Whitby Pirate Day

Alice Charmer

After trying to get this song to work for ages, all it took was a little fiddle!

Oo-De-Lally

Rowan Tree

I've been working on this simple song for a little while. It's in the Key of C played on the banjo capoed at the 5th fret it's pretty much verse C/C/Am/C/C/G and then the iddle-addles over C/C/G/C/C/G.

Rowan Tree

listen to ‘Rowan Tree’ on Audioboo

Rowan tree 2

listen to ‘Rowan tree 2’ on Audioboo

Rowan tree

listen to ‘Rowan tree’ on Audioboo

The Charmers Live at Volkspower Festival

How I Learned to Play the Banjo!

My new favorite Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/rpeek
Beauty!

Alice Charmers: Volks Power Festival 2014

Its been ages since I've posted on the old NBB. So here's a vid of the Charmers minus Northern Banjo Boy at this year's Volks Power Festival. With a special tribute to Tommy Ramone, god bless!

The Harvest Home

listen to ‘The Harvest Home’ on Audioboo

Hanging judge v3

listen to ‘Hanging judge v3’ on Audioboo

The Harvest Home

Listen to these guys belt it out awesome!

The Harvest Home

I'm busy murdering this tune at the moment - The Harvest Home.
I love it, but the four sets of triplets that run down the D scale are a killer, but one day I'll have them!

listen to ‘The Harvest Home’ on Audioboo

Hanging judge

I tried this new tune out for the first time with the rest of the Charmers this week. It's sort of scary sharing a new idea with people but it is great to have a bunch of mates who are supportive and offer constructive criticism - rather than just 'thats shite'. It's by no means sorted, and playing it to and with the guys has shown up the shortcomings of the tune as it stands. Generally the response was positive but its apparent that it needs a clearer A and B part - so thats what I'm gonna work on next.

listen to ‘Hanging judge’ on Audioboo

Hanging judge v2

listen to ‘Hanging judge v2’ on Audioboo

Never known where

listen to ‘Never known where’ on Audioboo

Palomine

listen to ‘Palomine’ on Audioboo

Parlez nous a boire

listen to ‘Parlez nous a boire’ on Audioboo

The Hanging Judge

listen to ‘The Hanging Judge’ on Audioboo

The Hanging Judge

listen to ‘The Hanging Judge’ on Audioboo

A new tune on the tenor tuned GDAE.

Bedale Open Mike Night

Went with Johnathan to the Open Mike at Bedale Riverside Club last week and had a great night. It was a very welcoming atmosphere and we heard some good music. My highlight of the evening were Mick and Susie Darling who were a good laugh, great performers and generously loaned me Mick's banjo for mine and Johnathan's rendition of Dirty Old Town.

The Alice Charmers Live on Bob Fischer Show BBC Tees 8 March 2014

listen to ‘Apple Scrumpy Live Radio Tees 8/314’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Rosedale Run BBC Tees Live 8/3/14’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Longlands BBC Tees Live 8/3/14’ on Audioboo

Rosedale Run BBC Tees Live 8/3/14

listen to ‘Rosedale Run BBC Tees Live 8/3/14’ on Audioboo

Longlands BBC Tees Live 8/3/14

listen to ‘Longlands BBC Tees Live 8/3/14’ on Audioboo

Apple Scrumpy Live Radio Tees 8/314

listen to ‘Apple Scrumpy Live Radio Tees 8/314’ on Audioboo

jamboree

listen to ‘jamboree’ on Audioboo

Irish Rover and over and over

Another version of Irish rover but this time on the 5-string capoed at the 5th fret.



and a very rough band version...

irish rover in c

listen to ‘irish rover in c’ on Audioboo

irish woof woof

listen to ‘irish woof woof’ on Audioboo

Whiskey in the Jar - Tenor Banjo

I feel like I'm starting to make progress with the new tenor banjo. As with learning any new instrument it can be a bit disheartening at first but if you keep your head down and keep practicing it starts to come together. The hardest thing for me has been learning to play with a plectrum, it feels so weird after years of frailing! This sounds a bit rushed and clanky but that's because I was enjoying the fact that I've nailed the melody and I was hanging on for dear life. A bit more practice will breathe a bit of nuance and life into it. It sounds really high pitched because I'm playing in D on a standard CGDA tenor - its a long story!

I worked it our from the notation on Martin Daris' Irish music site http://www.martindardis.com/id804.html
which has loads of good stuff on it.

Ham on Rye - Slight Return

Wow following my post with lyrics based on Charles Bukowski's 'Ham on Rye' I've had two versions set to music. There's only one way to decide...FIGHT!




Isn't the internet great for creative collaboration!

Banjo Heroes: Pete Seeger

I've always preferred the music and playing of Pete Seeger's half brother, Mike, but Pete Seeger's list of interests makes him pretty special; musician, teacher, activist, environmentalist and most of all banjo player. His Wikipedia entry gives an idea of the extent of his personal achievements  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger Even if you don't go for 'Little Boxes' you got to admire a man who is prepared to stick to his principals in the face of overwhelming opposition, as he did in the McCarthy era. In a century that has seen the social contract between the individual and society eroded to the point that people only matter as digits on a balance sheet, Pete Seeger stuck to his left-wing principles and championed causes that often only brought him scorn. In a time of increasing inequality and austerity we could do with a few more Pete Seegers. 'How to Play the 5-String Banjo' is pretty special too!

Dulcie

We've finally turned a guitarist! This is my bro Carl on his mountain dulcimer and Rutherford banjo

Don't Delay

Rehearsal, rehearsal

We've been working on a load of tunes for an upcoming gig on St Patrick's night (no pressure then) and after a fitful start we seem to have started to get into out stride. We might also have an accordion player and a drummer sitting in at the next rehearsal so we thought we'd show em our non-existent chops by playing
Alice Charmer, Dirty Old Town, Rosedale Run, Whiskey in the Jar, Wild Rover and Streams of Whiskey.

Ham on Rye

Ham on Rye 

Henry Chinaski lays on his death bed  

His body is wrecked and his face it is red 

He beckons me over, his last words to hear 

And old whiskey fumes he breathes in my ear 

Lost teeth and tomorrow, I have no regrets 

I've bedded some beauties and bedded some gets 

I lost all me money on three legged nags 

And all my old shit fits in three plastic bags. 

Now, listen me lad, and listen you well 

For now is the hour, the toll of the bell, 

For when I am gone, and when I am dead. 

These are the words that the old barfly said. 

Ham on rye, ham on rye  

Life is shit and then you die 

You gotta laugh or else you'd cry 

Life is ham on rye 

Henry Chinaski laid on his death bed 

His body was wrecked and his face it was red 

He lost all his money on three legged nags 

And all his old shit fits in three plastic bags. 

The Alice Charmers Live on t'wireless

BBC Tees Introducing: New sensations, buried treasure and studio sessions.

BROADCAST: 01 Feb 2014

SAT1FEB

• • 20:00BBC Tees

Banjo Heroes: Barney McKenna

Live and Loud at O'Connells

• THE ALICE CHARMERS https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Alice-Charmers WILLYGOGS TANGENT https://www.facebook.com/tangentsound?fref=ts JASON CARR Singer Songwriter Jason will be playing a selection of his own material - long awaited return for Jason don't miss it! STARTS 8.30 - FREE ENTRY

O'Connells

29-41 Bedford Street, TS1 2LL Middlesbrough

View map · Get directions

Dirty Old Town 5 String and Tenor banjo

We are working on a set for a St Patrick's night gig in March an we are going back over some old tunes and looking at some Irish songs that we've not done before. I expect we'll be playing this one along with Streams of Whiskey, Wild Rover, Whiskey in the Jar and a load of other stuff that we'll be borrowing form the Dubliners. Anyway I had a go a multi-tracking the 5-string and tenor banjos on Dirty Old Town.