• Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat “Everything’s Getting Older”
• Conquering Animal Sound “Kammerspiel”
• Happy Particles “Under Sleeping Waves”
• King Creosote & Jon Hopkins “Diamond Mine”
• Mogwai “Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will”
• Mungo’s Hi Fi “Forward Ever”
• Remember Remember “The Quickening”
• Rustie “Glass Swords”
• Tommy Smith “Karma”
• Twin Atlantic “Free” (public vote winners)

Free streaming of the albums starts again on Monday (21st May) on the SAY Award site (where there’s much more information on the award) and their iPhone & Android apps.

Good to be writing about a “wee” show again, as we’ve had a lot of big shiny things on here of late, room for everything and all that though:

Aberdeen’s own grungy, Dinosaur Jr-esque Min Diesel have put this together to coincide with the release of their new EP  ”Mínage à Twa“, which is simultaneously the best and worst name for a collection of recorded music ever.  Quite an achievement, and a great excuse for a celebration.

Also on the bill are noisy Dundonian garage types The Shithawks, and two bands who don’t even seem to have any presence on the internet whatsoever;  Glasgow-based Platypus, who apparently make “woozy, lo-fi psychedelia”, they’re also described as “enigmatic”, which may account for their lack of Google results, and locals Das McManus, who play their first ever show.  All very intruging.

While we’re on the subject of Cellar 35, I’ll draw your attention to a new club which starts there the night before this show (Friday 18 May, 9pm, £2), it’s called Strawberry Wine, and it’s  ”An Evening of C86, Early Creation Records, Shoegaze & 80s Indie.”  Here’s the Facebook event page for it.  Time to get agonising over the perfect badge to wear…

We told you about The Scottish Album of the Year Award a wee while ago, and now it’s crunch time;  for one day only on Monday 14 May you, the punters, can vote for your favourite album on the longlist via The SAY Award website  or the iPhone/Android app.  On Tuesday the judging panel will then decide the ten album shortlist, one of which will be the album with the most public votes.

There’s still time to listen to streams of five of the longlisted albums on the site/app this weekend, after which the shortlisted albums will be streaming for four weeks.  That’s a lot of free music, and it’s all Scottish. Power to the people.

Before we get to our featured bartender, I’d like to highlight some recent successes that ‘Team Aberdeen’ have enjoyed.  Danil Nevsky of Society (last month’s featured bartender) is off to Amsterdam as the winner of the UK heat for Bols Around the World, an international competition.  Dan will be competing against bartenders from around the globe – as well as enjoying the spoils that Amsterdam has to offer.  A notable mention must be made of Kaelin Richards and Adam Gray from Dusk, who also reached the latter stages of the UK heat.

Myself and Mike McGinty (Ninety-Nine Bar & Kitchen) will also be enjoying a brand-sponsored trip (to London) to compete in the UK final of Diageo’s World Class cocktail competition, one of the most prestigious competitions on the international calendar.  With a Global Final taking place in Rio de Janeiro, it’s fair to say the competition amongst the 20 UK-wide bartenders will be tough.  Wish us, and Dan, luck!

Onto the third in our ‘Bartender of the Month’ series, I chatted to Ryan Rhodes, AM of the bar at Malmaison and recent winner of the Maxxium-sponsored Easter Egg Cup.  His drink and presentation impressed the judges, and after putting the effort into most competitions in this city, it was great to see him finally rewarded by the high-profile judging panel of Andy Gemmell (Global Ambassador, Dewars Whisky), John Clay (Bols Ambassador) and Chris Tonner (Beetroot Restaurants).  Onto Ryan…

Works…

Currently working as Assistant Bar Manager for The Malmaison hotel on Queens Road.

Previous…

Originally, I started working in a local club just as I turned 18 as a way to get extra funds to get me through uni.  Apart from the initial fear after being flung into a packed bar on a Saturday night with no prior training, I soon began to thoroughly enjoy it – apart from the odd pint glass getting launched around. I then moved into a local cocktail bar (making the finest Woo Woo’s) and that’s where I started to love the idea of being a bartender people recognise and want to come and be served by.  That’s when I moved into Aberdeen and started at the Mal.

Off duty…

Whilst off duty, I visit distilleries around Scotland.  Whisky is one of my passions.  Reading up on new ideas to try when I get back to work is also high on the agenda.  Keeping the guests entertained with fresh ideas and things they haven’t experienced is what I’m after.

Drinks…

The drinks which I enjoy are generally either whisk(e)y or tequila-based.  Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and Sazeracs are the general style.  The smoking of cocktails are a hit with me as a sweet cherry-smoked rye whiskey Manhattan changed my life!  Oh, and it would be rude to say no to an Aberdeen Bartenders Club (ABC) gas chamber now and then, wouldn’t it (ed note: do not try this at home).

(More after this shot of Ryan in action)

Inspiration…

I would say what inspires me as a barman is the continuous learning to improve on style, drinks and, above all, the customer being happy.  I like to read up on the great personalities of the bar world and use that as a motivator to where I want to go.  I attend quite a few cocktail competitions, and seeing some of the big dogs at work pushes me to improve myself and my work.

Travels…

So far, my work-related travels have been mainly around Scotland, whether it’s to spend the day with Distillery Managers (seeing the complex and patient route that whisky takes to be produced) or going to Edinburgh for competitions.  I have also travelled to Liverpool to take part in the Malmaison in-house cocktail competition which went well as I finished 3^rd overall in the UK.

Looking Forward…

In the future, I aim to be what every passionate bartender wants – an owner of a reputable bar embodied with their own personal style.  For just now though, the constant learning and networking will do me as I want to grow into the man who gets his bar.

Looking Back…

The past has been interesting with things which I cant imagine doing now in the bar I’m in, but it has all lead me to where I am today – a happy bartender who loves his job.

Oh God, where do I start?

Got it, like this:  YAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!

I’ve been waiting for a large-scale event outside of the usual club and gig spaces to happen ever since I moved back to Aberdeen, and this, this is it.

It’s kinda difficult to cherry-pick things out of the truly excellent line-up, take a look at the poster at the bottom of this if you don’t believe me, let’s try and break things down a bit though:

The Peace and Jam Live and Acoustic Room features many, many bands you’ll have read about on here before, including some of the city’s very best (Stanley, The Little Kicks et al), so I’m going to leave that alone and focus on some of the other stuff if you don’t mind.  Heads-up for Stonehaven’s chaotic, scuzzy pop duo DOLFiNZ and Edinburgh’s afrobeat-y Bwani Junction though…

The Main Stage, in the iconic Beach Ballroom, complete with legendary boingy-boingy sprung dancefloor, is headlined by a couple of  legends:  Derrick Carter, major player in the second-wave of proper Chicago House music which blew up in the mid-90s (although he’s been around longer) and Glasgow house/techno duo Slam, y’know Soma Records founders, released the first Daft Punk singles, those two.  I’m not going to pass up this opportunity to post their classic “Positive Education“, one of the most important pieces of music ever to come out of Scotland; nearly 20 years after its 1993 release, and it still sounds like it comes from the future:

Still in the ballroom, techno types Bigfoot’s Tea Party will be familiar to some of you from their nights at Snafu and The Sub Club while Aberdeen/Glasgow electro-rockers Fridge Magnets have already picked up a Scottish Alternative Music Award this year, and are gaining popularity by the second.

Moving to The Beach Hut Stage, headliners Friendly Fires make a mockery of those awful indie-bands-as-DJs sets by actually being able to play music for a club crowd (here’s an Essential Mix from a while ago), Oneman brings the dubstep/funky/garage sounds of his show on must-listen London station Rinse FM north, and there’s a deserved proper place on the bill for Aberdeen’s own bass-driven Tuff Wax Records crew.

Speaking of bass, the DSR Audio Room has Scottish Album of the Year Award-nominated sound system Mungo’s Hi Fi and fellow weegies Chungo Bungo bringing the reggae and dub, alongside local beach & terrace party specialists Minival.  The Red Bull Event Truck has yet more DJs, and there’s all manner of  food, drink and clothing stalls, most of whom seem to be peddling wares which are a notch above the usual festival tat.

That’s just a very small selection, there’s a lot more in-depth information, site maps, artist bios, videos and the like over at the event’s excellent website.  A word about that in fact;  in a town where, at times, things can be promoted in a rather ramshackle, half-arsed manner (not everything, before you start), this stands out like a beacon.

Ballin’.

Here’s the first in a new series of monthly posts from one of the city’s best venues, The Lemon Tree:

We’ve quite a music programme at The Lemon Tree this May!  From start to finish there really is something for everyone.   Here are some highlights and a full listing so you can handpick the shows you want to attend:

Kicking us off on the 4th May are the brilliant Three Blind Wolves.  Described as “loud, hairy and unpredictable” this Glasgow four-piece have been gathering pace of late.  With influences such as Led Zeppelin and Creedance Clearwater Revival this is certainly for those who are fans of old school rock.  They released their critically acclaimed mini-album last year, played a slot at T in the Park and have some European festivals lined up this summer.  Support comes from The Deportees and CS Buchan.

On the 17th we host Aberdeen’s own The Xcerts.  These local heroes return to play what will be a scintillating set comprising of old favourites such as Scatterbrain and Crisis In The Slow Lane and we may even be lucky enough to hear some new material.  Anyone who has been to their previous shows will know what a great singalong moment Aberdeen 1987 is, so this is a gig not to be missed.

We’ve got a good one on the 18th with The Pigeon Detectives playing The Lemon Tree as part of their Summer By The Sea tour.  These guys are festival favourites and can boast several hits including I’m Not Sorry and This Is An Emergency.  This will certainly be one for those who like bouncing around at gigs!  With platinum and gold albums under their belts it’s a great way to see them in a more intimate venue.

The Magnets are something a bit different…a band with no instruments!  This London a capella group perform the singing and backing track using nothing but vocals.  What’s more they perform tracks from bands and solo artists of past and present such as The Killers, Lady Gaga and Blur, with some Bon Jovi thrown in for good measure.  Check out some of their videos on YouTube to see what they are all about. These guys visit us on the 20th for what will be a great night of entertainment.

Admiral Fallow are a group from Glasgow who are really starting to turn heads.  Currently being championed by the likes of Elbow’s Guy Garvey and Edith Bowman, you can catch them at The Lemon Tree on the 23rd.  Playing a stunning brand of orchestral folk-pop they’re about to release their second album Tree Bursts In Snow.  We reckon this lot will be playing on some big stages this time next year so get in quick for an “I was there” gig.

We Were Promised Jetpacks are up on the 24th and this will be a cracker!  Known for their “thunderous” live performances they have been described as having the impact of Mogwai with the pop sensibilities of Bloc Party and Foals.  Their releases have been met with critical acclaim and the band has toured with the likes of Jimmy Eat World and Frightened Rabbit.  Having won the Best Live Act award at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards in March they are touring to promote new album In The Pit Of The Stomach.  With one of the band members fighting back from a serious illness recently we’re really pleased to welcome them to The Lemon Tree.

Not music shows per se but Howard Marks and John Peel’s Shed will appeal to those who like good tunes.  Howard has a fascinating story to tell and will be joining us for a talk on the 11th.  How many people can claim to be a drug smuggler, DJ, inmate, connected to the mafia and linked to the British Secret Service?Not many we’d imagine!  John Peels’s Shed is a story about a competition winner on the late DJ’s radio show who wins a box of records and sets out to listen to them all.  The performance features albums owned by John Peel and is an ode to radio and the legendary record collection.  This show is in our upstairs Studio space on the 22nd and was a five-star sell out hit at the Edinburgh Fringe.  You really shouldn’t miss it…

Full May Listings:

4th May –  Three Blind Wolves
5th May –  Same Faces
6th May –   Who’s Who
11th May – Howard Marks
12th May – Ultimate Eagles
13th May – James Grant
17th May – The Xcerts
18th May – The Pigeon Detectives
20th May – The Magnets
22nd May – Newton Faulkner – SOLD OUT
22nd May – John Peel’s Shed (The Lemon Tree Studio)
23rd May – Admiral Fallow
24th May – We Were Promised Jetpacks
25th May – Fat Hippy Records Showcase
26th May – Hedgehog Pie
27th May – Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio

Tickets can be booked at www.boxofficeaberdeen.com, by calling 01224 641122 or visiting any of our Box Office venues.  Get in quick to avoid disappointment and we’ll see you down the front!

First up is Mark McCracken, a “Postdigital” artist who creates portraits of popular culture icons and is showcasing a unique printing technique for the first time.  Each week he’s been pinning up a new local “Icon” at the gallery, exposing and laying bare his process for open critique along the way, which is a pretty brave thing to do.

Mark’s exhibition runs until 30 April, here’s what he has to say about his work.  Video by Fraser Denholm.

Five Minutes With… Mark McCracken from Fraser Denholm on Vimeo.

Another day, another pair of tickets to give away, this time courtesy of Midnight Resistance Promotions.  You lucky people.  You’ve only got a few days to enter this one, so get your wee bottoms in gear…

Brighton psych-folkster Chris T-T has more than a few strings to his bow;  described by The Independent as “a national gem”, and with eight albums (and a bunch of EPs/singles) under his belt, he’s a true modern troubadour whose beautifully-crafted lyrics on life, love and politics will strike a chord with anyone in possession of a soul.

He’s also a regular columnist for The Morning Star, charity fundraiser, speaker and panellist at various songwriting and digital seminars/workshops, and has been creating an indispensable photographic archive of every toilet he’s visited since 2010 on Twitter (see the hashtag #loo2012 for this year’s entries).

He pays Cellar 35 (and, no doubt, its bog) a visit on his “Sings Jeremy Clarkson To Sleep Tour” for forthcoming EP The Taking Of Clarkson’s Lighthouse which ”tells the tragic (made up) tale of a divisive genius TV presenter, a violent island uprising and the last surviving Fraggle.”  The mind boggles.  Support on the night comes from London multi-instrumentalist She Makes War and local singer-songwriter Davy Shanks.

Here’s a video for Chris’s 2010 single “Nintendo.”  Watch it, then find out how to win tickets below.

Okay, to be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to the show, simply answer this easy question:

Which controversial BBC presenter is referenced in Chris T-T’s upcoming E.P?

…and email it to midnightresistance.promotions@gmail.com under the subject “Chris TT Comp” by Midnight on Sunday 22 April, after which the winner will be picked at random.  Good luck!

Before all that though, a “longlist” of 20 albums has been announced today.  Complied from lists submitted by 100 “nominators” (including your own wee Kiosque *blush*), it’s a pretty cool selection of music from across a number of different genres, and quite a few of the names will be familiar to readers of this site.  I’m prepared to bet that you won’t have heard them all though, so you can stream a free track from each (and a whole “Album of the Day” from the 16th of this month) over at the SAY Award site.  A rather natty smartphone app with more free music is available for iPhone and Android too, and you also get the chance to vote for your favourite album, the most popular of which will be guaranteed a place on the shortlist.   This is all very positive for Scottish music as a whole I reckon, and while there may not be any North-East acts on the list this time, there’s always next year.  Make it happen.

(Drumroll)  Here’s the longlist:

• 6th Borough Project  “One Night In the Borough”
• Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat  “Everything’s Getting Older”
• Bwani Junction  “Fully Cocked”
• Chris Stout’s Brazilian Theory  “Live In Concert”
• Conquering Animal Sound  “Kammerspiel”
• FOUND  “factorycraft”
• Fudge Fingas  “Now About How”
• Happy Particles  “Under Sleeping Waves”
• Jonny  “Jonny”
• King Creosote & Jon Hopkins  “Diamond Mine”
• Mogwai  “Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will”
• Mungo’s Hi Fi  “Forward Ever”
• Muscles Of Joy  “Muscles Of Joy”
• Remember Remember  “The Quickening”
• Richard Craig  “Inward”
• Rustie  “Glass Swords”
• Steve Mason & Dennis Bovell  “Ghosts Outside”
• Tommy Smith  “Karma”
• Twin Atlantic  “Free”
• We Were Promised Jetpacks  “In The Pit Of the Stomach”

See?  Pretty diverse;  jazz, house, reggae, folk, the lot.  Get listening, agreeing and disagreeing…

The SAY Award

We’ve already mentioned The Athenaeum  in our new Drinking section, and a damn fine bar/restaurant it is too.  Anyway, every  week they run a night under the banner of Jerk Tuesdays, which features a street kitchen-style menu, speciality cocktails and rum deals, all set to a stellar soundtrack of dub and reggae.

Sounds good, huh?  Here’s a recent menu:

Jerk Lamb Tempura, with Corona and Lime Salsa
Jerk Beef Salad with Smoked Paprika & Pineapple Chutney
Cajun Salmon with Reggae Spiced Pepper
Sticky BBQ Ribs
Too good Jambalaya with Corn Bread
Spicy Creole Wedges with Corn on the Cob
Southern Fried Chicken with Jerk Sauce

Woah, now wipe the drool off your keyboard/phone/iPad/other tablet device, and get ready to be in with a chance of winning cocktails for two and a platter from the menu on Tuesday 24 April…

Simply answer this question:

“Mungo’s Hi Fi, one of the world’s favourite reggae crews and purveyors of the sound system style (we interviewed them last year), are playing The Big Beach Ball festival on Bank Holiday 6th May in Aberdeen, what is their highly-acclaimed record label called and in what city is it based?”

Then email your answer to bar@theathenaeumaberdeen.com under the heading “Jerk Competition” before midnight on Friday 20 April when the winner will be picked at random.  Good luck, jerks!