Not all of you may be familiar with Beki Hemingway or her husband and musical cohort Randy Kerkman, some of you may even be questioning why I'm reviewing their new album "Whins and Weather" on what is essentially an Alarm fan page but I assure you this definitely belongs here! Firstly lets get the Alarm connection dealt with and out of the way....Steve "Smiley" Barnard plays drums on half of the albums ten tracks.....secondly Beki & Randy are both big Alarm fans and supporters and are known to many fellow fans and Gathering attendees through performing at various taverns in Llandudno during the Gathering Weekend. Thirdly, for those that need more convincing, Beki & Randy are lovely people and if this review can help introduce their music to new people then why the devil not!
Album opener "Two More Hills" is a wonderful alt-Country number dripping with a lovely pedal steel guitar , in fact there are hints of country, folk , rock and even gospel on the album. Some tracks would fit very well on an Aimee Mann album especially the upbeat "Thank You For The Rain" while "Anyone But You" could easily work as a Sheryl Crow track but Beki has her own style and identity which she proves on the ballads. "Not Excused" is a simple arrangement of voice. piano and dobro which lets you focus on Beki's voice as does "Because" which just features an acoustic guitar accompaniment. One major coup is the inclusion of Duke Special as a special guest lending his easily identifiable harmonies to You Sing This Song" as well as piano and harmonies to the album closer.
I'd like to take some time to single out that track for special praise. I must admit when scanning the cover I was surprised and honestly very wary about a track called "Tourist"as it had the legend Auschwitz/Birkenau 2016 below the title. I was slightly shocked that anyone could write a song about the location where the worst crimes against humanity in history happened but as the track started it's emotion and feelings made sure that my fears of any disrespect were quickly dispelled. The song is simply beautiful, heartfelt, moving and needs to be heard. It literally moved me to tears and is an amazing piece of songwriting, closing the album in a mournful and haunting way with a subtle violin line weaving amongst the harmonies of Beki & Duke.
"Whins and Weather" can be found on both Amazon & iTunes for ease but if you want to support new music you'd do well by buying from CDBaby by clicking HERE!
The RT-Zed duo of Steves Grantley & Jonesy return with their new album the aptly named "FUNKPUNK" I recently caught up with Mr. Grantley after his return from the SLF Australian tour to find out more
"Zed Hed" was a fantastic album, did its sales and reception meet your expectations?
The reviews were exceptional and the response from people was absolutely tremendous. The reviews were so good I thought my Mum had written them! (laughs) It's still selling now so I would say Zed Hed exceeded my personal ambition for the record. Although I would prefer world domination!!!!!!!!!!
Was there a temptation to produce a sequel that was in a similar vein or did you always know that you wanted to travel a different path with the new album?
Yes. I suppose there was an option to recreate Zed Hed but I went with my gut instinct, which is what I've done with all the records. I wrote a bunch of songs and FUNKPUNK is what came out. I just followed what felt good, I stayed out of my own way and let it flow.
How quickly did the sound take shape, was it a case of the song writing influencing the sound or the sound influencing the writing?
The sound took shape quickly, the dub bass, the solid beats, less straight-ahead hackneyed musical tricks, the aggressive attitude all came naturally. The songs were written before I went in to record but once I was in the studio the sound influenced the writing and I started creating new tracks on the spot. So it was a bit of both; the songs influenced the sound and then that blueprint influenced some new songs.
What artists were you listening to while writing "FUNKPUNK", did you look for inspiration?
Like all of us I have eclectic tastes, so down through the years I've always liked Parliament and Funkadelic, James Brown, Prince, Rick James as well as rock music like The Who, Led Zep and punk; Pistols and The Ruts plus reggae - Sly and Robbie, Marley, Steel Pulse and FUNKPUNK just grew out of those influences. It's subliminal not deliberate and definitely not what someone would expect from a punk rock tub thumper. The legendary session drummer Jeff Porcaro was a mentor, he gave me a lot of great advice and he was all about "the groove" so there's grooves on the album. My publisher is a punk rocker and he said he didn't own any records that sounded like FUNKPUNK and I said "yes you do", The Clash's "Magnificent 7", "This Is Radio Clash" maybe even "Rock The Casbah" plus Talking Heads, Ian Dury and the Blockheads. He felt it was a very odd combination of styles; funk music and punk rock but to me it was perfectly normal. Trouble Funk used to have punk rock bands support them all the time. Also why would I want to try and recreate 1977 or something RT-Zed had already done? What's the fucking point of that? I just went my own way and thought fuck it; I have to do what I feel comfortable with.
You got Jon Astley to master the album, he has one hell of a CV so that must have been a massive coup for you. How did he get to be involved?
Yes, he's a legend among legends. I didn't know him at all; he heard the music through the engineer on the album Jamie Masters. Jon costs a fortune and I could never have afforded his usual fee but he loved the album and offered his services because he was a fan. I was highly honoured and very encouraged by the fact that he agreed to master the record. He's mastered The Who, Zeppelin, Townshend solo stuff, Bad Company, ABBA - all sorts of artists but all of them million sellers so for him to master FUNKPUNK was fucking brilliant.
You and Jonesy handle all the instrumentation on the album, did you consider inviting guests?
No - I was tired of explaining to bass players to "keep it simple" and leave room for the grooves to breathe. In the end I played the bass on the whole record, largely due to necessity. I used all the reggae dub tricks; flat-wound strings, foam dampening at the bridge, to wound off, bottom wound up, play with your thumb and keep it groovy with the drummer - like a proper rhythm section. Jonesy played some great lead stuff and bought some real flair to the whole proceedings. His sd is muscular and aggressive without being cliched "Rock geetar"! He wasn't always around so I covered all the funk guitar parts and synths - I just got on with it. We may use guests next time - we know enough fucking people; we'll see. I like doing everything ourselves as it means we don't have to explain and waste valuable time negotiating with people.
How easy was it to fit in writing, recording, mixing and generally everything that made the album happen in a time of increased activity and a resurgence in popularity in Stiff Little Fingers?
It was easy really. Even though Stiff Little Fingers have been incredibly busy I was still able to use time off to work on FUNKPUNK - I play all the time, I don't see it as work - It's pleasure so when I had some SLF downtime, I was in the studio.
"No Conspiracy" featured on the live album "Crunch" albeit in a more raw form and devoid of the wonderful funk guitar of the new version, was this the only song to be reworked for the "FUNKPUNK"sessions?
Yes, it's the only song that was reworked because it was never really finalised. We recorded it on the live album Crunch because we were a song short and the rest of the band said lets do "No Conspiracy". I was never that pleased with it so this was the perfect opportunity to record No Con the way I heard it.
When did you decide to make the release a Pledge campaign?
Siren who manage SLF suggested it and it was good advice. It's going extremely well.
Have you been surprised at how quickly you achieved your Pledge target?
Yes, my fear was we wouldn't reach 100% and look like fucking idiots but we got there in 9 days. It was a relief and very exciting!
Have you got "stretch" goals in mind now you are fully funded?
We aren't fully funded - we just chose an amount that we felt we could reach.
Will there be any possibility of live dates and if so is this likely to be another one off or might we see a short tour?
Yes, we'd like to do gigs but there will be no tour unless we can get a good support slot.
Have you considered whether the songs from "Zed Hed" would be played "straight" or would you be tempted to give them a funk vibe live?
No, the songs are the songs - we'll play them the way they are.
We spoke before about the possibility of a dub version of "FUNKPUNK" or maybe a couple of dub mixes, is this something you've given any more thought to?
I'd love to but I'm not sure there's enough of a market to make it worthwhile.
For those that follow you on social media some of the lyrical themes won't be that much of a surprise (conspiracies,Police brutality/misuse of power, religion, animal rights/veganism) is this a case of writing about what interests you or do you hope that listeners will question the status quo in true punk fashion?
Well, firstly it's about self expression. I can't see the point in writing about anything else. I abhor animal cruelty of any kind, I'm anti-religion, I feel our governments regularly lie to us, so I distrust them enormously. I think the Police are often out of control and corruption and racism is rife; look at the Stephen Lawrence case plus all the shit that's going on in the U.S. Police look like Militia under the pretence of protection when it feels like mass control. I'm anti-Royal and the Civil List that accompanies them; I'm pro free speech! I'm not trying to teach or preach but if the songs touch people in some way then great but the lyrics are my opinions - make of them what you will.
One of the highest tier Pledge rewards is a snare drum that you used in both The Alarm & SLF....what can you tell us about its history?
It's a rare Dennis Chambers (Parliament/Funkadelic) signature snare that I've used on Alarm records and shows plus SLF records and a track on the new RT-Zed album. I don't use it anymore and thought it would be something someone would like to own.
This is a great opportunity for a fan to own such a unique item, was it a hard decision to let it go?
Yeah it was a hard decision but if it finds a new home, that'll be fantastic.
How do you ensure "FUNKPUNK" reaches as wide an audience as possible?
No idea! The music industry is fucked so I'm as lost and confused as everyone else.
What are your expectations for the album?
I have no expectations - I just want people to use the music. Enjoy it and have fun with it - that's my desire. I stopped having expectations years ago.
Steve Grantley, thank you very much!
"FUNKPUNK" is available exclusively through Pledgemusic which you can find by clicking HERE!
Steve Grantley returns with a new RT-Zed studio album but this is probably not the album most were expecting! "FUNKPUNK" does exactly what the name suggests, Steve's snarling vocals, fat bass lines and punky tunes all dripping with jangly funk guitar that wouldn't be out of place on a Prince album! Imagine if The Ruts had been influenced by funk instead of reggae and you'll be on the right track!
So what about the album itself? Well if you are a keen RT-Zed fan you'll recognise "No Conspiracy" from the live "Crunch" album but here it seems to have found it's true calling, it's more effortless and now has a different groove that is more fitting to this release. Clocking in at just under 37 minutes, in true punk fashion, this isn't a long album by any stretch but not a minute is wasted. After the first few plays I hit the repeat button every time and each time I found more reasons to love "FUNKPUNK" and every time it still sounded fresh.
Lyrically there are the no holds barred topics that you'd expect from Mr. Grantley, the misuse of power, the challenges of organised religion, the treatment of animals, consumerism etc....with a massive bass line throughout Guilty" tackles the brutality of some members of various law enforcement agencies while "Got No Style" even manages to squeeze in a nod to the legendary Funkadelic! Album closer "Clone" wouldn't sound out of place in an episode of Black Mirror especially with it's spoken coda of "the lifestyle you have ordered is currently unavailable, goodbye" and it would be fantastic to see it get that sort of exposure!
With the weather beginning to get warmer things are about to get a whole lot hotter and this will be the soundtrack to your summer!
"FUNKPUNK" took the Pledge route so you won't find it in the shops or the usual download sites but don't worry you can get your hands on it in just a few clicks by visiting the Pledge store HERE!
