Imagine a discrete, decadent little meeting place, tucked away in the heart of Mayfair; a place with thick wooden doors, beyond which can be found stairs that lead down beneath street level and into the very heart of hedonistic, 1960's London.

The Scotch Of St. James was such a place, and Patrick McKenzie would frequent it often. During his time as a ghostwriter for London Decca, right about 1965, The Scotch opened its doors to the swinging mods of the day. By all accounts it was a "happening" place. Celebrities would come and go, folks like The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, and The Hollies would often stop by, and occasionally you would see a young Paul McCartney seated with a friend or two in the back. I can't be sure if Patrick ever shared a table with Macca, but it was around that time that they would be introduced. So I can easily imagine they did. I wonder what they talked about? What was their preferred drink?

It was at 'The Scotch' that an unkempt musician played for the first time ever under the stage name 'Jimi Hendrix'. Clapton was discovered there by the head of Atlantic Records. And it was the very spot where Paul McCartney first met Stevie Wonder.

Yes, The Scotch was a very special place indeed. In truth, I had never heard of the place until I came across one of Patrick's songs - aptly titled 'The Scotch of St. James'. After reading his lyrics I had to investigate, and once I learned all that I could, I understood the significance and the history -especially as it was part of Patrick's history. Its a beautiful piece about young love, navigating swinging London, and of course...music and fashion. Pop culture rings like a bell with this one, and so it is my great pleasure to release this song come October.

I think that once you hear it, you too will gain much insight into the goings on of a very young Patrick McKenzie as he takes on the world.

KM

It's time to shine some light onto the brilliant and talented Rosie! Not only is she a superstar for Famous Groupies, Rosie Abbott McKenzie has been making music long before Famous Groupies came to be. Last year she married our very own Gavin McKenzie and she was formerly inducted into the McKenzie family (and we could not be more thrilled!).  Rosie has been releasing her brilliant music for sometime now, and her albums can be found here --> Bandcamp               

I encourage you to sample her latest release, Magnified. It truly is otherworldly. And get this, Rosie plays every single instrument on that album. Every. Single. Instrument! She does it all ....vocals, piano, guitars, drums, violin....you name it and she plays it. Her songs are eclectic, thought provoking, melodic, magical creations. Every one of her albums is a sonic picnic on a summery day.

We are so lucky to have her as a Famous Groupies bandmate, and we look forward to making more music with her soon. Ah, but the best news is that she is currently writing and recording a new album as I write this. We look forward to that release sometime in the near future.

Lets raise a glass to you, Rosie!  Cheers!
And thank you for all the great music that you give to this world.

Maestro Nick Frater has released a stellar new album called "Earworms". And it truly does live up to its name, chock full of catchy songs! I encourage all to check it out here. Shindig! magazine gave it a 5 star review!
And, the LPs ship with a bonus CD secret album;  The ReButles (the imagined solo careers of The Rutles! It is an 8 song EP, all fab songs to be sure. Nick invited me to sing lead on the track "Baby I'm Amazing". Here is a track list, and with these titles you know the EP is already a smashing corker.

The ReButles
01. Stuck In A Rut
02. Baby I'm Amazing
03. The Lost Weekend
04. Hah Hah
05. Sodor And Gommorrah
06. You Only Live Once
07. When We Were Eighteen
08. The Last LAugh

Go buy your copy of Earwoms today, and get the bonus EP by The ReButles

Our new album (Chameleon Sessions) has finally arrived and is being sent out to all of those who pre-orderd in Japan several months ago. There are two versions of this CD, the standard and the version with OBI notes. Also, Disk Union and other record stores in Japan have restock of The Furry While Album as well as our debut, Rehearsing The Multiverse.  All of our CD releases in Japan come with or without OBI notes, including the rare "Double Entendre" album.

Thank you for your support, Japan!

Cheers!

Sometime back I was asked to lend some vocals to my friend's new song, which is *very* Beatlesque in the best way.
So, here is the song "The Happy Place" by Geoffrey Raines. Click on THIS to hear it.   Or, you can visit bardomusic.com and listen to the entire EP.

I have also lent a hand to a few other projects, both of which I think you will like - one of which is knee deep in the spirit of Macca Beatles. I will keep you posted when I hear more about those releases.

Cheers!

Kirkcaldy

Since dropping the last and presumably final Famous Groupies album, I have had time to dig even deeper into Patrick's notes, song books, tapes and sheet music. There is a wealth of good material here, but I could spend a lifetime trying to get it all 'out there' properly and I'd probably fail miserably. I doubt there is enough time. So, I had a thought.

I've been cobbling together as much of the better recordings that I could find. That is to say, the actual recordings for the many demo's and ideas that Patrick himself had recorded between the years 1968 and 1980. I very much like the idea of releasing those recordings - as is- for his fan base to digest and ponder.

Anyway, its still in negotiation with my family, and a few of us don't much care for the idea of releasing Patrick's material in this way, and I can respect and appreciate their point of view. So, this may or may not even happen, but I am hoping that it does. I will keep you all posted should I have any good news in the future.

Meanwhile, I have been making my own recordings of the aforementioned songs, and perhaps I will release my versions of those songs - if everyone is onboard with that idea as well. They are just simple demos of me working out Patrick's material on my own...with a guitar or piano. Nothing polished, mind you.

I will say, I did indeed stumble onto this behemoth of a song, an epic concoction of many songs rolled into one. I suppose I would compare it to  'Backseat of My Car' meets 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey'. I've spent a week on that song alone, just trying to figure it all out -much like a jigsaw puzzle. If anything, I would love to track that one proper and share it. Its just too good to be sitting in a footlocker.

We are pleased to announce that our new album is now available for sale at these fine outlets in Japan, be it brick and mortar or online. Here are but a few places to shop - for our friends in Japan.

*Click on the pic to be redirected.