Freshman Featured Interview
The place where we feature Singer-Songwriters, Bands & Instrumentalists who record and/or perform with our instruments.
Raveloe
Raveloe is a new venture from Glasgow Singer-Songwriter Kim Grant, who has recently released her self produced EP "notes & dreams", released through Olive Grove Records. Kim, former member of the band "Tongue Trap", is also an artist and designed the cover art for her EP, which is infectiously atmospheric, artistic & poetic.
Modern music these days can be somewhat formulaic, with artists sometimes being pigeonholed into a specific genre. Kim's music however, oozes authenticity, you can feel the art within it. Another artist who springs to mind, is Rachel Sermanni, who uses music, poetry and her art to convey what she is, her views of the world, egolessly......Kim's music has the same artistic & poetic quality. We expect Kim to do rather well in her music career. Definitely one to look out for on Jools Holland, we hope that happens for her.
Notes & Dreams was recorded at home but with assistance of her former band mates remotley, who are in Scotland, England & Australia.
Raveloe is taken from Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe, a third novel by Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot), first published in 1861, a tale about a reclusive weaver in a town called Raveloe, whom Kim connected with in the novel.
We chatted to Kim, to find out more about her musical background, her new EP and her future plans.....
Q: How / when did you first become interested and Involved in music and did you take any lessons ?
"I became interested in music initially through singing and that developed into writing lyrics and coming up with melodies. I had some lessons but I am mostly self taught."
Q) What artists/bands inspired you then and which ones inspire now ?
"I am inspired by Adrienne Lenker as well as her band Big Thief, PJ Harvey, The Microphones, Liz Phair, Elliott Smith, Aldous Harding, The Breeders. There are more, but that's some of my favourites."
Q: Did you write songs from the beginning of your music journey or did that come after learning to play an instrument ?
"Writing songs is something I've been drawn to do since I was very young, similar to how I would sketch or write stories, I would come up with lyrics and melodies before I knew how to play any instruments. I think what really ignited my love for guitar was taking a more intuitive approach and realising the scope for creation was so vast."
Q: What instruments do you play ?
"I play guitar and bass and have recently started some piano lessons."
Q: You're solo now, but spent a few years in the band Tongue Trap, who formed during your time at Girls Rock in Edinburgh. Did you gig/record as a band ?
"We gigged a lot over the 4/5 years as a band and went on a couple of small tours, which I really enjoyed doing. It was great to be able to play with my friends and play with other bands that I really liked. We recorded 3 EP's in our time together, Pity Party was our last EP and was recorded at Green Door Studios."
Q: What happened to the band, did you prefer to travel down a solo path or are you still working with each other to some degree ?
"I decided I wanted to explore a different sound and approach and start something afresh. Jacob, Erin and Izzy all played in Tongue Trap at various points and contributed to my debut EP as Raveloe, so we are still working together sometimes."
Q: You've now the proud owner of a Freshman FALTDDUSKO electro acoustic - what was it about the guitar that made you choose that one. What did you use prior to the Dusk and how did you hear about Freshman Guitars ?
"I chose the DUSKO because beyond how good it sounded (from the demo videos) I thought it looked beautiful, I like how the colour changes from a warm dusky red to almost black in some lights and that there were only 100 made. I also thought it was cool to support a local business, and was recommended to Freshman Guitars by fellow musician Jason Riddell. Before this guitar I played a Westfield acoustic but this is my first electro-acoustic."
The Freshman FALTDDUSKO - Solid Top OM body Acoustic with Pro EQ, Only 100 made
"I chose the DUSKO because beyond how good it sounded (from the demo videos) I thought it looked beautiful..."
Q: You now record at home - what is your chosen DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and what setbacks did you have when you first started self producing/using a DAW to record - What DAW do you use ?
"I started off using Reaper but I now use Logic Pro, which is fairly easy to transition too from Reaper but there's always more to learn. I had some setbacks in the beginning when getting to grips with the software, such as learning the hard way what happens when you dont save as you go and your laptop crashes after hours of work. Sometimes my ears would get tired and the best thing for it was to stop and pick the song up again the next day. It was also tricky to seperate myself from the songs sometimes and also to know when to stop tweaking, friends helped a lot in those moments, when I'd bounce it off them. I also didn't have an interface so I recorded everything onto an 8 track then transferred it using a card reader onto my laptop. The interface had a faulty screen so that was tricky but I was grateful to have it and to be able to record at all."
Q: Did you record the new EP at home, by yourself or did others contribute ?
"Steady was recorded at Carlton Studios by Jason Riddell not long before lockdown began. The others were recorded at home, I recorded the majority of parts but Jacob Tomlinson did all of the drums, Erin Watt played piano on Post it , Izzy Rose played bass on Steady and Post it and Jen Athan played Strings on Old Tree. They all recorded their parts in their homes in Derby, Dumfries and Galloway, Melbourne and Glasgow then sent them over to be mixed. I was really grateful for my friends' contributions, it was also a great way to connect during difficult times. The EP was then mastered by Marc Jasper."
Q: What was the impetus for the songs/songwriting and what's your processes, given you self record/produce ?
The songs came from various places of reflection and exploration. Some were born from a need to ground myself and some were a way to process what I was feeling at the time during the lockdown and others are about memories and observations. When writing, some songs come together quite synchronously, as in the melody, lyrics and chords quickly fall together. Other times it's a longer process, I write poetry and lyrics regularly in my notebook and make voice memos of bits of melody that come to me or a chord progression. Sometimes I knit those elements all together, and sometimes it feels as though the song knits itself. The production stage is where I develop the song, adding various layers to get the desired feel across, I enjoy experimenting with adding field recordings, synth textures or different melodies, to create more atmosphere.
Q: What's planned for the next 6-12 months ie (Album being planned etc) ?
"I recorded a single at the end of last year called New House which I am really looking forward to releasing in the near future with Olive Grove Records. I also have some gigs coming up for The Glad Cafe, The Next Stage and 432 Presents. Lastly I am also planning to get into the studio to record a second EP this summer."
Freshman Guitars wish Kim every success for the future
https://raveloemusic.bandcamp.com/album/notes-and-dreams
Raveloe (Kim Grant's EP "notes & dreams"
Kim with her new Freshman FALTDDUSKO electro-acoustic - CLICK HERE for more info
"Really been enjoying my new guitar, feels like it really fits....."
"I chose the DUSKO because beyond how good it sounded (from the demo videos) I thought it looked beautiful..."