Boxclub, the band you see above having a great time in the accordion museum at Bogbain Farm.

But to an outsider it's still slightly mysterious how the original three went on to become the four accordions you'll find – plus the guitar, bass and drums – now enjoying their first major tour across the Highlands.

John Somerville, from Abriachan, explained: "Three of us met up and talked about playing together and we'd mentioned it as a joke first of all, to set up a group with four accordions. Four seemed a good number as it gives you the option for two playing with two and it gives quite a lot of depth musically too.

"So after a few orange juices that night in the bar, we decided to give it a shot!"

Alongside former Croft No 5 player John, are Mairearad Green, Gary Innes – and after a mission to find the perfect fourth accordionist, Angus Lyon was approached and agreed to join up.

"I don't think any of us thought it would go on to where we are now," John confessed. "We've had a couple of performances at Celtic Connections and we've got things like the Hebridean Celtic Festival in the diary and quite a few other gigs round about.

"Musically, 80 to 90 per cent of what we do is self-composed and each person in the band has a distinctive style."

And to date, John hasn't come across another four-accordion strong line-up, so Boxclub is a unique concept.

"There are accordion orchestras across Scotland and traditional dance bands, but we're trying, not to reinvent the image, but take the idea of what the accordion is and change it a little. People like Phil Cunningham and Sandy Brechin first started to play the instrument in a different kind of style, music that's brighter and faster and a more contemporary style of playing.

"We're just trying to take it further too, bringing in other influences because with everything from world music to Myspace, people are listening to so many different styles and musical influences and it all feeds in to giving a different take on things."

So what are the benefits – and problems of having four accordions in one band?

John laughed: "One good thing with accordions is that they only have to be tuned once every five or six months, so you don't have that thing of tuning onstage for the accordions.

"But it can be quite unforgiving as the note is either on or not, so if you're all playing the same thing, the note has to be identical. So we've been spending a bit of time learning each other's styles."

In practical terms, at least accordions aren't the heaviest instruments to lug about – which is just as well as Boxclub are moving their own gear, setting up and doing the get-out after each show of the tour is over.

John said: "I think we're going to be pretty tired by the end of the tour! We have a sound engineer, but it'll be very much all hands on deck for this tour because we don't have crew. We're not funded by anybody, so we're just taking it out there ourselves and hoping for good receptions wherever we go."

Most of the Boxclub members are involved in a range of other projects too.

John laughed: "You would probably come up with 15 to 20 bands if you go through all of us!"

Boxclub sampling a few of the 200 accordions on show at the museum at Bogbain Farm - bassist Duncan Lyall, accordionist Angus Lyon, accordionist Gary Innes, guitarist Michael Bryan, accordionist John Somerville, accordionist Mairearad Green and drummer Fraser Stone. Bobby Nelson

John, for example, also plays with Babelfish with Andy Thorburn and Adam Sutherland. He's also behind The Treacherous Orchestra, an 18-piece line-up, a more avant-garde project in Glasgow going by the name Symposia plus playing in the Lorrie Watson trio.

But it doesn't stop him being happy to get stuck in setting up dates, doing publicity and organising the current Boxclub tour.

"My musical nature has always been to not try and stick with the one thing. I like to keep my brain ticking over and getting into new things. For me, there is no routine and every week is different – and it's great if you can make it work and fit everything in!

"I'm wearing different hats whatever day of the week it is.

"Organising something like this Boxclub tour means you're also learning more about putting on a tour, or club nights or concerts and it's all a learning curve.

"The only way to learn is to go out and do it!"

John also believes you have to do your promotion and publicity before you even set out on a tour.

"People don't turn up to the gig if they don't know about it," he laughed. "I'm a strong believer in getting into communities.

"And if you work hard now, the compensations for the work come later when you've built up a loyal fanbase.

"For this tour, I've sent some of our CDs to a couple of the primary schools in places we're going and said if people like what they hear, they should come along to the gig!.

"I feel music should be a healthy part of the community and in some places a gig can be a good way for a spread-out community to get together.

"It's great when it works out and you get two or three generations all coming along to a concert and having a great time together.

"We feel those are the places we would like to concentrate on because most of us have ties there from playing them before.

"A lot of bands will not consider going to more rural communities.

"But we are the opposite."

* Boxclub's tour takes in Farr Community Hall on Saturday, Spean Bridge Village Hall on Sunday, Ullapool Village Hall on Monday, Eigg Village Hall on Wednesday, Applecross Village Hall next Thursday (Mar 26) and Glenuig Village Hall next Friday (Mar 27).

entertainment@highland-news.co.uk

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---