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Roddy Hart

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Roddy Hart
Background information
Birth nameRoddy Hart
OriginGlasgow, Scotland
GenresAlternative Rock, pop, acoustic
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, radio presenter
Years active2007–present
LabelsVertical Records, Compass Records, Middle of Nowhere Recordings

Roddy Hart is a Scottish singer–songwriter from Glasgow. He has released three solo records – Bookmarks, Sign Language and Road of Bones – and one EP The Dylan EP (with Irish artist Gemma Hayes). Hart now releases albums with his band The Lonesome Fire, the first of which was Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire produced by Patti Smith and Morrissey producer Danton Supple. Released in late 2013[1] the album was nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award in April 2014.[2] Their second album, co-produced by [Paul Savage] ([Mogwai], [Emma Pollock], [Admiral Fallow]) is due for release in 2016. The band made their American network TV debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on 17 February 2014 and proved so popular they were invited back the following week to perform a week long residency on the show.[3] Hart has toured and played with numerous artists including Wilco, Beth Orton, Ron Sexsmith, Dawes, The Low Anthem, LAU, Ray LaMontagne, Kris Kristofferson, Jeff Beck, Ray Davies, Jack Bruce, and others. He curates the Roaming Roots Revue for Celtic Connections each year, and presents a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Scotland. He was also Associate Musical Director on the Scottish film Sunshine on Leith.

Origins

Hart grew up in Glasgow, Scotland. After graduating from Glasgow University with a first-class law degree, he put together his demo album Home Tapes in 4 days on an 8-track recording machine. Released as a limited edition pressing through small Glasgow indie label Adorno Records, the demos subsequently sold out, and led to an inivitation to open for Kris Kristofferson.[4] Hart then began recording his debut studio album Bookmarks, with members of Scottish band the Trashcan Sinatras with whom he had been touring at the time.

Solo music career

Hart's first studio album Bookmarks was released in 2007 on indie label Vertical Records and US label Compass Records, and featured guest performances from Kris Kristofferson and Eddi Reader on the tracks "My Greatest Success" and "Home". In 2009, Hart released his second studio album Sign Language on Vertical Records, which was followed by his participation in Homecoming Scotland by writing new melodies for poems by Scotland's national poet Robert Burns. This in turn led to an invitation to perform the Burns poem "Nature's Law" for the Queen at the Scottish Parliament on 4 July 2009, to mark its 10-year anniversary.

In early 2010, Hart produced Hello! I'm Tommy Reilly – the second album by the winner of T4's Orange unsignedAct, Tommy Reilly - and then released his third studio album Road of Bones on limited edition vinyl, which featured 10 new tracks, including the single "Boxes". The album was then released on all formats in July 2011 by Vertical Records. Later that year he releasedThe Dylan EP with Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes, featuring four new recordings of Bob Dylan songs.

The Lonesome Fire

Hart then formed The Lonesome Fire with other members of the Scottish music scene, and worked with Patti Smith and Morrissey producer Danton Supple. Their eponymous album Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire was released in late 2013.[1] It was described by Uncut Magazine as "Widescreen…poetic…and [with] verve, evoking the epic rock of Springsteen". In April 2014 it was announced that the album Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire was on the longlist for the Scottish Album of the Year Award.[2] The band were one of the very first Scottish acts to play the newly built 13,000 arena The Hydro. They also made a cameo appearance in the Scottish film Sunshine on Leith due to Hart's involvement on the film as Associate Musical Director alongside Emmy Award winning composer Paul Englishby.

After US TV Host Craig Ferguson retweeted the video for their single Bright Light Fever the band were invited to make their American TV debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.[5] They performed the song on 17 February 2014 on the show, which featured Gary Oldman. The performance proved to be so popular that Ferguson asked the band to return the following week to take up a rare week-long residency. From the 24–28 February the band performed a song each night from the album – Queenstown, Cold City Avalanche, High Hopes, Forget Me Not and Bad Blood – on shows that featured guests including Zooey Deschanel, Ashton Kutcher, Vera Farmiga and Alice Eve.[3]

The band then made an appearance at 2015's SXSW festival in Austin, Texas whilst writing for their new album. They entered the studio with co-producer Paul Savage in late 2015, and have announced plans for its release in 2016.

Celtic Connections

As part of Glasgow's Celtic Connections in January 2011, Hart curated Forever Young: A 70th Birthday Tribute To Bob Dylan.[6] The concert featured Rosanne Cash, Josh Rouse, Thea Gilmore, Gemma Hayes, James Grant, Tim O'Brien, Kris Drever, Rab Noakes, Laura Cantrell, Eddi Reader and Tommy Reilly, with The Lonesome Fire performing and acting as house band for the evening. Highlights of the concert were broadcast on BBC Radio 2,[7] and the gig was filmed by Sky Arts and broadcast in April 2011.[8]

Following the success of Forever Young: A 70th Birthday Tribute To Bob Dylan, Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire acted as the house band for Celtic Connections' tribute to the late Gerry Rafferty in January 2012. The concert featured acts such as Jack Bruce, Paul Brady, Ron Sexsmith, The Proclaimers and more. Hart performed a solo version of Rafferty's "Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway".[9] The concert was broadcast by BBC Radio 2, and edited highlights were shown on BBC 2 Scotland and BBC 4.

Hart now curates the Roaming Roots Revue each year at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall for Celtic Connections, which focuses on new and unusual collaborations between a transatlantic-spanning array of young musicians performing their own material and that of something from a themed songbook. The shows have featured artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Frazey Ford, Matthew E. White, Justin Currie, The Pierces, Howe Gelb, Beth Orton, The Low Anthem, LAU, Gemma Hayes, Dawes, Lindi Ortega, Rachel Sermanni, Roddy Woomble, Grant Lee Phillips, Dawn Landes and many more.[10][11]

Radio presenting

Hart currently presents a weekly show for BBC Radio Scotland on Monday nights.[12]

Lonesome Fire Band members

  • Roddy Hart – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano
  • Scott Clark – bass
  • Scott Mackay – drums
  • John Martin – electric guitar, vocals
  • Geoff Martyn – piano, hammond organ, wurlitzer, vocals
  • Andy Lucas - piano, keys, vocals
  • Gordon Turner – electric guitar, vocals

Discography

Singles

  • "Send A Message" (2009, Vertical Records)
  • "Take Me Home" (2010, Vertical Records)
  • "Boxes" (2011, Vertical Records)
  • "Bright Light Fever" (2013, Middle of Nowhere Records)
  • "Cold City Avalanche" (2013, Middle of Nowhere Records)
  • "High Hopes" (2014, Middle of Nowhere Records)

Albums

  • Bookmarks (2007, Vertical Records/Compass Records)
  • Sign Language (2009, Vertical Records)
  • Road of Bones (Vinyl – 2010, Odd Art; other formats – 2011, Vertical Records)
  • The Dylan EP (2011, Vertical Records)
  • Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire (2013, Middle of Nowhere Recordings)

See also

Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire

References

  1. ^ a b English, Paul (27 January 2013). "Singer Roddy Hart on his famous pals and his unlikely cameo in Proclaimers film". Daily Record. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  2. ^ a b Nicola Meighan (24 April 2014). "Revealed: The 20 records on the longlist for Scottish album of 2014 Of The Year". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Craig Ferguson's 'Late Late Show' Books Scottish Band for One-Week Residency". Hollywood Reporter. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  4. ^ Richardson, Jay (24 March 2008). "the best of friends". thescotsman.com.
  5. ^ English, Paul (12 February 2014). "Scots comic Craig Ferguson set to help Roddy Hart and his band The Lonesome Fire break America". Daily Record. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Gig review: Forever Young: A 70th Birthday Tribute to Bob Dylan". The Scotsman. 25 January 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Celtic Connections Festival 2011 – Forever Young: A 70th Birthday Tribute to Bob Dylan". BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Sky Arts HD". Video.sky.com. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  9. ^ Gerry Rafferty (1 February 2012). "BBC Two – Celtic Connections, Gerry Rafferty Remembered, Roddy Hart – Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Vicente Amigo and others, Celtic Connections, Glasgow – Reviews – Music". The Independent. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  11. ^ e (20 January 2014). "Celtic Connections review: Roaming Roots Revue, Glasgow". The Scotsman. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  12. ^ "BBC Radio Scotland – Roddy Hart". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 18 July 2014.

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