From the marvellous ‘Intercourse With Biscuits’ blog. They say “Absolutely loving this Botswanan guitarist. The technique is really intriguing. Apparently, it’s common there to deliberately ditch two strings.”
Here’s a Christmas treat for you from Friends of the Stars….
“Christmas Inside” by Barry Linnie & Friends of the Stars
If Friends of the Stars were going to do a Christmas song, it just had to be about Yuletide in prison, right? The whole story of how “Christmas Inside” came about can be found on the Sunday Herald website but the potted version is as follows:
Writer, broadcaster and pal of FOTS, Graeme Virtue, asked the band to help him with a very scientific project for a piece he was writing for The Herald, Scotland’s quality national newspaper - He was seeking to harness the essence of Christmas songs and to replicate it with a song of his own. Graeme (pictured below) takes up the story of the song’s creation…
“Sonically, I want to shoot straight for the mass-market, mimicking the soaring secular hymns of Coldplay and Snow Patrol, those galactically popular songs of mid-tempo tenderness and iPod-ready transcendence. But instead of generalised expressions of hope, longing or catharsis, I want to tell a proper Christmas story, with a beginning, a middle and, obviously, a punchline”
Not sure if we ever found that essence, Graeme, but we had a laugh working on it and the tune’s our once-a-decade stab at going for those elusive Snow Patrol millions buried somewhere deep underneath the middle of the road. In 2019 Bono’s gonna help us sing “Foreign Muck” via satellite at a gig in Digbeth; and 2029 might involve a laser keyboard like Jean Michel Jarre has.
Anyway, Graeme also went on BBC Radio Scotland last weekend to talk about it and play wee snatches of the tune. Listen again here (about 1hr 2mins in, right after The Dickies).
Merry Christmas and lots of love from Friends of the Stars
xx
DOWNLOAD “Christmas Inside” (MP3)
Performed by Barry Linnie vs Friends of the Stars
Written by Graeme Virtue and Cam Docherty
Vocals and Guitar - Barry Linnie (aka Graeme Virtue)
Guitars, Bass, Glock, Programming - Cam Docherty
Arranged and Mixed - Cam Docherty
Just a gentle reminder that tomorrow, 6th November, Friends of the Stars will be treading the boards once again, playing as a full band for the first time in a wee while in support of rising folk star Beth Jeans Houghton.
Details…
Beth Jeans Houghton with support from Friends of the Stars and Banksa
Friday 6th November
The Hare And Hounds
106 High Street
Kings Heath
Birmingham
B14 7JZ
Doors Open 8pm
Admission £5.00
Here’s the blurb from the promoters, Lunar Society:
This month once again we bring you 3 fine acts. Beth Jeans Haughton, Friends of The Stars and Banksa.
Beth Jeans Houghton was born in Transylvania to a pack of albino wolves who raised her on chewing tobacco and stuffed clams. Beth is also Observer Music Monthly rising star for July.
Her very limited edition first release sold out almost instantly and second release Golden has further proved her to be a talented songwriter. She’s played alongside a diverse collection of artists including Fiona Regan, Imogen Heap, and Scott Matthews and what more endorsement could she need than when Devendra Banhart interrupted his Greenman Festival set halfway through and invited her to play her own song.
Friends of the Stars emerged earlier this century from the fated ashes of John Peel favourites The Toques.
Principal members Anna Russell (vocals, keyboards), Craig Hamilton (vocals, guitars), Cam Docherty (guitars, vocals) and Phil Robinson (drums) hail from Birmingham, UK via Brighton, Northampton and Kilmarnock. Friends of the Stars share out song-writing and vocal duties, with Anna’s soaring voice on its own or complimenting Craig or Cam’s more weather-beaten tones.
Banska is singer /song writer Rowena Knight. She is based in Birmingham and proves that creativity and originality are still alive in contemporary acoustic music. This is Folk music with a unique atmospheric sound and driving rhythms with a rocky edge.
Episode 13 of the Friends of the Stars Podcast is an accidental Burns Night Special. Normally the mention of specific dates and events are avoided when the podcasts are recorded, and mainly because the finished article often takes an age to go online. However, and as you’ll hear, the date and time cat was allowed to go galloping out of the bag on this one..
As well as laying down the plans for 2009 at the allotment, Executive Producer Robson and Craig discuss The Myth of The Deep-Fried Mars Bar, How Hard It Is To Dig A Grave and Whether Or Not You Can Eat Heroin. As usual the idle talk features the occasional outburst of choice language and comes packaged with a selection of fine tunes, new and old, including a fantastic New Order cover by Laura Cantrell.
Enjoy!
TRACKLISTING:
She & Him - “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here”
Starland Vocal Band - “Afternoon Delight”
Laura Cantrell - “Love Vigilantes”
Merle Travis - “Fat Gal”
Jorge Ben- “Ponta De Lança Africana (Umbabaraumba)”
PJ Harvey - “When Under Ether”
Bruce Springsteen - “The Wrestler”
LISTEN:
Roll up, roll up for the first FOTS-POD of 2009, which also happens to be the one that takes the tally of podcasts into double figures. However you do the maths, this means we have now unleashed almost 7 hours worth of music and swearing to a disinterested interweb. Makes you proud, doesn’t it.
Episode 10 is a more sedate affair than previous releases. Executive Producer Robson and Craig are found here in a pensive, post-New Year mood and engage in discussions on subjects including Rock Climbing in Cornwall, How The Gulf Stream Keeps Britain Warm and Why The Beatles Aren’t in iTunes. Indeed, it’s not until the alcohol kicks in at around the 20 minute mark that the language and conversation hit their customary low point. As usual, then, mind the ears of sensitive young folk when playing this recording.
TRACKLISTING
The Phantom Band - Throwing Bones
Ween - Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain
Mudcrutch - Scare Easy
Bruce Springsteen - Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Bob Dylan - If Not For You
Bobby Darin - Not For Me
Richard Thompson- Nobody’s Wedding
The Toques - Blessed By The Stars
Robert Wyatt - Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road (Excerpt)
Listen:
Subscribe for FREE to the Friends of the Stars Podcasts
Enjoy xx
Thanks to all those kind souls who have added tunes to our Spotify playlist. There are currently 27 tunes in the list, from artists as diverse as Genesis, Hijack, Devo and…erm…Rolf Harris. The list remains open to new selections.
To add to the playlist you need a Spotify account. If you already have an account, click here
Friends of the Stars are a Country / Folk band from Birmingham, UK and have been Commercially Inviable since 2000
We are releasing records on our own Commerically Inviable imprint. The first album, "Lighting & Electrical" is available here and at various other locations on the net.
How we go about releasing our records and subsequent others remains to be seen, so this site will document that experiment, amongst other things. To writing, recording and performing we are now adding 'releasing records' to our list of activites.
We have been friends for a long time, playing and sticking together through thin and thin. We are prone to horrendous collective errors of judgement and have made some mistakes in our time. We'll no doubt make more of these in the near future. We also make some pretty decent tunes.
If you have any questions then please feel free to email info@friendsofthestars.co.uk and we'll get back to you.
