This is how I met and knew Ewan McLeod. Black Behind The Noise T-shirt, khaki trousers and usually a plaid overshirt. I met him through an afterschool program that I took part in, in school obviously, so around 6 years ago. I was in my final year and I didn't know what I wanted to do with myself. Well, I kind of did. I wanted to work in the music industry in some capacity. I still want to, now.
I was introduced to him as he was conducting lessons for Behind the Noise - and you could tell he was the man. He spoke about touring and his wonderful life in the music industry.
My eyes lit up like the star eye emoji. That's the ticket. That's what I want to do.
I felt a bit daft being in the project because I couldn't play any instruments therefore I wasn't in the band. So I would have to be a bystander, I guess.
Ewan showed me how not to be a bystander. I could be on the production/managerial side of things.
It felt trivial, at the start but then I told Ewan about how I did some music blogging. He thought this was great. He even introduced me to a younger girl on the course who wanted to get into music blogging herself -- he was introducing me as someone with experience, someone who could give advice.
Later on, he asked me to come and talk at Education days that were promoting Behind the Noise as myself, Michaela McElroy, Kieran Howe and Ibby Dikko were picked as trainees and it led to our showcase gig - Scottish Heroes. I blogged about that in 2015.
When I went to go for my commercial music course interview at UWS, he coached me through that. I got an unconditional place. I didn't take the place in the course, but it was an achievement that he helped me with nonetheless.
As well as being a DJ for Beat 106, a talent scout in London, Behind the Noise was really the thing that he did that made an impact, for the youth of today. Alongside Rico, Sean and the rest of the crew -- he changed lives. Here's some videos from our school band that we made up in 2014.
This is so, so important. Far too often, people think that working in the music industry is just a pipe dream - but when you're in school, there are little options are available to you if the most you feel like you can do is get into a 14+ show, while missing out on other gigs that your favourite bands are playing because you're not old enough to drink yet. If you don't start a band yourself, or have friends in bands -- then it feels like there's no possible way it can ever happen. Behind the Noise changes that, and creates experiences for these kids who might feel like that was never going to be an option. That's what happened for me, anyway.
Ewan MacLeod passed away on Thursday 17th December 2020.
We will miss him, so, so much. It's safe to say there's a hole now in the Scottish music industry where he once was.
Here's some clips of the man himself, speaking for himself in his own words and then also interviewing the Spice Girls. Man does it all.
Singer songwriter Cara Rose wrote: Incredibly sad. Ewan was such a vibrant character who never failed to make me smile and laugh every time I was in his company. He really was an inspiration and he will be so missed.
Enthusiasm, vibrancy, inspirational. That's the kind of man he was.
He will be sorely missed by many.
