seven year hitch

the trashcan sinatras return from the wilderness

evening times

november 27, 2003

after seven long years in the wilderness (and japan) the trashcan sinatras are back, slightly older, a lot wiser, and with a new album to their name.

the scots indie stalwarts' tale is a sadly familiar one: just as the world was waking up to them, and even radio 1 had finally succumbed their charms, their record label, go!discs, collapsed.

the blow hit the boys hard as they were on the brink of releasing their third album.

as a result, the band was left high and dry.

"it was unfortunate for us," recalled trashcan guitarist john douglas. "our single was getting airplay on radio 1, which was a surprise to us but very nice. and that was the very week the label went down the pan. it was a real drag.

"we had a studio in kilmarnock that was eating up a lot of money, and once the deal disappeared it was difficult to keep that going, so we had to go into bankruptcy."

philosophically, he puts the whole fiasco down to experience. "it was just bad advice, bad accountancy and tax advice, we ended up in a bit of a mess."

the band was put on ice for three years, but the songwriting continued and they did the odd gig - in japan!

"a japanese band who were big fans of ours, who'd been over to our studio in kilmarnock, invited us over there just to cheer us up really." said john.

"yeah, it is a long way to go for a gig!

"i don't know what the connection is with japanese and scottish bands, maybe it's because we are both islanders. there seems to be some connection.

"it was lovely for us, someone appreciating us for the music. in that period, it was very easy to forget that you're bringing a lot of pleasure to people with the music."

the band recorded a single for release in japan in 1999 and, through their website, began communicating again, finding to their delight that they were still getting support from all over the world,

the band put out an album of demos and covers that helped raise a bit of cash to record new material, and the resultant album - weightlifting - has just been mixed, with the process being fully recorded on their website, www.trashcansinatras.com.

"we have 12 songs we are really proud of." said john. "it's still identifiably us - we haven't gone dance or anything in the seven years away! it's acoustic guitars, some nice, warm electric guitar but the lyrical content has changed a lot over the last seven or eight years.

"we've learned a lot of things, gone through a lot, and some of that experience is probably in the songs."

the album, which includes a guest vocal from teenage fanclub's norman blake on the track "got carried away," should be out in the spring, but before then the band, if a little bruised, can't wait to get back on stage in glasgow.

after a successful comeback show in february, they have a one-off gig lined up this sunday at cottier theatre, where they will be supported by promising newcomer roddy hart.

"we did a bunch of one-off gigs which were good, if not very satisfying," said john. "if you're doing two weeks it works better. we haven't played live for a while now, and we're looking forward to this cottier show.

"we feel as a band that it's pretty special, what we do, and there were a lot of people who kept reminding us of that during those seven years." john added.

Originally appeared in the Evening Times.