The Essence of Cool

"I started singing because I wanted to be the Little Mermaid"

The first time I saw Sarah Beth-Brown perform was at the Glasgow Film Festival earlier this year and I was immediately blown away. Maybe it's just me but new(ish) performers these days just don't seem to have that same ability to stun me into silence anymore, so when Sarah did just that, I was hooked.

Sarah is the lead singer and bassist of Glasgow band Hot Water Ponies and also has her own solo thing going on with her act Born By Wires. She's worked with musical legend Craig Armstrong and hung out with Scottish actor Allan Cummings. All round I'd say she's a pretty cool person. But what is 'cool'? Who decides if we are 'cool' or not and to what end?

Michel de Montaigne (1533-92) wrote of the necessity of people to have the capability of self-control and self-invention as only with such skills could one be considered 'cool' within society. So if society dictates whether or not we merit the label of 'cool' by way of the trends we follow or by the way in which we present ourselves in public as who we are, to what extent can the construction of identity truly be genuine? We all want to be considered as cool by someone at some point or another in our lives; it is human nature to crave acceptance so if we are constructed on the need for acceptance, how can we ever show who we truly are?

I'm reminded once again of the story of Batman and Bruce Wayne - two entites; one man. Our need to be considered as cool a front to protect who we really are inside. 

I once read somewhere that through the close-up camera shot, thoughts are made visible and I truly believe that through this image of Sarah Beth-Brown we can see into her memories back to the beginning, sitting in her grandmothers bin-shed singing Disney songs at the top of her voice. Some may not think of that as very 'cool' but hey, at least it's true.

Love EllieMac x

A Tale of Two Sisters

"I broke into Brandon Flowers dressing room after his o2 Academy gig!"

An angelic smile as if butter wouldn't melt.

I've known Faye Davidson her whole life. Growing up together not 50 yards from each other, we had a wonderful suburban childhood that was deeply influenced by music and culture. Our parents had come from less than fortunate backgrounds and so they worked incredibly hard to make lives for themselves in a better place filled with arts and culture in order to give us all the opportunities that they never had. And they did. Sometimes I still think we don't appreciate just how lucky we are though.

I think mostly it came from our Dads. The music, I mean. Growing up in the 60's and 70's undoubtedly had a lasting impact upon them and let's face it; that's pretty much where it began. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Who. Those were the greats and they've lasted forever.

Anyway, growing up we were bombarded with music. We were both given the opportunities to play the violin, the piano, the guitar, even the recorder! Along with playing all of these instruments we spent so much of our time raiding and exploring our parents CD and Vinyl collections - much to their displeasure.

We did pretty much all of it together. I remember going to Orchestra every Saturday morning where we played First Violin together and we did nothing but protest it the whole time, as your average 13 year old would, but looking back I'm glad we did it. It gave us a broader grounding in music which a lot of people just don't get these days. Neither of us play the violin anymore though...I don't really know why.

Growing up and developing this addiction together was an incredible experience. Having someone so close who completely understood, and still understands, the power of music and the intense connection that can develop is priceless.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Love EllieMac x

A Secret Shared

"I've never met my Dad"

Today I spent some time with Clare Kelly and learned something that I had never before thought to question.

Clare is a twenty-something female musician living in Glasgow. She's currently studying for her Masters Degree in Music: Innovation & Entrepreneurship, whilst drumming for Glasgow based band Suspire and working part-time. Needless to say she's a hard worker.

Now, Rachel Dawes once said "It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you". We all know the story of Bruce Wayne and Batman. Ultimately, it is a tale of deception. He spent his days flaunting his 'playboy' image as Bruce Wayne and spent his evenings battling the forces of evil to protect the city of Gotham as Batman. Two entities; one man. The carefree identity of Bruce Wayne constructed to protect the fragile identity of Batman.

It is interesting to think then, that by this logic, how well do we ever really know the people we let into our lives?

I met Clare about a year ago and my first impression was that of an incredibly enthusiastic and genuine person. However, it is only recently that I have come to know Clare as a friend and as a musician. I know what she does on a daily basis and I know everything that she's working for, therefore I know what she is, if indeed it is what we do that defines us. But what we are is not who we are.

I believe that we all have a Batman to our Bruce Wayne. That we are all actors concealing what is really on the inside. No one can ever truly know what is inside of us - our thoughts; our feelings; our deepest secrets and our darkest desires. So how genuine and authentic can identity ever be?

Musicians can argue that their music is an insight into who they are, but to what extent can you believe that it's true?

Those of you who know Clare, and believe that you know her well, will understand what an amazing, contented person and incredibly dedicated musician she truly is. But how many of you know that she has never met her father?

I'll leave you to ponder that thought.

Love EllieMac x

First Thoughts

For the past year or so I have begun to realise that I love to write. I guess the realisation began to manifest in my brain when I discovered that I've developed a thing for words - I simply love the way they can form a simple sentence that can express the most intense of feelings or the ways in which we can communicate through language. Look at Shakespeare - his work is still as beautiful and as prominent as ever in the world of literature almost 400 years after his death! 

Words are universal.

Words are why I'm here.

Blogging is an entirely new experience to me; although it is something I've been meaning to get into for some time now. It's strange - being at the end of my final year of University the only solid writing I've done for years is formal assignments so writing in such a casual and personal manner is going to take some getting used to!

Anyway, over the past month or so I embarked upon a new project, inspired by my honours dissertation, which began as a collection of photographs of female musicians which were to be exhibited within an online gallery. However, upon a recent trip to London and therefore a biennial visit to the London Apollo Victoria Theatre to see the all-amazing Wicked!, I realised that this project could be portrayed on a much deeper and spiritual level. It was whilst watching the performance of my favourite track, 'For Good', that I experienced a sudden wave of inspiration:

"I've heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them, and we help them in return."

This beautiful track inspired me towards what this project now represents: my own personal and spiritual journey to explore myself as a female musician, building upon my personal identity by learning from my interaction with other amazing female musicians. 

This blog therefore represents a series of firsts for me: it is the first time I have ever attempted to communicate with others out-with my own circle of family and friends: it is the first time I have attempted to share something so personal with others, even within my own circle of family and friends: and it is the first time I have ever attempted to learn how to use photography in order to document this experience.

As I have already spent the past few weeks meeting with fellow female musicians and gathering and editing photographs taken throughout each session, this blog will serve as the next step of the project: a constant documentation of the day-to-day growth of the project itself.

The next post will show the beginning of the creative journey with accompanying photographs of each musician in turn.

Love EllieMac x