duggup

Artist: Finniston
Website: www.finniston.com/
Track Name: We’re Waiting
Playback: flash (myspace)
Download?: No

I heard this band on the tartan podcast (more about this in another post) a week or so back.

Finniston are a band that remind me of why I like Scottish bands. It’s the way that their pop music is intertwined with their folk music. A few years back The Brunswick Music Festival (Hi John) had a Glasgow based trio called “Fine Friday” on. I hadn’t heard of them but 30 seconds of a sample of their music from a website and Jools and I had tickets booked. They were fantastic.

Finniston are as equally interesting and if the Brunswick Music Festival happened to bring them out for the next festival (hint hint) I wouldn’t have to waste time looking them up because I already know that they sound great.

Steven Finnie (vocals, guitar and songwriting) and and Jolene Crawford (harmonies, mandolin, fiddle, piano, accordion) are brother and sister and the core of the band.
They have recently added “the new guy” Andrew Gifford on bass and fiddle). Andrew played as one of the multiple fiddlers of Fiddlers Bid (who you really should also listen to) and Jamie Attridge on drums.

The band has released an EP, evidently Polydor Records heard the band and antied up the money for a demo, decided that there wasn’t a hit on the studio recording, but when Finniston released it on their own label under the charming title of ‘Golden Hour of Strict Tempo Dancing‘ (catchy huh?) they had ‘Single of the Week” in the Daily Record (Scotland’s biggest selling newspaper) beating out Paris Hilton! Just goes to show that record companies DONT know whats best for us.

So why did they catch my ear? The music, the guitar and the piano and then the vocals. The song on the podcast was called “Changes” and it was just enchanting. I just found the performance so convincing. The whole package is really seductive. Head over to myspace and sample the sounds on offer, DONT use the player on their website (do read the biographies though). Their music Player is flaky as all get out.

Have fun, dont miss “Bellona Shuffle” on the myspace site and look for me down the front if they ever get out here.

thatch is fascinated by guitars, music, guitars, production, silly noises, guitars and used to be a musician. Did I mention the thing about the guitars?
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