




Silver Coast are - Aaron Murray - Vocals, Guitars, Keys, Michael Cappie - Drums & Percussion, Jason Simpson - Bass and Andrew Thomas - Guitars & Backing Vocals



The Silver Coast EP is on pre-order now with only 100 copies of a special limited edition CD (inclusive of a bonus track) available, you'd better be quick off the mark to capture one.

Always popular live the band are supporting another Ralph's Life favourite Vigo Thieves in Mad Hatters, Inverness on Saturday 7th November followed by The Classic Grand, Glasgow on November 22nd and Fanny By Gaslight, Kilmarnock on the 23rd.

Black Cat Bone

Ralph has been giving Edinburgh band Black Cat Bone the odd spin on his Radio KC Indie Show recently due to their intensely likeable bluesy sound, so it's with great pleasure that we can announce the release of their debut album Growl on the 31st October.  Ralph has had a sneak preview and I can tell you now their alt rock bluesy style is shining through with this release.


From the moody John The Revelator to the gritty Canned Heat-esque (think On The Road Again) eponymously titled lead track Growl Black Cat Bone are laying out their musical stall with forceful intent. Growl is a ten track album of which I've been lucky enough to have a meaty five track taster.



 


Piece Of Mind is a foot stompin' guitar-driven gem, perfect for a single and bound to be a live favourite. Shades of John Mayall with a bit of Jeff Beck geetar and some mean harmonica thrown in for good measure.

Illicit Thrill is a real killer from note one, with its proper bluesy, hair up on the back of your neck harmonica, get down and dirty strings, kick you in the nuts throaty vocal. It's sleazy and greasy, don't want it to stop blues music at its best.

I'm not giving away anymore here...go and find out for yourself, you will not be sorry! 

Catch Black Cat Bone live in The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh on Friday, October 30th for the album launch if you can!

29 OCT

Black Cat Bone - Inverness Album Launch

Mad Hatters

30 OCT

Black Cat Bone - Edinburgh Album Launch

The Voodoo Rooms

01 NOV

Black Cat Bone - Dundee Album Launch

Dundee

MIR

One of Ralph's most Northerly favourites for plays on the Radio KC Sunday Show has been MIR, the ever evolving musical vehicle of ebullient Scottish singer/songwriter extraordinaire Miriam Campbell. 

Originally formed in 2012, there's now a new line-up about to play their first gig in The Market Bar in Inverness so it's as good a time as any for y'all to take a closer look and a listen to their 'Soul' EP.

MIR are the epitome of modern Rock 'n' Roll and You Got Soul kicks off the EP in that stylee with classy guitar-work embellishing Miriam's raunchy vocalising. If you're at a gig and not up and bopping by the end of this one...you're dead.

On stage Miriam is Connie Francis meets Fay Fife (with the emphasis on Fay's onstage energy and presence) of The Rezillos.

Secret drives the EP on harder and faster as MIR play 'Scotabilly' (yes I made that up from Rockabilly and Scotland - obviously) at it's best. It's got to be a crowdpleaser at their gigs and it's followed up by the catchy Made Me replete with proper Rock 'n' Roll guitar and more of Miriam's gritty vocalising.

MIR are a fusion of all that's good in Blues, Country, Rock 'n' Roll, Americana and Rockabilly all wrapped up in a madly bouncing ball of musicality and songwriting excellence.











Upcoming Gigs...

Saturday - Nov 22nd

The Market Bar 

Inverness

Doors: 7:30 pm / Show: 10:30 pm

Free Entry

Friday - Dec 12th 2014

Invergordon Social Club

Charity Event

Doors: 7:30 pm / Show: 8:30 pm

Tickets tbc

Saturday - Dec 13th 2014

Strathpeffer Pavillion

Strathpeffer

Doors: 7:30 pm / Show: 8:30 pm

Tickets £10

Silver Coast

Ralph's attention's been draw 'Up North' with Inverness band Silver Coast releasing a new single 'Believe' on March 3rd. Formed at the end of 2012 and gigging relentlessly ever since (including supports with Fatherson and King Charles) they've amassed a large and faithful following locally. With the release of the new single they've now set their sights further afield and are touring Scotland accordingly.

Having had a preview of the new single...(if you're an Idlewild fan you're going to love 'Believe')...Silver Coast have come up with their first 'anthemic' sounding track. Big guitars and soaring vocal will make this an instant hit with their followers and garner them a new crop of fans as it picks up the inevitable radio play throughout Scotland. 






Looking forward to their live shows and release of ‘Believe’ Aaron stated - “I write songs that paint a clear picture of who we are, songs of love and life experiences that I hope everyone will relate to in one way or another. I want people to really feel the passion in Silver Coast's music."

Silver Coast are - Aaron Murray on Vocals and Guitar, Andrew Thomas on Guitar and Backing Vocals, Michael Cappie on Drums and Jason Simpson on Bass.

'Believe' was recorded in Glasgow's iconic CaVa Sound studio and frontman Aaron said - "It's a song written about two people who love each other but who have had difficult lives, putting a strain on their relationship, leading to them taking time apart in order to learn to appreciate each other. It's about learning to trust each other, taking that big step and putting faith in someone you feel so much towards."



The Fight by Silver Coast


Upcoming gigs are...

Friday March 7th - Madd Hatters, Inverness

Tuesday March 18th - Glachbeg, Munlochy (Acoustic Set)

Friday March 21st - Crofter's Bar, Fort William

Saturday March 22nd - British Legion Fundraiser, Beauly

Friday April 11th- Cast The Net at Buff Club, Glasgow

Saturday April 12th Cafe Drummonds, Aberdeen