Their winning blend of Americana, blues and southern rock has earned Perth’s Red Pine Timber Company a formidable reputation as a truly great live band.
With roots at their core, country in their hearts and rock n’ roll in their soul, Red Pine are bursting with talent.
Led by songwriter Gavin Munro, the band, which he describes as a “collective project”, will headline gigs across Perthshire over the festive period, with venues including Perth, Aberfeldy, and Pitlochry.
“We started in 2009 and we’ve been building the band steadily,” said Gavin, 50.
“There are eight core members but there can be ten musicians playing together at some gigs.
“When we play Perth Concert Hall on December 29, it’ll be the third headline gig we’ve done there, and folk love it.”
Gavin, who runs Perth’s Clearwater Recording Studio and also works as a lumberjack, said while the roots-based music incorporates soul, blues and country, the live shows are “more energetic”.
“There’ll be a 10-piece band at Perth Concert Hall, with a full brass section and Proclaimers, China Crisis and Del Amitri guitarist Stuart Nisbet will be playing pedal steel guitar.
“It’ll be an amazing night for people wanting to dance, listen to stories and songs.
“Because Red Pine is a collective, it’s an expanding, fluid concept.
“Everybody involved loves to perform music and that passion rubs off on the audience. It’s about the sheer joy of making music.”
“It’s going to be pretty full-on, with five gigs in a row, so hopefully my voice will stay strong! The strange thing is, you can feel rubbish before you go on stage and then something takes over – it lifts and drives you. There are others in the band who can help out if my voice has gone, plus I’m the veteran (I turned 50 this year), and I’m all about getting young folk along to play.”
Support for the Perth Concert Hall gig comes from the fantastically named Rancho Rebop and the Full Moon Howlers.
It’s been a hugely busy year for Red Pine. The band played Southern Fried Festival, Mull Music Festival, Montrose Music Festival, Glastonbury Festival, an array of Scottish theatre dates and finished up recording 22 songs for their second album.
Gavin says 2017 is set to be a massive year for the band, with the album, a 12-track “as yet, untitled”, coming out in spring, and loads of gigs booking up.
Red Pine Timber Company play the Old Mill Inn in Pitlochry on December 23 and 30, and on New Year’s Day; Perth Concert Hall on December 29, Aberfeldy’s street party on December 31.
