Image credit: Anne Campbell
For the latest SWH! Podcast Ali spoke to Jenny Sturgeon about her latest project The Living Mountain, which is not only the name of her new album but her series of podcasts, and the audio/visual live show which she hopes to tour, all of which are inspired by, and infused with the spirit of, Nan Shepherd’s wonderful novella of the same name.
The two discuss the album (right) and the themes and ideas behind it, Jenny’s personal connection with the area covered in the original The Living Mountain, the thinking behind the podcasts, and the guests who appear.
She also explains why it’s important that this project has a visual component, how she incorporated the natural world into her recordings, how lockdown prompted a new way of working, and a whole lot more.
They also discuss their shared love for Nan Shepherd’s novel, the themes, issues, and ideas it expresses, and why everyone should own a copy.
Jenny Sturgeon is among SWH!’s favourite musicians – one steeped in the folk tradition as in evidence not only in her solo work, but also as a member of Salt House and Northern Flyway, and it was a real treat to talk to her about her work, and how she views the relationship between nature and art.
You can find out more about Jenny Sturgeon and The Living Mountain at jennysturgeonmusic.com The Living Mountain Podcasts can be found at jennysturgeonmusic.com/podcast And get your own copy of The Living Mountain from Hudson Records.
If you’re interested in Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain you can buy it here or on audiobook.
If you are new to the Scots Whay Hae! podcast there is quite a substantial back-catalogue for you to discover. If you aren’t yet a subscriber you can do so, (or simply listen) at iTunes, on Podbean, with Spotify, by RSS (but you’ll need to have an RSS reader to do so) or on MixCloud.
You can also download the podcast by clicking on the relevant link to the left of this post, or, if you want it right here, right now, you can listen on SoundCloud…
..or on YouTube…
We will continue to bring you many and varied SWH! podcasts over the coming weeks and months. In the meantime you can always check out our back catalogue of over 160 interviews with some of the most interesting names in Scottish culture, including our Scottish Opera series and the Glasgow Film Festival 2020 podcasts.