Kev Macdonald's first self-released Single Lonely Operator received admiration and acclaim from numerous radio stations around the world and has been described as compelling and unique. It also opened the door for him to play to much larger audiences in 2014 including the Eden Festival in Dumfries as well as his first live radio show at Celtic FM and the Oxfam Festival in October. We caught up with him to find out more about himself and his new single.

Can you give us some info about your new single?

The song was written on a dreadnought acoustic I got as a present. I just loved the sound of the slide on it! I've still got the original demo (really raw and so much slower) but I decided to try it out with the loop. Even though at that point I had no beat made for it, the idea was going to be a stomp - just a simple kick to keep the timing - then while I was riffing about I came up with the loop...which is actually made up of three different riffs! Once the loop was there,vthe song wrote itself... I basically wrote the lyrics that morning, and the chorus I already had on the acoustic version. The rest came from watching the news and reading in between, but all in all it's a song about freedom and he used to have a home. At the time I wrote this I was having trouble with personal life and in the process of moving house and trying to find what I wanted. That's where the line he's not certain anymore comes from.

Sounds interesting. What about the production? Any special techniques?

It was recorded, mixed and mastered by myself at home using Cubase 5, which to this day I still prefer over any other programs... Perhaps because I'm too stubborn to try anything else! I'd say it was recorded pretty quickly because of the nature of the song, with general tidying up between sessions. I definitely spent less time recording and more mixing on that one! The idea for the song was solid, it didn't need much changes and the arrangement was pretty bang on from the beginning. I'm pretty pleased with the outcome and whenever I play it live I can see people are getting into it! I decided to go for it on the electric after the first demos were done and changed the rhythm and dynamics of the 2nd verse with the acoustic. I think the main hooks on the slide definitely give it a bit more on the SG.

So are you going to continue to perform solo, or do you have plans for getting a band to support you?

I will be continuing the solo gigs and releasing songs myself. As we speak I have a few more recordings that I completed over the Christmas period in the same vein as Lonely Operator and Nightbird. Hopefully I'll have time to mix them and get them uploaded by middle of February. I've genuinely got tons of finished songs ready to be recorded. I've been on a writing streak for the last year or so and especially in the build up of the referendum last year! In fact the next song I'm releasing is about that. It was written back in June last year, I could have released it on acoustic but after spending time on it and working with new sounds and guitar techniques I decided it wasn't ready. Lyrically it was but musically it was lacking something and that something has now been fixed! I've been in two bands before this the first was Punto the Feef where I was primarily lead guitarist, the second Mythical Creatures where I did a bit of vocals and lead guitar.

I started this solo project in 2013 while I was still in Mythical Creatures with a few friends, first doing bits in my spare time but it evolved into something else completely! It took over, there was too much going on in my personal life and the surrounding everyday juggles. Also it was hard to keep being in a band with commitments of myself and others. Too much to explain but I decided the place I was in and after getting feedback and praise from close friends and folk at gigs I should stick to what I'm doing.

Also in December I started working with three other musicians on the songs I have released and new songs with a view to record an album as a band. At the moment they are committed and the jams we've had have been - without getting too cocky - pleasantly received.

Hopefully we can get the time together to record the album soon as - I'm raring to go - but again while that's happening and still in process I'll keep doing what I'm doing and building my contacts and fans

Thanks to Kev for taking the time to talk to us. You can catch him live at the following upcoming gigs:

• Hard Rock Cafe - 4th February

• The Box - 13th February

• The Buff Club - 20th February

You can also follow Kev at his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Kev.Mac.music

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