1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and Bloo Coo Records?
Yes! Firstly, I'm a musician. Music and the art of recording has been a big part of my life since my early teenage years. During my formative years I consumed a steady diet of punk bands and their “Do It Yourself” ethos really sunk into me. Fast forward a couple of years, I was 19 and my band Lost In Limbo had just self-produced an album of songs. Instead of trying to find another person or record label to take the album on I took the initiative to start my own record label. In 2010 Bloo Coo Records was created and the first release was out in February that year, still available on CD by the way!
The idea to start a record label was part of a bigger plan that I had. At that time I was already self-producing a solo album, “Shaun Evans 'Til I Die”, and the label seemed like a worthwhile investment so that I can take control of the release of my own music whilst building a platform that can help promote some of my favourite local bands. Almost ten years later and I'm on the 22nd release, the second album from The Ladybird Killers, another self-produced album by yours truly.
2. What sort of artists do you work with at Bloo Coo Records?
I feel I have to explain that I have a very eclectic taste in music. I often say that if it has a beat and a melody, and even when it doesn't, I'll probably like it. I just love music, and I am endlessly impressed by the music that is created by the musicians that surround me.
I've been lucky enough to get involved with a diverse group of artists, which vary from heavy metal to hip-hop/electro. For the most part I'm releasing music that my friends have made or I'm associated with in some way. So a lot of the artists are intertwined in various ways but the small group is constantly growing. Some artists approach me with a finished product, where as some artists want me to record them from scratch. Sometimes I just help artists set up their own label/platform because they want to keep control of their music as well, and I respect that!
What I aim to do is preserve the recordings of local bands so that these will always be available for years to come. As all the music I have released so far is from local musicians from the Fife area I am interested in hearing other unique sounds from this area, if I hear a band I really like I want to make sure that their music is recorded and being listened to!
I have been approached by artists from places like Greece and California and although I'm not closed to the idea of helping them promote their music, I like to be realistic on my abilities to reach far flung audiences, seeing as it's just me doing all the work on most of the releases!
3. Do you have any favourite stand out moments when working at the studio? I assume lots of madness?
Yes, lots of madness and fun is had when spending long hours at the studio trying to capture THAT sound. One of the stand out moments for me was a few years ago when I got my band The Ladybird Killers set up to record our live performance.
We spent the whole weekend jamming out new ideas and making up songs on the spot, which was great to listen back to rather than having a million forgotten ideas. From these live recordings we pretty much wrote the backbone of the second album which we started working on soon after. All three of us were buzzing after that session because it was so much fun and the recordings turned out really well.
It inspired me to then start recording bands performing live in the studio along with my friends from BTN Media capturing the video.
4. You have a new album out, can you tell me a little more about that project?
I realise I have already mentioned it a couple of times but I can certainly elaborate! The eponymous second album by the Ladybird Killers is a bit of a journey for the listener. It was also a bit of a journey for myself and the rest of the band as we have been working on the album sporadically over the last 3 years!
It was released yesterday May 24th, you can order the download and have a listen to it at https://music.bloocoorecords.com/album/ladybird-killers. Its 10 songs long including the previously released limited 7” single “Time”.
I like to describe the music as Heavy Psychedelic Rock, although I'm not sure if that is completely accurate. For the most part it is just Guitar (me), Bass (Martyn Sroka) and Drums (Jake Bain) making a whole load of noise whilst singing but on “Soak Your Soul” Sandy Power plays Cello and Jimmy Cook added a guitar riff. Jake and I also did a little bit of keyboard on “Call Us” and “We're All High” respectively.
When writing the songs I was heavily inspired by artists like Sonic Youth, Band of Skulls and Kyuss. So, the album has quite a dark and otherworldly feel to it, especially in the first half, and although the song lyrics are quite ambiguous, there is a deep rooted theme of fighting with inner demons.
Quite honestly, it was a reflection of some things that I was going through at the time, I think the rest of the band wouldn't mind me surmising that they were on the same page.
However, much like in real life, the album takes a turn for the positive and in the second half the songs reflect the importance of recovery and recuperation. “In order to chop some wood, you have to let your trees grow” is the repeated line of “Trees” and is probably the basic message of the album. It took so long to complete because there was a lot going on outside the band and sadly it doesn't look like we will be performing live any time soon as everyone is busy with other things, so this album is a bit of a farewell for the Ladybird Killers as well! Very emotional, I'm sure you will agree.
5. Whats coming up next then over the next year?
Well, I'm actually excited to make more progress on the projects I have lined up. Recently I just finished production on a handful of songs for Cornfield Chase. I'm very pleased with the way those recordings have turned out, my friend Sandy Power is a very talented musician! These recordings are actually going to be released by Sandy under his own label later in the year, but I'll be helping spread the word, naturally.
There are a few unfinished projects in the pipeline, if you subscribe to my mailing list I'll be sure to keep you up to date. However, personally, I have been working on some of my own music again, which will finally get the attention it needs now that the Ladybird Killers album is finished!
I have most of an acoustic based solo album recorded, where I have finally explored my love for blues and jazz!
I also have another project of my own songs which is somewhere in between funk/jazz and alternative rock. I've already made a few demos which I'm going to use soon to assemble a band... Hopefully I'll have something to share real soon!
It's also been a while since I did some live video sessions with BTN Media so expect some more of that, if you are reading this and you are in a local band drop me a message and I'll try to get you involved with this if you are interested!
Bloo Coo Records is DIY studio and record label in Leslie, Fife run by the insanely talented Shaun Evans. You can find out all about the work by visiting their website; https://www.bloocoorecords.com/
Have a listen to the Ladybird Killers new album here; https://music.bloocoorecords.com/album/ladybird-killers