SCOTTISH singer-songwriter Craig Ferrie is gearing up to hit the road.

The 26-year-old recently released his fourth album, Starin’ At The Freaks, and has booked a select number of gigs across the UK this spring.

The super Stirling-based artist, who performs under the moniker December ’91, first got into music after his gran bought him a tiny nylon-string acoustic guitar for his eighth or ninth birthday.

He said: “My dad promptly arranged guitar lessons with an American, Micah Gilbert, who lived in the hills behind Stirling University where I would go every Wednesday for the next 10 years of my life more or less. 

“He pretty much coached me through teenhood. While I had a pretty turbulent relationship with my dad, being a classic middle child, I always had Wednesday night at Micah's where my lessons had soon moved on from guitar technique to playing or even recording whatever took our fancy, we just kinda jammed.”

Glasgow Times:

Music gave Craig a sense of identity, which he craved, and it was an incredibly positive environment that kept him in check and grounded when he was feeling frustrated.

At around 17-years-old, he found success with band Miniature Dinosaurs.

Craig said: “It was fantastic and got me accustomed to regular shows in Glasgow, having fans, and taught me a lot about general music business stuff.

“I started to play in loads of bands at this time, learning from each project I worked with and playing whatever instrument I could lay my hands on.

“I learned a lot about working with different types of people which has definitely guided me when it comes to performing in December '91.”

After a few years with Mini Dinos, Craig decided to leave the band to concentrate on his own music.

He added: “At this time I kind of went down a different path, travelled as much as I could and got a lot more involved with the underground scene in Glasgow.

“I invited anybody who was willing to play with me, which has always helped keep a fantastic balance in the project.

“I must've played with countless musicians who have all in some way left their mark on my music and that meant that December '91 as a live experience was always evolving depending on the style of the guys I was playing with.

“It was and still is really exciting for me because of that as I'm super adverse to getting bogged down with style or genre.

“As soon as I do something well I get bored and I move on, which I think can be a frustrating thing for fans but I do believe that it’s a good quality. There's a real emphasis on the music being organic in my world now.”

Glasgow Times:

Craig tends to record everything himself, which has been a bit of a learning curve.

He noted: “I'm by no means technically minded and was always only interested in capturing a good performance but it means I'm always able to work at my own pace on whatever I feel like. It gives me loads of flexibility.

“On top of this I've had a few very negative experiences in recording studios and am generally untrustworthy of producers. I'm more inspired whenever I see somebody just doing what they want and I think it’s really the only way to make great music.”

Glasgow Times:

Craig added: “There's a lot of music out there at the moment which hearkens back to previous eras, a lot of very Dylan-like characters conquering the indie scene at the moment and if I'm being honest, there's a time and place. But I'll never love it; it doesn't really provoke a reaction in the same way as listening to Iggy Pop for the first time or Berlin by Lou Reed, that is some album. If he had just stuck to making Transformer over and over throughout his career he would've been raking it in, but he didn't. He seemed to follow his own flow and I just wish the guys that are doing that now would be more recognised. Adam Stafford is a very good example of this in Scotland.”

Glasgow Times:

In 2017, Craig embarked on his first-ever tour. Last summer he drove coast-to-coast playing shows across Canada with friends and then he embarked on a two-week trip around France and Germany in the autumn. He then released his fourth record, Starin’ At The Freaks, to finish off his fantastic year.

And as for his next adventure, Craig hopes to release a new single in the spring alongside his UK dates and plans to return to Europe by the end of 2018.

December ’91 will be performing at The Old Hairdresser’s in Glasgow on Friday, April 13.

For additional live dates and more info, like facebook.com/dec91 or go to december91.bandcamp.com