SPARKS FROM THE MOTHERSHIP: Mission Statement + Plans for 2019

December 20, 2018

SPARKS FROM THE MOTHERSHIP: Mission Statement + Plans for 2019

MISSION STATEMENT + OUR PLANS FOR 2019
Based in the Scottish Borders, Sparks From The Mothership is a newly hatched entity, a creative hybrid: equal parts Indie label, Plugger, Zine & Archive.

Our initial focus is on helping to draw attention to the Scottish Borders Underground Scene.

Throughout 2019, Sparks From The Mothership will be working with various labels and bands associated with this scene to put out a series of free download singles, EPs & albums through our BandCamp page.

https://sparksfromthemothership.bandcamp.com/releases

These releases will be made up of a mixture of new material and older forgotten gems from the archives. Each of these limited edition releases will be available to download free for one month: first-come-first-serve, with a maximum of 200 downloads per month.

SOME BACKGROUND: THE GALA UNDERGROUND
The Scottish Borders burgh of Galashiels - penultimate stop on the southward bound Waverley Line from Edinburgh - is primarily known for its world-class textiles college, and the local legend which proclaims that Scots pop star, Fish, reputedly once “got pished” there at some point prior to joining ‘80s Prog outfit, Marillion.

For 25 years or so, however, Galashiels has also been the base of a thriving Rural Underground, a countryside coalition of subterranean creatives.

Major players in this scene have been:

- the self-published, nationally distributed 1990s music monthly, SunZoom Spark magazine (named after a track from Captain Beefheart's Clear Spot album);
- the major label-signed Alt-Rock combo, Dawn Of The Replicants, beloved of the legendary BBC broadcaster, John Peel;
- a slew of Indie bands with intriguing names: Stone Ghost Collective, The Bird And The Monkey, Paul Vickers and the Leg, The Stark Palace, Vacuum Spasm Babies, Sarahjane Swan, Electron Mass, Pluto Monkey, Crunchy Joseph, The Pralines, Sharlott & the Rogues;
- a cluster of ambitious DIY labels (Shark Batter Records, dumb/SULK trigg-er, Athene Noctua, Of Human Bonding & Simple Bounty);
- the award winning absurdist stand-up of Replicants frontman, Paul Vickers, a veteran of the Edinburgh Fringe with his "Mr Twonkey" persona;
- and the underground filmmakers, Sarahjane Swan and Roger Simian whose internationally-screened experimental films and art installation work, under the Avant Kinema banner, have, bizarrely enough, prompted a recent Motion to be proposed in the Scottish Parliament.

MOTHERSHIP OF INVENTION
Sparks From The Mothership was originally the name given by Dawn of the Replicants to a promotional sampler CD of early tracks, which East West Records mailed out to music journalists and radio producers in 1997. Copies of this can still be found floating around on eBay. Never being ones to let a catchy phrase go to waste, we've decided to upcycle Sparks From The Mothership as the title for this archive / reappraisal of The Borders Underground Scene, mainly as a tip of the hat to the publication which started everything off: Sun Zoom Spark magazine.

SPARKS FROM THE MOTHERSHIP MUSIC SAMPLER

(1) Dawn Of The Replicants - Skullcrusher (David Holmes & Tim Goldsworthy remix)

(2) The Bird And The Monkey / Justin Lavash - Blow Out The Candle

(3) The Stone Ghost Collective - Moonlight Cantata

(4) The Stark Palace - Napoleon Does Dallas

(5) Vacuum Spasm Babies - Science Division

(6) Sarahjane Swan - I Am Just The Past

(7) Paul Vickers & The Leg - Paper Boat