7th December 2011: The Woodbine & Ivy Band / Playlist

Featured: The Woodbine & Ivy Band - S/T (Folk Police Recordings)

The Woodbine & Ivy Band is a group of Manchester musicians who came together to arrange and perform the ten traditional songs that make up this album. For each song they invited a different singer to contribute a lead vocal; Jackie Oates, Fay Hield, Nancy Wallace, Olivia Chaney, Pinkie Maclure, Jim Causley, Jenny McCormick, James Raynard, Rapunzel & Sedayne and Elle Osborne.

The musicians and singers were gathered together under the direction of Peter Philipson and Michael Doward and aimed to create an expansive sound that reached beyond that usually associated with traditional song. Although the musicians involved are not all from a folk background, there is a sly tipping of the cap towards the electric folk revival of the 1970s.

The singers were initially invited to perform the songs a cappella and, during a series of late night sessions, the band used these performances as a guide to their arrangements. The fruits of these free-ranging sessions were consolidated during recording dates in North Manchester’s Limefield Studio, where the legendary folk producer, Bill Leader, was around to lend a hand and give the band his quiet nod of approve.

Amongst their influences, the Woodbine & Ivy Band cite the music of Sandy Denny, John Martyn, The Byrds, Pentangle, Crazy Horse and the drone rock of Spaceman 3. This album is also one for fans of Joe Boyd’s Witchseason Productions and much of the music released on the Harvest, Leader and Transatlantic record labels.

Folk Police Recordings

Radio Playlist 7th December 2011

Corn Capri - 13 Bells-a-Ringing (Demo)
Starless & Bible Black - Under The Orcadian Tide (Static Caravan 7")
The Woodbine & Ivy Band - The Roaming Journeyman (sung by James Raynard) (S/T)
**
Dirt Farmer - Real Young (Demo)
Jona Byron - Changing Of The Hours (Demo)
Whistle Peak - Sailor (Half Asleep On Echo Falls)
**
The Woodbine & Ivy Band - Twa Corbies (sung by Pinkie Maclure) (S/T)
Holy Sons - Things You Do While Waiting For The Apocalypse (Decline Of The West)
Nyles Lannon - Better With Nothing (Pressure)
**
Snails - She's Like An Hour (GPS 7")
Matt Bailey - Whitey (The Three I's) 
The Woodbine & Ivy Band - Gently Johnny (sung by Jenny McCormick) (S/T)
**
Lindsay Clarke - New Light (Home Of The Brave)
A.A. Bondy - Down In The Fire (lost sea) (Believers)
Madeline Flash - Eyes Beneath The Foot (Depth Monster EP)

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Sideways Through Sound Archive

29th December 2010: Sean Smith
22nd December 2010: The Morning Benders & Interview
15th December 2010: William Tyler / Amaya Laucirica in Session
8th December 2010: The Phantom Band
1st December 2010: The See See
**
30th December 2009: EOY Special
23rd December 2009: Sparkwood & 21
16th December 2009: Cave Country/Eva apRoberts
9th December 2009: Jack Rose
2nd December 2009: Espers
**
29th December 2008: EOY Special
22nd December 2008: Sean Smith
15th December 2008: Fovea Hex
8th December 2008: Trensmat - Sonic Attack
1st December 2008: The Driftwood Manor
**
27th December 2007: EOY Special
20th December 2007: Owls Of The Swamp
13th December 2007: Six Organs Of Admittance
6th December 2007: v/a Post-Asiatic Lost War Dream Music

30th November 2011: Tyler Ramsey / Sand Pebbles interview / Playlist

Featured: Tyler Ramsey - The Valley Wind (Fat Possum) 

Many of you may recognize Tyler Ramsey from his other job as guitarist with Band of Horses, a career that started before he joined the band with his self titled debut in 2004. He followed that up in 2008 with the quietly beautiful 'A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea'. After an intense recording effort earlier in the year he has just released his third album 'The Valley Wind'.

'The Valley Wind' is an album that is both nuanced and intelligent, opening with a wonderful short acoustic introduction highlighting Ramsey’s skill on the guitar. What follows are perhaps the two strongest tracks on the album, the Springsteen-esque title track "The Valley Wind" and the beautiful "1000 Black Birds" which features some delightful fingerpicking and Ramsey’s warm and textured vocal. Ramsey’s vocal is an undoubted highlight of the record. It is at times plaintive and emotional, at other times it is rich and comforting with just the right balance between beauty and rawness that perfectly suits the themes he is singing about.

Another highlight of 'The Valley Wind' is the instrumentation. Throughout the record it does just enough, never threatening to overpower Ramsey’s vocal. It’s also reasonably sparse, throwing the listeners attention towards the vocal performance and Ramsey’s lyrics, which are both thoughtful and nuanced.At a brief 35 minutes the album is over before you know it. I was left wanting to hear more, but it's undoubtedly better to be left wanting more, than wishing it had all stopped two or three songs earlier.

Tyler Ramsey

The Sand Pebbles, Ben Michael X talks with Thee Sonic Assassin on the eve of their Sydney album launch...

Fresh from a string of sold out Melbourne shows and a national tour with Galaxie 500's Dean Wareham, Melbourne's Sand Pebbles make they're long awaited Sydney return by launching their acclaimed new record Dark Magic at GoodGod Small Club on Saturday December 3.

Special guests on the night are reclusive wall melters The Astral Kaleidoscope who will perform their first show as a full 7-piece band since 2007. Cosmic trippers The Sun Blindness are also making the trip north to play tracks from their new album, 'Far Arden'.

Hypnotic. Cosmic. Kinetic. Exploding from the eye of the Universe! 

Sand Pebbles

Radio Show Playlist 30th November 2011 (here)

Michael Beach - There Is No Edge Of The World To Run To (Mountains & Valleys)
Band Of Horses - Monsters (Everything All The Time)
Tyler Ramsey - When It's Done (The Valley Wind)
**
Sand Pebbles - Dark Magic (Dark Magic)
Sand Pebbles - Entrance To The Stream (feat. Will Carruthers) (Dark Magic)
**
David Lynch - The Night Bell With Lightning (Crazy Clown Time)
Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks Theme (OST Twin Peaks)
Voyager One - Beautiful Wreckage (Afterhours In The Afterlife)
The Sun Blindness - A Trip In A Painted World (Like Pearly Clouds)
**
Tyler Ramsey - Stay Gone (The Valley Wind)
Real Estate - Out Of Tune (Days)
Mono Stereo - Orange Is Green (Space Out EP)
**
Vetiver - Hard To Break (The Errant Charm)
Findlay Brown - Losing The Will To Survive (Separated By The Sea)
Tyler Ramsey - 1000 Black Birds (The Valley Wind)


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Sideways Through Sound Archive

23rd November 2011: Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor / Playlist

Featured: Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor - Spectra Spirit (SR)

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor are a garage-psych band from Detroit, MI. Originally formed in 2004 under the moniker 'SikSik Nation', they morphed from a hard-charging garage-blues band into a atmospheric, electrifying psychedelic rock band.

The debut album 'Spectra Spirit' was recorded at their own Space Camp Studios, and is a crashing confirmation of the howling, heavy sound that first drew Sideways Through Sound to this infectious Vapor. But the album is something more than it's predecessor – its ferocity more focused, its chakras more aligned, its slithering, sin-with-a-grin, serpentine-shake more singular, yet no less sinister.

'The new album finds our heroes in full-on swagger and menace mode, disposing of the incense and lava lamps for the wafts of a hookah and bonfires. They’re neither here to mess around nor waste your time. Highest recommend'. Valis

SOYSV

Radio Playlist 23rd November 2011 (here)

Dollboy - Sun Will Rise (demo)
Sproatly Smith - Death (from SF's Sorrow) (Minstrel's Grave)
Hawkwind - We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago (In Search Of Space)
**
Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor - Centre Of A Velvet Room (Spectra Spirit)
Spacemen 3 - We Sell Soul (Forged Prescriptions)
The Heavy Hills - Red With Mud (The Heavy Hills Roll)
**
Portishead - The Rip (Third)
Warm Digits - Warm Welcome / Keep Warm (Keep Warm... With The Warm Digits)
Cave - WUJ (Neverendless)
**
Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor - Black Mind (Spectra Spirit)
Strange Flowers - Mars Behind Our Eyes (v/a Psychedelica Vol.2)
Suuns - Gaze (Zeros QC)
**
Sisters Of Your Sunshine Vapor - Green Eyes & Dream (Spectra Spirit)
Bonnet People - Master Dimitri (demo(n))


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Sideways Through Sound Archive

16th November 2011: Iain Chambers / Playlist

Featured: Iain Chambers - Rituals & Pastimes (Transformed Dreams)

Iain Chambers started playing guitar in his late teens. He didn't hear John Fahey's music until much later, after being introduced to it by a friend. Discovering Fahey opened the door to the range of influences running through the so called Takoma School (Fahey's circle of fellow American Primitives), from Charlie Patton to Bartok. He particularly admired Charlie Patton's use of slide – how his music seemed focused and aggressive.

'Rituals and Pastimes' is 47 minutes of fingerpicking/slide guitar music and offers a guide for a different mindset. As if time and place are bent, the listener loses awareness of these references, being lured out of everyday life into Chambers' world of wonders, charms, unknown territory, astonishment and mesmerizing beauty.

Meandering around themes, floating freely, getting off the beaten track, building up intensity to let loose, growling before whispering, aggression followed by softness: from darkness and dread to peaceful lightness and sparkling loveliness, he collars the listener from the first stroke, revealing a different mode, pace and tempo, ingredients of a challenging and intense experience, each song a story in its own distinct mood.

Iain Chambers

Radio Playlist 16th November 2011 (here)


Iain Chambers (Hotplate) - Letter To Val (Rituals & Pastimes)
The Verve - Virtual World (A Storm In Heaven)
M.Mucci - The Ward Revisited, Harris St (Demo)
**
The Demon Parade - All The Cool Kids (Demo)
Purple Mercy - Off The Pigs (Private Pleasures)
Mazzy Star - Roseblood (Among My Swan)
**
Iain Chambers (Hotplate) - Rituals & Pastimes (Rituals & Pastimes)
John Fahey - Jesus Is A Dying Bedmaker (America)
Chapters - The Last Days Of Steam (EP1)
**
The Early Days - My Way (Demo)
It's Not Night: It's Space - Moon Goose (East Of The Sun & West Of The Moon)
Jack On Fire - New Moon (Sermons From The Eastern Seaboard)
**
Iain Chambers (Hotplate) - Port Authority Bus Station Blues (Rituals & Pastimes)


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Sideways Through Sound Archive

9th November 2011: Joe Boyd interview / Playlist

Featured: Joe Boyd - record producer / writer

Joe Boyd

Radio Playlist 9th November 2011 (here)

Nick Drake - River Man (Made To Love Magic - demo, recorded Spring 1968) 
Robin Frederick - Been Smoking Too Long (demo, recorded Aix-en-Provence Winter 1966/67 - covered by Nick Drake) 
Nick Drake - Things Behind The Sun (Pink Moon - 1972) 
Fats Domino - I'm Walking To New Orleans (Walkin' To New Orleans - 1963) 
Soft Machine - Joy Of A Toy (Vol.1 1967 - UFO club regulars) 
Pink Floyd - Arnold Layne (7" 1967 - first single, recorded by Joe Boyd) Tomorrow - My White Bicycle (John Peel's Perfumed Garden radio show Aug 14,1967 - UFO club regulars) 
Purple Gang - Granny Takes A Trip (7" 1967 - first single, recorded by Joe Boyd) 
Fairport Convention - It's Alright Ma, It's Only Witchcraft (S/T 1967 - Judy Dyble on vocals) 
Joni Mitchell - Chelsea Morning (Clouds 1969 - covered by Fairport Convention) 
Sandy Denny - Blackwaterside (The North Star Grassman & The Ravens 1971) 
The Incredible String Band - Witches Hat (The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter - 1968) 
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Drivin' South (Top Gear BBC Sessions - October 1967) 
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Rock Me Baby (Live at Monterey Pop Festival - June 1967) 
Fairport Convention - Tam Lin (Liege & Lief - 1969) 
The Band - Chest Fever (Music From Big Pink - 1968) 
Nick Drake - Horn (Pink Moon - 1972) 
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - This Train (v/a Roots Of Rock & Roll Vol.3 - 1947) 
Nick Drake - River Man (Five Leaves Left - 1970) 
Jackson C. Frank - Blues Run The Game (Blues Run The Game 1965 - covered by Nick Drake) 
Nick Drake - Black Eyed Dog (Made To Love Magic - demo, recorded February 1974) 
Nick Drake - Tow The Line (Made To Love Magic - demo recorded July 1974)

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Sideways Through Sound Archive