The first sessions for what became 'Tierra Quemada' took place in December 2016 in Anniesland, Glasgow. My good friend, and long term collaborator, Dejan Lapanja flew over from Slovenia and we set up a temporary studio. There were ambitious plans in place for what we hoped to achieve in a very short space of time, and I don't think its an exaggeration to say we slightly over-reached!

Recording continued a few months later with Luigi Pasquini with Dejan in a long distance producer roll. We recorded some extra tracks and tried different interpretations of some of the music recorded the previous December. Some of it worked, some didn't but there was a version of the album recorded, mixed, mastered and ready to go.

But, it didn't quite sit properly for me, so I put aside for a little while as I was busy touring and recording the fourth Doghouse Roses album, 'We Are Made of Light'. It was released in November 2019 and we promoted it into 2020 until and then things changed. So fast forward to winter 2020 I decided to have another go at a few of the tracks, so I bought a couple of microphones, set up in my flat and started recording again.

This finished version of the album contains 5 tracks from the original sessions with Dejan, one from the sessions with Luigi and 3 I recorded. The music is alternatively led by clawhammer banjo and fingerstyle guitar joined by some fantastic guest musicians. A recurring theme in my music is that of regeneration and change, and I think this album has a lot of the strange energy of the last 18 months in it, but looks forward with optimisim. 
credits
released April 1, 2022

Paul Tasker - Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin
Laura Beth Salter - Mandolin on 'Womble The Sausage Dog'
Rachel Hair - Harp
Una McGlone - Bass
Richard Evan - viola
Robert Henderson - trumpet
Dejan Lapanja - drums

Recorded in Glasgow by Dejan Lapanja (1,2,5,7 & 9), Paul Tasker (3, 4 & 6) and Luigi Pasquini (8)

Mixed and mastered by Dejan Lapanja

Sleeve Design and photography by James Morrison
Fine art photography by Luisa Casasanta

Tierra Quemada

Last waltz

After The Rain

Riding Out

Murmuration

Roadtrippin'

Firefly

Womble The Sausage Dog

Husker's Theme

Cold Weather Music is an acoustic instrumental record from Glasgow, Scotland.  Its not quite folk music, but its not far away either!

Blooms In The Autumn

Tundra Plane

Skytrain

Rising

Valve Oil

Gorlitzer

Ne'er Day

I'm mostly a fingerpicking guitar player who dabbles in a bit of 5-string banjo and mandolin. I’ve just released my first album of instrumental music on my own Yellowroom label. I was going to call it a solo album, but alongside myself on guitar and banjo, I’m joined by a very talented (and generous) group of friends.

As well as this I play in a few bands: ‘The Colour of Whisky” are still quite a new 4 piece. We’re very much into vocal harmonies with some guitar, piano, banjo and flute and we sing songs about the sea. They’re not all about the sea, of course, but it does seem to be a recurring theme.

I also play in a duo called ‘Doghouse Roses’. We’re just putting the finishing touches to a third album, but in between this and starting the band in 2005 we’ve played a lot of shows around the UK and central Europe. We’ve been on TV a couple of times too.

Sometimes I get asked to play a few shows or go on tour with another band… almost like moonlighting but without the secrecy. The Willard Grant Conspiracy asked me to play guitar on 2 European tours in 2007 and 2009, and Ive contributed guitar and banjo to albums by Nick Garrie, Katarina Juvancic and Dejan Lapanja, The Willard Grant Conspiracy and Brian Hughes among many others.

Paul Tasker

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