Darvel Music Festival

Sunday 7 October 2007
Doors TBA Tickets £15

"I think this band is exceptional"

Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2


"Inhabiting a world where The Jayhawks' Hollywood Town Hall and the
Burritos' Gilded Palace of Sin are sacred texts, the melodies of
spouses Hannah and Alex Elton-Wall are exceptional."
Uncut (4/5)


"It's early days, but here it is, the Americana album of the year."
Rock 'n' Reel (5/5)


"Probably the best Americana-Country album of 2007"! And it's Made-In
Britain!"
Maverick (4 1/2 /5)

Find out more at

www.redlands.moonfruit.com

www.myspace.com/theredlandspalominoco



Redlands Palomino Company play on the final night of the Festival on the same bill as Richmond Fontaine, The Endrick Brothers and Joe Whyte. Here Alex Elton-Wall, lead singer and song writer with his wife, Hannah responds to a gentle quizzing from Festival PR man, Mike Ritchie of Mike Ritchie Media.


Q: This is your only Scottish date this year - have you heard much about the Festival or was there any other reason for picking Darvel?

A: We had heard positive stuff about the festival and I was aware of a few bands that have played in previous years - The Arlenes and the Deadstring Brothers. We are really excited about the gig as it will actually be our first trip to Scotland. We are also looking forward to sharing a stage with Richmond Fontaine again, as we've played with them on a number of occasions and love the band.



Q: Can you give us a run down of the other festivals where you've appeared in this year and was there a favourite among them?

A: We've done a few over the summer. I guess the most high profile was Guilfest which was probably our biggest UK gig to date. The weather was a bit patchy on the day we played, but we were so lucky and the sun came out about ten minutes before we went onstage and we played to a really big crowd.

The other festival that really sticks out from this summer is the Tapestry Goes West festival in South Wales. It was a pretty small affair in comparison with Guilfest, run by a guy who runs a club-night in London. It was on a wonderful site at a country park, and had a medieval theme with loads of freaks in fancy dress, archery and jousting and all sorts of other strange goings-on. Great fun though!!

Q: BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris has been unstinting in his praise for you, saying: "I think this band are exceptional." How do you respond to this and does it make the next visit to the recording studio harder with a lot to live up to?

A: He's a legend isn't he... and so important for our kind of music in the UK. We've been so flattered by his support and it's been wonderful to have the opportunity to record live sessions for him. He's such a nice guy as well and, it might sound stupid, but he is just a real music fan at the end of the day. When we were at Maida Vale Studios with him, after the session we all just chatted to him for ages about the kind of stuff we were listening to and all the new stuff that he was getting excited about. He's always really interested in discovering new stuff. I think that's the thing about him - he genuinely loves what he does and that really comes across to listeners.

As far as expectations go - to be honest, I don't think this really bothers any of us too much. Of course, once the new record is recorded there will be a certain amount of concern that people might not like it as much as the last one, but I don't think we'll dwell on it too much. We are all really excited about our next batch of songs, and are desperate to get recording again. The band is sounding better live than it ever has so, hopefully, this will come across on our next record.

Q: You've got a new four-track EP out at the moment, so is a full album due out next year?

A: Yes - the four-track EP will be available for download from September 17 and copies will be on sale at gigs. The first track is 'She Is Yours' is from "Take Me Home" but the other three tracks are brand new and unreleased. Earlier in the year, we took a load of recording equipment down to a barn in mid-Wales and pretty much just rehearsed and recorded these songs in a couple of days. We did a few overdubs afterwards, but nothing very much. Whilst the sound isn't slick and produced, I'm really happy with the recordings as they were made in such a laid back and relaxed atmosphere. None of us really knew the songs and arrangements, and we kind of made it up as we went along which was fun.

As soon as we finish this tour, we plan to get back into the studio in the Autumn/Winter and start work on our next album proper. Hannah has a new batch of great songs and I have some new bits and pieces plus a couple of older songs I'd like to record. I guess the aim would be to have another record out in late Spring/early Summer 2008 - but these things rarely go to plan!!!

Q: Current album "Take Me Home" is, I think, a belter but, more importantly, it has been widely, critically acclaimed by a range of media outlets. Have you been surprised by the overall reaction?

A: I don't think we've been surprised by the reaction to the album - more relieved to be honest! We knew when we finished the record that it was a good album and we were all really proud of the songs, the playing and the production - it was just a case of hoping that it would be well received by the press. There is always that worry that people wouldn't get what we were trying to do, or even worse that the release of an album just gets completely overlooked by press and radio. It's so tough, and it happens too regularly with great records, when they sometimes just don't get the coverage they deserve - especially in a music industry dominated by the big labels, with huge marketing budgets and the power to sell any old crap they like to the masses. Thankfully people just seemed to be really positive about "Take Me Home."

Q: Is there any particular song, or album, that you wish you'd been able to write and perform - and why?

A: God - that's a difficult question to answer - I could probably think of hundreds of records I wish I'd been involved in, and songs I wish I'd written. It would just be nice to think that you could write something that really, really moved people for years to come. Something that springs to mind that I think is so beautiful is the story in 'Sing Me Back Home' by Merle Haggard - it's about a prisoner on Death Row being led away and just wanting to hear his favourite song just one more time. The thought that music can take him away to a better place in his last dying moments seems just wonderful to me! Sorry - is this a bit morbid?

Q: If money was no object, would you ever consider getting a "big" name to guest on an album or do you prefer bringing lower profile chums on board?

A: If money was no object I wouldn't rule out getting a big name to guest on a recording - but it would have to be for the right reasons, and not just for the sake of it. It would need to be because they could add something really special to a recording. To be honest though, we've been lucky enough to have met some pretty fantastic musicians already, and have a whole load of friends we can call on to come in and play or sing with us here and there. Making music has to be fun - that's the most important thing as far as I'm concerned, so just paying to get some stranger into the studio doesn't really appeal. Getting people in you like and respect to guest on your records is quite a buzz though. Don't get me wrong though, having Keith Richards play a bit of guitar, or Emmylou Harris sing some backing vocals would be pretty cool!!

Q: For those gig goers who still might not be too familiar with your music, how would you describe it - and what sort of live show would you say they can expect?

A: Loud, quiet, sloppy, tight, funny, serious, fun, drunken - country rock.

Q: Where did the band's name come from?

A: Redlands comes from the name of Keith Richards' country house in Sussex, and it's also a town in California. Palomino comes from the horse, but also the Palomino Club - a legendary Californian country rock bar/venue of the late sixties/early seventies. Company - I just liked this 'cos I wanted the band to be a gang and feel like one. I just love all those band names from the period above - long winded but interesting!


Q: Finally, a daft question (or maybe you've thought all of them are daft, hope not): malt or blended whisky - what's your pleasure?

A: Malt!