SPILL FEATURE: I AM OK WITH BEING OPTIMISTIC – A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN DOUGLAS OF TRASHCAN SINATRAS

I AM OK WITH BEING OPTIMISTIC

A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN DOUGLAS OF TRASHCAN SINATRAS

It has been 10 years since the last Trashcan Sinatras’ album, 2016’s Wild Pendulum. There have been a few singles, but it has been a while since we heard from them. And they have been missed. The original line-up of Stephen Douglas (drums, vocals), Francis Reader (vocals, acoustic guitar), Paul Livingston (lead guitar), John Douglas (rhythm guitar, vocals), Davy Hughes (bass) are all together on their new album Ever The Optimist, but other than a one-off show, no tours are planned at this time.

“Our promotion people wanted a proper group photograph of all five of us,” explained John Douglas during our recent conversation. But the photo shoot turned into a lot more. “It seemed as though it was going to be impossible, as Paul and Frank are in the States, but Frank’s mom isn’t too well and he decided to come over a good bit of the summer just, so he was coming over. Paul’s dad asked if wanted to come over for a little just to catch up. So, he came over to spend time with his dad, and Paul realized we were all in the country.”

Since a photo shoot was planned, the band also decided to use the time to shoot a new music video for their new album, Ever the Optimist. The video shoot also turned out to be a whole lot more.

“We had a day’s rehearsal, a venue, The Harbour Arts Centre, one of the very first places we played, 40 years ago, and we approached them to do a show, but it was more of a video shoot than a show. But then we thought, if we are doing a performance video, we might as well do a performance. It is a very small venue, of maybe 100 capacity. So, we thought we’d just invite friends, not sell tickets, just invite people who have worked with us over the years, or fans of ours since day one. No one knew about it, it was a secret and we did it Thursday night. We had a lovely time and saw some friends. It was very emotional to be honest. We have not been together in the same room for eight or nine years, so it was good to catch up just as humans, with the distraction of playing. And the playing was very relaxed. A couple of new ones and songs that we knew inside out. As a byproduct, we got what we wanted, a load of pictures and a video.”

PURCHASE EVER THE OPTIMIST

Since the band are not in the same countries, or the same sides of the oceans, recording Ever The Optimist proved to be difficult. But with technology, they were able to bring everything together for a brilliant album. “It was quite a long journey to do it. There were two studios used in Glasgow and most of the time songwriting goes along, and MP3s get passed around and then when a bunch of them get passed around enough, or rather we settle on three or four things, me, Steve and Dave rehearse, because we are the rhythm section and work up the arrangement and send them to Paul and Frank, they make suggestions and then we record. Paul takes all the tapes and works out the arrangements. It is kind of bizarrely done, but the record does sound like a band. But we weren’t ever in the same room.”

The Trashcan Sinatras never really split or had a big blow out. Rather, life seemed to intervene between albums. “The decade is filled with life. Our thing has always been constant; it has always been a stuff that goes around. There are songs that never got finished or were on previous records, or kick something on. So, the years between the records are filled attempting to get the next one going. It is an ongoing process. There were years we got on with our own lives, went on tours, some dark things financially, but it was just slow taking time. And the nature of being far apart makes things take a little longer. But we want to sound natural, which can be tough at times, because it takes a lot of arranging.”

And even after all these years and albums, there are still goals for Douglas, including a Christmas record and a duet, which Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura helped the band achieve on Ever The Optimist.

“We get close to it with “Bad Husband” on this record. Not so much lyrically but it works anyway. She has done solo things and things with other people. We did shows with them, years ago in London, and we really like them as people. And she has one of those unmistakable voices, you know it straight away. She is very song orientated and she made it very clear she loved our suff. We did a documentary, a radio documentary on the BBC, and she chose to volunteer to be part of it. She gets the nuances of what we do. So, I think she was buzzing to be asked, and we were buzzing to have her on the record. The lyrics are a male and female perspective, and it was a treat.”

“I’m an optimist, but I think it is through the journey of going through pessimism first and realizing that the wise thing to do is be optimistic,” laughed Douglas. “It’s not easy getting out of bed at this age, it is difficult, but there are beautiful things and acts of kindness everywhere, but we get assaulted everywhere with negativity. People are selling it everywhere these days. It is on your phone, your cinema, your T.V. It is everywhere. It is owned by forces that are not showing the joys of life. And that is o.k., I just try to avoid it. I am ok with being optimistic. There is a point and it is there if you look for it.”

Douglas enjoyed their show and expressed that he would like to do more shows with the band.

“The show was very heartwarming just to be with the guys in the room. We were on stage, amongst friends and playing songs that were written over the many years. It did feel like a one-off, because circumstances had arrived for the time, and we took advantage of them. But those circumstances aren’t around too often. So, there was a lot of treasuring every minute, looking at each other. I am glad it was filmed and recorded. For me songs are the best, as a writer, when you are in a room, playing them and seeing how much they mean to someone else. There is a real connection that music does that you don’t get from anywhere else. To be part of the band doing that is a treasure and you only get it when you play.”

And Douglas hopes that the album hits people in a certain, and extremely well explained, way.

“I think it is an up-tempo thing. There is a lot of energy in it and it has a smile on its face, this record. This record is an interesting and attractive fellow, you want to talk with him again. There is a bit more thought going on there. Like someone who looks good, then they speak and say stuff that is really interesting,” laughed Douglas.

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