Nine Questions with Alasdair Roberts

Photo credit: Drew Farrell

Today, we're bringing our Nine Questions questionaire feature out of retirement temporarily to have a quick chat with prolific Drag City folk artist Alasdair Roberts.

What was the first record you bought?

'Now That's What I Call Music 2' (the UK series, not the US one), which was released in 1984 when I was seven. My favourite song on it was '99 Red Balloons' by Nena, but I also quite liked Tracey Ullman's version of the Madness song 'My Guy's Mad At Me.'

What was the last record you bought?

A Maki Asakawa double LP compilation on Honest Jon's.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?

When I was 13 years old I had a pen pal who lived in New Zealand. His name was Duncan and he was from Richmond, near Nelson in the South Island. Thanks to the internet, I think that the concept of a 'pen pal' is now obsolete. Duncan, if you are reading this: I hope that all is as well as can possibly be with you. Thank you for sending me those mix tapes of New Zealand bands back in the day.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?

I like to think that any potential collaboration could be rewarding, regardless of factors such as the knowledge of either party for the previous work of the other, the level of esteem or otherwise in which each collaborator holds the other, the differing personalities of the collaborators and so on... indeed, there's nothing to rule out the idea that working with one's 'dream collaborator' might just not work. One of my most recent collaborations has been with the Edinburgh-based lute player Gordon Ferries – we recorded the song 'Caleno Custure Me' (mostly influenced by the Alfred Deller version) for a project about songs featured or mentioned in the work of Shakespeare. Gordon's playing is beautiful.

Who should we be listening to right now?

I don't like to be prescriptive, but why not have a listen to the music made by Brigid Power-Ryce?

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?

Since I got a new turntable and speakers last year, I've been enjoying a lot more vinyl – but I listen to music in all formats. There are some LP's in my collection which I'm thinking of digitising so that I can listen to them when I'm travelling.

Tell us about your latest release.

The most recent album is entitled Alasdair Roberts and it came out on Drag City in January 2015. It features ten new self-written songs and was recorded by Sam Smith at Green Door Studios in Glasgow. It's quite different the record which preceded it, A Wonder Working Stone, which featured 13 musicians and big arrangements with drums, bass, fiddle, brass, accordion, viola da gamba, bagpipes and so on. The new one has a few guest appearances – friends on whistle, clarinet and vocals - but is a lot more stripped down, based mostly around acoustic guitar and voice.

What's next for you, musically?

I have plans to record another album of new songs in January next year. The session will begin with drummer Alex Neilson and bass player Stevie Jones, both guys I've had the pleasure of working with often over the years in various ways. Then there'll probably also be other guest musicians involved. I've been touring a lot this year, so now I'm enjoying a spell of time at home during which I can concentrate more on new writing and creating - although I am heading over to Norway for two gigs later this week.

What's for dinner?

I've been invited round to the house of some neighbours for dinner; I have no doubt that the food will be wonderful and that it will be an enjoyable evening all round. They're currently hosting a group of musicians from Niger who are touring in Scotland.

Nine Questions with the Baudelaires

Thanks to Ryan from Melbourne psychedelicists the Baudelaires for submitting to interrogation for this outing of Nine Questions.

What was the first record you bought?
I shelled out my hard-earned pocket money to one of those old mail order album companies to have "The best of Aerosmith" CD delivered to the front door. "Sweet emotion", "Back in the Saddle", "Walk this way",all the bangers.

What was the last record you bought?
"Axis of Evol" by Canadian band Pink Mountaintops was recently gifted to me for my birthday.

What’s the one thing about you that very few people know?
I earned a black belt when I was about twelve and have never had to attempt to use it. Which is lucky as I’m not convinced that junior karate training is gonna get me out of even the least sticky a situation.

If you could record with any one artist, who would it be and why?
Well, depending on the logistics like, if we could jump into a time machine I would steer us back to 1989 and have Bez from the Happy Mondays shake some tambourine with us because, could you imagine! But I feel that if we flew over tomorrow he’d be a bit of a dick about it.

Who should we be listening to right now?
You can’t lose sifting through anything from Melbourne and around really! So much fine music coming out of this city at the moment; Sunbeam Sound Machine, Worm Crown, the Shabbab, the Tiny Giants, Dumb Punts, Sewer Side and of course as many UV Race tunes as you can possibly squeeze into any given day. If you fancy a taste from abroad then buy a White Fence album. His records sound amazing and he has the best songs. Another favourite are Sex Hands, a band out of Manchester that only write songs about the television show friends. Rachael, Chandler, Joey, the whole gang.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
Vinyl in the home, digital in the car and burnt cds at house parties..cassettes in 1991.

Tell us about your latest release.
Colour Mary is the first taste of our as yet unfinished and unnamed debut long player to be released later in the year. In the springtime maybe?

What’s next for you, musically?
In the coming weeks we will be retreating to a friend of a friend’s mum’s friend’s auntie’s house in the hills of the Mornington Peninsula for a four day (musical) bender, with the aim of having the album done, dusted and ready to be released through Off the Hip.

What’s for dinner?
A large margherita pizza. Naturally!

https://thebaudelaires.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheBaudelaires?fref=ts

Nine Questions with Polypores

What was the first record you bought?
"Big Ones" by Aerosmith was the first album I bought with my own money. The first album I really loved was Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds. My dad taped it for me when I was young, and I would just listen to it over and over again. It's safe to say that had a far bigger impact on Polypores than Aerosmith. It's music with atmosphere, telling a story. I loved that. It's always stayed with me.

What was the last record you bought?
Vic Mars - Curriculum For Schools And Colleges Volume 2. It's like going back in time to your very first science lessons.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
I am at least partially responsible for the audio recording/production of a good number of television adverts in the UK.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Nick Cave. His words are better than anyone else's words. I'd love to provide some weird shit for him to sing on top of. Also, I've noticed Mark Lanegan is getting remixed by a lot of dark electronic artists recently. If you're reading this Lanegan, get in touch. I met you once at Lancaster Library and told you a shocking anecdote.

Who should we be listening to right now?
You should be listening to Nurse Predator. It's actually a colleague and friend of mine. He recorded all this music years and years ago, but it's never seen the light of The Internet, until a few weeks ago. His stuff needs to be heard because it's brilliant, and way ahead of it's time. Bear in mind this was all made before people started making music with computers.

Those who decide to buy it may notice that the Paypal payment goes to me. This is because I set up the Bandcamp page for him, as he has far better things to do than set up Bandcamp pages. Be assured that I transfer all the money to him. This is not a scam on my part.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
There's no reason to limit yourself to one format. It's great that vinyl and cassette purchases have started coming with a digital download as well. That way you get the best of both worlds.

I walk and commute a lot so a lot of my listening is done by MP3, but I am a sucker for a hard copy. I'm 33, so I still remember and cherish that excitement.

Tell us about your latest release.
The Edgewoods EP. I read this fantastic book called "Edgelands" by Michael Symmons Roberts and Paul Farley. It's a sort of exploration of those weird non-places that are neither urban nor rural. Somewhere in between. Around the time I read that I was walking round a lot in these kinds of places, taking photos, making notes. That was what inspired the music. The way I tend to work is, I will collect a series of words, photos, concepts, and mental images. Then base the music around that. Edgelands was my starting point, then I ran with that and let my imagination take over.

I ended up with about 20 tracks. But I'd released an album about 2 months previous and I figured another album after that would be too soon. So I tried to edit it down to an EP. I was still left with 10 tracks, so I put 6 on the EP and kept 4 as bonus tracks, which people get if they pay for the download.

It probably took as long to decide on which tracks to include as it took to write and record the album. I thought they were all good!

What's next for you, musically?
Hmm, where to start? I will try to sum this up as best as I can:

I am going to be releasing an album through an independent tape label. We are currently discussing how it will all work. I am in the "research" phase of the album. As I mentioned above, collecting ideas, pictures etc. At the moment the vibe is looking sinister but rural. There is a lot of plant matter. I am picturing a hill covered in thick forest with a clearing on top. In the middle of the clearing there is a tower. Some kind of old radio transmitter. Or perhaps a searchlight. Sprouting from the ground around the base of the tower are hundreds of human hands. Does that help sum it up?

I am working on a live set. This is new to me, and it involves simplifying a lot of things, rather than trying to make it sound exactly like the recorded versions. But it's also opening up whole new avenues in terms of ways of writing, and improvisation. I won't be using a computer, it will be all hardware. I will be using tape players and loop pedals as primitive samplers. I love finding new ways to write, and this is no exception. I think a lot of this way of writing will inform the new album.

I am working on a collaboration with the man responsible for The Hatcliffe House Tapes. It has taken me a long time to do my parts, as I did them and then hated them within a week so scrapped them. Then I ended up recording/producing an album for another band, which became a priority for now. But I will get it done soon. If you're reading this John, I am sorry for the delay. I will send something soon!

I will be doing a remix for a band called Fighting. They have a sort of Death From Above 1979-meets-Post-Punk sound. I intend to warp that beyond recognition.

I will be doing another remix for a very evil band but I'm not sure I'm allowed to reveal that yet. I have seen their new album artwork and it is really really genuinely evil. Like, Wicker Man evil.

I will also be having one of the tracks from my last album The Investigation remixed by a guy called Impulse Array, who makes this vast deep-space techno. I'm looking forward to hearing what Polypores sounds like out of orbit.

I am providing the voice of a robot on a concept album a friend of mine is making. It's a concept album about a robot.

What's for dinner?
I'm not comfortable with that question.

https://www.facebook.com/polypores?fref=ts
https://polypores.bandcamp.com/
https://polypores.wordpress.com/
https://soundcloud.com/polypores

Nine Questions with the Heartwood Institute

What was the first record you bought?
I had a walkman a long time before I had an actual record player, so I bought all kinds of embarrassing stuff on tape, but I’m pretty sure my first actual record was Black Sabbath’s Paranoid album.

What was the last record you bought?
The new Pye Corner Audio 10” that just came out on Death Waltz Records.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
Unless they are also industry friends…. I actually write library music for a living and one of my claims to fame….. there’s a strip club scene in the movie Bad Santa, well that’s one of my library tracks in the background.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
I think it’s got to be Delia Derbyshire, I’d just love to know how she achieved what she did with practically nothing more than manipulating tape.

Who should we be listening to right now?
At the moment I’m very much liking The Hare And The Moon’s Wood Witch album, and the new CD from The Eccentronic Research Council. At the rockier end of things, I’m still blown away by Six Organs Of Admittance’s Hexadic album and the new Sleater Kinney. So I guess you ought to check those out. But, by and large, everyone should listen to Magma. Regularly.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
For the sound vinyl, then probably CD, but digital for convenience and portability. That said, I’m proud to still own a cassette deck and a lot of tapes. In fact I still have a Minidisc player and a DAT machine. I guess I collect defunct technology.

Tell us about your latest release.
The latest Heartwood Institute release is Astercote (name your price/free download below). It’s an imagined soundtrack to the book of the same name by Penelope Lively. I’ve been re-visiting a lot of the books of I remember reading and enjoying as a teenager. As I was re-reading it, it just seemed like there was such strong imagery there, that it immediately sparked the idea of making a soundtrack to go with it. I wanted to make something that was influenced by some of my favourite 70’s soundtracks : The Wickerman, Get Carter, that kind of thing. But also the more out-there TV soundtracks I remember too, from things like The Changes, Children Of The Stones and the original Tomorrow People. I guess I kind of identify those sounds with the time I originally would have been reading the book, during the late seventies / early eighties. So I set out to create something that hopefully sounded like it could have come not just from the period, but from 1970, the year the book was originally published. Hopefully you’ll agree.

What's next for you, musically?
I have a number of plans afoot for more Heartwood releases. There will probably be more “imagined soundtracks”, there’s certainly no shortage of material to inspire those. But the other big inspiration, which features on the first two ep’s, are the places, the history and the folklore of the English Lakes. So I’m pondering the best way to focus that and shape it into a more specific release of some kind. My biggest issue is trying to find the time to actually do it, as I have a pretty punishing work schedule right now.

What's for dinner?
I’m hoping for hot dogs.

https://theheartwoodinstitute.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/heartwoodmusic-1
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Heartwood-Institute/322022554658124?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
https://twitter.com/heartwood9

Nine Questions with Crown Larks

What was the first record you bought?
Jack: I read a few of these on the site, and man, people don’t wanna admit that there was a time they didn’t have supreme taste! First record I bought was probably a Smashing Pumpkins record or something. And by “or something” I mean it could’ve been an Incubus record or something. Then when I got my first job, I bought like 30 Bob Dylan CDs to exorcise.
Lorraine: Benny Goodman – Greatest Hits. I started learning clarinet at 8-years-old and was told to listen to this. I didn’t like it.

What was the last record you bought?
Jack: Metalepsis by Eartheater
Lorraine: Love’s self-titled LP

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
Lorraine: Whooping cough destroyed my lung capacity my senior year of high school, so I quit playing wind instruments for years so I always tell people who haven’t played in a long time to give it a shot again!

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Jack: Living or dead? If living, then Kid Millions because we could just write one bar of music and he could make a punishing, amazing piece of music out of it. If dead, then Miles Davis, because that’s whose music I’ve jammed the most and because he found a way to make music that was unpredictable, raw, aggressive, and visceral, but also creatively structured, unpredictable, and he could write a crazy polyrhythmic groove that people could still dance to, or some esoteric atonal thing or a blend. And in spite of all his reputation for being a dick, he was such a great teacher, no one produced more unique voices and leaders.
Lorraine: Hamid Drake, if I could get over the fact that I think of him as more god than man. We’ve been working on learning how to write for double drummers and auxiliary percussion, but I especially love Drake’s playing because of the spiritual grace he brings to & through his music.

Who should we be listening to right now?
Jack: Frank Rosaly or Hamid Drake and anyone they play with in Chicago (that’ll cover a lot), Circuit des Yeux, Toupee, Yonatan Gat, Horse Lords. Live, I’d try and see Pharaoh Sanders and the like before they pass on.
Lorraine: American Cream from Minneapolis. Their album Nathan is amazing.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
Jack: I like vinyl but don’t wanna wade into the nostalgia debate thing, but I do think there’s value in physical media. But really, just whatever the record’s mixed/mastered for. Hearing CD masters on vinyl’s pretty painful. Our record was made with vinyl in mind, so it sounds good with the cassette distortion too, but we had a slightly different master made for CD/digital.

Tell us about your latest release.
Jack: It came out of more than a year of writing and jamming stuff out together and touring, so we ended up with this record of sharp contrasts that hopefully hangs together. Trying to preserve the spontaneity of things, when bleak, grinding noise suddenly gives way to some melodic lead, or a song of screams and free chaos collapses into this, almost a ballad.
We tour a lot and living in the van that way lends a kind of communal vibe to the music that I think the LP reflects, as opposed to just one person’s vision. So we tried to make something that’s immediate but rewards close listening like a good live show, which you can end soaked in sweat and beer, but remember the music as music too. I don’t know if anyone’s ever really captured that kind of thing on record short of The Stooges or Fela or someone.
We wanted to make something that channeled both the direct, explosive feel of a good warehouse show and the musical adventurousness you find in the noise and free jazz scenes (like some inspirations I mentioned before). So we tried to take some risks and let the chips fall as they would on some stuff, especially the wind instruments, instead of master planning it all.
Lorraine: I’m really proud of this album, and especially of the horn arrangements. A lot of it’s improvised live. Kevin and Peter gave us great ideas in the studio that Jack and I were able to arrange to complete our vision of the songs. Sometimes I think the record is mellower than I’d envisioned it would be, but I think we managed to capture a flow, a back-and-forth between the musicians that’s natural and heady and a big part of what this band’s all about.

What's next for you, musically?
Jack: More focus on rhythm and percussion for sure, learn some Latin rhythms maybe, get better at leaving space in the songs. I want to get better at writing songs that are songs, but keep the communal writing vibe going too. I’ve never studied music at all, and listening to bands like Guerilla Toss and Dirty Projectors and good jazz players that use that knowledge in a unique way makes me want to learn more. All those people have a lot more silence in their music than we do which I like…
Lorraine: We’ve been on the road a long time, its hard to believe how long, two and a half months! I love touring, but I’m looking forward to getting back into some private headspace and writing new stuff.

What's for dinner?

Lorraine: Hate to take the internet meme route, but we’re on tour in Ohio, where we used to shoplift from Kroger’s a bunch but Bill and Jack got busted last time and were faced with the prospect of arrest or signing a lifetime ban from all Kroger-affiliated stores so times are rough.
Jack: Yeah keep an eye out for Officer Bradford Rice of Florence, Kentucky. He’s got a lot of hardcore tattoos and many a devil dog but he’ll bust you with no mercy and lecture you about the morality of shoplifting a $0.49 bagel from a fluorescent lit slave warehouse, but still, fuck crowdfunding your beer chips!

https://www.facebook.com/CrownLarks
http://www.crownlarks.com/
https://crownlarks.bandcamp.com/#_=_

Nine Questions with the Blue Giant Zeta Puppies

Photo by Bunz.

What was the first record you bought? "Fire Brigade" by The Move, a compilation LP on the extremely cool 'Music For Pleasure' label, a budget label you used to find in supermarkets, which is where my copy came from...I still have it and still play it!

What was the Last record you bought? 
"I Hear A New World" by Joe Meek and The Blue Men.....again.....this time on rather lovely vinyl....

What's one thing about you that very few people know? 
I once bought Noam Chomsky a drink.....I was taking photographs at a meeting he was speaking at, and he was in the bar afterwards, he seemed rather bemused at having this random stranger buy him a drink and thanked me a little warily...which I suppose anybody would...

If you could record with any one artist, who would it be and why?
Probably Joe Meek.....although I suspect I might well live to regret it! There are so many conflicting stories about him, I'd like to find out for myself what he was like to work with, and just how he did get all those sounds...I have done some electronics and can hold a soldering iron, I'm totally at home recording in sheds, front rooms, bedrooms and lean-tos......I think it could be an interesting....if maybe sometimes stormy...experience...

Who Should we be listening to right now? 
Hmmmm....OK in no particular order.....Link Wray, Topos Locos, Goat, The George Dorn Quintet, Dick Dale, Vince Taylor, The Phantom IV, Davie Allan and The Arrows, The Striped Bananas, Busy Wigs and The Shadows......and The Move, always....

Vinyl, CD or digital? 
They all have their place.....we are pretty lucky to live in a world where we can choose! Digital formats not only allow you to carry a whole collection around with you in a way you never could have done with a vinyl or cassette collection, they let you sequence your music as you want and (for me the most important thing) they allow no-budget outfits like The 'Zeta Puppies to release and distribute our music in a way that would have been completely impossible before..... CDs allow you some of the convenience of digital with some of the permanence and class of vinyl.... They have sleeve art, they have liner notes, you can hold them in your hand, you can play them in the car.....they are just a bit ....small..... There is something about vinyl, it's not just that the format allows the packaging to become an art form in itself, or that it is the format that so much great music was first issued in, I think you listen differently.....I guess vinyl makes you work a little, it's much harder to use music as wallpaper if you have to choose an album or single, put it on, drop the stylus....wait...it's like a ritual, you get a feeling that this music has a value, someone worked on this...they imagined it and struggled to make it real... There is an idea around that what we want is music coming at us like water from a tap....you wont have a collection, even a digital one, you will subscribe to a streaming service that will decide what you want to hear based on your profile.....you want music? hit "play"........wallpaper......

Tell us about your latest releases
We have a track on the new Fruits de Mer members only CD "Strange Fruit and Veg", which is out for review at the moment, rather pleased about this one, as it is the first time we have had an original track (Martians Don't Surf!) included on a Fruits de Mer release... We also self released a three track download EP in January "The Devil is in The Detail", currently a free download from our Bandcamp page. And most recently, we have brought out a limited edition CD of our Active Listener Records album "12 Theories of Time Travel" as an exclusive release for the goody bags at the Mega Dodo/Fruits de Mer "Games For May" festival....

What's next for you, musically? 
The next thing we have happening is the unveiling of our new EP "Semyorka". This is planned as a vinyl release, but we are having a limited run of a CD version pressed as an exclusive for the goody bags at the Fruits de Mer "13th Dream of Doctor Sardonicus" festival in August, with the vinyl version planned for early next year (...with the lead time on vinyl pressing being what it is...). We hope to fund the vinyl release via a Kickstarter campaign....so get ready to raid your piggy banks! (More seriously, we have some nice inducements planned for that one....so keep an eye on our Facebook!) Before that, we will be joining the mighty Topos Locos (who made their Fruits de Mer début on "Strange Fruit and Veg") in a vinyl only split single, releasing in late September early October. Again, look out for news of that one on our Facebook!

What's for dinner? 
A cheese roll.....

https://thebluegiantzetapuppies.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blue-Giant-Zeta-Puppies/273796656058088

Nine Questions with Dodson & Fogg

Nine Questions is a regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Dodson & Fogg's Chris Wade.

What was the first record you bought?
With my pocket money I remember buying Master of Reality by Black Sabbath when I was about 9. Relics in Leeds had vinyl for 3 quid and I got 3 quid pocket money a week, so it was perfect when building up my Sabbath collection.

What was the last record you bought?
An embarrassing one: Madonna - Rebel Heart on CD ..... (cough cough) But before that I got Anthology 2 by The Beatles on vinyl and Big Huge by The Incredible String Band, so I've redeemed myself there.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
That I'm a Haemophiliac. It's a blood clotting disorder. The Russian Royals had it and so did Richard Burton so I'm in good, yet dead, company.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Hmmm.... Lemme think. I didn't mean Lemmy just then. There's a few ridiculous ones that won't ever happen. I would love Ian Anderson to play on at least one Dodson and Fogg song, and I'd love to record with Chrissie Hynde, Neil Young or Paul McCartney. But then again I've recorded with a few of my very favourite people already like Celia Humphris, Scarlet Rivera, and the sitar player Ricky Romain, so I'm quite happy with the ones so far. There are loads of great musicians out there.

Who should we be listening to right now?
God don't ask me, I'm still getting used to Bob Dylan's 80s albums. I really don't have "hip" music taste at all, as you can guess by the fact I just bought Madonna's new album. I like the really obvious stuff, mostly classic rock and pop; Nirvana, Dylan, Beatles, Neil Young, Incredible String Band, Tom petty, Sabbath, Kinks. I love Incredible String Band and Trees, people like that. Only current artists I like seem to be underground, like Hare and the Moon and Sand Snowman, those types of chaps doing interesting and unusual stuff. But I wouldn't have heard of them if not for this website. (God I sounded like a real brown nose then)

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
Vinyl! Then CD, followed closely by digital and then lagging behind sweating and flapping about the place, cassette. No I quite liked cassettes actually, used to love taping stuff off the radio when I was a kid and doing compilation tapes. Switch cassette and make digital last then. God I hate digital.

Tell us about your latest release.
I just released a Dodson and Fogg album on CDR and download called Warning Signs. I recorded it between Feb and April this year, and it features Ricky again on sitar and couple of other players, some trumpet and sax. It's a bit more rocked up than my last stuff, with more of a fuller sound, but I really enjoyed recording it.

What's next for you, musically?
I'm recording with Sand Snowman himself and we've nearly got an album together and I've been recording with Nigel Planer and his brother, some of Nigel's lyrics and we're setting them to music but that won't be finished for a while. Hoping to collaborate with others on some projects, and release the first Dodson and Fogg album on vinyl, which is looking definitely more possible now, so that's exciting. On top of that I have some books and stories I'm working on, so a pretty busy few months methinketh...

What's for dinner?
I was gonna have crumpets but I've run out of them, so I'll probably just go for the predictable sandwich option... tuna I think.

https://wisdomtwinsbooks.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dodson-And-Fogg/282552805161916

Nine Questions with The Citradels

Nine Questions is a regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... The Citradels.

What was the first record you bought?
The first record I bought as in vinyl would have to be Rubber soul by The Beatles. I hadn't really listened to any of this album before I bought it. I was just starting to get into music and I knew who they were and just bought the cheapest vinyl. Ended up being my favorite album (still is) and I played it every single day I got home from school for about a month. First cd was Best of The Yardbirds with Eric Clapton.

What was the last record you bought?
The last records I bought were Doug Tuttle's debut album and Kaleidoscope's (uk) 2nd album Faintly Blowing. I bought those online so i'm yet to get them but I love Doug Tuttle's album and I'm yet to hear Kaleidoscopes album. Although I can find it online I like to leave some records so that when I get the vinyl and so when I put it on for the first time I can take it in as a whole. Also a dear friend of mine bought me The Jesus and Mary Chain box set for recording him.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
I don't really rate Pink Floyd. I mean Syd's era is cool but never understood much more then Piper. (However most members who have been/are in the band dig them)

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
I think if us, as a band, could record with anyone we would choose John Cale. The Velvet Underground is consonantly influencing our work and I love his whole history, like where he came from and all the albums after the velvet's he has worked on and made. I mean he has been involved in so many great records that he would defiantly make it a special experience. Hopefully one day. Also Spectrum would be great.

Who should we be listening to right now?
Zig Zag are a new band, which are really interesting. They only have one ep but its fucking killer. The Grease Arrestor's new album is still something I listen to. I've had that for a while but still love it and listen to it all the time. Also a lot of Jesus and Mary Chain.

Vinyl, CD or digital?
As a band we believe if we don’t pay to make it your should have to pay to listen to it. I mean we do it because its what we love, so digital is perfect for that. But vinyl just sounds so much better and we we released out last album on vinyl it felt real to me. I mean we work hard on all our release the vinyl just belittles cds.

Tell us about your latest release.
Nepenthe was our 4th album, which we self released on vinyl came out late last year. We recorded it at Curt's parents house out in the country. We pretty much worked 16 Hours a day for 5 days straight to get it done. It was a struggle but we made it work.

What's next for you, musically?
Our next album "A Night of Contemporay Feedback Music" will be out by the time you read this. We have been working on "A Night of Contemporay Feedback Music" in the background for the last year but it is finally feeling done. It's quiet, conceptual and is extremely different from any other of our albums. If we have any loyal fans i'm pretty sure they may not be fans after this, its not bad, just different. I still love it and I've been listening to the songs for about a year. We have also been rehearsing heaps so that in late march we can record or 6th album. We are going to record it over the space of a week in a old butter factory in country victoria. So I'm really looking forward to getting back into doing a band sort of album, because ANCFM is something that has been slowly put together for about a year in the background while we did other things. The 6th album is something special, I think I say that every time but the songs have been fully shaped as a band and we have been rehearsing them so much more then we have done for any other album. Also the space looks dark and dull it's just a few huge rooms, so large natural reverb, sleeping on the dirty floor and chickpea's from a can for dinner. It's going to be a real experience, Captain Beefheart style.

What's for dinner?
Chilli con carne.

God Bless.

http://thecitradels.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/TheCitradels?fref=ts

Nine Questions with Adam Leonard

Photo by Edith Graves

Nine Questions is a regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Adam Leonard.

What was the first record you bought?
That's a tough one to remember because it was 36 years ago. I was given compilation cassettes by my older friends from the mid-'70s onwards and I think most of it was recorded off the radio from chart rundowns. I remember liking 'Convoy' (the trucker song) and 'I Feel Love' a lot. I was given Dr Feelgood's 'Milk & Alcohol' single as a present in 1979 but recalling the very first I bought is hard because once I started to buy records (usually a 7” single weekly with my pocket money) I amassed quite a collection. Some of the first singles I bought were 'Are Friends Electric?' by Tubeway Army, 'Red Frame/White Light' by OMD and 'Underpass' by John Foxx. Annoyingly I think it was the OMD single, because OMD went on to become one of the most pointless bands in music history. I think the first album I bought was 'Equinoxe' by Jean Michel Jarre.

What was the last record you bought?
A 7” by a band called Autumns, from Derry. I saw them play last night and they were excellent, but I haven't actually listened to the record yet. It's got 4 tracks on it which is promising.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
I'm an open book. Everybody knows everything about me.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Justin Hawkins. I love pretty much everything the man writes and records, and it would be an education to get a glimpse into how he does what he does. If Justin is not available, then Luke Haines because he could do with some help.

Who should we be listening to right now?
This.
Also: The Darkness, John Foxx's Ultravox & John Foxx solo, Syd Barrett, Hot Leg, Dungen, David Bowie, No Spill Blood, Jethro Tull, Pavement, Wizz Jones, Heaven 17, Roy Harper, Fiery Furnaces, Harmonia, Girls Names, The Soft Boys, Scott Walker, The Human League (Ware era), Bob Dylan, The La's, Aviary, The Wedding Present, Nico, Bill Fay, Slade, Wolf People, Alasdair Roberts, Kraftwerk, Robyn Hitchcock, The Beatles, The Stone Roses, Fad Gadget, Mike Oldfield, Sauna Youth, Beefheart, The Auteurs, Kevin Ayers, Thomas Dolby, Steve Ashley, Roxy Music, The Bonzos, Steeleye Span, Pink Floyd, The Smiths, Michael Nyman, Talking Heads, Es, Richard Thompson.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
In order of my own usage: Digital, CDs (car) and the vinyl comes out if people are round at the house. I don't own a cassette deck.

Tell us about your latest release.
Invaderband's debut single is the latest flare fired into dimming rock skies. Released on Record Store Day (18/4/15) 'The Implausible Man' is the opening gambit of the Northern Irish Artrock/Garagerock/Krautrock quartet of which I am the backman - that's to say the frontman who plays with his back to you.

What's next for you, musically?
Wouldn't it be nice to see into the future? The Invaderband album is finished and looking for a friendly home. We'll be gigging from now until August, finishing up in England. I have the guts of a solo album written, so I'll need to record that at some point, and I'm always on the lookout for interesting collaborations. I'm extremely proud of my work with Richard Moult on his latest solo album 'Last Night I Dreamt of Hibrihteselle"(just reviewed here).

What's for dinner?
I've had it. Sunday roast chicken & root veg. Magic.

https://adamleonard.bandcamp.com/album/the-implausible-man-single
https://www.facebook.com/themessagetapes?fref=ts

Nine Questions with The Hare & The Moon

Nine Questions is a regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Grey Malkin from the Hare & The Moon.

What was the first record you bought?
It was either '90125' by Yes or 'The Collection' by Ultravox, both on cassette. My predilection for terrible prog and over serious dramatics obviously started at a young age. I love Ultravox, there's nothing wrong with wearing flying goggles and a kilt. In hindsight '90125' is awful, what was it about the 80's that so many established bands got it so wrong? Out with the dragons and in with the suit jackets with rolled up sleeves! Dreadful.

What was the last record you bought?
I splurge all the time but it tends to be older albums rather than new releases. The last one was Sunn O)))'s 'Void' with the bonus Nurse With Wound remix disc. My neighbours love me for that. What else? Coil's 'Megalithomania' bootleg, Sarada Holt's 'The Ghost Of Dorothy', Baby Dee's 'A Book Of Songs For Anne Marie'and Le Mystere De Voix Bulgares first album are all sitting waiting their turn at the phonograph in The Hare And The Moon's HQ.

What's the one thing about you that very few people know?
Probably my deep and abiding love for terrible movies. I'll quite happily sit through any amount of viewings of 'Highlander'or 'Independence Day'. I recently discovered 'Olympus Has Fallen'. What a load of brilliant tripe that is. I don't watch these ironically, I get very caught up in them and can watch them endlessly. That's not very cool is it? I probably should have mentioned my cloven hooves.

If you could record with one artist who would it be and why?
Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Wound). In terms of mood, a vast landscape of found sound and being truly disturbing I think he's got the lot and is a huge inspiration. I really dig his look with the top hat too. I'm going to cheat and mention a few others; Edward Ka-Spel (of The Legendary Pink Dots), Syd Barrett (the chances of this are limited I know) and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath).

Who should we be listening to right now?
Well there's this bunch called The Hare And The Moon who have a new record out...there are lots of fab records that are properly underground and truly inventive out at the moment; Sarada Holt's new album (haunted psych), Tim Moth Eye's (of Stone Breath) forthcoming 'Grave Needs' (and not just because I pop up on it), Jim Griffin's 'The Cleric And The Ranger' (genius one man prog folk), anything by The Holy See (spooky lost soundtracks of the highest order), So There (demented, psychedelic experimentalism), the new Dark Sinfonia album 'Plague Tales' (dark, gothic drama), Klaus Morlock's 'The Child Garden' (vintage electronica meets The Wicker Man) and anything by Richard Skelton. There you go, a shopping list!

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
All apart from digital which I really don't like at all. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I do like to hold a record in my hands and look at the sleeve, the inlay, the artwork...those crazy kids and their MP3s, what on earth do they use to roll their cigarettes on? Plus they never get to experience wearing triple gatefold sleeves as wizard hats. I can personally recommend 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' as being the best for that.

Tell us about your latest release.
The Hare and The Moon's new opus 'Wood Witch' is now out and wandering the forests. If you were super quick you might have picked up the 2CD version with a splendid remix disc by Melmoth The Wanderer but fear not if you didn't as there is a standard edition available. It's very long (in ye olden days it would have been a double album) and has lots of new songs about ghosts, murder and cornfields (what else is there?) We make a tremendous racket and there are some beautifully eerie and gentle moments from our singer too. Spook folk, haunted prog and dastardly drones.

What's next for you musically?
I am currently recording an album with the French folk band Sourdeline who are amongst my all time favourite acts so this is a dream come true. I also have something in the works with Dark Sinfonia's William Westwater, a collection of Scottish myths and folk legends put to music. There may also be something on the horizon with Michael Warren and I'm going to pop up on various albums by other artists throughout the year, probably creating a terrible noise. There will also be a new The Floating World album , Amanda Votta's project, which we are also working on as we speak.

What's for dinner?
Tofu hot dog sausages or these tofu 'pizza slice' things I found when out shopping yesterday. I'm slightly cautious about them which feels like the best approach, given what they look like.

'Wood Witch' is now available at www.reverbworship.com
https://soundcloud.com/thehareandthemoon

Nine Questions with Amerikan Bear

Nine Questions is a regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Nathan Wettstead of Amerikan Bear.

What was the first record you bought?
I picked up the Iggy and the Stooges "I gotta right/ gimme some skin", along with The Mummies "planet of the apes" single at an amazing record store called Off the Record in San Diego back in 98'. It was the first time I had ever heard something that wild and cut throat. Those records changed the game for me.

What was the last record you bought?
Spirit - Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
I was brought into music by Don Murray of the Turtles. I was originally going to be a percussionist like him, but drums were apparently not on my folk's agenda. I ended up getting a guitar a few years down the road and never looked back. Don once told me before he passed, that he was the original drummer on "Wipeout'. Great dude all around.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Arthur Lee of Love. The man may have been off kilter a little, but he knew what he wanted. He could invoke just about any emotion in you with his arrangements. And the structure of his songs were like operatic movements. To stand in the man's shadow would be the most humbling feat, let alone creating that ingenious beauty with him. He was a true master of our time and a genius.

Who should we be listening to right now?
I've been listening to Dahga Bloom "No Curtains". Its not so much on the traditional psychedelic side but more along the lines of Spacemen 3 and Hawkwind. Real pedal mastery, which is pretty much on the opposite side of the spectrum of what I do, but fascinating in the sense that its like hearing a new language for the first time telling the same story.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
Vinyl of course. Everything else is just convenient. But everything else also lacks the warmth of vinyl.

Tell us about your latest release.
It's a traditional take on 60's California psych. Steering clear of the pop/ teenage angst idealistics that most of our contemporaries are trying to achieve. I wanted to make a timeless tribute to the bands that molded me (Love, Quicksilver, the Byrds) as well as speak to all age demographics about life. Because its not all about holding hands lovingly, being a witch, or any other denomination of confused, young, music lover. Its an album about the many shitty deals life slides across the table and on to your plate, and how we move forward as people after we suck on that lemon. Things we can all relate to. Did I mention you can still dance to all this?

What's next for you, musically?
We just completed a new single featuring Alex from the Black Angels singing. Were also set to play day two of Austin Psych Fest, which is the same day as the 13th Floor Elevators performance. As well as recording another album this Summer.

What's for dinner?
Rubber buns and liquor

www.theamerikanbear.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/amerikanbear

Nine Questions with Sam Cohen

Nine Questions is a regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Sam Cohen.

What was the first record you bought?
It was the cassette single of "Bat Dance" by Prince from the Michael Keaton Batman. That was before I really identified with music though. It was just a souvenir that seemed necessary because I loved Batman. Appetite For Destruction was the one that got me thinking, "maybe I should do this!".

What was the last record you bought?
I think it was This Is Clarence Carter. I was doing a gig playing guitar for Charles Bradley in Switzerland, and we were maybe going to do Slip Away as an encore. We didn't, but when I was checking it out to learn, it just sounded so good, so I went ahead and bought the whole record. That first song Do What You Gotta Do is my jam! Would have been a great tune for Elvis. Has that Memphis thing, and it's a little more songwriter-y than most Clarence Carter stuff.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
Well, I'm left-handed, I love pickles, and I can't help staring at huge butts. They're hypnotic and great. And, when I was around 8, I could recite the entire movie Clue.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Is it okay to say Jimi Hendrix? Those records have it all - improvising and hooks, monster playing and sonic experimentation. It's some of the most compelling music ever captured on tape and I'd love to witness how he achieved that balance. I'd like to see what happened effortlessly and what they had to dig into. Who was having which ideas. All that!

Who should we be listening to right now?
Whatever makes you feel good! The latest thing that struck me as essential listening that I hadn't given the proper attention was the first Latin Playboys record. David Hidalgo, a master on several instruments, is laying down ideas on a warped four track, which was then embellished and mixed by Tchad Blake and Mitchell Froom. The grooves are amazing and so are the sounds and layers. It's loose, never precious or self conscious because it was intended as demos. I love hearing someone be themselves in front of a recording device, which definitely does not describe a lot of recordings, though it seems like it would.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
I've had my mind blown by music on all formats, so suffice it to say, it's more the message than the medium. Plenty of music that I've never experienced as anything other than a medium quality MP3 has changed my way of thinking about recording or songwriting or composing, so on the one hand, who cares. That said, I'm not fully satisfied by any format. I'm a little lazy for vinyl. Hate to admit it, but it's true. Plus, a lot of the stuff I would like to listen to on vinyl gets into fetish-y collector territory that I reserve for gear. Digital is great for convenience and storage and accessibility, and I think it would be more satisfying if digital playback systems improved. If there were better converters in iPods and computers, that'd be a big step in the right direction. If we decided music files could be bigger and just used lossless formats, I think that'd be pretty great. I want to embrace modern concepts and technology and not be a curmudgeon, but I do miss album art, and it's nice to disconnect from the screen when trying to enjoy music, which is more spiritual than the screen lets you feel sometimes. That sounds dogmatic, but I'm feeling it more lately. I want something simple and easy, yet tactile and fulfilling. Now that I really think about it, cassettes in a car might be the deepest form of musical enjoyment!

Tell us about your latest release.
It's my first solo album, and it's really exciting for me to put music out in this way. For years, I've made demos of certain songs where I play all the instruments just to have sketches for the band to hear or learn from. It's always been my favorite part of the process. This time out, that's the record for the most part. Playing and recording with that feeling of discovery in my own little world. It makes me happy and I'm excited for people to hear it.

What's next for you, musically?
I've been doing a lot of production these days and I have a few albums slated that I'm very excited about. Also hoping my record will reach enough people that it makes sense to get out and do some touring. Ideas are beginning to form for the next record as well. I have a sense of the vibe I want and the instruments I need around me.

What's for dinner?
I'm in Houston right now visiting my parents, so my wife and I are going out to Prego, a good friend's Italian restaurant, while my folks watch our baby girl. Date night! It's a huge deal.

http://www.easysoundshop.com/product/sam-cohen-cool-it-pre-order

Nine Questions with Sky Picnic

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Sky Picnic.

What was the first record you bought?
Chris: The first cassette I bought was Pearl Jam "Vs" in 1993. My first vinyl was the Beatles "Yesterday & Today" (my copy of course was the re-shot cover and not the butcher one). I had just discovered the US versions of their discography, and this one was tops on my wish list, despite being a weird compilation of sorts.
Pete: Buddy Holly From The Master Tapes" double-LP when I was 12. Best purchase I've ever made, (still have it of course)!

What was the last record you bought?
Chris: "Picture You" by the Amazing. These guys have been one of my favorites for a few years now and my anticipation for this album had been through the roof, and it certainly did not disappoint. I can't wait to totally immerse myself in this one.
Leah: Stardeath and White Dwarfs "Wastoid"
Pete: "With The Beatles" (2014 analog remaster) just gets better and better somehow...
Chris: It's getting better all the time.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
Leah: I have mole on the bottom of my second smallest toe on the left. Most people don't know this because they aren't generally looking at the bottom of my feet.
Pete: Most people know too much already. I find it hard to stop talking about myself. (See? Case in point)....
Chris: Some people have religion; I have Seinfeld. If anyone wants to take me on (or the whole band if we're doing teams) in Seinfeld trivia, prepare to lose!

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Chris: Robert Fripp. I would want him to produce our album (and maybe guest on Mellotron and a solo). I think he would bring some zen to the process, but also, I trust his insight and experience. (Plus of course, him commenting on each take with his Frippisms would be priceless).
Pete: Hendrix! Why? Well....as a drummer, I'm sure I wouldn't keep up, but it'd be such a thrill going down in flames in that context. Hendrix seemed like such a nice guy he probably wouldn't make me feel too bad about it.

Who should we be listening to right now? 
Pete: Yes, we should be listening to The Who. Or Yes. Both are amazing!
Leah: Stardeath.
Chris: Wand. The Amazing. And all of the latest King Crimson official archive series.

Vinyl, CD or digital? 
Chris: Vinyl. I suppose the simplest reasoning is sound quality, particularly that of a great recording/ master. Tangibility as well; it gives the music a life and a value lost in the digital age.
Leah: Vinyl for the experience, digital for convenience, CD's for when you don't want to carry vinyl home, but you still want to buy an album at a store.
Pete: Vinyl, always!

Tell us about your latest release. 
Pete: I don't know much about it. I seem to have already forgotten most of it.
Chris: "Her Dawn Wardrobe" is really the next logical step in the evolution of the band. We have built upon the psychedelic rock foundation we previously created by exploring and introducing elements from other genres. The songs all breathe a bit, as we worked on creating space in the music. It's a warmer and quite inviting, but also a dark set of songs that I think takes a few listens to really resonate. And we couldn't be prouder of it.

What's next for you, musically? 
Chris: Finishing up the promotion behind the new album and playing tons of shows behind it. I've been writing again lately, and we'll probably start to approach those ideas later this year. While not necessarily easier than before, the songs come about more organically, with way less thinking involved; a good song should really write itself.
Pete: I have no idea. That's I think the joy of it and what keeps it from becoming boring, after all these years. I've never had any idea where I'm going musically but you let the music guide you naturally.

What's for dinner? 
Leah: Awesome take out from il Bagatto (best roasted chicken and bruscetta EVER)
Chris: Homemade Indian curry (vegetarian Jalfrezi) along with lentil soup.
Pete: There's this deli down on Delancey Street that I swear I've been to 5-star restaurants that don't have as fresh, quality food...and all food, all day, all night. You name it, they make it, and it's amazing. $5-$6.

http://www.facebook.com/skypicnic 
http:skypicnicmusic.com

Nine Questions with Junkboy

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Mik Hanscomb of Junkboy.

What was the first record you bought? 
The first LP I bought was Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds from a second hand record shop in Southend. Still dig that fish-eye cover photo.

What was the last record you bought? 
I bought a compilation album New Orleans Soul - The Original Sound Of New Orleans Soul 1960 – 1976, which came out recently on Soul Jazz Records. It’s another sublime Soul Jazz compilation; some of the Aaron Neville tracks on there are amazing!

What's one thing about you that very few people know? 
Not long after I first moved to Hove I got a summer job in a local supermarket; on two separate occasions I served Nick Cave a Sunday paper and fags and we made polite chat about the weather, it was quite surreal.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why? 
Growing up in the suburbs in Southend I used to listen to a lot of albums on Thrill Jockey label by artists like Sea and Cake, Jeff Parker, Tortoise et al, the albums were credited ‘recorded at Soma Electronic Studios by John McEntire’. It’d be amazing to do a Junkboy album with John at the controls in Soma.

Who should we be listening to right now? 
There’s a lot of great stuff out there… I’d recommend singer/songwriter Jessica Pratt’s new album On Your Own Love Again. I’ve read a couple of mixed reviews recently but I think it’s a great album- beautiful melodies, vocal harmonies and chord progressions throughout.

Vinyl, CD or digital? 
Vinyl has the best sound for me, especially if you listen on a decent hi fi set up, not that I’m an audiophile! As someone who grew up pre-internet I guess I still prefer the physical format; I like the tangibility of artwork to look at and notes to read etc. But I love being able to take my music collection out with me. I hope there is still a market that caters for both digital and physical formats in the future.

Tell us about your latest release. 
My brother and I made an album called Sovereign Sky, which came out in December 2014 on Enraptured Records. It’s our most song-based album yet; I would describe the sound as pastoral, psychedelic folk with elements of baroque pop. Fans of Mark Eric, The Left Banke, Eric Matthews, Bert Jansch and music from the Laurel Canyon should hopefully dig it!

What's next for you, musically? 
My bro and I are promoting the new Junkboy album this year and playing some gigs, we’ll hopefully get round to writing some new tunes later in the year. I’m drumming for a friend’s band; a glam rock outfit called Prissy Lips. A few friends and I also put on a psychedelic club night called Eight Miles High. It’s on bi-monthly at the Komedia in Brighton and we spin psych tunes old and new plus there are awesome oil wheel projections courtesy of Innerstirngs Psychedelic Lightshow - outtasight!

What's for dinner? 
Mangetout

www.facebook.com/junkboytheband
www.facebook.com/eightmileshighclub
www.facebook.com/Prissylips
www.facebook.com/pages/innerstrings-psychedelic-lightshow/119380684745264

Nine Questions with the Owl Service

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Steven Collins from the Owl Service.

What was the first record you bought?
That was the album 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' by Adam & the Ants, back in late 1980 or early '81. For those who don't remember, they were a UK post-punk band who had a string of hit singles in the early 1980s. They had a really striking image and made cool videos which had a huge impact on me as an 8 year old. That said, I don't think I was influenced in any way by Adam & the Ants, although I recently re-visited their 3 albums and they still sound great and really distinctive. Less than a year after buying 'KOTWF' I heard 'New Life' by Depeche Mode and everything changed. That was the first record I bought that had a profound influence on me, and actually set me off on the path to where I am today.

What was the last record you bought?
I actually bought 3 records together; the soundtrack to the '80s horror film 'Re-Animator' by Richard Band, 'Circuitous' by Afrikan Sciences, and 'Margin Walker' by Fugazi. I'm really into '70s and '80s horror scores right now - I probably spend more time listening to them than I do any new music. 'Re-Animator' is very good indeed, because it steals from one of the best, owing a huge debt to Bernard Herrmann's 'Psycho' score. Afrikan Sciences is the work of US producer Eric Douglas Porter - its roots are in hip-hop, jazz and house, but rhythmically its quite experimental and pretty unique sounding. It's on the PAN label who have been releasing great music for a while now. And 'Margin Walker' because I realised it was the only Fugazi record I didn't have on vinyl.

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
Despite being a big cheese lover, I only tried Brie and Camembert for the first time last year.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
I'd actually choose an engineer; Don Zientara, Steve Albini or Bob Weston. Despite making folk music myself, I have very little time for contemporary folk music, largely because the sound of almost all modern folk albums is completely soulless and lifeless. Modern folk music has become too middle-of-the road and safe for my taste, and as a genre I find it really un-interesting on a sonic level. The raw, in-your-face sound of people like Zientara/Albini/Weston is, to my mind, exactly the right kind of sound for a folk record at this time. Obviously we'd love to actually go and make our new album at Electrical Audio in Chicago, but instead we'll be doing it all at my house as usual!

Who should we be listening to right now?
I can't think of anything *really* exciting that I've heard recently. The Viet Cong record is pretty good, and so far this year I've enjoyed the new releases by Sleater-Kinney, Moon Duo, Sam Prekop and John Carpenter. Apart from that, anything on Opal Tapes, PAN or Bed of Nails.

Vinyl, CD, digital or cassette?
Vinyl for serious listening, digital for convenience. I love my iPod - 30 years ago, if someone had shown me a device the size of a fag packet that could hold my entire record collection it would have completely blown my mind, and now it's a reality. I can remember going on long journeys when I was a teenager, weighed down by a Walkman, a bag of cassettes and a stack of spare batteries. Digital music is a truly fantastic innovation. The CD has become a bit worthless in my world. I'll buy them if it's the only available format, but I tend to just rip them and then immediately sell them or give them away. Vinyl with download codes is the way to go. I simply cannot understand the resurgence of the cassette - it was always an inferior sound carrier and it continues to be so. Totally pointless in this day and age.

Tell us about your latest release.
'Three Inverted Nines' is an EP we recorded for Halloween 2014. It was a limited edition release available for 1 week only, but we're now giving it a second pressing for those who missed out first time around. It contains covers of 4 songs written by Glenn Danzig which he originally performed with his bands Misfits, Samhain and Danzig. Obviously the songs fit the Halloween theme perfectly, but they're such great songs and they deserve to be heard by people who wouldn't normally buy a Danzig album. I'm a huge Glenn Danzig fan and this isn't the first time we've covered his songs. We actually played live as The Fiends a couple of times, performing only Misfits covers. The first time we did it was Halloween 2009 and that remains one of my favourite gigs I've ever played. Incidentally, the title of the EP comes from the lyrics of the Misfits song 'American Nightmare'.

What's next for you, musically?
Next up is the new full-length record from The Owl Service; it's called 'His Pride. No Spear. No Friend' and it's set for a summer 2015 release. At the start of 2012 I put The Owl Service on an indefinite hiatus, purely because I didn't know where to take the project next. I didn't want to make another record just for the sake of it, and felt that I needed some space to get ideas together. I actually started thinking about a new Owls album in late 2013 and was gearing up to start recording at that time, but it was delayed for various reasons and that's turned out to be a good thing. Having had a year-long thought process before recording a single note, we now know exactly where we're going with it. Thinking about it, we've actually come full-circle. When I first started planning a new record all I knew was that I wanted it to be stripped down, stark and simple. Far less 'produced-sounding' than 'The View From a Hill'. But then I went through a big kraut-rock phase around the same time the last Wolves in the Throne Room album came out, and so I started thinking we could have these big 'Kosmische' synth soundscapes fused with doom-metal. We'd have had fun trying that for sure, but I'm not entirely convinced it would have been successful! Then, by chance, I found myself re-visiting 'Pod' by The Breeders and it was like a big slap round the face. It reminded me of my original plan to make a stripped down, honest sounding album, and how far I'd drifted from that remit. The very next day I was given a copy of Fugazi's 'First Demo' album and it started to feel like someone was trying to tell me something. Since then I've been immersing myself in the post-hardcore, minimalist rock sound of engineers like Don Zientara, Steve Albini and Bob Weston, along with pivotal post-rock records like 'Spiderland' and 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die', and working on ways of incorporating that kind of sound into The Owl Service. As far as I know, this is the first time anybody has fused traditional British folk song with American post-rock and post-hardcore production - it's going to be interesting.

What's for dinner?
Pizza, with a bottle of Italian beer.

https://www.facebook.com/thepatternbeneaththeplough
https://theowlservice.bandcamp.com/

Nine Questions with The Holy See

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today.... Simon Magus from The Holy See.

What was the first record you bought? 
First record I ever owned was Slade in Flame, which I got with a portable record player for my birthday. First record I ever nicked was Star Wars And Other Space Themes, from Blackburn Chemist's "Music For Pleasure" album rack when I was a skint wee urchin, and first record I ever bought was Special Brew by Bad Manners which I bought off my big brother's pal for two roll ups.

What was the last record you bought?
"Transmission From Sogmore's Garden" by Magic Bus, a spaced out psychedelic feast of sounds for your ears, your mind and your soul. The next last records I'll probably buy will be Corduroy's new album in March (yay! ) and Cranium Pie's new 4 album epic Mechanisms 2 (yay again!).

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
My real birth name.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
As a teenager I was convinced that sooner or later I'd be Siouxsie and the Banshees next ex-guitarist, learned to play guitar by playing along with their records and everything, so if they re-form I'll send them a tape. Steve Severin lives not far from here so I'll make sure it gets there and shout through his letterbox til he listens to it. For my own music I'd love Cyrus Faryar to do some voice like he did on The Zodiac's Cosmic Sounds album. He lives on a remote island off New Zealand, not far from you. Fancy giving him a shout???

Who should we be listening to right now?
Whoever makes your hips shake, your heart sing, or your head fed. Not Kanye West though, he's a cock.

Vinyl, CD or digital?
All of the above, and live music too. It's all well and good being a vinyl junkie, but I don't have that portable record player anymore, and it's hard going wheeling my hi-fi onto the train to listen to sounds when I'm out and about, so I keep all my sounds on an mp3 player and will just have to suffer the indignity if any people who listen to vinyl catch me. As long as the music is traveling from the musician's head into yours it's all good.

Tell us about your latest release.
It's the soundtrack to a TV show, a supernatural detective series from 1969 which was broadcast from another dimension. It has Harpsichords and Mellotrons and Hammond grooves and synthesizers and sitars and tape loops and radiophonic interludes and lots of echoes. Echoes are good fun, I like those.

What's next for you, musically?
The Holy See is my main thing, but I'm also recording and gigging with a couple of my friends bands, and long distance recording collaborations with musical friends all over the place. I've got my fingers in more pies than Jimmy Savile partying at the City Morgue, so am furiously trying to grow some extra fingers. But right now the Holy See have just been signed to Cineploit Records so will be working on some more soundtracks, and hopefully some more collaborations with other people, who knows???

What's for dinner?
Think I'll have another slice of that Cranium Pie, it's affy good. Why do I keep saying the word pie? I even heard somebody in a car calling me a pie this morning. "Oot ma road ya pie!" What's that all about?

http://www.cineploit.com/?page_id=1538
https://soundcloud.com/holysee69
http://active-listener.blogspot.co.nz/2015/02/the-holy-see-music-from-tv-series-osiris.html

Nine Questions with the Hanging Stars

Nine Questions is a new regular feature on the Active Listener, where we ask our favourite artists nine simple questions and get all sorts of answers....

Today...Richard from the Hanging Stars (& The See See).

What was the first record you bought?
Depeche Mode "101", influenced by my older cousin. I still think Depeche Mode was an amazing group. So was Frankie Goes To Hollywood for that matter.

What was the last record you bought?
Alberto Montero - Puerto Principe (2013) Such an underrated and ignored record. Jesus. He's like a Spanish Arthur Lee. The most stunning beautiful compositions and atmospheres he conjures up. I wish I had a clue what he was on about though

What's one thing about you that very few people know?
Our band were all born with tails. True story. Also, Richard's dad was in a band with Bjorn from ABBA in the early 60s.

If you could record with any one artist who would it be and why?
Tutankhamun's court composer. It would be amazing. But alas he is long gone. As are the pharaohs. Might be a good thing.

Who should we be listening to right now?
Thelightshines - Now The Sandman Sing.

Vinyl, CD or digital?
Vinyl for sitting. Mp3 for walking.

Tell us about your latest release.
We've got our debut 7" out on the Great Pop Supplement label on March 23rd. We sing folk songs updated to the now with some lysergy thrown in for good measure. It's a double A side called Golden Vanity/Floodbound.

What's next for you, musically?
Finish and release an album and play shows all across this blue green earth.

What's for dinner?
Vegetarian chili from a can. We're broke.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hanging-Stars/228945743974838
https://soundcloud.com/thehangingstars 
http://www.thehangingstars.com/