The new music and art quarterly for Frome ISSUE NO.1 WINTER 2008
The Furball
Talking with confidence about stuff we don’t understand
FRE
E!
Phantom Limb - Lucie Goodayle - All Guns Blazing and lots more.
Contents What’s New - Stuff in our town Busker’s Corner - John Slater Band Profile - All Guns Blazing Shop - Iksentrik Gig Review - Phantom Limb Compact disc Fine Art - Laurel Wade Street Art - Souls on Fire Photography Profile - Lucie Goodayle
Page 4 Page 6 Page 8 Page12 Page 20 Page 22 Page 25 Page 28 Page 16
Editor - Matt Wellsted Photography - Megan Kelly Invaluble contributions from - Will Angeloro and Barry MacDonald. Additional contribution from - Scott MacKillican I’d like to say a big thank you to those individuals and a couple of forward thinking businesses that have got behind the idea of this mag and helped get issue 1 off the ground. You know who you are. Right then...should be plain sailing from here on in......
Your fre e
CD!
Lovingly compiled by us here at Furball hq, this cd offers a cross section of Frome talent, ranging from hip hop to country Page and beyond. There is sure to be at least one tune that makes you say,”...so, they live in Frome then, these guys?”. Or maybe not, I don’t know. If you need to contact The Furball, best do it via Email. matt@thisispen.com Alternatively you can phone on 01373 300600 The Furball is published by Pen Creative Communication - 4 Wallbridge, Frome BA11 1QY. cover illustration BY KATE BIELBY
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Welcome! Welcome to the first edition of The Furball, Frome’s very own quarterly arts/music/what’s on magazine. Our aim is to keep you in the loop with what’s happening in the creative corners of our beautiful town and also give local talent, of which there is a bucketload, somewhere to showcase work and be inspired at the same time. Now, because of my propensity to sit in front of the telly and watch any old bollocks that happens to be on (again, a bucketload) I had to get rid of my tv in order to free up enough time to get this first issue out of my mind and into your hands: a decision that wasn’t met with as much resistance from my 5yr old daughter as I thought it might be. Having said that, if anybody has any tips for getting primary school kids extracted from laptops, especially the CBBC website, I’d be glad to hear them. I tell her that your nose doesn’t actually have to touch the screen while you’re watching it but somehow I don’t think my advice is getting through. I digress. We hope you enjoy this issue. Matt Wellsted Editor
The Furball Winter 2008 Page
What’s new? A small selection of new stuff springing up around town
Hot Damn! Not only will you be treated to the exceptional and extensive vinyl collection of DJ’s BARRY BREAKS & RICH B. but you will also be right in the thick of a LIVE DOODLE JAM courtesy of THE WESTWAY CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA. Keeping on a visual theme, VJ ULTRA will be using any blank space he can to treat your eyes to his projections. And if all that wasn’t enough, the amazing GRINGO SKA and the almost completely unknown SAVING PRIVATE DISCO will be performing LIVE! All that for a Christmassy £4 entry (£2 for unwaged) – same as A+ DOORS OPEN 7:30pm so DUST OFF YOUR DANCING PUMPS FRIDAY 19TH DECEMBER AT THE CHEESE AND GRAIN
The Cheese & Grain tart up We love the C & G, so when last month someone clever decided a lick of paint was in order we all whooped for joy. I also have it on good authority that the acoustics have been greatly improved by some magic they’ve done inside. (Strategically hung fabric) so if you haven’t been down there recently to check out your favourite Tuareg supergroup I suggest you get a move on. Sounds good to me... Page The Furball Winter 2008
The Art Book Seller
The Art Book Seller 01373 451081
If you like art and you like books, then you’re in for a treat. The fabulous Fay Goodridge has revamped the Art Works shop at the top of Catherine Hill to incorporate The Art Book Seller. With books ranging from photography to architecture, fine art to contemporary design, art history to sculpture, you have
plenty of great titles to choose from. The prices are rock bottom too, at 30-50% off published price, so that’s Christmas pressies sorted for any artists or art lovers. As a bonus, you’ll be able to wheel them home in style with one of the Art Works’ brilliant Rolser shopping trolleys (from £45).
Do you have something you need to tell everyone about? email matt@thisispen.com to chat about being in these pages.
Make and Mend Vintage Boutique I don’t know about you, but I’m not one of those people that can ‘do’ vintage clothing. It’s not for want of trying, but I always end up a bit crazy granny. Now help is at hand and it’s up Catherine Hill... Make and Mend is the brainchild of Donna May Lynch, a textile designer who really knows her stuff. Her CV includes Alberto Ferretti, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix and Scott Henshaw... and she’s really nice... and helpful. A passionate collector herself, Donna’s knowledge and enthusiasm for all things vintage is clear. Make and Mend is overflowing with vintage clothing, jewellery, books, shoes, accessories, lighting and furniture. All this is, of course, all very fashionable and green - the antidote to our throwaway world. Kitsch plastic hair slides from the 60s sit amongst
chic Parisian hat boxes, 50s pulp fiction fills the shelves, fabulous modernist tea-sets are arranged on Lloyd loom night stands and Donna’s beautiful baby girl giggles happily amongst vintage blankets in a huge Silver Cross pram. It would be easy to get carried away with all the nostalgia and glamour (check out the changing rooms) but, as
19 Paul St Catherine Hill Frome www.makeandmend.net 07966 073213
the name suggests, we’re talking style and substance here. Donna offers a bespoke clothing service, so you can have existing garments revamped and restyled or commission something beautiful and new.
Coffee with Friends Catch up on what’s happening in and around Frome with this new on line meeting place. Do you need a new mate to go dog walking with, a badminton partner, join a new book group or perhaps start a new one? Maybe you just want to meet
new people to have coffee with, lift share, babysit or find a new band member? frome friends in association with Café La Strada coffee shop could be the place to do it. There is a link to frome friends on the Café La Strada site @ www.cafelastrada.co.uk. The Furball Winter 2008 Page
Busker’s corner
Name John Slater What do you play? Musette and klezmer music on the accordion. When was your best paid day? In Frome, Saturday before Christmas. I’m not telling you how much! Have you ever had to chase a £50 note down the street? No, but have had the occasional note, including a dollar bill flung by an Argentinian dancing the tango to impress his woman. Do you play anywhere other than Frome? I’ve busked in 62 different towns around England, during a year’s cruising by canal boat. Now I’m based in Bradford on Avon, I busk towns within reach by public transport. Your music has a very romantic, French feel to it, has this caused anyone to suddenly drop to one knee and propose to their partner in your presence? Afraid not, but lovers do dance together sometimes, and I love it when kids dance with their parents. I like your bowler hat. Do you wear any other styles? I used to wear a pinstripe suit with a rose in the buttonhole, but it’s worn out now. If you were the hired entertainment on the Titanic the night it sunk, what would be your last tune? I’d play a klezmer tune called ‘another glass of wine’. Can you play any Rock and Roll? No, I refuse to. We see you most Saturdays. What is it you like about playing in Frome? Frome is such a happy place compared to most towns. people smile & say hello. I really loved the Frome Festival, and was made up when the poets performed from a soap box next to my busking spot. I had a great time at the Cabaret Sans Frontières and was impressed at the creative talent in the town. I wish the canal came through Frome, then I’d live here.
“Frome is such a happy place compared to most towns. People smile and say ‘hello’”.
Llama
The Thoughts of Chairman Miaow
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It’s not necessarily the pigeons, or the snails that exacerbate my irascibility‌ It’s the passive-aggressive nature of the bourgeois, garden variety, public school house cat. Where is rage for the common feline? Whilst tens of thousands of our comrades are subjugated by the iron hammer of the elitist “ownerâ€? or “pet loverâ€?, or more insidiously, the “MASTERâ€?, we are content with the simple pastimes of the cat of leisure. Lying in a sun beam. Chasing a moth. Slowly torturing and eventually disembowelling a small defenceless mouse. Well make NO MISTAKE my complacent comrades, your day of reckoning is upon you. It takes only ONE trip to the vet, on some vile pretence of,say, DEWORMING, or VACCINATION, and you’ll come home SANS sex organs. It only takes ONE meaningless brawl with the neighbourhood fascist pussy with delusions of sphinx to spook your “masterâ€? into to a lifetime of imprisonment. The dreaded HOUSE CAT. We need ORGANISATION! WE NEED DIRECT ACTION. WE, and only WE can bring down the machine of servitude... more from the Chairman in the spring The Furball Winter 2008 Page
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Frome football club isn’t the first place you think of when you think of a revolution. Havana, Paris maybe… But it’s not that kind of revolution. Maybe revolution isn’t the right word. Perhaps rebirth or rejuvenation, or something else beginning with “R”. Whatever it is, something BIG is happening. What’s happening is All Guns Blazing… There’s people milling around, nursing pints of generic lager… Several bands(excellent ones at that) do their sweaty best to try and
Page The Furball Winter 2008
energize the crowd, but lets face it, the crowd want one thing…. It’s 2008 and heavy metal has had a long bumpy ride since 1969. Suffering through years of obscurity, critical derision, commercial triumphs, yet more critical derision, and finally acceptance into mainstream. No two people can agree on when metal became just another subdivision of Rock, but I think it was probably around 1986. The big hair bands broke the radio first. Then the 2nd
wave starting selling millions. When your grandma can pick out James Hetfield on MTV, you can honestly say metal lost its outsider status. It wasn’t SCARY anymore. But maybe that’s when metal grew up. Its easy to rattle off a list of Swedish church-burning death metal bands from the same era, but with the potent commercial potential metal offered to BIG DADDY record
early NWOBHM bands looked to the Pistols for cues on aggression in sound. AGB seems to fuse those punk ethics and the virtuosity found in modern metal. Superior musicianship, fast and ferocious, without sounding as if they’re simply playing scales. I hate the word “Chemistry” when used to describe the inter-
“When I was a teenager, I wanted to hear aggressive angry music, and it was Nu Metal, sad to say.” label, these bands were relegated into a sub genre of a sub genre. Metal’s bastard children. But the opportunities afforded to reinvent the genre and truly push into uncharted waters were opening up. No longer did the traditional structures and image of “metal” apply for those with the foresight and taste for something new. So while we can look back fondly on the 70s and 80s as the socalled “Golden Age” of metal, in my opinion, it’s the music from this point on (early 90s) that metal began to show its maturity.
relations of band members. It’s a cheap rock journalist word that reduces real work to the ineffable. Yet how do you describe a band that get together, rehearses a few times over a 2 month period, then storm the local scene with the intensity and musical maturity of a band that been seasoned with years on the road? All Guns Blazing played the
“When I was a teenager, I wanted to hear aggressive angry music, and it was Nu Metal. Sad to say.” - Max, denying his roots. “We all listen to different things, and grew up listening to different things. I started on Simon and Garfunkel and Pink Floyd, then punk..NOFX…” . “Less Than Jake. Ska Punk” interjects Max. “I guess through punk I went to hardcore”.. Which to me, explains the completely odd approach to vocals AGB have. Punk and metal always looked at each other suspiciously. But remember, Venom, Diamondhead, all of those The Furball Winter 2008 Page
Standard and Guardian battle of the bands with the ferocity of starving sharks that sense an injured swimmer. They surrounded the crowd and judges and ATTACKED. Over and over. When the set was finished (4 songs later, as that was all they had written), you felt like you had just been through a triathlon. Sweaty, exhausted, and utterly satisfied with the fact that you had just done something amazing. And you had. You just witnessed a revolution in metal…
A month later, All Guns Blazing are sitting on a bright future. Signed to Rising Records, the hope is to re create the
success of label mates Trigger the Bloodshed. But we know better. AGB are the natural conclusion of the Heavy Metal’s 3rd age. What started in the early 90s has ended here. Whilst maybe no one is under any illusions of a Black Album type sales blitz, it’s the quality and originality that counts. A chance to make a record that stands as a testament to the state of the genre, and to the future. We saw it at the football club, now its up to the band to deliver. WA
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What are you listening to? We took to the streets recently to conduct a sort of musical stop and search to find out what the good folk of Frome are corrupting their brains with. I haven’t heard of half of these...must be getting old....
Stef
Reptilla b
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The Clash Gary
It’s always kind of you lot to take a minute out of your day to divulge your musical tastes, we appreciate it.
y The Str
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Willow Brett
a Apple
Partin
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Ball & chain by
Sublime
Just one thing, we really don’t want Gary to get in to trouble with his superiors for listening to music whilst on duty, which I’m sure is probably in the rulebook somewhere, so we thought we’d point out that he wasn’t. We just thought it might be funny if he pretended he was listening to the Clash whilst keeping the good people of the Cheese and Grain car park safe from harm. Apparently he is a musician as well so we might be collaring Gary soon to tell us about his rock star alter ego in future issues.
The Furball Winter 2008 Page 11
m o r f s y o T e d i s dark Crazy. Mad. Insane. Eccentric. All mean basically the same thing but only one ever summons forth a pleasantly amused chuckle or smile. If you had to pick one from amongst the four, wouldn’t you choose eccentric. I know that I would. For… It is the doddering GreatUncle who constantly regales whoever will listen - and often those who won’t - with tales of his younger days that contradict each other and, if properly dated, would make him at least 350 years old. You’ve met him. It is the scruffy looking youth who was born in 1988 but fancies himself a Victorian dandy and attires himself as best he can shopping in the charity shops.
somewhere that you can hoping to capture either walk to - just at the top of friendship or snacks - in a Stony Street in the ancient perfect world, both! Mmm, market town of Frome cookies. and walk away from again only a little bit changed, The hordes of designer though definitely for the vinyl toys, brought to better. life by a breathtaking You will pass through the assortment of prominent doors and enter a realm graffiti and pop-culture of pure eye candy. ..become immersed in a There are items world steeped in the bliss of joy and nostalgia. of every shape, size and colour jockeying artists, bide for position in the race to their time as absolutely consume your they slowly attention. infiltrate You’ll first pass through every nook Ugly City, where and the ugly dolls dwell,
It is Iksentrik and it is a great space to be. In fact, it is
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Be nice to him..
e h t m
e...
cranny of the shelves, the shop, the world, your mind. “Ha, ha, ha!” you will, at the very least, think as you are transported into that wonderful limbo that lingers on the border between childhood memories and dream. Totorro is everywhere keeping an eye on the jewellery, the house wares, the art and, especially, you. He’ll keep you from falling into too much trouble until the guide finds you. With the appearance of the Iksentrik guide you will be whisked away into the tales surrounding each and every curio. You will be told the name and pertinent or interesting details of the artist behind every original canvas, sculpture, pottery piece. You turn from the bedazzlement and come face to face with a wooden structure resembling an ancient Roman coliseum. Upon closer inspection, you discover that it shares elements with the aqueducts as well. The guide grabs a handful of marbles from the scattering
Words by Scott MacKillican Pics by Megan Kelly
surrounding the base of the structure and feeds them, one after another, into the various openings
supposition. You turn towards the door and see, once again, Totorro
Homer Et al get the vinyl toy treatment
around the top tier. You watch as gravity draws them down their random routes to the bottom and the sought after reunion with their cohorts. The spinning of the marbles has entered your brain and everything you’ve seen since entering Iksentrik whirls around in a breezy dust-devil of thought, idea and My Little Pony on acid
smiling at you from under his umbrella, wishing you well and thanking you for the visit. You smile back at him and feel genuinely good. This encounter with eccentricity has been absolutely worth while. You reach your hand towards the door handle and pause… What happens next is up to you. Are you at all Iksentrik? 10 Stony Street Frome 01373 471695
The Furball Winter 2008 Page 13
FT Business Section Safeguarding yourself
An inside trader’s guide to buying funky music during a recession by Mr Breaks
The Beat Digger “We’re all going to hell in a handcart” according to my friend Jonny. And believe me- he should know, because he’s my friend Jonny. Credit Crunch. Recession. Inflation. These are the current buzz words that resonate with fear into all of us, and even more so if you have a vinyl habit to fund. Well, beat diggers – the good news is here comes the bail-out package that will lighten your fiscal deficit and reduce your toxic assets. Introducing my very own guide to navigating your way through the current Vinyl commodities market. So without further ado, here come the assets that will maximise your potential, because we’re now entering an era of
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(Go yokels!) with a truly global roster of artists/ producers including Featurecast, DJ Wood, QDup Foundation, Rephrase, Sunset Soul, Sampology and P Zilla amongst others, they are currently THE hottest prudent spending. (Like ticket on the breaks scene shopping at Lidl’s and that). First up, check out all of the releases on the amazing GoodGroove l a b e l . Especially t h e Breakbeat J u n k i e 12” called F. U . N . K . GoodGroove is from Bath, Mr Breaks - Our man in the field
Spin-thrift economics so you can be sure that there is no Sub-Prime beat making going on. Next, move your stock from Government Bonds to Aniligital Records and
with my own favourite cut Respect Thy Neighbour rocking a fat mid-tempo disco-funk break. Like Milton Friedman didn’t say, “it’s a fat biscuit for sure!” Also out on Super 81% of people asked to draw what a dead PacMan looked like, drew this. Hi-Fi is the incredible Body area Disco Love 12” by Omegaman, make sure Mouthal region you get a copy of that too. Then switch pick up the Tal M Klein your attention to Rephrase 12” called Plastic Starfish music from Australia, (CD album also out now!) this label is promising with a host of remixes a generous amount of taking in everything from cuts. The top one being Breakbeat to Funk and ‘Jelly Jam’ by artist/label even French Hip-Hop, it’s owner Rephrase. This cross market appeal will 12” is ahead of the curve, yield amazing returns for the funky San Franciscan, and enhance your own portfolio. And while you’re at it, invest your derivatives capital in the new Super Hi-Fi release by the All Good Funk Alliance. This is a dance floor bomb,
and while interest rates are going up, the world should be getting down to the John Ohms remix. Finally the smart money is out there buying up copies of the new Aldo Vanucci & Featurecast 12” Walk like a Man on Funk Weapons. After just one listen to the hillbillyfunk of Blue Grassed Man, you’ll understand that ‘backwards’ really is the new ‘forwards’, especially if it’s welded onto the toughest beats this side of the bayou (not to mention the inbred style of my column where I repeat the same artists over and over again). So there you have it. You may like these records, or you may not. Let your ears decide for themselves, or take a punt by shouting “Buy, Buy, Buy!!!” at your local trader.
Mr Breaks
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Lucie Goodayle Photographer
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“I’m not sure whether this little boy was skating to impress the big kids or just deep in his skater zone” New York City near Union Square October 2008
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Lucie Goodayle is a young Brighton based photographer and film-maker with strong Somerset links. OK, she’s our friend and she comes to stay with us. “I get an amazing amount of pleasure from letting people look at things through my eyes, and trying to look through theirs... it makes the world a more interesting place”. You can see a load more of Lucie’s fantastic images on her site. www.luciegoodayle.com. With a bit of luck we’ll be able to organise a bit of an exhibition in Frome. We’ll keep you posted.
Streets of Brighton, 2007
“It’s the thing from 2001 but it’s in Somerset” Heaven’s Gate, 2007
I recall Central Park in fall
Venice Bech, Not Nr Frome
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Punk a doodle do
This quarter’s gutter urchin plucked from the street, kicking and screaming and forced to explain what on Earth it is they think they look like, is Miles,a musician/student from Frome. We get to grips with his look...
Miles, 19 Musician, music technician & biology student. Didn’t fancy a short back and sides then? Short back and sides? No way! Last time I had something like that was about 5 years ago! I’ve had a couple mohawks in my time but this one’s the best, just ‘cos its coloured.
What’s that creeping up your left arm? I have a microphone and some musical notes ‘cos I love music, dna ‘cos I like science, and a spider’s web which is a tattoo originating from the san fransisco eastbay punk scene (rancid, op ivy, greenday) which is where most of the bands I like come from. Also a massive fire cracker for no real reason. It’s a play on a picture of an angel, which was made to look a bit ‘gory’. The band who use the artwork are called Converge, a hardcore band from Massachusetts who I’m a massive fan of. Converge are not the kind of band you can listen to for the sake of it. I love extreme music, and they really aren’t for the faint-hearted.
Where did you get your jeans? I got them from a shop in Camden Town. I get all my clothes there. Nowhere else sells the stuff I wear so I go on sprees there every now and again. I like to see myself as a bit of a punk, I don’t really have the mentality and I’m not a communist or anything but I believe in the expression and individualism that comes with it, and I try my best to stand out, and not just blend in like most other people in society. I have massive respect for people who dress like it properly, it takes guts these days!
So, you’re not a hobnail boot kind of guy, then? Nah. I love my adidas! I have loads of shoes. 2 pairs of custom nikes, some chuck taylors, I like to mix and match - have a little change!
How many pots of hair gunk do you get through in a week? How many pots? Oh I don’t really know! I don’t use as much as people think and it doesn’t take as long as people think either. (chuckles)
Street style
Who’s on the front of your t-shirt?
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Gig Review
Apparently this was Phantom Limb’s fourth appearance at the always friendly Griffin Inn. This was my first time seeing the band and boy, was I blown away.
@ The Griffin
Every so often you head out for a night’s entertainment that you really have little or no great expectation for, and what you’re left with are some memories of a
Reviewed by Matt Wellsted Pictures by Megan Kelly
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fantastic night out with some great music in fantastic surroundings with great people. This was one of those nights. After getting a tip that this was going to be a cracker of a gig I spent the day seeing what I could find out about this band on the internet. I was lured up to the pub by the promise on their MySpace page that read.. ” Nothing you have heard before but everything you love”.
” Nothing you have heard before but everything you love” Pretty good description as it turns out. The songs were warm and heartfelt with a strong soulful undercurrent and delivered to perfection by the gobsmacking voice of Yolanda Quartey. The five piece backing comprising of two guitars, drums, double bass and keys were a masterclass in restraint, surging with
the vocals when needed then dropping away again, leaving Yolanda to do her thing, keeping the packed bar mesmerized throughout each number. The performances of a couple of tracks, ‘Run’ and ‘ Don’t say a word’, tracks I had been listening to just a couple
of hours before, didn’t disappoint and by the smiles from the crowd, I think the band were hitting the spot all round. I don’t know who’s in charge of the music at the Griffin, but they’re doing something right. I’ll be back. MW
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Your fr compa ee ct disc! ?
As a special first issue, and seasonal act of unimaginable goodwill, we have decided to compile a selection of tunes from the pool of local talent we are blessed to be paddling in. At the time of writing I have no idea what those tracks are but I’ve been reliably informed that the cd itself will have all the tracks printed on it which, let’s face it, is a darn sight more useful than having them printed here because at least, long after you’ve shredded this magazine for your hamster’s bedding or folded it up and wedged it under that wonky table in the back room, you’ll still know what you’re listening to. Fairly important we think. Anyway, make the most of it because you won’t be getting one next issue. Our Chrismas cheer will have worn off by then. mw
If you have a gig or a show or want to let the people of Frome know about something, then drop us an Email and we’ll include it, free of charge, in our listings section in our Spring issue due out in March. Title your Email ‘Furball Listings’ and send it to:
matt@thisispen.com
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Illustration By Matt Wellsted
Let us know what’s on.
The Classic Album
Natty Dread Revisited by Will Angeloro
Classic
washing fluid. And you hope he NEVER STOPS LPs are like generous, senile, telling you that story, or offering that sweet, old grandpas. Even or treating you like you though you’re in your were preserved in a 30s, he’s still going to rub your hair like you’re vacuum 30 years ago. Unlike grandpas, An 6. Still going to offer the old LP will ALWAYS same sweets he’s been be with you. And if offering since 1975, you’re stupid enough going to tell you the SAME STORY about the to store your records in time Frank Sinatra came a box next to a heating pipe that inevitably into his petrol station and bought windscreen- bursts, destroying
your whole collection, there’s always EBAY or DISCOGS to get you reunited. Lets Play…. Bob Marley and the Wailers – Natty Dread. When I was 16, I put a blue AND a red light bulb in the same fixture in my room. How fucking COOL was I? I did it specifically to listen to this record… It was my first Marley platter, and to this day, still my favourite. Maybe its not the best, but I don’t care. What a great cover. Sort of a painting, or is it a pic painted over? And what a great live shot of Bob in all of his dreadlocked majesty on the back cover.
CLICK… HISSSSS.
Side 1, Track 1. Lively up Yourself.. Then the “far superior to the live version” studio cut of No Woman No Cry. I like the faster pace, and the odd drum machine percussion. And what a great lead guitar by Al Anderson. “Them Belly Full, but We Hungry… A
Unlike grandpas, an old LP will always be with you... The Furball Winter 2008 Page 23
Natty Dread continued... Hungry mob is an angry mob”. The closest I ever get to a hungry/angry mob is my daughter at breakfast. As fearful to me as 100 raging Jamaicans. …..Ahhhhhh Rebel Music……. What I love about the early days of listening to these records was my innocence. I had NO idea about the poverty stricken peoples of Trenchtown. About the CIA backed Seaga and socialist Manley. About Rastafari. I admit the lyrics sometimes mystified me (more often than
not because I couldn’t understand the accent)…. Yet, I connected with…Well I have no idea what it was. None of us can explain what music says to us. Or at least HOW. We try but language fails where music communicates. Click. HISSSSSSSSS So Jah Say. Who is this Jah guy? I never heard of him at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church in West Islip New York. Must be a Lutheran. Natty Dread. Was I too learn? Damn right. Bend Down Low, Talkin blues…. Revolution. Revolution? The last time I heard the “R” word John told me he could count himself out/in… What kind of fence sitting liberal bull shit is that? Here’s a man who started one… Without ever firing a shot. Picture Bob in between Manley and Seaga, hands up unity…. Mom is yelling about the
g
t fastenin
1 shir Formula . fun with..
s ’ n o s n e J uttons B
Hi Guys! This month I’ve got a couple of real classics for you. Now, I’m not sure whether you’re a button novice or a seasoned pro like me but either way I think you’ll agree, these double shanked, mother of pearl cuff fasteners are a couple of smashers.
coloured light bulbs… damn. I didn’t light an “Egyptian cigarette”. I couldn’t afford a lava lamp. Why begrudge me a little ambience to enjoy, what I think, is the greatest reggae album of all time? What does she know? She listens to Joan Baez… Will Angeloro
Laurel Wade
Fine Art
Clematis. Oil on canvas Frome artist Laurel Wade is a relative latecomer to painting. A background in photography helped to develop an artistic eye and what began as a hobby has become a successful career. He works in oils and many of the pieces depict still life scenes featuring food, making them particularly suitable for the current exhibition at the Garden Cafe, Stony St, Frome. Further details on www.laurelwade.co.uk
3 Garlics. Oil on canvas The Furball Winter 2008 Page 25
Laurel Wade Fine Artist
Two fish Oil on canvas
Mushroom Oil on canvas
Page 26 The Furball Winter 2008
Onions & Ladle Oil on canvas
Obscure treasures and forgotten funk curios
If you’re the kind of person that trawls through endless hours of music searching for that miracle record you’ve been waiting to hear your whole life....then read on, this page is for you!
Ben and the Platano Group
One record that for me exemplifies the art of digging for beats is the mighty Ben & The Platano Group album Paris Soul. This stone-cold instrumental classic ticks every box in the book. It sums up the joy of owning a good set of ears, the imagination to look beyond the generic Phil Collins et al records, and rolling through the planet’s record crates- looking for the world’s most exotic sounds. To describe the sound within the SOUND is pretty tricky, but here goes....it’s the greatest heavy afro cuban psych latin jazz funk, with an easy bossa jazz groove album EVER, and it’s from France! And what an album cover. It actually looks as great it sounds! The music within skips effortlessly between genres with choppy guitars and muted horns, while always maintaining an au naturel and woozy funk sensibility- it’s kind of like hearing SenÕr Soul with a dash of the Mohawks mixed with Buddy Guy in a Peter Sellars movie soundtrack. But better. It is genuinely ‘groovy’ without being a cliche. Information about the band is
extracted mainly from myth and legend however some facts have been documented. Conducted by Evaristo Nata, apparently the unknown and mysterious Platano group worked for the parisian cabaret “Le Lido” and they released the record in 1972, just before the band leader was interned in a psychiatric hospital. Bad news though. Forget about owning an original press. Seriously people, the original is very very rare and always changing hands for incredible money between high rolling collectors and record dealers, due to the fact that only 300 LP copies were pressed up by Barclay Records. But after only one half listen you will hear immediately why this is worth the $1000+ dollars that it has commanded at auction. Good news time! The wise people at Universal Music have re-released it on a limited re-press on heavy weight vinyl (and C.D for the first
time!), making it attainable at long last, and saving the enlightened a serious amount of time and money. I urge everyone to search out this record at all cost while they are around, you’re sunday afternoon’s will never be the same again. C’est Magnifique! To anyone who finds an original in Mint condition. Contact this magazine. Barry Breaks
Tracklist:
1. Platano Split (4:45) 2. Salute To Santa (2:53) 3. Black Waders (3:13) 4. Woluwe Strip (2:32) 5. Cabaret (2:43) 6. Paris Soul (4:02) 7. Culzean (3:12) 8. Castill Battle (2:46) 9. Hang Out (2:18) 10. Arte Pino Pasta (3:58)
The Furball Winter 2008 Page 27
Souls on Fire Making sure dull walls are treated with the respect they deserve...
You lucky so and so’s, it’s only the first edition and we’ve managed to snatch a few exclusive pic’s from members of the legendary Fromebased graffiti crew Souls On Fire! Consisting of artists Vermin, Pen, Rowdy, 3rd Eye and Boswell, Souls On Fire was created in 1992, and were initially inspired by traditional influences such as the ubiquitous Subway Art book, the early London and Bristol grafitti scenes, the 80s Hip Hop explosion and Punk. As the collective developed, they decided
to break away from the generic hip hop influenced graffiti scene, and quickly began to introduce a ‘mutated’ focus into their productions, with the crew citing, infections, fungus, flora and fauna, twisted characters, pitchforks, zombies, scarecrows....and other cider-fuelled visions as influences! The members of SOF continue to create artwork individually, and time permitting they can still be found collaborating on (legal) productions together. Originality in lettering
Family Guy 3rd Eye - Giggedy, giggedy!
Page 28 The Furball Winter 2008
and concepts became their agenda, and is still part of the genetic makeup of the individual members.
Boswell’s & Pen’s alleyway eyesore.
Pen, Eye Twister
The Furball Winter 2008 Page 29
Souls Of Fire feature in a new book called Children of the Can 25 Years Of Bristol Graffiti, by Felix Braun (AKA Bristol graffiti artist FLX) The book is an indepth journey through the Bristol Graffiti scene, from its beginings in the early eighties with the likes of 3D (Massive Attack) right through to the present day....its a no holds barred affair, and really gets down to the knuckles- featuring interviews with over 40 artists, often telling very personal tales of their involvement in the scene. It shines a light on a generation of overlooked and underrated artists who contributed a lot to the graffiti scene in Bristol, and shaped the way it it is today. With a few hundred copies only expected to go to print, these are sure to be highlyprized items, so order yours today from www.tangentbooks.co.uk
Frome’s finest fish & chips and Chinese takeaway
Kingfisher Fishbar&Takeaway
nto e p ay
ouesdnday T Su
Badcox, Frome
01373 455566 Boswell’s Machine Stork goes shopping
If you’re going to waste time, watch something good. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=
EknFC2ZjkvY 55PLMSPijmc 9ADSHKCs8VI My own personal favourite
www.dogjudo.co.uk
Right, That’s us done for this issue. See you in the Spring. Page 30 The Furball Winter 2008
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