"Hello, Remember Remember!"
Glasgow’s Remember Remember are Graeme Ronald and the band of musicians he gathers to set light to his psychedelic-tinged compositions. I first saw them at the city’s Hinterland festival back in spring 2009. Playing in The Arches, the band resembled a chamber orchestra but the music that tumbled out into that dark, brick room was anything but sombre. Pulsing with colour and gently building wonder, it wasn’t hard to fall for tracks like The Dancing. Having released his self-titled debut back in 2008, he has once again gathered the Remember Remember troops to make his second long player, ‘The Quickening’. It’s a glorious album, stretching out in the mind like rolling countryside shifting through the seasons. Download John Candy on the right to see what I mean. I dropped him a few quick questions last week.
Name?
Graeme JD Ronald
Age?
30
Current location?
Glasgow, Scotland
Your sound?
Secret Scottish Voodoo.
How do you record?
It’s a hybrid of tape, mixing desk, laptops and loopstations. In the studio and in the house.
Previous experience?
I played synthesizers in the big-in-Glasgow-but-nowhere-else “pre-cognitive Supergroup” Multiplies, the members of which went on to be in Errors, Dananananaykroyd and Remember Remember. Also played bass in The Royal We and was for a brief time an extra dude for Mogwai.
Heroes?
Andy Kaufman, Wesley Willis, Brian Wilson and Delia Derbyshire.
Last release?
The ‘RR Scorpii’ EP, Rock Action 2010.
Next release?
Our second album, ‘The Quickening’, Rock Action 26/9/2011.
Next playing?
London, Servant Jazz Quarters, 22/9/2011
Glasgow, Stereo, 24/9/2011
Newcastle, The Cluny, 25/9/2011
How did you come to work in a disused primary school and did it impact the shaping of the album?
The School was being threatened with closure until the residents of Kinning Park held a sit-in protest to keep it open. It is now used as a community centre housing three floors of rehearsal rooms, Taiko Drum lessons, several artists and Zumba. In fact, the pounding energy from the Zumba classes below us and the Taiko drumming upstairs perhaps fused and imbued themselves in the rhythms we were creating for our new songs. Maybe.
What are the best and worst things about working with such a big group of people?
There is, unfortunately, an increasing reliance when making instrumental or electronic music, if it involves a lot of layers, on the use of computer backing tracks or prerecorded samples. Having a
large group allows for each melody to be played live, and maintains the size and scope of the music. The hard part, obviously, is scheduling rehearsals, recording and tours around seven people. We’re not exactly Rock Stars so we all have to work around each others commitments to work, college and other musical projects.
Are you forgetful?
Extremely, although I prefer the term absent minded. What?
Rock Action release ‘The Quickening’ on 26th September 2011
