Miscellaneous - February 2016

  by Admin

published: 5 / 2 / 2016

intro

Hello, and welcome to the February 2016 edition of the Pennyblackmusic Magazine. It has been said that everyone can remember where they were when they first

Hello, and welcome to the February 2016 edition of the Pennyblackmusic Magazine. It has been said that everyone can remember where they were when they first heard the news that John Lennon had died in December 1980, and the same will perhaps be soon said about David Bowie, whose death is the most important in rock since then. We are giving much of this edition over to Bowie. Dave Goodwin in ‘Vinyl Stories’ talks to six of our writers about their favourite Bowie records, while Mary O’ Meara in ‘Ten Songs That Made Me Love…’ reflects on ten of her best Bowie songs. Nicky Crewe in ‘Gig of a Lifetime’ recalls seeing him three times in a matter of months on the ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ tour; Dominic Simpson provides an overview of Bowie’s career; Anthony Strutt considers the meaning of his cryptic final album,‘Blackstar’; Richard Lewis dedicates a Re: View to the 1976 album ‘Station to Station’, and there are also other thoughts and recollections from some of our other writers. In our lead interview this month, we speak to Sid Griffin from groundbreaking 80’s Americana outfit the Long Ryders about their influence; ‘Final Wild Songs’, a new 4 CD box set, and a forthcoming tour of both Europe and America. Elsewhere amongst our other main interviews we talk to rising folk star Kelly Oliver about her second album, ‘Bedlam’; Sukie Smith from Madam, who have played our London Bands’ night on several occasions, about their forthcoming third album, ‘Back to the Sea’, and in their first full band interview much acclaimed noise pop band Chorusgirl about their eponymous debut album. There are interviews as well with up-and-coming Oxford-based singer-songwriter Rhiannon Mair; 80’s experimental/psychedelic act and Creation Records signing the Telescopes about their recent inclusion on 'Still in a Dream', a new five CD shoegaze box set, and electro-acoustic duo Raf and O who will playing our next Bands Night on the 12th March. Our other two new interviews this month are with baroque/funk/jazz outfit the String Project and eclectic folk/pop bedroom project the Feedback File. Other highlights this month include a summary of the ‘Still in a Dream’ box set, and two book reviews, one on early Smiths member Dale Hibbert’s new autobiography ‘Boy, Interrupted’ and the second in Lisa Torem’s ‘Raging Pages’ column on Thin Lizzy book, ‘Are You Ready?’ which examines the great 70’s rock outfit, album by album. We also currently promoting two Bands Nights in London, which will both take place at the Sebright Arms in Bethnal Green. The first of these will be on Saturday March 12th and, a reconvened show from last year, will feature 60’s cult star Nick Garrie; experimental duo Raf &O and up-and-coming indie guitar trio Partisan Waves. We have been writing a lot during the last couple of years about the Edinburgh-based label Stereogram Recordings, and the second show, which will take place on Friday 15th April, will be a Stereogram Night. The durable London-based group the Band of Holy Joy, who have played our Bands’ Nights twice before and who signed to Stereogram last year, will be co-headlining with Edinburgh alternative rock outfit the Cathode Ray, while the support act will be singer-songwriter Roy Moller who has been described by 6 Music’s Marc Riley as “Scotland’s best kept secret”. It will be both the Cathode Ray and Roy Moller’s first London show, and tickets for both this gig and the one on March 12th are available from We Got Tickets. Thank you to Carl Bookstein, Malcolm Carter, Nicky Crewe, Daniel Cressey, Anthony Dhanendran, Dixie Ernill, , Cat Goodwin, Dave Goodwin, Keith How, Ben Howarth, Adrian Huggins, Adrian Janes, Richard Lewis, Erick Mertz, Mary O’ Meara, Owen Peters, Jon Rogers, Dominic Simpson, Melanie Smith, Anthony Strutt, Lisa Torem, and Paul Waller, all of whom have contributed to this edition. Special thanks to our webmaster Richard Banks. We will be back at the middle of the month with an album and singles reviews only update, and then in early March with a full update with interviews, features, live reviews and more album and single reviews. We hope to feature interviews then with the Stranglers, Gretchen Peters, Billy Bibby and the Wry Smiles, Richmond Fontaine, Nive and the Deer Children, Breathless, Joe Gideon, Miranda Lee Richards, Katy Carr, Dodson and Fogg, Partisan Waves and Dale Hibbert. Please don’t forget to check out our regular Facebook and Twitter updates. Thank you as always for reading Pennyblackmusic. John Clarkson Magazine Editor www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk