Falkirk father and son duo break the mould with Artesan

Wolfgang Van Halen is certainly one – having joined his iconic namesake for recent tours and, of course, Jason Bonham taking to the stage with Led Zeppelin is the stuff of legends.

Yet there will be very few can say they've been there from the ground up.

Artesan is an emerging name in a Forth Valley music scene which his beginning to produce a steady supply of formidable acts in a wide range of genres.

The band released a debut track last year – Feel Like Myself Again – and planned to follow up before the lockdown struck. Last week, they finally unveiled their new single Lifesaver.

Ostensibly, there is nothing too different about the five-piece just trying to make their way in an industry beaten down by the coronavirus pandemic. But what is a little unusual is the fact that father and son Ronnie and Bryce Bissett are both in the band.

While the band can trace its origins, somewhat, back to 20210 – Artesan really came together when young Bryce took up the role of guitarist in 2018.

Ronnie linked up with bandmates Dickson Telfer and Will Treeby, playing the odd gig from for a few years before winding things down in 2013. The passion to create music never really died, however, and in 2018 Ronnie and Dickson came together again with the aim of releasing a track: Feel Like Myself Again.

Things appeared to be picking but everything really fell into place with Bryce on board.

Ronnie tells The Weekender: "It felt quite natural getting him involved as he was such a good player and really on my wavelength musically.

"When we got back together around May 2018 he was keen to get involved so he came along to a few practice sessions so we could get a feel for it and it worked.

"Myself, Dickson and Will work so well together; we had always resisted getting someone else in as we have an amazing dynamic, but Bryce being involved seemed logical as he gets on well with the other guys and is a great player.

"It is a little bit of a double-edged sword for me, right enough; we are very similar in terms of musical taste and all that so when I'm looking for a certain sound he knows exactly what I mean and it's easy in that respect, but he really does love winding me up and knows exactly what buttons to push.

"We have a great relationship and are both not afraid to say what we think and that helps with making the songs better and provides great entertainment for the others when we are 'being honest'."

Bryce still staying at home gives the duo ample opportunity to develop any embryonic ideas without the need to arrange a meeting with band members.

The duo are always sharing ideas and discussing other music and has been a fairly natural progression into playing in a band together.

Bryce adds: "It has felt quite natural and I have managed to slot in at the right time. It's been one of those bands that I instantly got a good feeling about; the energy was just right, and I immediately felt comfortable.

"I have been in some bands before and although there were good parts it didn't feel naturally right but this does.

"Having my dad in the band has not only been good in the sense that I know him well, but I feel I get along best with people who are older than me anyway.

"He always gives me the platform to contribute and knowing that I feel I can say what I think about something, he's always honest with me even if it's not what I want to hear."

Ronnie and Bryce Bisset are breaking the mould as father and son bandmates

Much like so many bands, Artesan have felt the impact of Covid on their prospects. Their debut had certainly turned a few heads and the band had hoped to build some momentum heading into the spring and summer of 2020.

They were able to get Lifesaver recorded in August but the real journey takes place this year. The quintet are confident of maintaining the interest their band had sparked with the release of Feel Like Myself Again.

Ronnie adds: "The response we received from that track was great. It surpassed my expectations for a first release but it is one of those tracks that come around once in a blue moon.

"The stars aligned for that song and has really helped us get known. People have been eagerly waiting to hear what was coming next."

Lifesaver was released on Friday, February 19, after what had been a long wait for the band to follow up on their debut.

The track didn't disappoint. Iit certainly has a similar vibe to their first release but offers just a little more expression for listeners to indulge in.

Though there is a cathartic, if even positive, feel to the song – it was borne from harrowing experiences.

Ronnie reflects: "Around 2011 Dickson played the chords when we were looking for new ideas, it was something he had written when he was a teenager. A near death experience of one of his friends on a lake had inspired him to write it which is why it was called Lifesaver.

"He played it a band practice and I loved it. This was the first song we wrote together.

"The song is basically me fighting with a period of depression, talking about how it made me feel and being determined to climb out of it, but it could be about any personal struggle and tacking it head on.

"That's where the fighting fire with fire line came about, saying: 'whatever you throw at me I'm going to throw it right back'.

"I kept the title Lifesaver and built the song around it as I wanted the sentiment behind the original inspiration to remain. There is an extended edition of the song which is how it originally sounded before this release which has a very ethereal section at the end. We plan on recording it properly and putting it out on an EP at some point."

Artesan are looking at further singles release this year with an EP in the pipeline for 2021. Getting on stage will also be a priority amid a renewed hope of gigs returning before long.