Bye Bye Geocities

It's the end of the line for Geocities, where like many people I had my first real go at having a webpage. I was reading through some of my old stuff recently and it reminded me of my much I got out of being a pretentious music journalist!

Maybe I'll get to have another go, as finally my Scarce and Swimming pieces have made it to The List's site on their Exposure page. Better late than never... so who shall I interview next?

Is It Workin' Chief?

Tracks from all three of the bands I've interviewed recently are featured on this week's show, It Ain't Workin' Chief on Subcity.

Also the Mary Hampton piece was picked up by the lovely people at Wears The Trousers and they've also added another review I did for them.

Swimming: "Superhero Shoegaze"

Swimming are a Nottingham-based five piece, comprising John Sampson, vocals and guitar, Peter Sampson, drums and vocals , Andrew Wright, samplers and vocals, Jonathon Spittlehouse, guitar and Blake Pearson, bass. Their post-rock influenced sound has been described as the energy of the Pixies taking on the ambient soundscapes of Boards Of Canada, but they prefer the term “Superhero Shoegaze”. Their debut album The Fireflow Trade was released earlier this year on their own Colourschool label.


Would you describe your music as “post-rock” or “progressive” or would you say it was something else?
We like to think we are more mainstream than either of those labels would suggest. We're influenced by a lot of post-rock bands and there are progressive elements to some of the songs but there are also simple melodies and harmonies and pop tunes. We've been compared to something like 50 bands or artists this year and enjoy reading some of the more creative descriptions that are out there - like superhero shoegaze.

The band was formed after you used to rehearse after going swimming and a lot of the song titles seem to have oceans and seas in them. Do you think this love of water has had an influence on your sound?
Yeah of course. People see different meanings in the water imagery. It seems to resonate with so many bigger ideas, but we didn't really plan it. We were kind of drawn to that quality of the sound and feeling of being in water or the ways water is used. We used to make a lot of field recordings of drains, streams, swimming pools, the Channel, a frozen pond and sometimes you get an emotional reaction listening back to them. The music reflects this little obsession we had and it spread almost subconsciously into the songs and then, to a point the lyrics. We've moved away from it a bit now as it was never meant to be too literal. You can only take a vague metaphor so far before people start to think you are actually singing about ancient oceans.

You’ve done several Headphone Only gigs in Nottingham with Binaural artist Dallas Simpson – can you explain what these were and what they entailed? Do you have plans for anymore?
Dallas is a legend. He is our link to the audience for these gigs. He puts tiny mics in his ears and sends what he hears to the audience who all wear headphones in another room. This means that you hear exactly what he hears as he moves around us playing in true 3D surround sound. We also strap a camera to his head and project that on a wall for the people to see what he sees. Its the best way to listen to ambient music so we play a more stripped down set. We did a little tour earlier this year and we have plans do it again this winter.

You’ve also had Dallas “remix” one of your tracks - but it’s more like it captures his experience of listening to the component parts while out in the countryside. Did this influence your usual recording process?
That remix totally opened our minds to the potential of environmental recording in music - if done right. We used more of the binaural (headphone) recordings on the Pacific Title EP but the freedom to record in other spaces carried into the album. We recorded instruments in old halls, outdoors and used field recordings to create the ambience and space we wanted on the record. You don’t have to be limited to the studio or a computer.

You’ve played some unusual venues, including Lee Rosey’s Tea Room in Nottingham. What’s the weirdest venue you’ve played or would like to play?
We had planned to have the album launch party at a planetarium but it couldn't happen then for a load of reasons....one day we will do it. With a film that we make.

There seem to be a lot more bands coming out of Nottingham these days, but there doesn’t seem to be a particular sound common to any of them? Would you agree? Would you say that there is a healthy music scene in Notts these days?
There are loads of great bands coming out of Notts over the last year or so, FISTS!, Ronika, Pilgrim Fathers, Souvaris, The Cusp, Lone, No Lovers, Origami Biro, JCDecaux and First Blood are all ace. Amusement Parks On Fire's (who front man John has produced in the past) new album is gonna be amazing too. It's good there is no generic sound coming out.

Swimming support ILIKETRAINS on tour at Glasgow King Tuts on October 17th.

Mary Hampton

Mary Hampton is an Brighton-based singer who takes an experimental approach to the traditional folk style and whose songs have been described as unnerving and enchanting, sensual and unsettling. She will be supporting James Yorkston and the Big Eyes Family Players on tour in support of their recent Folk Songs album. Her own album My Mother’s Children was released in 2008. She has recorded with Eliza Carthy and toured with American anti-folk singer Diane Cluck.

When did you first start playing and writing songs?
I first started writing music at the piano when I was about 14. It was mainly
chamber music that interested me, the powerful interplay of a small number of musicians always did something immense to me and still does, so I wrote a bunch of small ensemble pieces over the years that followed.
I eventually began singing at the age of 22, when I became really interested by words and their possibilities when combined with music.

Do you come from a folk singing background or is it something you’ve discovered that suits you?
Sadly no. Some Buddy Holly may have transpired in the kitchen at some point, but that's another story.
I grew up in West London in the nineties, and despite
having a voracious appetite for all kinds of music, I didn't have the good fortune to hear any folk music until quite late on.
It's true to say I'd had a earful of serialism, free-form jazz and Japanese death metal long before I ever heard a traditional English song, and it certainly sounded pretty exotic to me when I did hear it. In fact I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Anne Briggs for basically blowing everything else out of the water.

Is there any particular record or artist that you feel has influenced your style?
Here's the long answer...I feel like it's usually something very small that influences me most, often just a gesture.
It might only be a few notes run together in a particular way, or a certain
way one lyric is inflected in a song. When I hear it, such a musical moment seems so complete that it can feed my imagination for many months to come.
There is rarely any way of knowing when or where such a phrase might occur, so
I try to keep my listening pretty broad.

The short answer is probably Bob Dylan.

Have you played in Scotland before?
Yes, I've played in Scotland a few times. The first time was in Aberdeen with Alasdair Roberts a couple of years back on my first tour. Since then, I've played the Blend Festival in Stirling, the Fence Homegame in Anstruther and done various shows alongside some really inspiring singers like the mighty Diane Cluck who I toured with in the Summer. The Scottish have a pretty healthy quota of great songwriters, so it always means a lot to play and be appreciated up there.

Are mainstream music fans more open to folk music than they used to
be? Do you think people are receptive to the simplicity of more traditional music?
Maybe so. For me, folk music at it's best is immediate and meaningful, and doesn't obscure it's own content with ostentatious arrangements or space-age production values. It is unapologetic about being what it is. You don't need a 4 million dollar studio to make a song sound genuine, you just need to fetch it out to people and let it do it's work. This is maybe the simplicity you are talking about, a certain baldness of intent. Right now, that might be quite refreshing for listeners who are used to all the hooks and eyes of more mainstream commercial music, I don't know. Maybe it's just good to hear a person sing an interesting song they know.

You appear to share influences like Anne Briggs and Sandy Denny with James Yorkston. Will you be performing together on this tour?
Yes, I'm really excited about that... There are definitely some group efforts afoot!


Mary Hampton, plus David A Jaycock will be supporting James Yorkston and The Big Eyes Family players at the following gigs:

THURS 15TH OCT Aberdeen The Tunnels

FRIDAY 16TH OCT Glasgow The Arches

MONDAY 19TH OCT Edinburgh Bongo Club


Mary on Myspace

ADDITIONAL Free Music Friday an Mp3 from Mary's album - but just for today!

Scarce : Days Like This

Scarce are a band whose record, Deadsexy, I really love and I've blogged about them here before. I'm looking forward to seeing them live for the first time tomorrow. Here's a Q&A interview I did with Joyce from the band and Sally Irvine, who has made a film about them:


1995: Rhode Island-based trio Scarce, whose post-Pixies sound and exciting on-stage dynamics had been receiving some attention from UK indie radio, released their debut LP Deadsexy on the Paradox label in the UK. They toured Europe supporting Hole and returned to the USA, having been picked up by major label A&M. Then in June 1995, singer Chick Graning suffered a brain haemorrhage. He was discovered by his band mates, bass player Joyce Raskin and new drummer Joseph Propatier, who broke into his apartment concerned when he didn’t turn up for a rehearsal. Their swift action saved his life, but he was in a coma for 18 days. Six months later Scarce were back on the road, playing to promote their now delayed album but Graning wasn’t ready and the band split in late 1997.

Fast forward to 2008 and after writing a book Aching To Be: A Girl’s True Rock & Roll Story about her experiences in the band, bass player Joyce Raskin contacted Chick to apologise and rekindle their friendship. She also suggested they get the band back together.

The band played a London show last year, have been working on new material and they play a string of UK dates this week accompanied by a screening of a documentary about their career, Scarce: Days Like This, directed by British artist Sally Irvine.

Joyce and Sally kindly answered my questions about the tour:

Joyce, It’s been a while! What have you all been doing since you the band was last active?
Chick has released a solo album called MT available on iTunes etc. He toured solo in Germany in 2001 and 2002, and had a steady acoustic gig in the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Joe has toured with several bands including The Silver Apples, The Bevis Frond, Mary Lou Lord, Jason Lowenstein Project, Will Oldham, Songs Ohia, Damon and Graham from Blur and The Velocet.
I have worked as a book designer, written several books, and am raising two children.

The music industry has changed so much since you first released Deadsexy – did it feel like it would be easier to do your own thing now, without a major label to put pressure on you?
It is much easier to do everything. The fact is our record Deadsexy never would have had a second chance to be heard if it weren't for iTunes and the ease with which to release things on the Internet. All our videos can be seen as well. Instead of vying for the few select spots anyone can release anything. It is much tougher to be heard amongst that space but we'll take it to have a chance to be heard. We are happy to be able to be a band, even if it is being heard by a few people. They are definitely some wonderful people. If it weren't for the Internet not sure we would have ever known how many people did hear about us. There was such a disconnect before. Now you know instantaneously as people can contact you directly.

Scarce on iTunes

How does the rest of the band feel about your book?
They are happy to have story out there being told and not forgotten.

How does it feel to be performing again after such a long break?
Wonderful. We feel like a bunch of hormonal teenagers.

What should someone who never got to see you live the first time around expect from your live show?
The storm before the calm has settled onto the harbour. Like two ships passing in the night but on a parallel course.

What has been the highlight of this reunion so far?
Playing the London show and having everyone sing along to every song. Mind blowing and so thankful. And Sally making a documentary about us.

Do you plan to keep recording more new material and touring more in the future?
We have a new record that will be released worldwide called No One Likes You in January 2010.

Here's a preview of Sally Irvine's film, Scarce: Days Like This. She's touring with the band and screening it at their UK shows this week.



Sally, How did you come to make a film about Scarce?
I've been friends with Joe since the late '90's... We met soon after Scarce split up at The Terrastock Festival in San Francisco, where he was then drumming for The Silver Apples and I was there to photograph the festival. I was thrilled when he told me a year or so ago that Scarce had got back together and I went to see them when they played a couple of London dates in October 2008. Joyce gave me a copy of her book which I loved and we got chatting about making a film of their story. I had had quite a long break from focusing on the music industry while I worked on my own art projects and I've loved getting back into working with a band again.

Was there a lot of archive material for you to work with?
I had a fantastic response from several fans who sent me lots of live footage plus I managed to get hold of a couple of old interviews, television performances and music videos. In addition to this I was provided with lots of photographs and Joyce's artwork to work with. Its meant that I think I have a good balance of the old and the new.

Did you see the band in their earlier incarnation? Do you think
they’ve changed much in the intervening years?
I didn't ever get to see them in the 90's though I did buy Deadsexy. It was, and still is, probably one of my most played albums. From watching the old live footage though and comparing it to the recent gigs, both in the UK and in the US that I've been to, I think they still have that amazing connectivity that they always had and they're still just as exciting to watch as ever.

It’s unusual to screen a film at a gig – how has it been going down
with audiences so far?
I think (and hope!) that people like the idea of mixing up culture so that you can see a film and a live show all in one night. I've had a really positive response from everyone I've talked to about it. I've been part of an art collective for years that have always put on events that mix up sound, film and performance so it didn't feel like an unusual thing for me to do. I hope its the start of a new trend for live shows!

Scarce on Myspace

Scarce on Twitter

Scarce play Manchester Night & Day tonight (October 14th), Glasgow Stereo tomorrow, (October 15th) and London Luminaire on Saturday (October 17th).

Fanfarlo

I went to see Fanfarlo at King Tuts last night. And very good they were too... Today (as promised on their Twitter) they played a Guerilla gig at Glasgow University.

I went along and caught one song on my phone. (I don't usually shoot video with it so excuse my rather experimental camera work.) Some school kids were passing by just as the band got going and they added a rather nice dimension to the performance! After about 3 songs Uni security got wise and the band got moved along as it was all very unofficial (they had bought a couple of people along to film and record the event though, so not as spontaneous as all that.)

It Ain't Workin' Chief, reprise

My radio show, It Ain't Workin' Chief is back on Subcity Radio. You can listen again or catch it live on Saturdays at 11am. I also sat in for Build & Destroy this week.

Ukulele

I've got a new Ukulele and I'm going to try and learn to play it. The first step was tuning the little blighter... and I eventually managed this with a little help from a Metro Tuner (which tells you what note you're playing and gives you a green light when you're in tune) which made a very frustrating job a lot easier. I thought my hearing was going funny and I was emiting minor frequencies or something as even with a guide sound I was having great difficulty. Being new, and a cheap model it's quite tricky to keep in tune, so I think I'm going to have to keep twiddling! Still, for me, someone who's never played a stringed instrument before, and not played any kind of instrument for a very long time, this felt like a tiny breakthrough. And then I learned how to strum a C chord! I think tunes might be a long way off and I might need a plectrum as my finger is a bit sore...