Scots band Cousti are on tour in support of their “Strings To Tracks” album, heres my videolog of the Highland dates

The Medicine Show Posted On February 25, 2011

Cousti are from Glasgow and living the dream they never gave up on. Founding members Billy Baikie, Pete Lamb and Matt Morrow have been together now for the best part of a decade, they have always had a massive enthused local fan base, but now seem to be about to break out nationally and internationally with a worldwide record deal and counting the likes of Bob Harris, and Alan McGee amongst their celebrity fans. Recently introducing Scots guitar legend Jim Condie (of Tam White and the Dexter’s, fame and sidy to the likes of Tracy Nelson, Charlie Musselwhite, Louisiana Red, Lowell Fulson, Phil Guy to nane but a few) and Highland phenomenon Isaac Sutherland on drums

Their album “Strings to Tracks” is one of the hotly anticipated releases of 2011. Drawing on a wealth of experience spanning over four decades playing every kind of music in every kind of band, from Rock to Ceilidh bands from the mid sixties to the present day, Cousti’s influences range from such early artistes as Little Feat (who they count among their friends now) the Grateful Dead and the Eagles to Jackson Brown, Jackie Lomax and Stevie Ray Vaughan. On into the eighties and nineties with everyone from Eric Clapton to U2, Ry Cooder to Big House. Using this enormous library of knowledge Cousti paint their music on a broad canvas, drawing from the emotional complexities of everyday life.

My friendship and association with Cousti has been a long one to, it seems like forever they have been coming to the Highlands each time with one maybe two more songs written and recorded and added to their increasingly impressive stage repertoire. They are a real band, old school, sharing the trials and tribulations, along with the good times, (plenty of both) ultimately bound in together in a mutual love of great music and their considerable efforts to produce great music themselves. Ive been witness to their sound appeal growing through a succession of social networks, from mp3.com to myspace, through nessmp3.com (where Matt Morrow and I both had a radio show for some years) and where they became the most requested band, and the familiar rallying cry of “‘mon the Cousti” was first heard, already a big band on the Scottish scene with no sign of a record release (sign of the changing times). Now on to face book where their following has flourished in to a movement of people seemingly determined to bring their music to the wider audience, and a record deal and worldwide distribution through Pete’s sons label Pet Lamb and Code 7 distribution, the album is finally released this week Feb 28th, pre-release airplay on BBC Scotland, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio Wales and on national networks and free form broadcasters in Slovenia, Holland, Germany, France, and even Israel (Radio Galilee no less) . Add to all of this a growing list of influential celebrity fans such as Jim Gellatly, Billy Sloan and the aforementioned Bob Harris and Alan McGee, it would seem the Cousti train is bound for glory.

Here’s some songs from the first three shows (below) and three of the guys with me on The Medicine Show at the start of the album tour, rocking The Highlands.