Name: Skerryvore
Members: Alec Dalglish (lead vocals & guitars), Martin Gillespie (Bagpipes & Whistles), Daniel Gillespie (accordion), Craig Espie (Fiddle), Fraser West (Drums), Jodie Bremaneson (Bass), Alan Scobie (Keyboards), Scott Wood (Bagpipes)
Nationality: Scottish
Current release: Skerryvore's "Eye of the Storm" is out via Tyree. It is the latest single off their upcoming full-length album Tempus, slated for release on April 28th 2023.

If you enjoyed this Skerryvore interview and would like to keep up to date with the band and their music, visit the group's official website. They are also on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and Soundcloud.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

Alec: Quite often the impulse for me is hearing an amazing piece of music or watching an incredible musician perform.

The themes in my songs tend to be positive so I usually feel inspired to write when I’m feeling positive personally.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

JB: It really varies from track to track. Typically for us the songs will be more fully sketched out before tackling them as a band, whereas the instrumental tunes can be as simple as a single melody idea. So the former is more planned, with chance definitely having more to do with the latter!

It’s always exciting for us to see the evolution of a track, from perhaps a voice recording on a phone to a huge multi-layered final production.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

JB: As a busy touring band that spends such a large part of the year on the road, the key element of preparation for us is really just putting a deadline in the diary!

From there, demos or basic recordings will be shared around ahead of entering the rehearsal room so that ideas can begin to form.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Alec: I wouldn’t say that I have any particular rituals. Although I don’t write anywhere but my own home studio as this is where I feel most comfortable and prepared.

I have everything I could possibly need to hand and I’ve created a relaxed atmosphere there. I drink loads of tea and leave my studio to pace around the flat while I think about the process.

It’s also good for me to take a break and walk around the local park near my home. I’d love to be the person who can write anywhere, anytime. But unfortunately I’ve never been able to get into the right frame of mind elsewhere.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Alec: It varies song to song but most often I’ll start with the guitar and get a feel for the chords and groove that I want for the song. This will then usually inspire the first parts of a melody for either a verse or chorus. The lyrics are usually done last.

As I imagine most writers would tell you - It’s not starting it that’s the issue, it’s finishing it!

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

Alec: Now and then I’ll have a lyrical idea pop into my head and I'll add it to the notes app on my iphone as a reminder.

I like to start the lyric writing with an idea for the title because a strong title helps to direct where you’re going. I have title ideas on my iphone and all over the place in various notepads.

I think the best lyrics come when you have a strong emotional investment but it can be difficult to know exactly what you want to say. Sometimes it takes work, especially for that second or third verse.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Alec: I think the best lyrics are ones which say a lot in a succinct manner. Lyrics which people can relate to and are meaningful to the individual without being overly specific to the writer.

As someone who loves to write pop songs the lyrics also have to be singable. What I mean by that is that they have to serve the melody too. If a lyric is difficult to get out and continually sounds awkward with a strong melody then something needs to be changed.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

Alec: I tend to sit with an acoustic guitar and sketch out the song into a structure so at least chordally I know where I want to go with an intro, verse, chorus and bridge if the song is going to have one. This allows me to have a vision of where the song will go dynamically and guide the melody somewhat.

The chords alone have to inspire me to sing and I’m always looking for a hook. I’ll improvise over the chords until I’m almost singing bits of nonsensical words to a strong melody.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

Alec: I like to try to go wherever the narrative leads me. I find that the most natural way.

There are already a million things in your mind to hold you back and block you so it’s best to let go of things as much as possible and see what comes out. You can always change things later if a more controlled part of your mind decides that something just isn’t right.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

Alec: It’s difficult to know when you’ve ‘finished’ a song I suppose. For me it tends to be when I get to the point that I’d be happy to let others hear it without having to explain ‘that bit will be better later’.

In a band sense it’s when we all get together, everyone has found their place in the song and we all agree it sounds like a Skerryvore track that we’re dying for our fans to hear.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

Alec: I can sometimes spend weeks going back to a piece of music. In some cases because I just don’t know where to take it and sometimes because I want to have a fresh perspective on it.

I can spend ages trying to ‘perfect’ something but at a certain point you have to force decisions and have conviction in what you do otherwise you’ll procrastinate forever.

Ultimately you’re likely to never be truly satisfied no matter what you do.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Fraser: There is definitely a sense that something is missing once the album is finished. It’s probably at this point that I would feel the emptiest, not necessarily when it’s released.

I don’t think we ever have too much time to feel like that though. We are a busy touring band so the creativity comes back pretty quickly - when you need to start figuring out live versions of the new songs which more often than not differ from the album version.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Alec: I think writing is different because there’s an infinite number of ways for you to express or realise the vision that’s in your mind. Everyone knows how they like their coffee but even the writer might not know exactly how to get to the point or to find the exact sound they’re looking for.

For success as a writer I think you need to be open-minded, creative and adaptable. I think if you asked a barista to be creative and adaptable when making someone a cappuccino, you’d find that their day hadn’t gone quite so well.