ADO

MATHESON
A V I R T U AL (AND ACTUAL)
R E T U R N TO THE ISLAND
 I t's hard to believe that it's been as long as
it has been since we began the cycles in and
out of lock-down in major cities, regions, and
around the world. The idea of a pandemic
sounded like science-fiction. Then, we took
for granted our connection. In the time since,
we've all been calling and video-chatting,
“zooming” our productivity. In this moment, ADO AND HIS WIFE SHEENA
when art and technology have become life-sav- GREW UP ON THE ISLE
ers in ways we couldn't have realized, comes OF LEWIS, IN THE OUTER
musical memories and explorations from the HEBRIDES OF SCOTLAND.
Isle of Lewis by it's native son, Ado Matheson, . . . WE GET AN ECHO OF
with help from his own son, Hans. A small an- THOSE MUSICAL DAYS BY
WAY OF TWO WONDERFUL
tidote to the negativity, fear, and hatred, and a
DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS
tune sung into the vacuous internet ether for SEEMING PERPETUAL
desperately needed re-connection. GLOAMING HOUR.
Ado and his wife Sheena grew up on the Isle
of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.
He was a local rock star in the making. Years
later, two sons, the loss of all but one parent
back in Stornoway, and three albums between
Ado and Hans, not to mention a lot of life, we
get an echo of those musical days by way of
two wonderful developments in this seeming
perpetual gloaming hour. One is the initiative
by Calum Martin and comhairle nan Eilean
siar to bring live streamed music from Lewis
and it's sons and daughters, via it's Facebook
presence. The other, Stornoway's Art Center
An Lanntair's creation of “Between Islands” - a
project encompassing the writing of a book,
production of a CD set as well as history and
cultural downloadables for children, celebrat-
ing the heritage and culture of the Western
Islands, Shetland, and Orkney. Striving to
connect.
Ado's collaboration on “Between Islands” Sheena introduced me to Julie Fowlis before
alone, as a songwriter, is exciting enough. His her “Brave” glory, when she was best known
song “Out on the Islands” is the titular song as the singer who sang “Blackbird” in Gaelic.
“BETWEEN ISLANDS” - A
PROJECT ENCOMPASSING
THE WRITING OF A
BOOK, PRODUCTION OF
A CD SET AS WELL AS
HISTORY AND CULTURAL
DOWNLOADABLES FOR
CHILDREN, CELEBRATING
THE HERITAGE AND
CULTURE OF THE WESTERN
ISLANDS, SHETLAND,
AND ORKNEY.
on his first album, released in 2003. In this in-
carnation, “Out on the Islands” is performed
by Willie Campbell, Julie Fowlis and Kath-
leen Macinness, released in 2020. Originally
the trio was meant to perform the song live at
the Shetland Folk Festival and the Hebridean
Celtic Festival 2020 but instead it released as
part of a double CD set, in light of the pan-
demic. Earlier projects of “Between Islands”
include 2014, and 2019 - a year of commem-
oration in Stornoway with the observance of
the 100th anniversary of Iolaore disaster, when
a ship full of servicemen returning from the
Great War sank as family awaiting their arrival
watched helplessly from the shore. Ado's “Io-
laire Arising” from his “Healing Waves” album
(also released in 2019) is his own musical com-
memoration of the event. But for “Between Is-
lands” the collaboration between these artists
is a celebration of youth spent in the Western
Isles.
Contributing “Out on the Islands” to the CD
was a thrill, but it's hard to describe the glee at
the prospect of Julie Fowlis and Kathleen Ma-
cinnese being part of the track's production.
I've consequently seen her live too many times,
since, to count. These are Gaelic singers be-
loved to the Mathesons… [Sheena's thoughts/
story of the artists].
Rounding out the contributors include dy-
namic fiddlers Jenny Keldie and the Orcadian
duo Saltfishforty, Douglas Montgomery and
Brian Cromarty from Shetland and Orkney.
"Out on the Islands” is the first track on the
CD set that is “Between Islands” - bookmarked
by “Uibhist Mo Ghraidh”, at the end of the
second CD. The song translates to “Uist, My
Love” and celebrated the place, it's wildlife and
a childhood spent there. The song has been
covered by too many artists to count includ-
ing, Julie Fowlis, Linda MaCleod, and the duo
Flair. It was written by the Gaelic Bard, Alis- ASKED ABOUT HOW THE
TRACK LIST WORKED
dair Matheson, who just happens to be Ado's
OUT, ADO SAID . . . IT WAS
father. Ado played the song himself, live on- COMPLETELY ORGANIC.
line, in November. Asked about how the track POETIC, EVEN. WHEN HE
list worked out, Ado said he had nothing to LISTENED TO THE CD, IT
do with that. It was completely organic. Poet- TOOK HIM BACK TO HIS
ic, even. When he listened to the CD, it took CHILDHOOD WITH HIS
him back to his childhood with his father. Talk FATHER.
about connection.
As you may have now guessed, “Between Is-
lands” was not the first time Ado has found
himself as part of a collaboration of Western
Islanders making music. The COVID ceilidhs
of November 2020, Christmas Eve, and Janu-
ary 2021 brought back memories of an earlier,
much earlier, opportunity Ado had in Stor-
noway. Noel Eady, of Gaelic group Na h-Oga-
naich came back to Stornoway in 1980 and
gave the young musicians there the opportuni-
ty to record for the first time, resulting in the
LP and cassette “Sad Day We Left the Croft”,
including “Ocean of Love” but ADDO. Just
one of the many memories that brought the
music back to many old friends on the island,
thanks to Calum Martin and the series of vir-
tual events via comhairle nan Eilean siar.
Ado and Sheena had moved away from Stor-
noway years before, for England, and Ado did
a good deal of touring, as crew, with Runrig
and Patti Smith. There are many stories of
those times, away from family in England and
on the island, but that will be for another day.
For now, it's the memories from Lewis, covers
by Jackson Brown, Van Morrison, the Kinks,
Cindy Lauper, Rod Stewart, Neil Young, Bob
Dylan, and John Denver, traditional Celtic
and Ado's and Han's originals that brought
tears of remembrance and steam on the lenses
as Ado was swept back to Lewis, and took us
with him. Encouragement and laughter from
Sheena and Annabel occasionally peeled in
the from the doorway as the boys sang their
 Stories of being arrested for trespassing in a
haunted house in Stornoway, as kids, brought
ROSS REMEMBERS THE back the BeeGee's “Massachusetts”, and of lis-
“LEAD TOWN HERO ON
tening to his father's music with one ear, and
STAGE, IN A WHITE
his siblings' Elvis and Little Richard with the
CHEESECLOTH COLLARLESS
SHIRT AND FLARES SINGING other.
EAGLES AND ALLMAN "Marianne” brought back memories of foot-
BROTHERS, LONG GUITAR ball and a weekend matinee of “A Hard Days
SOLOS, AND HEADING INTO Night” led to “The Two of Us”, as well as shout
THE IMAGINARY MOSH PIT”. outs to bands back in the day – Concords and
The Haze. Hans sang lead on “True Colors”
and “Annie's Song” not to mention a tradi-
tional song or two, and both played their own
beautiful, heart-felt originals: “Harvest Time”,
“Some Days” and Hans' “Space”.
Theirs' weren't the only stories shared as the
singing went on those nights. Chrishan got in
touch with a remembrance of Ado's “first arriv-
al in London with an old van he had purchased
from a local farmer. Roundabouts weren’t in
abundance on the island of Lewis, in fact there
was only one very small one in a residential
area. Ado and his van load of mostly guitars hit
the first roundabout at the north circular road
and she believes he went round and round at
least 10 times”. Ross remembers the “lead town
hero on stage, in a white cheesecloth collar-
less shirt and flares singing Eagles and Allman
Brothers, long guitar solos, and heading into
the imaginary mosh pit”. Friends from far and
hearts out, told old stories and tried to keep wide remembered dances at the YMCA, Mac-
track of their pages of lyrics. Granny Bell, Millan's Sitting Room, and the Crown...
back in Stornoway, got greetings and the cat
Ado and Hans have been playing together
upstaged everyone when he'd jump into view.
for years, whilst making their own original
The comments and stories came streaming in solo albums and Hans' work in film and televi-
via comments and messages from Brazil,Ger- sion. I asked Ado about that process – choos-
many, Turkey and Greece, New York and Col- ing the set lists and how they figure out what
orado, and of course, Stornoway and London. to play, and he said 'it's a funny thing. We try
Ado remembering Chrishan's London flat filled things out thinking this will work, or that will,
with Danny, Annette, Fran and John and the but sometimes, for no known reason, some of
Grateful Dead's “Ripple” - somehow managing the songs just don't feel right. We'll just try
something else and the energy will just lead us'.
to sing the song they shared after thinking back
Like spirit guides, I replied. What amazed me,
to friends now far away, on earth and beyond it.
and all of us, is the connection felt in the re-
sponses, some from people from far away who
hadn't heard Ado's music since “Out on the
Islands”, or knew Hans from a film, and how
BY SOME MIRACLE, WE ARE
touched they were by it. You can't research ALL NOW MAKINGZ OUR
that someone you've never met played a par- FIRST, TENTATIVE, “MASKED
ticular Neil Young song at event years ago. But AND VAXXED” BABY STEPS
that has been repeatedly happening. BACK INTO PERSON TO
By some miracle, we are all now making PERSON INTERACTION,
our first, tentative, “masked and vaxxed” baby AND WITH IT, LIVE MUSIC.
steps back into person to person interaction,
and with it, live music.

With that emergence, comes a beautiful new

opportunity for Ado and Hans – live perfor-
mance back on the island, thanks to An Lan-
ntair. Thanks to Midnight Sun Productions,
Calum Martin and Ado and Hans and Calum's
son Do, along with Scott C Park, were able to
bring their music to the lucky islanders, in the
flesh, November 5th and 6th, back home in
Stornoway. Finally. Connection. Just what we
needed.

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