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• karine
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musical side projects

Most of Karine's work is solo based but she's involved in two very different and very exciting collaborative projects too.

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the burns unit

"an incredibly diverse range of talent...a remarkable ensemble"
The Herald

"a supergroup that manages to be more than the sum of its parts..." The Skinny

Introducing The Burns Unit: an 8-piece Scottish-Canadian cohort of big-hearted and immensely talented singers, songwriters and players.

The story of the Burns Unit, featuring Emma Pollock (formerly of the Delgados), Indo-Caledonian Pop Artist Future Pilot AKA, and virtuosic rapper MC Soom T from Glasgow, renowned folk singer Karine Polwart, elegant multi-instrumentalist Kim Edgar from Edinburgh, alt-folk royalty King Creosote from Fife, as well as drummer/producer Mattie Foulds and infectiously energetic piano-man Michael Johnston, both from Canada, begins in 2006.

Burnsong, a Scottish initiative to encourage new songwriting, invites these musicians - along with Squeeze¹s Chris Difford - to a retreat called the'Songhouse' in December 2006. The concept is to spend one week in a remote country home in Southern Scotland with seven other complete musical strangers. Amidst five days of power outages and communal meals, quick friendships and unlikely collaborations are formed. Of the remarkable number of songs written together, some 15 favourites are picked to showcase at two intimate concerts held immediately after the Songhouse.

They are all happily reunited in May 2008 (minus Difford) for an 8-gig tour of Scotland, performing songs exclusively written during the Songhouse. The audience response to the shows is overwhelmingly positive.

During the tour, the collaborative energy within the group intensifies and flourishes. Several new songs are co-written, including one (entitled, appropriately, ³Beautiful Mistakes²) which is finished moments before the final show of the tour begins.

Upon tour's end, the members of the as-yet-unnamed-band agree a collection of songs should be recorded, and that an official collaboration be launched. Enter Donald Shaw, artistic director of Celtic Connections, who enthusiastically offers the band their first official show - 3 years after their first meeting - as part of the 2009 Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

Immediately following their sold out debut gig, the eight women and men of The Burns Unit once again retreat to the Scottish countryside: this time to record their much-requested and talked-about debut "Sideshow", to be released in July 2010 on Proper Music.

Find out more at www.myspace.com/theburnsunitband

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grace/hewat/polwart

"gives fresh definition to the term ballsy" The Scotsman

On a black and blustery January night in 2006, three of the most distinctive female voices on the contemporary Scottish folk-roots scene got together round a Borders kitchen table with a bottle of rioja, some baked tatties and The Collected Songs of Robert Burns. What began as a brief set for a show at Celtic Connections Festival 2006 has evolved into and ongoing collaborative adventure.

Annie Grace, Corrine Hewat and Karine Polwart have performed together many times over the past ten years: as members of the landmark Scots Women celebration of Scots traditional song; with some of their Gaelic singing sisters, in the popular spin off touring project Scottish Women; and as members and guests of the Scottish folk big band The Unusual Suspects (which Corrina co-directs). Through these collaborative encounters they've discovered a mutual love of inventive vocal harmony and had a lot of fun.

In between times Annie has crafted a smokily intimate solo album of traditional and contemporary songs and tunes "Take Me Out Drinking Tonight" (Greentrax) and starred in numerous award winning stage productions.

Corrina has recorded two sensuous solo album of Scots song and dazzling harp virtuosity "My Favourite Place" (Footstompin) and "Harp I Do" (Big Bash Records, and pioneered (with partner David Milligan) the 32 piece magical musical monster The Unusual Suspects.

And Karine has recorded four solo albums, twice winning "Best Original Song" at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

When they get together they sound - well - a bit like they are! Lilting and lovely sometimes; bolshy and bawdy at others; and both dark and discordant and hopeful and happy!

An album project is maturing slowly, much like the fine wine that gave birth to it.

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