Mark Ritchie

From Glasgow, singer songwriter Mark Ritchie produced tapes of uncommon sadness and beauty on his KAW label. First, as Frank Peck, and then later under his own name. He also had a band project, Shy Rights Movement, that released higher fidelity music and featured the electric guitar of Paul Doucet. Mark worked hard for other underground musicians as well, releasing compilation tapes and more recently, a review sheet called Hiroshima Yeah! He was also a champion of the music of Tim Gilbert and distributed his music too. Shy Rights also released a tape on Best Kept Secret from Italy and also released a “Best Of” compilation on my own label, Lonely Whistle.

A Shy Rights Movement cassette from 2004, “Trauma Peepshow”

“10 Items Or Less” a compilation that featured Timo, Gary K, Kenyata Sullivan and others.

Mark Ritchie and Paul Doucet of Shy Rights Movement.

I got into the indie music scene in 1986 but didn’t really discover fanzines and home-taping until a year later, when the mighty John Peel and his radio show alerted me to the existence of a whole new world of exciting underground possibilities. I formed a bedroom band with my friend Stephen, called the Water Pistols, and we put out our own tape and then I started a fanzine called Splish! Splash! Splosh! and began trading tapes and zines with people from all over the place. The Water Pistols eventually morphed into a “proper” band called the Librarians (later simply Librarian) and we put out a tape called “Never Been to Basingstoke”, contributed songs to lots of tape comps that came out in the late ’80s/early ’90s, played gigs up and down the UK and met lots of cool people, some of whom are still friends to this day!

You can also mention, if you like, my monthly zine Hiroshima Yeah! and that certain old Kaw releases are still available. I have no website anymore but people can email me at kawtapes (at )hotmail.com, subject heading KAW.