This 5 piece band really don’t stick to the traditional, playing all sorts of music and not being held back by any one genre. We had a chat with the main man, Dr Schwamp about Tunes, Tall Tales and Tinctures.

Can you tell us a bit about the band? Where are you from and how did you all meet?

Dr Schwamp grew out of its first incarnation, Ta Mere, back in 2008, more of a swing jazz
vibe with a legendary take on Summertime, playing a lot of festivals, corporate gigs and
becoming a most sought after private party/wedding party band. Had various residencies including the Pigalle Club, Piccadilly and the Brickhouse on Brick Lane. Dr Schwamp was a progression into writing our own material, finding our own sound…

We came together in London, between us there’s a melting pot of influences, Irish, Cuban, Venezuelan, English, St Lucian, Greek, Italian, Columbian…..

The Band of Merrymen:

My goodself Dr Schwamp

The front man carpetbagging, peripatetic vendor of all ailments. A growling, high-octane
entertainer, and virtuoso bagpiper. He also plays the violin, harmonica and guitar. And he
just happens to be a phenomenally successful businessman and lawyer.

The band has two guitarists:
Paul Sirett, the Undertaker/Playwright, who is also a multi-award winning playwright
produced in the West End and all over the globe.
Christos Chatzispyrou, the Gambler, and the greatest guitarist ever to descend from Mount Olympus.

The bass player is Nixon Rosembert, the Rebel: the best six-string bassist and coolest, most dissenting dude on planet earth.

The drummer is John McCarthy, the Rouge: the most handsome and awesome stick-wielder you’ll ever meet, and a damn good volcanologist to boot.

Where does the name Dr Schwamp come from, and why did you decide on it?

Tale (pull back the curtain, what do you get)
A Picaresque epic musical tale narrated by the central character, Doctor Schwamp, a larger than life web weaving multi-instrumentalist, “Inca snake hell-oil” vending peripatetic confidence man and his band of rapscallions. The Doctor and his agents of ribaldry ingeniously and aimlessly wander the globe, threading song and adventure, in search of self and meaning, returning whence they came savvier, smarter and more sophisticated.

The tale is recounted by the good Doctor and his band of merrymen. It all begins when our central character, the then Albert Wiggins, (London October 1879) disillusioned with the misery of life and routine, comes across a ramshackle shop selling antiques and all kinds of weird paraphernalia and stumbles upon a bottle, a very old bottle labeled Dr Schwamp’s Cure-All Tonic boasting the claim, amongst others, that this elixir “will change your life”. He decides to purchase and from here the adventures of Doctor Schwamp unfurl.

You recently released your latest album, Tunes, Tall Tales & Tinctures. What does this album mean to you as a band?

It was always intended as a musical odyssey, to throw the familiar in the air, whirl the
audience into the unexpected, to leave them wondering if what just happened was real or a figment of their imagination….

The album allowed us to draw on a plethora of musical strains jazz, blues, rock funk ‘grass…”

Which tracks stand out of your personal favorites?

Always need a Whetsone, MMM are my daughter’s initials, the Box is a favourite too..

Where did the inspiration for these tracks come from?

Having a narrative enables us to weave together a mix of styles….
Condemned to Swing (Big Band Swing) – Follows the story of a common labourer in the South seduced by the music of Satan, as a result, could not stop dancing. Includes a courtroom scene wherein he is condemned to “swing” due to demonic possession.

One Foot in the Groove (Blues funk) – Highly hypnotic, danceable piece where the devil tempts one to leave their disciplined ways the “treasures of the earth”. Twist ending.

Whetstone (hip hop w/ bagpipes) – Charts the development of a vengeful attitude to right wrongs. Bagpipe solo with distortion and wah-wah pedal!

Come with me to Heaven (Gypsy swing) – A survey of 6 forms of heaven, and their respective rewards. Ends with an infections unbridled gypsy style dance.

Kinda Blew (Blues w/ bagpipes) – Straight ahead blues track, with a nod towards Miles Davis’ album (Kind of Blue) in a biographical format, with the colour blue as the thematic thread.

Bonnie & Clyde (Anthemic “stadium” ballad) – A study of the hustler in various settings, fit for soundtracking.

The Box (Ska backed, Greek folk) – A frank, candid and hard look at the manner choose to ignore the philosophical underpinnings in life. Absolutely original, incorporates virtuosic danceable sections.

MMM (Reggaeton, Latino-funk based) – An exaltation of the multi-national in 4 languages, with an outro of Amazing Grace in epic, bagpiping style.

Dr Schwamp’s Brand New Cure-All Tonic (energetic uplifting funk) – Thematic track

Who produced your latest album? Have you worked with them before? How was it working with them?

Recorded at Konk Studios produced by Sam Dougal and Boz Boorer (Morrissey’s guitarist) great Boz and I go back a long way

Pre-lockdown, did you get the chance to play many live shows? What are some of your favorite memories from these shows? 

All over Glastonbury Avalon, Boomtown, Electric Picnic, A New Day….Regular London
venues Hootananny, Half Moon Putney, Troubadour, Borderline, Blues Kitchen out of town, Con Clube Lewes, Voodoo Rooms Edinburgh…

Too many good memories, Live is what we do best….

What advice would you give to those looking to make music?

Play!

What is next for Dr Schwamp?

Be the first on the post lockdown stages! We have material for a couple more albums,
looking at Elektro Schwamp more tour friendly same energy but smaller line up more of a dance vibe.

Where can we find out more about you?

Guess just watch this space and give us a holler….

Anything else you would like to tell us?

We’ll be inviting you along to our next gig….

And that is an invitation I will gladly accept! I would like to thank Dr Schwamp for taking the time to answer our questions and we hope to see the band out on the road when it is safe to do so!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from and where did music start for you?

I was Born in Cork City in Ireland and grew up in a small Irish town called Millstreet. I live in London now and I’ve lived here for a long time. I came here as a young actor to do a play on the West End.   I’ve been an actor all my life, mostly in the theatre but sometimes in tv and films too. I enjoy all of it. I’m a latecomer to the music scene even though I always wanted to be involved in music…our paths didn’t quite cross until 2015 when I made my debut recording, a cover of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, to coincide with the marriage equality referendum in Ireland. I have been recording music and playing live ever since.  

If I were to use the phrase “for fans of”, who would you most liken yourself to?

I don’t mean to sound like I have delusions of grandeur, but many many people say I remind them of David Bowie, so its not me saying it…but I get it and he is a huge hero of mine so…hell yes, David Bowie. People tend to compare unknown artists to known artists and that’s fine and its fun. One of the comments on my YouTube channel said “If Alan Rickman and David Bowie had a baby…” which I think is hilarious but also very sharp and witty. I just love the idea of Alan Rickman and David Bowie having a baby together. But of my musical influences are mostly women in fact. 

You recently released your latest single Give Me Light. What does this song mean to you? 

The song is a free expression of love and desire between two men. In that sense it’s a love song. As a gay man and a gay artist, of course it means the world to me to be able to do that…I don’t hear nearly enough of that on the radio…but all that aside, I love the song. Pop music has always been a huge part of my life and lockdowns have reconnected me that passion.

Is this a hint at more new music on the way?

Absolutely. I have written two songs during these lockdowns and they are already in production with two different producers. The Wings Of Your Love is a blockbuster, movie-theme-tune kind of vibe. Its a big love song (again) and is produced by Jimmy Pinol who produced Give Me Light. Sound wise we might be entering David Bowie meets Elton John territory….but it’s early days. The other song is called Turn It Around and is produced by Herman Stephens who wrote and produced some of my tunes and plays bass in my band. That song is about telling a friend or loved one that you believe in them. 

Do you have any help with the writing, recording and producing of your music?

I don’t see how this is something that can be done alone. Yes, yes and yes. First of all I write lyrics, not really music, so my own songs are co-writes. There are many people behind my music and my videos and I’m grateful to all of them. I wouldn’t know where to begin in terms of making music on my computer at home in my bedroom. I’m old school in that sense. 

Where do you look to find inspiration? What is something you have found inspiration in that you never thought would be inspirational?

My grandmother inspired me…and my aunt who became a school principal in 1950s Ireland and lived an independent single life.  I’m inspired by women because they have to put up with so much more crap in life than men, generally speaking. I’m inspired by the courage and bravery of anyone unconventional who stakes a claim for their rights, such as all Lgbt people but especially transgender and gender non-conforming people…they inspire me.   I think this pandemic has forced us all to check in with our values and principles. Key workers inspire me now and people who do jobs that help and save others. Police, doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters…but the person serving us in the shop and the people who clear the rubbish from our streets…they are our heroes now too, are they not? I hope we remember this, moving forward. It’s too easy to forget. 

What advice would you give to those looking to make music, perhaps for the first time

I’m afraid that the best advice is also the worst advice: Don’t give up!  It is an incredibly competitive and unforgiving career with far more losers than winners. Its the same in the acting world…but if you love the work, that can be its own reward. You can’t bank on success, but you won’t succeed if you don’t give it everything you’ve got. 

How have you been keeping busy in lockdown?

Yes. I co-own and run an actors agency with my business partner. We work from our homes so that keeps me busy. 

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find me on YouTube. Please subscribe to me there. It helps us artists to monetise our work when you do. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdcXdgqJJAO2ibqVn-vMIrwI’m also on  Facebook @jdkellehermusic and Instagram @jd_kelleher

And finally, what is your funniest thing that’s happened to you in the world of music?

My chihuahua, Diego, singing happy birthday to any of my friends, like a lone howling wolf, is the funniest thing in the world of music.

I’d like to thank JD for taking the time to answer my questions and wish him all the best for 2021

Released earlier this month, Philadelphia’s Bits Of Alan are making headway across the USA indie scene with their latest single Blue And Green. We caught up with Greg, the band’s frontman.

Can you tell us a bit about the band? Where are you from and how did you all meet?

Hey thanks for having us! We started in 2014 as my (Greg’s) solo project. I recorded our first ep, titled “Stories,” with the help of my childhood friends Joe Venango and Fred Keller. They own and operate a Pennsylvania-based recording studio called “Everloft Studios.” Our next release, an album titled “Paper Boats,” was written and recorded with the help of multi-instrumentalist Ethan Stauffer. The roster for “Blue and Green” and our upcoming releases includes us four as core members.   

The name “Bits of Alan” is pretty interesting. Where did it come from?

Because the project was originally just me, the name is a play on my full name: Gregory Alan Golbitz = Bits of Alan.

If you had to sum yourselves up in three words, what would you say?

Hmm that’s a tough one. Macro level, thematically speaking, I would say: honest, acoustic, stories.

You recently released your latest single Blue and Green. What does this song mean to you as a band?

This song means a lot to us in several different ways. It’s absolutely a departure from our previous more pop-punk/emo style. It’s a sign of stuff to come I think, a more minimalistic songwriting style with more honest lyricism. We used to try and pack our songs with everything we had in our tool belt, probably as a way of learning. But for Blue and Green, and our upcoming releases, we gave ourselves permission to tone things down and explore stories in a much more relaxed way.

How, would you say, this differs from your previous releases, Paper Boats and Stories?

Blue and Green is absolutely a departure from Paper Boats. It’s more toned down, musically, and I’d say we took a more minimalistic approach to lyric writing. It felt more fun to record as well.   

Where do you look for inspiration?

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of fiction. Our upcoming record “Slatland” is actually based on the short story of the same name by Rebecca Lee. I do still find great inspiration in music, but literature has been my fire lately. 

How have you been keeping busy, while not playing shows?

Lots of recording and lots of writing! Taking advantage of the time to try and get as many ideas onto paper as we can.  

Which bands is each member currently listening to?

Greg: Field Medic, Mom Jeans, Hobo Johnson, Beach Bums
Fred: Jacob Collier, Aesop Rock, Cory Wong
Joe: Pinegrove, Delta Sleep, Covet
Ethan: Kota The Friend, Chet Baker, Organ Freeman, Anomalie

Where can we find out more about you?

Come follow us on social media! Our Instagram is @bitsofalan. Our Facebook is @bitsofalanband.

Anything you would like to tell us?

Just that we’re thankful to talk to you! And we really appreciate your time. Stay safe and have a nice holiday season!

And with that, I would like to thank Greg for taking the time to answer my questions and I want to wish him and the rest of the band the best of luck for 2021, and hopefully I’ll catch them at a show one day!

Released today, we thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with one of the guys about the band and what they’ve been up to

Tell us a bit about Fairway. Where are you from and how did you all meet?

We’re all from London. We’ve all known each other for all the years that we’ve been performing. We were all on the same scene and playing a lot of the same venues and crowds, so when the idea of Fairway started to come about this line up was just the one that made sense.

How did you decide on the name Fairway?

We’d tried out a couple of band names that weren’t quite working out, and trying to come up with the right name that felt like a good representation of who we are was proving quite frustrating. So being the absolute innovators we are, we decided to name ourselves after a nearby street, and one inspirational road sign later, Fairway was born.

If you had to use one word to describe each band member, what would you say?

Marty – Blonde
Kiel – Blue
Jack – Beard
Joe – Bangbang

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest single Without You? What does it mean to you as a band?

Without You tells the tale of a situation that too many of us know too well. It’s an anthem for anyone who’s ever decided that they deserve better.

For the band, this single release is the culmination of what’s been a really long and difficult year, as it’s been for many people. We’re all feeling really eager to get out and get back to performing regularly as soon as we’re able to do so!

Is this a hint at more new music on the way?

Yes! We’ve got two more singles that we’re going to be releasing early next year, 3AM Friend and The Deep End.

Who produced this? Have you worked with them before? 

The tracks were produced at Stakeout Studios, the first time that we’ve recorded there.

You guys are known for playing some pretty fun gigs. How have you been coping throughout lockdown, not being able to play?

It’s been fairly difficult, not being able to play or even rehearse together for the majority of the year. Our last gig was all the way back in February, so we’re putting a lot of work into making sure that when we’re able to start performing again that our live set is elevated beyond what’s been seen from us before.

What are some of your favourite memories of these shows?

One thing we’ve all mentioned to each other is those moments that you look out to the audience and you spot people singing along to our songs, sometimes ones that we haven’t recorded or released at all yet. That’s always pretty special, it gives a little reassurance that our music is connecting with people.

Are there plans to get back out on the road when it is safe to do so?

Our original plan for this year involved getting in some gigs outside of London, so we’d love to be able to get back to gigging regularly next year and hopefully bringing our show to a few new places around the country.

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find us at @FairwayBandUK across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!

And because they are often forgotten in interviews, any last words from Joe, the drummer?

Last words

Really demonstrating why the drummer is never interviewed… (joking, we love drummers really)

With that, I’d like to thank Kiel and the rest of the band for taking the time to answer my questions and wish them the best of luck for 2021, and if you are ever in Bristol give me a shout!

Release last month, Expectations is helping the band’s following grow, both in Australia and further afield. We chatted to Blake, who plays bass and supplies the vocals.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from and how did you all meet?

We’re a punk rock band from Sydney, Australia with a penchant for honesty and angst!

You guys have a pretty interesting name. Where did it come from?

The name came from not having a name! It was such a gruelling endeavour trying to decide on something as a band that we collectively decide to just not think about it. Literally the next conversation we had was about drugs and thinking up as many pseudonyms for them as possible then our drummer at the time just went “What about ‘Molly And The Krells’? and we’re like “Done! Lock it in!”

If you were to sum up the band in three words, what would you say?

Honest punk rock.

You recently released your latest single Expectations. Can you tell us a bit about what it means to you as a band?

Expectations is a song of growth and being able to overcome the adversities that we all harbour within ourselves. The complexes we develop by comparing ourselves to others & the deflating clout that, like clockwork, hits at 3am making us question all the choices we’ve made in life up to this point and how, perhaps, we haven’t lived up to the expectations of the people that mean the most to us.

It offers a cure to all of this negative and jaded language through the chorus in the way it hits with it’s uplifting energy – finding ways to deal with those destructive thoughts via a healthy coping mechanism. 

To me, that mechanism is music and the people I feel most comfortable around – my friends. Being able to hang out, laugh and listen to music is an amazing anti-depressant for me and the one I chose to use as a shining example in the song.

Is this a hint at more new music on the way?

We have a bunch of new tunes ready to go and a few new ones we’re working on but thanks to all the lockdowns, recording studios are now like hairdressers and tattoo studios where they’re backed up for AGES with all the clients that were meant to be recording on dates in lockdown so we’re just biding our time till we’re able to get back in and get some of them down!

Do you have any help with the writing and recording process for your music?

Our process kind of works like this: I’ll write a song on an acoustic and get the skeleton of the song done (lyrics, melody and chords) and once it all sits right at its core, I’ll take it to the band and get our drummer, Chip, to work on drum parts, and Dan & Ian will start coming up with cool countermelodies and other ideas to bring the song to life. Once we’ve got it to a place that we’re happy with it, we put it in the trusted hands of our producer who’ll sprinkle the sparkle on top.

What advice would you give to those looking to make their own music? 

Find people that you want to be in a band with, that are your friends, not just ‘someone you’re in a band with’. If they don’t have much band experience, but are willing to learn and always asking questions, that’s SO much better than having someone that knows how to do things but just can’t be fucked. Drive is everything. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
Make music for yourselves, the implication is selfish but it’s not intended in a way to be perceived as if you’re fucking off the rest of the world but what I mean is that the minute you start thinking “we need to write a song like ‘this band’ because people like ‘this band’ ”, your integrity goes out the window. Make the music that YOU want to write and find your crowd.

What is one thing no one ever told you being a musician would be like?

You’re gonna feel shit a lot. The highs are high and the lows are lows. There’s ALWAYS going to be someone out there better than you but don’t get caught up in it. Music isn’t a competition. See how your story grows and let it come from your own mind.

Where can we find out more about you?

Here are all our social links for you!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3iD1kYpzce95SL4kRnHUz9?si=IEIlF5XbTUG1-qYO7-lvyA
Bandcamp: https://mollyandthekrells.bandcamp.com/track/expectations
Merch: https://mollyandthekrells.bigcartel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mollyandthekrells
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollyandthekrells/

Email: mollyandthekrells@gmail.com

Anything else you would like to tell us?

Immerse yourself in your local scene, there’s so much great music out there, don’t let a small price tag on a door fee fool you into thinking it won’t be an awesome night. There are so many bands out there that will put on a better show for $10 than an international act will for $80. 

And that last point is something I 100% agree with, grassroots music is where so many big artists started up, and you can have so much fun at a small gig!

I’d like to thank Blake for taking the time to answer my questions and I want to wish him and the rest of the band the best of luck with their new music.

Can you tell us a bit about the band? Where are you from and how did you all meet?

We are Day Trip To Monaco. We’re a 2-piece student band, currently studying at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA). Our drummer/keyboard player Alex Howley is from Stroud, Gloucestershire; our singer/acoustic guitarist Megan Gallagher is from Oxford.

We first came into contact in a LIPA Freshers group chat before we started university together in September this year. Alex was writing what he thought would be a solo EP, so asked for LIPA students to perform on it for him. Megan offered to sing, so we met up in a café in Burford, Oxfordshire to discuss the EP. Megan presented a song she’d written to Alex, which he loved and knew he needed it on his EP. The day after we met, Alex rang Megan about forming a partnership for the EP so that we could release a mixture of Alex’s and Megan’s music together, and from that moment on we’ve been working on music together ever since.

Day Trip To Monaco is a pretty unique name, where did it come from?

When we formed Day Trip To Monaco, we were brainstorming for quite a few days for a name, only drawing a blank each time. After a while, Alex asked Megan for 5 of her interests other than music to see if any aligned with Alex’s. Travelling was a mutual interest, so Alex suggested ‘Day Trip To…’ We then listed all of the countries we’ve been to and France was a mutual for us both. Although Monaco isn’t technically in France, we thought it sounded better than quite a few French places when put on the end of ‘Day Trip To…’ and we liked how it sounded. The other option we had was ‘Arizona Road Trip’, so we put it to our social media profiles to decide for us, and Day Trip To Monaco won the majority of votes. It’s fair to say we’re pleased with the outcome.

You released today your latest single Time For You. What does it mean to you, as a band?

This one is special to us as a band. This is the first song we recorded at LIPA. Our EP (also called Day Trip To Monaco) was recorded remotely due to Coronavirus, so this was our first opportunity to get in the studio to work. It will also be the first song we ever perform live as a band when we play LIPA’s weekly gig ‘The 2ube’ in January.

I hear there is a pretty cool story about how the song came to life, can you tell us more about it?

Before Day Trip To Monaco, Alex had written and released 3 albums as solo projects. Time For You was originally a song that was on his second album, and put on the third album as a remastered version. With it being Alex’s favourite song of his own creation so far, paired with the knowledge we would be using it in our set for The 2ube, we decided recording our own version of the song was the next step. It’s very much a Day Trip To Monaco version of the song, not just simply a re-make of the original track, which is important to us, as it gives Megan the opportunity to put her musical input and creativity into the song too.

Where do you guys look for inspiration?

One of the defining features of our music is our notable difference in musical background/taste. Megan is very indie orientated, whereas Alex has come from a more funk-based background. This blend of musical styles has always been the pivotal sound of Day Trip To Monaco, which means our influences don’t land in just one place.

Megan’s big influences are groups such as Easy Life, Blossoms, Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits.

Alex’s inspiration comes from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Jacob Collier, Snarky Puppy and Tower of Power.

What have been some of the biggest challenges to overcome?

The biggest challenge of all has been forming a band in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. Trying to build and interact with a fanbase without gigs or opportunities to get ourselves seen and known has been the biggest difficulty for sure. When we released the EP, we’d never played a gig together, had only just formed our social media accounts and our biggest source of promotion was either from word of mouth, or from a few local radio stations. We’re definitely excited to get out and be able to meet and interact with people and start to build our fanbase even more. Our little community of fans are a big part of what makes creating music so enjoyable and thoroughly rewarding.

Although this year has been pretty dead with gigs, are there any plans to play live next year?

We’re looking forward to getting as many gigs as we can next year, particularly through the summer when we’re done at university for the year. We’ll probably be looking at gigging Liverpool as much as we can, as well as gigs around our 2 local areas. Live performing is a huge part of why we both love music, and the fact we’ve been deprived of it for so long is real incentive to make every gig feel like it could be our last so that if anything was to happen to live gigs again, we could always say we ended that batch of gigs on a high.

What lies next for Day Trip To Monaco?

We’ve got a few more singles in the pipeline for the next 5 or 6 months. Then our energy will most likely be focused on gigging and interacting with as many people as we can, whether it’s through our shows or just being out in the public eye. We’ll get an album done eventually, perhaps by the end of 2^nd year of university if we really get going with it, so definitely watch this space, exciting and productive times lie ahead for us!

We’re also really excited to say we’re featuring in Everton Football Clubs’ pre-match show for their Carabao League Cup Quarter Final game against Manchester United on December 23^rd 2020. We’re playing I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues by Elton John for that feature, although given the circumstances it will unfortunately have to be pre-recorded, rather than a live performance.

Where can we find out more about you?

All of our social media links, as well as all of the links to our music/videos can be easily found on our website ( www.daytriptomonaco.co.uk )

We’re particularly engaged with our Instagram page, and that’s the platform we’d love to grow initially more than anything else ( @daytripto_monaco )

Anything you would like to tell us?

We’d just like to say that any following from anyone and everyone out there is and will be hugely appreciated. Without a community of fans engaging with us on social media, downloading our music and coming to our shows (when they’re allowed to go ahead), making our music would feel so much less rewarding. We’re so appreciative of every single person who takes the time to listen to our music, and we of course hope we can repay that time with enjoyment and knowledge that there’s more to come. So please do drop us a follow on our social media accounts, as well as our Spotify Profile and watch this space with us!

And with that, what more is there to do but check out the awesome new single from these two. I’d like to thank them both for taking the time to answer my questions and wish them the best of luck for the future.