Barbara met Steve Brown, alias Fred Bloggs at Bristol University in the 1970s. She was singing at a local Folk and Blues club when he invited her to join his Top 40/original-song band. The foundation members in the picture above are Steve on guitars and keyboards, Barbara on vocals and percussion, Geraint (Taffy) Jenkins on drums, Big John Howe on bass, and various other musicians symbolized by the other tall guy at the back, John Boucher (he was the only one we knew who owned a suit). Shortly afterward, Bristol entertainer Fred Wedlock helped them get a spot on an HTV television program which led to many engagements in the West Country. They were invited to work at long-term engagements at U.S. Military bases in Europe, including Rota naval base in southern Spain and several in the former W. Germany. They also traveled to Norway to play a winter season in a disco near Oslo. The line up of the band changed over the coming five years and included Bristol native Paul Anstey on bass, college lecturer Tony Alcock on saxophone, Huddersfield imports Mick Avery and Stan Thewlis (now known as Stan Rivera) from the jazz-rock band Skywhale on drums and sax/flute, and Bristol Old Vic Theatre carpenter Martin Norie on lead guitar. Paul, Stan and drummer Tony Orrell also played with pianist Tim Richards in the seminal Bristol jazz band Spirit Level.

Arts School graduate Alan Edwards not only joined us as drummer but contributed much art work and publicity to the band and designed our wooden music stands (like the old Glenn Miller Band type of thing). Several years of playing rock, country and disco music gave them a chance to get their chops together and by 1978 they were ready to record their first EP (remember those?) of original songs (click to listen). During this time, Barbara also appeared on a live BBC broadcast singing one of her original songs about the Clifton Suspension Bridge and was honing her instrumental skills. But by the late 1970s the individuals in the band were beginning to go their separate ways. Barbara briefly formed her own band with bass player Paul, flute player Stan, and drummer Tony Orell. This song, Soldier, is one that they performed at the Ashton Court festival in Bristol in 1978: Then came the Seldom Scene Band with friend and bass player Ruth King, guitarist John Sweet and "Ceilings" vocalist Trevor on drums (the band name was chosen by our manager who probably had no idea that there was already a quite famous American Bluegrass band with the same name). After another stint in Spain playing Bee Gees and original songs, they recorded a demo tape and then disbanded, leaving Barbara to sing with some of Bristol's jazz bands.

-(From The bands site)

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Christine and her family relocated to San Francisco at just the age of three and was surround by music at a very early age. Studying classical voice during her elementary years, Christine eventually began playing guitar and covering the likes of the late Elliott Smith and the rest is history! This month is very exciting for Christine as her new record “Soft Like An Apricot” releases this Friday the 26th! In this interview we explore Christine’s past, future and present, her formative influences, learning to play guitar and eventually writing her own songs, writing and recording process and much more.

West Sussex based folk duo Native Harrow consists of Devin Tuel and Stephen Harms. Both bring together a cosmic partnership that is both consistent in the vain of the greats of the day as well as their poetic justice to express themselves flawlessly! In this interview we explore both of their youths, early influences and what got them in the music, releases such as “Soroses”, “Happier Now”, and “Old Kind Of Magic” as well as what they’ve got cooking this summer.

Born and raised in Jamestown, NC, Rayborn is a North Carolina legend. Having started TLR almost 25 years ago, Rayborn has made happen some of the greatest album releases this generation has ever had the pleasure of witnessing with works from Steve Gunn, Wooden Wand, Sonic Youth, Bardo Pond, SBHOTM, Hush Arbors, Daniel Bachman and countless others. In this interview we explore Rayborn’s youth growing up, getting into music - seeing Pylon play with R.E.M in ‘89, moving to the Durham/Chapel Hill area before relocating back to Jamestown, starting TLR, what’s on the horizon for the label and its artists and much much more.

- http://threelobed.com/tlr/

Born in Inland Empire/San Bernardino County before relocating to Pomona to high school, Flores grew up on The Ramones and the New York Dolls in his formative years before expanded his musical horizons into the more folk/psychedelic realm with groups such as Mark Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex and an early Lemmy Kilmister project called Sam Gopal. Flores eventually met his bandmates and in 2018 the first FGBB LP “Flower Pot” was released. With another record“Strength of Spring”, under their belt, the band had the opportunity to work with legends such as John Dwyer and Ty Segall. This summer the band will be paying a three weekend residency at Gold Diggers In LA!

Born and raised in Charlottesville, VA in the early before relocating to Salem, Perry was influenced by the likes of Johnny and June Carter and church music. But its inevitable that the guitar would find Perry as he is a true virtuoso of instrument and an extension of melodic prose that embodies the likes of Fahey, Basho and Glenn Jones. In this interview we explore Perry’s childhood growing up in Virginia, the element of water playing a huge role in his youth, the relevance of church music in his family, picking up the guitar, releasing records on label Feeding Tube Records as well as his most recent album “What Do You See Everyday?” and much more.

Born in Albany, GA, Pinkston was influenced by baseball and skateboarding in his early youth with the rise of the Tony Hawk epidemic and would eventually find his true love and passion, music. His father was a musician from the golden 70’s and got him into bands like Mott the Hoople and Faces before Pinkton found his way into the country side of things later on. Pinkton participated in a number of groups before meeting his bandmates and eventually forming The Pinkstones in Athens, GA. The band released their 2021 debut “Introduction” and most recently their highly anticipated summer follow up “You Know Who”. In this interview we explore Pinkston’s youth and formative years, getting into country music, forming The Pink Stones, skateboarding, releasing a new record and much more!

Tennessee based rock group Faux Ferocious have been on the scene for years. Having participated in the legendary Nashville scene that consisted of the Infinity Cat family from back in the day, Faux Ferocious are the true underdogs and in this interview we speak to the band’s frontman Terry Kane about growing up in the south, meeting his fellow bandmates, bouncing from Knoxville to Nashville, recording for Infinity Cat, becoming close to the Pilot Light’s Jason Boardman and their most recent record “Pretty Groovy”.

KESMAR’s Always Chasing Rainbows is a bold and inviting new step for Sydney-based musician Nathan Hawes, showcasing an evolution in sound and songwriting that comes with immense personal growth as an artist. There’s a classic feel to these eight songs, with gorgeous melodies steeped in the soft-hued sounds of the 1970s—but Always Chasing Rainbows also sounds equally in step with Hawes’ contemporaries, cementing him as an exciting new voice in modern pop music. Always Chasing Rainbows is the latest move from the already-accomplished Hawes, who took up guitar at a young age and was drawn to music since he was able to sing. After he adopted KESMAR as his recording moniker, Hawes dove deep into the sphere of self- production, gaining tons of analog studio know-how while falling in love with the golden- hued pop-rock he was raised on. “I’m such a sponge—when I find something, I love to learn everything about it,” he says, and after linking up with Tobias Priddle (“He’s the one who taught me how to put the pieces of the puzzle together”) his first EP as KESMAR, Up to You, saw release in 2019. After releasing his dynamic second EP Forever Holiday in 2021, Hawes had planned on recording Always Chasing Rainbows with Priddle — but when Australia went under a second lockdown, he decided to take a different and more hands-on route.

“I’d stay up all night and read interviews of how classic albums were recorded, and then I’d take those ideas into the studio,” he recalls while discussing the road to self-producing the record. “I started getting closer to the sound that I’d heard in my head all these years.” An integral element of bringing those songs to life is Hawes’ analog approach to recording, as he wields musical technologies from the past to craft his utterly timeless sound. “My process of recording and recording on tape is something I practice almost daily at home,” he explains. “It’s a constant cycle — an incredibly simple way of recording that took me many months to learn — but I love the performance element of recording to tape. As I’m recording and playing all of the instruments myself, the tape machine is like a second person making me commit to my own ideas.” And the album title itself draws from that strong sense of commitment that drives Hawes in his musical pursuits. “It’s about that feeling of being constantly dissatisfied, in a good way,” he explains. “Artists are always chasing something else, and for me it’s that song that captures a feeling that I hope to have forever.” While drawing from a wide range of influences from Jeff Lynne, Steely Dan, and the Beach Boys to cultishly beloved Scottish acts like Chris Rainbow and Pilot, Hawes struck out to “make something that was very organic-sounding—very real and raw. In an era where music can sound so perfect, I wanted to make everything sound as imperfect as I could.”

Picking up where Forever Holiday’s warm, impeccably produced tunes left off, Always Chasing Rainbows draws the listener in immediately with a heavenly opening title track featuring vocals from Flore Beneguigui of French disco-pop band L’Imperatrice. Lead single “Out of Luck” features peppy percussion and a lovely, swinging gait, a gem of a song inspired by his girlfriend’s love of ‘60s pop, as well as the aftereffects of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I hated the idea of writing a COVID song, but it just came out,” he explains while talking about the song’s thematic center. “I loved the repetitiveness of the day, but I missed playing shows. I was putting off the things I love because I was waking up later.” As the song takes its final turn, the major-key ending comes to represent, in his words, “Me coming out of everything and realizing it’s all gonna be okay.” “Day by Day” shimmers with a disco-fied touch, its sparkling sound serving as the perfect compliment to the contemplative lyrics. “It’s a break-up song where I’m telling myself I’m gonna be fine,” he explains. “When someone leaves your life, it can be somewhat traumatic to the point where you can forget that you’ll end up being fine.” Then there’s the subtly funky “Is It You I Miss,” adorned with the type of sunny harmonies so key to Hawes’ musical touchstones. “When you listen to so much music from a certain era, it bleeds into your subconscious and your songwriting,” he states while talking about the song’s sound.

“It’s the most true and honest music that I’ve made, because it’s been just me,” Hawes continues while discussing the overall aim of Always Chasing Rainbows, as well as how excited he is for his thrilling new direction to reach the general public. “I wanted to get the best out of me as an artist. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve wanted to make this sort of music for a long time, and I can’t wait for them to hear it.”

Seth Kauffman creates Floating Action albums; writes, produces, engineers, plays all the instruments. Purposefully dodgesworldly success in pursuit of musical purity- has released 8 albums since 2005. Currently works in the studio and tours with 'dudes who get it' like Jim James, & Dan Auerbach. Has played on albums by Lana Del Rey, Jim James, Ray Lamontagne and Angel Olsen. In this interview we explore Kauffman’s youth growing up in North Carolina on classical music, listening to the likes of Sam Cooke and Robert Johnson, participating in groups in college, forming Floating Action and his most recent project, Dream Sitch, with Michael Nay of Cotton Jones.

Born and raised in Columbus, OH, Durzo grew up with a very typical childhood for that time, but his life forever changed when he heard the likes of Johnny and the Hurricanes’ “Red River Rock” and Jan and Dean’s “Baby Talk” on the radio. He immediately had to be in a band and hasn’t looked back! Prior to going the Strongbow guys he participated in bands such as Johnny and the Rebels and St. John’s Mod. Durzo would eventually join Strongbow in ‘73, performing on the group’s only album that was released in ‘75 and would play with them until that following year before the group disbanded. Over the years Durzo has played with the likes of The Muff Bros, Money, Slamm, Roi Blu, Little Thugs and the great JD Blackfoot, just to name a few. In this interview we explore Durzo’s youth growing up in one of the most rocking’ states in the whole country - Ohio, playing in early garage rock outfits, joining Strongbow and recorded the band’s lone LP and much more!

Born in Northwestern, Pennsylvania before eventually settling in Santa Barbara, California, Munson had a west coast life growing up and would soon pick up the guitar at the age of nine. Once The Beatles hit the scene, it was on. He was heavily influenced by the likes of The Hollies, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as his music horizons expanded and at the age of thirteen he was in his first band. He participated in a few different psych outfits throughout the 60’s before meeting his longtime friend and bandmate Bill Cooley. Together the two released the cult classic “In Debt”. Throughout the 70s, Munson would go on to release more wonderful works as well as harnessing and mastering his craft throughout the years. In this interview we explore Munson’s youth spending his formative years in Santa Barbara, playing in local psych outfits, meeting Bill Cooley, writing and recording a wonderful body of work throughout the years and much more!

Drew Gardner and Jesse Sheppard, the two-guitar duo of Elkhorn, share a musical brotherhood that spans several decades. From their nascent high school socialist-realist post punk band, Mayfirst, to teenage scavenger trips to the Princeton Record Exchange and City Gardens, the two came of age goofing along to the Dead Kennedys, the Butthole Surfers, and Sonic Youth in the dank Jersey/Philly-scene music holes. After college in the nineties Drew moved off to San Francisco and got deep into the free jazz/energy music scene as a drummer, where he collaborated with John Tchicai among many other heavy hitters. Post-college Jesse was transfixed by the modal excursions of ‘70s electric Miles Davis and the exploratory prognostications of King Crimson and Jimi Hendrix. When Drew moved back east in the late ’90s, the two were again in the same place at the same time, and it was only natural to play music together. A few years later Jesse decamped to the Philadelphia suburbs to raise a family and pursue filmmaking, and in the process discovered both American Primitive music—Jack Rose was living in Philly at the time and performing regularly—and his instrument—twelve-string acoustic guitar. Around the same time, Drew picked up the Fender Telecaster again, with an ear toward the extended electric solos of classic rock and a foundation of improvisational practice at his back.

The inherent duality of the band—acoustic/electric, traditional/modern, 12-string/6-string, fingerpicking/plectrum, ostinato/lead—coalesced to create the unified Elkhorn sound. They played their first show in 2013, and put out three official releases over the coming years: Elkhorn (Beyond Beyond is Beyond, 2016), The Black River (Debacle, 2017), and Lionfish (Eiderdown, 2018). East and West coast tours followed. With the double albums Sun Cycle and Elk Jam (Feeding Tube, 2019) Elkhorn stepped firmly into a series of collaborative efforts that redefined their ever-changing sound. Recording at Black Dirt again, the duo fluidly expanded to include Willie Lane on third guitar and Ryan Jewell on drums and tabla. The following year they returned with The Storm Sessions (Beyond Beyond is Beyond, 2020) and The Acoustic Storm Sessions (Centripetal Force/Cardinal Fuzz, 2020), recorded at Gardner’s Harlem home studio with long-time friend, Turner Williams on shahi baaja and electric bouzouki. The band's truncated March of 2020 tour was documented on the Southern Star cassette (Warhen Records, 2021) and shows the band in full flight with a wide range of guests, including Mike Gangloff of the band Pelt. Later that year The Golden Lag tape (Blue Hole Recordings, 2021) came out, documenting the band's only livestream performance of the pandemic. Jesse and Drew performed from Jesse's home, while Turner joined via WhatsApp from Marseille, France. Elkhorn music unfolds at its own pace. It is music with a point of view and momentum. It begins with an intention to be sincere and fully expressive in the moment, and often results in musical journeys toward transcendence. The duo is multitudes. The duo is one.

-Bio from Elkhorn site

Born in Paris, France, Amelie Rousseaux grew up with a mother who was an opera singe and a father who appreciated more of the rock n’ roll side of things. It was in the stars that Rousseaux would become a musician and artists herself and at the age of 12 her life changed drastically by David Bowie’s stellar “Heroes” album. Prior to Sofia Bolt, Rousseaux participated in a band called The Water Babies and in 2013 she was accompanied by her friend Louise Roam and together the first Sofia Bolt album was made. In this interview we explore Rousseaux’s youth growing up in France, the influence of her mother’s opera background, David Bowie, getting her first electric guitar, starting Sofia Bolt some 10 years ago and much more!

Jennings grew up in the Hillsboro Village in Nashville, TN where he rode skateboards and played with the local neighborhood kids. His parents got him a kid drum set and allowed him to take classical flute lessons, but quickly he transitioned to music of his own, finding something more personal and special within its unmeasurable gifts. He eventually met his close friend and bandmate, Jack Quiggins. The two lived in Knoxville, TN when they first formed T&TRR alongside their other friend, Matt McQueen on drums. The trio would soon meet Luke Schneider and eventually have the opportunity to work with the great Margo Price! In this interview we explore Jennings’ youth growing up, being surrounded by musical neighbors and families, relocating to Knoxville to form T&TRR, working with Margo Price and much more!

Athens, Georgia-based guitarist Shane Parish devotes much of his time to developing his singular and expressive voice as a composer, improviser and songwriter. He is a self-taught musician who communicates through emotion, unexpected melodicism, technical whimsy, a nuanced sense of form, and rich timbral variety, simultaneously drawing from the guitar’s history and aiming for its future. Avant Music News described Parish as “one of the most consistently innovative finger-picking acoustic guitarists in a generation.” In 2016, he was recognized for his solo acoustic efforts by composer John Zorn, who issued the album Undertaker Please Drive Slow on Tzadik Records, hailing it as “a remarkable and soulful acoustic solo project that digs deep into Appalachian roots… At times reminiscent of John Fahey and Robbie Basho, at times of John Cage and Morton Feldman.” Parish has self-released numerous recordings of folk interpretations in the years since Undertaker. According to All About Jazz, "Parish's deeply personalized spin on roots music transcends any semblances of playing it safe. More importantly, he establishes a musical conduit that pays homage to tradition while unlocking new passageways, enacted with the utmost sincerity." In 2022, he released Liverpool (Dear Life Records), a collection of sea shanties and nautical ballads reimagined for electric guitar.

Folk Radio UK noted, “One of his reasons for making this album was to unlock ‘the code to resonance within the body’, the inscrutable power that exists within worksongs that makes them timeless and uniquely human. It’s safe to say that he has achieved that goal and made a breathtaking and singular album in the process.”Parish also fronts the electric prog-punk band Ahleuchatistas, described as “…knotty, instrumental rock that blends punk, prog, jazz, non-Western music and improv into something exhilarating and even awe-inspiring [Wire Magazine]", "possessed of many moments of beauty and mayhem [Pitchfork]", "the kind of musical tug-of-war that sounds as jagged as it is graceful [NPR]", and "music of upfront physicality and twitchy intent [New York Times]”. Their 2004 album, The Same and the Other, (re-issued in 2008 on Tzadik Records) was described by John Zorn as “one of the most intense documents of compositional rock complexity ever recorded,” and “a cult rock masterpiece.” Ahleuchatistas has toured internationally and released nine albums on labels such as Tzadik, International Anthem and Cuneiform Records. In 2022 the band released their head-exploding maximalist 9th album, Expansion, with an all new trio lineup, featuring legendary bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle) and drum virtuoso Danny Piechocki.

In recent years, Parish has been performing a collection of original outsider folk songs that combine play-on-words about cognitive dissonance, personal excavation, sweet longing, subtle subversion, moral support, and mourning, with his singular and intricate acoustic guitar inventions. Like the scattershot trajectory of his career—free-folk improvisor, finger-style experimentalist, prog-punk shredder—Parish’s songs integrate a wide range of styles and techniques into well-crafted nuggets of sincerity and whimsy. A blazing country blues about apocalyptic forebodings careens into a mid-tempo minimalist pulse drone, ornamented by ethereal whispers of good intentions. An odd-metered contrapuntal prog-folk psychological thriller depicts the inner tension between multiple selves searching for authenticity. Delicately fingerpicked minor figures cascade beneath a deadpan spoken word poem about the futility of waiting to subvert the system from within. Harmonically rich and meticulously constructed musical eulogies mourn the passing of friends and loved ones, while basking in their eternal presence. The pieces move seamlessly in and out of Parish’s breathtaking instrumental flights of fancy, and candid extemporaneous musings. In the Spring of 2021, Parish received a surprise message from guitarist/composer Bill Orcutt, asking: “Can I send you some music?” Orcutt sent a recording of his forthcoming album Music for Four Guitars, and asked if Parish could transcribe it. Parish produced an 85-page score that was included as a PDF download with purchase of the album, which was released in September 2022.

Subsequently, The Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet formed with Ava Mendoza and Wendy Eisenberg joining Bill and Shane. The group began performing in Spring of 2023. Parish also enjoys improvising with friends and teaching lessons.

-Bio from Pasrish’s site

Born and raised in Nor-Cal, Hostetter was a single child that grew up spending separate time with her parents in different areas of the state. With both households bringing different influences to her childhood, she recalls her mother playing the likes of Johnny Cash, The Beatles and Peter Paul and Mary being very important in her formative years. Hostetter eventually found her own bands such as The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and the more contemporary, Mac DeMarco. While attending college, she realized she needed more, so related to a commune in Anaheim where her spirit and musical horizon were expanded by the like of Buffalo Springfield, The Dead and Neil Young.

Taking a job at Vibrato, Herb Apert’s Jazz Club in Bel Air, Hostetter met her then boyfriend, Will Worden and the duo began playing music together and would soon meet her now bandmates and friends: Sam Burton, Connor (Catfish) Gallaher, Pierce Gibson, and Noel Friesen. In this interview we explore Hostetter’s youth growing up between two parents, her early influences, moving to a commune, meeting Sam Burton and the gang and her most recent project, Lady Apple Tree.

From Florida to Asheville, NC, McCassim grew up with a very influential home with parents that played the likes of Norah Jones, Fiest, Joni Mitchell and Dixie Chicks. McCassim’s parents got her behind the piano at an early age and by the time she started attending middle school, she was already exploring songwriting. Studying as an engineer major, it was until after graduating that McCassim knew there was something else in the stars for her. In this interview we explore McCassim’s youth growing up in Asheville, her influences, meeting her friend and bandmate Ryan Pollie, opening for Sharon Van Etten and her new EP Dual Twin (“This EP explores themes of family, my relationship with my mother and ultimately belonging. It was all recorded in one take.”) We’re also very excited to be debuting her short documentary surrounding the EP on Primitive Man Soundz!

Born and raised in Stockton, California, Olin was influenced by his parent’s house jams by the likes of John Lennon, Leon Redbone, Carly Simon and Michael Franks in his youth. By the time Olin was in middle school, music truly left its mark on his heart with an introduction to the Repo Man Soundtrack. Groups like Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies, Black Flag, Jonathan Richman and Iggy Pop eventually creeped in as the 1980s punk and hardcore scene revolutionized its youth. Olin formed his very first group in college called The Muse. A group that explored the growing appreciation for country, but in the “alt” vain, but after a change of heart, Olin left this group and eventually met his longtime friend and collaborator, the great Kyle Field of Little Wings. Relocating to Portland, OR in 2000, Olin really began to harness his craft during this time as he explored and expressed his abilities as a songwriter for the next two decades! In this interview we explore Olin’s youth growing up with his sisters, seeing a bong for the first time at an outdoor Herbie Hancock concert, eventually relocating to Portland, his pals and longtime collaborators: Lee Baggett and Kyle Field and his most recent record, Gary Owens, “I Have Some Thoughts” that will be released on Perpetual Doom later this summer!

Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Plunket grew up with a father who was a preacher and a family that was very musically involved with their church where Plunket played drums. The hardcore scene was very prevalent as Plunket became a teenager and found his community in music before eventually relocating to Nashville, TN in 2010 where participated in his very own projects such as Psychic Hotline with Jessica McFarland and JP5. Plunket eventually met his friend and bandmate, Brian Kotzur and together the two set out to form a band on their own terms. And that was Country Westerns! In this interview we explore Plunket’s youth growing up in Atlanta and Athens, GA before relating to Nashville, TN, forming Country Westerns, becoming close with the Soft Junk folks, signing with Fat Possum, meeting and playing with the great Matt Sweeney and their new record that releases everywhere on April 28th!