Raymond Hackland went for a Two week holiday to Amsterdam in Christmas 2008. A guy from Airdrie going to meet his girlfriends family, Two and a half years later he returns to his native homeland to launch a single that is currently No. 1 in The Dutch charts. The song is called `Just One Night` and has been backed by the likes of Jim Gellatly who has called it a `cool pop song` and with many other established music writers backing him for big success in the U.K.
The majority of his friends and family will see him for the first time since his `holiday` at the Captains Rest, Great Western Road on Monday 6th September where he will play an acoustic gig at a packed and intimate venue alongside Alan Frew (A fantastic songwriter in his own right) and Amy Belle (Who has dueted with Rod Stewart at the Albert Hall) so how does Raymond feel about playing a gig on his home patch? “ I really can't wait to come back and play a gig in Scotland. I truly love Scotland and very much fly the flag for wherever I go. All my mate's over here are now whisky lovers, whenever my parents or my brother come over to visit they bring me black pudding, haggis and the square slice lorne sausage. The top of the piano is covered in empty whisky bottles from all different regions of Scotland - and every one of them has a story to tell so I don't throw them in the bin. So for me to come back to Scotland and play in front of my family, friends, my musical peers and my fans is really something special for me....difficult to describe the feeling, but like a malt whisky - you just know it feels right in your soul”
There is no doubt from speaking with Raymond that music is his one great passion (maybe even more so than the whisky and the squared slice sausage) he learnt piano as a child, Sung in a band at a drop-in centre in Petersburn as a young teenager. “Singing Live Forever that night was enough to put anyone off singing in front of people for another decade” he quips. Years later, he picked up the harmonica and started getting heavily involved in the music scene, managing his friend Jono and jamming with a host of musicans mainly an Irish lad called Darren Kelly “ we decided to start a band called `We're Us They're Them` featuring Mr Darz Kelly and myself. It involved mostly getting as hammered as we could (and trust me - we could!) and jamming out a few ideas in between listening to Pink Floyd. Happy days”
Raymond also lived in Malta for a bit plying his trade in local bars and being paid in Strongbow and Whisky “Not always a good idea. Ended up with the drummer from Thin Lizzy one night and had a hangover that lasted a year” and what has he been listening to this year (Now the hangover has subsided) “ Sky At Night by I Am Kloot produced by Craig Potter and Guy Garvey from Elbow is incredible. I've also been listening to Little Feat, Caravan, Neil Young and more and more Zappa....he's a legend - and a true master of music. I still listen to Dylan and I've got all his albums. Johnny Cash is another big inspiration”
`Just One Night` could very well become a huge hit over here such is it`s instant likeability and the fact it will have a broad appeal to all ages but listening to his other songs you can tell there is a darker edge at work which makes the upcoming album an exciting prospect. That will come after a Dutch tour, A German tour and a collaboration single that will feature well known Scottish musicians and an entire orchestra. The song will be called `Cicillia` but we`ll have to wait till next year to hear it. In the meantime make sure you catch one of Raymonds upcoming Two gigs in Scotland. One is at the Live at Troon Festival on September 5th and the other that very special single launch at Captains Rest on September 6th. For Just One Night (sorry) something special will happen on that stage as everyone welcomes home the prodigal son who left his country for a wee break and came back with an international chart topper under his belt.
www.reverbnation.com/raymondhackland
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Live at Troon 5th September
Captains Rest single launch 6th September
Mark McG
