Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

I was a slightly weird teenager (yes, yes… and I know I’m still a weird adult) in that my music of choice was album-length instrumentals. I grew up idolising Mike Oldfield and his incredible multi-instrumental talents, followed later by Jean-Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream. Only in my later teens did I branch out into progressive rock and then (via many other genres) back into electronic instrumental artists like Enigma and Deep Forest.

It’s with regret that, with very few exceptions over the first year of Three From Leith, I’ve almost ‘demoted’ instrumental artists to being soundbeds to my ramblings. Well, finally I’ve got around to putting things right and this week I celebrate some of the artists that you’ve heard me talk over during many a show as well as some new work from an artist new to Three From Leith. As one of tonight’s artists, Stephen Rafferty mentioned, “It’s great to see someone doing something for modern instrumental music; too often these days it’s a genre that’s completely ignored.” Well, not any more !

Aeryal – Lunar Saga
Miguel Samiez produces some astoundingly beautiful music which (being a fellow Mike fan) has some Oldfieldian touches in it. He has a trio of CDs available to but on his website if this piece and the first soundbed whet your appetite.
Aeryal’s MySpace
Email Aeryal

Torchomatic – Sunlit Harbour
My long-time favourite soundbed music on TFL from Simon Young, who creates some amazing electronic pieces which really set a scene and create the perfect atmosphere. He holds the record of being the most played artist in the show’s history – not bad for someone whose real name I didn’t know until last week !
Torchomatic’s MySpace
Email Torchomatic

Brought Up On Oysters – Long Ago and Far Away
The Scottish Mike Oldfield – golden-age Oldfield-esque musical excellence from Steve. Having just updated all of his recording equipment and spent some time familiarising himself with it, Steve’s now getting to work on an album which will hopefully be released in 2007.
Steve Rafferty’s MySpace
Email Steve via his MySpace page

John Young – Air Miles
Featured now in a number of shows as both a main artist and a soundbed artist, this is a live version of one of John’s ambient instrumental works. He’s got a huge catalogue of CDs to his name and you can find them to buy here.
John Young’s MySpace
Email John

Torchomatic – The Archway at Blenheim

The first anniversary show is next week – why not take your last opportunity to say hello and feature in it by sending an audio clip or using the easy, free and simple Chingo system where all you need to do is speak into your PC’s microphone and let it do the rest ? Just click on the icon below and follow the instructions.

The Scottish Expression is still taking a well-deserved sabbatical. It shall return !
The soundbed was ‘Asteroid 5656’ by Aeryal.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – September issue out soon !


Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Stephen Rafferty, Aeryal, Torchomatic, Simon Young, Brought Up On Oysters, Mike Oldfield, John Young, Chingo, Scottish, Aeryal, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

Well, what a last week off on holiday ! I finally finished the redecoration of the livingroom and managed to get the TV bench/unit built and everything in a wired back up again correctly (thanks to me carefully labelling every cable and wire at both ends to say what it connected to). It looks very nice ! Then on Wednesday I met listener Marilyn from LA who was over in Scotland for her holiday and we spent a lovely afternoon together having lunch and chatting. Marilyn is a couturiere in film & TV so it was fascinating and thrilling to hear of the legendary actors and actresses she’s worked with. On Thursday we met up again and sat in on the recording of the TPN Edinburgh Fringe Show podcast where the host Ewan was interviewing Jesus, who is now a stand-up comic and spent a long time in Guantanamo Bay after explaining where he came from to US immigration officials. Afterwards we all went to the Pleasance Courtyard where I had a fab time star-spotting, then Marilyn and I had lunch again. It was a really great experience and I couldn’t have hoped to have met a nicer listener.

The podcasting community is creating some wonderful networks of friends across the world and I’m loving that friendship aspect. So, if anyone else is planning a trip to Edinburgh then do get in touch and let’s see if we can meet up and say hi !

Captain Pop – Your Papers Please
Steve Roberts kindly sent this great slice of jangly guitar pop to me recently and it’s all the more relevant given the recent security scares; the song is a protest against the proposed introduction of a national identity card scheme here in the UK. If you like the cut of the Captain’s music jib, rush over and buy his CD, “Shut Up & Sing” for £7.99 or download it from the great Internet ocean for the bargain price of £2.00. Avast ye landlubbers !
Captain Pop doesn’t have a MySpace page, but you can hear the album on Tagworld.
Email Captain Pop

Gum – Beyond The Horizon
From Leigh Miles and Raymond Weir comes this luscious delight from Gum’s latest EP, “Seven Feeble Alibis”. A man who can write music in vastly different styles, compare this to Raymond’s “Eisenhowers” track in a recent show. Talent that doesn’t lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight !
Gum’s MySpace
Email Gum

Santa Dog – Pop Coloured
From their recent “Belle De Jour” EP comes this little gem from Row, Rob, Rob and Martin (pay attention at the back and don’t get their names confused – I’ll be asking questions later !). A track that brings back so many memories from the TFL showcase gig in April, which Santa Dog played at. Is it really that long ago now ? Maybe I should do another one….
Santa Dog’s MySpace
Email Santa Dog

The first anniversary show is fast approaching – why not take the opportunity to say hello and feature in it by sending an audio clip or using the easy, free and simple Chingo system where all you need to do is speak into your PC’s microphone and let it do the rest ? Just click on the icon below and follow the instructions.

The Scottish Expression is still taking a well-deserved sabbatical. It shall return !
The soundbeds were ‘Bible White’ by John Young, ‘Flying Home’ by Charlie North and ‘Raining Colours’ by Torchomatic.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – the August issue is out now !


Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Captain Pop, Gum, Santa Dog, Leith, Chingo, Scottish, John Young, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

For the first time ever, I’ve had to put a show together in a bit of a hurry and it’s not something I like doing. It doesn’t allow me to fully prepare and it doesn’t allow me to talk about what I intended to talk about. Fortunately, I did have the final combination of music already in my mind for the show, so at least the selection had been carefully deliberated, cogitated and digested (with apologies to Lloyd Grossman for using his old catchphrase) before the final decision was reached.

Who is the mysterious man with the white foot ? Well, that was the idiot typing this who moved the stepladder whilst painting the livingroom, forgetting that the tub of white paint was still sitting on top…. it hit the bottom step and splattered its contents out sideways all over my right foot and (fortunately) the covers I had down on the floor and over the furniture.

The sight of the tight Scotsman trying to scoop as much of the spilled paint back into the tub so that he didn’t have to spend more money on a new tub was comical 😉

Id Guinness – Beautiful Goodbye Fade Mix Aug 06
Vancouver-based Id’s second submission to TFL, featuring more lovely fretwork from Curtis DeBray who I mentioned in Show 48 as being Gilmour-like. I’m really looking forward to Id’s album coming out later this year ! Until then, you can buy (or find out where to download) his current EP, ‘Rising River’ here.
Id’s MySpace
Email Id

Frantic Chant – Tangerines
I may have passed the guys in the street or stood next to them in a bar, but I wouldn’t know as they don’t like giving much away about themselves ! “FRANTIC CHANT FI LEITH”was the gist of their first ever email submission, but it isn’t important when they rock like this ! A great track from the local lads.
Frantic Chant’s MySpace
Email Frantic Chant

Ainslie Henderson – Dust
Another lovingly laid-back piece from the hirsute* Mr Henderson (wahey ! I got the surname right this time after getting it wrong in the first publication of the shownotes for show 43) from Edinburgh, whose new website and album have been born since his last appearance on the show. * see his photo page for details !
Ainslie’s MySpace
Email Ainslie

Oswald – Home
‘Coldplay meets U2 meets Radiohead with a twist’ says their website bio, and you will definitely see why when you listen to the track from this Glasgow trio. Thankfully, Tom McCreery doesn’t have Bono’s ‘sunglasses indoors at all times’ fetish !
Oswald’s MySpace
Email Oswald

The first anniversary show is fast approaching – why not take the opportunity to say hello and feature in it by sending an audio clip or using the easy, free and simple Chingo system where all you need to do is speak into your PC’s microphone and let it do the rest ? Just click on the icon below and follow the instructions.

The Scottish Expression is still taking a well-deserved sabbatical. It shall return !
The soundbed is ‘Air Miles’ by John Young.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – the August issue is out now !


Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Scotsman, Id Guinness, Curtis DeBray, Leith, Frantic Chant, Ainslie Henderson, Edinburgh, Oswald, Scottish, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Just a quick post to put the current issue of PodcastUser Magazine in the feed so you’ll get it automatically in your podcatcher ! If you haven’t tried reading it yet, please do – there’s something in it for the podcaster and for the listener so that everyone can enjoy it !

Not only that, but you can marvel at the writing talents of your favourite podcasters 😉

Go on – you know it makes sense !

Musicians & Podcasters:

Are your podcasts marred by the hum of your computer fan? Do you have to stop in mid sentence because the neighbours can be heard through the walls? Would you like to filter out the sounds of those annoying birds outside your window? Would you like to be able to record your guitar solos in the convenience of your busy house?

PodcastUser Magazine and Sonic-Distribution are giving you a chance to be able to filter out those problems with the first competition at Podcast User Magazine! This is a $425 (£229) piece of kit that will provide you with acoustic insulation for the microphone in your podcasting or recording studio.

So, what on earth IS a Reflexion Filter?
The Reflexion Filter is a portable device that reduces ambient sound in a room when you record live sound sources. It is a wall, made from an advanced composite material, that can be positioned behind any microphone by means of an adjustable and included clamp. The main function of the filter is to help obtain a ‘dry’ vocal or instrument recording. The Reflexion Filter can be especially useful in studios that do not have proper acoustic treatment, but it can also be used for recording within the control room, to muffle the sounds of the switches and buttons on various devices, and in a rehearsal studio, to reduce ambient noise.

Download Podcast User Magazine Issue 7 ** free **, check out pages 7 & 8 and enter by August 31, 2006. You can’t win if you don’t enter!

Three From Leith will be 1 year old on the 8th of September and I’d like everyone to join in the party. I’m planning on recording a special birthday show looking back over the past year and also hopefully hearing from everyone out there.

If you’d like to say “hello”, “hiya”, “howdy” or generally anything within the bounds of public decency then drop an audio comment to me by email (the address is in the sidebar). Format is unimportant as I should be able to convert almost anything into the filetype required for the show.

If you don’t have the recording facility but do have a microphone you can plug into your PC, then you can use the free Three From Leith MyChingo service to leave a comment. Just click on the icon below and follow the instructions.

Get the party hats ready and the champagne on ice…. 😉

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

Yes, I’m off on holiday for the next two weeks and I’ll be sampling the delights of sunny Leith sur Mer on my doorstep plus the wonders that are the Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe, the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Edinburgh Book Festival ! Spoilt for choice, I’ll be limited only by the dwindling funds I have to live on this month. Still, I’m at least booked to see Harry Shearer (Simpsons voices, Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, Best In Show etc) and his wife so that’ll be fun.

If you want to sample the delights of festival Edinburgh and get your share of the buzz that goes around the city during August, you can’t do better than Ewan Spence’s The Edinburgh Fringe Podcast. Ewan and his team are working non-stop around the clock to bring you news, reviews, interviews and celebrity guest reporters from this year’s arts extravaganza.

But now, before all that, it’s time to dive right into another festival of music from around the world, courtesy of Three From Leith:

Before We Stand… We Crawl

Hungry Lucy – Harvest
I couldn’t get the melody from this song out of my head from the first moment I heard it. It has passed the ‘singalongability’ test with flying colours ! Another fine, fine slice of musical love from my podcast friends War-N and Christa Belle – the finest, funniest and most genuine people you could ever hope to listen to and converse with. Catch them on tour in the US and make me jealous that I can’t be there !
Hungry Lucy’s MySpace
Email Hungry Lucy

Hungry Lucy – A Girl Alone
The second track in the show from their new EP, ‘Before We Stand… We Crawl‘. A little beauty of an EP it is, too !

Dylan Donkin – Fall Through The Wall
A track from the advance EP sent to me by Jen from Surfdog Records. Dylan’s a new artist to me and a damn good one at that. I don’t know what’s in the air on Maui’s north shore near the edge of the rainforest, but growing up there has created a great new musical talent.
Dylan’s MySpace
Email Dylan via his MySpace message link

Gustav Bertha – My Mind’s A Tyrant
A dissident Fifer now resident the land of Toblerone and Cuckoo clocks, Gustav is a quirky and talented musician with a fine line in Scottish wit and a crackingly good podcast to boot. Despite wanting “to be a late night bar pianist serenading alcoholics in the wee small hours”, he still has enough of his sanity left to continue working on his latest album.
Gustav’s MySpace
Email Gustav

The Scottish Expression is still taking a well-deserved sabbatical. It shall return !
The soundbed is ‘Bible White’ by John Young.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
Hungry Lucy for the special package they sent me containing their entire catalogue. Thanks, War-N and Christa ! Get that UK tour booked soon !
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – the August issue is out now !


Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Leith, Edinburgh International Festival, Fringe, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh Book Festival, Harry Shearer, The Edinburgh Fringe Podcast, Hungry Lucy, Dylan Donkin, Surfdog Records, Gustav Bertha, Scottish, John Young, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, Hungry Lucy, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine

Listen here or use the player on the right, though I’d love you to subscribe !

Slow at Ashton Court

Show 50 already and I’ve no idea where the time has gone ! I’d almost decided to do a celebratory show but in the end I decided that since the first anniversary of Three From Leith is only a few more weeks away I save it until then. In the meantime, this week brings another selection of truly superb music from around the world. The titles of the tracks were almost poetic when considered together, hence the title of this week’s show which could almost be the title of the next Haruki Murakami novel.

Before I list who’s in there, I’d just like to say a very Happy Birthday to listener Brad Lau ! My first ever birthday greeting request and another chance to wheel out the mad attempt at singing that Jasna and I did some time back. But I defer to the professionals, who this week are:

Starfisher – Lonely
Some seriously good pop/rock/alt musicians from Arizona who had eaten too much cheese before bed the night they dreamt up their MySpace blurb ! They hooked me on Garageband a few years back with the feelgood slapback-echoing, almost arpeggiated guitar intro and it’s been on my must-play list for far too long, Now I’m remedying that by sharing it with everyone. If you like what you hear, you can get 11 free Starfisher tracks to play until you want to buy them to burn or move to your portable media player.
Starfisher’s MySpace
Email StarFisher via their MySpace page

Slow – Seeds
“The general intention of Slow is to make beautiful and thoughtful music…” and they think that “on the whole that the world would benefit from relaxing a bit more, and taking it easy”. Well, the track had me kicking off my hot sandals during the recording and leaning back in my chair, so it worked ! ‘Seeds’ is the title track from their new EP which was released to coincide with the Ashton Court Festival which they played at last week. Take a slow saunter over and buy it here, and make time in your life for relaxation.
Slow’s MySpace
Email Slow

The Eisenhowers – If Satellites Should Fall
Brimming with talent and overflowing with musical ideas that he needs to get out into the open, Raymond Weir is a seriously great guy who keenly supports podcasts as well as providing them with the fruits of his labours. From Gum to The Eisenhowers, he provides the music to fit. Get some free tracks here and then show your support back by buying some or all of the tracks here.
The Eisenhowers’ MySpace
Email The Eisenhowers via their MySpace page

The Scottish Expression is still taking a well-deserved sabbatical. It shall return !
The soundbed is ‘Air Miles’ by John Young.
Three From Leith theme-tune by Alex Aitken

Big props given out to:
Hungry Lucy have a spankingly new EP out, “Before We Stand… We Crawl”. The link will take you to a preview / buy page. I’ll be playing some as soon as my CD arrives (thanks, War-N and Christa !)
AMP’ed podcast – subscribe with this feed
Subscribe by RSS Feed to the free www.podcastusermagazine.com – the August issue is out now !


Thank you for continuing to support the independent artists in 2006 by listening, feeding back and buying their music.

Technorati Tags: Leith, Haruki Murakami, Starfisher, Garageband, Slow, Ashton Court Festival, The Eisenhowers, Gum, Scottish, Three From Leith, computermusictutorials, Hungry Lucy, AMP’ed, podcast, podcastusermagazine