Neil McKenzie is a a jack of all trades and a master of none. He started his music career when he was a 14 year old Bass player in Scotland, playing in a variety of bands. When he relocated to Amsterdam at the age of 22 he arrived with a backpack and a guitar. As the pressures of responsibility and working life grew, so did the dust on his guitar. Eventually it became a necessity to start playing again. Neil started to attend acoustic open mike nights and jam sessions around the city and within a short time was being asked to organise and host the events. Amsterdam being Amsterdam you can never tell who is going to show up, so Neil had to overcome his biggest fear and start singing. While he struggles to listen to his own voice and understands if you do too, starting to sing has afforded Neil the tools to write these songs. As his peer group of local musicians grew, Neil started to dust off his recording skills and make albums for a variety of artists he came across. He has since given up the office job and follows music a career. His artist website is www.neilmck.com and his company website is www.keep-it-creative.com -The Plough- The Plough is a song about taking five minutes out when you are at a party and pondering a little bit while you watch the stars. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Electric Guitars, Bass, drums and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Drums recorded at Muzyq, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Gandalf and Dead Saints- Gandalf and Dead Saints tells a story of travelling in Romania. I found the drums and acoustic guitar already synced on an old hard drive. I don't remember recording them. Words by Neil McKenzie and Kenneth Clarke Music by Neil McKenzie Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitars, Bass, Drums and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Drums probably recorded in Jam Studios, Amsterdam Acoustic Guitar probably recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Run Away- Run Away was written in Amsterdam in Autumn 2010 with a Brazilian musician called Evandro Chefas Words and Music by Evandro Chefas and Neil McKenzie Electric Guitars, Bass, drums, Electric piano and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Drums recorded at Muzyq, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Forgotten Memories- This was a guitar track which I recorded in Amsterdam. It's not particularly well recorded, but I liked the performance, so I put some lyrics on top of it which I had originally written as a respite from all my dour songs. It's meant to be about those great nights where you are still awake when the birds star singing, but the guitar I put it to has made it a little more questioning. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Acoustic Guitar and Vocals performed by Neil Mckenzie Acoustic Guitar recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Vocals recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Fluffy Memories- This is the only song that uses sampled drums, so it's the only song that's recorded to a click track. It's also the only song that was completely written in Scotland based on something I was messing around with on the guitar. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Electric Guitar, Bass, Hammond Organ, Drums and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie -Elegant Architecture Doesn't Generally Create Function- This song is in an alternative tuning(EADGCF). I based the song around a few chords which wrung out nicely on the acoustic guitar. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Drums and Vocals recorded by Neil McKenzie Acoustic Guitar recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Shadow on my Shoulder- This is the simplest track on the album. I spent a lot of time playing acoustically in pokey little holes in Amsterdam, so I wanted to have at least one song which had a similar vibe. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Acoustic guitar and vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Whisky before bed- Late one night I was try to no avail to finish a song - I think it was Shadow on my shoulder - I went and poured a glass of whisky to see if it would help and came back and recorded the demo for this song. The power of whisky! Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Acoustic and Slide Guitar recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -10 years- This song features Fonz on guitar. We jammed over the chords during some downtime during the recording sessions for his album. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Lead Guitar by Alfons Trosemito Rhythm Guitars, Bass, Drums and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Drums recorded at Muzyq, Amsterdam Electric Guitars recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Heaven and Earth got married today- In September 2009 Sandra came to my place with a poem that she had written for a friends wedding. I suggested she put it to music and we wrote this song together. A week later I was at the wedding in Sweden with her performing the song. Words by Sandra Söderman Music by Sandra Söderman and Neil McKenzie Vocals performed by Sandra Söderman and recorded at Wagging Tail Studios 11 String Guitar, Electric Piano and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie and recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Blueprint- Blueprint is a song from a band I was in years ago called Blueprint. I've always loved the song, so I thought I would record it to give the albums creative input a little more brevity. Words by Stuart Hawthorn Music by Dougie Fraser, Rab Fraser, Stuart Hawthorn and Neil McKenzie Electric Guitars, Bass, Drums and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Drums recorded at Muzyq, Amsterdam Electric Guitars recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Someone Else's Bar- This is the second track on the album that features Fonz on guitar. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Lead Guitar by Alfons Trosemito Rhythm Guitars, Bass, Drums and Vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Drums recorded at Muzyq, Amsterdam Electric Guitars recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Everything else recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland -Make History- I thought this was a suitable way to end the album. My brother bought me a cheap Ukulele several years ago not long after Eddie Vedder started playing with them. I've messed around with it ever since and even taken it travelling when a full size guitar didn't make sense. This is a little throwaway ditty and the last lyrics I wrote for the album. Words and Music by Neil McKenzie Uke and vocals performed by Neil McKenzie Uke recorded at Wagging Tail Studios, Amsterdam Vocals recorded at KIC Studios, Scotland