Carla J. Easton

Carla Jennifer Easton (born 1985) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Carluke, Scotland. Easton has been a member of the bands Futuristic Retro Champions and TeenCanteen and currently is the keyboard player for The Vaselines while also pursuing a solo career, first under the name Ette and now under the name Carla J. Easton. Her 2018 album Impossible Stuff was shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2019.[1]

Carla Jennifer Easton
TeenCanteen performing in Glasgow with Carla Easton on keyboard, September 2016
Background information
Birth nameCarla Jennifer Easton
Born1985 (age 35–36)
GenresIndie pop, alternative rock
InstrumentsVocals, piano, keyboards
LabelsLast Night From Glasgow, Olive Grove Records, Neu!Reekie! records
Associated actsFuturistic Retro Champions, TeenCanteen, The Vaselines
Websitecarlajennifereaston.com

Biography

Easton grew up in Carluke and her musical tastes were influenced by her older brother, who was 10 years older than her and interested in a wide variety of genres.[2] In 2007 Easton graduated from the Edinburgh College of Art with a BA (Hons) Sculpture.[3] In 2011 she graduated with a Masters of Fine Art from Glasgow School of Art.[4]

Futuristic Retro Champions

In 2006 Easton formed the band Futuristic Retro Champions with friends from the Edinburgh School of Art, with a sound combining 'wistful pop' with 'processed-beats'.[5] The band split up in 2010, having released two EPs.[6]

TeenCanteen

Easton formed TeenCanteen in 2012,[7] on vocals and playing keyboard, with Sita Pieraccini on bass, Chloe Philip on guitar and Debs Smith on drums.[8] In 2016 their debut album Say It All with a Kiss, which made the Longlist for the Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2017, was released by Last Night From Glasgow.[9] In 2017 they released an EP Sirens, then announced that TeenCanteen were taking a break.

Solo career

In 2016 Easton released her solo album Homemade Lemonade through Olive Grove Records under the name Ette. The album was listed as number 4 on the Bandcamp best albums of 2016, where it was described as a 'big, loud, glorious confection'.

In 2017 Easton was invited to the first singer-songwriter residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. At the residency she met Howard Bilerman who later invited her to record an album in his Montreal studio.[10] This was released as Impossible Stuff in 2018 under the name Carla J. Easton. Impossible Stuff was shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2019.[1]

Her next solo album Weirdo was released on Olive Grove Records on 28 August 2020, with the title track featuring Stina Tweeddale of Honeyblood. The album title was chosen after Easton was told she was weird and she decided that being a weirdo should not be seen negatively.[11] Most of the songs were written while Easton was homeless, and dealing with issues relating to low self-esteem and anxiety.[12] Many of the tracks were co-wrtitten with Scott Paterson of Sons and Daughters.[13] The album was well received, with it being named by Pitchfork as one of the 'Great Records You May Have Missed' of Summer 2020, saying that the album had 'the scrappy glamour of a homemade theatrical production'.[14] Other reviews said that it was 'more robust' than previous records,[15] with praise directed to the quality of the production work and the overall sound.[16] [17]

Other Works

Easton co-wrote and sang the lead vocals on “Best Friend,” a track on Belle & Sebastian's How to Solve Our Human Problems EP (Part 3), released in 2018.

In 2019 Easton composed and performed the music for the National Theatre of Scotland's production of Them! in the Tramway, Glasgow.[18] In the same year she joined The Vaselines as their synth player for Belle and Sebastian's Boaty Weekender.[19]

Discography

Futuristic Retro Champions
  • FRC EP (2010)
  • LaChunky EP (2010)
  • May The Forth/Settle Down (2010)

TeenCanteen
  • Honey (2013) – Neu!Reekie! records
  • You're Still Mine/ Vagabond (2014) – Neu!Reekie! records
  • Say It All with a Kiss (2016) – Last Night From Glasgow
  • Sirens (2017) – Last Night From Glasgow

Solo
  • Homemade Lemonade (2016) – Olive Grove Records
  • Impossible Stuff (2018) – Olive Grove Records
  • Weirdo (2020) – Olive Grove Records

References
  1. "SHORTLIST 2019". The Say Award. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  2. "Artist Spotlight: Carla J. Easton". Our Culture Mag Mag. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  3. "Carla Easton". The Glasgow School of Art. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  4. "Help Musicians UK Supported Artists". Help Musicians UK. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  5. "Futuristic Retro Champions - gig review (4 stars)". The List. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  6. "Futuristic Retro Champions RIP?". Everything Flows. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  7. "Music interview: Carla J Easton on pulling out all the stops for new album Impossible Stuff". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  8. "Interview: Carla Easton (Teen Canteen / ETTE)". Nicola Meighan. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  9. "LONGLIST 2017". SAY Award. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  10. "Singer-songwriter Carla J. Easton on taking songs written on her childhood piano in Carluke to renowned Canadian studio". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  11. "Glasgow's Carla J Easton teams up with Honeyblood on new single 'WEIRDO'". With Guitars. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. "Carla J Easton embraces the weird with latest album". Alloa Advertiser. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  13. "Artist Spotlight: Carla J. Easton". Our Culture Mag Mag. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  14. "Great Records You May Have Missed: Summer 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  15. "Album review: Carla J. Easton – Weirdo". Snack Mag. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  16. "Carla J Easton (feat. Honeyblood)". Is this music. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  17. "Carla J Easton's brand of refreshing off-kilter pop is still unashamedly maximalist". The line of best fit. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  18. "Cast and creatives announced for Stewart Laing's Them! from National Theatre of Scotland". Able. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  19. "Carla J. Easton's 'NEVER KNEW YOU' Is A Truly Other-Worldly Document". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
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