An Interview With Martin Stephenson

Article taken from hiapop Blog 30/06/13

Photo by Sugar D Photography

Last year, Martin Stephenson & The Daintees released quite possibly their best album to date, California Star which is now being re-released for 2013 with backing by Absolute Marketing/Universal.

The whole Stephenson back catalogue will now be available again for all those too young, (or too ignorant), to have not heard them the first time around to finally acquaint themselves with one of Britains greatest, yet most underrated, singer songwriters. 

For me, California Star was finally an album to at least rival the classic Boat To Bolivia.  It’s text book Martin Stephenson, the story-telling songs that no-one can fail to be enthralled by, and, the music that any serious music fan can do nothing but marvel at.

Coupled with that, Martin remains a busy live performer and one which, whether solo or with The Daintees, should never be missed.  As  ever, he remains one of the truly nice guys of music and he was only too pleased to share a few thoughts:

Q: How’s life in the Cromarty Firth?

A: Clean & serene pal, a good place to hide away and work

Q: What made you move up there?

A: Divorce, but earlier musical visits as far back as 89 formed an idea

Q: The last couple of years seem to have been a bit of a whirlwind. What’s it like to be back and widely accepted?

A: In honesty I don’t really see it like that, I just continue, I’m not really into

attention but enjoy making and sharing music, saying that, I feel blessed for the path I have been given

Q: It’s 27 years since Boat To Bolivia, how does that feel?

A: Timeless I suppose, as was the vision behind our first songs, to be timeless, as we found ourselves landed in the early 80’s, so our main objective was not to be shaped too much by the technology of the day, we were more fans of the 60’s recording process

Q: How were your thoughts when Kitchenware closed down last year?

A: Absolutely nothing

Q: You’ve worked a few times with Paul Handyside (of 80s guitar band Hurrah!, are you in touch with many other from the Kitchenware stable?

A: Ah now there is a different energy all together, Paul is a sacred brother to me, I love him, he is truthful and a very good artist, I’m a big fan of his guitar playing

Q: I recently reviewed last years California Star for Louder Than War and said it was possibly your finest work. Do you know when you’re recording something special?

A: No idea, probably the opposite, your songs are your children, so you simply try to be a good parent and do the best you can for each song, of course they all have different kinds of power

Q: You’ve publicly acknowledged your recovery for alcohol, what made you make the decision to stop?

A: Having daughters and seeing how unreal the whole drinking culture is, along with drugs in general, addiction, I got really tired of felling shit and not being straight, I love simplicity and being reliable, truthful, I enjoying being with folks like that, hate head games, bullshit, love is the one

Q: Cheese & Onion or Worcester Sauce?

A: Oooh that’s a tuff one, more WS these days if forced to make a choice, but originally always C&O

Q: I’m always fascinated how much time you spend with the audience before and after the show. How important is that to you?

A: Most important as I see the audience as the highest level, as my teacher, I am in service and love to entertain folks

Q: What do you think of Helen’s music (Helen McCookerybook – partner and Barbaraville label mate)? Voxpop Puella was/is stunning.

A: I adore Helen’s music, her whole journey, she is a beautiful gentle and very

eccentric soul, I have learned so much from Helen, the first thing I learned when I heard her was not to sound angry and cold, Helen & Jonathan Richman were my guides.

Q: Does song writing get any easier with time?

A: I think so, it’s only as hard as you wanna make it, I enjoy helping others with it, it’s great to help folks get through obstacles, I love songs, all kinds

Q: Eliza P is an interesting artist for you to work with. How did you meet each

other? Are there any new artists around that excite you?

A: Liz is a genius, satire is her gift, we met at a gig by chance, she was married to a comedian, her songs are so clever and beautiful, I am very excited to help her make her first album Ecclectic Kettle, would you review it for us?

Q: You invite me round for tea – what are you cooking?

A: We are going to the curry house, though I make a nice Russian beetroot soup

Q: You may not remember this, but, I feel I have to remind you. You played at the Burnley Mechanics Theatre around 1989, Paul Handyside was the support. You played for ages – the venue staff were getting twitchy and you even asked if the audience ‘hadn’t any homes to go to’! You jumped down to the front of the stage and beckoned to the audience who came and sat around you in a huge circle. Some yob started passing a spliff around the ring. Happy days.

A: I remember, Paul had been hurt very badly by a girl and was travelling with me to recover, his music healed him, I love Paul

                                                                                                  

Photo by Juan Fitzgerald

Q: What’s your favourite own track?

A: ‘Me and my friend Cecil’ a bedroom recording from 1980

Q: You seem a genuinely nice bloke, is there anyone or anything that really gets your goat?

A: Well you know, Tories, thieves, liars yeah! Tories

Q: Are there any other musicians you’d like to work with? I’m thinking Ian McNabb would be a good partnership.

A: I like Ian, he is a good lad, maybe one day.  Chris Layhe, the bass player out the Icicle Works, is a great guy, I would work with him too!

Peter Coyle out of Lotus Eaters a great pal of mine, very special guy.  I like Nick Heyward, I would like to do something fun with him, like love conscious

trippy stuff along with Dubular out of the Transglobal Underground, John Cooper Clarke great fun, would love to produce a Rockabilly album for him!

Q: Barbaraville and llama’s – discuss.

A: Heed this advice for all that it’s worth! Steer clear of the village on the Cromarty Firth, named...Barbaraville!

Q: Did you know there was a Barbaraville Romany Gypsy camp near Hatfield that was set up by Barbara Cartland?

A: No man, that’s awesome!

Q: What’s the future hold for Martin Stephenson and The Daintees?

A: Future holds the past, “all we have is now” - Paul Handyside!  Blessed be, and, thanks.

Links
Martin Stephenson website
Martin Stephenson on Twitter
Martin Stephenson on Facebook
Martin Stephenson on YouTube
Martin Stephenson Live review on hiapop Blog
Martin Stephenson California Star review on hiapop Blog

The Daintees - Haunted Highway

Review taken from hiapop Blog 02/01/15

The Daintees – Haunted Highway (Barbaraville)

CD/DL

Out Now

The legendary Martin Stephenson releases the new Daintees album.

Martin recently claimed that he reckons Haunted Highway is the best Daintees album yet.  That’s quite a bold statement from the man who has such a huge back catalogue.  Sure, he will say every new album is his best, but he can genuinely say that this new collection is up there.  He may be tired of hearing about Boat To Bolivia, but to be fair to everyone that has bought it they will never be bored of its brilliance.  If 2012s California Star was one of the highlights of his career then Haunted Highway takes it to new heights.

If you’ve never listened to any of his music then you’ve missed out. The Geordie is one of Britain’s finest songwriters, ever.  Again, a bold statement but true.  His amazing talent to craft songs of every emotion and almost every style is second to none.  He is, my friends, a musical genius.

The album opener is pure class in terms of song construction, melody and content. It’s an instant toe-tapper and presumably written about a journey from home via plane to meeting partner Helen McCookerybook.  It’s affectionate, it’s pristine and it’s classic Stephenson.

Much of the album is classic Stephenson, second track Wishing Stone sees the tone move from full band to lone acoustic guitar as he wears his lovely heart on his sincere sleeve.  Bliss.  The first of two instrumentals, Mahina has echoes of Hank Marvin in both style of construction recalling hints of the cowboy West with well-timed drum and guitar breaks.

Hobo Trains is textbook Country.  June Cash would have been proud to record this and if you try hard enough, you can almost imagine her singing it with her yelps and whoops. Its rousing chorus is instant and memorable and my six year old daughter went berserk at the drum interlude provided by Martin’s sister Kate.  The title track remains with a Country feel too with Martin’s voice sounding as good as it ever has – soft and gentle with every syllable perfectly recited.

And so the album progresses, Black Eyed Rose could have quite easily been a part of Boat To Bolivia.  Another love song wrapped around God’s Plan sees the band rock things up with an exciting feel and Johnny Red heads to the return of another Hank induced instrumental. 

Rockabilly-a-go-go with Backhouse Tipping slowly brings the deceptively short album to an end with more of the same.  One of the many album highlights is the incredible Let Your True Love Show, a simple reggae based track which has some of the most subtle dubs and reverbs you will hear this side of wherever.  Maybe akin to Wholly Humble Heart in feel and passion and echoing the dub sections of both that song and Boat To Bolivia.  It’s a lesson in simple, classic song writing.  A dub album from the man would be something to savour.

Closing with eleventh track Ride you can’t help feeling energised.  Haunted Highway is the work of a man at the top of his game after nearly thirty-three years as a recording artist and the perfect album to discover the talents of one of music’s greatest modern day talents before delving into his ample back catalogue.

If all this wasn’t enough, the first three hundred copies of the album come with a twenty track cd, We Are The Llama which features tracks from Barbaraville artists over the years.

The Daintees’ best album yet?  Probably.

10/10


Links
Barbaraville Records
The Daintees website
Martin Stephenson on Twitter
Martin Stephenson on Facebook
California Star album review
Helen McCookerybook on hiapop Blog

Men In The Sky - Live 9/01/15

If you like New Order, chances are you're going to love Men In The Sky when they perform at #HarFest2015 on Sunday 27 September in Whitaker Park Rawtenstall.

Here is a performance recorded live at the Village Club & Bar in Thornton Haugh in January of this year: