Marmalade au Marsellaise

Morning Strumpets, It`s been too long hasn`t it, honest I have my reasons, mostly associated with trying to get to grips with a laptop which quite obviously hates the very air that i breathe so would rather commit computer suicide than allow my fingers to type anything of interest into it and be saved. But I`ll be damned if it won`t allow me to share this insanely glorious piece of charmers fun with you. Unfortunately the audioboo link won`t allow it to be more than five minutes, but take my word, it ends faster, and as per Carl`s requirement, a bit like Nirvana! I particularly love Andy`s French in a German accent. playing in a band with your mates? It doesn`t get any better.

listen to ‘marmalade au marsellaise!’ on Audioboo

Till the next one, learn something new, Mark.

Going Logo.

Afternoon Strumpets, The other night we discussed what we could do to promote The Charmers. Carl came up with a couple of images, and Andy set about doing the complicated computer tomfoolery adapting them for the `Boronization (as in made like it was from Boro) required. The clever fella came up with this. Then, the honorary strumpet Mike Platts (Honorary, because of the support he has given me over the past couple of years, and also because he introduced me to my wife) had a little tinkle with it whilst he was, admittedly, a little drunk and came up with this. I like them both. We`re going to be making T-shirts soon (i have photographic proof that the first one has been done). Blimey. Till the next one, learn something new, Mark.

The Sun was shining.

Morning Strumpets, The Alice Charmers played a set at The Sun Inn as part of a tribute night to a local living legend Andy X. Andy`s been playing one man gigs for the past thirty years in and around Teesside, and to say he is a big supporter of other brave chaps who get up on a stage and bare their souls, mainly to indifference, is like saying Ayers Rock is a pebble. It was a bizarre night. We were in the middle of Torrential storms (well torrential for over here anyway, Some of the Overseas Strumpets would probably have been out in deckchairs) and the beginning of Euro 2012. The room filled up nicely, although mainly down one side, which was a bonus because me camera was on the other side of the room. Other acts on that night included Jimmy Howes, singing a couple of songs, one of which was about choosing to live on a deserted island alone, before discovering "I`m a celebrity" is being filmed there....so he sets his gorillas and spiders onto them. Andy Landscape who sang a song about his enjoyment of picking cans up from the street and collecting them. He came armed with props, a bag full of cans which he triumphantly kicked into the "audience" at the end of his performance. Carl Eaton who is a writer of melodic beautiful songs regarding matters of love and loss, and finished off with a song about Gravy and the effect it has on the end result of enjoying oneself in a one handed way (ahem). and Steve McCormick, who it turns out is my wifes optician in his day job. Andy did a couple of his songs, The Boiler song, The York song, Gordon the Goldfish (my favourite) and then it was up to us to play. Apologies for the length of the vid, i can`t seem to cut it down, and it misses Great north Strum and Longlands from the end. It`s out there for you`s to see though. Please feel free to leave a comment. It`s really brilliant playing with your mates. All that and the best pint of Bass in the Country. Till the next one, learn something new, Mark.

Ragamuffin Blues

Afternoon Strumpets,

Here`s something I was messing about on the banjo with, but felt it`s true home was on the guitar.  Really enjoyable to play, and hopefully as much fun to listen to.  Please let me know.

listen to ‘Ragamuffin blues’ on Audioboo

Till the next one learn something new.

Mark.

Hide and Seek.

Morning Strumpets, I`ve been given the pleasure of having a week off with the kids, whilst Louise has been at work. We`ve spent most of the week having adventures in a strange land called the "North east English Summer". But today,as is the norm, it was Grey and drizzly. Grace has been writing a little short film, like she used to, and she myself and Hal spent most of the morning rehearsing what she had written. This afternoon we filmed it. Harry does all of his own stunts, and there`s even a bit of Pixar in there......honest (ahem, walks away looking to the sky whistling a well known tune in the American South". keep watching after the end "Credits" There`s a Blooper reel! So Ladies and Gentlemen, here as a GNS exclusive is "D-Kids on the Peril of Hide and Seek. Featuring Pixar) Till the next one learn something new, Mark.

To Heaven and back again

Evening Strumpets, I`ve kind of found a tune, but getting it out into the open can sometimes be a bit tricky. it wouldn`t be the first time I`ve written something which is too difficult for me to play. Great north Strum being a prime example. This is where, if you`re made of the stuff of insanity which is brollied beneath the generic term "creative", you drive your partners/families/friends nuttier than squirrel faeces. Because you will not stop until you find it properly. And you repeat the same fricken thing over and over and over and over till it makes Pye look like a lightweight. I`ve done this too many times and left the instrument only to have completely forgotten what i`d been playing, the day after. So I`ve recorded me doing the aforementioned psychotic tendency to give you an idea what it must be like to be a "non Mark" Davies at these times. They truly are so patient with me. This may lead to something it may not. The words " Take me to Heaven and back again, Take me, I know there`ll be reckoning, Take me to heaven and back again, I know that it`s beckoning. so please come by and..repeat" stuck to it. I actually like it. There might even be an E Flat in there which is the banjo equivalent of a fart in a frogsuit, but what the hey. At least i won`t forget it.

listen to ‘to heaven and back again’ on Audioboo

Till the next one, learn something new, Mark.

Tramp the Dirt Down

I was lucky enough to get to se elvis Costello and The impostors last Saturday, in my old hometown of Nottingham. Nottingham has changed so much since i was last there, nearly twenty years ago, but Mr Costello`s talent hasn`t changed one little bit. He announced this song by saying that he wished he`d never have to sing it again. Till the next one, Learn sonething new, Mark.

Billingham Synthonia.

Evening Strumpets,

Well it`s been quite a crazy week. The Charmers were lucky enough to be asked to play the inaugral "Branded" show for BCT events in Billingham. BCT is a community company who look to support all things recreational.Profits going directly back into Billingham and the Surrounding Area. I have to admit i didn`t have a clue what to expect, so i was incredibly impressed when I turned up and found a proper elevated professional stage.

We were greeted by Michael and Paul, who are a couple of fellas who i`ve worked with on a couple of other occasions. These chaps are two of the nicest and hardest working people you could ever wish to meet. They really do love their music and their community. Bob the sound guy just told us to get on the stage and play what we were going to be doing, and he`d do the rest. Which he did with a professionalism I`ve not yet encountered. This was by a mile the best sound The Charmers have ever had. The monitors were absolutely perfect which meant that we could hear what we were doing. Fantastic.

We started of as usual with Andy`s "Apple Scrumpy" which always gets the night off to a good start. We were doing a couple of new songs, well new for our set anyway. Big River by Johnny Cash, and John Henry by just about everybody else. They both had Andy singing lead. He`d admitted being nervous prior to doing it, as it was the first time he`d sang solo in front of a crowd. He absolutely nailed it. Just brilliant.

We finished the set and witnessed a Charmers first. An encore!!!!!!! Unfortunately, we didn`t have an encore ready, so we did Cripple Creek again. There was much hilarity and mickeytaking of yours truly, prior to the gig as we`d been billed as "The Alice Charmers...Featuring Mark Davies". Nothing to do with me, but try telling them that. If it was up to me we`d be called "Mark Davies`s Alice Charmers"! Honestly though, that night was the best we have played, and we enjoyed it so much it reminds you of why you want to get up in the first place and basically be ripe for being shot down. We`re a good group of mates, who have been given this chance to experience playing, mostly, our songs for lovely people. It doesn`t get much better than that. Till the next one, learn something new, Mark.

Back in Blog.

Evening Strumpets, Well, it`s been quite a while hasn`t it. I`ve been really rather busy with a few personal things to post anything recently, and when I have attempted to do some stuff, my rubbish Lap Top crashes. Good news is that in a couple of weeks time I`ll be buying a new PC. So thanks for waiting and welcome back.  Here`s a load of stuff that the Charmers have been up to over the past month or so. Here`s a couple of vids featuring Harry and Grace from my tribe, and Tommy from Andy`s. And here`s a rough first version of Whiskey in the Jar. We`ve been booked to play at Ripon Museum on June 4th, as part of the HeArt Festival. It`s going to be acoustic, and has to feature standard folk stuff from yonder years. So we`re learning loads of new things, and a rare outing on mandolin for me! I`ve also been fortunate to be able to write a regular column for a brilliant website http://www.exne.co.uk/ . I`m there if you click on the "Strum Und Drang" Icon.  It`s a bit more adult content, so be careful if easily offended. There`s also an interview with The Broken Broadcast on there as well. Hope you like the vids and column,and they`ve rewhetted your appetite for all things Strum. Till the next one, learn something new. Mark.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat. The Broken Broadcast Remix.

Evening Strumpets,

Have a look at this, I honestly can`t think of anything to write about how good it is!



We have a Single available (Good Afternoon Mr Moon)on Itunes i think http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/mr-moon-single/id516296258 , if anyone`s interested, but if all else fails try , we`re supporting Mark Morris at the "Stockton Calling" Stockton Weekender Festival this weekend at The Vault. http://www.stocktoncalling.co.uk/tvlineup.html

Come along, It should be a belter!

Till the next one, learn something new,

Mark.