Blueflint
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Blueflint

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"Blueflint review Beat Surrender"

Edinburgh based Blueflint release their sophomore album on October 10th and have set up a tour for Scotland, Ireland and England in support of the album – the band are Deborah Arnott (vocals, banjo and ukulele), Hugh Kelly (double-bass), Clare Neilson (clawhammer banjo) and Roddy Neilson (fiddle and vocals), the Maudy Tree follows their warmly received 2009 debut album High Bright Morning.
Their are twelve originals tracks to enjoy with the sweet harmony vocals talents of Arnott and Neilson combining with their banjo playing to give the bands signature sound, traditional style folk songs like the opener Light in the Window the mournful High Country and minimalist I Climbed a Mountain are interlaced with both lighter moments - Take Your Shoes Of and the contemporary lyrical ditty of the jilted lover P45.
The Maudy Tree is available on CD – lovingly packaged with a wax sealed paper wrapper,a full lyric booklet and a temporary tattoo! - Beat Surrender


"Americana UK"

Edinburgh-based Blue Flint’s clever use of dark folk, given a backdrop of banjo, fiddle, double bass and drums to go with the close sibling-like vocal harmonies of Deborah Arnott and Claire Neilson cement a sound, varied enough to retain the attention of the listener.
Understated and subtle in their presentations Blue Flint first came to the fore via their debut album, 'High Bright Morning' now go on to underline their talent as a live act via 'Maudy Tree'. For the album is recorded that way, as a live five-piece, Cammy Sinclair joining Hugh Kelly (double bass) and Roddy Neilson (fiddle, vocals) and the girls, who both play banjo and in the case of Arnott, ukelele on two tracks reiterate their worth. It doesn’t end there either as Gavin Taylor drops by to shine on Dobro and Adam Bulley likewise on mandolin.?
Although, on first hearing 'Blue Flint' I was concerned about the flexibility of their music, but once I had ventured further into the album I discovered such delights as the uplifting “Take Your Shoes Off” and “Missed the Boat”. Wrapped in banjo, Dobro, fiddle and double bass it is propelled heavenward. Such is the vibrancy of the girls’ vocals and accompaniment. Alongside the sharp witted “P45” they are easily the most uptempo tracks, while the crisp and pure as water from a mountain spring “I Climbed A Mountain” sung to a lonely backdrop of fiddle offers a majestic feel enough to take to take one’s breath away.?With a little humour thrown in for good measure, the material is homegrown and written by Arnott and the Neilsons. Roddy gains a mention through his fine compositions “Bottlebank” and “Mary”. The songs have the traditional sounding act sing lead, and the latter in particular where he is aided by Jim Condie’s pedal steel, fiddle and mandolin his work deserves plaudits stacked to the ceiling as the music leans towards Americana in earnest. Dotted among the remainder there's pieces offering music once transported over the pond into the Appalachian Mountains and be rekindled to become the bedrock of American traditional folk music. - Blueflint review Americana UK


"Blueflint review Fatea Records"

Like the rock they share their name with, Blueflint are dark with lots of sharp edges, at times abrasive, at times capable of cutting deep and opening scars. The sound is Americana, drawing more on the mountain music sound than bluegrass, but the latter is definitely there. The vocals and to some extent the subject of the songs maintain a link to the quartet's native Scotland, there's no mistaking the accent, particularly in the harmony vocals, but there's also no mistaking the way it gives the band a distinct sound that works so well with the clawhammer banjo. - Fatea Records


"Blueflint review The Skinny 21/09/2011"

Blueflint's debut album, High Bright Morning, was deservedly lauded for its assured rustic charm. Maudy Tree draws, like its predecessor, upon bluegrass and Americana roots, yet the central vocal interplay between Deborah Arnott and Clare-Louise Neilson has clearly evolved, as taut double-bass loops from Hugh Kelly interlock with Roddy Neilson's fiddle and vocals to open up new spaces for the Edinburgh group.

Jaunty refrains on the scrapes of failed love (Missed The Boat and P45) reveal flickers of sardonic wit, counterbalancing the more delicate, sombre reflections here. Issuing from the pressing sense of a harsh, east-coast winter ahead, Light In The Window's lucid tale of office humdrum sets up the disconcerting gloom of the title track perfectly. By turns sprightly and pensive, this impressive second album consolidates the virtues of a compelling band and keeps us locked in for future melodic adventures. - The Skinny 21/09/2011


"Blueflint review The Skinny 21/09/2011"

Blueflint's debut album, High Bright Morning, was deservedly lauded for its assured rustic charm. Maudy Tree draws, like its predecessor, upon bluegrass and Americana roots, yet the central vocal interplay between Deborah Arnott and Clare-Louise Neilson has clearly evolved, as taut double-bass loops from Hugh Kelly interlock with Roddy Neilson's fiddle and vocals to open up new spaces for the Edinburgh group.

Jaunty refrains on the scrapes of failed love (Missed The Boat and P45) reveal flickers of sardonic wit, counterbalancing the more delicate, sombre reflections here. Issuing from the pressing sense of a harsh, east-coast winter ahead, Light In The Window's lucid tale of office humdrum sets up the disconcerting gloom of the title track perfectly. By turns sprightly and pensive, this impressive second album consolidates the virtues of a compelling band and keeps us locked in for future melodic adventures. - The Skinny 21/09/2011


"Blueflint review The Skinny 21/09/2011"

Blueflint's debut album, High Bright Morning, was deservedly lauded for its assured rustic charm. Maudy Tree draws, like its predecessor, upon bluegrass and Americana roots, yet the central vocal interplay between Deborah Arnott and Clare-Louise Neilson has clearly evolved, as taut double-bass loops from Hugh Kelly interlock with Roddy Neilson's fiddle and vocals to open up new spaces for the Edinburgh group.

Jaunty refrains on the scrapes of failed love (Missed The Boat and P45) reveal flickers of sardonic wit, counterbalancing the more delicate, sombre reflections here. Issuing from the pressing sense of a harsh, east-coast winter ahead, Light In The Window's lucid tale of office humdrum sets up the disconcerting gloom of the title track perfectly. By turns sprightly and pensive, this impressive second album consolidates the virtues of a compelling band and keeps us locked in for future melodic adventures. - The Skinny 21/09/2011


"Blueflint review The Skinny 21/09/2011"

Blueflint's debut album, High Bright Morning, was deservedly lauded for its assured rustic charm. Maudy Tree draws, like its predecessor, upon bluegrass and Americana roots, yet the central vocal interplay between Deborah Arnott and Clare-Louise Neilson has clearly evolved, as taut double-bass loops from Hugh Kelly interlock with Roddy Neilson's fiddle and vocals to open up new spaces for the Edinburgh group.

Jaunty refrains on the scrapes of failed love (Missed The Boat and P45) reveal flickers of sardonic wit, counterbalancing the more delicate, sombre reflections here. Issuing from the pressing sense of a harsh, east-coast winter ahead, Light In The Window's lucid tale of office humdrum sets up the disconcerting gloom of the title track perfectly. By turns sprightly and pensive, this impressive second album consolidates the virtues of a compelling band and keeps us locked in for future melodic adventures. - The Skinny 21/09/2011


"Blueflint review The Skinny 21/09/2011"

Blueflint's debut album, High Bright Morning, was deservedly lauded for its assured rustic charm. Maudy Tree draws, like its predecessor, upon bluegrass and Americana roots, yet the central vocal interplay between Deborah Arnott and Clare-Louise Neilson has clearly evolved, as taut double-bass loops from Hugh Kelly interlock with Roddy Neilson's fiddle and vocals to open up new spaces for the Edinburgh group.

Jaunty refrains on the scrapes of failed love (Missed The Boat and P45) reveal flickers of sardonic wit, counterbalancing the more delicate, sombre reflections here. Issuing from the pressing sense of a harsh, east-coast winter ahead, Light In The Window's lucid tale of office humdrum sets up the disconcerting gloom of the title track perfectly. By turns sprightly and pensive, this impressive second album consolidates the virtues of a compelling band and keeps us locked in for future melodic adventures. - The Skinny 21/09/2011


"Blueflint Review Scotland on Sunday 4 stars****"

"Relaxed, assured and very attractive vocal harmony from Deborah Arnott and Clare Neilson...leads their crew further into mainstream acceptability and success. Their clever songs catch a non-American, home grown spirit rattling with subtle warnings and over the borders honesty...they paint strong moods in songs that are full of good life, humour and surprise." - Scotland on Sunday


Discography

2008 Blueflint EP

2009 High Bright Morning LP

2011 Maudy Tree LP

2012 Take your shoes off SINGLE

All released on Johnny Rock Records.

Songs from both LPs and the single have gained radio play on UK National and regional radio stations including:
BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Shropshire and many regional radio stations. The songs have also gained internet radio play globally.

Photos

Bio

Blueflint Biography

With the success of their highly acclaimed debut album High Bright Morning in 2009, (produced by Jim Sutherland) and their atmospheric and evocative live performances, Edinburgh's Blueflint have built a strong reputation and following.

Their much anticipated second album Maudy Tree released in October 2011, has raised their profile even further, gaining the band plaudits throughout the music press. The band is delighted to be supporting The Proclaimers in their UK tour this autumn 2012, taking in venues such as Edinburgh's Playhouse and Shepherds Bush Empire.

Blueflint began in 2003 based around the banjo duo of Arnott and Neilson. In 2008 the duo extended the band to incorporate fiddle, double-bass and drums in a line-up that deftly captures the atmospheric Blueflint sound, accompanying the singers and banjos in beautifully-crafted songs that swoop easily from the dark underbelly of folk to buoyant Americana-tinged ballads.

The Edinburgh-based five-piece successfully thwart attempts at musical pigeonholing, with a fresh, unique sound that refuses to sit squarely in any one genre, bringing an unexpected twist to the banjo sound and gaining them fans from across the musical spectrum. Blending banjo traditions, the sound of Blueflint is defined by the sublime close harmony singing of Deborah Arnott and Clare Neilson, whose voices, both ethereal and warm, interweave in ballads and songs of eerie melancholy and heartfelt charm.

Blueflint's live performances have captivated audiences throughout the UK and Ireland, and have established Blueflint as an original and refreshing act. Blueflint have played a host of renowned events, including most recently Celtic Connections, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the Annual Appalachian and Bluegrass Festival, Omagh.

Blueflint are Deborah Arnott [vocals; bluegrass banjo; ukulele]; Clare Neilson [vocals; clawhammer banjo]; Danny Hart [fiddle]; Hugh Kelly [double bass], and Ali Murray [drums].