Mike Vass and Mairi Campbell collaborate on exciting new project and tour

SCOTTISH musicians Mike Vass and Mairi Campbell have joined forces for the exciting new creative project, The Dead Stations, which will tour Scotland and includes a date in Ardfern.

The Dead Stations combines live music, recorded audio drama and animation to tell the thrilling tale of what happens after a passenger alights at a deserted train station in a forest. The show is inspired by a train journey on a remote rail track, and by abstract ideas about Little Red Riding Hood.

An award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist, Mike has composed the music for the project. And in his first serious foray into song writing, he has written two songs,

Sleepless and Eyes Fixed, especially for the project. Mike’s last album In The Wake Of Neil

Gunn was nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award 2015.

Mari, who has just won Instrumentalist of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards, gives voice to Mike’s epic songs, which combine classical, electronic and pop influences.

Both will perform the score to The Dead

Stations on the project’s launch tour, which includes a night at Craignish Village Hall, Ardfern on February 28, 2016. In the live piece, Mairi sings and plays viola and Mike plays tenor guitar and violin.

‘ I’m really proud of how the songs have turned out,’ said Mike.

‘Mairi was the obvious choice for the songs and for this project. I love the tone, character and emotion that she conveys with her voice and with the fiddle.’

The Dead Stations is written and directed by Charlotte Hathaway, an exciting new Glasgow- based writer, and is supported by Creative Scotland, Arts Trust Scotland and Edinburgh College of Art.

Mike and Charlotte first worked together creatively on the Remembered/ Imagined project in 2013, which saw composers and writers pair up to create a new work that was performed by Mr McFall’s Chamber.

Charlotte said: ‘Mike and I wanted to build on our first creative project to make a more ambitious and immersive piece, and it’s been really exciting to tie all the different elements of that together.

‘ The actors, recording engineer, animators and sound designers have all been fantastic to work with, and Mike and Mairi are the most incredible musicians, so this has been a creative dream team for me.

‘ In terms of the narrative of the story, I don’t want to give too much away at this stage. It’s quite dark, but I’m intrigued to see how the audience will feel about the characters in the end.’

Mairi said: ‘ I’m excited to be part of Mike and Charlotte’s vision to bring music and story together.

‘Mike has such a unique and interesting song writing voice. The songs he has written for this project are just gorgeous.’