On the 27th April 2009, late in the afternoon & dangerously close to sound check, the fantastic Sons Of Noel & Adrian popped into the TWR-partnered recording studios (Offshore Music) here in Cardiff & effortlessly knocked out 3 brilliant tracks.

Later that evening, just after midnight, post-Buffalo Bar headlining gig, Jacob & Danny, of Sons Of Noel & Adrian, allowed a rather inebriated ½DC to be in charge of a series of questions aimed at them in the expectation of an articulate reply.

Delightfully, they, Danny & Jacob, them from Sons Of Noel & Adrian, did their best & ignored the wobbly nature of your host & were extremely informative, charming & fun/funny.  In truth, We all had a right laugh, so we did.

We also included a handful of tracks from their excellent TWR Session as follows:

1) The Wreck Is Not A Boat (TWR Session 27.04.09)

2) Damien. Lessons From What’s Poor (TWR Session 27.04.09)

11) Drink Drive (TWR Session 27.04.09)

Pretty blwdy good it is, too.

Enjoy.

On us.

Go on.

Have a double.

On Easter Sunday, 12th April 2009, Liz Hunt’s excellent Loose  Music Club held an all-day festival at the Buffalo Bar in Cardiff.  Topping an excellently curated bill that day were the superb The Wave Pictures — a band ½DC has liked for quite some time.  An interview, then, had had to be got,  & got, by God, it was.

David Tattersall & Franic Rozycki (lifelong friends & bandmates), guitar/vox/songwriter-in-chief & bass guitar respectively, certainly give good interview.  Jesus H. Biscuit do they give good interview.

½DC could have chatted for hours with David, feeding him leading questions & letting him run off on many branches of an altogether thoroughly satisfying answer every time, but the fact they started at midnight & eventually wrapped it up just after 1am would have perhaps been a little anti-social.

It’s very rare you have an interview where the interviewee fills in so much information not only articulately, but with great humour, honesty & humility — David Tattersall did just that.  Fantastically insightful nuggets about his songwriting process, singing voice, Marmite, the recording process, music in general & his lifelong friendship with Franic.

If you want to know how bands should present themselves to a volley of half-pissed questions, in a cemetary, at midnight, then listen to this interview; ’tis very good indeed.

Back on 13th April 2009 ½DC dragged TWoTH & a handful of friends along to the Buffalo Bar (in Cardiff) to see the audience dividing Trembling Bells.  Part of their ill-timed first tour proper (their debut album was being released the week after they came off the road), their gig in Cardiff was quite something — a lot harder than on record, more experimental & sounding strangely more together.  Even TWoTH was won over by their excellent energy & set.

Of course, it’s not a TWR interview without a TWR moment taking place somewhere in the middle of an important bit; this one is no exception.  Just after Alex Neilson (erstwhile impressario & band leader) started to brilliantly dissect a comment comparing him to a lo-fi Brian Wilson the damn recording device decided to stop working.  ½DC only noticed this after the lengthy tennis Q&A.

However, but & still… the remaining audio capture was intensely interesting — Alex & Lavinia & the others all explaining in detail just how they harness the chaos of Alex’s cross-country phonetic songwriting & turn it into the wondrous psych-opera folk bombast we hear on record.

Remarkable stuff indeed.

During the last day (19th April 2009) of the Fence (Records) Collective Homegame 6 Alt.Folk Music festival in Anstruther, Fife, Scotland, ½DC + TWoTH met up with the deliciously lovely Diana de Cabarrus otherwise known as Candythief.  & what a joy she was too.

More a flirt-a-thon than an interview, on ½DC’s part at least, the giggles came thick & fast as Diana talked 19 to the dozen about this, that & everything in between.  Diana’s beautifully quirky sense of humour had ½DC all tongue-tied & flapping.  At least that’s what he told TWoTH.

The more astute amongst you might consider the possibility ½DC fell head over tit for the delightfully cheeky imp & couldn’t quite believe he was huddled (away from the end of pier wind) in the doorway of the Anstruther Lighthouse with her.  Pretty much nose to nose.  Kissing distance.

Anyway, there was supposed to be a session to accompany the interview, but Diana hadn’t sufficiently learnt a cover version she wanted to play & so suggested she email some one-take bedroom recordings for use instead.  The use of the word bedroom has been, perhaps, dwelt upon a little too long for comfort’s sake.

Aaanyway, again, the fun they had is most certainly evident throughout the interview you are about to listen to after you’ve stopped reading this bit & mouse-clicked the embedded player function below.

Between 17th & 19th April 2009 the Fence (Records) Collective hosted the Homegame 6 Alt.Folk Music festival in Anstruther, Fife, Scotland.  ½DC + TWoTH, leaving at stupid o’clock from Cardiff Int. Airport, zipped up to Edinburgh to meet up with Mr. Toad & Co. from off of that musi-blag Song, by Toad, before hopping across to Anstruther, on a rickety bus no less, in readiness for a long weekend of alt.folk loveliness.

Playing at the festival, in the rather spacious Town Hall, was wobbly Kraut Rock-esque sonic merchants The Phantom Band — somewhat of a favourite on this here TWR.  Gerry & Andy, bass guitarist & synths respectively, took some time out after their barnstorming set to chat nonsensically with ½DC, whilst surrounded by a pulsing throng of folkies & drunked up musi-obsessives.

It has to be said, terrible sound/board mix in the hall putting them off their stroke aside, Gerry & Andy were ridiculously upbeat & well up for a laugh.  The interview sprawled all over the place & was, eventually, cut for size/placement on the original broadcast.  It was also interrupted on a number of occasions by their Manager, Stephen McCann, friends of the band, general drink-addled randoms, traffic inconveniently wanting to pass by on the very road we were stood in the middle of, & non-sequitur asides that had absolutely nothing to do with the interview at all.  In a word: brilliant.

Frankly, it’s somewhat pointless to try & expain the quality of the interview with mere words, especially when you have the thing here to listen to & enjoy at your own pace.

All we hope is that you can understand what it is they’re saying through the thick fug of their Scottish accent.

Good luck.

As part of the Fence (Records) Collective Homegame 6 Alt.Folk Music festival in Anstruther, Fife, Scotland, between 17th & 19th April 2009, ½DC + TWoTH met up with the phenomenal Sheffield, England 2-piece Slow Club.

They were there, apart from playing a handful of shows (including a superb secret gig at the Hew Scott Hall Tea Room), conducting an interview for Song by, Toad, & recording an end of the pier session for the excellent Edinburgh-based Music/Video-blog project Off The Beaten Tracks.

Being the chancers they are, TWR jumped the coat tails & simul-recorded the session (one track of which was played on the show as part of the interview) before whisking our end of pier morning air frozen protagonists off to a pub in order to warm up, tek a drink & grab an interview.  & what a bloody jollygood interview it was too.

Charles & Rebecca, for it is they, warmed up after a snifter & the wood burning fire of The Masonic Arms, gave very good interview: bubbly, enthusiastic, self-depricating, inciteful, ambitious, sarcastic, & very, very excited about making music exactly the way they want you, the listening throng, to hear it like they do in their heads.

A delightful conversation ensued, with Charles & ½DC bantering away about recording techniques & old tyme music, & Rebecca waxing lyrical on looking like Phil Collins & just how much she loves singing. Lots & lots, is the answer.

After the interview Charles congratulated ½DC on his questions & general knowledge said host had of all things Slow Club & music overall.  Best interview in ages, so he said. Which made ½DC quiite chuffed indeed.  Especially as, before that morning, ½DC couldn’t for the life of him remember why he knew the name Slow Club — Mr. Toad had mentioned them constantly because of the interview he’d arranged, & ½DC & TWoTH had seen them live at the Anstruther Town Hall the evening before & Slow Club had blown them away with a fantastic set, but ½DC still couldn’t remember where he’d heard of them.

So, before the session & interview, ½DC sought out & found the seemingly only place (in this tiny little fishing town) that had wi-fi access & did a bit of on-line research.  Eventually, trawling very old TWR playlists, ½DC realised he had in fact played Slow Club way back in 2007 — their first single, no doubt.

Armed with this knowledge & springing it upon Charles & Rebecca during the interview, as well as having a working knowledge of Slow Club heroes (& TWR’s) Dr. Dog, won substantial Brownie points for ½DC & interview came off like a peach.  No idea what that means, but take it as read that the interview is a bloody cracker.

On the 28th February 2009, ½DC & TWoTH bussed up to the O2 Academy in Birmingham, England to interview & see live (for the very first time) the remarkably talented Ane Brun.  TWR heard about the gig through our contact with Swedish sweetheart Jennie Abrahamson, whose interview with TWR can be found here, who was touring as supporting artist & backing singer to Ane.

As with Jennie Abrahamson, the interview location was a little, um, overwhelmed by the sound check cacophony permeating the ceiling from the concert hall above — that & a ridiculously loud air conditioning unit that left the venue staff somewhat perplexed as to how they shut it off. All said & done, & with randoms running up & down the wooden stairs next to us & slamming in & out of the main door, the interview itself is quite, quite lovely. 

Ane was the perfect interviewee — charming, patient (with a few factual screw-ups voiced by your host, ½DC), giggly, funny, insightful & down right interesting.  She touches on her early life as a student/busker/life in Europe, becoming an independent recording artist & record label owner/mogul/mentor, the early albums, touring, new ambitions, her Grammi awards, living in Sweden, the Swedish music scene & pretty much everything else in between. Marvellous stuff.

TWR thoroughly recommends you go & watch Ane’s stunning b&w video for Don’t Leave — something Ane & DC discussed in detail during the interview (but didn’t make the final edit). Look out for the recurring motif & symmetry. Quite astonishing.

In all, for someone who picked up the guitar so late (during her mid-20s), Ane Brun is quite a remarkable, natural talent & this interview only scratches the surface of just how brilliant she truly is.  Enjoy.

On the 28th February 2009, ½DC & TWoTH bussed up to the O2 Academy in Birmingham, England to catch up with the delightful Jennie Abrahamson, who was touring as supporting artist & backing singer to the brilliant Ane Brun.  As usual, when outside of our comfort zone i.e. Cardiff, getting to the gig proved a tad difficult — the hotel & the subsequently hailed taxi driver had never even heard of the venue…

They eventually arrived, mid way through the sound check, & met up with Jennie who chatted away at 100mph like an old friend, which in many ways she is — ½DC & Jennie have known each other for the better part of 4 years, conversing via the net & telephone, with ½DC badgering Jennie for songs & interviews & plans for UK tours.  This was their first meeting face to face &, given how relaxed the interview is, you wouldn’t ever know.

½DC’s choice of interview location wasn’t the best — i.e. the downstairs bar of the O2 Academy — as the sound check upstairs bled rather profusely into the recording. During said sound check, a Phil Collins number + a spate of very heavy rock choons were played through the PA to test out the drum & bass mix; most of which can be heard &, indeed, are commented upon during the interview.

They also had to battle with a rather persistent low moaning hum from the air conditioning unit that automatically switched itself on the moment the record button was pressed.  Following an extensive search, not even the venue owners knew how to turn the damn thing off.

Still, they pressed on regardless to bring you a giggly, charming & damn near swoonful interview full of news of a new album in the works, the Swedish music scene, general silliness & an unmatched insight into what makes Jennie Abrahamson such an addictive personality & songwriter.

Was there flirting?  Damn straight.

On the 14th November 2008, tucked away in the Adamsdown corner of Cardiff, taking the stage at 11pm to close out the first day of the Sŵn Festival, was the astonishingly tight Pete & The Pirates. Following what was arguably the best gig of the festival, ½DC had the distinct pleasure of being in the mischievous company of Peter Cattermoul (bass + vocals) & Jonny Sanders (drums).

With heads, focus & muscular guitar pop talent screwed the right way on, Pete & The Pirates are the genuine article.  Both Peter & Jonny, despite their likely lad banter, are as professional as they come — mixing the right amount of business with pleasure in everything from the fantastic music down to chatting with a fanboy in the carpark of an Art college past midnight on a freezing, wet winter’s eve.

Talk of a new album, playing the SxSW festival, Tap Tap, musical perfectionism, & friendly compositional rivalry is tinged with their cheekiness & genuine delight at what they find themselves doing as a ‘job’.

Marvelous, marvelous stuff indeed.

Driving all the way from Edinburgh to Cardiff for their first ever Welsh gig, at Cardiff’s Barfly, as part of the Sŵn Festival, on November 15th 2008, were the magnificent Broken Records. Prior to the roof-raising set, ½DC met up with lead vocalist + guitarist + mandolin slayer Jamie Sutherland to talk long distance touring with 6 other men in hired transit vans, songwriting, pending fame & the Scottish music scene.

Despite the interview taking place in a carpark, in the bitter winter cold, Jamie was the perfect interviewee: bouyant, witty, self-effacing, positive for the band’s immediate & distant future, & approriately cynical about the state of the music industry.

Of course, the ever astute ½DC managed to make a grand tit of himself by referring to Jamie as Ian (Broken Records‘ guitarist & ½DC’s initial contact) throughout the whole interview (skillfully removed post-prodution to spare any blushes).  Ever the gentleman, Jamie didn’t once point out the embarrassing mistake.

A wonderful band, now signed to 4AD, with big things ahead of them.

Overcrowding the stage at Tommy’s Bar, Howard Gardens UWIC, Cardiff, as part of the Sŵn Festival, on 15th November 2008, were the 13+ members of Cardiff’s Wall Of Twee™ Little My. ½DC, Mr. Fisk + TWoTH were there to witness & interview the fluffy shambles in all their bewildering glory.

Sometimes swelling to 19(!) players in total, (stealing for the ranks from esteemed Cardiff locals such as Silence At Sea, Gin Drinker, Sweet Baboo, Hornby Pylons, Los Campesinos, & The Loves), Little My is genuinely a sight & sound to behold — bedecked, as is their wont, in animal ear adorned headgear.

Orchestrated by multi-instrumentalist Harry, this lovely chaotic ensemble bounces along like a cartoon train full of Haribo & Sherbert Dib Dabs.

Back on 15th Novemer 2008, & as part of Cardiff’s 2nd ever Sŵn Festival, local band Silence At Sea led ½DC into the deepest darkest corners of an upstairs utility room at Howard Gardens UWIC to perform a ukulele-based song (about a dead cat) & chat about not being Twee.

With a their ranks swelled from a duo (G, guitar + drum machine, & Laura, vocals, glockenspiel, + handclaps) to 5 members (for live shows) it was sometimes difficult to retain a strong grip on proceedings.  That said, & with all the protestations to the contrary, Silence At Sea’s whimsical approach to playing live, songwriting, conversational topics & pretty much everything else, marks them out firmly as tuned to the key of Twee.  You only have to look at G’s Sylvester cat suit to understand that.

Charming, giggly & inoffensive is probably the easist way to describe this affable bunch; & they can hold a tune effortlessly, too.

Back on November 12th 2008 ½DC, Mr. Fisk + TWoTH waddled down to Cardiff’s The Point venue & witnessed an absolutely shit-kicking set by the Norwegian/Swedish-transplant firebrand Ida Maria. Shortly before the gig Ida holed up with Mr. Fisk to have a chat about what it means to be her, a female musician, in the male dominated music industry today.

Mr. Fisk’s choice of interview space wasn’t the greatest, we have to say (a glass fronted viewing booth above the stage), especially as the soundcheck was in full swing. Some of the sound is fairly dodgy to say the least, but we did our best to remove the worst of it in post-production.

Frankly, however, given the subject of the interview & the sheer quality of the conversation (childhood on a remote Norwegian island, family life & music, Norwegian religious tradition & religion/God in general, sexism in the music industry, Art & painting, & a whole host of other subjects) we find it difficult to believe you’ll even notice.

On top of that, Ida had to set up the recording equipment for a very nerous & fumbly Mr. Fisk, for he fell head over heels for Ms Maria the moment he laid eyes on her. Hell, who wouldn’t?

Ladies & Gentlemen of The Listening Few, we give you the powerfully infectious Ida Maria (aka the Queen of The World).

On November 12th 2008 ½DC + Mr. Fisk trundled off to The Point in Cardiff to catch up with the deliriously beautiful V.V. Brown, who was in town supporting the glorious Ida Maria that same evening.

De-camping to V.V.’s luxurious tour bus, ½DC set about finding out just exaclty what made this extraordinarilt talented lady tick.

The conversation was fluid & laid back — V.V. extolling the virtues of touring small, grotty venues, the value of experience that comes from taking the positive from the low times at the start of her career, writing, recording, & producing all her own music, & her love for vintage keyboards (a passion shared, so it happens, by ½DC).

We walked in with no set opinion or pre-conception of who V.V. Brown is or wants to be.  We walked away impressed by her professionalism, her optimism, her stoicism in the face of detractors, her plans & goals, but most of all by what an incredibly genuine & delightful person she is.  Fame, we believe, albeit on her terms, is pretty much around the corner.

To complete an incredibly handsome evening of interviews & live shows (at Tommy’s Bar, Howard Gardens UWIC, Cardiff), on November 4th 2008 Pelle Carlberg popped in to DCQH to have a very pleasant chat with ½DC.

Something of a long time fan, ½DC wasted no time in bringing up Pelle’s honourable time put in via various well known & (in)famous Swedish bands over his entire decade+ long career. The brief mention of one band name, in paticular, was quickly met by a very hasty retreat into blushing.

The interview, which felt more like a conversation, touches on Pelle’s music & lyric writing process, family life, musical influences, fame (& the lack of) in Sweden Vs. the world, touring the Far East, & his that one comparison that will not go away: Belle & Sebastian.

Truth be told, ½DC could have easily chatted for hours with such an erudite, interesting & intelligent fellow.  We seriously can’t wait for Pelle to come back so we can do it all again.

On November 4th 2008 The Kabeedies played Tommy’s Bar, Howard Gardens UWIC, Cardiff, as part of a co-headlining gig with Pelle Carlberg. Before the gig Mr. Fisk met up with the dynamite Katie (vocals) & Rory (bass + vocals) for an extremely jolly interview.

Knowing nothing about The Kabeedies per se, Mr. Fisk’s lighthearted chat touches on previous band names (The Tankeenies, The Inmates, & Fab & The Pops), life in/perceptions of & Norwich, old man fashion, thick wooly jumpers & which pre-school building blocks they prefer: Duplo Bricks or Lego.

Their youthful optimism & energy soon won Mr. Fisk over & he came away a firm fan.

On November 4th 2008 Tim (guitars, loops, harmonium, instrumentation) & Fordy (drums + glockenspiel) of the downright astonishing Tim & Sam’s Tim & The Sam Band with Tim & Sam popped into DCHQ to have a chat with ½DC before playing a support gog (to The Kabeedies & Pelle Carlberg) at Tommy’s Bar, Howard Gardens UWIC, Cardiff, later that evening.

Talk of being picked up for a Co-operative Bank advert, touring the UK without a manager, & their terribly simple songwriting process, quickly turned to the origins of that name & just exactly who the mysterious/absent Tim is.

Charming, self-effacing & very, very switched on — an extremely pleasant (& talented) pair, indeed.

On November 5th 2008 ½DC + Mr. Fisk + TWoTH had the distinct pleasure of witnessing a truly amazing live performance by Sweden’s enfants incroyables Those Dancing Days at Cardiff’s Barfly.

Prior to the gig, & immediately following a gruelling soundcheck, the gorgeous Linnea Jönsson (vocals) & the edible Cissi Efraimsson (drums) took time out to chat with ½DC + Mr. Fisk.

Despite the rigours of an extensive tour schedule, (away from family, friends & boyfriends), & the glare of a growing media spotlight, your interviewers discovered 2 extremely composed & level-headed young women having the time of their lives in the middle of an adventure they’d never thought possible beyond daydreams & the community music projects in Stockholm.

A more charming, effervescent & professional pair of interviewees you’d never find.

On October 18th 2008 ½DC + Mr. Fisk + TWoTH traveled to Redland Park Church, Bristol, to catch the delicious Anni Rossi perform live & to conduct one of her only interviews while on UK soil.

Right before the gig Anni granted ½DC + Mr. Fisk a chance to discuss touring with The Ting Tings, joining the illustrious 4AD record label, the forthcoming EP + album releases, as well as the possibility that Anni may be changing her name & secretly releasing a dance orientated record.

A lovelier interviewee there never was.

Back on April 3rd 2008 one half of + The Woman of The House traveled to The Music Club, Bristol, to meet, interview & record a live session by Red Hunter aka Peter & The Wolf.

The resultant chaos (i.e. ½DC’s continuing battle with modern day technology), & clarity/beauty (Red Hunter’s admirable ignorance of the lack of any real point in some of the more rambling *ahem* questions + his astonishingly lovely 30minute+ set) is very much here for your absolute listening pleasure.

Running Order:

Interview Start

1) The Owl (TWR Session 03.04.08)

2) The Ivori Palms (TWR Session 03.04.08)

Interview

3) The Fall (Daytrotter Session)

4) A Hundred Days (TWR Session 03.04.08)

Interview

5) Scarlet and Gray (TWR Session 03.04.08)

6) Silent Movies (TWR Session 03.04.08)

Interview

7) People Of The Night (TWR Session 03.04.08)

8) Dear Old Robyn (TWR Session 03.04.08)

Interview End

*The Fall is the number Red opened with, but ½DC was pissing about with the recording equipment thinking he was simply tuning up. Of course, he wasn’t & ½DC missed the opener as a result. Twat.

Here, then, be the 2nd test Drunk Country Gent fraudcasts, brought to life by one half of Drunk Country, your erstwhile tongue-fat captain of the flippantly bipolar The Waiting Room Radio Show.

This time around one half of Drunk Country celebrates the seminal & legendary record label Shimmy Disc & its genius-in chief Mark Kramer — or, simply, Kramer.

The incorrect formation of words, the inconvenience of concrete fact vs. partially remembered detail divided by guesswork, jetlag, Kentucky Bourbon, & the onset of a no doubt debilitating man-flu, all ably contributed to an elephantine sized effort of enjoyable shambolism & general mouth-minus-brain gibbery.

Welcome, then, to another Drunk Country Ramble with a Drunk Country Gent.

Shimmy Disc Special Playlist

01. California (Jad Fair & Kramer; Roll Out The Barrell, Shimmy 012)

02. I Must Be In Love (Syd Straw & Marc Ribot; Rutles Highway Revisted, Shimmy 041)

03. Whizz Kid (Daniel Johnston; Laurie EP, Seminal Twang 13)

04. Sensitive Artist (King Missile; Fluting On The Hump, Shimmy 003)

05. Love Bomb (Dogbowl; Cyclops Nuclear Submarine Captain, Shimmy 043)

06. Fourth Of July (Galaxie 500; This is Our Music, Rough 156, 1990)

07. Hard Acid Rain (Rebby Sharp; In One Mouth & Out The Other, Shimmy 032)

08. Companion (Milksop Holly; Milkweeds, Shimmy 094)

09. Burn & Rob (Paleface; What Else Do You Do? Shimmy 034)

10. Folk Song (Bongwater; The Power Of Pussy, Shimmy 040)

Long before The Waiting Room radio show became the fully formed sinking ship we know today, the ninny-mouthed host one half of Drunk Country home-recorded a handful of test fraudcasts.

These recordings formed part of ½DC’s self-indoctrination into radio broadcasting & were to serve, so he thought, as practice in order to shape & hone his hosting chops, technical prowess & general radio wherewhithal.

However, on this evidence & the evidence of current shows, he still has a very long way to go before he reaches the outskirts of Professionalville.

In this first test recording you will find ½DC bimbling about randomly selected cover versions under the umbrella of the now extemely popular Drunk Covers series. Call this #1, if you must, although he & Ms Hope Eternal (the founder of, but now departed from, TWR) did broadcast a proper inaugural Drunk Covers a few weeks previous. Unfortunately, technology & its potential as it was back then (+ their understanding thereof), there exists no recording of this joyous event.

Instead, clasp your headholes around this lot & re-visit what was when all were innocent & everso slimmer.

Drunk Covers #1 Playlist

01. We’re Going To Be Friends (Bree Sharp/The White Stripes)

02. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up (Petra Haden & Bill Frisell/Tom Waits)

03. HIgh & Dry (Jorge Drexler/Radiohead)

04. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On our Grieviences (Clem Snide/Daniel Johnston)

05. Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (Bongwater/The Weavers)

06. Into My Arms (David Fridlund/Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)

07. Modern Love (Last Town Chorus/David Bowie)

08. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Lancaster Orchestra/The Smiths)

09. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (The Staple Singers/Bob Dylan)

10. God Only Knows (Mandy Moore & Michael Stipe/The Beach Boys)