Gavin Sutherland

The plot thickens, and over the course of the last few months the Wishing Tree four track EP has grown a few more branches and is now a fully fledged, eleven song, album. We had a good time working on the first four tunes we recorded and decided to just keep going.

The Wishing Tree . . . All I See Is Blue
Strange Days Indeed . . . Look To The Children
The Wild Wind Blows . . . Isolation Days
Find Your Way ...The Silent Poet
Watching Clouds . . . Sign Of The Times
Constant Star

Download from Bandcamp (mp3 and wav files here)

Download from amazon

Download from iTunes

'A Sign Of The Times' on youtube

'Watching Clouds' on youtube

Four track EP available for download now, full album available from Monday 8th February, 2021.

During the months of lock-down we hooked up through the net to record some new songs, keep focused and reasonably sane. Irmi Wolvin played her cello in Vienna, Dave Sutherland played his double bass near Birmingham, Sam Lumsden hit his drums in Inverness, Digby Smith played some accordion and mixed the tunes at his studio in Torquay, and I sang and played guitars and things at home on the Banffshire coast.

It all started back in January when I began work on some new songs and as things came together I decided to give Dave Sutherland and Sam Lumsden a call to see if they fancied joining in. Dave's double bass and Sam's drums had featured on my last two albums so I knew it would work out fine. The ball was rolling and we started swapping music files back and forth over the net and letting the whole thing develop as we went along. We didn't know where it was going, but it felt good. I wanted my old pal Digby to master the songs, and as we discussed matters he suggested I send him the individual tracks ('stems' in digi-speak, apparently) down to his studio in Torquay to mix. Great! Game on, and of course really good to have him on the case.

As I was working on the title song it crossed my mind that the intro melody line might sound good on a cello, but as I didn't know anyone who could deal with that and all the web tech involved, the idea went no further. A few days later, and quite out of the blue, I had a message on my fb music page from Irmi Wolvin, a cellist in Vienna who had been checking out some old Suth's stuff and said if I ever needed a cello on any of my songs she'd be up for it. We messaged each other and as we got to know more about each other I found that not only was she a great musician but also a lovely, energetic and enthusiastic person who I knew would fit into our band of locked-down isolatoes really well. Her cello sounded so good on the first tune she played on we decided it would be great to have her on all of the songs we were working with. Irmi was enjoying making music with us and her cello put a new colour in the mix. It gave the band a sort of fresh identity and it's always good when the Muses step in and lend a hand. I guess some things are meant to be.

Life has been strange for us all recently, face masks and the 'two metre' rule, like living in an old sci-fi novel, and for many, a time of reflection and contemplation. Working with these good people over the last few months certainly helped me through this troublesome time. Fact stranger than fiction. Strange days indeed!

We enjoyed making this music and hope you like what we've done. Cheers.

And a few words from the band . . .

"Working on this very special music with all these great musicians made this difficult time so meaningful. Thank you guys for a brilliant time!" Irmi.

""It will be great to come out of 'lockdown' having contributed to creating some valid art! Always great to work with Gav and his band of wandering and far reaching minstrels. God bless the internet!" Dave.

"I first worked with Gavin back in the early '70s at Island's Basing Street Studios. The Sutherland Brothers had successfully passed the audition with producer Muff Winwood, and were duly signed to the label. It was early days for both me and Gav in terms of studio life, and to have linked up together again after all this time seems like a continuation of that same joyous, creative journey." Digby

"Thanks to everyone involved with this lockdown project; contributing drums has been a pleasure. The gigs may have stopped for now, but we are fortunate to be able to keep making music. Sam

The Wishing Tree

Out on the town tonight
Looking for a long lost friend
Could be the start of something
Or is this where the story ends?
A string of pearls and a diamond ring
Who knows what your luck may bring
Cut the cards and see what they say
The Queen of Hearts might come your way
Some day

It's a big wide world out there
It could make or break you
Spread your wings and fly away
Who knows where your dream might take you
You know you gotta go

Been living the highlife
Doing the highlife thing
Hanging out with the man in black
Drinking wine with the Pearly King
If he gave you three wishes
Now what would they be?
One for you, one for me
And one for the wisdom in the wishing tree

All I See Is Blue

There's a rainbow, throwing colours at my winow
Shining down for me
Shining down for you
So many colours in the twilight sky
Shining through
But right now all I see is blue

Listen to the silence
Tell me what you hear
The song of the river
Still ringing clear
So many colours in the water
Washing down on you
But right now all I see is blue

So many colours in the water
Washing down on you
But right now
All I see is blue

Strange Days Indeed

Oh my Lord have mercy on this heavy heart of mine
I've been walking down the long road waiting for a sign
Looking for some comfort, but no comfort could I find

Oh Lord have pity on those lonely souls out there
Lost out in the darkness, getting nowhere
Looking for an answer
But there's no answer there

There's a stranger in the mirror looking back at me
I know I've seen that face before, who could it be?
That stranger in the mirror
Bless my soul could that be me?

Strange days, indeed

Oh my Lord have mercy on this weary heart of mine
I've been walking down a long road, biding my time
Looking for some comfort to ease my troubled mind

Strange days indeed

Look To The Children

Some people want to famous
Some people want to lie low
Some people running on empty
Still got a long way to go
Some people hung up on money
Some people hung up on jive
Some people got the world at their feet
Some folk fight to survive

I roll it to you
You roll it back to me

Time to look to the children
So many mouths to feed
Got to be there for the children
Give them all they need

The Wild Wind Blows

There's a mist out on the water
Grey clouds roll across the sky
Somewhere in the distance
I hear the Sirens cry
The waters ebb and flow
Fortune comes and goes
When the wild wind blows

There's trouble in the city
Anger in the town
So much confusion
Yeah, it's all going down
But we'll find a brighter day
The mist will roll away
When the wild wind blows

Isolation Days

You know I'm here for you
Yeah we can see this through
Face whatever comes our way
In these isolation days

I know you're here with me
Close in harmony
Better times are on the way
In these isolation days

Some day soon the sun will shine
And the guiding stars align
We'll see the dark clouds roll away
In these isolation days

You know I'm here for you
In these isolation days . . .

Find Your Way

It's hard sometimes to find the words
To say the things you need to say
And it all falls down, and slips away
But in time I know for sure you'll find your way

Another mile, another road
Another weight, you'll feel that load
Come down on you, but it's there for you
And in time I know for sure you'll find your way

The darkness falls, down comes the night
But there's a flame, it's burning bright
I know it's true, it's there for you
In time I know for sure you'll find your way

The Silent Poet

The winter snow is melting
In the warmth of the new spring sun
The poet sees the changes
And counts them one by one
As another chapter closes
A new one's just begun
The silent poet's work is done

In a world forever turning
Changes come our way
The moon and stars above us
Sunlight brings the day
The poet watches closely
As the changes come
The silent poet's song is sung

Turning back the pages
To those rare and special times
So many precious memories come to mind
The poet found the rhyme

The poet stands alone now
At the closing of the day
The silent poet's on his way

Watching Clouds

Summer days are over
The winter's on its way
Crashing waves and thunder
Echo in the bay
Flocks of geese from far off shores
Fill the autumn sky
Another journey over
I wake to hear their cry
Watching clouds

The nights draw ever darker
As the sun falls to the sea
Soaring gulls no longer
Bring dawn's early light to me
The heron on the shoreline
She waits to strike again
As golden rays of lamp light
Shine through the evening rain
Watching clouds

Another summer over
Autumn days roll by
I watch the storm clouds gather
In the distant northern sky
Watching clouds

A Sign Of The Times

The waves on the sand
They slip through your hand
Tides are turning
No reason no rhyme
No place and no time
Bridges burning
The night brings the day
The day brings the sun
We share in the dream
Together as one
Is this fantasy, coming down on me
A sign of the times?

The wrong and the right
Pass like ships in the night
Fate and destiny
The call of the wild
The smile on a child
Speak an honesty
The races are run
The battles all won
A new seed is sown
The nightbird she's flown
It's a new day
It's a new way
A sign of the times

The nightbird she's flown
The day brings the sun
We share in the dream
Together as one
Is this fantasy, coming down on me
A sign of the times?

Constant Star

One day, one night
One chance to put it right
May the light shine down
On you

It's here, it's now
We'll take a chance somehow
And may the stars shine bright
Over you

Some say we're here for a reason
Well I don't
When kindness finds a way
Through the troubles of the day
Let it show

One heart, one mind
Let the journey unwind
And may the Constant Star
Watch over you

Some say it's all for a reason
Well I don't know
But when the troubles of the day
Come your way
Just let them go

One day, one night
One more chance to get it right
And may the stars shine ever bright
Over you