The Fruit Tree Foundation

Last updated

The Fruit Tree Foundation
Origin Scotland
Genres Indie rock, folk
Years active2010–2011
Labels Chemikal Underground
Members Rod Jones
Emma Pollock
Scott Hutchison
James Graham
Karine Polwart
Jill O'Sullivan
Jenny Reeve
Alasdair Roberts
Jonny Scott
James Yorkston
Graeme Smillie

The Fruit Tree Foundation was a Scottish musical project founded by Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones and former Delgados vocalist and guitarist Emma Pollock in 2010. Created in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation, the project's overall aim is to "raise awareness of mental health and challenge perceptions of mental health problems by creating great art." [1]

Contents

To date, the project has organised a number of live concerts, and released one studio album, First Edition (2011), featuring contributions from a number of notable Scottish musicians including members of Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad, Sparrow and the Workshop and Take a Worm for a Walk Week, alongside Karine Polwart, Alasdair Roberts and James Yorkston.

History

Beginnings (2008–2009)

In both 2008 and 2009, Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones and former Delgados vocalist Emma Pollock curated concerts for Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival, entitled, 'Music Like a Vitamin'. The concerts featured notable Scottish indie acts; Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad, Sons and Daughters and Attic Lights, alongside folk musicians; Karine Polwart, James Yorkston and Alasdair Roberts. Regarding the shows, Pollock noted, "They were great gigs, with huge attendance as we always kept the ticket prices so low." [2]

First Edition and mentoring scheme (2010–2011)

Prior to 2009's 'Music Like a Vitamin', Jones suggested that a full-length album featuring contributions from performers could be a possibility, noting, "The main idea is to have a more songwriter based project which will culminate in a record and then concerts as part of the festival. Something to keep people involved and talking about these things inbetween festivals. [...] There is a set idea now, and a plan, but I'm just awaiting the right funding. I think the main thing is to keep momentum so that we're not backtracking every year when we start a new festival." [3]

In 2010, the project became known as The Fruit Tree Foundation, with a post on the project's website stating: "Since 2008 the music events of the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival, programmed under the banner 'Music Like A Vitamin', have been growing in size and popularity. To build on this success and raise further awareness of the work of the Mental Health Foundation, we decided during early 2010 to go one step further and as well as organise the shows, create some new music to play at those shows too. It seemed natural that creating new music should be our way of getting further involved and getting people thinking and talking even more." [4] The project is supported by Breathing Space Scotland.

Musicians gathered in a house in Perthshire, for five days to write material which would become First Edition. Pollock noted, "We started putting our ideas together mid-2009, ready to go into the house in early 2010." [2]

To coincide with the album's release, there were two "launch gigs," with Jones noting, "I think the nerves and tension combined with the camaraderie that had been built through the process of writing and recording made for really special couple of evenings." [2] First Edition was subsequently released on Chemikal Underground records. [5]

In 2011, the Foundation introduced a mentoring scheme for young musicians, entitled 'New Branch', with Jones noting, "We got 170 applicants within a week, which was amazing. I listened to them all but had to be very objective and think about the bigger picture, being very aware of my grumpy old man tastes." [6]

Future

Regarding The Fruit Tree Foundation's future, Jones noted, "I don't want to limit The Fruit Tree Foundation project to being just another indie project. It's supposed to include everybody, so just because I don't listen to Shania Twain or whatever, there's no reason we shouldn't have people who sound like that in the project." [6]

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemikal Underground</span> Scottish independent record label

Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idlewild (band)</span> Scottish rock band

Idlewild are a Scottish rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1995. The band's line-up consists of Roddy Woomble, Rod Jones, Colin Newton (drums), Andrew Mitchell (bass), and Luciano Rossi (keyboards). To date, Idlewild have released nine full-length studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alasdair Roberts (musician)</span> Scottish folk musician

Alasdair Roberts is a Scottish folk musician. He released a number of albums under the name Appendix Out and, following the 2001 album The Night Is Advancing, under his own name. Roberts is also known for his frequent collaborations with other musicians and writers, as well as for being a member of the folk supergroup The Furrow Collective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Yorkston</span> Musical artist

James Yorkston is a Scottish folk musician, singer-songwriter and author from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife. He has been releasing music since 2001. As well as recording as a solo artist, he has released music with his backing band the Athletes, as part of the Fence Collective, and as a member of the trio Yorkston/Thorne/Khan. He has also written fiction and non-fiction books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Bissett</span>

Alan Bissett is an author and playwright from Hallglen, an area of Falkirk in Scotland. After the publication of his first two novels, Boyracers and The Incredible Adam Spark, he became known for his different take on Scots dialect writing, evolving a style specific to Falkirk, suffused with popular culture references and socialist politics. He also applied to be rector of the University of Glasgow in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Pollock</span> Scottish singer-songwriter and musician

Emma Pollock is a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician, and a founding member of the bands the Delgados and the Burns Unit. She is also one of the founders of the the Fruit Tree Foundation project and a regular contributor to Vox Liminis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karine Polwart</span> Scottish folk singer (b1970)

Karine Polwart is a Scottish singer-songwriter. She writes and performs music with a strong folk and roots feel, her songs dealing with a variety of issues from alcoholism to genocide. She has been most recognised for her solo career, winning three awards at the BBC Folk Awards in 2005, and was previously a member of Malinky and Battlefield Band.

Robert James "Bob" Fairfoull is a Scottish musician. He was the bass guitarist for the Scottish rock band Idlewild. He attended Portobello High School in Edinburgh between 1992–96 and was in the same class as Paul Thomson, the drummer from the band Franz Ferdinand.

<i>My Secret Is My Silence</i> 2006 studio album by Roddy Woomble

My Secret Is My Silence is the debut studio album by Idlewild lead vocalist Roddy Woomble, released 24 July 2006 on Pure Records.

The Scots Trad Music Awards or Na Trads were founded in 2003 by Simon Thoumire to celebrate Scotland's traditional music in all its forms and create a high profile opportunity to bring the music and music industry into the spotlight of media and public attention. Nominations are made by the public and in 2019 over 100,000 public votes were expected across 18 categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Rosa (band)</span> Scottish rock band

De Rosa are a Scottish rock band from Bellshill. It consists of Martin Henry, Chris Connick (guitar), James Woodside (bass), Neil Woodside (drums) and Andrew Bush (piano/keyboards). The band have released three studio albums—Mend, Prevention, and Weem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Jones (musician)</span> Musical artist

Rodric Iwan Pryce Jones is a British guitarist, singer and songwriter.

Future Pilot A.K.A. is the pseudonym of Glasgow indie musician Sushil K. Dade. Dade is a former member of the Soup Dragons, BMX Bandits and Telstar Ponies. Future Pilot's music blends classic indie pop with Indian classical, dub and hip hop influences.

<i>Ballads of the Book</i> 2007 studio album by Various Artists

Ballads of the Book is a collaborative studio album, released on 5 March 2007, on Chemikal Underground. The project was curated by Idlewild lead vocalist Roddy Woomble, and features collaborations between Scottish musicians and Scottish writers. The album is considered a "joint effort" by all those involved. Ballads of the Book was produced at Chem19 studios by Paul Savage and Andy Miller.

The Burns Unit was an eight-piece Scottish-Canadian folk music supergroup. The band formed in 2006, after the musicians met at Burnsong, a Scottish songwriting retreat. The band members come from varying musical genres including folk, pop and rap, and all have either acclaimed solo careers or are also members of other bands. The band had its debut concert in 2009 in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Celtic Connections music festival. In 2010, they released their debut album, Side Show. They continued to perform gigs and at festivals during 2011-2012, then amicably split, with members continuing their own respective careers.

The Birthday Suit is a Scottish indie rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 2011 by Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones. Alongside Jones, the band's line-up includes Jacqueline Irvine, David Jack, Steve Morrison, Séan McLaughlin and Catrin Pryce-Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RM Hubbert</span> Scottish guitarist and singer

RM Hubbert, commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, he has been an active member of the Glaswegian DIY music scene since 1991.

Traces is the fifth studio album by Scottish folk musician Karine Polwart, released in 2012. It was her first solo album in four years, though she had appeared as part of the collaborations Darwin Song Project, The Burns Unit and The Fruit Tree Foundation.

Rick Anthony is a Scottish musician, singer and songwriter originally from Aberdeenshire and now based in Glasgow. He is the lead singer and guitarist in the alternative rock band The Phantom Band and also performs as a solo act and releases music under the pseudonym Rick Redbeard.

Jill O'Sullivan is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter who grew up in Chicago and is based in Glasgow, Scotland. Currently performing as Jill Lorean, O'Sullivan has been a member of bands Sparrow and the Workshop, Bdy_Prts and Three Queens in Mourning, as well as contributing to records by Frightened Rabbit, James Yorkston, Roddy Woomble, Broken Chanter, The Grand Gestures, The Fruit Tree Foundation and the Gral Brothers.

References

  1. ↑ "Fruit Tree Foundation". Fruit Tree Foundation. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Thomas, Sean (23 July 2011). "Emma Pollock & Rod Jones on The Fruit Tree Foundation / In Depth // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  3. ↑ Lindsay, Andrew. "Interview: Rod Jones". stereokill.net. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "Fruit Tree Foundation". Fruit Tree Foundation. 24 October 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "Fruit Tree Foundation |". Chemikal.co.uk. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Fruit Tree Foundation: A New Branch". The Skinny. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.