Anyone who has heard the stunning vocal talents of the one and only Monica Queen will rush to tell you she is one of Scotland’s brightest talents. With such an extraordinarily dynamic and unique voice, I guarantee that once heard, she is never forgotten.
From bands like the wonderful Thrum and Moni, through collaborations and supergroups such as Belle and Sebastian’s Lazy Line Painter Jane and the remarkable Gracious Losers, and recent albums with bandmate and partner, the equally talented and in demand guitar slinger Johnny Smillie, such as the astonishing and affecting Tenement and Temple album, she can put her voice to anything. She could sing my shopping list and I’d probably have tears in my eyes…
Most recently she has collaborated with Scottish industrial music legend Chris Connelly on The Birthday Poems, which I recently reviewed on Louder than War, lending her striking vocal to voice the tragic figure of Stella Cartwright, the muse of Rose Street. The album is an imagining of the relationship between Cartwright and the Orcadian poet and author, George Mackay Brown and their mutual friend, Stanley Green, both of whom are voiced by Connelly.
Monica and Johnny have also been releasing songs via the Creeping Bent Patreon project, recently including a beautiful cover of Captain Beefheart’s Too Much Time.
The Birthday Poems
On the back of The Birthday Poems release, I had the opportunity to ask Monica a few questions.
The Ginger Quiff: The Birthday Poems is an utterly engrossing listen, a perfect combination of engaging stories flawlessly soundtracked with the most sympathetic scores for the spirit of the song. How did you and Chris collaborate on the songwriting?
Monica Queen: I can’t take credit for the songwriting only for the interpretation of the songs. I was given a lot of leeway to do what I felt was right. Chris would send an arrangement and I would make my contribution with the help of engineer Johnny and it would be sent for consideration. Fortunately he was very pleased with my input so it was a very smooth process.
TGQ: I had an awareness of George Mackay Brown prior to listening to this album, it has encouraged me to dig deeper into the lives of all concerned, especially the tragic story of Stella. How did you get into the character of Stella during the writing and recording of the album?
MQ: Obviously, I did a bit of research into Stella and watched Palindrome a lot, but I was more concerned with character of the music. I believe that for any story to be listened to you must present it in an interesting and entertaining way. If I wasn’t intrigued by Bob Dylans voice I probably would never have heard his “poetry”. The tracks said to me Bowie and Bush so thats where I placed the performances while hopefully retaining my own voice.
Collaboration
TGQ: What parts of the recording of the album stand out in your memory? What songs stand out for you from the album and why?
MQ: In any collaborative project, even just when working with Johnny there is opportunity to perform. Then there is a period of waiting to see what the response is. In this case all the way from Chicago. Getting such a positive response from Chris is what I enjoyed most. There was a great sense of relief that we both shared the same thoughts about how we think it should sound. There is never a guarantee of this in any project. Usually a bit of coming and going takes place but this particular project went very smoothly.
I was also particularly stimulated by the opportunity to perform some spoken word like the track Cigarettes At Dawn. Spoken word can be quite beautiful and musical and it forces you nicely into the mind of the poet.
In Demand
TGQ: Your voice is instantly recognisable and displays such passion it could bring tears to an angel’s eyes. It’s has been omnipresent throughout my life as a music fan from Thrum and Moni through providing vocals for Belle & Sebastian then more recently recording one of the most affecting albums I’ve heard since The Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions in Tenement & Temple. Your unique voice means you are in great demand, as is your partner in crime, guitar virtuoso Johnny Smillie. How does it feel to be part of the most in demand musical partnership?
MQ: Well thank you. Kind words indeed. You know it is wonderful to gain credit from the media but there is no more satisfying feeling than to be peer reviewed positively. When someone you respect makes the effort to seek you out to give praise it really makes you feel like its worth doing. In this time when making music has such scant commercial reward this has become so important. However there is no greater proof of their honesty than asking you to give your voice/guitar /soul to their own music trusting that you will make it better.
I have always been asked, I turn down a lot of requests but I think Johnny is now getting the credit he deserves fo his guitar playing and is constantly being asked to contribute. It’s caused a bit of a problem for us to find time to progress our own projects. Right now though I’m enjoying The Birthday Poems but we’ll be right back to it soon.
New Music
TGQ: You’ve already appeared on the wonderful Gracious Losers album so far this year, and now this magnificent opus. You released a cover of Captain Beefheart’s Too Much Time earlier in the year, through Creeping Bent’s Patreon project. This is as a precursor to The Old Mill Sessions album, tell me more about that album.
MQ: Yes. Getting quite excited about that collaboration too. This time with the lovely Douglas McIntyre. It was his concept and the basic sessions were tracked in the Old Mill in Strathaven. Johnny took the sessions to finish off. We are getting quite near to completion on that one. Its a mixed bag of obscure Postcard era songs, some Americana classics and a few originals. We are really, really excited by the next track coming from it.
We have got together with our wonderful film maker Iain Mutch to create another beautiful visual. We feel he has become part of our core. In this age of the internet the video has probably superseded the record a long time ago as a medium for music. So we have been putting a lot of effort to create pieces that can actually elevate the music or at least reflect it. It was a gift to be able to make the homage to Palindrome.
Tenement & Temple … and Thrum!
TGQ: What other projects can you tell us about, is there going to be a follow up to the Tenement & Temple album?
MQ: Yes of course. In the short term we are looking to release a double a sided single on the great Fox Star Label featuring a new mix of A Ripa from Tenement and Temple and a new track which may or may not give a clue to the direction of TnT going forward. We are very proud of that record so a little bit of new attention for it is merited. We finished a lovely lockdown track with The incredible Strange Blue Dreams who feature on TnT and looking forward to you hearing that. We also have….drum roll….a Thrum album in the can that we are just looking for a space to release. As if that all wasn’t enough, we are adding our unique sounds to a few other projects when we can find the time and are having to cut back on a few things too.
And finally…
TGQ: The ubiquitous “coming out of lockdown” question. What are you looking forward to now that we are gradually coming out of lockdown? What about live plans?
MQ: Are we coming out?? Can we go to Italy then? We had hoped the jab would get us there. However, we do have a little outdoor show as guests of Starry Skies somewhere in a forest in Stirling that I think is sold out so looking forward to that. We’ve not done any lockdown video shows but we have agreed to do a zoom show along with John Hegley too.
TGQ: One last throwaway question. I lost my Thrum …. Make You Come t-shirt many years ago. It was a lovely green colour and I wore it all the time. Do you have any hiding in a box in the attic anywhere…
MQ: I don’t think we have any t-shirts however we do have shirts. We sold a lot of t-shirts but the shirts just didn’t sell as well. We’d love you to have one of them. (TGQ: I’ll be in touch!)
Thanks
Thanks so much to Monica for taking time out of her obviously busy schedule. Based on everything she has mentioned above, time is at a premium, so it is greatly appreciated. I for one, along with many others I’m sure, are excited at the prospect of the Thrum album, and new material from Tenement and Temple. I recently signed up to the Creeping Bent Patreon project and look forward to hearing the fruits of Monica, Johnny and Douglas efforts on the Old Mill Sessions.
Look out for an interview with Chris Connelly on Louder Than War.
A wee blast from the past to finish..