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Greg E
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« Reply #60 on: October 06, 2021, 08:39:48 PM » |
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Bob Johnson very rarely did anything outside Steeleye. But just before he joined in 1972 he sang and played on guitar on the Roger Nicholson album 'Nonsuch for Dulcimer', it was just the two of them. The whole album is brilliant, I'm sure many of you have heard it, but, one track in particular (ironically I don't think it has the dulcimer, but rather Roger on guitar and Bob on an electric guitar - I think) always reminds me of The Owl Service, to the extent that you can imagine it being recorded by them now. I also can't recall such a contemporary sounding folk track from the early 70's. It never ceases to amaze me, talk about ageless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_aaTbGBMTk |
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davidmjs
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« Reply #62 on: May 23, 2022, 09:28:19 AM » |
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Our heroes return to the stage after a lengthy gap at the Leigh Folk Festival on 26 Jun 2022...
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Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
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davidmjs
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« Reply #63 on: June 13, 2022, 04:03:33 PM » |
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Update on FB: We finally completed our FPG Sounds commission today - it's been hard work, but hugely rewarding, and I'm so happy with the results. Focal Point Gallery will be streaming all 5 tracks exclusively, and they'll hopefully be going live later this week, so keep an eye on their website for that;
https://www.fpg.org.uk/updates/fpg-sounds/
The 5 tracks we've delivered today will eventually form the foundations of the next full-length Owl Service record which will see the light of day next year. I was thinking to myself the other day, with my tongue slightly in my cheek, that this next record could be our 'Rumours', or maybe even our 'OK Computer'. Either way, it's a game-changer for us, a record that signals a new path, and in the words of Lindsey Buckingham, we're never going back again. Or perhaps as Thom Yorke once sang; 'Phew! For a minute there I lost myself'... |
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Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
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dog-nap (Ian)
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« Reply #64 on: June 28, 2022, 07:59:06 PM » |
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Very fine they were too. Good to see the OS back in their spiritual home – the Fishermen’s Chapel at Leigh – after an absence of more than 7 years. Stephen explained that they took the ‘suite’ of songs from an old anthology of folk songs (mostly Essex variants of familiar traditional material). His arrangements were influenced by some of his favourite examples of 80s pop. He had always been a particular fan of Depeche Mode and the opportunity to play a Roland keyboard on stage was a long-held ambition. The band finished off by playing a couple of numbers from their old repertoire. They were extremely well rehearsed, which suggests to me that more live performances may be on the way (though nothing specific was mentioned).
Leigh have re-jigged their format since the pandemic Most of the music has moved up the hill (to the library gardens, the church, and the chapel), while the waterfront is dominated by eateries and bars. A bit of a struggle for me in my convalescent state (oh, the joys of a pulmonary embolism), but it is still an amazing free festival.
Thanks for flagging it up, David.
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davidmjs
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« Reply #65 on: September 11, 2022, 03:14:27 PM » |
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Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
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dog-nap (Ian)
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« Reply #66 on: September 11, 2022, 05:33:29 PM » |
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Thanks, David. I have not heard of Harriet Bradshaw but, all things being equal, I will try and get to that. Always nice to pay a visit to Southend.
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davidmjs
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« Reply #67 on: November 15, 2022, 03:00:11 PM » |
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One last gig for the year, and it's a special one. Featuring Alison O'Donnell from Mellow Candle...
And a 630 mile round trip? Pah. I'll see you there...
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Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
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davidmjs
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« Reply #68 on: December 18, 2022, 10:40:30 AM » |
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Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
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davidmjs
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« Reply #69 on: May 11, 2023, 05:36:52 PM » |
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Evenin' all
I hope you're all good.
I'm not really here (or anywhere) - blink and you'll miss me...I'm taking a bit of a time out from the online world - but I'm doing some writing about/with/concerning the mighty Owl Service. If anybody has any interesting tales/photos/stories about/live or rare recordings/other sh1t do please drop me a line at davidmjs AT g mail DOT com I can't guarantee you immortality but you will get thanked in something that gets seen by huge numbers (well, I think we can probably say at least dozens) of people.
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Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
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davidmjs
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« Reply #71 on: February 23, 2024, 06:31:01 PM » |
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But an update on getting the live archive of the band out there... This directly from Steven (via Bandcamp): Hello everyone - after announcing the decision to release the entire Owl Service live archive last week I've been thinking of the best way to get this mass of material out there, and I'm now considering releasing the shows individually on CD-r as well as the complete set on USB stick.
The USB release of all 70+ shows is still some way off as I have to re-encode every show from FLAC and then split them into individual tracks and master them, but the CD-r releases could commence next month. These would come as plain white discs in a recycled card wallet with artwork sticker and hand-stamped show number, and a vellum insert with track listing, personnel (where known), and any recollections I have of that particular show. The artwork sticker would change every 10 shows or so, depending on sales. All CDs in the live archive series would be sold at £7 per show, regardless of set length, and the recordings would be released in chronological order at a rate of 1 or 2 shows per month.
If you wanted to save on shipping costs then I would be happy to take orders without adding shipping, and only charge the postage when the discs are shipped. For every 10 shows ordered you would receive the next show free of charge, and I have a load of video footage and rehearsal recordings which would be included as a reward for anyone who buys every show.
These recordings would not be made available on Bandcamp - I'm starting a private mailing list to gauge interest, and that will be used to announce each new release if this series goes ahead. If you're interested then sign up to the list by emailing theowlserviceband@gmail.com with the subject 'TOS LIVE ARCHIVE'. Let's see if there's enough interest to make this happen...
Thanks as always, SPC |
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