Following on from my post last weekend, the November issue of Scottish Field magazine is now out and I have a 9 page photo feature in it. The pictures look really quite good (I’m biased of course!). I was concerned that there would have been colour shifts or a darkening of the images, but this has not happened.
I’m really pleased with the article, despite the one funny, but highly inaccurate, piece of information in the text. The article introduces me and goes on to say that I was the singer with 1970’s rock band Café Jacques, flattering though that may seem, that would make me around 20 years older than I actually am! When I was speaking with Scottish Field, I had explained that photography took a back seat in my life during my 20s, while I was playing keyboards in my band – I neglected to say that my band was called Kabuki. A quick search on google for “Chris Thomson Edinburgh Band” brings up Café Jacques featuring “the other” Chris Thomson. I think that perhaps this is where the confusion came in.
I’m not sure what the other Chris Thomson would say if he saw this, hopefully he would see the funny side of it. I’ve emailed Scottish Field to let them know about their wee mistake, perhaps I’ll get another 9-page spread as a correction in the next issue.
Keeping things on a music related theme, I had the pleasure of going to see a band that I’ve been wanting to see for a little while now – Adam Holmes and the Embers. We went to see them play at a beautiful and very intimate little venue in Elgin called the Drouthy Cobbler. Adam comes from Edinburgh and writes some of the most haunting lyrics I’ve heard. Combined with his voice, this makes him sound a lot older than he really is – by this I mean he sounds like someone with lots of life experience. I really enjoyed the gig. Adam and the guys put on a great performance and the crowd were probably the best behaved I’ve ever seen – something which even Adam commented on during the set.
Adam’s band The Embers are an excellent group of musicians, two of which I have crossed paths with on the Edinburgh music scene. Alex Hunter plays bass and was also the bass player in the last few years of my band Kabuki. The guitarist Paul Gilbody played a set at a fund raiser gig we put on in aid of the victims of the Boxing Day Tsunami (2004) and I’d seen him with his other band Gecko 3 a couple of times too.
Before Adam Holmes and The Embers came on, Paul did a 30 minute warm up set featuring his own songs, which were excellent and you could hear some of the grooves of Gecko 3 come through in some of his songs. Paul is a gifted guitarist with a wonderful voice. I highly recommend you go and see him when he starts doing more solo gigs. If you want to see him sooner, then you can catch him touring with Alex Cornish during November and December.
In a week’s time, I will be heading across to the west coast for a week with my wife and her family. I’m hoping to make some new photos which may include mountains as the main subject for a change! I will be near the Summer Isles and Assynt, and now that it’s getting late in the year, there is a good chance I might manage some sunrise photos.
Until next time take care!