Entries:
September
Two weekends
ago, my folks and I drove up to Skegness to celebrate my Nana and
Cousin's birthdays. Skegness was
recently crowned the UK's third most popular seaside town and offers
all the frills; amusement arcade, fish and chips shops, bingo halls,
sea front donkey rides, miniature golf courses and so on. Just off the
high street, we happened upon an unusual sign in the distance that read
'Tamla - Coffee Bar and Record Shop'. We popped in and stepped into
Northern Soul heaven. Everywhere we looked there were soul records,
posters, prints and badges and in amongst it all, stood the sharply
dressed owner, David Raistrick. He told us the story of Northern Soul
and how his passion for collecting these rare records has led him on
yearly visits all over the United States. While serving up cups of
coffee, David described musicians, shop owners and collectors that he's
come across in his fifty years of collecting who, like himself, just
can't get enough of this kind of soul music. Awe struck by his
dedication, Dad and I left inspired by David, he is a rare man.
Alongside running his record shop/coffee bar he curates and hosts
Northern Soul events all around the country. If you fancy a break and
feel like going dancing, check here to see if there's a Northern Soul weekender that's near your neck of the woods.
I missed every one of the their London dates but assured by Anika that they were nothing short of amazing, I’ll have to make sure nothing at all clashes with The Antlers
the next time they play in these parts. Anika introduced me to their
album 'Hospice' a little while ago and it's been playing at home ever
since. The album was recorded in an apartment in Brooklyn and took two
years to complete. It is made up of simple and powerful songs dealing
with love and loss.
Have you visited
the Hayward Gallery lately? It was recently home to 'Walking In My
Mind', an expedition/exhibition into the minds of artists. Charles
Avery, Mark Manders, Keith Tyson and Yoshitomo Nara were some of the
ten artists involved in displaying drawings, videos and sculptures that
guided us around their minds. My favourite piece was Nara's and it took
up half of a room and consisted of two parts. One; a large painted sign
that announced 'Place like Home' and secondly; a
rickety-shack/Wendy-house. The cabin structure didn't have a door, but
instead a few small windows placed here and there to offer different
views of the treasures and scraps of Nara's childhood. There was a desk
covered in drawings, pens and pencils, toys, ornaments, a television
showing his favourite cartoons, a few rock tee shirts scattered about
and an amazing sense of privacy. For those of you who didn't get to
catch the exhibition in person, books, catalogues and films about the
artists featured can still be browsed and bought in the Upper Foyer
shop.
Across the way
from the Hayward, lives Queen Elizabeth's Hall and on Friday is was
home to Robyn Hitchcock's insect themed night of music. There was a
very special atmosphere all evening. Insect illustrations were
projected throughout the show and some of the audience came wearing bug
hats and accessories. The show was divided into two parts and saw Robyn
joined by a variety of musicians including Green Gartside of Scritti
Politti on 'Red Locust Frenzy', Mike Heron of the Incredible String
Band and his daughter, Georgia on 'Cousin Caterpillar' and 'A Very
Cellular Song', John Hegley on 'Amoeba' and Graham Coxon on 'Antwoman'
and 'Dead Bees'. As Robyn put it, there was a lot of
'cross-pollinating' as everybody helped out playing and singing on each
other's songs. I did some singing on Heron's song, Robyn's 'Madonna Of
The Wasps' and then together we did a cover of 'Snail's Lament' by
Trees. Their album 'The Garden Of Jane Delawney' was released in the
late sixties almost un-noticed despite being a work of beauty. 'Snail's
Lament' is a my favourite track on there but the whole body of work is
very special. I recommend it! The evening ended with 'Ole! Tarantula'
and suitably, 'I am the Fly' by Wire...lots of fun!
On Saturday, we were lucky with good weather for 'In the Woods'. It's a gathering in the countryside hosted by The Laurel Collective and performing were Anna Calvi, Micachu, Screaming Tea Party, the Invisible and Lail Arad among others. I played and then fell asleep for a little while,
missing quite a lot of music but enjoyed the surroundings when I awoke
to a Wicker Man style bonfire.
I'm very much
looking forward to Whispertown 2000's in-store at Rough Trade on
Tuesday and highly recommend checking out their set at The Union Chapel
on Thursday with Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Anna Calvi will be opening for Whispertown 2000 at the Luminaire this Friday too - it'll be a very WT2000-centric week!
September, still
A friend of our family, Dave Hill, visited from New York the other week to spread the word of his comedy and
music (check out both! yes! do it!) and along with mischief, he also packed two mixes entitled 'Monster Jamz pt.1 & 2'. His visit was fleeting and he didn't have time to list the tracks so everytime I slip the mix on, it's like boarding the magic mystery bus. So far, I can name the opening track 'I Am The Cosmos' taken from Chris Bell's album of the same title.
It's a lovely album with a wonderful cover of him standing amongst mountains.
Anika has made a new mix, which like their predessors, could melt your ears with amazing sounds. She listed the tracks, so it's not so much a guessing game as just a plain magic bus. My favourite finds from the mix are; Motel Motel, Blitzen Trapper (they win points for naming a few animals in 'Furr'), Ah Holly Fam'ly and an unusually delicate tune by She Keeps Bees named 'Two Thousand Lights'.
Along with being a wonderful human being, comic writer and musical-sharer, Anika is teaming up with (lovely) Lynn from For Folk's Sake with their music night 'Allotment'. Their very first is this wednesday at the Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon. There'll be live music from Joe Steer of Broadcast 2000, Al Lewis & Sarah Howells, I Said Yes and for your tums - cake and watermelon... all for £5! What a win!
Did you make it down to the Union Chapel for Transgressive's 5th birthday? It was a treat for the ears from beginning to end. I hadn't ever heard of
Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards before taking a pew and being immersed in their sound. Dan's voice is warm and deep and the band is pedal steel and slide guitar heavy. I'm not opposed to that at all. Give their album 'Saltwater' a listen. Mechanical Bride played next and their set twisted and turned beautifully, Jeremy Warmsley and Graham Coxon followed before Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit took the stage. I don't think a single hair on my body sat down throughout the evening.
It was a wonderful night of songs! Hats off to Transgressive!
Another trip to Eastbourne was taken too! Unfortunately, the Camera Obscura was closed because it was so windy on the pier but fun was had still. If you haven't already been to Mr & Mrs Upton's 'How we lived then' museum then you really ought to get down there! It's open every day from 10am and is only 5 minutes from Eastbourne Railway Station.
The Uptons have been collecting authentic shop items for over fifty years....there are over 100,000 items displayed across the four floors!
This entry is really hopping around subject-wise and it's coming to a close!
Last week saw
Treetop Flyers release their first EP 'Bury the past'.
I can't recommend these fellows more - they're very kind, supremely gifted and NEVER fail to get folks dancing. Their music is for appreciators of Crazy Horse, Steely Dan, Jackson Brown...really, just all of the good stuff. If you haven't given them a listen yet, be sure to!
On the way home from the Flyers' show at the Lexington, Joe us about a film his friend, Scott has been working on for quite some time now. It's called 'MAKE' and follows the lives of 4 self-taught American folk artists; Prophet Royal Roberston, Judith Scott, Ike Morgan and Hawkins Bolden. The trailer looks very special and it'll be a film worth catching. The screening will be on october 16th at the Museum of Everything in Primrose Hill. Have a look and a read about Scott's film
hereOctober
Have you been scooping out seeds and carving pumpkins?
A good pumpkin-carving soundtrack is
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros' 'Up from Below'. The album is a treat for the ears, painted by genres and no song sounds alike. The only common thread throughout the songs is they are all channelled from a feeling of community, peace and curiosity. The Magnetic Zeros are a ten piece group based in Los Angeles, led by Edward Sharpe. Their song 'Home' is a magic duet, reminiscent of Carter And Cash with 'Edward'/Alex and his partner Jade Castrinos leading the group and stopping halfway for a spoken word section, recounting an adventure the couple shared when Jade fell out of a window and almost died whilst smoking a cigarette in their car en route to the hospital. The group are also in the midst of a video project to accompany their music. Here they are on David Letterman, singing 'Home'.
Edward Sharpe & the magnetic Zeros Last weekend saw two visits to the Museum of Everything. Following Joe's recommendation, on Friday evening,
Ben and I went along to watch 'MAKE', Scott Ogden's documentary following the art and lives of Prophet Royal Robertson, Judith Scott, Ike Morgan and Hawkins Bolden. The film was nothing short of beautiful and I recommend it to the high skies. You can have a watch of the trailer here if you haven't already. The setting also, could not have been beaten - the Museum of Everything is a new one of a kind art space that promises to only host art by creators living outside of our modern society. Every nook, crevice and cranny is filled, presenting over two hundred drawings, sculptures, paintings and installations by untrained and unintentional artists. The museum is tucked away near the corner of Regents Park Road and Sharpleshall Street in Primrose Hill, London NW1. It is open from Thursday to Sunday from lunchtime to dinnertime and entrance is free, though you'll find a teacup for donations by the door that you won't want to ignore. There is also a cafe and shop in the back. Plan a visit!
On Thursday, my family and I will be heading to New York for a few days. I've never been in town for CMJ and am looking forwards to seeing the city in full autumn bloom. I'm not sure if it'll be humanly possible to hop around as much as our list wishes but we're hoping to catch Magic Magic, Forest Fire, Chief and The Antlers. If you'll be in town too, I’ll be playing at 5pm at Santo's Party House on Lafayette Street on Friday and at 7pm at the Living Room on Rivington Street on Saturday - come along if you're free!
October, still
How was your Halloween? Will you be setting off fireworks this weekend?
We were fortunate enough to pay a visit to the New York Library a fortnight ago and there's an exhibition on that's worth visiting if you're in the area at the moment or planning a trip before May 23rd. The lower ground halls are filled with detailed drawings, paintings and photographs mapping New York's shoreline. The exhibition celebrates the Quadricentennial of Henry Hudson's explorations of the waterways and shows you just how vast and great the Hudson River is. The exhibition is free and found in the D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Hall of the library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd street.
Both autumn sunshine and biblical rain were experienced during our visit and it kept us on our toes. Both of the shows were fun and I recommend the Living Room on Ludlow Street. It has a heavy velvet curtain that separates the venue in the back room from the bar - it's nice and quiet back there and you're just a few steps away from a bustling bar serving all sorts of drinks and an old photobooth, in case you like those too. Down the street are a lot of shops and cafes and we found a nice, family run, greasy spoon Mexican restaurant called 'Sombrero' or 'The Hat'. You can get a lot done in the tight knit area.
The Highline was impressive too. It's an elevated park on the lower west side, built on a disused section of the freight railroad of the West Side Line. It offers amazing views of both the city and the river and isn't such a high climb for those who are anxious about great heights. While you're up there you can get a coffee and find a bench amongst the shrubbery or visit the new Standard Hotel which sits pretty across the walk way. There are two Standard Hotels in Los Angeles and this is New York's first. It's not dissimilar on the outside from a building you might find near the Barbican but I trust inside it's as curious and futuristic as their other locations. Also - just when we thought we'd left London behind, we came across 'Elephant & Castle' in Greenwich Village...it's been serving up delicious American home cooking in a cosy pub layout for 35 years now. Pop in if you find yourself nearby.
Upon returning home, I was back on tracks again but this time heading towards Bristol. I hadn't been very familiar with Johnny Flynn's songs before the shows and it really was a pleasure to hear such beautiful songs three nights in a row. The venues were all very special in their own way too; the Cube is Bristol is a volunteer run art space and at times cinema, the Hanbury Ballroom in Brighton, has been many things in its time - but it was originally built in the 18th century as a mausoleum and the Hamptons in Southampton is a friendly, local venue run by a very sweet, enthusiastic fellow - I regret that I can't remember his name today but he does a wonderful job.
In attendance at the Brighton Show was the founder of the Chord Chart Project. A young man who's in the midst of supplying musicians with a 20''x20'' chart of tabbed chord variations. The artists circle and decorate their favourite chords from an inspiring song and the chart are later auctioned to raise money for Oxfam. To find out more about the project, visit
here.
On Monday, Reid and I played a show downstairs at the Ginglik in Shepherds Bush. It was a charity show and the turn out was splendid. I tip my cap off to David Shenoda who put the evening together and hopefully raised his target donation for Oxfam. Reid will be playing with the rest of the flyers quite a lot over the next month, so be sure to have a look at their dates online.
Wednesday welcomed the 2nd installment of The Allotment at the Betsey Trotwood. Anika and Lynn do such a wonderful job - you must make it down to as many as possible! This week's show featured sets by the Momeraths, the Dufflefolks, Brooke Parrott and there was an overload of cakes and Allotment goods on offer (including Anika's new 'Map of the World' posters!). I played a set too and it was one of the best evenings in a long while. Hats off to the two ladies! The next Allotment will be a split production with Moonshine Jamboree on November 24th on the Tamesis Dock with the Treetop Flyers!
Tickets for the Christmas Crackers are now available
here and comedian/musician Tom Basden has joined the bill! If you're free on December 10th be sure to join us!
light a sparkler this weekend!