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Delaney Davidson at The Green Rooster, Jersey, 29-30 May 2014

In asylum, green rooster, jersey, music, new zealand, rogue stage on May 14, 2014 at 11:53

The Green Rooster, Minden Place, St. Helier, Jersey, JE2 4WQ.

Thursday 29th May 20:00 to 23:00.

Friday 30th May 20:00 to 23:00.

Tickets available £15 in advance. Visit the bar or call +44 (0)7700 707171.

 

Delaney Davidson Green Rooster poster

For two nights only in May 2014, the prolific, brilliant singer-songwriter and master of weird country and phantasmal blues, Delaney Davidson of New Zealand is performing at The Green Rooster in St Helier.

Tickets are available now from the Green Rooster’s bar, priced £15 for each night.

Both shows start at 8:00 pm, and take place in the atmospheric, intimate setting of the Green Rooster’s upstairs live stage room. It is advisable to arrive by 7:00 to get your drinks and a place for yourself ready for an evening of enthralling, unforgettable live entertainment.

Jersey audiences have a long-established passion for blues, country and folk music, and especially for artists who mix and bend those traditions in new ways. From the Jersey Folk & Blues Club of the early ’90s for which Asylum founder Chris Almond was Master of Ceremonies, to more recent times with the celebrated Robert Tilling Series, this has proved to be true.

These shows this month could not happen without the support and friendship of The Rogue Stage, founded by Karin and Barry Vincent formerly of Jersey as some of our friends will know. The Rogue Stage runs live events of alt-country, folk, world, dub and jazz in Rotorua, New Zealand.

The Green Rooster in partnership with Asylum has selected different local musicians for each of the two nights to support Delaney Davidson. Here are the line-ups for each of the evenings with links to their Facebook pages.

Thursday 29th May:
Delaney Davidson
Esther Rose Parkes
Tadhg Daly

 

Friday 30th May:
Delaney Davidson
Joe Young & The Bandits

 

Delaney Davidson

Delaney Davidson

Delaney Davidson is winner of the 2013 New Zealand Music Awards, along with Marlon Williams for their album Sad But True, The Secret History of Country Music Songwriting Volume 1. He is also winner of the APRA New Zealand Country Music Song Of The Year two years in a row. His website delaneydavidson.com has a detailed biography, information about forthcoming shows, and idiosyncratic blogging. There he explains with characteristic thoughtfulness the musical quintessence to which he aspires:

 

One rotten apple ruins the whole barrel, but then I think we all need a few rotten apples, and sometimes that’s where the flavour comes from, ripe vs. rotten, where does one cross over into the other ..? Necessity is the mother of invention, and a low budget will lead to all sorts of beautiful stand-in potential. Whistling instead of violins … I love to see things take a step, and I think people like to see the triumph of a good idea over a slick production, I think it gives them hope and inspiration. Ultimately the result of hi gloss is alienation and a removed and depressed let-down feeling of not being good enough. I say let it all go!

 

As well as Delaney’s several collaborations with Marlon Williams, he released four solo albums between 2007 and 2011: Rough Diamond (Stink Magnetic, 2007); Ghost Songs (Casbah Records, 2008); Self Decapitation (Voodoo Rhythm, 2010); Bad Luck Man (Voodoo Rhythm, 2011).

Now, in 2014, after two successful albums on legendary label Voodoo Rhythm, Delaney Davidson is back with his fifth solo album, ten new amazing gems of gothic folk-noir with a lo-fi rock sensibility. The album, Swim Down Low, is released on Outside Inside Records and distributed by Rough Trade.

Buy the limited edition CD + booklet of tour impressions from Outside Inside Records or Plastic Head Online Store
Buy the limited edtion vinyl LP + booklet + digital download from Outside Inside Records or Plastic Head Online Store

 

Press cuttings for Swim Down Low

 

As you dive in you are treated to heartsick howlers, fishing tales, backwater dramas, and all manner of rancid little ditties. And it all still exists within in that same realm of country he mined for the award-winning Sad But True series. The difference is that the twang has been left out in the sun too long and it has grown sour. […] Swim Down Low is an album that is sincere and vicious in equal measure. 9/10

Read more: undertheradar.co.nz

 

Recorded in one week, on to tape at Outside Inside’s now notorious studio, this is an album that harks back to 1970s alt-rock legends like Lou Reed and Tom Waits at the same time as calling to mind the New Orleans swamp blues of the ‘50s and ‘60s. 8/10

Read more: louderthanwar.com

 

Put to tape over a week with Matt Bordin and Davide Zolli from Mojomatics, Swim Down Low displays plenty of Davidson’s self deprecating humour and augments his gothic folk-noir with more of a cinematic widescreen vista than we’ve heard before on his records, with some notable trumpet work that finds a cosy middle ground between Calexico and vintage Italian cinema. […] If you don’t have the chance to catch him live (where he really shines), then Swim Down Low is an eminently suitable alternative.

Read more: active-listener.blogspot.com

 

Music videos

 

The videos for Delaney Davidson’s songs, a selection of which are linked-to below, are not the usual man-on-a-stage miming kind of affairs. With songs that are miniature fables of fateful love, fatal loss, loneliness, corruption and madness, these beautifully produced short films reflect the music’s bad trip atmosphere and reveal Davidson’s talent as an engaging physical actor.

Delaney Davidson music videos YouTube playlist

 

Supporting artists

 

Esther Rose Parkes

Esther Rose Parkes

With a European background which takes in Germany, Sweden, France, the UK and the Channel Islands, Esther Rose Parkes draws on a complex tapestry. The Channel Islands were her second home from the very beginning and Esther now lives in Jersey. She studied social anthropology at Sussex University out of the desire to explore collective cultural imagination and otherness.

After a Scandinavian tour with Maria McKee, Esther spent three years in Sweden resulting in the making of the album The Other Country produced by blues musician Brian Kramer.

The album was launched at the Green Rooster, Jersey, in 2013. In 2014, so far, Esther has returned to Stockholm to perform songs from her album reunited with members of its original musical cast, and assembled a new band in Jersey with Chris Herbert (bass), Dan MacFarlane (guitar, keys), Sam Willcocks (drums) and Naomi West (backing vocals). The first live appearance of this line-up was at Hotel de Normandie for Asylum’s show with Barringtone. Their performance on that night was a sequence of cool soul and folk fusion, subtly arranged, haunting and edgily modern. With her latest collaborators Esther has found a style that is strikingly different from the Stockholm sound of her album and the live shows that followed its release. The key to understanding her art is that it moves with mystery.

Esther Rose Parkes – Mud River (YouTube video)

 

Tadhg Daly

Tadhg Daly

Tadhg Daly is a young Jerseyman whose songs are romantic and dramatic as the Celtic folk ballads that are a clear influence on his work. With a band of superb musicians at his side, and in Stoked Music a management team that has guided the celebrated Lloyd Yates along a path to acclaim, Tadhg has a promising future in store.

Performing in Tadhg’s band are Matt Romeril (bass), James Aitchison (electric guitar), Jack Townsend (drums) and Zach Pygott (electric guitar). Tadhg and the band recorded their single Learn To Live at The Bunker studio with producer JP Le Blond.

Guernsey’s eminent music critic Tom Girard, in his review of Tadhg Daly’s performance at the recent Triplestoked 2014 Week 3 show at the Fermain Tavern, considered Tadhg’s performance to be the highlight of the event and praised “… a sound that should have a broad appeal in the best of ways. With a modest confidence on stage, Tadhg led the band through the set and engaged with the enthusiastic audience and set closer Learn To Live encompassed every facet of their sound into one bundle that got the room jumping.”

Tadhg Daly – Learn To Live (YouTube video)

 

Joe Young & The Bandits

Joe Young & The Bandits

A revolutionary gang of four, Joe Young & The Bandits play tight and vigorous garage blues evoking the ’70s southern rock genre with a nod to its latter-day interpreters like The Black Crowes and Drive-By Truckers. There is an experimental urge at work too; as the band says, “We aim to expand and develop our sound to encompass our wide array of influences as well as our personal growth as musicians and people.” Martin O’Neill is a vitalising force as front man and singer, backed by Eddie Laffoley (bass), Greg Alliban (guitar) and Chris Skelhorn (drums).

Joe Young & The Bandits – Pleasure & The Pain (Facebook video)

 

See Facebook event here. For more information contact @asylumlive

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Barringtone with Falenizza Horsepower, Esther Rose Parkes, wacʞkrow and DJs Livingstone and Carlo Zen

In asylum, bands, hotel de normandie, jersey, london, music, posters on March 24, 2014 at 14:27

Hotel de Normandie, Havre des Pas, Jersey. 19 April 20:00 to 02:00. Tickets available. Visit White Label Records at Colomberie, St. Helier or call +44 (0)1534 730265.

 

Asylum 19 April 2014

Jersey’s occasional alternative live music venture Asylum, in partnership with Hotel de Normandie, proudly presents

Barringtone

 

Barringtone are Barry Dobbin (Clor), Connan Cooledge (Stout Yoeman of Rock!) and Boomer Opperman (Plugs)

Compelled by forces beyond their control they channel “progressive, expansionist marching music” while inhabiting a musical space which they describe as being simultaneously “out there” and “right here”.

They had their first single out in 2008, Snake In The Grass, and are about to release a couple more singles over the next few months with Onomatopoeia Records.

Barringtone have supported Friendly Fires, Ladyhawke, Bobby Conn, The Chap, Supergrass, and The Young Knives on a national tour. The single had considerable airplay on BBC Radio 6 and XFM, and was played on BBC Radio 1.

“Unhinged but accessible, deranged but irresistible experimental pop with a sensibility informed by a love of Eno, Moroder, Devo and, yes, Todd Rundgren … darting, careening slither of melodic madness … A sonic miasma of bizarre urge-driven splendour.” ~ The Guardian

Esther Rose Parkes

 

The early influences of Esther’s life have been political, literary and musical. With a European background which takes in Germany, Sweden, France, the UK and the Channel Islands, she draws on a complex tapestry. Her work is not easy to pigeonhole, influenced as it is by the complex geography of her life and the tributaries that feed into her voice and the sense that it carries of these shadow countries.

“Esther’s songs connect blues and folk music to create haunting, intimate narratives of psychogeography, peopled by characters both of this world and somewhere other. Her current album, The Other Country, is an exquisitely produced treasure box of beautiful singing and burnished, timeless country blues virtuosity.” ~ Asylum

Falenizza Horsepower

 

Falenizza Horsepower are a two-piece (and for a brief period three-piece) band based in Jersey C.I. They’ve been going for years, since 2005 to be exact. They visit the UK a fair bit, and they released a highly collectable CD & DVD a year ago titled What a pair of balls.

“In hot plasma of electric distortion, cross rhythmic interplay of drums and bass dissolves as the music conjures intimations of cosmic catastrophe on the scale of galaxies tipping inexorably together at the edge of a murky dew-drop we call the universe.” ~ Asylum

“spluttering, kicking and spitting” ~ Function Records

wacʞkrow

 

Jersey born Christopher Wackrow returns to the island for a lengthy pit stop after racing around cities for 9 years. Having not performed on stage as a singer/guitarist since 2008 supporting The Oscillation as Velofax at that year’s Branchage Film Festival, he decided to get a band together and keep his hand in. The band consists of Wackrow with former band members Gary Law, bassist, and drummer James Bell.

Expect no old material, just a bunch of new songs written since his return, musically inspired by acts from Five Star through to Cavern Of Anti-Matter, accompanied by solipsistic lyrics, sweat-covered guitar and all round determination. Enticed ..?

DJs Livingstone and Carlo Zen

 

Long-standing friends of Asylum promotions, the hippest disc spinning duo in Jersey dive into the field of experimental audioravishment.

Click here for large poster image

Artist images with permission of the owners:

Barringtone   Esther Rose Parkes   Wackrow   Falenizza Horsepower

For more information contact @asylumlive

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Asylum late 2009 in pictures

In all ages, asylum, bands, blue note, jersey, live lounge, music on December 3, 2009 at 15:36

These three photos by Mikey Phillips are from a stunning set taken at Metal vs. Punk which can be viewed in Asylum Live Lounge Facebook album. For more information about the photographer and commission enquiries contact m.phillips@live.co.uk

Eddie Laffoley by Mikey Phillips - November 20th 2009

James Andrews by Mikey Phillips - November 20th 2009

Wasted Youth by Mikey Phillips - November 20th 2009

A collection of great photos by Danny Evans from Branchage In The Asylum on October 3rd can be seen at Branchage Film Festival. Click on the image below to view them all.

Branchage In The Asylum by Danny Evans - October 3rd 2009

Here are some more photos from a few of the highlights of the last half of this year.

Crowne - August 28th 2009

Gorey Inbreds - September 18th 2009

Livingstone and Almond by Sebastian Meyer - October 1st 2009

Stephan Metcalfe at Blue Note - October 31st 2009

Esther Rose Parkes at Blue Note - October 31st 2009

General Burg of The Coal Box Generals - October 31st 2009

General Shack of The Coal Box Generals - October 31st 2009

The Coal Box Generals at Blue Note - October 31st 2009

Brutus Stonefist - November 14th 2009

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Jersey Evening Post, October 31st 2009

In asylum, bands, blue note, guernsey, jersey, live lounge, music, press on October 31, 2009 at 01:35

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October 30th and 31st – Pictures, video and news

In asylum, bands, blue note, guernsey, jersey, live lounge, manchester, music on October 26, 2009 at 15:55

Asylum has been going for a year now and over fifty bands and solo artists have contributed to the nights. It is thanks to those artists that the reputation of Live Lounge as Jersey’s outstanding music venue has grown in that time. Asylum has demonstrated by objectively representing the island’s diverse music culture that it is not necessary to hire tribute bands or the same few guaranteed crowd-pullers to preserve a collective project of artistic relevance. Thanks to all fans of good music in Jersey for their support.

We have chosen to mark the anniversary with a weekend of shows starting on Friday October 30th at Live Lounge with The Raffle, Esther Rose Parkes, Annie Law, Stephan Metcalfe and DJs Carlo and Livingstone. The entertainment continues on Saturday October 31st at Blue Note with The Coal Box Generals, Esther Rose Parkes and Stephan Metcalfe.

The Raffle

The Raffle

The Coal Box Generals

The Coal Box Generals

Annie Law

Annie Law

Stephan Metcalfe

Stephan Metcalfe

Stephan has a blog hosted by WordPress in which his gigs and recording sessions are documented with honest and intimate style. Check it out here Stephan Metcalfe

During a concert in Rörum, Skåne, Sweden on August 14th 2009, Esther Rose Parkes was joined for a performance of her song Climbing The Stairs by Maria McKee. This video was uploaded to YouTube by Loffamalm

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Jersey Evening Post, October 24th 2009

In asylum, bands, guernsey, jersey, live lounge, music, press on October 24, 2009 at 01:32

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Asylum Halloween at Blue Note, October 31st 2009

In asylum, bands, blue note, guernsey, jersey, manchester, music on October 12, 2009 at 14:49
Poster designed by Dave Spars

Witchin' - Poster designed by Dave Spars

The Blue Note in Broad Street has an essential place in the history of musical life in St. Helier. It was established by Noel Flood in the early ’90s as a venue where lovers of honestly played music, predominantly blues, jazz, folk and fusion, can enjoy a comfortably intimate and authentic live music experience.

Asylum has invited The Coal Box Generals to perform there on Saturday October 31st. This duo is a significant offshoot of Guernsey’s esteemed, self-styled ‘cosmic skiffle’ combo The John Wesley Stone, comprising General Shack (acoustic guitar, banjo and vocals) and General Burg (electric lap steel).

t-c-b-g

Tom Girard of BBC Guernsey Introducing has said of The Coal Box Generals, “It is a treat to see this kind of music being played and played well. They really demonstrate how two men in Guernsey can evoke the sounds of men like Johnny Cash while still maintaining something of their own in the music.”

And what great music it is, infused with the irresistible charm of blues and gospel music crafted to a fine edge, scratchy, atmospheric, and timeless. Their performances are animated by their love of artists reinterpreting the blues for the twenty-first century such as The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band of Indiana, Arizonian alternative country pioneers Calexico, and Nick Cave’s primal blues gang Grinderman. They borrow and mix all manner of American ingredients such as the shuffling dance rhythms of Bo Diddley in their roistering hymn to stimulation Caffeine Benzedrine Nicotine, to the dust-blasted, love-scarred balladry of Whiskey Made The Devil Outta Me.

The Blue Note is a perfect location for a band of such quality and atmospheric power, and we hope you’ll be there for a night to remember. It’s free, too!

Esther Rose Parkes and Stephan Metcalfe will also be performing at the show.

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Asylum at Live Lounge, October 30th 2009

In asylum, bands, guernsey, jersey, live lounge, manchester, music on October 9, 2009 at 15:11
Flower of romance

Flower of romance

The Raffle

The Raffle formed after the split of The Valdees in September 2007. Matt Ward (The Arc and Moped, both of Liverpool, and Yeboah of Guernsey) and Seb Kirk (Yeboah and The Valdees) started jamming with a couple of other lads (the two Nicks from rockers The Bridge). After a few lineup changes they brought in Will (Yeboah and The Valdees) to relieve Matt from singing and writing duties and also to play rhythm guitar so Matt could go back to bass. Not long after they drafted in Ben Hewlett (Yeboah and The Valdees) to take over drumming responsibilities. They had basically reformed Yeboah but as a four piece and instead of playing songs with a dark edge they began writing tunes which hold a breath of optimism in them along with some beautiful melodies and lyrics.

They spent last year mainly writing and rehearsing and played the odd gig but then back to the studio in Autumn 2007 to have a rethink about refining the sound. They got Ben to add more backing vocals so they could do some three part harmonies and carried on writing and practicing.

Now with a mostly brand new set (although they’ve kept a couple of the fan favourites from last year) and a more refined, jangly sound they’re looking forward to pushing forward and getting many people to hear them. If you like ’60s tinged, melodic, guitar pop rock with songs you’ll be humming for weeks then make sure you catch them.

The Raffle are Will Tostevin (vocals and rhythm guitar), Seb Kirk (lead guitar), Matt Ward (bass and vocals), and Ben Hewlett (drums and vocals). They were enthusiastically recommended by Esther Rose Parkes after she saw them perform in Guernsey in Summer 2009.

Esther Rose Parkes

An exclusive introduction to the collection of complex and richly emotional songs making up Esther’s soon-to-be-released album produced by Jim Akin and recorded at Viewfinder Records, LA, and Esther’s home studio in Jersey. With a range of instruments including bass and acoustic guitar played by Jim, drums by Tom Dunne, guitars by Jerry Andrews, and piano and backing vocals by Californian folk rock superstar Maria McKee, it is a uniquely evocative set of songs.

Maria McKee has said of Esther, “Her songs are haunting and intimate, her vocals are complex and rich. There is a gravity to her work that will nourish those of us who have grown weary searching for the sustenance that most contemporary singer-songwriters fail to provide. I’m looking very much forward to a long journey with an artist who will deepen and grow and challenge the listener for many years to come.”

An EP, Slaking The Dust, has recently been made to preview tracks from the forthcoming album and I’ve been lucky enough to get one. In this era of virtual product it is an object of considerable charm and tactile quality with a lovely gatefold package, great art designed by Steve Hutchins, and a rose emblem on the CD applied by Esther herself.

slaking-the-dust-ep

Slaking The Dust EP contains five songs varying in mood from the sparse, introspective title track with its gentle rhythm and optimistic lyric of new beginnings, to dramatic soul ballad Dancer’s Devil steeped in dense rock textures and featuring a vocal performance of thrillingly restrained passion. Everywhere on the disc her new collaborators add interesting tonal colour. Maria McKee’s backing vocals are beautifully judged and Esther’s singing throughout is perfect, delivering her words of love, loss, hope, and mysterious destiny with a rare grace.

Esther recently completed a successful Scandinavian tour. Since returning to Jersey she has recorded a set of songs with Falenizza Horsepower, at Cerf Studio, to be released in 2010.

Stephan Metcalfe

Fans of Stephan Metcalfe who reside in Jersey, of which there are many since he played several well received shows with Brave Yesterday and Oxjam Jersey this summer, have another opportunity to hear his utterly original and gorgeously poetic songs. His various studio projects, including The Engine Room, are collections of formally audacious songs constructed with a quirky experimentation that embraces electronic processing of guitars, drums and voice in a constantly transforming sonic space like no other.

Stephan has recently returned to Manchester where he continues to perform to appreciative audiences, and he is journeying back to Jersey for this special show.

Annie Law

Annie Law is the kind of singer that after just a few moments of hearing her it is obvious that she has a voice of amazingly sensuous quality and a deep understanding of the drama and melodic possibilities of classic soul music. Not only is she a brilliant singer, and excellent guitarist of understated style, but her songs are astoundingly good. With maturity of lyrical invention that belies her youth, Annie Law appears to be slowly but surely building a collection of self-penned masterworks that would sound perfectly right next to many of the great soul classics of the last fifty years.

Annie has played at the last two Jersey Live festivals and at the recent Branchage Film Festival. She supported Nerina Pallot at Jersey Opera House in 2008. She says that since working with other musicians her style has become more upbeat. On this night Annie will be joined by Joe Hutchinson on guitar.

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Jersey Evening Post, May 23rd 2009

In asylum, bands, guernsey, jersey, live lounge, music, press on May 23, 2009 at 01:13

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Jersey Hospice Care – Bedell Group Ecuador Challenge, May 24th 2009

In asylum, bands, fundraising, guernsey, jersey, live lounge, music on May 21, 2009 at 14:11

Dave Spars, musician, is undertaking the Trans-Andes Bike Challenge in November to raise funds for Jersey Hospice Care.

Check the latest news from the team here Bedell Group Ecuador Challenge 2009

On Sunday May 24th, at Live Lounge, a live music event is taking place to raise money and promote awareness of the work of Jersey Hospice Care. Six great acts will be performing with support from DJs Carlo and Livingstone. They are Falenizza Horsepower, The Mighty Bulletproof, The Porcupine Effect, Jamie Lee, Esther Rose Parkes, and Salem’s Lot. The event starts at 7pm and continues until 2am, and the entry fee is £5.

asylum-24-5-09

Poster designed by Dave Spars

Dave is known among those of sophisticated music tastes as a member of the devastatingly fine Jersey-based band Falenizza Horsepower, alongside Steve Hutchins and Esther Rose Parkes. Steve has written an invitation to what will be a night of unforgettable musical entertainment.

Steve Hutchins’ Epicurean Introduction to Contributing Artists

If you want to run with the maxim variety is the spice of life then you want to be heading down to the Live Lounge this coming Sunday (May 24th) to feast on the spicy smorgasbord of delights being served up for your aural pleasure – all in the name of charity. Specifically raising cash for Bedell Group Ecuador Challenge 2009.

Salem’s Lot will provide a somewhat hefty but essential starter – these young lads regularly dish up large servings of heavy noise to slavering crowds across the island. A good solid band with the right attitude who get better and better each time they pluck/straddle their respective instruments.

After such a heavy starter you’ll no doubt be feeling a little parched. Luckily The Mighty Bulletproof are here to whet your whistle. Bulletproof are nothing like a fine wine. They don’t improve with age. They have always been this awesome. Few if any local bands have been around as long as Bulletproof and can boast such a fine vintage. Such staying power may explain their recent faux-knighthood seeing them upgrade themselves with the prefix ‘The Mighty’. Spitting fury about local politics and whatever else rattles singer Steve’s cage, they always deliver. Never failing to get the crowd moving with their high-velocity razor sharp bursts of energy, they will leave you like the greedy wretch Oliver Twist asking for more.

A period of respite will follow firstly with the sumptuous delights of Esther Rose Parkes. Part of the quieter section of the line up but no less engaging, Esther’s  impassioned songwriting and compelling vocals take you to distinguished and ethereal territory. She is an enormous talent so catch her before she disappears off on various jaunts to European festivals and gigs over the summer and beyond, supporting the release of her forthcoming album.

Cling on to your serviette because you’ll be drooling in amazement at the mind-bending performance of Guernsey’s Jamie Lee. If Heston Blumenthal played guitar he’d sound nothing like this, but his similarly unorthodox and inventive approach to his craft would find kinship with Jamie Lee. Jamie bashes his guitar in all sorts of places, both hands spidering their way all over the strings, resulting in a surprisingly soothing but incredibly emotive and unique result. If you think you have seen this kind of thing before, you are wrong.

The Porcupine Effect will now turn up the heat and get things bubbling with their upbeat, tight and occasionally oddball grooves. They are extremely talented and depressingly young. If there’s a Battle of the Bands event going on you don’t want to be going head-to-head with these guys as they seem to make a habit of winning them. If you’ve seen them before you’ll know exactly why. If they are new to you, expect a melting pot of funky/proggy experiments and a performance as sharp as the spines of their namesake.

If you’re feeling pretty full with such multifariousness, remember to leave a little room for Falenizza Horsepower. As a result of some recent experiments with songstress Esther Rose Parkes, ‘the Horsepower’ currently present themselves as a three-piece. This fusion loses none of their previous tendencies to jump from one noisy idea to another mellow moment but brings a more cultured approach with delicious results.

Now go and puke up this crazy concoction all over James St. With a big grin on your face and take pride in the fact your debauchery is going to a good cause.

Bon Apetit.

Falenizza Horsepower

Falenizza Horsepower - value for money

Jersey Hospice Care and Bedell Group Ecuador Challenge 2009

Jersey Hospice Care is a specialist palliative nursing service which provides holistic care free of charge, for cancer and motor neurone disease patients. It recognises and respects that each person is unique and aims to provide palliative care which meets their needs. This care is provided in the community, in the Day Hospice and In-Patient Unit and continues for the family in their bereavement. Jersey Hospice Care is committed to providing a professional service of the highest standard to all those entrusted to our care. Having been established in 1982, Jersey Hospice Care celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2007.

It currently costs around £6,000 a day to run all their services and, as they recieve no funding from the States of Jersey, rely entirely on the generosity of people in Jersey supporting them by donating to, and fundraising for their cause.

Here’s a brief description of the challenge that Dave and his teammates face, from the pages of the Jersey Hospice Care website:

The challenge is to cycle from dense tropical rainforest, over the Andes and down into the steaming jungle and banana plantations of the Pacific coast. Cyclists will travel through every type of landscape and through most weather conditions. In the jungle it is humid and hot with occasional downpours and high up in the Andes it can be cloudy and cold. On the Pacific coast it is hot and very humid. This is a tough challenge. Participants will have to tackle the heat in the jungle, the cold in the mountains and the huge climbs through the Andes and of course the altitude.

Get On Your Bike and Ride!

I asked Dave Spars about how he came to be involved in the epic challenge, and why he wanted to do it, and this is what he said:

About November time last year Angie, my girlfriend, mentioned to me that there was a presentation at the Pomme d’Or Hotel about cycling across Ecuador for Jersey Hospice Care. Did I want to come along and see if I fancied it? Angie seemed really quite exited about it so I thought I’d go along, but if I’m honest I didn’t fancy it at that time. They talked about previous trips they had done, and I found there was a lot of people there who had done this before. I started getting very interested. It’s gonna be tough work, and require lots of training (which I’ve only just started) but it looked like an amazing opportunity to see that part of the world. As a bonus, it will raise awareness and money for Jersey Hospice Care – a very worthy cause. So we put down our deposit and started fundraising and that’s the reason I asked Chris from Asylum and Flavio from the Live Lounge if they’d help me by putting on a night, and good news, it’s happening!

Dave Spars gets ready

Dave Spars gets ready for Ecuador

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