The Loose Salute, "Tuned To Love"

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30 April 2007

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Albums and Singles

Mojave3 members form new band The Loose Salute. Fans of Fleetwood Mac, The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, Wilco and Midlake tune in to debut album Tuned To Love.

The Loose Salute came to life a couple years ago when Mojave3’s Ian McCutcheon (drums & vocals) and Alan Forrester (piano & organ) were in the studio recording the band’s third album Excuses for Travelers. One day at the Fortress Rehearsal Studios’ café, McCutcheon overheard Lisa Billson (vocals) belting out Bob Dylan’s “Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” while she cooked at the studio café.

Instantly impressed by Billson’s pipes, he asked the songbird if she’d be interested in singing a few tunes he’d written. She loved the songs and got friend Charlotte King (harmonies & percussion) to lend back-ups. Guitarist Pete Greenwood, who played with McCutcheon and Forrester on the last Mojave3 tour, was asked to join the clan shortly thereafter. Together --sometimes with the help of Paul Noble on added bass, surf guitar and mixing skills -- they form The Loose Salute.

The Loose Salute is essentially a pop group, though some have categorized it as folk/pop and even at times alt-country. Songwriting influences range from the likes of The Byrds, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, The Eagles and Leonard Cohen. “Basically the albums in my parents’ record collection when I was growing up,” McCutcheon laughs. Some of the more contemporary inspirations include Elliott Smith, Beachwood Sparks, The Tyde, Wilco, The Shins, Midlake and Dr. Dog. ”You could say The Loose Salute sound borrows from all of these bands,” says McCutcheon.” The vibe is different from Mojave3. We’re more of a pop group. It’s a little more fun in places.”

The English group’s debut album Tuned To Love is a record full of summer and nostalgia and songs that make you want to go out, find some friends and dance the night away. The songs are about all the facets of life: falling in and out of love, break-ups, partying, wanderlust, home-cookin’, surfing, travel, fields, beaches, stars and bars…”The general weight of the world,” explains McCutcheon.

“The Mutineer” is an apology song, while “Why’d We Fight?” is a reflective song about breaking up. “‘Through the Stratosphere to the Bars’ is about appreciating the person or people you have in your life,” he says. “We always seem to be looking for something when what we really need is often already right there in front of us.”

After the plug got pulled on the money following the release of its first single, the Suck It Up Buttercup EP, the band decided to just get on with it and make an album themselves. Luckily for them, the EP had managed to gain attention all over the world, catching the ears of Graveface Records in Chicago. A demo and a few meetings later, a conclusion was met and The Loose Salute was signed to Graveface, where they proudly share the roster with indie favorites like Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Octopus Project and The Appleseed Cast. The band has since been hibernating in the studio with hot-shot engineer Gareth Parton (The Beta Band, The Go Team, The Pipettes, Mojave3) and producer and McCutcheon’s school-yard buddy Pritpal Soor.