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2021 brings in Ill Starred Captain's debut E.P. "Bottlegreen Sky to the age of Twenty this September eleven when the studio session were completed. Scott Bassham & Justin Francis share their thoughts in the following film clips below as both the producers and musicians when they formed Ill Starred Captain.
Bottlegreen Sky was recorded immediately after Scott and Justin had returned from a tour of Ireland and the East & Western coasts of Australia, which had been a very tough trip, and the whole thing was done in a very short space of time. Infact, they missed a days recording when their tour van broke down on the way back from Perth. When they arrived at the studio the –pressure was on, as they had almost no budget and very little time.
The resulting recording is interesting for many reasons and really represents Ill Starred Captain at a point just before the true nature of the band became set. At the time, the band was in the process of trying out bass players and even though they didn’t have anyone to fill that role, Scott played bass on all the songs, assuming that someone would eventually come along and learn the parts, so it remains the only Ill Starred Captain release with bass (though the bass is very subtle).
Thank you to the following bass players for sharing the journey, Geoff Morgan, Molly Joy Knight & Steven Murray.
The track listing is quite a mix, with a distinctly ‘power...released November 4, 2001 on Seawitch Music.
Bottlegreen Sky was recorded immediately after Scott and Justin had returned from a tour of Ireland and the East & Western coasts of Australia, which had been a very tough trip, and the whole thing was done in a very short space of time. Infact, they missed a days recording when their tour van broke down on the way back from Perth. When they arrived at the studio the –pressure was on, as they had almost no budget and very little time.
The resulting recording is interesting for many reasons and really represents Ill Starred Captain at a point just before the true nature of the band became set. At the time, the band was in the process of trying out bass players and even though they didn’t have anyone to fill that role, Scott played bass on all the songs, assuming that someone would eventually come along and learn the parts, so it remains the only Ill Starred Captain release with bass (though the bass is very subtle).
Thank you to the following bass players for sharing the journey, Geoff Morgan, Molly Joy Knight & Steven Murray.
The track listing is quite a mix, with a distinctly ‘power...released November 4, 2001 on Seawitch Music.
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This six track e.p. was originally released by Ill Starred Captain under then name of the Scott bassham band (they having not yet settled on a name, or even a solid structure as a band) and was recorded and engineered by Dave Lokan at Bigsound Studio at Lenswood in the Adelaide Hills. The six track e.p. was recorded immediately after Scott and Justin had returned from a tour of Western Australia, which had been a very tough trip, and the whole thing was done in a very short space of time. Infact, they missed a days recording when their tour van broke down on the way back from Perth. When they arrived at the studio the –pressure was on, as they had almost no budget and very little time.
The resulting recording is interesting for many reasons and really represents Ill Starred Captain at a point just before the true nature of the band became set. At the time, the band was in the process of trying out bass players and even though they didn’t have anyone to fill that role, Scott played bass on all the songs, assuming that someone would eventually come along and learn the parts, so it remains the only Ill Starred Captain release with bass (though the bass is very subtle).
The track listing is quite a mix, with a distinctly ‘power pop” flavour on songs like “Bottlegreen Sky” and “The Wreck ‘O’ the Hesperus and a folk feel on “On Winters Hill”, a wistful acoustic piece which deals with life and memories growing up in a small coastal town. The remaining three songs are darker and harder, and all quite different from one another adding elements of thumping funk aggression (Bitch Dust), to a sense of oceanic alienation (Seawitch and Long fingered Hand”).
The bands isolation from the “industry” and inexperience meant that “Bottlegreen Sky” pretty much sank without trace, and yet it still attracts new fans and the songs haven’t dated at all. It is well worth checking out this undiscovered gem, and it is a great starting point artistically, for anyone wanting to trace the always interesting musical path of Ill Starred Captain. Interesting fact. The recording was finished on 9/11/2001 the day the Twin Towers fell, a fact which gutted the band right at the moment that they should have been celebrating the completion of their debut recording.
1) LONG-FINGERED HAND: A CARESS, A SLAP, A FIST, A GRIP.
2) BOTTLEGREEN SKY: WE ARE ALL OCCUPANTS OF UNIVERSES OF OUR OWN DEVISING.
3) SEAWITCH: I WROTE THIS SONG UNDERWATER....REALLY!
4) WRECK 'O' THE HESPERUS: SMASHED UP ON A REEF MADE OF ROCK'N'ROLL!
5) ON WINTERS HILL: THIS IS WHERE WE LIVED,OUR HIGHEST VANTAGE POINT OBSCURED BY CLOUDS.
6),BITCHDUST: SCOTT"WHAT'S WITH ALL THIS GLITTER SCATTERED AROUND?" HELEN "OH) THAT'S JUST BITCHDUST!"
Words & Music: Scott Bassham
Produced by Justin Francis & Scott Bassham
Recorded: 6th - 11th September 2001, Bigsound studios, Adelaide Hills, Lenswood, South Australia On analogue recording equipment
Engineered and recorded by Dave Lokan
Mixed by Dave Lokan, Scott Bassham & Justin Francis
Mastering: Dave Lokan & Craig Lewis at Kaleidoscope Mastering.
Artwork & Design: Scott Bassham & Michael Kemp (Woof Graphics)
Photography: Michelle Sharrad & Mette Bassham
Words & Music Copyright Scott Bassham 2001.
Bottlegreen Sky E.P. Copyright Seawitch Music 2001
