see you at the Maverick Festival gig July 3rd
On Saturday July 3rd at 7pm I’ll be playing a fun gig at the Maverick Music Festival in Easton, Suffolk, UK. I’ve formed a temporary band called The Toad Lickers and we’ll be playing a short ~1/2 hour set to celebrate the release of the ‘Amerikana’ EP. It’s quite appropriate as this is an Americana music festival. It’s a relaxed and upbeat affair that takes place on a working farm, with several stages featuring great roots American and ‘Country And Eastern’ bands and singer songwriters. It’s in its third year and is run by my friend and neighbour Paul Spencer, long time music video documentary producer (and former drummer with the Alex Harvey Band!) On the surface I’m an unlikely person to play a barn dance with linedancing picnickers in cowboy hats, but actually if you’ve read the lyrics to ‘Toad Lickers’ from the EP you’ll know it’s not quite such a stretch! In fact, I’m going to be shooting a video earlier that day, so if you do make it and would like to be an extra, make yourself known.
You can get a one-day ticket to the event for £25 – either online via ticketweb.co.uk (probably not ready till next week) or by phone from NAC on 01603 660352.
I mentioned Maverick in an interview with the Bob Harris show on BBC Radio 2 which will air in the early hours of this Sunday morning (June 26th) around 12.15am. We’ll be rehearsing at Kevin’s later that day, taking a 2-hour break to watch England v Germany. We’ll try to put together another rehearsal on July 2nd, but that’s it. So it’ll be somewhat less spontaneous than the Union Chapel gig in February, but not a lot! I won’t have a big synth rig, so don’t expect pyrotechnics. It’s an organic, low-budget affair, with a tight stage, but the band lineup should be as follows:
drums: Justin Hildreth
bass: Matthew Seligman
guitar: Kevin Armstrong
fiddle/banjo: Aaron Jonah Lewis
pedal steel: BJ Cole
backing vocals: Barbara Ann Spencer (Paul’s wife!)
Nick Sinclair took some really nice pics to help publicise the event. I got to pose with this gorgeous 1930s Indian motorcycle:
Sounds like a great show! The BBC interview was fun to hear… some Astronauts & Heretics material in the show?! Wish the Maverick Fest wasn’t so far from Texas…
Would love to see/hear the show if recorded. Have a grand time!
Beech
Is there a particular dress code for the video?
Am I the only one who thinks TMDR looks like Ren in the “Ren’s Bitter Half” episode of Ren and Stimpy? I’d love to be an extra but that’s an extreme commute. Anytime you want to come back to the Bay Area, Thomas, would be wonderful with me!
Great pix there!
Have fun on July 3rd. Sorry I can’t be there for it – like Beech I’m stuck in Texas
Here’s to a fantastic day!
I remebered BJ Cole from seeing the Hank Wangford Band several times. Looked him up and was suprised to see he’d done so much more than that before I ever watched him slide for Hank! ( never knew it at the time – wished I had!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._J._Cole
With seasoned session players like Mathew and BJ on board its bound to swing along nicely!
How long before we see TMDR at the Cambridge Folk Festival! (playing that quaint old instrument called the Fairlight). LOL
Perhaps Tom should start the Cambridge ‘Electronic’ Folk Festival and get ENO, YMO, and Hawkwind to headline – out on some windswept peninsular shingle beach miles away from civilisation.
By the way – that signature sound that features on Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen album sounds like a modified Fairlight patch called ‘Swanee’. Presumably named after a steamboat whistle …
I still love it all these years later – having been let into the secret of the reverse / forward gunshot sample I wonder if this mysterious signature sound will ever be documented…..
but now i digress to far from the superb Mr. B. J. Cole. please tell him much admired from afar.
Sweet motorcycle. Did you get to ride it too?
Great Pics!!… would love to see the show, but that’s an extreme road trip from ATL… be careful with the spark advance when kick starting one of those old Indians… they’ll break your hip if not retarded properly for starting.. had a mate in H.S. had one of those things… we pushed it further than we ever rode it… it was that hard to start!!
All Hail The Toad Lickers!!
C_C
Uhh… temporary band?!? For those of us who go back to THE BEGINNING with your music, Thomas, this is like a reunion of the highest order! Hildreth, Seligman, Armstrong, and TMDR??? Can someone wake me up and tell me it’s NOT 1982 or thereabouts???
Very exciting, especially as this “temporary band” of Toad Lickers will help you to revive–for a very lucky audience–the musical career that is so totally alive in AMERIKANA.
So, can you box up the TLs and head over the Colonial side of the pond? Y’all can stay at my house, where I’ll gladly cook up some food ala Americana!!!
hum, I’m arriving from south France around that date just round the corner to Easton, do you think they will be selling tickets at the door ? can’t see anything about it on their website, I’d love to come and listen before staring into the north sea for a few days