“SONG FOR EWE” is the feature where artists & music people beloved by VELVET SHEEP choose an obscure song they’ve been listening to that day. Today’s guest is a regular, the peerless Piney Gir and she’s arrived back here just in time for Valentine’s day with a hooky piece of loved-up goodness, a spin the bottle rocket of a tune, ideal to fall head over heels with. It’s called “Puppy Love”  and comes over like a slice of Pixies’ “Gigantic” and there’s even un chien in the video. You can fill your heart and your ears with it right now, as it’s out now, this second, featuring guest vocals from Willie J Healey and available  as a cheeky download with a custom made Valentine to follow in the post. And the brilliant artwork to the single is a shot of our hero taken some time in the 90s at a family portrait store in a Kansas shopping mall, and also features her adorable pup Raleigh (now sadly no longer with us, but ne’er forgotten). Apparently Raleigh was fluent in English, mostly the word “out” and was adept at singing along with Piney in the car, and accompanying the frequent wails of the tornado alarms in their home town of Kansas, City – very Wizard of Oz. Here to make the aorta flutter even in Tin Men and Women, it’s the ace of hearts, with a Valentine’s “song for ewe”, Piney Gir! It’s fair to say that Piney has been living the dream of late. As well as releasing her album “You Are Here” at the end of last year, she has been on the road as a killer backing singer with Gaz Coombes for the past four years, and also supporting him as Piney Gir on tours of the UK, USA and Europe. That’s not to mention supporting Ride on their UK acoustic tour and working and touring with Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds (which will continue into spring / summer this year) and singing with the legendary Lawrence (of Denim, Felt and Lawrence of Belgravia acclaim) on his forthcoming Go Kart Mozart release. Piney’s also doing her own dates, and featuring as a mentor / panellist at some upcoming music events – more details of which to be found below… But what is a tune that Piney’s loved but not lost recently, a Valentine’s themed pick? It’s the second time the same tune has been picked (formerly chosen by VS fav Myra Power of Dischord DC band Slant 6, and joining a select bunch of double picks including tunes by Nic Jones, The Fall and Electric Eels)…so without further ado, this is Piney’s Valentine’s “song for ewe”… “Not sure how obscure ‘Summer Wine’ is but I’m such a fan of Lee and Nancy, and this is one of my favourite ones! For a start, the lyrics are great, I love the story of how they fall in love with each other, well sort of… it’s more like a game they’re playing, but at the end of the day she gets him drunk and nicks his silver spurs! I love how sugary sweet Nancy’s voice is, and how deep and dangerous Lee’s voice is, it’s a perfect contrast; it’s even more unexpected when he gets his comeuppance, it’s like he never saw it coming. Musically it’s brilliant how the song drifts from waltz time to straight spaghetti-western 4/4 time, accenting the contrast between the two characters, and the lushness of the string arrangement is worthy of Ennio Morricone. This song has absolutely everything. It’s the perfect, bittersweet anti-valentine’s anthem, and what could be more romantic than that?” THANKS PINEY!...