So Bison Hip, how many members in your band and how did this group form?
Paul: We're a 5 piece band, with Graeme on bass, Stevie on keys, Malcolm on drums, John on guitar, and I'm the singer. We we're formed during the pandemic, while we were all locked down. We had a Zoom call, just a catch up really, when someone suggested we formed a band. We're all in our 50's (except Stevie, he's a spring chicken at 40), and we've known each other for years. It seemed like a mad idea, but the more we all thought about, the more sense it seemed to make. So that's what we did, when lockdown was over, we finally got together.
So where are you guys located and what's it like in your hometown?
We all live in Glasgow, in Scotland. It's an amazing place, it rains a lot, but there's a great energy. It's always had a vibrant music scene. It's also got the best football derby in the world, and that gives it a unique edge.
Blues and Rock are a wonderful combination, can you guys tell us where you get the inspiration?
We've all been playing music for over 30 years, in lots of different bands, and plenty of different styles. So we're inspired by so many thins. But blues and rock have a special place for all of us, and we wanted that ethos of real instruments, real musicians, no click tracks, minimum overdubs, just the fell and sound of a bunch of guys playing in a room. It's that connection that really inspires us.
Tell us about your latest project, Greens and Blues
Dear Greens & Blues is our debut EP. By the time we got out of lockdown, we had tons of ideas, the songs were flowing out, so it was hard to choose what to release first. The song 'This Time' felt like the perfect introduction to Bison Hip, and the title track was all about life in our city, so these felt like obvious choices. But we've got lots more, our next EP is out at the end of July.
Are you guys currently on tour or have plans of setting up one?
We're not touring yet, no, we've got some more recordings to do, we'd love to get an album out towards the end of the year, then we'll be booking some shows. We can't wait, though, that's what it's all about for us, getting out in front of people.
On a day to day basis, what is the creative process like?
We've always got loads of ideas, they can come from anywhere. Sometimes it's a lyric, sometimes it's a guitar riff, but most of the time it's a subject or a story running around in our heads, something we want to talk about, and it starts from there.
Besides music, what kind of stuff are you guys into?
We're all getting on a bit, so for the most part, we're all family guys, dealing with normal life. I've got a cool camper van and I like to travel round the country with my family whenever I can. We like sport, John and I support the opposite Glasgow football teams, so for 90 minutes we don't like each other very much, but as soon as it's over, it's back to normal. In reality, we're all so busy with Bison Hip right now there's not much time for anything else.
Any last remarks?
We like to say the we've arrived at the party fashionably late, starting at our age. But I think that gives us a unique perspective, of music and life. We would love to inspire people of our age to start playing, or maybe pick up their instruments again. There are loads of incredibly talented people sitting at home, I'd love to hear what they've got to say. We've started late, but we hope to around for quite some time.
www.bisonhip.com
