The Errogie Collection

Now Adam Sutherland is no stranger to me. I've known him since high-school and have been knocking around with him for 20 years or so. When I was growing up on the North side of Loch Ness people from the South side were considered a strange and backward type of folk. If Inverness is 15 years behind London the folk from the south side were 27 years behind. They would attend our enemy school the I.R.A (Inverness Royal Academy) and it was a point that could always be raised during one of the frequent slagging matches. Teenage, parochial prejudice aside, the South side of Loch Ness was not somewhere I knew that well, I had a brief stint looning / beating on Aberski estate but other than Dorres and Sutherland folks house I knew little of the place until recently. Adam (or Starcho as I affectionally label him, due to his love of potato based products) has just compiled his first book of tunes. Through our twenties we were close musical cohorts as we played together in ethnofunk, progressive, beat combo Croft No Five. During this period Sutherland penned many classics, 'The Road to Errogie' being the most popular and my favourite and perhaps most obscure 'My Dad Killed Christine Martins Pig'. We used to play a romantic, power ballad which was called 'The Brick' at the time and 'Rigo's Rant' is still in my opinion one of the pinnacles of the progressive, ethnofunk era, I still play the Bass groove to this day. So I was both honoured and pleased when he asked me to take photos for the book. It is worth noting that there has not been a tune book from the South of Loch Ness since the 1870's (Simon Fraser's - Knockie Collection), so I was not only pleased to help a pal out but also to have my pictures in such an illustrious historical & cultural record.You may have noticed that the thumbnail for this post is of Adam's Dad Alex. Adam has been a very loyal customer to me, a trait I greatly respect and value. So this means my website is littered with pictures of the boy. So I thought I'd shine a light on Alex here because, simple put he is a living legend. Alex is quite frankly amazing. His knowledge of highland Scotland is vast, salient and firmly rooted in the land and it's people. He is one Scotland's top runners and not just in his age group. He often trounces people half his age and let me tell you this... I have seen him descend a mountain. It was awesome, genuinely awesome. Considering my own pace (and age) I was genuinely taken a back and enamoured by his deft agility and his brutal speed. He was at the pub and hour before anyone else. Whilst taking these photos Alex came along, he is an excellent guide. I learnt so much about the area, it's people, it's history the land itself. We talked about the Highlands at large and the bothersome state of affairs the world finds itself in these days, both politically and environmentally. If there is an apocalypse I want Alex on my team! Adam's family home at Ault na Giore is Classic, absolutely classic. I love that place, it is so full of character it's hard to know where to start. Adam was adamant that his book not only conveyed his music beautifully but that it also gave a strong sense of place. Speaking as a proud highlander myself I can not overstate how important the land we hail from is to us, it is beautiful and brutal in equal and unpredictable measure. I was lucky to have such experienced and well rooted tour guides and I have found spots that I will definitely be revisiting when the conditions are right. Frankly any residual, idiotic, adolescent prejudice I had of the South side has evaporated. The area is extremely varied, forests of all types, barren moor, lochs,  rivers, glens  falls and some not insubstantial mountains too. It is a place I am committed to explore, into the Monadhliaths and beyond.So there you go. Please go and buy the book. I am really happy with it. Ronan & Christine Martin at Taigh na Teud did a great job of pulling it all together and having my work associated with such a great man and his music is an honour.You can buy it direct from adam here...http://www.adamsutherland.co.uk/shop/