Under 21 with Guardian

John Douglas
Hailing from Irvine on Scotland’s west coast, John has a rich history, making music with Trashcan Sinatras for over thirty years. Apart from his role as a songwriter (and guitarist) there, John has been playing live gigs across the UK and Ireland as part of his partner Eddi Reader’s band.

For fans of: Trashcan Sinatras, Billy Bragg, Prefab Sprout, Wrest, Beerjacket, Withered Hand, Red House Painters, Mark Kozelek
 
The album ‘John Douglas’ features new recordings of some of John’s favourite Traschcan Sinatras material, alongside new songs he has written and his own rendition of the Prefab Sprout classic ‘We Let The Stars Go’. The eleven songs on this record were performed solo, recorded live at Kyoti Studio in Glasgow (with no overdubs) by producer Mark Freegard, who also mixed and mastered the album.

John Douglas explains, “I’ve often been encouraged by friends over the years to make a solo album, but the timing or inclination didn’t flow. Last year – out of nowhere – everything suddenly felt right and the process was quick and natural. Mark just set the mics up and I played my songs. No other musicians or overdubs. Me and my guitar. That way, I became the songs and they became me. The finished record, though varied in song styles, has a mood to it… it’s warm, thoughtful and quiet.. as I generally aspire to be.

https://trashcansinatras.com/

Lily Vakili
Genre-transcendent rocker Lily Vakili has had a wild, freewheeling life: “I was born in Honduras during a military coup,” says the New Jersey-based artist, “and my dad had to walk over bloodied soldiers in the hospital to welcome me to the world. He’s always said that set the stage for everything else in my life.”⠀

Raised in a large family in Honduras, Florida, Puerto Rico, Iowa and Thailand, Lily trained as a dancer and left home at sixteen. Since then, she’s worked as a dancer, actress, summer stage director, choreographer, corn detasseler, night “nurse”, human rights researcher and waitress. She became a lawyer and the mother of three and having raised a son with autism, a fierce advocate for disability rights. Whatever the role, the gig, the job, she’s written songs marking the journey. ⠀⠀

Lily launched her recording career as a solo artist with Lake City/Next 3 Exits (produced by Bruce Hanson of Fellaheen) and Meadowlands (produced by James Mastro of Ian Hunter and the Rant Band and The Bongos) before forming a full band. The Lily Vakili Band includes lead guitarist Ben St. Jacques; back up vocalist, Cecile Williams, harmonica player, Joel Dorow, and bassist Jim Tyndall and drummer Gordon Kuba. ⠀
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The band’s first album, titled “Oh Alright”, was produced by Ray Ketchem (Magic Door Recording). A second album is in the works, engineered and produced by David Amlen of Sound on Sound Studios. The lead single “She Wants What” dropped in October 2019 to great reviews.

https://vakiliband.com/