Shooglenifty’s 10th studio album!

Aim

To record , produce and release Shooglenifty’s 10th Studio album.

A long long time ago, in a galaxy far away Shooglenifty embarked on our first studio album, Venus In Tweeds.

30 years later we’re in the process of writing and planning our 10th. No one is more surprised than us, nor more grateful.

We’re incredibly fortunate to still be doing what we love to, making music together and travelling to distant and not so distant lands to perform for our lovely audiences all around the globe.

There have been many extraordinary adventures, musical and otherwise throughout those three decades, and we’ve been privileged to have so much support from our Shooglenifty family over the years, many of whom  have stuck with us since our earliest gigs all those moons ago in La Belle Angele in Edinburgh’s Cowgate.

That our music and our muse took us from that dark and sweaty cellar to venues as amazing as Sydney Opera House and Mexico City's Zocalo, via venues in Glenuig, Borneo, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Havana, Vancouver, Alaska, Malaysia, India and countless others, has meant we have built a community of friends and fans all around the world. Folk who have welcomed us into their musical universe and have made our travels and concerts so very special.

We hope that many of you will want to help us achieve what will be a watershed moment in our musical trajectory, to represent the creative talents that have combined into Shooglenifty #10.

The band features the amazing talents of the following bunch of humans:

KAELA ROWAN

Superpower : ⭐️ Vocals

Kaela Rowan began her career in folk bands and playing sessions and festivals around her home in the Scottish Highlands. Citing an eclectic range of early influences – John Martyn, Planxty and Joni Mitchell, amongst others – Kaela has since forged her own unique path in the Scottish music scene.

With two acclaimed solo albums under her belt, Kaela sings in both Scots Gaelic and English with Shooglenifty, as well as providing some very funky hand percussion to the grooves.

MALCOLM CROSBIE

Superpower: ⭐️ Guitars

Malcolm’s whole life has been governed by serendipity. His journey from 1970s new wave combo 'Z and the Arabs' to Shooglenifty has been blessed by a number of chance meetings, not least the first encounter with his future wife and her adolescent brother, the pot-bashing James Mackintosh, via the Legendary Edinburgh based group Swamptrash,upon who‘s demise, led James , Malcolm and the late great Angus Grant and to explore busking opportunities on the Iberian peninsula..

Grabbing a go on his sister‘s guitar inspired him to his first electric instrument and his first homemade amp. His attempts to wire the amp eventually blew it up and filled his parents’ house with smoke. But that’s another story ...

EILIDH SHAW

Superpower : ⭐️ Fiddle 

Eilidh is originally from the Argyllshire village of Taynuilt, where she was the youngest of four in a relentlessly musical family. 

She spent her twenties immersed in Edinburgh's musical melting pot of the 90's and early 2000's, sharing a flat (and many, many tunes) with none other than Angus R Grant, at the blossoming of the Shooglenifty existence. She was involved in a huge number of projects with musicians across the genres, formed cult alt-folk explosion 'Harem Scarem' and prog-ceilidh innovators 'The Squashy Bag Dance Band', and for 25 years has been part of the ground-breaking evolutionary band 'The Poozies'.

CIARÁN RYAN

Superpower : Tenor Banjo and Mandolin, amongst many others..

Born in Montrose, Scotland, to a family of Irish roots, Ciarán is recognized as one of the UK's foremost tenor banjo players, as well as playing mandolin and fiddle to a similarly startlingly high standard. Moving to Edinburgh to pursue his music career, he became  a founding member of Dallahan , gaining global recognition for their high-energy performances and blend of Irish and Eastern European influences. Highlights of his solo career include his debut solo album, "Banjaxed", in 2019, which was shortlisted for "Album of the Year" at the Scots Trad Music Awards, and of course his recent and hugely acclaimed  solo album, Occupational Hazards.

A prolific tunesmith, session player , and lover of great  craic, Ciarán is making an indelible mark on the Shooglenifty sound and psyche.

EUAN MCLAUGHLIN

Superpower : ⭐️ Bass 

An all round musician of the highest calibre, playing guitar, fiddle, theremin, and anything else that makes a sound to his liking, we are delighted that Euan has decided to bring his bass playing prowess to the Shoogles table.

A founding member of Scots Dub Ceilidh Pioneers 'An Dannsa Dub' and Electronic Celtic Fusion 'Valtos', Euan‘s bass playing superpowers are stored in his hair. 

JAMES MACKINTOSH

Superpower : ⭐️ Drums/Percussion

Hailing from the Scottish Highlands, James’s first forays into percussion were playing along to Clash albums ( London Calling particularly) , on biscuit tins and Tupperware at the age of 13.Fearing for the integrity of her pots and pans, his mother eventually bought him a drumkit for his 15th birthday.In the early 1990’s , an invitation in from Angus Grant to head out busking during the  Summer holidays was life changing, as were subsequent trips to Madrid, Barcelona and Asturias with Angus and Malcolm,where the proto Shooglenifty sound was forged in the bars of Madrid’s Malasaña , twinned with Edinburgh’s Cowgate’s “ Via Sacra“ where the band finally became a six piece in 1994.

Some 40 years later James is widely recognised as one of Scotland’s most innovative drummers, and he is responsible for the deliriously danceable grooves underpinning Shooglenifty’s sound. The Shoogle drummer is much in demand elsewhere: with 'Capercaillie', 'The Grit Orchestra', and 'The Transatlantic Sessions', to name a few.

There have been many musical evolutions throughout our adventures, and many members of our musical family leading up to our current incarnation. Ten studio albums in, we are as excited and enthusiastic as we ever were about recording our music and sharing it with you: our wonderful, quirky, musical community. So please peruse our Crowdfunder - there are many awards with which we hope to appeal to each and every one of you.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made