Three Blind Wolves

Going through some discs I’ve collected over the last couple of weeks, I recently spent some time with a sampler from a Scottish label calledInstinctive Racoon. I met Ben from the label on the friday night of Canadian Music Week, over scotch and pints at a non-venue with Ryder Havdale and Jon Bartlett. I was slightly bummed because I couldn’t get into Lee’s to see The Acorn, but quickly forgot about that after having good laughs making fun of accents, sharing label stories and talking about Frightened Rabbit.

Three Blind Wolves are one of the bands on Instinctive Racoon. Opening for bands like Glasvegas and touring with fellow GlaswegiansFrightened Rabbit,buzz seems to be building up day-b-day for this group. Fronted by the distinctive voice of Ross Clark, these songs have that right combination that hit home for me. Here’s yours and my introduction (in the song below). - Indie Music Filter

Ross Clark is not your archetypal indie kid. Bespectacled and unassuming, the singer-songwriter from Glasgow certainly isn’t trying to be cool. There’s no moody demeanor or gravelly tones; Ross greets his audience with a warm smile and a soft voice that’s more Kermit the Frog than Joe Strummer (sorry Ross). And contrary to the chaotic lifestyle of most modern musicians, you’ll find this boy working in a call centre nine to five. But never was the old adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ more relevant. At just 21 he’s not only produced an impressive catalogue of inspired tunes but also showcased them at several sold-out venues whilst supporting his good friends (and fans) Frightened Rabbit. His band, Three Blind Wolves, make the live shows an unforgettable experience with beats that make your feet move and harmonies that make your heart sing. We spoke to Ross about life, loves, and what the wolves are hunting in 2010...

Where does the Ross Clark story begin?
I started writing songs when I was 17 because I wanted to play gigs. I played on my own, everywhere and anywhere, hundreds of times. Every day pretty much. It was through playing around town that I met the guys in the band. The name Three Blind Wolves is from a song that I wrote about them.

You’re pretty well-connected on the Glasgow music scene...
I’m quite a friendly person. I love meeting people doing the same thing as me. Music is too beautiful a thing to not want to do it all the time, so it’s good to be around people who’ll do it with you. Frightened Rabbit were the first band I ever met and became friends with. Scott [Hutchison, singer] got in touch with me through Myspace - he used to run a band night and he asked me along. They like my stuff and I love theirs, and it’s great that we support each other.

What can people expect from your shows?
We want people to have as much fun as possible. I hate the assumption that everyone in Scotland is miserable. I mean, yeah, we’re all really good at being miserable, but we can be more than that. People should go to a show and have a good time.

Who are your big musical influences?
My all-time hero is Neil Young. Our style is country rock, stuff you can dance to, so it has roots in sixties country music like Creedence. We listen to a lot of rock, maybe too much rock. We’re all big Zeppelin heads. I hate that “oh I’m into everything”. No one is into everything. I just like a lot of stuff.

Your image is quite striking - is it accidental or accidental-on-purpose?
I wear things that I think are cool. I’ve got glasses because I’m short-sighted. I’ve had the same hair forever. Well, I once had a skinhead but it broke my gran’s heart.

What do you do when you’re not playing music?
I studied chemistry at Glasgow uni but I dropped out because I hated it. I have a job at a call centre right now but music is the only thing I ever want to do. I’m going to keep going until someone kills me. A call centre is the most uninspiring place you could find but it’s just a job. It pays for me to do what I want to do.

The band is currently unsigned - are you looking for a label?
Our main concern is getting our songs right and playing them well. I think there’s too much faffing around worrying about record labels and how people view your music. For us it’s really important to make our own music and try not to be influenced too much by other people. Of course we want to do this for as long as possible and we would love to go to America and other countries to play gigs. But it’s important to get the foundations down first. It’s more important to connect with people than to make money. If we were in it for money we’d have given up a long time ago.

What’s in the pipeline for Three Blind Wolves?
We have a record coming out in March. It’s recorded and is currently being mastered. We haven’t decided on the title - it might be Hungry for Your Love, it might be self-titled, or it might be something really offensive. We’ll be releasing it on the label I started with my manager, unless someone picks it up.

Would you consider applying for an unsigned talent competition?
No. I want to do it on my own. It doesn’t matter what people on a panel think. I could have someone really important sitting on a board tell me, we think your music’s really good and you’re gonna be a big star, and it wouldn’t mean a tenth of what it does when someone comes up after a gig and says ‘I really, really enjoyed that’.

Read more: http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/interviews/three-blind-wolves-our-main-concern-is-getting-our-songs-right#ixzz1WjqajyBI
- DIY

The other day I got myself embroiled in quite a heated discussion when a cohort of mine said he was sick of the Mumfordisation of music. That was a new term to me; it rather rankled as not only do I think Mumford & Son’s have been a breath of fresh air and paid their dues through Communion, they give back to the grass roots of music.

At this point, I have lost count of the amount of great artists that have taken off via the Communion compilation album released last March. You might wonder what this has to do with Three Blind Wolves? After playing a storming set at the Communion Christmas bash, they are the latest signing to the label that is fast becoming as successful as the band themselves. These Glaswegians are exactly why I got into music writing! This mini-album has all the traits you would expect from the Communion sound, but it has a different edge apparent right from the opening track, ‘Hotel’. Frontman Ross Clark delivers a savage twist to romantic lyrics, like a dagger plunging deep into your inner soul. You might think I am being melodramatic here, but trust me it’s pretty deep stuff, and to the best of my memory the only track I have heard that name-checks Arcade Fire.

‘Black Bowl’ gives you a feel of nomadic bands – The Levellers spring to mind – yet by the time you draw breath for ‘Emily Rose’, you are clearly in Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band territory. The beauty of this mini longplayer is the diversity in genre coupled with harmonies that melt on the edge of Clark’s rasping vocals. ‘Hopeless Romantic’ is such a case; Cramps meets Fleet Foxes could be considered an apt description. All seven tracks have blown my sensory system to smithereens, and there is so much going on throughout that my fingers are crossed that this is just the start.

Dropping March 20th, it should be part of your record collection. I often get accused of waxing lyrical, but I don’t have enough time in the day to write about anything that is mediocre! Entitled ‘Sound of The Storm’, it’s a stone cold 9/10 from me. - Battery In Your Leg

‘Looking like the bastard rockabilly son of a Proclaimer and with a singing voice like a shot of raw Glasgow bluegrass, 20-year-old Ross Clark’s exuberant, sweat-drenched live sets have been getting him a reputation. He sings brainy songs about girls and going for a fry-up and his new single ‘Silversword’ is rollickingly brilliant with a natty litle trumpet solo’ (The List) - The List

‘Ross Clark delivered an absolute stormer of a set, ending up in the crowd and receiving a well deserved standing ovation. Great Stuff’ (The Herald) - The Herald

‘Five steps into this eight-story MySpace Trail and a woefully unfit DiS needs to take a breather, so it’s lucky for us we’ve stumbled upon scruffbag singer/songwriter Ross Clark. Now, wistful guitar playing stool-sitters are not normally our bag, but this Glasgow-based troubadour creates wind-blowing acoustic lullabies of such striking beauty it’s impossible not to be captivated by his lonesome, fireside mew and choppy fret-picking. Already picking up a plethora of praise in the dog-eared pages of the local press, Ross’s stirring nomadic psalms rest steadily in the fissure between James Yorkston and Daniel Johnson. A bright future surely beckons for this charm-oozing romantic’ - Drowned In Sound

De Schotse band Three Blind Wolves besluit de avond. De jonge muzikanten uit Glasgow, een stad waar organisator Matthijs van der Ven zijn weg in de muziekscene weet te vinden, beginnen hun optreden verrassend midden in de zaal met een akoestische versie van ‘CC Rider’. Mooie zang van frontman Ross Clark, ondersteunt door de andere drie bandleden die fungeren als achtergrondkoortje.

Wanneer de band zich installeert op het podium, worden gitaren omgehangen, shirts uitgetrokken (lees: de drummer) en gooit het viertal ineens flink de beuk erin – iets wat we niet eerder meemaakten op Onder Invloed. Het blijkt van korte duur, want al snel wordt een melodieus rocknummer ingezet. Toch is de aandacht getrokken.

De band krijgt met zijn opzwepende nummers de zaal aan het dansen. Ook de interactie is goed. De band wordt het woord ‘swaffelen’ bijgebracht, en ze komen zelf met ‘coffee dick’ aanzetten – later wordt duidelijk dat ze een bezoek hebben gebracht aan coffeeshop Koffiedik in de Breedstraat.

Wanneer de Schotten het publiek vriendelijk bedanken voor hun komst en gezamenlijk het podium aflopen, is het Clark die al snel weer opduikt in het midden van de zaal. De overige bandleden volgen. Daar geeft het viertal een onversterkte toegift in de vorm van een eigen nummer, het folky 'I Will Put You In The Ground'. Het publiek – dat gevraagd wordt ter ondersteuning – zingt lekker mee, zoals hierboven op de video is te zien. - 3VOOR12

Een drietal Three Blind Wolves-afgevaardigde beginnen een optreden op de concertvloer en akoestisch, maar rennen vervolgens met een extra bassist naar het verhoogde gedeelte. De instrumenten worden aangesloten en het geweld van het viertal komt hard aan. Het publiek wordt gevraagd om te dansen en dat wordt er zeker gedaan. Na een tweetal uitgeklede acts gezien te hebben, lijkt het een verademing om iets dansbaars voorgeschoteld te krijgen. De mannen komen uit Schotland en excuseren geen Nederlands te kunnen. ‘Misschien dat jullie naar elke nummers ons een Nederlands woord kunnen leren’, roept de zweterig frontman. Een gebekte bezoekers legt vervolgens het woord ‘swaffelen’ uit en de indie-rockers reageren verbaasd. ‘Hebben jullie daar een woord voor?’, de snelcurses wordt snel gestaakt en er volgen meer en meer nummers. - Podiuminfo

Glasgow’s Three Blind Wolves have been building a strong following back home and toured late last year with Frightened Rabbit. The band will be in Dublin later this month and we spoke to Ross Clark about playing in Ireland and why he might turn into Rab C. Nesbitt.

Dear Scotland: Where are you now and what did you do last night?
Ross Clark, Three Blind Wolves: I’m in Edinburgh with my girlfriend. I was working last night and then I went for a drink in Lebowski’s, The music was s***e until I got a white russian and the barman put ‘Is This It?’ on twice!
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Three Blind Wolves - Echo on the Night Train


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DS: Paul McCartney said he got into music to avoid a job - and get lots of girls. What made you get into music?
Three Blind Wolves: I started writing songs and wanted to play them in front of folk, I hate working and women scare me.
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DS: What is your favourite song of yours to play right now?
Three Blind Wolves: ‘Hotel’, our first song in the set, loud loud louder!
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Three Blind Wolves - Hotel (Live on Vic Galloway’s show)
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DS: Your playing in Dublin later this month and supported Frightened Rabbit on tour last year, are there other places you’d like to visit?
Three Blind Wolves: We would love to go the States, and we have plans to maybe go through Europe this year which will be fun. I really want to tour the South of the US, starting in Nashville!!
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DS: Do you feel more Scottish when you are abroad, or do you adapt well to new places? Anything you miss about Scotland?
Three Blind Wolves: I do feel more Scottish when abroad especially in England. I played a solo show at Kings College in London and found myself running around screaming at folk like Rab C. I don’t really talk like that elsewhere. I’m proud to be Scottish I suppose.
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Rab C. Nesbitt - 1986 Rant


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DS: What will be your first words on stage then at Whelans in Dublin on Feb 28?
Three Blind Wolves: Oh Daaaannnnnnnyyyy Bbbooooooooyyyyy!!
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DS: Are there any Scottish musicians, past or present, that have influenced you?
Three Blind Wolves: There are loads, I’ve been listening to the Incredible String Band recently, ‘Half Remarkable Question is a beautiful song. Belle and Sebastian are one of my favourite bands and I really love The Jesus and Mary Chain, their song ‘Cracking Up’ is beautiful.
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The Jesus and Mary Chain - Cracking Up


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DS: How do people react when they discover that Three Blind Wolves are Scottish?
Three Blind Wolves: No idea.
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DS: What should the Scottish national anthem be?
Three Blind Wolves: ‘Scots Wa Hae’ by Robert Burns.
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Scots Wa Hae - The Corries


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DS: What is the best after-show experience you’ve had?
Three Blind Wolves: For legal reasons I can’t say, but no animals were harmed in the process.
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DS: And finally, many many years from now, when you finish your farewell world tour, is there one place to where you would like to retire?
Three Blind Wolves: I’m never gonna do a farewell tour, you are going to be stuck with me and all the s***e I release for all of eternity - Dear Scotland

In ihren guten Momenten klingen Three Blind Wolves wie eine räudige Ausgabe der Fleet Foxes. Oder wie die schottische Antwort auf die Decemberists. Das verwundert ein wenig, wenn man weiß, dass Frontmann Ross Clark (Bildmitte) jahrelang eine feste Größe in der Rock- und Metal-Szene Glasgows war. Dort spielte er zwar nicht in einer Metalband, aber er war ein gern gesehener Opening Act. "Ich habe das gemacht, seit ich 17 war. Ich war der Akustik-Act für all diese durchgeknallten Metal Bands aus der Gegend." Dort lernte Clark auch seine späteren Bandkollegen kennen - den Gitarrist zum Beispiel, weil der Ross' erster Fan auf Myspace war. "Ich war anfangs der Außenseiter vom falschen Ende der Stadt, aber sie haben mich schnell willkommen geheißen. Ich war gerührt. Nachdem wir ein paar Wochen zusammen zerfeiert hatten, fragte ich sie dann, ob wir eine Band gründen wollten. Wie das klingen soll, stand nie zur Debatte. Es hat sich einfach ergeben."

Ein gutes Beispiel für den Sound der Band und ein kleiner Hit ist der Song "Emily Rose", der den Autor dieser Zeilen zum vielleicht hoch gegriffenen Fleet Foxes-Vergleich brachte und dazu führte, dass wir mit Ross Clark über die Three Blind Wolves sprachen. Wir erwischten die Band im Studio, wo sie gerade am Debüt arbeitet.

Ihr werdet sicher noch nicht von der Musik leben können - was machst du, wenn du nicht tourst oder im Studio bist?

Ross Clark: Ich arbeite im Callcenter der Baumarktkette B & Q. Ein recht banaler Job, aber mein Chef ist sehr kulant, wenn es um's Touren geht. Das schätze ich sehr.

Hat man euch schon mal gesagt, dass ihr in guten Momenten (bei "Emily Rose" zum Beispiel) wie eine räudige Version der Fleet Foxes klingt?

Ha ha. Nein, bisher nicht. Ich weiß gar nicht, was ich dazu sagen soll. Ich glaube, unser Sound ist rockiger, aber wir sind natürlich von ihren unglaublichen Gesangsharmonien beeinflusst. Aber räudiger? Ich weiß nicht - ich glaube, die Jungs sind gar nicht so brav wie sie aussehen. Sie werden definitiv keine Probleme haben, Frauen klarzumachen.

Füchse gegen (blinde) Wölfe - würde euch das Duell gefallen?

Klar. Wir sollten diesen Kampf forcieren! Die sollen bloß kommen! Pah. Aber im Ernst: So was ist immer eine komplizierte Angelegenheit. Die Fleet Foxes sind beeindruckend und inzwischen wahnsinnig inspirierend für andere Bands - es wäre ein Traum, mit ihnen mal ein Konzert zu spielen. Aber wir sollten uns dann nicht bekämpfen, sondern zu einem Rudel verrückter Hunde mutieren (lacht). Es ist natürlich gut, mit großen Namen wie den Fleet Foxes verglichen zu werden, aber man sollte sich schon auf die eigene Identität verlassen. Wir sind Three Blind Wolves - und nicht die nächsten .... (bitte hier jeweiligen Bandnamen einsetzen).

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Three Blind Wolves - Echo On The Night Train by thebluewalrus

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Du nanntest sie ja bereits eine Inspirationsquelle. Welche gibt es noch?

Neil Young ist ein großer Held für mich. 90er-Jahre Indie: Pavement, Sonic Youth, Mercury Rev, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr. Und Crosby, Stills And Nash und The Band.

Was würdet ihr nie für eine Karriere tun?

Werbung für die Regierung. X Factor. Glee. American Idol (fick dich, Iggy Pop!) oder irgendwas mit Tieren.

Wann sehen wir euch mal in Deutschland?

Wann immer ihr wollt! In Sachen Booking haben wir null Kontakte nach Deutschland. Also, wenn das jemand aus der Branche lesen sollte: Bucht uns! (lacht)

Wie sieht's mit einem Debüt aus?

Wir sind wie gesagt gerade im Studio, um genau das fertig zu bekommen. Ich hoffe, wir bringen es dann Ende des Jahres auf den Markt. Und dann setzen wir mal über für ein paar Shows ...

Letzte Frage: Welchen Künstler sollten wir deiner Meinung nach im Auge behalten?

Meine guter Freund Sam Airy aus Leeds - ein wunderbarer Songwriter. - Rolling Stone

Video of Three Blind Wolves playing the BBC Introducing stage at T In The Park 2011: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhrfVhn4A7c - BBC

Uploading videos didn't work, so this is a couple of links to videos online.

Anthologies Leeds: 'Tall Man Riding': http://vimeo.com/22244434
Haarlem Music Sessions: 'Farmer With A Pulse': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gSHqdnB4HA
Live encore at EKKO, Utrecht: 'I Will Put You In The Ground': http://vimeo.com/19035758
'Three Blind Wolves' live at Radio Amsterdam FM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xpGPYqCbrQ
- Various

Uploading videos didn't work, so this is a couple of links to videos online.

Anthologies Leeds: 'Tall Man Riding': http://vimeo.com/22244434
Haarlem Music Sessions: 'Farmer With A Pulse': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gSHqdnB4HA
Live encore at EKKO, Utrecht: 'I Will Put You In The Ground': http://vimeo.com/19035758
'Three Blind Wolves' live at Radio Amsterdam FM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xpGPYqCbrQ
- Various

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve been to the Glee Club and whilst it feels a bit weird to be sitting down for a gig, it’s quite nice that it’s warm and comfortable and that I can actually see what’s going on onstage (being somewhat stunted tends to have the odd drawback). Anyway it appears that tonight is going to be bloody marvellous, if support act Ross Clark and The Scarfs Go Missing are anything to go by.
Hailing from Glasgow, RC&TSGM are quite, quite ace. Their sound shifts and varies, quite hard to pin down, but is a winning combination of vocal harmonies that, at their finest, are genius. Mr Clark himself is a personable and charming frontman with a gently cracked voice that lends itself well to the more rousing numbers, as well as giving me shivers during the slower tracks. By turn crookedly witty and pointedly melancholy, this is a band whose charm and honesty are clear and shines through their songs. It’s also nice to see a band who have some real presence onstage; perhaps being so very close in the Glee emphasises everything, but it was great to see some genuine interaction between the crowd and the band. I know they’re from Glasgow but if we’re lucky perhaps they’ll come back. If they do I shall be at the front of the queue. Their Silversword single is available on iTunes but from the looks of things if you go via their MySpace you can also pick up their EP, as well as Ross Clark’s solo music. At the very least go and listen to their music player; it’s well worth a listen (or two, or three). - BrumLive.com

Whether Ross Clark has even crossed the Atlantic in his short life so far is unknown, but on You Brought Evil, he sounds as though his formative years were spent feasting on fried green tomatoes and Hank Williams records. Almost bizarrely, this results in an accomplished and enjoyable Americana record, albeit one emanating from somewhere in the southside of Glasgow. Clark's marriage of country, blues and even gospel styles is nigh on expert and seamless: this is atmospheric, graphic and impassioned stuff. His often desperate, reverb drenched vocals dominate every track, from the opening lament to dreamless nights (Three Blind Wolves) to the concluding ode to a companion (Chewin' On Bones). Clark's solo debut recalls genre-defining artists like Bright Eyes and more recently Bon Iver, but kudos must be offered for his successful endeavours to create his own individual sound, particularly when many more celebrated artists are content to use such yardsticks as templates. [Finbarr Bermingham] - The Skinny Magazine- Edinburgh