Key Largo Trio - Match of the Day

Murder Murder Polis

Well I've fallen out of my ethereal, moon-chasing heights and landed in the 1940s Glaswegian slums.  Woah.  It's quite a way to travel.

Let me explain.

As part of revisiting our old Vesper Walk song catalogue, I was reminded of the slightly crazy 'Auntie
Sarah'  we recorded back in 2006    https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/someone-else-ep/id207075034 

Now that song came about because our dear old Glaswegian nan used to sing us little songs and rhymes from her childhood.  She was brought up in the Gorbals, a rather undesirable area of Glasgow to say the least.  (And happily demolished in the 60s)

The Gorbals being demolished

How I imagine my nan playing on the street

Now we had such fun writing and creating this song that was have decided we simply can not have another release without including another of nan's old favourites.  This time we're going to write 'Murder Murder Polis'.  Check out this link for a lovely traditional rendition

http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/play/61432;jsessionid=4ACD4DD9833694898D5D3B5FEF1530E0

Sadly there are very few words in this song so we're having to add a lot of lyrics.  On the plus side, this has led to some rather fun moments researching Glaswegian slang.  Here's some of my absolute favourites:

1. Bahookie  (bottom)
2. Banjoed (getting punched)
3. Bongoed (completely mad drunk)
4. Blootered (drunk)
5. Boggin (dirty)
6. Cheeky Water (alcohol)
7. Planted (buried)
8. Grot (derogatory term for boy/girlfriend
9. Midgie Raker (bin raider)
10. Crabbit (grumpy)

Class x

The Glasgow Slums 1911

Anyway, so to cut a long story short (ish) that's why I'm mentally in Glasgow right now.

As part of my research, I also happened upon a fabulous Scottish band,
The John Langan Band in particular their song 'Demons' which has the vaguely 'unhinged' sound that I love.  Amazing.  Check it out https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/demons/id397250970?i=397251042

+thejohn langanband 

And as for the video, we're thinking a location shot gritty contemporary dance type affair.

But persuading people to dance through the lesser desirable areas of Glasgow may be tricky.

I think I'll need time to ruminate on that.



Back up on the moon.

Knew You Were Trouble mash up!

Key Largo Trio: Hyperbole, Hamburgers and Hollywood

Key Largo Trio: Hyperbole, Hamburgers and Hollywood: So after a six year break during which I've survived Toddlerdom I am finally working on a new album with sister Catherine under our band n...

Hyperbole, Hamburgers and Hollywood

So after a six year break during which I've survived Toddlerdom I am finally working on a new album with sister Catherine under our band name Vesper Walk.  Now hats off to the Earth Mothers out there who 'cope' during these testing times, even (OMG) 'enjoy it'.  You are Super Heroes.  Personally, I refer to those years as the 'Black Years' or the 'Lost Years'.  Oh dear.

A photo from Pinterest depicting Despair

Perhaps I should clarify.  I don't mean that that time in my life didn't bring it's pleasures.  Of course it did.  But creatively it was a wilderness!  I was uninspired.  I didn't have any creative energy.  Scrap that, I didn't have ANY energy.  It's all a bit of a blur really.  Those seemingly endless years of nappies, tantrums and being tied to nap times, meal times, bed times and the million other relentless, unceasing demands small children make on your time.  But phew; breathe... my little ones are at school now.  And school - How I Love Thee.


Now B.K  (Before kids - oh yes, those heady, long forgotten days) Vesper Walk released an EP 'Someone Else'    https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/someone-else-ep/id207075034    and I have been re-acquainting myself with it.  One of my favourite tracks 'Hollywood' was inspired by something that happened when I was a teenager.



I had been offered a permanent job at Burger King (gulp!) as a children's entertainer (double gulp!!) but was due to start university at the end of the summer holidays.  I guess you could say I took the job under false pretences in that I omitted to mention this fact.  However, fast forward through that heady summer of crates of chicken nuggets, gallons of fizzy tooth rot, tons of fat infested fries and vomiting, excitable children and  suddenly it was time for me to make my exit.

So do I come out with the truth?  Explain simply and calmly that I am going to university? Er...almost.
What I actually said was something like this: "So sorry, but I need to hand my notice in.  I'm going to ...Hollywood!"

Yes - I really did.  I didn't see it as a 'lie' as such; more just a slight exaggeration of the truth.  A little embellishment!  A Tall Tale if you like.  Besides, I wanted to go to Hollywood, wasn't that enough?
(And indeed, I did go the following year, armed with just my guitar and best friend!  But that's another blog entirely!)  



So fast forward back to 2006 and Catherine and I were brain storming about song lyrics and that particular rather hilarious incident came back to me.  So we wrote a song entitled, yes you guessed it - 'Hollywood'.


The song, whilst being a break-up song is evocative of old Hollywood glamour, and the actresses who both Catherine and I had been inspired by and watched avidly as children.

The amazing (albeit slightly crazy) Bette Davis

The lovely Judy Garland

The ultimate Hollywood Icon - Marilyn Monroe

And here's our little piece of Hollywood.  Get out the red lipstick, put on your best pout and languish on a chaise longue somewhere.  (A sofa will do if necessary!)  

Me trying out a glam pose

Catherine with a 1920s starlet look

(Thank you to +Christopher Maughan for these wonderful images)

And so I leave you in a rather glamorous, nostalgic mood.  And in a rather glamorous, nostalgic place.  

Perhaps the place that will be the epitome of glamour for all eternity.

Hollywood; where dreams come true and stars are made.

Hollywood

Moons, Memories and Mattresses

 Before Christmas I was in a most ethereal mood.  And it was in that mood that inspiration struck for a new song - Man on the Moon.


It was the end of a long day and I was lying in bed imagining myself reposing upon a rather beautiful, fairy tale type bed on a mattress of hand teased horse hair.  The mattress also contained real Shetland Isle wool, cashmere and mohair (oh sorry, getting a bit carried away with the mattress thing but there's a slight issue going on about that in my life at the moment.  You see I'm hoping for a nice new mattress and have been sourcing all these natural, really luxurious, decadent ones.  However the husband says our basic synthetic Bensons Beds model is perfectly fine!  What!)

But ahem, anyway, there I am on this bed of pure luxury, wearing acres of voile and tulle; (got to be in something romantically fabulous, M&S pyjamas really don't evoke the right mood!) and long diaphanous, gauzy curtains are blowing in the gentle breeze that dances in through the open window.  In the dramatic, cloudless sky I can see the most amazing full moon that seems to have a face etched in it's surface so lifelike that it is silently beckoning me.

Suddenly,  I am flying through the air. In the song that is.  Not real life. Just to clarify.  I don't want you to think I'm 'on' anything,  although I can confess to a sherry too many over the festive period!)




But back to the song.  So as well as all that ethereal, other worldly magic in my head, I also remembered a more real incident in my life.  It was a story my Nan told me many years ago.  Her husband, my grandfather had died that very day and we were walking with her that dark winters night to visit some other relatives.  'Don't worry' she said to me, pointing at the moon.  'Your papa is up there on the moon. Look - you can see his face.'



And I could. I swear I could.





So there you are.  That's where my head was at when this song floated into my brain and into my fingers.

And here it is.  Man On The Moon.  I hope you like it and I can't tell you how excited I am about recording it this year for a new EP Catherine and I will be releasing under the band name Vesper Walk.

Happy New Year everyone and let it be great.  Let it be the year we are creatively inspired, prolifically writing and hey, please let it be the year that I get my new horse hair mattress.  Hand teased don't forget.