Skinny Dipper

Recently, our resident inquisitor General, Betty Mayonnaise, was rather taken by the multi-member, predominantly female, and minor-star-studded ‘supergroup’ Skinny Dipper. So much in fact that we decided that it might be a good idea to pose 10 questions to the band. May God forgive us for what we have done.

1. The recent EP launch was quite a big deal. Can you give us a bit more detail on the Cameron Crowe connection (early song titles, why he is such an influence and what he actually said that made you so chuffed)?

Vocalist Alex and I met through mutual friend Halina Rifai about 3-4 years ago and very quickly established we both have very similar taste in movies and music. Our principal common obsession was the work of Cameron Crowe and in particular his film ‘Almost Famous’. I think we were both largely influenced by the soundtracks and themes in his films. It started as this joke one night when we were both fairly under the influence of red wine and I got Alex to record some vocal tracks on some song I had written. I lived in this massive old tenement flat at Charing Cross at the time which had a cavernous hallway cupboard, in which we had installed various mattresses and blankets in attempt to soundproof the room. We recorded vocals on my laptop in there by fairylight but for the most part all the instruments were midi samples. Some early song titles included ‘I Am A Golden God’ (from Almost Famous) and ‘When We Are Both Cats’ (Vanilla Sky). What had started out as a joke though soon became something I really cared about because Alex has this way of bringing the melodies I write to life. It has taken us a long time but I think we have finally found a really good group of musicians to help realise the arrangements and work on new material. The Cameron Crowe thing had kind of become a distant memory until the weekend of the EP launch in early September, when he got in touch on Twitter. We were all really delighted he loved the music and had offered to tweet about the release, and to this day I’ll never forget the second I got a message from him saying “You guys are crazy great! Holy crap!”. I was at a friend’s wedding at the time and already fairly emotional (read: drunk)… so it was a lovely experience, he is very kind. There are no solid plans going forward to continue the Cameron Crowe theme (though one song on the EP, ‘Son of A Mitch’ retains a title nod to one of his movies). But getting to hear your hero tell you he likes what you do is more than we ever ever could have dreamt of, especially when he is one of Hollywood’s biggest directors.

2. We noticed one quite influential person in the audience last week. Can you comment on future gigs and bookings, anything specific to look out for in the Celtic Connections press release in October for example?

I’m genuinely not sure who it is you are referring to, but we are definitely always up for playing festivals. I worked at Celtic as artist liaison in 2011 and it is run and booked by a truly wonderful group of people, so we would be honoured to take part if the opportunity came up. We were on the STV Riverside Show on Tuesday 23rd Sept, and will be playing the Olive Grove Records showcase at the Pleasance Theatre Edinburgh, as part of the Pleasance Sessions there. Three members of the band are also in Randolph’s Leap and we are fairly busy in the coming months, so it is always a balancing act with live shows!

3. What are SD’s biggest musical influences? (this is first open question, apologise for first two and will try to keep them open from now on!)

Bands like:
Feist
Azure Ray
Haim
Frightened Rabbit
School of Seven Bells
Idlewild
Lau
Bright Eyes
Joanna Newsom
Lyrically Philip Larkin and Liz Lochhead have always influenced me too.

4. Ok screw that – and everyone is being asked this given it is Sept 17th now (well… – Ed) – do you guys have views on the Indyref and what are they?

Having waited till today (result day) to get back to you all I can say is personally I was a very strong yes supporter and I am absolutely gutted with the no verdict, and feel we’ve missed a massive opportunity to gain some more democratic powers for Scotland’s people. On the up side though, I think the level of political engagement our country has shown this week has been immense. I can’t comment for the rest of the band however, though I know there are a few Yes supporters in there.

5. BM reckons the sound mix must be quite tricky for a gig like Stereo and others, it was actually pretty good but given the combo of instruments and vocals, what has been your worst gig, sound-wise, you don’t need to blame anyone!

Haha, I would rather not say as I think it would be rude. But yeah, we struggle a lot with sound because of our line up and still being relatively unknown and playing in small venues. The launch was our 7th ever gig and I believe it was the first time we’d ever had a full sound check as a band. When we played Stag & Dagger at CCA and Brew At the Bog at Bogbain Farm in summer I was particularly impressed with the sound especially just based on line checks.

6. There is an Olive Grove showcase at Glad Cafe we think next month, need to check the date – is SD appearing?

We aren’t, no, but we are as mentioned above playing at the Pleasance Sessions show. (Not the most enthralling question/answer of the 10, but kept in for continuity reasons – Ed).

7. What is the most ridiculous musical comparison that has been made about SD so far (apologies, think BM might have called you the Corrs times three, very unprofessional but was just for the banter).

Biffy Clyro. Haha! Was that you?

8. Definitely noticed some anthemic tendencies in a couple of the tracks, what is your (collective, sorry to put it to the vote) fave all time musical anthem, and it does have a “n” as well, pass the correction fluid. (No “n” in “anthem” – Tippex-happy Ed, it’s the fumes…)

Don’t know if it is necessarily considered an anthem but ‘Naive Melody’ by Talking Heads is my personal anthem. It cheers me up no matter what. In fact I’m going to put it on now while I nurse my referendum wounds.

9. Who would you vote for in the Mercury Prize this year?

FKA Twigs. Superb.

10. Lastly, who would you want to remix SD tracks – BM is thinking Steve Albini, possibly Squarepusher, Thom Yorke has shown an interest…?

It’s funny you said Steve Albini cause he was involved in producing and engineering my favourite all time album, which is Joanna Newsom’s second record ‘Ys’. I’d take him any day if he offered! Or maybe Charlie Andrew, who recorded Alt J’s debut ‘An Awesome Wave’.

‘Masks’ is available as a download now, with 12″ vinyl on the way…