Jamboree - Doc Brown's

Jamboree to a spellbound crowd at Doc Brown's!

Marmalade au Marsellaise - Doc Browns

Here's a vid of us playing to an apparently deserted pub in Boro, although there were people hiding behind the camera!

PB Guttenberg: All I want for xmas...

Songs for Xmas No1:"All I want for Xmas is my 2 Front Teeth."

(download)

Green Room 26th Jan

New gig for the new year. We prefer being bottom of the bill as you get more drinking time! Looking forward to it!

The Alice Charmers at Doc Browns 13 Dec

Grass Route proudly invites you to come support some of the best up and coming talent who are gagging to entertain you. We have scoured the web and listened carefully to create what we think will be one almighty, unreal night. So come enter our humble abode at Doctor Browns and witness some of the greatest Homegrown Acts and little diamonds from out of town EVERY THURSDAY for the paltry fee of FREE.

Tonights special show has been hand selected for your ears enjoyment and features in order of...

appearance:

**BEN TURNER**

One of Boros finest, hottest, talented musicians. Ben has played a couple of 4PLAY's and has dazzled everytime. Let his acoustic tales envelope your taste and leave nothing behind other than a new satisfaction for music.

**THE CROOKED BEATS**

Mint new band consisting of some unreal musicians. A trio in size but an orchestra in sound. Funked up Boro Blues. Like a breath of fresh air. So fresh like drinking a cold glass of water after necking a tube of Trebor Extra Strong. Mint guitars, beautiful bass and dirty drums combine to give you....The Crooked Beats.

**JAMES AUGER & THE NATIVES**

Grass Routes Bezza James has been away far too long so we have brought him back armed to the back teeth with an amazing band and some sweet brand spanking new tunes. James is always travelling to places like North America, Canada and Scandinavia but always has a place for Boro in his heart so lets get them arms stretched and invite in some spine-tingling, hair standing music to get them heads nodding like the Churchill Dog.

**THE ALICE CHARMERS**

Yes yes yes it is with great pleasure Leon can tell everyone he is bringing The Alice Charmers back to Doc Browns. What a band if you aren't moving when they are mid-flight then you surely must have a great excuse (Or Poor Taste) The first time Leon ever step foot in Docs The Charmers were in mid set and Leon was amazed. That was ages ago, its been too long. The time is now. Banjos, Boro, Blue Grass, Believe!!!!

So come down support Homegrown Music. 

FREE YES FREE ENTRY 

If music be the food of Love, Play On!!!!

DOORS 1900 Hrs

1ST ACT 2000 Hrs

PARTY ENDS 0000 HRS

This Public Service Announcement was brought to you by Grass Route

MAKE HISTORY NOT MONEY

VIVA LA EVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!

Doctor Browns

135 Corporation Rd, TS1 2RR Middlesbrough

Scroobius Pip - Introduction

Polarbear - Jessica

Kate Tempest - Brand New Ancients

That's what we felt like at a recent Deershed Festival jolly. Researching possible spoken word acts we saw Tempest, Polarbear and Scroobius Pip at Duchess in York. Great night with all three acts holding the room and receiving a great reception. Only one moment of anxiety when half the youthful audience turned to look at us after Pip refused to perform a particular poem as he was worried about underclothes police attending his gigs - not me your honour.

Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield

Saw these guys in Manchester last night and it was a great sunday night gig, very laid back and deceptively 'slacker'. It was great to see two performers who don't give a shit about showbiz polish and just play the songs. Hatfield forgot the words three times during a number but no panic, get the audience to prompt and turn it into her best song of the night. Dando has a great voice and just seemed happy to play mixing old Lemonheads tunes with newer stuff. Now all I have to remember if where I left the car....

Country Honk Woman

... or what happened when Charlie forgot how to play the cowbell.
Secret rehearsal recording of a major league rock'n roll band (?!) rehearsing for a series of upcoming gigs.

Posted via email from Strikes a Chord

Match Day amBient

Bristol City upset Middlesbrough at a foggy Riverside Stadium to end their 11-game winless run and climb out of the Championship relegation zone.

Posted via email from Strikes a Chord

Lets go Dancing...

or... turn that guitar down white boy.

Cowboy Waltz slight return

Inbred - InThirsk

Good to see Thirsk finally making onto the cultural map, but how did they get footage of the Alice Char
mers gig at Doc Brown's?

Et Tu Bobby - PeeBee Guttenburg

"Et Tu Bobby!"-Has Dylan stabbed us in the back?

(download)

another cover of a song from "Tempest".

Posted by PeeBee Guttenburg

Lets Go Clawhammer

listen to ‘Lets go Dancing’ on Audioboo

Turkish Thunder

listen to ‘Turkish thunder’ on Audioboo

It was mostly hot, hot, hot on holiday in Kalkan, Turkey but one night we sat up and watched an electrical storm over the Med for several hours.

Holiday reply

I'm away till the 4th of November, so speak when I get back.

Cheers,

andy

Posted via email from Strikes a Chord

Lets Go Dancing!

Over the Yardarm - La Ronde des Milloraines

My mate Steve and his band Over the Yardarm. Not bad. I bet he's gutted he didn't play bass with the Charmers more than once... damn, damn, damn!


Over the Yardarm - La Ronde des Milloraines from Over The Yardarm on Vimeo.

Drum Machine (old skool)

Postcards of Scarborough

I've just got back from Scarborough and it reminded me of another neglected post that Pee Bee Guttenburg sent me recently.

"POSTCARDS OF SCARBOROUGH"-MICHAEL CHAPMAN COVER

Lying King

listen to ‘lying king’ on Audioboo

New song from Mark at the Great North Strum http://thegreatnorthstrum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/those-lying-genes.html.

Drummers drumming

Drummers singing

Carl suggested a change of direction for the Alice Charmers

Takin it easy.

I've been taking it easy on the banjo front recently, but I've just realised that I've got loads of stuff that people have sent me that I've not posted, so I'll try and have a splurge over the next few days. There's been loads of non banjo related stuff going on and I've neglected the old drum on a stick and to continue this new non banjo theme I played a tune for the boys to try out at a practice tomorrow - on the guitar.

listen to ‘Valley of the Pig’ on Audioboo

Bob Dylan - Tombstone Blues

Great song, awesome video - if only they all could be as good as this!

Deers Shed Festival 2012

Deer Shed Festival 3 - The Movie from Deer Shed Festival on Vimeo.

Salty Dog Blues for Nico

Marmalade Madness

It was the end of a slightly frustrating practice so we decided to have a bash at Carl's new nonsense French/Cajun tune Marmalade au Marsellaise. Chaos...

listen to ‘marmalade au marsellaise!’ on Audioboo

School of Seven Bells - Scavenger

School of Seven Bells - Scavenger from Anthologies on Vimeo.

Its Been a Long Time Since...

... we got together, actually it was only three quarters of us as Mark D Charmer is still on his holidays. Carl popped out a new tune which got us all going and might lead onto something. It sounds a bit Ennio Morricone, maybe it could could do with some whip-cracks or something. Proper practice this week though as we've got the autumn offensive coming up with a couple of gigs in the offing.

listen to ‘A minor tune’ on Audioboo

Loosely, Folk

My mate Steve has just started promoting music nights at Rural Arts in Thirsk. Its a welcome replacement for the defunct In The Dock nights.

Take a trip over to the Facebook page to find out more Loosely Folk or read the blurb!

'A great new showcase for the best in folk and roots music from the UK and around the world. Served up in the intimate atmosphere of the court room accompanied by fine ale and wine. Places are just £10, book yours on line at www.ruralarts.org/?product_categories=courthouse-events. You can check out all the artists websites through the links on this page too. 

I've got some great nights lined up, featuring ….....

Friday 21st September (from the US) Misner & Smith with Rebekah Findlay,

Friday 26th October (from the Shee) Laura-Beth Salter & Rachel Newton, 

Saturday 01st December will be our Christmas Special with Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell.

I have also put up a new Facebook page to keep you up to speed here www.facebook.com/LooselyFolk
Please like the page, if only to keep me happy! If these shows take off I've already a few fantastic acts pencilled in the more of the same in the new year, including a return visit from Rebecca Pronsky and Rich Bennett!'

If you want to find out more call or email Steve Collington on 07436071332 steve.collington@talk21.com

Vintage Car - We Were Evergreen

We Were Evergreen - Vintage Car from Anthologies on Vimeo.
Another from one of my faves from DS3.

Pale Seas - Anthologies at Deer Shed 2012

Pale Seas from Anthologies on Vimeo.
Anthologies session recorded at the festival this year.

We Were Evergreen DSF3

DSF3 RM Hubbert

Deer Shed 2012 Festival Favs

Its all done for another year and the the next few posts are some of my favourites from Deer Shed 2012.

June Juney - The Dad Kennedys

http://thedadkennedys.posterous.com/june-juney

The Dads acknowledge Bowie...

It's a Rip Off

Hi chaps, I was watching an interview with ritchie blackmore talking about where he got his ideas for his monster riffs. And it reminded me of how pissed off Mark was when i told him I'd ripped that cajun tune off some old song on a cd. Well if its good enough for deep purple....

See if you can guess the tune.... Carl

PS no prize for the winner!

Normal Service Will be Resumed After...

..I've finished my day job.

We are fighting valiantly against the British Summer weather and I might get in a couple of posts in July if I don't drown! Otherwise see you on the otherside.

www.deershedfestival.com

Two more for the pot

Denty's first contribution to song writing

listen to ‘Devil That Made Me Do It’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Riverside’ on Audioboo

Another from Mark.

Marmalade au Marseillaise

Carl turned up at last nights practice with a storming new cajun inspired tune. In fact we had raft of new tunes to play with more to follow.

listen to ‘Marmalade au Marseillaise’ on Audioboo

Country Home pt 2

Had another go at the Country Home riff - getting there.

listen to ‘Country Home v2’ on Audioboo

Country Home

I've been playing the Ragged Glory album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse a lot recently and I've gotten hooked on Country Home. It's a simple chord progression G,C,D and its quite good one for trying out different chord positions.

listen to ‘Country home jam’ on Audioboo

Black Dog Plinky Plonky version

Springsteen, Stadium of Light 21st June

Despite the finest summer weather the North East has to offer - rain and fog - it was a great gig last night. The guy's in his 60s and still looks like he's enjoying it as much as we did.

Open Road

The June tune is taking shape. I've played about with it a little and i'm trying to work out some words.

Hello, isn't one of them!

listen to ‘Open road’ on Audioboo

June Tune

listen to ‘Junetimeboo’ on Audioboo

Every Band Needs a Logo

Johnathan came up with the idea of naming us after his favourite tractor, the Allis Chalmers, and we've been using a bastardised version of the name ever since. Being predominantly townies, and specifically Boro boys we didn't know how it was spelt, but it seemed to fit naturally with Mark's favorite pub, the 'Princess Alice'.

Once we did a bit of Googling we realised our quaint but seemingly fitting error, so instead of Allis Chalmers, Milwaukee it became...

Fun with the Router

Today we channeled out the cavity for control panel. We drilled the hole connecting the pick ups to the jack socket and control knob. Carl is busting to get a sound out of it but if I learned one thing from Harry it's 'take your time'. Next it's finger board, notching the nut, cutting a control panel to retain the jack socket and soldering the electronics- then we can try some strings! That's Barry, my dad, holding the body steady while I route away.

Sun Inn 8th June

The Alice Charmers at the Workhouse Museum

 

Yesterday turned out to be a great day. It was all very informal sitting round on the lawn and playing, sometimes to an audience sometimes to ourselves. We started out in a lean-to next to a blacksmith, who despite out requests couldn't hammer anything in 4/4 - no sense of rhythm. He also had a bellows which sounded like a 90 year old asthmatic trying to run a marathon.

Eventually, the sun came out and we moved on to the Museum lawn. Everyone was very chilled enjoying the Diamond Jubilee.

HeArts Festival

The Alice Charmers will be playing at Ripon Museums Monday 4th June as part of the HeArts Festival.

We'll be at the Workhouse Museum between 1pm and 4pm busking in the great tradition of itinerant musicians. Possibly to no one but who cares as long as the rain holds off we'll have a laugh!

http://riponmuseums.co.uk/museums/workhouse_museum_gardens/

More Cowbell... at the Sun Inn on the 8th June

Thanks to Brian Harris for the cartoon.

If you fancy a night out the Alice Charmers will be bringing more cowbell to the Sun Inn, Stockton on Friday the 8th June.
£2 admission first band on stage at 8.30pm
We've kind of gatecrashed it, so not sure when we'll be on!

Tuners bridge and pickup

Lovely day today. Got the bridge, pickup and tuners fitted.

Humbuckers are go!

Spent this morning routing out the cavity for the pickups. The plans for the lap steel specify single coil but Carl is adamant that we need 'buckers'. At least I think that's what he said!

Next is to drill out the tuner peg holes and the jack lead and volume switcher cavity.

Streams of Whiskey

Been trying to get the lads to have a go at Streams of Whiskey by the Pogues.
This is my clawhammer version. Transposed into G of course.

listen to ‘Streams of whiskey’ on Audioboo

BCT 'Branded' Night Billingham Synthonia

Here's a couple of photos of the gig on 18th May.

Thanks to Bob 

copyright BCTAspire

Alice Charmers at the Billingham Synthonia

 I was bit wary of playing a club which is named after 'SYNTHetic amONIA' but we northerners are a hardy breed, and desperate too. But what a venue it's the old ICI club which is now part run by BCT Events which is a charity offering kids music lessons to keep em out of trouble and believe me there is a fair amount of trouble available on the post-industrial streets of Billingham.

So we put on our coats and hardest band faces (except for Mark, or maybe that is his hardest face) and prepared for the worst, but we had a brilliant night. We were humbled by both the kids enthusiasm and the organisers, who give their time and energy to do something positive for the community. We were fed and watered allowed to play on a proper stage with great sound. I don't know what the audience could hear but I could hear everyone else playing which was a revelation and meant that instead of fighting the sound to get heard we played together. Its the most relaxed i've felt while on stage and despite forgetting words and fluffing chords etc went seemed to go over really well - they enjoyed it as much as we did.

THEY WANTED AN ENCORE!
we didn't have an encore, so we just played Cripple Creek again!
Thank you BCT Events.

Make your own Lap Steel part one

 or Did You Take Woodwork At School?
Yes it does look like a plank. That's because it is a plank - at the moment. Carl and I have been assembling the parts from the shopping list on http://buildyourguitar.com/resources/lapsteel/ today we got together to get the ball rolling. Its already been a long story, just getting a suitable piece of 'wud' could win Carl the Perrier for stand up comedy, but we're off!

Well almost, I've managed to get the tuners and bridge marooned at the post office sorting depot after losing the 'sorry we missed you' note. It's a tale which is Kafkaesque in itself. I missed the delivery so went to collect.
'have you got a parcel for NBB?'
'yes we've got the parcel here'
'can I have it?'
'where is your card'
'I lost it, but ive got id and proof of address'
'you need a card'
'How can I get one'
'you should have been left one, if you've lost it we'll have to re-deliver'
'I'm not around next week, so I can't sign for it'
'then we'll leave a card'......

Despite all this we staggered into my garage to 'cut wood'. Now, both Carl and I didn't do woodwork at school and it shows. Most scary, was the moment we both realised we had out fingers in Harry's enormous power-saw as we tried to get it to work. We managed it but neither of us may be able to play the finished instrument! After a fit of the giggles we managed to taper the head and cut out the peg head profile, which sounds tricky but is just 'sawing in a straight line'.
Next we need to carve a curved transition from the head into the body and route out the spaces for pick ups and electronics.

Rutherford No3 Lap Steel

Carl and I have been kicking around ideas for a Rutherford No3 - and we have a winner!

Carl found the plans for this simple lap steel on t'internet so we are pulling together a shopping list and pricing up a nice piece of hard wood.
The plans are over at http://buildyourguitar.com/resources/lapsteel/

Keep you posted.

Valley of the Pig

I thought I'd have go a writing something a bit more gritty than the usual diddley-diddley. So I dug out the old cigar box guitar (de rigueur for gritty) and started playing in D. This is the outcome its about living/working/putting up with 'pigs'. It could be literal, if you are a pig farmer, or you could just fill in the 'pig' in question.

listen to ‘Valley of the Pig’ on Audioboo

Archie Bester - Whether its the Weather or Whether it was me

listen to ‘whether its the weather (or whether it was me)’ on Audioboo

Whether It's The Weather. by Archie Bester

B. Harris Hon Chair of the Archie Bester Society (Eastcote) recently posted this newly discovered piece of Bester magic on http://archiebester.posterous.com/

The Bester Appreciation Society (Eastcote) have again come up Trumps!!
Mr Chudley Budleigh-Wuddlington has wrested another E.M.I.Tape (1/4 inch) from the ice cold and treacherous grip of 'Gypsy' Davey Flatman.
What a treasure- a half formed song by our hero from 1959 showing the creative juices flowing.This is coupled with a brief glimpse into the domestic turmoil that was the Alladyce household with Archie's German Shepherd Adolf disturbing our hard working songsmith.
The subject is Archie's oft preoccupation with sex and Florrie and how it has shaped his life (got him into trouble!)
As the young lady in the MacDonalds said to me the other day-'Enjoy'-I hate that-don't you?

"Adolf"-Archie's pet German Shepherd.

Apolgies to B Harris for transferring to audio boo as I couldn't get his audio player to work on blogger.

Longlands String Snapping Disaster..

Or Shall We Go and Have Our Dinner Instead

Yesterday, we tried out a few tunes for a forthcoming acoustic gig in Ripon in June. This is a further attempt to try and realise 'Longlands' as Carl intends it - but its allusive. We nearly got it and then string snapping disaster broke the moment, so we went to the pub! I just wish we'd recorded the version of Soldier's Joy that we did earlier as it sounded great. Why is it you always perform worse when you are recording?

listen to ‘Longlands acoustic’ on Audioboo

April Snow version 2

I had another go at April Snow but with a more plectrum feel to the strumming. This was after playing with Carl this afternoon and strumming along with him playing mandolin.
It feels kinda medieval.

listen to ‘April snow’ on Audioboo

April Snow

Chris over at Strikes a Chord has started a song writing competition in April around a weather theme.
This is my weather tune - April Snow. I couldn't get any words to work so it's just a banjo instrumental!

april snow mix.m4a Listen on Posterous

Sent from my iPhone

Posted via email from Strikes a Chord

Rutherford Banjo No2

 When Harry sadly died earlier this year he was working on another banjo. He'd decided that making one instrument could be a fluke, and if you could really do it, you should be able to do it again. He asked me to order all the hardware and then everything went quite while he got on with it.

I think he was a bit put out that the first banjo wasn't perfect first time and that some of the secrets of the luthier's craft ie the set up of the instrument weren't covered that well in the plans and instructions that we'd used. In particular, the subtle two degree angle of the neck to the body, although in the plans wasn't mentioned. We thought this was a fault in the plans, cut the neck so that it was flush with the head and on first playing the banjo had a very high action and fretted increasingly sharp as you moved towards the twelfth fret. It took a couple more goes before we finally got it right and I think Harry decided that he was going to do it all again, but this time he was going to get it right first time.

This is a photo of the results the, Rutherford Banjo No2, and he did get it right first time. When we came to start clearing the house in the bedroom we found a finished instrument just waiting to be strung. I knew he'd got quite a long way as we'd talked about getting together to look at his progress. I'm just glad that he'd had time to finish the instrument before he died.

 Harry made a few improvements on No1. First of all he got the neck set up spot on first time, no fiddling about with the perch pole this time! He'd mastered the fretting and the finish on the fingerboard is very good and he'd always been a bit sniffy about the size of the peg head, so the new one is slightly larger.

In fact there were only two things to sort out before it could be played. We'd bought a nylon 5th string peg which proved to be rubbish and as soon as the string was tensioned it started to distort. I'd kept a bit of bone from the previous banjo so I carved a new one. It needed a replacement tuner as one had gotten damaged and wasn't working, and that was it. I strung it, tuned it, and it was sweet - first time...

I'm not sure what he was planning to do with this one. He'd joked about learning to play himself, but I have sneaking suspicion that he was going to give it to my brother, and that's what's going to happen to it.

Here's a comparison of the two.



No2 on the left and No1 on the right




and here's a sample of what it sounds like.

listen to ‘Dirty Old Town’ on Audioboo