Baskery - Live In Texas

This is a montage of Baskery, performing a two hour set at the 'Luckenbach Festival' in Texas, U.S.A (more info here.. luckenbachtexas.com) Those three Swedish sisters look like they rocked the locals with their high tempo punky take on American country and roots music. What a cracking venue for a chilled out gig, taking in the vibes in the sun with a cool beer in your hand, all set against the backdrop of what looks like the local store from 'The Little House On The Prairie' It looks like a good time was had by all...

Many thanks to Matt Bynum for alerting me to his handiwork, it makes a pleasant change to see a nifty bit of film footage of a band, that's smoothly shot, high res and jolly smartly edited, rather than the usual shaky grainy mobile murky view of the backs of people's heads, which is unfortunately the norm on YouTube these days.

Baskery - Selected highlights - live at Luckenbach Texas on September 5 2009.

Directed by Matt Bynum, check out his camerawork at mattbynumfilms



Gig List

Baskery are coming the end of a long year of international touring, so American and U.K fans, you have missed your chance to catch them this time round, but the hoedown continues to roll out in Denmark!
Oct 14 2009 Heming, Denmark Fermaten
Oct 15 2009 Kolding, Denmark Godset
Oct 16 2009 Esbjerg, Denmark Tobakken
Oct 17 2009 Grenaa, Denmark Pavillionen
Oct 18 2009 Odense, Denmark Dexter

www.baskery.com/

http://www.myspace.com/baskery

http://www.verandarecords.com/

http://www.youtube.com/verandarecords

http://www.youtube.com/user/mattbynumfilms

Sky Saxon - The Seeds - A Tribute

Sky Saxon, chief sower of the fantastic Sixties garage punk rockers, The Seeds, died yesterday. This is a modest tip of the hat and shake of the pudding bowl mane of hair to one of the leading lights of the psychedelic garage rock scene, that emerged in the mid to late Sixties in the U.S.A and briefly burned very brightly. A genre of music later masterfully chronicled by the Pebbles and Nuggets compilation series of records.

The raw energy of the songs, combined with primitive beats, oodles of guitar fuzz and howling vocals make The Seeds still sound incredibly fresh today, even forty years after these tunes were recorded.. Sky made music that put a smile on your face, a spring in your step and that's what this music loving malarky is all about really...

If the first track below 'Can't Seem to Make You Mine' seems familiar, it's because it was recently used in the Lynx body spray advert in Spring 2009. Hopefully his very considerable contribution to music won't be overlooked, amidst the passing of another, slightly more famous pop star on the same day. So long and thanks for the music! R.I.P Sky Saxon.

The Seeds - Can't Seem To Make You Mine - From their debut album The Seeds 1966.
As performed on 'American Bandstand'



The Seeds - Mr Farmer - Taken from their second album 'A Web Of Sound' released in October 1966



The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard - Taken From their debut self titled album, released in 1966.



http://www.skysaxon.com/ (official site)

http://www.myspace.com/theseeds

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seeds

http://www.skysunlightsaxon.com/

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/music/entries/2009/06/25/rip_sky_saxon.html

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/the_seeds/news/13250

The Do - On My Shoulders

The Dø are Finnish/French duo, Olivia Bouyssou Merilahti and Dan Levy, who combine to bring together a quirky Scandinavian pop sensibility with a liberal sprinkling of Paris chic to their songwriting. They had a number one hit in France with 'On My Shoulders' taken from the 2008 debut album 'A Mouthful'. This is one of those songs that creeps up on you on the first few plays and surreptitiously gets under your skin, so that before you know it, you're humming the chorus and pressing repeat on the mp3 player. Olivia's precocious vocals are infectious, as they hook the listener in, with high maintenance mannerisms and Dan is not afraid to push the envelope with his jackdaw like eclectic musical style, but always keeping one eye on a decent melody. It's released in the U.K on Monday 09th February 2009 and is well worth checking out. Enjoy!

The Dø - 'On My Shoulders' from 'A Mouthful'



http://www.myspace.com/thedoband

Baskery - Live Review

Date: Thursday 05th February 09 Location: Southampton U.K Venue: Joiners Arms

Scratchy's resident folk expert Morris Chancer had put out the word that this was a show worth checking out. There was a a good turnout at the legendary earthy venue, considering the midweek slot and the intermittent sleet and rain outside. Those who made the effort, were rewarded with a thrilling set from these Swedish trio of sisters known as Baskery, who put in a thigh slapping, high energy burst of music described as 'killbilly' 'banjo punk' and 'mud-country' However you describe it, the effect warmed the chilly bones of the enthralled audience.

Greta Bondesson manages to play six-stringed banjo, tambourine, kick, snare, harmonica and sing some vocals sometimes all at once, it's an impressive feat of musicianship for sure. Sunniva attacks her acoustic guitar with intensity whilst holding the primary vocal duties and Stella grapples with the Double bass with aplomb and completes the vocal duties. Together, they served their musical apprenticeship in in a family band, forming The Slaptones in 1999, with their father on drumming duties. They signed to EMI, released two albums, 'Simplify' in 2003 and 'Amplify' in 2004, as well as touring the U.S.A.

In 2006 they streamlined the band to the three piece and acquired the Baskery moniker and have released a debut album called 'Fall Among Thieves' on the independent Veranda label. The sessions were guided by the expertise of Lasse Mårtén (Lykke Li, Pink, Peter Bjorn & John etc) at Decibel Studios in Stockholm. The focus was to recreate the energy of the live performances by capturing the songs "live" in the studio in a couple of takes without the need for overdubs, if possible. Baskery are essentially a living breathing live band, who function best in front of a crowd, that appreciate charged up traditional music.

These girls are, in truth, a bit of a marketing team dream, with a photogenic image combining with a confident stage manner built from ten years of gigging under their belts and a lifetime of sibling interaction to draw from. Their sound conjures up an image of Throwing Muses doing Johnny Cash songs with a chirp towards the Dixie Chicks. The three way harmonies brought to my mind, the sirens in the river scene from the film Oh Brother Where Art Thou, with Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris performing a sultry 'Didn't Leave Nobody but The Baby' but cranked up to top speed in a perky punk style. They head out to the States for a short tour. Just as The Rolling Stones took their influences from traditional American blues, back in the early 1960's, then sent back a souped up version to it's homeland, Baskery are set to do the same, this time though it's the Swedish invasion...

Last night's result: Swedes 3 - Turnips 1derful night
(with apologies to The Sun headline writers and Graham Taylor)

Baskery - Veranda Records - Promo Piece

Baskery - One Horse Down - from 'Fall among Thieves'



Tours Dates
Feb 16 2009 New York, USA Rodeo Bar
Feb 18-22 2009 Memphis, USA Folk Alliance Conference website
Feb 22 2009 Nashville, USA 3rd and Lindsley website
Mar 28 2009 Bonn, Germany Rockpalast-Crossroads
May 30 2009 Beverungen, Germany O.B.S. Festival
May 31 2009 Beverungen, Germany

www.baskery.com/

http://www.myspace.com/baskery

http://www.verandarecords.com/

http://www.youtube.com/verandarecords

Hotpants Romance - Twelve Grooves of Christmas Part 8

It's time to up the tempo with some pop punk poppets who call themselves Hotpants Romance. Laura, Lowri and Katea are a terrific trio of glamorous grungers from Manchester, England and together they make a hell of a pleasurable racket.

It's a reassuringly lo-fi sound that delves into a pick'n'mix assortment of influences from the various jars of genres. They take an ample wedge of attitude from the riot grrl movement, a liberal measure of The Ramones riffs, then add a quarter of the protopunk sensibility of X-Ray Spex and feast on the the fine tradition of cartoon D.I.Y fun punk pop of Kenickie or Shampoo. The combustible mixture is finally washed down with a glass of refreshing Sixties girl groups, leaving you burping like The Vivian Girls and feeling ever so slightly giddy, in a hypoactive state, due to an over indulgence of musical E numbers.

They released a debut album called 'It's a Heatwave' in 2008 and Cherryade Records have just released 'A Very Cherry Christmas, volume 4' an eighteen track compilation album, featuring some of their favourite bands, including Hotpants Romance, who contributed a cover version of the Mariah Carey song 'All I Want for Christmas is You' If only the DFS furniture chain had this used this version, as the background to their excruciating Christmas T.V advertising campaign, instead of the warbling original, it might have perked up those 'gloomy credit crunch' sales figures. (note to lawyers- I have no idea what the facts are about the state of DFS sales, I'm just hazarding a guess that buying a shiny new leather sofa isn't top of people's priorities at the moment)

Here is the Hotpants Romance video for 'Heatwave' The girls put in a sterling performance on Blackpool Beach despite it being overcast and the temperature looks as though it's barely in single figures, plus they're the only people frolicking on the sand and even the donkeys have given up for the day...



http://www.myspace.com/hotpantsromance

http://www.cherryademusic.co.uk/buyavcc4.html

http://www.myspace.com/cherryade

Fight Like Apes and The Chalets

I had every intention of going to catch Dublin's finest Fight Like Apes play live, a couple of days ago, but things got in the way like life and stuff. This was a shame because I bet they put on a cracker of a show, full of snap, crackle and punk pop, all bouncing off the walls like a kid who has gone hyper on too many e-numbers in sherbet fizz bombs. However, I thought I could still give them a mention, as they make a very appealing racket and are obviously destined for a bigger stage.

Fight Like Apes have enjoyed a meteoric rise throughout 2008 gaining plaudits from many music biz insiders and gaining that all important Steve Lamacq thumbs up. They were one of the buzz bands at this years SXSW festival and have recently completed successful support slot tours with We Are Scientists, Kasabian and The Ting Tings.They have a prodigious support slot with The Prodigy lined up for December and have now been signed to Sony Music Japan; with that pedigree behind them, a rapid crawl up the the music biz evolutionary chain surely beckons.

The debut album, produced by John Goodmanson in Seattle, is called 'Fight Like Apes And The Mystery Of The Golden Medallion' It just gone top ten in their native Ireland. The rest of us will have to wait a bit longer, early 2009? and will have to make do with the second single 'Jake Summers' which is now available on iTunes. It is also on a limited edition 7" vinyl, a mere 500 copies pressed and the vinyl version of the album promises to include a bonus track 'You Are The Hat' so rush down to your nearest stockist, if any are still open for business, and place an order now.

I have been grooming their songs for a few days now, loving the lead tracks like 'Something Global' and 'Lend Me Your Face' These have an intense fresh energy about them with pulsating synths, frenetic bass and guitars all combining to provide an exhilarating backdrop to Maykay's lush bratty vocals, leaves me joyfully swinging through the jungle. It's like Babes In Toyland doing the theme tune to 'The Banana Splits' The only fleas I have picked out of their shiny coat, are that when Pockets interjects with overly gruff vocals on 'Knucklehead' it reminds me of that horrible/twisted work of genius song Barbie Girl by Aqua YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! OH, DAMN YOU! GODDAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!

They also remind me of another long lost band of whom I was rather fond of, The Chalets, who co-incidentally were also from Dublin, Ireland, who produced a poppier sound but still had that ability to craft a catchy tune, with a full frontal assault on the earlobes, using grungy girl vocals. Whatever happened to them? I'd like to know. They released a solitary album Check In in 2005 and then vamoose nothing! aborted take off, they broke up, which is a crying shame and have unfortunately permanently checked out.

Oct 30th Thu : Ruskin Academy, Thursday Night Live, Anglia, UK
Oct 31st Fri: The Boiler Room, Guilford, London, UK November
Nov13th Thur : JD Set support Sam Isaac @ The Cluny, Newcastle, UK
Nov 19th Wed : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Audio, Brighton, UK
Nov 20th Thur : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Barfly, Camden, London, UK
Nov 21st Fri : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Barfly Dragon Bar, Birmingham, UK
Nov 22nd Sat : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Barfly, Liverpool, UK
Nov 24th Mon : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Barfly, Glasgow, UK
Nov 25th Tue : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Moshulu, Aberdeen, UK
Nov 27th Thu : Roadhouse, Manchester, UK
Nov 28th Fri : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Barfly, Cardiff, UK
Nov 29th Sat : 'Levi ones to watch' tour @ Fibbers, York, UK

http://www.fightlikeapesmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/fightlikeapesmusic

http://uk.youtube.com/fightlikeapesmusic

http://www.myspace.com/modelcitizenrecords

http://www.myspace.com/thechalets

http://www.thechalets.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Splits

Frank Turner

A couple of weeks ago I sent my most heavily whiskered reporter, Morris Chancer, on a mission to the Cambridge Folk Festival to seek out and make note of the most exciting acts that were appearing at the venerable event. He has reported back to base and let it be known that imaginedvillage were wonderful and also worth keeping an eye on is Frank Turner, formally of punk group Million Dead.

He has taken a different musical path since the break up of this outfit and has delivered two albums with a heavy leanings towards folk: 'Sleep Is For The Week' in 2007 and 'Love, Ire and Song' released in 2008.

The leading track from the latest album is especially noteworthy for the lyrics, which surely speak for the generation of whom the advertisers have cringingly pigeon holed as entering 'middle youth' It certainly resonates with me and is set to become an anthem for saga slackers everywhere... altogether now...

Photosynthesis

1,2,1,2,3
Well I guess I should confess that I am starting to get old
All the latest music fads all passed me by and left me cold
All the kids are talking slang I won't pretend to understand
All my friends are getting married, mortgages and pension plans
And it's obvious my angry adolescent days are done
And I'm happy and I'm settled in the person I've become
But that doesn't mean I'm settled up and sitting out the game
Time may change a lot but some things may stay the same

And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I will not grow up
And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I yeah I won't grow up

Oh maturity's a wrapped up package deal so it seems
And ditching teenage fantasy means ditching all your dreams
All your friends and peers and family solemnly tell you you will
Have to grow up be an adult yeah be bored and unfulfilled
Oh when no ones yet explained to me exactly what's so great
About slaving 50 years away on something that you hate
Look I'm meekly shuffling down the path of mediocrity
Well if that's your road then take it but it's not the road for me

And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I will not grow up
And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I yeah I won't grow up
And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I will not grow up

And if all you ever do with your life is photosynthesize
Then you deserve every hour of these sleepless nights
That you spend wondering when you're gonna die
Now I'll play and you sing the perfect way for the evening to begin
Now I'll play and you sing the perfect way for the evening to begin

And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all yeah I won't grow up
And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I will not grow up
And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I will not grow up

You can rest assured Frank, that here at Scratchy Buckles, we won't grow up either...

http://www.myspace.com/frankturner

http://www.frank-turner.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Turner

http://www.hippieburner.com/ (fansite)

http://www.milliondead.org/