Its all changed round here. regular readers are bored of Jamie's polyps saga.

Update : vocal chords fucked.
Still.
No more inept/endearing vocals about girls.
lets face it, its hardly front page NME stuff....

So its all change. We ( me and boony et al ) are making a record with tompaulin chanteuse and all round Julie Christie type Stacey Mckenna.... imagine George from Electrafixion and Sister Vanilla on drums, shakers etc.... violas from the halle (posh as....), noise from fiery jack, flutes from the nick drake song book, words and heavy handed gibson dove from me and you get the picture.
Or just play Blood on the tracks and picture a lass singing buckets of rain or tangled up in blue.
With crapper lyrics.....
but still; Its better than everything we have ever done... but we would say that.

We are also releasing the Maupa LP ( in case yr deaf and blind and haven't been paying attention... 8 out of ten in NME kids!.... fuck me even the strokes love em. )

And we have also been putting on gigs by amazing people like ... Karima Francis, (with support from Boony acoustic.)

Soooooo last Friday Boony opened from karima in Blackburn and it was amazing. Stunning. Special.

If I sound like Im in love... its because I am.

Everything on here is redundant and will be replaced ....... and in the words of Bobby....

"Everything passes/everything changes/just do what you think you should do...."

Don't argue with Bob.....

Jamiex

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/2009/02/jamie_holman.php
read Jamie gobshiting on about tompaulin etc on the Saatchi Website. This first appeared in the Saatchi Gallery Art And Music Magazine where Jamie regulary gobshites on and on and on about JAMC, Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, tompaulin, maupa etc etc etc.
He also does a blog for them which is also gobshite.
 
But good.

Hello,

after last weeks CD delivery of Yvonne from our good friend Sean at Fortuna Pop!
A package arrived from the USA this morning.

Blue Skies, Daisy Days is released on The excellent Planting Seeds label and all the info is below. Some of the proceeds go to KEEP A BREAST cancer foundation, and those who know the tompaulin history will know that we would jump to support a cancer charity.

and speaking of tompaulin history, The Left Outsides are also included .....and they are Mark ( Of Arrow Hill/18th day of May.... and Alison Cotton of tompaulin/Saloon Viola fame.
Alison joined the band for a while and plays on all tompaulin's LP's in some way..... if that wasn't enough, Simon Trought from tompaulin produced it in the soup studio that tompaulin helped set up with the advance for into the black..... that gene pool. Its small.

This CD also features various marychain members, past and present so that should give you an idea of the quality.....

Our contribution is Call Yrself Alive and its the finished version that's never been released.... not the demo that was on the myspace for a while

Please buy.

micktravis

VARIOUS ARTISTS "Blue Skies Daisy Days" (PSRCD-058)
Planting Seeds' third label comp featuring label artists & friends will be due out Fall 2008 with a slew of exclusive tracks and a portion of the proceeds going to San Diego, CA based Cancer Awareness KAB Organization. The compilation features a stellar line-up of artists from around the globe:

International Jetsetters (members of Jesus & Mary Chain, Ride), Corner Laughers (San Franciso, CA), A.M. Vibe (San Diego, CA) The Tamborines (London, UK), Fairwood Singers (featuring Allen Clapp), The Left Outsides (featuring members of The Eighteenth Day of May), Color Filter featuring Linda Draper (from Japan, Draper from Queens, NY), Loose Salute (featuring members of Mojave 3), Stevenson Ranch Davidians (from Los Angeles, CA), Loz Colbert (Ride, Jesus & Mary Chain, International Jetsetters), The Primary 5 (Teenage Fanclub), The See See (members of Eighteenth Day of May), The Parson Red Heads (Los Angeles, CA), Incredible Vickers Brothers (The Orange Peels), Nic Dalton (Lemonheads, Sneeze, etc), Michael Barrett (Essex Green, Ladybug Transistor), John Moore (Black Box Recorder, Jesus & Mary Chain), Pinkie (Sarah Records, Harper Lee etc), The Fischers (UK, members of Tompaulin),

Its been a while.
As far as The Fischers go, let me explain. New readers may not realise that Jamie had polyps on his vocal chords and has had surgery. He still has another operation to go. Still no singing. In the time of silence tho, Boonies band Maupa released Run Run Sleep on a label Jamie helps run. It got 8 out of ten in the NME a few weeks ago. Its stunning.

Buy it. Visit them via our top friends.

Then out of the blue Fortuna Pop got in touch and announced that there were cd's in the post. A new compilation, "be true to your school" includes lost micktravis single Yvonne, recorded with Rob Ferrier 6 years ago with various tompaulin members and Chris Alizon from the micktravis band. Written and sung by Garfield Grieve it was the best of a bunch of excellent demo's that have never seen the light of day. And now never will.

Yvonne however is just perfect. The CD costs £4.99 and includes Amos from tompaulin in his successful band fanfarlo as well as airport girl, comet gain and the butterflies of love. *phew*

As if that wasn't enough Jamie and Boonie have been in the studio with Stacey of tompaulin, with a string section borrowed from the Hale orchestra, woodwind instruments, Gordon and bash from Fiery Jack breaking hearts with e bows and a dash of walk on the wild side bass and a new direction. ...... with Joe Fossard from Mono studios at the helm of course.....

The results are stunning. The best thing Jamie has ever written (according to Stacey)
and it looks very much like it will become an LP very very quickly. There is already finished tracks but no rushing... hold on and they'll get out.

Is that it ?? NO!

Call Yrself Alive is finally released on the planting seeds label this month and there will soon be another parcel on the doorstep from the USA. Planting seeds are in our top friends... click on and buy.


Finally then, Jamie has been writing for The Saatchi Gallery Magazine Art And Music
(JAMC, issue 1, Joy Divison Issue 2 and Leonard Cohen issue 3) he has also been filming for their website............ Robert Forster, John Squire and Let's Wrestle.

Go to www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artandmusic

Well ??
What the fuck do you think we've all been doing ?
Sitting around waiting for record deals???

micktravis x

Hello I have recorded the perfect crime for a tribute to the marychain project on the some candy talking website. Ive played it live before and just wanted to get a version of it. The vocal is distorted because...well my voice is still fucked.

Jx

back again come on

They hacked out the throat and it seems to be getting better and better. I sang and played guitar in the studio yesterday on some Demo's that I am writing with Stacey of tompaulin fame, which are going to sound like Leonard cohen fronted by Mazzy Starr. Already sounding fantastic. Maupa's CD ( Boony's band in case youve been asleep for the past year ) is back from the pressing plant and it's incredible. The Engilsh Arcade Fire . I mean It.

And if you go here : www.myspace.com/plantingseedsmusic  

You can hear the new call yrself alive recording which is being released on Planting Seeds this Autumn. Planting Seeds is home to Freeheat and the tambourines and is a wonderfull record label that we are overjoyed to be working with.

All Things Pass/But Not To Fast.

We will be live again soon when throat heals fully and if you have missed us we have missed you more.

Jamiex

VARIOUS ARTISTS "Blue Skies Daisy Days" (PSRCD-058)
Planting Seeds' third label comp featuring label artists & friends will be due out Fall 2008 with a slew of exclusive tracks and a portion of the proceeds going to San Diego, CA based Cancer Awareness KAB Organization. The compilation features a stellar line-up of artists from around the globe:

International Jetsetters (members of Jesus & Mary Chain, Ride), Corner Laughers (San Franciso, CA), A.M. Vibe (San Diego, CA) The Tamborines (London, UK), Fairwood Singers (featuring Allen Clapp), The Left Outsides (featuring members of The Eighteenth Day of May), Color Filter featuring Linda Draper (from Japan, Draper from Queens, NY), Loose Salute (featuring members of Mojave 3), Stevenson Ranch Davidians (from Los Angeles, CA), Loz Colbert (Ride, Jesus & Mary Chain, International Jetsetters), The Primary 5 (Teenage Fanclub), The See See (members of Eighteenth Day of May), The Parson Red Heads (Los Angeles, CA), Incredible Vickers Brothers (The Orange Peels), Nic Dalton (Lemonheads, Sneeze, etc), Michael Barrett (Essex Green, Ladybug Transistor), John Moore (Black Box Recorder, Jesus & Mary Chain), Pinkie (Sarah Records, Harper Lee etc), The Fischers (UK, members of Tompaulin), and more to be announced! Look for the full artist/track listing shortly...

At the last fischers show in London, Nick and Romi Sanderson came along and as always were with Shin and George sistervanilla and as always Nick was great company and talked United and drums and beers and everything inbetween.

I don't think Nick was aware of how much I looked up to him for his JAMC drums and his Freeheat recordings and Earl Brutus madness. ( anyone with a song called "The SAS and the Glam that goes with it" is a hero right ? ) and all the time we talked Ronaldo Romi  sat cool as anything . Freeheat and Gun Club.... fucking amazing. The nicest people you would want to meet.

On the last game of the season George rang me and Ciaron as we watched United take the title, he was in a hotel in the country with Shin, Nick and Romi. They had ordered champagne and were overjoyed at the result. Romi had treated Nick and they had tagged along.

George told me Nick was tired, but we were all caught up in the moment and ordering champagne, split by miles but shouting down the phones.

Sadly moments pass. You reach for them, stretch out your arms but they are gone. Moments become memories and the bottle empties.

Ill be raising a glass to Nick later on. A good red and the best fucking drummer in the world.

Jamie x

Regular readers (and I know you are out there) will remember the talk of glycerine puking, scratchy vocals and total loss of voice after shows....and probably imagined another indie sap moaning over nothing. I know I did, and it was me moaning.
.... But it turns out that I've got polyps or nodules on my vocal chords and was supposed tp spend the last seven days ......and then all of this week in total silence before a freeze em and cut em job at the local abbatoir.

Sadly I have just returned from a weekend of music and drinking in a cottage in the middle of no where with all the fischers, tap, cookie and ciaron from tompaulin, george and shin from sistervanilla, Dan from the lucas group, Truey the sistervanilla "roadie" and tompaulin "tour manager", sparks and sabas, Oats the sleeve designer, Alf from the short lived micktravis project and all the troops associated with the past ten years of musical, cultural and sporting mediocrity, whatever name it went under........and mediocre it may have been but if you werent there I can only describe the fun we've had doing it. So I couldnt miss the annual meet up and the thrill of the pool doubles and the heady rush of the never ending darts tournament could I ??

I could only whisper and tried not to talk and I was offered a lot of medication from various concerned parties and of course the drink flows and today I have no voice at all. Nothing.

So the gigs we have booked...don't panic we are not quitting yet. There is talk of boonie singing and switching to lead while matt plays bass and I play acoustic as normal. We did ask Stacey from tompaulin to guest vocal all the May shows but she declined....and frankly who could blame her. So thats that.

No speaking. Those who have met me know what his means.

micktravisx

its the usual routine.
wait wait wait drink wait soundcheck (shite) wait drink play drink home.

and in between, amps blow, fees are "negotiated", stage times dictated, guest lists discussed, bass strings break, glycerin puke, no rider and you wonder why you fucking bother.

But you do and when you are playing you get lost in it, and when you come off stage people come over and tell you it was great and this makes it all ok....shack are mentioned...and thats ok and we are admonished for releasing vinyl and not cd's. Next time perhaps...

And what to say about john and pete kloot ?
they are of course stunning, John short with foot on chair and eyes screwed tight while Pete towers over piano and bass, all subtle sounds and a smoky intensity that softens the gravel in John. Then the words....which are of obviously good and sometimes they are as good as it gets....but there are other phrases that would clang or feel cliched and obvious were they not handled so well by that twist of Lennon and limes, the bitter aftertaste and prickly disposition of the author.....and slowly I also remember what a good guitar player John is, picking and strumming, delicate to growl on a sixpence.
John apologises for the hangover....if thats hangover singing open the bar! ....There are times when the songs are quite simply stunning in their economy, but through it all the voice remains.

We leave and drink and for some the night begins.....my thoughts are with a friend in need under sommerset skies, I am hoping he will come home.... so I jump a taxi with his brother and slip way. As we drive off I am back on the outside looking in and see Jacob animated/ pointing/ laughing/ lost/ through the TV window of friday night cinema and realise that Ive seen this episode before. Its a re run. I know how it ends.

I get home and write it all down.
I am still full of the performance and turn on the real TV to see a documentary about scottish pop. They interview the fucking Bluebells and don't even mention the marychain.

The Cunts.

micktravis.