IT IS only 8am in Connecticut but Alan Gorrie isn’t too troubled being roused at such an early hour. This is one week when he gets back to his first love, painting. The Average White Band might still get most of his year, but this is time for a week away from the bass guitar, at the Silvermine Arts Guild.
“It’s an intense week of painting,” he says. “I’ve been a member here for about 10 years but I don’t get a chance to attend regularly. I do set this week aside every year, however. It’s great to get back into what I once did. It’s a bit of a Zen thing – it allows me to get away from some of the nonsense.”
Perth-born Gorrie will celebrate his 70th birthday a few days before the Average White Band appear at Rewind, the 80s Festival at Scone Palace, but the touring schedule continues all year round.
AWB has played the festival at the original Henley-on-Thames location and Rewind Scotland near Perth.
“It’s the only chance I really get to play a hometown gig. Dundee is the closest I get now. I like Rewind though, it’s a really eclectic array of artists to appear alongside. It ranges from the fun and nonsense stuff right through to the top-notch musicians.”
Gorrie moved to Dundee in the 1960s to study at Duncan of Jordanstone Art College, but was sidelined by a succession of bands that started with The Vikings and culminated, since 1972, in the Average White Band.
He’s been living on the East Coast of the US since the band made the move to their spiritual home, but he retains a home in Perth, and was spotted at Rewind a couple of years ago, not playing but watching his good friend Daryl Hall, when Hall & Oates headlined in 2014.
“They were great but the only time Daryl messed up was by saying the 70s were better than the 80s – at an 80s festival! The crowd didn’t mind when the next hit came along though.”
However, he seemed as keen to see Pitso Pirie, stage managing the event but best known to Gorrie as the roadie of choice for his friend and musical hero Dougie Martin.
“I hope Pitso’s doing it again. He’s a Dundee legend, also known as Captain Gruff. I know he’s been working in Peter Gabriel’s crew, but if he could organise Dougie Martin and Mafia, he could organise anyone. He makes things run like clockwork.”
At Rewind it needs to run like that. With a succession of almost 30 acts over two days, most playing relatively short sets, it needs to run smoothly and adapt to everything from a synth duo to full bands like AWB who need precision sound to do justice to the set.
According to Gorrie, for the artists Rewind is a satisfying experience.
“The venues are great and everyone playing is treated with respect. No-one except the people getting up on stage is allowed backstage and that helps everyone to relax.
“At some festivals it’s as much about the glampers paying high prices to get their VIP access, but not here. It’s beautifully catered, we’re treated well, and consequently we’re all in a good mood, we enjoy the day and are in the right frame of mind to put on a great performance.”
It’s an unusual festival for AWB, however, who mostly play jazz festivals. “They’re great, but very adult,” says Gorrie. “Here, it’s all fun. But no-one is misbehaving or making a nuisance of themselves. Catering to that age group, they’ve learned to enjoy the weekend without damaging themselves or anyone else – any damage will just be a bit of a hangover from the liquid stuff.”
Previously AWB has had the 4pm slot, he says. The point where they get the audience dancing into the evening. “We don’t have to play for 90 minutes so we can cherry-pick the stuff that will keep the mood up. We do shortened versions of as many things like that as possible. You’ll know what they’ll be - Let’s Go Round Again, Pick Up the Pieces, Atlantic Avenue, all what could be called the poppier stuff.
“The next night we’re doing the Edinburgh Jazz Festival and that’s where we show off (laughs) but it’s diametrically opposite to Rewind.”
It’s typical of his split interests – a blend of taking AWB around the US and recording at a studio outside Tealing in Angus, and releasing a cover of Michael Marra’s Letter From Perth to raise funds for the Marra family’s Optimistic Sound charity.
“I don’t get too many chances to get home but I enjoyed that and I can see a few people in the days before Rewind.
“I’ve still to find out if we’re doing the 4pm slot this year. I hope so. A great gig like that, then a fish supper at night. Pretty much the perfect day for a musician.”
Average White Band play Rewind Scotland at Scone Palace tomorrow and the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh as part of Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival on Sunday. www.rewindfestival.com; www.edinburghjazzfestival.com
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here