1) Who are you, who is in the band, who does what in the studio and on stage?
My name is A.H.Doune and I’m sort of a one person band. I play the guitar, sing and have a drum machine that isn’t really a drum machine, which I call Trish.
2) How long have you been writing and performing in this way?
Only a few months. The set up I use is a bit of a random accident, but I like the results so far.
3) How exactly do you work / write / record?
I write most things on my acoustic guitar, or ukulele, then decide how best to record it. For A.H.Doune it tends to have to have a fairly simple repetitive structure as it’s going to be looped on a pretty rudimentary loop pedal. I then pile on reverb and shout a bit.
4) How do you feel your studio/recording style informs the way you perform your music live?
At the moment I’m just working out how to play this stuff live. I think my live music style will end up more informing the recording as I want to keep it pretty close, for now.
5) What’s been happening lately and what’s new with you?
I’ve been writing stuff for the first A.H.Doune record at home mostly. Back in my old flat I was writing, incessantly, on my ukulele and someone hung a lei on my front door. I took that as a sign of encouragement.
6) When was the last time you played Edinburgh (and where)? What do you remember about that experience?
I played with my band – Thank You So Nice – at Henry’s Cellar Bar back in December. It was with Et Tu Brute??? who are pretty remarkable.
7) If you’ve played Limbo before, what did you like/rate about the experience? If you’ve not played Limbo before, what have you heard about it?
I’ve played at Limbo twice before with Thank You So Nice and enjoyed both occasions very much. Most of the time we put stuff on ourselves, so it’s nice to pitch up at Limbo and get shown the Green Room and given beer. It’s like being on the Jonathan Ross television programme, or something. They put thought into the bills too, so you know you’re not going to be playing with a jazz funk band.
8) What’s next, coming up after this gig, for you and what are you generally looking forward to right now…?
After the gig I’m going to record the first A.H.Doune album in my parents’ kitchen.
9) How do you feel about Scottish independence and the whole ‘Yes’ campaign? Have you decided which way you’re voting yet (and, if so, what’s your decision)?
The current Westminster government is a fucking disgrace with an unashamed ideological attack on welfare and community services for the benefit of a privileged minority and seemingly no viable alternative. If there’s a chance to prevent that from happening in Scotland it should be taken. I’ll be voting Yes.
10) Is there anything else you feel strongly about that you’d like to tell us about right now?
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