The Farm

Earlier today I wrote about the new Snippet album, but what's the link between that and 80's popsters The Farm I hear you ask ?

Well Snippet aka Johnno Casson used to be a key member of Deep Joy who were backing band for The Farm on their All Together Now tour. Enough of the reminiscing though as the other link between them is they're both taking the indie-pendent route and releasing new material.

The Farm are using Pledgemusic to release 3 brand new songs plus a re-mix of Feel The Love, all signed by the band, as well as the new EP being part of some extremely groovy merchandise bundles.



Founding member Peter Hooton said - "We're releasing this music now because we've been playing festivals for a few years and everyone we meet always asks the same question, 'When are you releasing new material'."

He continued - "We started playing a new song Feel The Love recently and it was going down brilliantly so we thought 'let's get in the studio and record it'."


"The song's about positivism and to counter all the hatred around us that we see on a daily basis. It's loosely based on an encounter with DJ Harvey whom we met in Ibiza many years ago and who invited us to a get together on a mountain in the middle of nowhere."

"I'm fed up with all the negativity and hatred, especially in the press and on social media so I just wanted to sing about a more powerful emotion. Hopefully people will get behind the message and spread the love."

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SNIPPET

This week we're looking at the more mature (in a good way) artistes currently releasing fresh new material on the music scene in the UK, ranging from 80's popsters The Farm to the fiercely Indie-pendent Mr Johnno Casson aka Snippet.

Today's post focuses on the quintessentially English songwriting of Johnno Casson who performs under the pseudonym of Snippet. April 7th will see the release of his new album Future Melancholy Pop Music and the title sees the contents doing exactly what it says on the tin. It's 15 tracks of reflective, retrospective, introspective, captivating, engaging, satirical, funky and just plain compulsive lo-fi listening pleasure.



Johnno Casson was the singer and main songwriter of trip-hop pioneers Deep Joy, working with the likes of Primal Scream's Andy Weatherhall, James Lavelle of Mo' Wax/UNKLE and the inimitable Adrian Sherwood, founder of On-U Sound Records.

Having travelled a solo path these last 10 years Johnno is a well-established and well-respected member of the DIY Indie music scene, enjoying support from not only Ralph but the likes of Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music.

His inimitably British pop release We Luv The Sunshine featured on the soundtrack of a recently released movie, The Space Between. 

We'll be giving that track a spin on Ralph's Indie show on Radio KC next Sunday (19th February) and feature a track from the album the following week.

Driven by a passion to make infectious, melody fuelled music and lifted from an active imagination and a sampladelic approach Johnno has delivered the most self-assured, solid and perceptive collection of songs of his career. An honest, mature album with a sarcastic and playful underbelly. The 15 beautifully crafted songs getting under the skin of love, loss and life.

Future Melancholy Pop Music is his biggest, boldest and most thought provoking album to date - from the spitting social commentary of Middle Class Ways through to the knowingly dysfunctional love story bounce of first single Bad Man, it’s a Summer Sun album full of wonderfully poetic journeys and beautiful soundscapes that slowly give up their gifts.

Wim Oudijk
1943 - 2016

The album is dedicated to Johnno's producer and longtime collaborator Wim Oudijk who sadly passed away during the recordings for the album. Their musical alliance was conducted via the wonders of the internet and so (like myself and Wim) their paths never crossed. The man's magic and wit touched Johnno (everyone he knew) and myself with equal grace.

To quote Johnno "it was simply wonderful to have a last hurrah with the nicest man I have never met".

Snippet

Long time Ralph's Life favourite Johnno Casson, prior to releasing the third album by his alter ego Snippet has regaled us with a collection of tracks that detail the last ten years of that particular musical incarnation. Here he gives us an insight into that nascent period...

"In late 2004 I tentatively started planning to record a new solo project and back then there was no Soundcloud, no Bandcamp and no iTunes.

MySpace was about to kick in however, there was an online platform where some like-minded DIY musicians were sharing their musical creations called Grooveplay." 






"With no gear outboard gear to record on other than a trusty yet beaten up Yamaha acoustic, a bunch of samples, a shit microphone and a half dead PC in a tiny corner of our already very full flat - Snippet was born."

What follows is a delightful trip through his self-styled 'Wonky Pop', from the psychedelically dreamy The Digital Yes to the trippy 50 Pounds Each it makes you smile and makes you groove in equal degrees.

He cut his musical teeth as the lead singer of trip hop pioneers Deep Joy, working with the likes of Primal Scream's Andrew Weatherall, James Lavelle of Mo’ Wax/UNKLE fame and Adrian Sherwood of On-U-Sound plus touring extensively; including with The Farm.

"After being in Deep Joy and having had a wonderful break starting a family I needed a new outlet for my creative juices and so it came to pass that 2005 was the birth of Snippet on grooveplay dot com. 

These wonky sound collages were never released. To celebrate 10 years of Snippet they are out in all their dirty glory. Lo-fi and proud they're available as a pay-what-you-want to anyone who fancies a journey down the memory lane which gave birth to Snippet." 

SeaWitches

Based in Liverpool, Jo Herring and Laura Caldwell met in 2007 through friends; a meeting that resulted in an explosion of creativity where songwriting, musicianship and visual art collided to create SeaWitches.

The band gig regularly in Liverpool, where they've played Sound City, Music Week and interestingly, the Green Party Conference as well as hosting their own nights supporting other well known bands like Eagulls and Giant Drag.











 
2012 saw Tilo Pirnbaum joining the band on drums, and SeaWitches entered the studio to record their first EP Spacegun, which received positive reviews and helped secure a loyal and diverse fanbase. They also began to play outside  Liverpool, securing gigs in Manchester and London.

Jamie Jenkin was recruited on guitar in 2014 and, seven years in the making, the line up is complete and the band are ready to take their music to a wider audience.  

Prolific songwriters, they work collaboratively with each member bringing a diverse set of influences.  









Hailed as one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Liverpool's music scene is recent years, SeaWitches are the latest signing for Edge Hill University's The Label Recordings run by Carl Hunter of The Farm and assisted by media students.  An experiment that has led to huge success for previous signing Hooton Tennis Club, who are now with Indie label Heavenly Recordings and who they'll be supporting in The Shipping Forecast on the 20th of February.





They're releasing 'Stars' as a single on February 16th and it's 'poppier' than some of their previous, slightly moody work and it's been played recently on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show.


It's Siouxsie Sioux meets The Lotus Eaters with a smattering of The Cure. All that's good from 80's pop brought bang up to date, and they've made a shiny new psychadelic video to accompany it. It's this week's 'shuffle & repeat' track here in the kennel.

The Little Secrets

Now given that Edge Hill University is just 'up the road' from Ralph's kennel and The Farm's Carl Hunter (who is a senior lecturer at the university) heads up their newly formed record label The Label Recordings which has just recorded a track for Liverpool duo The Little Secrets, it's only fair he had a listen in.

Indie popsters The Little Secrets have just released All I Need and it's a gloriously exuberant piece of shiny pop which has already garnered critical acclaim and mainstream radio play. Janice Long was quoted as saying - "It's like having sunshine poured in your ears".

The Little Secrets formed in 2010 after meeting at The Cavern, Stacy was singing with another band when Kevin spotted her and decided to ‘steal’ her for his new project.  After two years of writing together and experimenting with different line-ups and sounds, the pair hit on their infectious slice of pop, echoing the likes of Glasgow's Camera Obscura and Ralph's long time favourites BMX Bandits (all the best Indie Pop comes from Scotland of course).  






“We asked ourselves what kind of songs would we like to hear and set about writing them” Kevin explains. “The songs are written as a true partnership, both musically and lyrically. The initial idea can start from either one of us and is then crafted further towards the sound we are trying to create, infusing as many of our influences as possible.”











As it's Christmas and Ralph's Radio KC Show is taken up with The Crimble Top 50 next week and his 100 'Best Of' extravaganza to celebrate his 100th Show on the 28th, it'll be the January 4th Sunday Indie Show before he'll be spinning All I Need, so be sure and tune in! 

The Peace Collective

Ralph's no stranger to charity singles, having produced the Ralph's Life Double CD for the mental health charity Rethink. So it's no surprise he's donated his Bonio allowance for this month to the release of All Together Now by The Peace Collective.

This year sees the centenary of the Christmas Truce in the trenches of the First World War, in which English and German met on No Man's Land and played football.  





This poignant moment in history is being commemorated by The Peace Collective, a group of musicians who have re-recorded The Farm's All Together Now. 

Ralph will be playing the track on the Radio KC Indie Show every Sunday 5-7pm for the next three weeks.











The proceeds of the record are going to the Red Cross to aid their work in war zones around the world.  Money raised will also be used by The Shorncliffe Trust who provide educational experiences centered around the Great War.

The Peace Collective - featuring The Farm, Suggs, Mick Jones, Julian Lennon, Jah Wobble, I Am Kloot, Shara Nelson, Alexandra Burke, John Power, Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers, Dave McCabe of The Zutons, Leo Sayer and more release All Together Now on December 15th.

 Ralph would like to encourage all his readers and listeners on Radio KC, to join him and support the release of All Together Now by texting GET PEACE to 84222.