The Scuffers
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The Scuffers

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"Cottiers - Glasgow 05-14-07"

14 May 2007
The Scuffers - Cottiers

I maintain graphs of my car's fuel consumption, and economy, how sometimes, if I drive for long distances at 50mph I can get 70 miles per gallon, if I'm not in a hurry. But if I drive quicker, the fuel efficiency drops, and so it was I'm hurtling along at 80mph in my wee car, getting about 25 miles per gallon, heading to Viva Melodica at the Cottiers to catch the Scuffers.

Alas, I missed Ally Kerr and Simone White who'd come over from the USA, gah, going by her myspace page, sounds like I missed a treat.

So the Scuffers, there's six of them on stage, slide guitar, moandolin, banjo, guitar, bass, drums, singer and singing girl. And its great, this ain't no banjology, this is bluegrass country. With such a rich texture to their sound, lots of different instruments poking through, they're like a breath of fresh air compared to most of the bands I end up going to see.

It kind of takes you some place else, I'm not really one for international travel, but I think I'm in Reno and the Bandit just drove past. Here, have a listen to their myspace page and go catch them at the Classic Grande - www.lastnightfromglasgowindieeyespy.blogspot.com/


"Bluesbunny gig review 05-11-07"

The Dead Beat Club hand over the mantle to Gavin Wallace. The front man of the Scuffers is here to try out some new songs and has brought along a couple of Scuffers - Dochan MacMillan and Ian Fraser - to assist. Running into technical issues before the end of the first song, "Big Gav" distracts the audience with a spirited rendition of "Three Men from Carntyne". The evening had started off with an encounter with an American belly dancer and now we have a long forgotten, sing-along, traditional drinking song. It is all a bit surreal and Bluesbunny wonders if he has fallen off the edge of the planet (again). We are then treated to several new songs with the best being "Here's to the Days" - a stirring tune that would fit nicely into the "lying women, cheating men" country music catalogue. He squeezes in the Scuffers' favourite "Lovesick Blues" as well. With these new songs, it is clear that the black humour filled pen of our Mr Wallace is far from empty. - www.bluesbunny.com/article100627


"Carlton Sessions EP review"

The Scuffers
Carlton Sessions EP
2006

It always brings the BluesBunny pleasure to uncover something worthy in his Scottish heritage. This 6 track EP is a fine example of how music should be. It sounds like the band are actually enjoying themselves. A great relief from the forced digital perfection of your latest chart "star". Despite the presence of the dreaded fiddle, this set is influenced more by the genre generally referred to these days as Americana than parochial Aran sweater wearing folk music. The up-tempo tracks "Dear Stranger" and "You've Got Troubles on Your Mind" work best but there are no weak moments.�

Lead singer Gavin Wallace provides all the songs. Musical accompaniment is ably provided by John Murphy on drums, Ian Fraser on bass guitar and Clair Tierney on banjo and fiddle. This one won't stray far from your CD player.

If you end up in hell (if you are a lawyer then there is no "if"), you will spend eternity with the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. If you end up in heaven, you will no doubt get free beer and the Scuffers. Works for me! - www.bluesbunny.com/tabid/122/xmmid/474/xmid/54/xmview/2/default.aspx


"Review of Edinburgh gig 01-12-07"

Next up are the Scuffers. I must confess to a fondness for the Scuffers. The bass player Ian had the good fortune to work with me in the dim and distant past. His dress sense has not improved with the passing of time however. I notice a few changes with the line up. They have acquired Dochan MacMillan on the mandolin and other stringed instruments. For "Dear Stranger" - one of their finest songs - they announce that they will be dragging in Alastair from Dropkick to substitute for the missing backing vocalist. And it works.

Lead singer Gavin Wallace is another big, handsome man and he can really sing. The band gives rock solid support with some especially wondrous pedal steel work. The BluesBunny photographer starts singing along with "Going with the Flow". How embarrassing! There is also the clear and present danger of an Edinburgh audience actually dancing. The Scuffers squeeze in a cover of "Wagon Wheel" (by the Old Crow Medicine Show - shame on you for not knowing that). They end with "Lovesick Blues". I truly believe the handsome Gavin was singing that one just for me. As the BluesBunny photographer is prone to saying, the Scuffers just keep delivering the goods. - Bluesbunny, independant gig reviewer


"Album review"

At last the long awaited first album from Glasgow alt-country prophets the Scuffers hits the street. Produced by Danny Mitchell and recorded as near to live as could be done, Bluesbunny actually ran across Glasgow to procure a promo copy.

Now that we have, what have we to report? Well, Gavin "King Gav" Wallace has certainly established himself as a songwriter of repute. 11 tracks and not a dud amongst them is quite an achievement. There is a warmth and humanity to his lyrics that give out hope to all who listen. In other words, he is up there with the best of the country genre. "Bigger and Weaker" reflects on life and learning to accept your fate. "Going with the Flow" is a laconic and indeed somewhat mournful take on getting through the day. Curiously, when you hear it performed live, this song seems more of an anthem to triumphing over adversity but the recorded version seems a whole lot darker. There are crowd pleasers here too of course. "Holler" is good old fashioned hoe down to get the drink flowing and the toes tapping. "Those Lovesick Blues" could well be the Scuffer's theme tune. It is just one of those songs that stick in your mind and unless you have lived in a cupboard all your life, it will strike a chord with you. At the risk of cliché, the best has been saved for last. "The Last Dance" is a perfect piece of pure sentiment. All the great country singers know that you need a tear jerker in your set. Something that will get a grown man crying in his beer and "The Last Dance" is one of those songs.

This warm and enjoyable debut CD is now available to purchase. All their best songs are here (well almost all as Bluesbunny had hoped that "Here's to the Days" would have made the final cut) and they are performed with the conviction and diligence that you would expect. Gavin Wallace's voice seems considerably softer and, dare we say it, more American than we would have expected. New addition to the group Sara Cull's vocals are suitably harmonious. The verdict? The Scuffers march on victorious. - www.bluesbunny.com


"Album launch review"

Well, as that Nancy Sinatra girl once said - these boots are made for walking. It is Saturday night after all so this Bluesbunny Girl put on her best boots and set off into Glasgow as my dear friends the Scuffers are launching their first CD "The Life I've Had" at Fury Murrys. I certainly would not want to miss that!

There are quite a lot of people here tonight and I recognise such luminaries as that Al Wright from Scheme Records, that lovely boy Crawford Smith, Pat Monaghan and also many nice people that I used to work with. I was quite pleased that I had trained my escort for the night to fetch the drinks but he returned confused and perturbed as there was no Guinness and had to resort to what he refers to as "that woman's drink", lager. Real men drink Guinness as I know only too well. My drink safely in hand, I turn my attention to the Scuffer's support band Dropkick who are now on stage. I always feel that they sound really young and sweet and tonight does not change my opinion. However, they appear to have made an effort to look rough, tough and rock 'n' roll tonight. Roy Taylor looks like a bit of a wild man and leads the band through a few songs. The rest of the band look like they would be more at home in a nice white shirt and a 100% wool blazer. My escort thinks they sound like a cross between the Beach Boys and the Beautiful South. Being from Edinburgh, perhaps they could become the Beautiful East.
Scuffers CD cover

Now the moment that I have been waiting for as the Scuffers take the stage. I notice that they have drafted in Alastair Taylor from Dropkick in to play that pedal steel thing so they must mean business. By the by, but has anyone else noticed that the Scuffers' lead singer Gavin Wallace gets taller and more handsome when he goes on stage. How does he do that? Dochan MacMillan looks - for once - very presentable and has had his hair cut too. John Murphy looks like, well, a drummer but a clean one. Bass player Ian Fraser looks very smart (as always!) and newcomer and fiddle player Sara Cull has come dressed for the party.

Darlings, the Scuffers are on form tonight. Starting with a leisurely "The Life I've Had" (the title track from their new album), they get a warm welcome from the crowd. There is something warm and comforting about the Scuffers' music that attracts a wide audience - I think they call it a demographic in marketing terms - and I notice a large number of striped shirts and duffel coats dancing away. Now, there were without doubt people inside such apparel but I am sure that they would not like to be identified. "Trouble on Your Mind" gets a noisy reception and you have to admire that Gavin Wallace. He makes me (and everyone else) feel welcome just like you were in his house. Oh, did I mention that he is so handsome! Even better, he does a solo number of a song not on the album called "Here's to the Days" and dedicates it especially to me. If I wasn't spoken for then I think that I would surely have fallen in love with him at that point. My favourite song is "Those Lovesick Blues" and we get treated to an adorable version tonight. I feel so close to the Scuffers tonight that I could just run up and give them all a cuddle. A big part of the Scuffers' appeal is that they are rather down to earth. They play songs that anyone and everyone can relate to and are not afraid of getting sentimental. I felt a tear well up in my beautiful blue eyes (everybody tells me that they are beautiful!) when Gavin croons through "The Last Dance" before showing some of that black humour that I love so much by ending on what he refers to as "… a song about shagging" called "Holler". I am so pleased to have been here tonight and I hope that they sell loads of their new album. To end this review, I will only add a common - in more ways than one - phrase that I heard from the audience. "C'moan the Scuffers!". - www.bluesbunny.com/LiveReviews/Review100689/tabid/227/Default.aspx


Discography

The Life I've Had (LP) 11-10-07
1) The Life I've Had
2) Dear Stanger
3) Bigger & Weaker
4) Rollin' On Home
5) I Hope They're Here To Stay
6) You've Got Troubles
7) Miracle Town
8) Goin' With The Flow
9) 6am
10) Holler
11) Those Lovesick Blues
12) The Last Dance

The Carlton Sessions (EP) 02-28-06
1) You've Got Troubles
2) Goin' With The Flow
3) Miracle Town
4) Dear Stranger
5) 6am
6) Those Lovesick Blues

Links:-
www.thescuffers.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thescuffers
www.bebo.com/thescuffers

Photos

Bio

Glasgow Alt.Country, Honky Tonk band, The Scuffers, release their debut album, "The Life I've Had" on Miracle Town Records on 10th November 2007. The Scuffers take Honky Tonk Country as a base and create music which also draws upon influences from Rock n Roll, Skiffle, Folk and Gospel and mould it into their rural contemporary sound. Songwriter Gavin Wallace's distinctive lyric writing style helps to create songs which, although grounded firmly in Americana, take on a characteristically Scottish feel - Atl.Country washed down with Irn-Bru! For two years now the band has grown in size and stature and has received rave reviews wherever they have played in Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond. Significant gigs have included Glasgow Barrowlands, The Garage and The Arches; the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival in Inverness and a headline slot at Glasgow's West-End festival. The bands current line up includes Gavin Wallace (lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica), Ian Fraser (Bass guitar), John Murphy (Drums), Dochan MacMillan (banjo, mandolin and dobro) and newest recruit Sara Cull (fiddle and harmony vocal). The Scuffers will launch their debut album on the 10th November with a special gig at Furry Murry's, Glasgow. Keep Scuffin'!