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[ Arch Hill Records / CD ]
Release Date: Tuesday, 16 May, 2006
Don McGlashan is recognised as one of New Zealand's foremost songwriters, artists and performers. His career spans from the seminal post-pop-punk band Blam Blam Blam, to art experimentalists The Front Lawn, to platinum selling and internationally recognised popular band The Mutton Birds. However, he has never [until now] released a solo album...
‘Warm Hand’ was mostly tracked in the isolated environment of “The Barn” at Te Papatipu -- on the West Coast at Bethells Beach, Auckland -- promoting an imagined world akin to the hazy shack photograph inside the Neil Young album ‘Harvest’.
The isolated environment clearly had an impact on the recording, as the tunes stretch out into lush, melancholy epics, with tasteful, rich instrumental touches providing the ideal bed for Don’s emotive voice & engaging lyrical flourishes to be laid bare.
The songs are gorgeously rendered by some of our finest and most talented musicians, artists, engineers and production brains.
Talented perfectionist Ed McWilliams [Anika Moa, Ed Cake] did most of the album tracking, using some idiosyncratic & unconventional ways to capture the barn’s natural atmosphere; as has been his way since his early days with Bressa Creeting Cake. Engineer Tom Miskin provided the perfect organizational & technical balance to Ed’s innovative style.
The band, for most of the recordings, consisted of Ross Burge on drums [the Mutton Birds], Sean James Donnelly on bass [SJD], John Segovia on slide/pedal steel [Boxcar Guitars] and Tatiana Lanchtchikova on accordion. Willy Scott [Anika Moa, Dimmer] also played drums on one song & Chris O’Connor [Trinity Roots, Cloudboy] another two; Graeme Humphreys [Humphreys Keen, Able Tasmans] added some beautiful piano, while Victoria Kelly wrote the string arrangements.
The actual production of the album was a joint effort between Don, SJD and Ed. While Ed mostly produced the tracking sessions, SJD contributed his many talents to the textures & detail of the album. SJD, who understands the difficulties of working as a solo artist, was instrumental in encouraging Don to continue his recording career & undertake recording ‘Warm Hand’. Final mixing of the album was done by Luke Tomes at Echo Studios.
The original concept for ‘Warm Hand’ was amore minimalist stripped back project, but the album’s several years of gestation has meant it has grown into something fuller, richer, more ambitious -- something quite unique & definitely very good. Along with this development, Don has established an excellent live band; they’ve already sold out their show at the Wellington Arts Festival and played to several thousand at the Auckland Zoo. The band features SJD, Segovia & O’Connor alongside Don.
Don is no new kid on the block, tangling with fame some 26 years ago! From ‘80 to ‘82 Don was the drummer and singer with Auckland band Blam Blam Blam, which had a string of top 20 singles and an album ‘Luxury Length’, which went to #4 nationally. His song “Don't Fight it, Marsha, It's Bigger Than Both Of Us” won ‘Song of the Year’ in the ‘82 NZ Recording Industry Awards.
After a year in New York, Don returned to NZ and founded The Front Lawn with Harry Sinclair. An acoustic group that combined theatre and songs, they toured all over Australasia, Europe & America from ’85-‘90, picking up many awards and rave reviews. Their ‘87 record ‘Songs From The Front Lawn’ won three NZ Music Awards, still sells steadily and is now close to platinum figures.
From ‘91 to ‘02 he was singer and main songwriter in the Mutton Birds, releasing 4 NZ Top Ten albums [2 platinum] & 2 Top Five singles, including one #1 single “The Heater”. His song “Anchor Me” won the APRA Silver Scroll in ‘94. In ‘95 the Mutton Birds signed to Virgin Records UK, & lived in London until ‘99, touring all over the world. The Mutton Birds played Glastonbury, T in the Park, Womad & a large number of other European festivals. They also received excellent reviews & comments from Q Magazine, Mojo & others; back in NZ, the Sunday Times named the album ‘Envy of Angels’ one of the ten best releases of ‘97.
Since returning to NZ in ‘99, Don has been writing music for film & TV, including Toa Fraser’s feature film ‘No. 2’, which recently won the audience award in its category at the Sundance Film Festival. Two of Don’s songs have gone into the Top Five; a re-recording of “Anchor Me” as part of the Rainbow Warrior tribute, and “Bathe in the River”, sung by Hollie Smith, for ‘No.2’.
Tracks:
1. This Is London
2. Toy Factory Fire
3. Blame
4. Harbour Bridge
5. Courier
6. Passenger 26
7. I Will Not Let You Down
8. Interlude
9. Miracle Sun
10. Queen Of The Night
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