The Golgis - Sarah Clanton - My Pleasure - Dan Rico

The Golgis - Doc's 'Tache.

Background - Hot on the heels of their debut single "Mr Fisher" in March, British Alternative Folk band The Golgis release their next unique offering "Doc's 'Tache" on May 25th 2018, this time with added bagpipes and banjo. This follow up goes further to cement their unusual but highly accessible sound, and is a footstomping addition to their portfolio as they work their way to the release of their first album.

"Doc's 'Tache" is a joint composition by the band's 2 frontmen Ade and Tony, with the lyrics and story of the song being written by Ade about a well known figure from 1970's bagpipe bands Doc Halliday, and his magnificent facial hair, as can be seen in the single's artwork.

Ade also contributes a bagpipe solo to the song, one of the many instruments at his disposal, which is perfectly complimented by the rip-roaring banjo riff throughout, played by band member Avery.

After completing a short tour of the south of England, The Golgis are busy getting the tracks ready for their album, and figuring out which instruments to add next. TWITTER.

We first featured The Golgis back in February describing their music as "Echoes of the past are brought right up to date in a lovable and slightly eccentric manner, this is just fabulous." The new song is another delight to share, 'Doc's 'Tache' once again refuses to sit in any one genre, folk rock indie style might be one description, whatever, this is another breath of fresh musical air.

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Sarah Clanton - Slow It Down.

Background - "Slow It Down," is the whismical new video from Nashville-based folk popster Sarah Clanton. The song follows the recent release of track "Silver Lining," a call to constructive conversation.

Sarah Clanton, who radiates sunshine from every pore, rocks her cello like a guitar and writes powerful tunes that help us make some sense of this strange period of time we're in. Her unique brand of cello-driven, folky intellipop is on full display in the song and its accompanying video in which she encourages us to take time to enjoy and celebrate even the smallest of life's moments against a backdrop of vivid imagery. 

"Coincidentally, after leaving the studio the day we recorded 'Slow it Down,' I turned on NPR to an episode appropriately titled 'Slowing Down,'" Sarah Clanton explains. "A statistic stood out to me about how our minds wander away from the present moment almost half of the time. That's almost half our of our lives spent not living in the present! 'Slow it Down' is a positive reminder for us that life is amazing, a friendly reminder to guide us back to the present moment."

While we as humans cope with the hustle and bustle of life by spending time daydreaming and allowing our minds to wander, too much of a good thing can act against us. Why is it so hard for us to stop and smell the roses? “Slow it Down” reminds us to pause, be in the moment, and remember that life is truly a gift. WEBSITE.

'Slow It Down' is a classy, melodic folk pop song, with a refined musical arrangement supporting Sarah Clanton's beautifully engaging vocals. The video adds more, this one is very addictive.


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My Pleasure - Thank You for Alphabetising My Spice Rack.

Background - My Pleasure is from Hull, UK and describes his music as "almost pop". Mostly Happy is the title of his 2nd album, out Friday 1st June, and third single Thank You for Alphabetising My Spice Rack is out now. It follows previous singles Fluorescent Jacket and These Things Take Time. A video to accompany the track, shot with absolutely no budget whatsoever and ripping off one of the greats, can be found below.

My Pleasure says of the single: "This started off as a sarcastic response to my dad's obsessive tendencies, but veered off into something a little darker. The music remained fairly upbeat though. The single is also the closest I've come so far to having what you'd call a live favourite, which is nice."

My Pleasure's previous releases, 'Domestic Bliss' (album), 'Party Popper' (an EP) and 'Your House is Made of Nothing and You Are No One' (a collection of ten singles) received support from BBC 6 Music, Radio 2, Radio X, Absolute Radio and BBC Introducing. He has supported the likes of Jeffrey Lewis, The Wave Pictures, Public Service Broadcasting, H Hawkline, Art Brut and The Lovely Eggs. FACEBOOK.

SPRING/SUMMER UK TOUR:
Friday 25th May: Young Thugs Studios, York
Friday 1st June: Tallbird Records, Chesterfield
Saturday 23rd June: Type Slowly, Hull
Saturday 30th June: Labour Club, Chesterfield
Saturday 7th July: Otley Labour Club, Leeds
Saturday 4th August: Humber Street Sesh Festival, Hull
Saturday 18th August: Fast & Bulbous Festival, Adelphi Club, Hull
Tuesday 21st August: JT Soars, Nottingham.

It really is my pleasure to feature My Pleasure again just a month or so since we shared 'These Things Take Time'. The new single 'Thank You for Alphabetising My Spice Rack' is short, to the point, instructive, and plays homage to OCD, well maybe.....


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Dan Rico - Hot To Please.

Background - Dan Rico is a Chicago-based singer, producer, recording artist and songwriter. 

He writes and produces a distinctive mix of 60’s pop, soul, punk, electronica and more, drawing strong influence from Prince, T Rex, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones.

His album Endless Love was released on the French label Sht in Can Records as well as Chicago’s Maximum Pelt Records in 2016.

His debut was followed by the EP Nobody Knows and the single “Flesh and Bone,” both of which were released in 2017. Rico’s sophomore LP, DREAMY, will be released on cassette, CD and for digital download by Chicago label TMB Limited on Friday, June 22. WEBSITE.

The influences are noted, 'Hot To Please' is however very much Dan Rico's song. Catchy from the opening moments the song sits somewhere between pop and rock, leaving me curious to hear more!

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The Golgis - Sol Heilo

The Golgis - Mr Fisher.

Background - The Golgis, an Alternative Folk band from the Worthing/Brighton area of the south of England, release their debut single 'Mr Fisher' on 9th March 2018. This debut single from the band is a quintessentially English slice of quirky Jazz Folk replete with saxophone solo and melody horn parts. The song is an infectious and accessible introduction to the band's sound ahead of the release of their album, which is slated for release in early summer.

Mr Fisher was written by The Golgis' Tony Whiting about a work colleague. Whiting cites The Beatles as the reason he first picked up a guitar and began to write songs. "Lindisfarne, Caravan, Syd Barrett and the Barrettless Pink Floyd had a lot to do with it as well" he explains.

Ade Fettucini also writes songs for The Golgis, characterised by weird time signatures and unlikely key changes. "I always think he is the Lennon to my McCartney" says Whiting. "We help each other out with harmony vocals on each others songs. He can play a lot more instruments than me, such as flute, bagpipes, recorders, and teapot, all of which we experiment with. He can also juggle while riding a unicycle. I think musically we are quite different, which is probably why it works so well."

Saxophonist Richard Mullin hails from Yorkshire. Classically trained and a jazz lover, the band say Richard is the most naturally gifted saxophone player any of them have seen. Richard has been known to sing and is normally seen with two saxophones and a melodica around his neck when The Golgis play live.

The line up is completed by Wolf Stanley, the newest member of The Golgis. He came in to play some bass guitar and percussion, of which he has a large collection of unusual items. He has been known to perform vocals, and sounds very much like Lee Marvin singing Wandering Star. Idiosyncratic time signatures and key changes, quirky Jazz Folk and a band unafraid to celebrate the eccentric aspects of everyday life. 2018 is the year of The Golgis! FACEBOOK.

Alt Folk or Jazz Folk I will leave that to the genre purists, wherever 'Mr Fisher' lands it's a intrinsically English affair. Echoes of the past are brought right up to date in a lovable and slightly eccentric manner, this is just fabulous.

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Sol Heilo - London Is Trouble.

Background - Following a successful career in Norwegian folk-tet Katzenjammer, today sees Sol Heilo announce her new single 'London Is Trouble - lifted from her debut LP ‘Skinhorse Playground’ – out now via Propeller Recordings. ‘London Is Trouble’ trails the downside of life on the road. It took shape at London’s iconic, but now defunct, 12 Bar Club, following a bout of retail therapy on Denmark Street. “I remember I was in the bar and had just bought myself a new guitar – a 1961 Gibson LG-0 – almost to fill my soul with something,” she says. “It’s about how grey and dull London can be when you have no joy in your heart, and the ever-fleeting glow of late nights and early mornings."

Showcasing her illustrative talents, the video was created, cut and directed by Sol Heilo herself, providing a wonderfully accurate representation of Sol's DIY-approach to her creative craft. On both 'London Is Trouble' and her acclaimed debut album 'Skinhorse Playground' Sol is writing and performing with no boundaries, no expectations - and she sounds more liberated than ever. Grandiose strings swirl around the folk-tinged pop instrumentation, sprinkled with delicate piano turns, with Sol’s hushed Norwegian tone tip-toeing between the breaks.

‘Skinhorse Playground’, produced by Hasse Rosbach, was penned during a time of personal unrest that, rather ironically, paralleled the peak of Katzenjammer’s career – a twelve-year pursuit culminating in three albums, multi-million streams, tours spanning Austin to Australia, and praise from the likes of The Guardian, The Quietus and BBC Radio 6Music, alongside personal plaudits from David Byrne and Steve Lamacq. The band earned bonafide export status, with an enamoured international fanbase driving sales in excess of 500,000 and hitting Certified Gold status in Germany with sophomore release ‘A Kiss Before You Go’.

“In the beginning, there are no consequences. You’re unaware of the boundaries, and you have nothing to lose” Sol muses. In many ways, Skinhorse Playground is a chance at just that – a new start, and a renaissance made all the richer for the experiences that shaped a brighter, braver Sol Heilo. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

'London Is Trouble' is gorgeous. A gentle acoustic and string lead backdrop is the perfect canvas for some personal, melodic and captivating vocals with this timeless, beautiful song. 


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