Rodney Branigan
"Rodney Branigan is one of the
most amazing artists you will
ever see. Not simply because he's unique, but rather because he's impossibly talented." - Bernard Baur (Music Connection Magazine, June 2005).
We tend to use the word "artist" rather loosely in the musical community. Not to take away anything from the talent of any of them, but many of those whom we call "artist" are really just very accomplished musicians. They are technicians who have mastered a specific musical craft as done by many others before them. A true artist does more than simply recreate that which has been similarly created by others. A true artist creates something unique and beautiful that we have not seen before. Every now and then, somebody comes along who not only earns the title of "artist," but also contributes to the definition of the word. Such a person was Sunday's first artist, Rodney Branigan.
Like the first man who transformed his Italian violin into an Irish fiddle, Rodney Branigan has redefined the role and limits of his instrument; the guitar. The evening began with Rodney walking onto the stage, rolling up his pant legs and sitting on a chair, center stage. He then picked up two Martin acoustic guitars. He clenched a carbon fiber bodied six-string upright between his calves, and held a spruce twelve-string (specially strung and tuned with only 7 strings) traditionally in front of him. Then the extravaganza began. Unfortunately, there is simply no way to adequately describe this performance with mere words. Only seeing it for yourself will do the trick. Strumming the body of the twelve-string, while picking the neck of the six-string, Rodney creates music by himself that sounds like it is coming from a trio. Not surprisingly, the title of that song is "One Man, Two Guitars," and it appears on his third CD, "Broken Guitars".
Later Rodney performs with two guitars while standing. One lays horizontally, Dobro style, across the top of a traditionally strapped guitar. And, again, the results are amazing from both a technical and artistic viewpoint. Mid-performance, in a move that takes only a split second, he goes from the standing position, back to a seated position, continuing to play both guitars masterfully during the transition.
During those songs that Rodney performs with only one guitar, he still does so in a way that is unique to him. Even then, his right and left hand frequently seem to be disassociated from each other, performing rythym and lead parts, independently. And in many occasions, one or both hands become percussionists, utilizing different parts of the guitar as drums. Although the short time allotted him this evening did not allow for it, Rodney is also known to perform with two guitars and a mandolin simultaneously. He acknowledges that we may not want to know which part of his body he uses to play the mando!
These almost acrobatic guitar performances are quite obviously the reason that Rodney calls his style "Full Contact Folk Music". It is indeed a very physical performance. And the duct tape patches covering the bodies of his guitars - as well as a couple of scars on his face - are silent testament to the "full contact" nature of his performances. But dont think for a second that Rodney Branigan is a mere sideshow freak. When he steps up to the microphone, he displays a mastery of the "folk music" nature of his art. Although I hate to compare artists to artists, for fear of slighting the originality of either artist, Rodney's musical style reminds me quite a bit of a male Tracy Chapman. His vocal cadence is quite similar, as is the way he takes lyrical inspiration from the seemingly mundane occurrences of everyday life.
Rodney's original songs included "Middle Class America," a non-political observation of the almost narcotizing, predictable mediocrity of suburban American life that many can identify with. "She Bled" is a heart wrenching musical tale of abuse that touches the audience, and then grips them with a twist of the final verse. Also thrown in is a humorous musical reflection on a night in jail, which qualifies his performance as "country music". Rodney played two well chosen cover songs, Radiohead's "Creep," and The Beatles, "Come Together".
If even one line of this review has caused you to grin, widen your eyes, drop your jaw, or back up to re-read it, then I encourage you to check out the tour schedule at www.brokenguitars.com to find a Rodney Branigan show coming to a town near you. At the very least, you MUST check out his DVD, "Full Contact Folk Music," available at www.lonestarmusic.com.
Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash
Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash - Life Begins
With millions of album sales and concert attendances worldwide, Wishbone Ash’s heritage as one of the most enduring and best loved British rock acts is assured.
2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the formation of Wishbone Ash. Forty years will have passed since West Country musicians Martin Turner and Steve Upton arrived in London to embark on their musical journey. Forty years since Martin Turner first envisaged the innovative harmony-guitar hallmark that has since influenced numerous successful rock acts. Forty years since guitarists Ted Turner and Andy Powell answered that now legendary Melody Maker advert and joined Martin and Steve in a rehearsal room for the first time, establishing a partnership and a unique musical identity that would produce some of rock music's best loved works. Forty years since Martin Turner chose the words “Wishbone” and “Ash” from a list of possible names put forward by the band members, creating a legendary brand name that would become synonymous with high quality guitar-driven melodic rock music.
Forty years on, the enduring music of the classic marks of Wishbone Ash continues to delight audiences worldwide through both live performances and a rich legacy of recorded work that continues to be enjoyed by fans old and new. Classic album releases such as Argus, Pilgrimage, There’s the Rub, New England and Live Dates defined the Wishbone Ash sound and have touched the hearts of several generations of music fans. As lead vocalist and key creative force, Martin Turner was central to the critical and commercial success of Wishbone Ash’s most revered albums, with his passionate vocal delivery, songwriting ability, keen melodic sense and production values being a key ingredient in the definitive Wishbone Ash sound.
Forty years later, founding original member Martin Turner celebrates the 40th anniversary of Wishbone Ash’s formation with the Life Begins tour. With a line-up featuring guitarists Ray Hatfield and Danny Willson, and drummer Dave Wagstaffe, Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash remains faithful to the original Wishbone Ash blueprint and promises a show which focuses on material from the classic eras of Wishbone Ash, featuring stage favourites mixed with classic album tracks.
The Life Begins tour follows hot on the heels of the highly acclaimed Argus tour of 2008/09 and appearances on the major Classic Legends of Rock nationwide UK theatre tour. 2010 also sees the release of the Argus Live DVD, filmed in 2009 and containing a live performance of Wishbone Ash’s seminal Argus album (voted 1972 ‘Album of the Year’ in music weeklies Melody Maker and Sounds) as well as other Wishbone Ash classics. Other activity planned for 2010 includes various archival projects including a new book celebrating the classic years of Wishbone Ash and featuring anecdotal contributions from Martin Turner, and a series of commemorative merchandise items bearing the iconic designs that helped to brand Wishbone Ash and its defining albums and to which Martin Turner possesses exclusive reproduction rights courtesy of original designers Hipgnosis. Who can forget the distinctive images that adorned the sleeves of classic albums such as Argus, Live Dates, Pilgrimage, New England and many others?
Martin Turner describes working with his current band as “an extremely rewarding experience on both a musical and personal level, with a positive vibe not unlike the early days of Wishbone Ash. Collectively we have had a great time revisiting many of the classics from the vintage days of Wishbone Ash, recreating the essence of many songs, some of which have hardly ever been performed live, and reminding us all of the diversity contained in the Wishbone Ash back catalogue. I am confident that we have compiled a show that will please all true Wishbone connoisseurs.”
Curved Air - The groundbreaking British progressive rock band featuring original members Sonja Kristina on vocals, Francis Monkman on keyboards and guitar, Darryl Way on electric violin and vocals, Florian Pilkington-Miksa on drums, and Rob Martin on bass. The band was a unique and powerful combination of a remarkable female vocalist and virtuoso musicians. Each member was an innovative artist who inspired a generation with their renowned live performances.....
With their unique progressive rock Focus manifested themselves at the start of the seventies as the most successful and the most appreciated of all the Dutch pop-rock exports.
The band were fronted by the much admired duo of Thijs van Leer on the Hammond organ/flute and Jan Akkerman on the guitar. Their hit potential came in the form of a couple of instrumentals, "Hocus Pocus", "House of the King", and "Sylvia", but we shouldn't forget their timeless albums "Moving Waves", "Focus 3" and "Hamburger Concerto". But like all good things, it couldn't last and internal wrangling ended this legendary group.
After an initial careful comeback which resulted in a well received album "Focus 8", the band are now back on the frontline, with a fantastic line-up! Of course the founder member and musical genius Thijs van Leer is still holding the fort. Also back in his old spot is Pierre van der Linden, the drummer who is internationally renowned for his rhythmic skills, and who was and still is a defining factor in the whole Focus sound. Together with Bobby Jacobs who stems from a well acclaimed Dutch musical family, they are responsible for the rhythm section and that unmistakable Focus groove. The talented Niels van der Steenhoven, who without any shadow of a doubt can hit the mark when it comes to the guitar completes the band's line-up.
A new Focus era has arrived. There is a rejuvenated passion in the new compositions, that adorn the new album "Focus 9 / New Skin", which has been released on the famous Red Bullet label of Willem van Kooten. This album -and the following gigs- will surprise the loyal fans. They will hear once again all the classic Focus tunes and they will be surprised at the strength and depth of the new material. "Our music is evolution, not revolution", Thijs van Leer once said about the music of Focus. Well now, the evolution is at full pace.
Thijs van Leer - Hammond-orgel, flute and vocals
Niels van der Steenhoven - guitar
Bobby Jacobs - bass
Pierre van der Linden - drums
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to watch video of the artist on You Tube.
Seth Lakeman
Original folk hero, Seth Lakeman, has
released his new album 'Hearts & Minds'
on Monday 12th July. The album is
available on CD, download, and on
CD/DVD special edition featuring bonus
tracks and the amazing Live At The
Minack DVD - a full length live show filmed
at the spectacular cliffside theatre in
Porthcurno, Cornwall - a very fitting setting for Seth's lively foot-stomping performances.
The album features new single 'Tiny World' which has recently been playlisted at Radio 2 and title track 'Hearts & Minds' - check out the video for Hearts & Minds here .
Get a taste of the album with a free download of album track 'Hard Working Man'
The album is available at all good retailers including Amazon, HMV, Play.com, and tunes. You can buy now by clicking here or visit Seth's brand new website now by visiting www.sethlakeman.co.uk
Mercury Music Prize nominated Seth Lakeman released his first DVD ‘Live at the Minack in December last year. The film captures Seth and his incredible live band performing to a rapturous crowd at the spectacular, open-air Minack Theatre in Penzance, Cornwall in May this year. The set features songs from his three hit albums Kitty Jay, Freedom Fields and Poor Man's Heaven. The Minack is a truly spectacular and unusual venue for a gig – carved into Cornish cliffs. Seth's live show, as with everything else he does, takes the established folk orthodoxy and turns it on its head. The spirit of the rock band meets the timeless and heartfelt subject matter of the folk tale in a blur of fiddle, acoustic guitar and foot-stomping rhythms, with Seth's unmistakable vocals riding the wave.
In breaks between touring in 2009 Seth was in the studio writing and recording his new studio album Hearts and Minds, to be released later this year. His 2006 album ‘Freedom Fields’ has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK alone and helped Seth build on his traditional cult following, finding a whole new audience for his rhythmic, captivating brand of indie-folk song writing. Seth was named Folk Singer of the Year and ‘Freedom Fields’ awarded Album Of The Year at the prestigious Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007 and his current studio album ‘Poor Man’s Heaven’ charted at number 8 in the UK on its release in 2008.
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Share all your Seth pictures / videos and messages on the Seth Lakeman Moblog.
SMS them to 07786201241 starting your message with "Seth".
Email them to sethlakeman@moblog.net
Have a look at whats up already by going to Seth's Moblog
Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s. Beginning life as the Guildford Stranglers on 11 September 1974 in Guildford, Surrey, they originally built a following within the mid-'70s pub rock scene. While their aggressive, no-compromise attitude identified them as one of the instigators of the UK punk rock scene that followed, their idiosyncratic approach rarely followed any single musical genre and the group went on to explore a variety of musical styles, from new wave, art rock and gothic rock through to the sophisticated pop of some of their 1980s output.
They had major mainstream success with their single "Golden Brown". Their other hits include "No More Heroes", "Peaches", "Always the Sun", "Skin Deep" as well as many other groundbreaking and popular songs.
The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel's pulsating bass, but also proudly gave prominence to Dave Greenfield's keyboards at a time when the instrument was seen as unfashionable. Their early music was also characterised by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic lyrics of both Jean-Jacques Burnel and Hugh Cornwell. Over time, their output gradually grew more refined and sophisticated. Summing up their contribution to popular music, critic Dave Thompson would later write: "From bad-mannered yobs to purveyors of supreme pop delicacies, the group was responsible for music that may have been ugly and might have been crude – but it was never, ever boring."
There's the usual excitement in the air as we get ready for our next period of touring! In October we'll be playing throughout the U.K. and in November Belgium and Holland. It's quite a challenge to keep all the best known hits in the set and yet introduce enough new material to make the show sound fresh. We've had our first rehearsal and have decided on a new opening and a varied selection of new and old songs to add to the show. Next Tuesday we will have a second rehearsal and I will hope to be word perfect!!
Touring is an intriguing business, something I miss when I'm at home and yet once we get back on the road I can get quite home sick. In the end I think traveling is something that just gets in your blood.
We are also beginning to put a collection of songs together for a new album which we hope will be ready for autumn 2010. So here we go, " batten down the hatches " The Zombies are on the road again!!
We were really thrilled to be given the Mojo Classic Album award on Thursday 11th June for Odessey & Oracle.
Adrian Edmondson was a teenager when punk arrived. The songs of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam and The Stranglers were the soundtrack to his life through the late 70’s and early 80’s, and like a lot of people of his generation he was fond of playing these songs to himself at home on his acoustic guitar.
Cut forward to 2007: after a boozy pre-Christmas lunch in Soho, Ade stumbled along to Denmark Street, home of many alluring musical instrument shops, and whilst inebriated, ‘accidentally’ bought a mandolin. Surprised to see it sitting there in his kitchen the following morning he nevertheless picked it up, worked out a few chords, and started playing the same songs with a mandolin accompaniment – it sounded really interesting.
He was touring with the Bonzos at the time and he brought his mandolin along, and with Neil Innes on acoustic guitar, they had a go at London Calling in the dressing room. It sounded good, but Neil said ‘What you need are some brilliant folk musicians.’
Ade got in touch with Troy and Maart and they were both immediately up for it. As soon as he explained the idea to Troy: ‘Punk songs with a Celtic feel.’ Troy replied ‘Why not The Model by Krafwerk as well? I’ve always wanted to play that on the pipes.’
They met for a couple of days to mess about with the idea. If it didn’t work they could all just walk away. But within the first hour they knew they were onto something. In the two days they drank numerous beers, ate 2 curries and arranged 8 songs - and the band was born.
Rehearsals followed, and then, bizarrely, a trip to St Lucia to test it out (off season, cheap flights, cheap hotels, anonymity). They threw themselves in at the deep end and did 6 gigs in 6 days. Just little bars. But it got them up and running.
After completing the line up with Andy Dinan on fiddle, they rehearsed hard and towards the end of 2008 they toured England to packed houses and very appreciative audiences.
They've recently recorded an album, 'Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera!', which is out now - it was recorded 'as live' at the Blue Moon studios in Banbury. 'Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera' means 'One, Two, Three, Four' in an ancient Cumbrian dialect used almost exclusively by shepherds. Had the Ramones been Cumbrian shepherds, it's what they would have shouted as the intro to every song...
The True Deceivers were formed in 2003 from the ashes, as it were, of The Blazing Homesteads. Comprising Homesteaders Nick Bliss (guitar and vocals), Mark Mitchell (fiddle and vocals) and Dee Coley (bass) they joined up with former Plenty frontman Graham Firth (lead vocals and guitar) and Jamie Legg (Eat The Sofa) on drums. They soon made a name for themselves on the live scene with their rootsy folk rock sound punctuated by Mark’s stunning fiddle playing and Nick’s punchy guitar work. Their influences range from Steve Earle to Bob Dylan, The Waterboys and Tom Petty. Following Mark’s sudden death in March 2009 the band reverted to a more acoustic sound with Dee picking up his acoustic bass and Nick swapping his Telecaster for an acoustic guitar and mandolin. The result is a more stripped down sound whilst still retaining the band’s ear for a melody and losing none of the power of the original line up.
Keith Woodhouse, Delta Radio:
"Lies We Have Told leads you into a feeling of late night listening until it has you jigging round the room. One for all moods. A great all rounder".
Rock 'n' Reel Magazine review (four stars):
"What sets The True Deceivers apart is the classic song writing of guitarist Nick Bliss, that seems to owe as much to the work of Richard Thompson as it does to that of Steve Earle.
They're at their most lethal on the stabbed-Strat, melody-sodden 'Comfort Zone' and the perfectly balanced 'Writing On The Wall' where a hook line, harmonies and Mark Mitchell's fiddle work combine to glorious effect. Full marks, too, for the ingenuity in tackling Green Day's 'Time Of Your Life', which they re-clothe in poignant country garb, coloured by banjo and fiddle, whilst their influence is worn on their sleeves with a sparkling reworking of Steve Earle's 'Galway Girl'."
Julia K
So perfectly does Julia K embody
the ‘Spirit of Rock' that it's widely
believed she must have been
carved from purest Warsaw granite sometime in the late Cretaceous period (well, sometime in the late 1970's anyway). But there’s far more to it than a few sharp edges.
For example, you don’t hear a song with the words ‘Christmas tree’ in the refrain very often... but don’t be fooled – Julia K’s debut single ‘I light up’ is no tacky Christmas record. No chestnuts roasting on an open fire here. This is a perfectly delivered, tense, yet cheeky rock song with a sound and attitude reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde, if she were 20 years younger again and took herself a little less seriously. No sprig of mistletoe in sight.
Avoiding the cliché of ‘gutsy’ - because, 'Hello?' isn't that what’s always applied to any female singer-songwriter with an opinion or attitude – her sound and lyrics have an intelligence and integrity about them, with a sincere vocal whose layers will charm you one moment and shock you the next, especially live. The Dublin Castle, Camden accurately describe her as:
‘Urgent female fronted rock - PJ Harvey fronting Smashing Pumpkins, very well executed and she can certainly sing’.
Guess that sums it up!
But it’s not all stomp and clap though. A classically trained pianist from the age of 5, Julia K’s ballads reveal a fragility which draws comparisons to the likes of Kate Bush and Tori Amos. Her shows move through changing scenes, tempos and emotions. Granite-based she may be, but one-dimensional she most certainly is not.Against the tide of a currently predominantly male-dominated genre, Julia K is coming to bolster the depleted ranks of female-led British rock with genuine attitude… not just with brute force, or ego – but with her own authenticity. Make way Mosshart and Harvey…
The Christians were one of a number of soul
-influenced groups in the 1980s that had
strong links to UK punk rock, New Wave
music and post-punk. The band's frontman
and lead singer Garry Christian became the
groups unique selling point with his
distinctive look and velvet-smooth soulful
tones.
In Rock: The Rough Guide, one critic, Charles Bottomley, described the band as “The Temptations in ripped jeans, producing gritty-centred songs in a sugary vocal shell
Fast forward a few years and The Christians are still going strong with a new line up which includes Stewart Boyle, Joey Ankrah, Lionel Duke and Cliff Watson. The vibe is relaxed … unplugged and acoustic but the voice is still incredible as is the sultry smile behind the Raybans!
Their first three singles all made the Top 40 in Britain, and their debut album The Christians (1987) entered the UK Albums Chart at number 2. It eventually sold over a million copies. The highest placed single from this album was "Ideal World", which reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart.
In 1988 they released a cover of the Isley Brothers' "Harvest for the World", with all proceeds going to charity. The video for the track was an animation, created by four leading animation companies, including Aardman Animations. The video won several awards, and the single reached number 8 in the chart.
1989 saw another charity single success, this time as performers on a version of "Ferry Cross The Mersey", released in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster. The single stayed at number one for several weeks (#5 in Germany).
Their second album, Colour released in 1990, reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and yielded the international hit "Words" which was #18 in the UK and Sweden, #5 in the Netherlands (for two weeks), and #1 in France (also for two weeks). The second single from the album, "I Found Out", reached #22 in France (#56 in the UK). In 1992, the following LP, Happy in Hell charted at number 18. Its single, "What's In A Word", entered the UK Top 40, and was a Top 20 hit in France (with there an impressive total chart run of 19 weeks); it also entered the German Top 75 reaching #60.
By 2001 The Christians began to write songs for Prodigal Sons, which was released in 2003. This was supported by a UK tour in October 2003, and further promotion in France, Spain and UK throughout 2004.
The band continue to tour and are finalising a new album deal with Island which will include back catalogue and new tracks. Their current single (to be released on download on March 5, 2010) is a cover of Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islams 'Where do the Children Play' reviewed by the man himself as 'better than his own version'.
Nine Below Zero
For three decades Nine Below Zero
have delivered an explosive mix of
blues & rock in live performances
that never fail to leave their
audiences illuminated and
exhausted.
The definitive line-up of this tightest of live bands has been in place for eighteen years, and they play with a discipline that only experience & confidence brings. After thousands of shows together, this incendiary on-stage chemistry has enabled Nine Below Zero to sell-out venues all over Europe.
The six albums Nine Below Zero recorded for A&M, Warner Music and EMI between 1979 and 1995 brought chart success and media attention. However, in 1997 the band decided to take control of their own affairs, and have since quietly built their own Zed Records into a solid business, releasing four albums and two DVDís in the process.
Having traditionally been a ’media shy’ band, the release of their new studio album, ’It’s Never Too Late’, announces Nine Below Zero as a band no longer content to ’fly below the radar’.
The twelve original tracks found on ’It’s Never Too Late’ were recorded at 45 RPM Studios on the edge of the River Thames in London. At the desk on dual production duties are Nine Below Zero and Glenn Tilbrook and, between them, they have captured something that normally eludes the studio process: the energy and feel of a Nine Below Zero live show.
Previous tours with The Who, The Kinks, Eric Clapton, Sting and Chuck Berry, amongst many others, have left their indelible mark, and these eclectic influences are hinted at on several of the tracks heard on ’It’s Never Too Late’.
The album opens with ’Mechanic Man’, on which Nine Below Zero’s singer & guitarist Dennis Greaves’ much loved 1962 Fender Stratocaster is given an enthusiastic workout. The same guitar is also evident on the Motown tinged ’Little by Little’, and also on the upbeat ’I’m So Alone’.
Dennis’ distinctive Gibson ES 335 is the instrument of choice on ’Breakin’ Down’ (where Mark Feltham’s trademark harmonica also tells its story). The Gibson ES 335 is featured the album’s remaining tracks, with the exception of ’The Story of Nathan John’. With Dennis dusting down his trusty Avalon Acoustic, ‘The Story of Nathan John’ and tells the story of a young man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The album's title track, ’It’s Never Too Late’, sees the band at their funk’n’ best, with the rock-solid rhythm section talents of bassist Gerry McAvoy and drummer Brendan OíNeill coming to the fore, whilst ‘Hit The Spot’ exudes an infectious riff that you just canít shake from your head.
There’s a lyrical nod to Elvis Presley on the ’You’re The Man’ ("if you fry your bananas in the finest silk pyjamas"), while ’Hit The Ground Running’ stokes up the rockier side of Nine Below Zero. ’Fairweather Friends’, meanwhile, is a snapshot of relationships with Music Industry figures, with ’A Man Out Of You’ recounting the tale of an offer to impart hard-earned experience, which is rebuffed. The album closes with arguably the albumís most commercial track, ’You’, and already looks set to become another ’live’ favourite.
It may have taken them thirty years, but ‘It’s Never Too Late’ is the musical statement Nine Below Zero have always wanted to make and proves, beyond doubt, that Nine Below Zero are no longer music’s best kept secret.
John Otway
Arriving on the back of punk rock and a gymnastic
performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test, his
first single, the half-spoken love song "Really Free"
soared to number 27 in the UK Singles Chart.
It would be his greatest success for some time.
However, the song did earn him a five album deal
with Polydor Records, who thought he was a punk
rather than merely eccentric. His first album, recorded with Wild Willy Barrett, was produced by Pete Townshend but sold only fitfully. The follow up singles fared no better despite some imaginative promotion, which included an offer for Otway to come to a lucky buyer's house and perform the single if their copy was one of the few from which the vocal had been omitted.
Despite that, his live audience remained loyal, due to Otway's manic energy and the probability of physical injury during renditions of songs such as "Headbutts". His autobiography (subtitled "Rock and Roll's greatest failure") was a study in self-deprecation, and his touring continued to sustain him. By 1993 he could draw 2,500 fans to a gig in London and in 1998 4,000 celebrated his birthday with him at the Royal Albert Hall, coinciding with the release of Premature Adulation, his first album of new material for over ten years.
By then, Otway had realised he could use his fanbase, who were in on the joke, to engage in minor publicity stunts. A well orchestrated grassroots campaign saw his "Beware Of The Flowers Cause I'm Sure They're Going To Get You Yeah" voted the seventh greatest lyric of all time in a BBC poll, but his finest moment came in 2002. Asked what he wanted for his 50th birthday, he requested "A second hit". A concerted drive, including a poll, scrutinised by the Electoral Reform Society, to select the track, saw "Bunsen Burner" — with music sampled from the Trammps classic "Disco Inferno" and lyrics devised to help his daughter with her chemistry homework — reach the UK number 9 on 6 October, and earned Otway an appearance on Top Of The Pops, BBC Television's flagship popular music programme.
To encourage fans to buy more than one copy each of the single, he released three different versions. The flip side of "Bunsen Burner — The Hit Mix" was a cover of "The House of the Rising Sun" recorded at Abbey Road Studios and featured 900 of his fans on backing vocals, each of whom was credited by name on the single's sleeve.
Thanks to this second hit he has now been able to release his Greatest Hits album (note the s, he's very proud of it, having "finally got it on the right side of Hit").
John Otway currently tours as a solo act; as a duo with Richard Holgarth (also of Eddie and the Hot Rods; and often with his Big Band which includes Murray Torkildsen, Seymour, Adam Batterbee and guest keyboard player Barry Upton.
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Karnataka
Karnataka evolved out of a
recording project started by
Ian Jones in 1996 - Ian's plan
was simply to record some
songs written with previous
bands Dream Circle and The
Big Pink. The Big Pink also featured ex-Karnataka members Rachel Cohen, Jonathan Edwards and Gavin Griffiths. The band achieved some success around South Wales with their unique brand of anarchic pop/prog, including winning the Swansea 'Battle Of The Bands" and culminating in a performance at the 1992 Heineken Festival which also featured the rapidly rising Manic Street Preachers. The band ran its course and eventually the band members parted company.
By the mid 90's Ian was keen to return to working on original material and put together a studio to start recording songs largely written by himself, Rachel and Jonathan. Ian had begun sequencing keyboard parts and programming drums and decided to bring in additional musicians to help with the recording. Keyboard players Jim Law and Phil Lloyd were the first to try out before Jonathan once again teamed up with Ian and Rachel.
As the recording progressed the line up was augmented by drummer Gavin Griffiths and guitarist Paul Davies. Whilst the intention had been just to record the songs, by the end of the recording everyone felt it was too good an opportunity not to continue as a band and the decision was made to release the songs on an album. The band needed a name....
Ian had recently spent some time in the south Indian state of Karnataka and it was his experiences there that provided the inspiration for the band name - KARNATAKA.
