A Tracer Trails Christmas Party, feat. two projects from veteran pianist, arranger and universal collaborator Bill Wells, plus Stefan Schneider of To Rococo Rot / Tarwater, and Stevie Jackson of Belle & Sebastian.

Hot, festive liquor and fine ales will be made available to you at bargain prices.

Tickets £8 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/137301

Tracer Trails and Fence present

James Yorkston’s Christmas Jamboree
feat. The Pictish Trail & Lisa O’Neill

Tickets £9/£7 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/136685 or Monorail Music

James Yorkston invites his friends The Pictish Trail and Lisa O’Neill to join him in celebrating solstice at Wellington Church Hall in Glasgow.

All three will share the stage, swapping songs and stories throughout the show. We anticipate two one-hour sets with a break in the middle.

James says: “Will it be the same as the Book Festival Show [in August this year]? No, I doubt it. It’ll be better. Johnny will be drunker. I’ll be happier. Lisa will have done her Christmas shopping earlier in the day. It’s a win win win situation.”

This show is all-ages and you can BYOB.

Poster by Hanna Tuulikki: www.hannatuulikki.com

!!! CANCELLED !!!

Braw Trails present

Daniel Higgs Trio
& Sarah Kenchington

Tickets £6 advance from wegottickets.com

What can we say about DANIEL HIGGS? The ex-Lungfish legend and his banjo return to the UK, this time in a trio with Maya Dunietz (piano/percussion) and Assaf Talmudi (accordion/electronics), after his jaw-dropping 2-disc release on Thrill Jockey last year, Say God – a record that is spare, spacious and quite possibly his most transcendental record to date.

After 11 albums (10 for the esteemed Dischord), Lungfish seemed to grind to a halt in 2005 following the release of Feral Hymns. Simultaneously, Higgs’ solo activities took off, leading to his series of hypnotising outsider excursions for Holy Mountain, Thrill Jockey and others

Thick with folkloric, religious and mythological imagery, his recent recordings are a mesh of banjo plucking, electronic drones and contemplative mantras. His live performances are transfixing, transcendental, unrepeatable experiences and will be well-served by the gothic surrounds of a brand new Edinburgh venue … location to be announced shortly.

Support comes from sculptor/instrument maker/composer/performance artist SARAH KENCHINGTON, one of the stand-out acts at this year’s Music is the Music Language festival.

Tracer Trails, Cry Parrot and Braw Gigs proudly present:

GROUP INERANE
& FLOWER-CORSANO DUO

Friday 2nd December
Kinning Park Complex
40 Cornwall Street, Glasgow G411AQ
8pm

Tickets £8.50 + booking fee
Advance tickets available from Monorail Music or www.wegottickets.com

—

A dream pairing of two of the most ecstatic and transcendental rock units imaginable. Simmering up from the rebel heart of the Tuareg guitar scene, Group Inerane are a rough-hewn, tranced-out juggernaut from Niger with two white-hot albums on Sublime Frequencies to their name; Flower-Corsano Duo is the thrilling collaboration between kinetic free drummer Chris Corsano and Vibracathedral Orchestra’s Mick Flower (shaahi baaja or Japanese banjo). Whether channelling West African guitar practice or free noise dynamics, both bands are capable of extended jams that reach for altered zones. A one-off and profoundly psychedelic double bill.

Features, previews and reviews welcomed in all media. For more information, high res images or press tickets, please contact Emily on 0777 294 5868 or at emily@tracertrails.co.uk.

Read on for more detail…

—

GROUP INERANE

The latest band to make the transition from the rich catalogue of Sublime Frequencies recordings to the live stages of Europe is perhaps the most anticipated of them all, the one we have been waiting for since “Guitars From Agadez Vol. 1” first stormed from the speakers and sold out in record time four years ago: Group Inerane.

Centred around band leader and six-string god Bibi Ahmed, Inerane hail from Agadez, Niger, one of the most volatile zones in West Africa. Out of this vast, arid land long beset by political unrest comes the Inerane sound, fit to bring tumultuous joy to any party on the globe: ecstatic and electrified Saharan guitar modes entangle/disentangle themselves around mantric vocals and propulsive trap kit drum attack. Genuinely rocking and raw as hell, at points the fuzz descends and Inerane seem to bore their way to the mainline of rock ‘n’ roll itself.

A second Inerane album, Vol. 3 of the “Guitars From Agadez” series, came out last year and gives further call to rejoice.

“This music is plain wonderful, life-affirming, and celebratory any way you look at it, and if you consider its origins, even more so” – Tiny Mix Tapes

“Group Inerane … encompasses the most exciting aspects of the Tuareg guitar style … a new form of Saharan psychedelia” – Dusted

—

FLOWER-CORSANO DUO

A mystical, rocking jazz journey like no other from two underground music makers who have a special chemistry. A dynamic and heavenly combination of Chris Corsano’s freeform rhythm patterns and Mick Flower’s ecstatic wall of noise, this really is a trip into a ZONE. 2 albums on VHF/Textile and an incendiary live show have spread the word.

Michael Flower is known as a member of Leed’s Vibracathedral Orchestra, a lynch pin of the improvising rock/noise/drone world. He has also played and released with artists such as Tony Conrad, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, MV&EE and his own Michael Flower Band. His playing can be overloaded and pin you to the ground or blissfully graceful, even holy, his expansive sound lifting you to higher levels.

Chris Corsano’s drumming has to be seen to be fully appreciated. An ‘into the void’ musician who collaborates with a huge range of artists and can still pull off mad solo shit. It is a rare drummer that can hold his own with his customized kit, clatter practice and circular breathing drone exhortations but retain a dynamic and structure that works. Loose-limbed, intense, even melodic, he exposes the audience to sounds and rhythms that defy normality. He moves light-footed around the world sparking off into all kinds of collaborations with the likes of Jim O’Rourke, Joe Mcphee, John Edwards, Whitehouse, Bjork, Thurston Moore and Bill Nace among many.

—

KINNING PARK COMPLEX…

…is located just over the road from Kinning Park tube station in Glasgow. Originally an infant school and later a community centre, upon its closure by Glasgow City Council in 1996 it was occupied for 55 days and nights by the local community and since that time has been run as an autonomous social centre and arts space. This concert will take place in one of two large halls within the building that are available for hire.

Cry Parrot & Tracer Trails present:

MUSCLES OF JOY LP LAUNCH

Muscles of Joy are one of Glasgow’s best-kept secrets – a multi-instrumental, largely vocal-led all female ensemble. Evoking the similar liberal femininity found in bands such as The Slits, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Kleenex/Liliput and The Raincoats, the band’s musical aesthetic is loose, abstract and emotively driven.

Their debut LP is a glorious collection of accidental pop, freak-folk, post-punk and avante garde songs, each with their own magical identity. Released on Dep from Monorail’s label Watts of Goodwill (also home to Gummy Stumps) – this is a very special release, and one we can’t wait for you all to hear.

Support for the show comes from Glasgow-based grunge outfit PALMS and a dj set from Jamie Grier – who produced the Muscles of Joy album.

—

Sunday 27th November
Oran Mor
7.30pm
£5 entry

Advance tickets are available now in person at Monorail Music or online at:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/138196

Poster by Anna Kraay: http://www.annakraay.co.uk/

November 19th 2011

Braw Trails Present:
An Evening with Richard Youngs

at The Canon’s Gait
232 Canongate, Edinburgh

Tickets £5 from wegottickets.com

Braw Trails are back and it’s with great pleasure we can announce a very special night of music with one of the most enigmatic and prolific songwriters working in the UK underground, Richard Youngs.

With hundreds of solo and collaborative releases on countless labels (including his own “No Fans” label) Richard’s music has been heaped with accolades since the 1990’s. Whether through his collaborations with the likes of Simon Wickham-Smith, Jandek, Neil Campbell or Makoto Kawabata, or in his solo work encompassing the starkest minimalism, lush acapella and acoustic balladry, Richard adds a touch of humanity to any project he’s involved with – a rare thing in the sterile surroundings of the experimental scene.

Despite his longstanding reservations about live performance, Richard has been blessing audiences with more and more live gigs, mostly in his hometown of Glasgow. This will be a very rare chance to see him perform two sets in one night, one purely vocal and another accompanied with guitar.

Anyone who caught his recent scuzzed-out performance at The 78, opening the Music is The Music Language festival, will know not to miss this gig. The show will take place in the intimate confines of The Canon’s Gait Pub (at Richard’s request); there will be no support, and an intermission between the sets.

£5. 19th November. 8pm.
The Canon’s Gait, 232 Canongate. Edinburgh.

Cry Parrot and Tracer Trails present

MUSIC IS THE MUSIC LANGUAGE

A brand new independent music festival for Glasgow

3rd-4th September 2011
at SWG3 (Studio Warehouse)

*** TICKETS ONLY £10/£6 ***

—–

Acts already confirmed for the festival include:

Alasdair Roberts
Ben Butler & Mousepad
Blue Sabbath Black Fiji
Correcto
Cut Hands
Divorce
Falconry
Gummy Stumps
Iain Campbell
Moon Unit
Muscles of Joy
Nackt Insecten
Opaque
Richard Youngs
Sad City
Sarah Kenchington
Scrim
Tattie Toes
The One Ensemble
Two Wings
Ultimate Thrush
Usurper
Volcano the Bear
Vom
Withered Hand
Wounded Knee

… plus an afterparty on Saturday night from Highlife feat. Mr Raoul K (Ivory Coast) at La Cheetah’s (£4 entry with your festival wristband)

… plus a FREE closing party on Sunday night at Nice N Sleazy featuring DJ Bennetti (William Bennett/Cut Hands) and David Barbarossa

… plus films, stalls, and great food!

—–

Scottish music has surely never been more diverse, curious, and fun than it is right now! To celebrate all that’s exciting and ambitious in Scotland’s underground music scene, non-profit independent promoters Cry Parrot and Tracer Trails are teaming up this September to bring you Music is the Music Language, a two-day festival taking place across three stages in Glasgow multi-arts establishment SWG3.

Both promoters have made their mark through their eclectic remit, providing Glasgow and Edinburgh with a wealth of leftfield and experimental talent, opening up new spaces for live music across both cities. Music is the Music Language will centre on SWG3′s awesome renovated warehouse space, making full use of the venue’s many nooks and crannies, with off-site performances during the day in locations to be revealed much nearer the time.

—–

Tickets are currently available HERE or from Monorail Music for only SIX POUNDS each day or TEN POUNDS the weekend!

June 27th 2011

Tracer Invasion present

Woodpigeon
eagleowl
& Rob St John

at Pilrig St Paul’s Church Hall
Pilrig Street/Leith Walk, Leith

Facebook event

ALL-AGES | BYOB | 8PM | £6

Tickets from wegottickets.com.

A quintessential Edinburgh bill circa… 2007? Chamber-pop from our Canadian friend Mark, anti-drumcore-now-with-added- drums from eagleowl, and a rare appearance from “doom-wop” wunderkind Rob St John. We’ve even had it all wrapped up in a classic Lizzy Stewart poster!

www.tracertrails.co.uk
www.woodpigeon-songbook.com
www.eagleowlattack.co.uk
http://eagleowl.bandcamp.com/
http://onbonfirenight.tumblr.com/

June 22nd 2011

Braw Trails presents

Two Wings
Arborea
& Long Distance Runner

at The Bristo Hall
Bristo Place, Edinburgh

All-Ages! BYOB! £5!

Facebook event

Overdue: the latest in the ‘Braw Trails’ series, from Braw Gigs and Tracer Trails!

TWO WINGS is the ace new project from Hanna Tuulikki (Nalle, Scatter) and Ben Reynolds (Baby Dee, Trembling Bells), plus Lucy Duncombe and Kenneth Wilson (Trees), Owen Curtis Williams (Benni Hemm Hemm, Rob St John) and Emily Roff (Tracer Trails!). Two Wings were recently described by total legend Daniel Higgs as “for real”. Genre fans, I’m calling this ‘nu wyrd dad rock’… Found yourself listening to Fleetwood Mac much lately? Me too. I think we’re ready for this! Hear tracks from Two Wings’ recently completed album (produced with John Cavanagh of Phosphene / Electroscope) online at http://twowings.bandcamp.com/

Two Wings are visiting Edinburgh as part of a short tour of Scotland with…

ARBOREA, a husband/wife psych-folk duo from Maine who have a new album out on Strange Attractors Audio House. Formed in the summer of 2005 Buck and Shanti Curran create “Low key intimate spellcasting affairs….. the fact that they are a couple might help to explain the seamless organic blending of their music together. Conjuring truly transportational magic out of the simplest ingredients. Their songs might be a hundreds of years old, and there’s little here to lock them into any moment other than forever”. (Dream magazine). Buck plays guitar, slide guitars, bowed strings, flutes, banjo, and vocals. Shanti provides lead vocals, banjo, ukulele, bowed strings, harmonium, and percussion. They are often joined by Helena Espvall on cello. http://arboreamusic.blogspot.com/

Opening this show will be the debut performance of a brand new Edinburgh band with NO NAME! Very little is known about this anonymous quartet, which reportedly comprises members of King Bear, Appendix Out, Giant Tank, The Wee Rogue and Red Death. They’ve been meeting in secret for around two years, and what little recorded evidence has leaked out of those sessions suggests such influences as Codeine, Red House Painters, Galaxie 500, Palace Brothers and Slint. We can’t wait to blow their cover!

Oh hang on, news just in: they’re called Long Distance Runner.

Proceeds from this gig go towards the Save the Forest Campaign.

Save the Forest!

June 24th 2011

Tracer Trails presents

Two Wings
Arborea
& Electroscope

at Wellington Church Hall
University Avenue, Glasgow

All-Ages! BYOB! £5!

Facebook event

Two Wings’ first full-band Glasgow date with their new lineup, rescheduled from May!

TWO WINGS is the ace new project from Hanna Tuulikki (Nalle, Scatter) and Ben Reynolds (Baby Dee, Trembling Bells), plus Lucy Duncombe and Kenneth Wilson (Trees), Owen Curtis Williams (Benni Hemm Hemm, Rob St John) and Emily Roff (Tracer Trails!). Two Wings were recently described by total legend Daniel Higgs as “for real”. Genre fans, I’m calling this ‘nu wyrd dad rock’… Found yourself listening to Fleetwood Mac much lately? Me too. I think we’re ready for this! Hear tracks from Two Wings’ recently completed album (produced with John Cavanagh of Phosphene / Electroscope) online at twowings.bandcamp.com.

This show will be part of a short Scottish tour Two Wings are undertaking with…

ARBOREA, a husband/wife psych-folk duo from Maine who have a new album out on Strange Attractors Audio House. Formed in the summer of 2005 Buck and Shanti Curran create “Low key intimate spellcasting affairs….. the fact that they are a couple might help to explain the seamless organic blending of their music together. Conjuring truly transportational magic out of the simplest ingredients. Their songs might be a hundreds of years old, and there’s little here to lock them into any moment other than forever”. (Dream magazine). Buck plays guitar, slide guitars, bowed strings, flutes, banjo, and vocals. Shanti provides lead vocals, banjo, ukulele, bowed strings, harmonium, and percussion. They are often joined by Helena Espvall on cello.

Opening this show will be the second ‘comeback’ appearance from ELECTROSCOPE: This duo existed from 1996-2000 releasing 104 titles in four years in an attempt to bridge the gap between Joe Meek and the United States of America. Following a decade recording solo as Pefkin and Phosphene, as well as producing all kinds of wonderful records and radio programmes, Gayle Brogan and John Cavanagh are back playing pin matrix games for May, combining the sounds of a VCS3 synthesizer, a 1950s radio microphone and vortex of vocals.