A group of autistic Moray musicians have joined forces to perform some rock classics and write an anthem to highlight their condition.
Six young men from across the region have been taking part in a series of sessions at Elgin’s Moray Youth Point for the past 10 weeks.
Although, they were already talented musicians, they have learned how to form a cohesive unit during that time.
And tomorrow, they will showcase their collaborative skills by recording a demo featuring a selection of popular songs, such as Hound Dog by Elvis Presley and Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
They will also perform a song called Einstein is in the Corridor, which members wrote themselves to express their feelings about autism.
Acoustic guitar player, David Jamieson, said: “It’s to do with our past experiences, mainly from school.”
“A lot of experts think that Albert Einstein had a form of autism, and it’s about how his classmates and teachers might have underestimated him and people like him.”
Lead vocalist Lewis Creamer, 22, added: “It’s about the boys who made fun of us, and about us looking back at them now.”
Pianist James Maxwell, 26, is confident he can put his computer abilities to good use by creating a video to accompany the original song.
He said: “There have been a lot of laughs over the past few weeks as we have gelled, but it has been hard work as well.”
The group have dubbed themselves Caribou Crescent, after bass player Jim Morton brought in an atlas and the name of the Australian street captured members’ attention.
They hope to continue playing together despite reaching the end of the workshop series, and would like to perform before live crowds.
The project has been undertaken after the base received a £4,000 grant from funding body Creative Scotland.
Moray Council’s employment development worker, Brenda Weaver, said she hoped the bandmates’ newfound confidence could lead to members securing work.
She added: “The guys have got on well, they exchange a lot of humour and banter and I can see a difference in them now from when we started.”
Any proceeds the band make from selling their CD will be reinvested in Moray Youth Point.
