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Invergordon guitarists following musical dream


By Hector MacKenzie

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Local Invergordon artist Liam Ross who has just released an album and hopes to make music his living. ..Picture: Callum Mackay..
Local Invergordon artist Liam Ross who has just released an album and hopes to make music his living. ..Picture: Callum Mackay..

AN Easter Ross musician whose epiphany came as the member of an audience at an unforgettable gig has now taken his own first step towards realising his dream.

And Liam Ross is determined to follow in the footsteps of artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Mark Knopfler is putting his own home town on the map.

In Hearts & Faces & Abandoned Places, the Invergordon guitarist weaves some local voices into atmospheric tracks showcasing the finger-style technique he was inspired to follow.

He said: “Playing music and making others happy is the dream of my life. I was inspired to take up music and the guitar after hearing a band called Rush. When I saw them live I remember seeing everyone smiling, giving out high fives – it was almost as if electricity was in the air.

“It was after that that I decided to follow music because if I could make people feel anything like that then it would be an amazing feeling.”

The 25-year-old’s passion for the place he grew up is reflected in a love letter of an album. He said: “I hope the new release will represent my home town in a positive and real light. This is such a good place, with a good past.”

The moody album is steeped in the town that shaped him and includes sounds from a visit to the underground Inchindown Oil Tanks, which boast the world’s longest reverb. The complex with an arched roof was used to house massive tanks more than 230 metres long. They were built between 1938 and 1941 to provide a bomb-proof supply of oil for the Royal Navy’s base at Invergordon. The town has a long and proud connection to the sea which is reflected in a mural trail around its streets and its position as an RNLI lifeboat base.

Album closer Darklands uses sounds recorded there and, he says, “nicely ties up the themes of my home town, locals’ views and abandoned locations”.

Asked why he decided to include local voices – which include Fiona Ross, Callum Ross, Harry Stoltman and Dagger Gordon – he said: “The idea was one that I had for a while. I heard artists like Kate Bush and David Byrne use it and it had such a cool effect. More directly related to my album though is the way PJ Harvey used voices in her music videos for her album Let England Shake. That album in particular was a big inspiration behind my music for this album.

“I think it brings another level and emphases the theme of the album. They talk about good and bad aspects as well as what they think could be done to improve the town. The rich history that Invergordon has is also strongly commented on which I’m really proud of.”

He hopes the album will raise his profile as a musician a little, adding: “My dream is to tour and play concerts but I need to practice a fair amount to become a better guitarist.”

In the years that followed the discovery of his life goal at that fateful Rush concert, he discovered Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac and saw that he only used his fingers when playing. He said: “So that was when I decided to play finger-style guitar and I haven’t looked back since.”

A highly versatile and qualified musician, he has recently gained a BA (Hons) in Applied Music as well as an MA in Music and the Environment.

Lockdown, he said, gave him a “nudge” to write more songs which he is pleased with while giving guitar lessons online ensures he’s kept busy between working on solo projects.

The newly released album can be heard on Bandcamp and other streaming sites. Find out more at www.facebook.com/liamrossguitarist/ and https://liamrossguitarist.bandcamp.com.

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