Let’s Go Roaming…
…to Laurel Canyon via Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall.
That’s exactly what Scottish musician Roddy Hart did recently for a night of collaboration at Celtic Connections.
In the late 1960s, Laurel Canyon, a neighbourhood high above Los Angeles, was home to the counterculture hippy scene with influential artists like Jodi Mitchell, The Byrds, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Frank Zappa and James Taylor, all living and making music in and around the area.
Hart inaugurated Roaming Roots in 2013 as a celebration of the late Levon Helm and its success gave him the thumbs up to repeat the recipe. Billed as a tribute to the legends of Laurel Canyon, this year’s Revue followed in a similar vein, taking advantage of the presence of so many musicians in town for the Celtic Connections festival. Artists on the bill included Lau, Lindi Ortega, Dawes, Siobhan Wilson, Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble and Frank and John from the Trashcan Sinatras – each offering their own take on a canyon related song and also allowed the opportunity to unveil some of their own work.
By the end of the show there were over 30 musicians on stage for a rousing finale of The Eagles’ ‘Take It Easy’ and The Mamas and the Papas’ ‘California Dreaming’.
Frank and John took to the stage earlier in the first half of the show for a sublime take on Judee Sill’s, ‘The Kiss’.
Here’s the promo poster for the event – a copy of which was presented to each artist who played.


The poster was designed and produced by Douglas Walker at Handcooked Posters in Stirling – there’s a link on the left there if you want to explore more of his work.

2014 January
(They’re floating above us)
In 2004, during the months of September and October, The Trashcans toured the USA and Canada for the first time since 1993, playing 26 dates in all. This was the first tour in support of fourth album, ‘Weightlifting’.
October 10 saw the Trashcan limo roll into San Diego, CA – stopping off at the M Theory Music store and KBZT Radio earlier in the day before heading to play a sold out gig at Cane’s Bar and Grill.
Here’s the promo poster for the gig. I’ve no idea who designed it, but I like it.

The tour of 2004, as a whole, saw the Trashcans making over 50 appearances in countries including Spain, England, Scotland and North America.
A wee footnote: (They’re floating above us) is a line taken from the Mekons’ 1988 single ‘Ghosts of American Astronauts’. You can have a wee listen to it here. And if you like it, you can download the Trashcans’ version here. Recorded straight from the soundboard at Fez, New York in April 2004 – it’s a belter!
2004
It’s A Miracle…
…after weeks (feels like months) of not posting anything, miraculously, there’s finally something to add to the archive.
The Trashcans made over 75 appearances in 2005, touring in Scotland, England, Ireland, North America and Japan.
Here’s a promo poster for the early part of the UK tour – and very nice it is too.

Ticket stub from the Glasgow show…

January 2005
First Past The Post-er
To promote the Trashcans’ 2010 US ‘In The Music’ tour, the band launched a tour quiz video. The object of the quiz was to make the connection between the cities that were included within the tour and various images that were shown on the video.
Dead easy? No really. It was pretty difficult, especially if you were on my side of the Atlantic. Needless to say, the winners came from the other side of the water.
In the end there were three joint winners – Randy Schreck, who sent me this picture, was one of them – who were given the opportunity to participate in their own Skype chat with the band and win some autographed items.
The picture is an early promo from the Cake era and includes, from left to right: John, George, Paul, Stephen and Frank. It is also autographed by band members past and present.
Magic!
1990-91 Cake era
Up The Loft
Here’s the promo poster – designed by Nick Durham – for the Trashcan’s performance at The Loft in Dallas, Texas, during the March 2011 Acoustic Tour.
Those Frank Sinatra afficionados among you will of course recognise that Nick has used an image from the Sinatra and Doris Day film, ‘Young At Heart’. Nick is a friend of Salim Nourallah, who supported TCS on the night. You can find out more about both Nick and Salim here and here respectively.
There wasn’t too many of these posters produced, so thanks to Carla Elliott and Shane Locke for sending one through.
Interesting side note: The band’s recent online ‘volunteers for brass duties’ campaign had its first success at this gig. They were joined onstage by Steve and Scott (sorry, don’t have their surnames) and those lucky enough to be in attendance got to hear the brass arrangement of 1993 song ‘I’ve Seen Everything’ live onstage.
Magic stuff!


Auld blue eyes…
4 March 2011 Acoustic Tour (US)