Talking To...Paul McKenna
#NK You sign off "Stem The Tide" with a tribute to Lionel McClelland. How much of an influence was he on the band, how it all came together?
#PM Perhaps more for me personally than the whole of the band. I knew Lionel for a good few years before the band were going. He was there when I was showcasing my stuff in the early days. He was there with a word of advice, words to keep you on your feet and anyone that knew Lionel will know what I'm talking about. He always had good advice, he never minced his words and would tell you what was what.
He was a big influence on me and the rest of the guys as they got to know him. With being in Moniaive so often, he was always there and we got to talk quite often. It's also why we recorded "Silent Majority" as that became important to us.
#NK It really does stop you. It's a tune that makes you think that the band are feeling every note as they play it.
#PM It was recorded not long after he'd passed away and we were all still feeling it. He was the only other person that recorded it. We really wanted to make it our own, but really keep it true to him and I think we've managed to do that.
#NK From an English perspective looking up towards Scotland, there really does seem to be a massive buzz musically. Yourselves, Braebach, Bodega, there's a massive seam of fine young musicians, that are bringing their own take on the Celtic sound. Is that something you feel from being on the inside of it?
#PM All of the people in those bands know each other fairly well. We're all of a similar age and people in some of the bands share side projects.
There's a lot happening in Scotland at the moment, there's lots of music in and around Glasgow and Edinburgh as well. There's a lot of things happening and there's a big , wide folk scene up here at the minute. It's for young and old. I suppose we may not realise it as much from the inside, but we are hearing about it from people such as yourselves, so there must be something.
#NK There's definitely a rising awareness South of the border, mainly around the albums, but also starting to become noticeable at the gigs. I caught a gig with Rua and Ewan (Rboertson) a couple of weeks back. It was a relatively small venue, but what got me was the ages of the audience. Three or four years ago, they would have been playing to a far older average age.
#PM We've got that here. Certain places, certain events you really notice the younger audience, but the old crowd are definitely still there. Many of the folk clubs have still got the older audience and don't seem to have as many young people, which is a shame as there's good music happening every week. There is definitely a real mixture.
#NK Back on the album, you've got Brian McNeill producing it, how easy a choice was that?
#PM Yes, almost as soon as we'd finished the first album, we met Brian at Celtic Connections and started working with him. He was keen to work with us and keep pushing us on. Once you've worked with Brian in any capacity, you know he's such a giving man.
#NK He's a very generous man to the music scene. He puts back a lot. He's brought lots of young musicians down to Cambridge over the years.
#PM I was lucky enough to get down there with him last year and he's also featured Rua from the band a while back. He's been great. He's very encouraging and helpful, he makes sure you keep your feet on the ground. Aye he's a great guy.
#NK As a band you've got musicians that feature in a number of side projects and solo activities, does that ever create issues for the band?
#PM It can be difficult to keep things organised, there's five of us and it can be difficult to get us all free at the same time, more so for practicing and rehearsing than for actual touring. Everybody has agreed that this is the main thing, it's what we started with. We've not had any problems yet, but Rua's getting busier, Sean's got his own project, David's got his project, Ewan gets busy, but we do our best to make sure it all happens.
#NK You also had a track on the recent Scottish Royal Academy Of Music album.
#PM I'm on there somewhere, I haven't actually heard that yet. Hopefully they'll get around to sending me a copy.
#NK It's another album that illustrates the strength in depth of Scottish music.
#PM The music course has really helped a number of musicians. It's a great course and it's produced a number of great musicians. It's not just the music it helps with the business. It also gives you great experience, helps you understand the studio and what goes into making a cd.
#NK So to sum up you've got yourselves a great album and you're pretty much going to be working your fingers to the bone touring it for the rest of the year?
#PM Pretty much on the road for the rest of the year.
#NK Hope you get to enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed listening to the album.
#PM Cheers
photo credit:
Neil King