A RECORD which brought together a Wee County congregation and some international musicians will be launched to mark the bicentenary of an Alloa church.

Raise the Roof is being produced at St Mungo’s Parish Church with plans in motion for a release around the big anniversary next year.

It features a variety of professionals, from as far afield as New Jersey in the US, as well as church-goers and youngsters to make it an inter-generational effort.

Songwriter and teacher Ian Paget is spearheading the production with two-thirds of the tracks in the bag after around a year of recording, editing and mixing.

He had visited the church to help with his musical talents in the past and the idea for the album, and indeed the title, came when funds were being raised to renovate the building – including the replacement of the roof.

Ian said the idea was initially to help raise some money, adding: “But more than that – [it would] really raise the profile of the church and raise the hearts of the people there.

“It’s been an amazing journey. We’ve used a lot of local musicians from all over the county – we are probably going to have two, possibly three original songs on the album.

“We are featuring some really great talent from the county but also some great musicians from outside the county and even some internationally recognised musicians as well.

“It’s been a joy to see the album come together.”

Securing funds to renovate a roof can be daunting and Ian hopes the album will help raise people’s spirits, expectations and hopes.

Recording sessions have been taking place over the past year with the living room in the church’s manse, home of the Rev Sang Cha, converted into a recording suite.

The minister calls it The Sandbox and it is a place where creativity can freely flow.

One of the many musicians contributing to the album is cellist Andrew Kim from New Jersey who flew across the Atlantic to record some tracks a few weeks ago.

Ian said he always hopes to bring the creativity out of the musicians taking part – indeed one of the original tracks comes from a member of the congregation who wrote a few chords at home.

Rather than being prescriptive, he lets the musicians listen and play – leading to some "amazing moments" in the process.

Having cellist Andy around was one of the highlights for him, with everyone playing late into the night.

Ian said: “I was listening to the music that was being created and people weren’t even conscious of being recorded anymore.

"They were just enjoying playing with one another and I thought this is part and parcel of the beauty of recording in this kind of setting: in a house, not necessarily with professionals, but with a community.”