So it all ended in tears on Sunday night for the Netherlands, our Dutch friends and by default us too.  You couldnt help but get dragged into the final watching with Dutch friends, particularly when they've bought you orange T-shirts and matching sun glasses, and when Spain scored, I really felt it at least for a few minutes anyway.  Interestingly it seemed that most Scots had adopted a team for the final, with the majority supporting Spain, perhaps proving that there is no real thing as neutrailty in football or perhaps proving that a quick trip to Ladbrokes or William Hills gives watching a game a little bit extra.
Speaking of the World Cup and sporting events in general theres been a few more cuts to arts funding in Scotland, probably not unrelated to the impending Commonwealth Games....I like sports and big sporting events. A lot, but there has to be a balance and unless I have this uttelry wrong, which can never be discounted, there is more to a balanced society than just high end sporting events.  I've read a lot of things before the World Cup started on a similar subject given how much South Africa had to spend to get its stadiums and everything else up to Scratch, and here's an article on the subject from a new online magazine, Aberdeen Voice focussing on the North East, of which our friend and North-east music legend Fred Wilkinson is involved.  I played in  a couple of bands with Fred when i lived in Aberdeen, not least the eclectic and off the wall Potted Heid, named after a north east delicacy of potted sheeps brains...almost makes deep fried mars bars seem haut-cuisine

Its a little bit old news by now, but the BBC have decided not to get rid of BBC6 music (hypebot Music Blog).  The decision to axe a popular and innovative radio station seemed very strange at the time, especially when you consider that the vast bulk of the BBC televisions programming seems to be endless soaps and reality shows.  So there we go...a rare vote for common sense, and if Scotland could just get it together to qualify for the next world cup things would be looking good.  We at Doghouse Roses HQ can't help but be a bit jealous of the scenes from the Netherlands last night as they reached they're first world cup final in over 30 years, but its a bit gaulling to think thats its highly unlikely that we as Scottish supporters will experience what it feels like to progress to the latter stages of the world cup.  We will, however be watching the final on Sunday with our Dutch friends,  Matthijs and Rachelle, which is pretty close and if the BBC can make a U-turn on axeing radio 6, then perhaps hell can freeze over and Scotland qualify for the World Cup finals or even (maybe pushing a little bit too much here) for the knock-out stages.  We await the weather forecast patiently

Went to see traditional / rock/ country band Skerryvore last night, as the O2 Abc in Glasgow.  They are a young band who run their own record label, book their own shows and very nearly sold out the 1250 capacity venue.  Normally a six piece of guitar, accordion, fiddle, pipes, drums and bass, they were joined on keys by Alan Scobie who recorded and produced the new Skerryvore album (and the new Doghouse Roses record too!) as well as a brass section and a bit of a pipe band.  I heard a bit of the Heartbreakers (tom Petty's band) in the way they play and a really lazy comparison is an early runrig but you can check them out at the Skeryyvore Website, and more about Alan's studio at the Blue Productions website.  As of today (Friday 2nd July), Skerryvore's next few gigs are Dunoon, Scotland tonight, The Isle of arran, Scotland (3rd), Shanghai (China!!!!) 5th, before T in the Park festival next week....who says bands don't work like they used to...

The Traditionals project is a collaboration between In a cabin with, who record Dutch musicians collaborating with local musicians in exotic locations, and Onder Invloed who record Dutch and visiting musician playing their influences.  Heres how In a Cabin describe theTraditionals.

his week we are recording and filming a session in collaboration with Onder Invloed. It takes place in an ice skate ring cantina in Hagestein (NL). Every day different artists drop by to record one or two ‘American traditional songs’. Artists are: Anne Soldaat, Odilo Girod, Lea, Arn Kortooms, Bram Hakkens, Vincent Beijer, Djurre de Haan, Frank Schalkwijk, Nick Schuit, Marlies Kroon, Davie Lawson, Paul Tasker, Iona Macdonald, Ralph Mulder, Tim Knol, Maurits Westerik, Ian Annesson, Lilian Hak, Bertolf, Adrien Jeanjean, Michiel Flamman, Marien Dorleijn, Stan Vreeken, Ro Halfhide, Bauke Bakker, Koen-Willem Toering, Nicki Hustinx, Jesse Beuker and Anne Broekman. Every day ends with  BBQ & beers on a nearby trailer park for maximum inspiration.

I can confirm that BBQ and beer does lead to maximumu inspiration, as does gettting to jump in a lake at the end of a days recording.

 

On Monday, we went to Amsterdam where our friends The Cosmic carnival were recording a session for Amsterdam Acoustics.  As their guitarist Frank was busy on trumpet duties for this, they asked me to play the guitar on the session, and not being one to turn the chance of a tune, i was very pleased to be asked and to play along. The Cosmic Carnival were playing in the Paradiso that night too, and they put on one of the best gig i'd been to in a long while

 As we were there, we got to play an Amsterdam Acoutics session too:

(photo by Matthijs van der ven)

 

 

 

 

 

Amsterdam Acoustics - Doghouse Roses : The Thunder Of The Dawn from Mokummercials on Vimeo.