Every year we invite Allan to share some of his gig photos from the year and then wait to see how he decides to categorises them. He also likes to give some background for the shots as well, whether it’s about the artists, technical photo stuff or having a bit of a whinge about the lighting at the venue. Let’s see what happens this time.

After a few years of pointing cameras at people on various stages around the UK, as well as meeting and working with lots of new people, you find yourself working with artists that you build a relationship with over time. It can be an interesting challenge making different images with the same person over a period of time and, I say this way too often, but I like a challenge. These are all shots of artists that have featured in previous High Fives. And actually, the lighting was pretty good in all of these venues.

Amy Taylor

It’s less than two years since I first saw Amy Taylor playing at a So Live Sessions showcase in Dalston. I see a lot of live music and it’s very rare that I see anything that’s bad, but it’s equally rare that I see anyone who completely blows me away; Amy was one of those people. She’s a gifted songwriter and a superb performer, supporting her powerhouse voice with either piano or guitar backing. I shot Amy many times during 2022 before she started to vocal cord problems in the autumn of that year. It’s been a long haul, but she finally started to perform live again in June 2023. I think she probably only gave it 97% but she sounded great and she’s still getting better.

Barbara ‘Basia’ Bartz

I first met Basia as part of Dana Immanuel and the Stolen Band when they played at my birthday party in 2017. I’ve shot the band many times since then and in many different locations. I’ve also shot Basia solo and working with other bands. There’s something about the shape that violinists make when they play that just works photographically and Basia’s quite a physical performer so something good usually happens the camera points in her direction. This shot was from a sold-out Dana Immanuel gig at Green Note in January 2023.

Si Connelly

It’s only a couple of years since I first shot Si Connelly and since that time, I’ve tried to shoot as many of his gigs in London as possible. This one was completely unplanned; I went a Success Express gig at The Pheasantry and saw Si, who was up in town celebrating his birthday. Of course, he did a cameo support set and of course I shot it. It was an obvious monochrome shot because he looked a bit fifties on the night, maybe even just a little bit Elvis. Anyway it worked for me and Si liked it as well, which is always nice to hear.

Say Anise

I first met Emily (who is Say Anise, or part of Say Anise now) at a Caffe Nero event in Brighton. We kept bumping into each other at gigs and then I started making an effort to get to gigs where I knew she was playing. One of the reasons I like Emily is that she will always do something a bit different;  a look, a movement or an interaction with one of the band members. I first saw Emily solo, then working with long-term collaborator Easymess, then as trio with HUX on backing vocals and then on electric bass as well. I didn’t try to correct for the lighting in this shot because it gave the shot a Miles Davis ‘Kind of Blue’ feel.

KAT

Sometimes you get on with someone straight away they’re a genuinely nice person. KAT’s one of those people. We’ve worked together on various things as she’s progressed through her musical career, including gigs and behind-the-scenes shoots on her video productions. Like Say Anise, she’s also worked her way through various musical incarnations from acoustic duo to full rock band. Her songs are powerful explorations of issues like physical domestic violence and gaslighting and she puts everything into her live performances. This shot’s from her debut appearance with her new band at the legendary rock venue, The Fiddler’s Elbow.

We’ve reviewed both of Peach and Quiet’s first two albums, tracing a trajectory from country rock and Americana on the debut through to a slightly rockier harder-edged sophomore effort in ‘Beautiful Thing’. Jonny Miller is one half of the duo partner Heather Read and he’s shared some of his favourite players who may not be too well known in the UK as well as a thank you to the people who make the noise in support of their beliefs.

Sage McBride –

Co-leader of everyone’s (in Canada at least!) favourite party band, Shred Kelly, and world class grant writer, who helped us get over many music industry challenges in 2023, and even showed up with her family when we were playing in her home town. What a rock star, thank you!

Shred Kelly –  

A super fun, and majorly groovy, band who have also become friends of ours, for coming back to Pender Island (with original hipster icons Elliot Brood) to regale us all with their super shaking songs, and also for staying at our humble abode, sharing road stories, and good food.

Clark Becker –   

Drummer extraordinaire, and true friend, who came and stayed with us for a week and graced us with his amazing rhythm skills, allowing us to take flight (in our living room) and sound more like our recordings. What a treat. We love you brother!

Ira Smolkin –

Guitar picker, singer of songs, and friend to many, who sadly left us all on Nov. 23rd, 2023. We give thanks for having him in our lives, briefly as it was. Safe travels to the home of love, see you on the flip side.

Anyone and everyone who stood up for the environment, peace, and the truth –

Keep up the good work, we need you now more than ever!

Rod Picott’s a songwriting craftsman, even to the point of using the imagery of woodworking tools to illustrate his songwriting process. We reviewed his latest album ‘Starlight Tour’ in October of this year and it reinforces his reputation as a chronicler of rust-belt America who tells his stories of everyday blue-collar people with economy and precision. He’s also a nice guy, so we were more than happy when he decided to contribute to this year’s High Fives. He’s also a discerning reader, so his selection is five books that made an impact on him this year.

‘August’ by Callan Wink

The book is a small marvel about the coming of age of a young man in Montana. The region’s politics and culture are deftly woven into this narrative. Mostly written in short declarative sentences – the comparisons to Hemingway are not overstated – particularly in the long sections of brilliantly executed dialogue.

‘Every Man for Himself And God Against All’ by Werner Herzog

The fingerprints and voice of Herzog come roaring off the page. It’s nearly impossible to read this memoir without the laconic dark-edged sound of Werner Herzog’s baritone rasping in your head. Like Herzog the director, this book is a ramble of memory and fever dream. The man’s memory is astonishing. A true polymath, Herzog can speak on nearly anything you can imagine – from forgotten pharaohs to his own directorial blunders.

‘Mayflies’ by Andrew O’Hagan

This touching and poignant read is quite simply a beauty. The first half of the book follows a group of post-punk fans-friends on a trek from small-town Scotland to a music festival in Manchester England. The charismatic Tully and the less confident James share a friendship that goes beyond film and music tastes and runs deeper than the adolescent chest thumping of youth. The writing is so sharp and filled with detail you almost feel like you are on the journey yourself. Halfway through the book, the reader is catapulted years ahead and the adult Tully and James come into focus. It’s an unexpected masterstroke. 

‘Lean On Pete’ by Willy Vlautin

Like most of Vlautin’s work ‘Lean On Pete’ is a slender novel. The story of a teenage boy’s search for a sense of home is poignant and quietly powerful. Charley’s relationship to a faltering racehorse as he attempts to make a dangerous trek across state lines to his only known relative will leave you gutted. Vlautin somehow manages the not so simple task of making you root for the underdog as his life continues to grow darker and darker. He does this without manipulating the reader and it makes the heartbreak even more eloquent.

‘Such Kindness’ by Andre Dubus III

‘Such Kindness’ spoke directly to this reader. Tom Lowe has had a tragic accident and is severed from his identity as a construction worker. He is in unyielding suffering, addicted to painkillers and is slowly descending into a version of himself he doesn’t recognize. The question that runs through this compassionate novel: Who are you, if everything you’ve built your life and selfhood on is taken from you? Such Kindness is a beautiful and slowly unwinding book. It is a series of small moments that add up to something philosophical and grand. Dubus is a masterful writer.

It’s three days in to the 2023 High Fives and we thought it was time to let Allan off the leash for his first contribution this year. Here are some of his reminiscences on gigs and artists old and new with a few photos as well. As you can tell from Allan’s introduction, every year has its losses as well as gains.

I’m rapidly approaching my fiftieth anniversary of gig-going and 2023 has been a year where the old and the new have frequently crossed paths as I’ve navigated the London gig scene. Before I get on to the positive stuff, there’s one loss we’ve suffered this year that really hurt. My love of live music kicked off when I was a student in Dundee between 1976 and 1980. One of the bands I saw there was the Scottish soul band Cado Belle. Maggie Reilly was an astonishing singer, but I was blown away by guitar player Alan Darby and his astonishing work on the tone poem ‘September’. The band split after one album and Alan did many things (including working on the door of a Covent Garden club managed by a friend of mine) before finally establishing himself as a guitar player and musical director with Lulu, Van Morrison and Les McKeown before going on to work in The Dominion production of ‘We Will Rock You’. A few years ago, courtesy of the wonderful Artie Zaitz, I wangled an invite for myself and my old mate (and Music Riot contributor) Steve Jenner to meet Alan at Chelsea Arts Club after a Guitars Deluxe performance. He was a lovely guy and he lost his battle with cancer earlier this year. Thankfully, we still have his music. Apologies for starting with a sad story, but those memories are as important as the happy ones, which are coming at you in chronological order.

Pin Drop Sessions @Caddy’s Southend (February 2023)

Have you ever been in Southend on a Friday night in February? It’s cold; it’s bloody cold, but I was going to see the brilliant Phil Burdett for the first time in 2023. It was a chance to see a new venue, have a beer or two with Phil and local bass maestro Martin Cutmore and grab a few pictures. So why is it called ‘Pin Drop Sessions’? It’s back to the old school; a small room, no PA and only acoustic instruments. No soundchecks, turn up and play to an audience that wants to hear music and doesn’t want to talk through the performances. You could literally hear a pin drop.

I’ve seen Phil Burdett performing many times over the last ten years as a singer-songwriter, author and poet and he’s always worth watching, never more so than in this intimate setting. It was perfect for Phil’s tales of Essex.

On this night, the new (for me) was Isabel Inkcap, who was totally engaging as she delivered her folk-inspired songs to a rapt audience. She’s a genuine talent who wins over the audience by sheer presence before she even starts to play either guitar or banjo. She also gifted me a great photo opportunity after a lengthy tuning session when it was obvious she was going to react somehow. I couldn’t have hoped for a better reaction.

Frankie Miller’s Full House @The 100 Club 30^th May 2023

In more ways than one, this comes back to Steve Jenner again. The first band that we saw together at Dundee University was Frankie Miller’s Full House. The blend of rock and soul and Frankie’s incredible voice blew us away; live music was never the same after that. Frankie’s band included a guitar player I’d never seen before, who went on to become hugely respected in the music business as a player and a historian; his name’s Ray Minhinnett. Frankie worked with various musicians live and on record before a brain aneurysm in 1994 ended his musical career. He’s doing fairly well now after all the trauma and the beautiful thing is that his legacy is still intact and his fans still want to hear those songs, which is where Steve Jenner comes back into the picture.

Early in 2023, Steve saw a reconstituted Full House (led by Ray Minhinnett and fronted by singer Gregor MacGregor). He pointed me in their direction and in May 2023 I got the chance to shoot Full House at The 100 Club. Frankie Miller was a one-off, but Gregor MacGregor has the Scottish voice to tackle Frankie’s songs with restraint and power in equal measure (and he’s a lovely bloke). A good night was had by everyone and the 1970s worked pretty well in the 2020s.

Southside Johnny @Shepherd’s Bush Empire 7th July 2023

It was a “Will he, won’t he” gig. The talk in the pubs around Shepherd’s Bush Green on the day was about whether Bruce Springsteen might make a guest appearance between his two Hyde Park gigs on the 6^th and the 8^th. He didn’t, but my mate and guitar player extraordinaire, Jim Maving did bump into the E Street Band bass player Garry Tallent at the gig. Bruce or no Bruce, I never miss a Southside show because you never know when the next one will be. I’ve been a Southside fan for nearly fifty years and I’ve been lucky enough to meet and interview him a few times and photograph him loads of times. I got really lucky this time. In the past, I’ve missed a few great photo opportunities because of the house policy of checking in all pro gear backstage after the first three songs – that didn’t apply this time and I got to shoot from the auditorium for the rest of the set and caught some cracking shots.

I’ve written about Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes before and I’m fairly certain I’ll write about them again. There’s a magic that happens when you take eight world-class musicians and give them the opportunity to express themselves within the framework of four-minute songs; you should all take the opportunity experience it.

Folk in the Park Sutton 19^th August 2023

If you haven’t met Hannah White and Keiron Marshall, you really should. They’re both incredibly talented but they’re the nicest people you could ever wish to meet and they care passionately about music, about the environment and people in general. Hannah’s songwriting is always powerful and sometimes visceral (‘Car Crash’ is a great example) and Keiron shapes the arrangements and production for her songs bringing in all sorts of musicians, including Michelle Stodart to back Hannah live and in the studio.

In 2022, they put together a festival in Manor Park, Sutton which was reasonably successful and decided to expand it in 2023 with more well-known and acclaimed and artists. I would have supported the event whoever was on the bill, but Hannah and Keiron excelled themselves, pulling in appearances from the legendary Nick Lowe (who I saw at my first gig when he played with Brinsley Schwarz) and Iain Matthews (whose album, ‘Stealing Home’, I bought in 1980 on blue vinyl and I’ve loved ever since). And they had Del Amitri topping the bill. Oh, and Hannah made an appearance with her band as well.

I’ve followed Hannah’s career for a few years now and it’s been a revelation to see genuine talent being recognised critically and commercially. Bring on 2024.

Stone Foundation 25^th Anniversary tour

You’ve already read me rattling on about working with one of my teenage musical heroes; I think Neil Sheasby of Stone Foundation trumps me on this one. Neil was a fan of The Jam from their earliest days and, as Stone Foundation gathered momentum through the 21^st century, they picked up a celebrity fan, Paul Weller, who went on to collaborate with them, produce their albums at Black Barn Studios and guest on a few of their gigs.

Forgive me for listing the band members, but Stone Foundation is a team effort and the core of the band has been together now for twenty-five years. Here we go: Neil Jones (vocals/guitar), Neil Sheasby (bass), Phil Ford (drums), Ian Arnold (keys), Rob Newton (percussion), Steve Trigg (trumpet and fluegelhorn), Dave Boraston (trumpet and fluegelhorn) and Anthony Gaylard (saxophone). They’re an incredibly tight soul unit and Neil Jones once told me that having the horn section on stage was like wearing a suit of armour.

I’ve been a fan for over ten years and this year they celebrated their 25^th anniversary with a UK tour that wound up with two nights at Islington Assembly Hall. They were supported by the wonderful Emily Capell (check out her album ‘Combat Frock’), DJ Robert Elms and had guest appearances from Mick Talbot, Graham Parker, Laville and Paul Weller over the two nights. If you want a validation of their work, I think that does it.

After almost fifty years of watching live music, it’s fabulous to pick out five gigs that really got the juices flowing. Just keep it coming, everyone.

We reviewed Adam’s EP/mini album as One Adam One in March this year and it was a beautiful piece of work. We’re pleased that he’s agreed to take part in our annual end-of-year feature and share some of his favourite things from 2023 and equally pleased that he absolutely bought in to the random concept of the High Fives.

The High Lonesome Voice That Hit Me Hard

This is the age of rabbit holes and I fell down another one when I saw this Dean Johnson performance of “True Love” on Country AF (very chill, authentic, obscure songwriter video channel). Dean’s voice is sincere and effortless and drop-dead gorgeous. He put out an EP earlier this year, right around when I released mine…so I feel like he’s my brother in off-the-grid indie twang.

The Cheap, Gimmick-y Looking Gadget That Turns Out to Be Ingenious

I stumbled into a conversation between younger gals raving about this new thing called a silicon scalp scrubber. I thought for a moment, “Well, that’s just for women.” But then I looked at them and they all had beautiful, healthy hair, while I have this sort of sad, stringy man hair that looks like it belongs in a medieval village. Who was I to deny their superior grooming wisdom? This soft little f-er is a game changer.

The Strange Podcast that Dances in My Ears

Iain Sloan of the Wynntown Marshals hipped me to the Blindboy Podcast and I often tune in when I don’t feel like listening to music. Don’t let the strange profile pic of the host in some sort of head bandage turn you off. The Blindboy is a master spinner of yarns and whip-smart contrarian. He can turn a story of a cat dying under his porch into an elegy of companionship and natural wonder. And, his lilting voice is ASMR-level soothing.

The Strange Novel from a Parallel Universe

When one of my favorite writers announced he was doing a book based on the family of a pastor in suburban Illinois in the 70s, I was a little freaked out. In real life, I was raised in the household of a pastor in suburban Illinois in the early 80s. I wasn’t sure I wanted an author of such skill applying his scalpel so closely to the heart of my childhood memories. I took the plunge this year and read Jonathan Franzen’s “Crossroads”. Thankfully, my family was not as dysfunctional, and the time era is slightly offset, but I recognized a LOT of it. And it’s brilliant.

The Pure Animal Energy that Revitalizes Me

I got a new dog this year and he’s a bit of a wild animal. I am very fond of him, but sometimes it feels like he just wandered in the back door to steal some food. Slowly, he’s melting under the spoils of civilization. Just recently he did the unthinkable — he rested his chin on my leg! I almost had to sleep sitting up because I didn’t want to disturb the best feeling of 2023. 

Here we go again. It’s time for High Fives 2023 and it’s traditional to kick off the feature with a contribution from Neil Sheasby of Stone Foundation. It’s a major anniversary on two counts – Neil’s been contributing to this feature for ten years now, and Stone Foundation have just completed their twenty-fifth anniversary tour, finishing off with a triumphant two nights at Islington Assembly Hall with special guests Emily Capell, Graham Parker, Laville, Mick Talbot and Paul Weller. And I know Neil mentions this at the end of the piece, but he’s also published his second book, ‘Bass Notes’, this year, giving a warts’n’all view of life on the road with an eight-piece soul band. Here’s Neil’s thoughts on this year, in no particular order:

Talking Heads Talking! – 

Something that seemed so implausible a few years ago but here we are in 2023 and they have been united again for the re-release of the ‘Stop Making Sense’ film. I’ve always felt there’s been unfinished business and I live in hope of a new album and possibly some tour dates. It just made me re-appraise that amazing back catalogue. 

Sly Stone book – Thank you (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – 

All the wonder, excess and car crash material that you’d expect from a Sly Stone memoir 

Hard to believe he’s still here to tell his story. 

It’s kind of tragic and bittersweet but he was THE originator, look at them at Woodstock, bringing the heavy duty funk as early as 1969! 

Another great page turner was Kevin Armstrong’s ‘Absolute Beginners’ book, his experience as being a sideman to the stars (Bowie, Iggy) it’s full of amazing stories. 

The new Two Tone book by Daniel Rachel ‘Too Much Too Young’ is wonderful too, it digs in and unearths some interesting perspectives, it’ll make you play all those records again too.

It truly was a remarkable period. 

Album of the year? – 

I have to say whilst I heard a lot of songs that caught my attention, I don’t think it’s been a vintage year for the album. 

I’d have to plump for Blur’s ‘The Ballad of Darren’ as my most played record of ‘23 along with ‘Lotus Glow’ by Adi Oasis 

Closely followed by ‘Silver’ by Say She She, a modern soul dancer that doesn’t fall foul of the cliches and pastiche (great live too – check ‘em out!) 

I also loved Chris Thompson’s writing and work on his new Bathers record ‘Sirenesque’. It’s such an eloquent, poetic, beautiful album. 

Chris is a genius. 

The return of Galliano – 

I was overjoyed to witness the return of Galliano this year, naturally I felt I couldn’t miss their London show at Village Underground. I was kind of nervous about it though as they were one of my favourite live bands of the 90’s, I saw them tons of times, always an uplifting, joyous experience. 

The 2023 model were every bit as fabulous. 

There’s a new album in the works for next year too. Positive vibes abound… I’ll dig my beads out. 

SF 25th Anniversary celebrations – 

I’m hesitant to big up ourselves but I have to admit that 2023 and the 25th anniversary of Stone Foundation has felt like a special milestone and something I should not be guilty of feeling proud of. 

The gigs have been tremendous, the crowds have been amazing. It’s been my favourite tour thus far and I myself am celebrating 40 years of making noise in bands. 

I was also pleased to get my D/S/P project off the ground, it was lovely to create music with my son Lowell and my old sparring partner Nick Read, we received some positive vibes back from those tunes. 

So along with the release of my tour diary book “Bass Notes” I’d say it’s been a very productive year. 

I suspect this is the only Christmas album we’ll be reviewing this year so I’m happy to say that it’s an interesting and varied piece of work. ‘I’d Rather be Merry’ is Mean Mary’s nineteenth album and it applies her usual talents of banjo picking, pure and clean vocals, and a certain amount of songwriting, to a Christmas theme. As always, it’s a combined effort with her brother Frank and brings a certain amount of humour associated with the brother/sister dynamic as well as superb musicianship.

The album is an interesting combination of traditional Christmas carol settings with contemporary elements and a bit of bluegrass thrown in for good measure. ‘I Saw Three Ships’, which opens the album, has a jaunty, contemporary feel with Mary’s trademark clean enunciation, lovely harmonies and the almost obligatory banjo solo, while ‘Jingle Bells’ starts as a traditional carol before a fiddle solo morphs it into a bluegrass setting. The interpretations of the Christmas standards are varied and interesting and enjoyable listening, but it’s the originals that really create the mood of the album with Mary’s characteristic humour and humanity. There are two humorous songs and the album’s closer ‘Ding Dong Day’ which we’ll get to shortly.

‘Cardboard Box’ is a fairly typical humorous Mean Mary song with a Christmas theme involving accidental violence against a partner while ‘I’d Rather Be Merry’ features verbal sparring and wordplay around the names of the siblings Frank and Mary. And back to ‘Ding Dong Day’, which is a previously released Mean Mary song that has a particular relevance in 2023 with its references to over-commercialisation of Christmas and pressure on ordinary people to spend to excess to celebrate a religious holiday.

‘I’d Rather Be Merry’ is released on Friday December 1^st on Woodrock Records (WDRK – 4305)

Here’s the video for ‘Cardboard Box’ (don’t try this at home folks):

If anything’s predictable about the work of Afton Wolfe it’s the unpredictability. He has such a wide range of references and influences that you never know what’s around the next corner. The first surprise about ‘The Harvest’ is that there are no Afton Wolfe originals. The second surprise is that all of the songs are written by his father-in-law L.H. Halliburton so the album’s all about performance and interpretation of someone else’s songs, bringing all of his influences into play. Afton’s gravelly baritone serves all seven songs on this project perfectly the slightly sinister ‘Hello, Mr. Wolf’ – more about that later.

The album opens with ‘The Harvest’ which bounces along with hints of Van Morrison’s ‘Bright Side of the Road’ to put forward the idea that the year should begin in the fall with the harvest, rather than in spring with the sowing. ‘New Orleans Going Down’ has an unsurprising Dr John feel with the full band (including piano, of course). The vocal delivery echoes the rising of the flood water, becoming more impassioned with each chorus as the water levels become more dangerous. The next two songs get to the heart of Afton Wolfe; if you threw the DNA of Bob Seger and Tom Waits in a blender, you would get something close to Afton Wolfe vocally and stylistically.

The gospel-tinged ‘Lost Prayers’ with piano and fiddle fills evokes the classic mid-tempo Seger song, while ‘Hello, Mr. Wolf’ with its gruff spoken lyric and its off-kilter sparse arrangement  and comparison of the wolf with human animals echoes Tom Waits at his most raw. The next two songs both look back in terms of style. ‘Till the River No Longer Flows’, with its message of persistence in the face of adversity has a big Southern rock sound in the good old Lynyrd Skynyrd style, including the obligatory extended guitar solo to the finish. ‘Mississippi’ has Afton exploring his soul/Stax roots with horns and piano triplets as he delivers L.H. Halliburton’s message to the state that mirrors Neil Young’s seventies message to Alabama. The album closes with the very lo-fi ‘Here to Stay’ exploring loneliness over a stuttering, reverbed piano backing saturated with tape hiss. It’s very evocative, bordering on disturbing.

‘The Harvest’ is an interesting project. Afton Wolfe doesn’t shy away from covers and interpretations, but covering seven songs by the same writer is a different challenge altogether and he absolutely aces it with his usual variety of styles and distinctive vocal delivery. Whatever Afton Wolfe tackles, you know it’s going to be interesting.

‘The Harvest’ is out now on Grandiflora Records.

Here’s the official video for ‘Lost Prayers’:

‘Get Me to a Nunnery’ is Heather Lynne Horton’s third album, following 2012’s ‘Postcard Saturdays’ and 2017’s ‘Don’t Mess with Mrs Murphy’. You might think that’s a fairly relaxed pace, but she has had other priorities, including raising her daughter and collaborating with her husband, Michael McDermott, on his solo and Westies albums. She’s even done a bit of touring with Michael as well. As you might expect, Michael features heavily on the album along with other collaborators like Will Kimbrough, although the concept, production and direction of the album are purely down to Heather.

There’s a theme running through the album which is strongly hinted at by the title. It’s the oppression of outsiders and minorities; the ones who don’t have the power to challenge when they’re told “That’s just the way it is”. There are some production and musical themes that run through the album as well. There’s an overall dreamy, ethereal feel that’s partly created by Heather’s layered lead and backing vocals that hint at sixties-era Marianne Faithfull, particularly on the album’s opening song.

‘After All This Time’ is slightly uncharacteristic in that underneath Heather’s vulnerable vocal the song builds up to a Spector-like wall of sound arrangement as it tells the story of a relationship that’s survived everything life can throw at it.

The two most vehemently anti-oppression songs on the album both feature Heather’s violin playing. ‘Ten Times’, with its lead vocals panned left and right deals with difficulties women find when the have to work ten times as hard as men to succeed and ‘Call a Spade a Spade’ with a sparse, almost sinister arrangement enhanced by the occasional single sour piano note as it highlights the racism that is still with us almost seventy years after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus.

‘You Said So’ and ‘Take Off’ both have an autobiographical flavour, with the latter metaphorically linking air travel with a career in the music business highlighting the conflict between family and professional life; you can’t give one hundred per cent to both. The album’s final piece, ‘Lin’s Never-Ending Song’ is a condensed classical string quartet, hinting at Bach, with several movements and various tempi and techniques, including a pizzicato passage and lots of counterpoint that demonstrate Heather’s violin and arrangement virtuosity. It’s a lovely way to finish the album.

The dreamy soundscapes of ‘Get Me to a Nunnery’ create a seductive and subversive framework to soften you up before Heather delivers the subtle lyrical punches. The album was inspired by and is dedicated to Sinead O’Connor, who died just as the recording was completed; it’s a fitting tribute.

‘Get Me to a Nunnery’ is out now on Pauper Sky Records (PSR015).

Here’s the video for ‘After All This Time’:

As an added bonus, here’s a shot of Heather from her UK tour with Michael McDermott in 2017:

The longer you listen to ‘Metaterranea’ the more you realise what a challenge it is to pin down Old Californio to any given style. There are elements of country, elements of straight-ahead rock and even a bit of jazz thrown in. What you can be certain of is that the songs are well-crafted and the playing is superb throughout. The choice of songs to top and tail the album shines a light on the band’s influences and the musical journey taken by the ten songs.

The album opens with a tribute to El Camino Real (definitely not the King’s Road in Chelsea) and the people who gather in the bars in the towns along the old highway. It’s a song that harks back to the analogue and organic era of the seventies (there’s even a lyrical reference to “The lotus eaters and the luddites”) and great bar bands with musicians playing guitars, keys, drums and bass as opposed to sequencers, loop stations and laptops. Like the rest of the album it’s more about the feel than the technical aspects.

The album takes us on a journey, through all of its twists and turns to the final song ‘Just Like a Cloud’ which is a lyrical and musical exploration of dissolution. Lyrically it’s all about the thought of returning to the ecosphere after death, while musically it starts as a solid rock arrangement with guitar and electric piano before an extended guitar solo morphs away from rock territory into atonal freeform jazz to represent the random scattering of fragmented remains.

The name Old Californio is entirely accurate. Songwriter Rich Dembowski is an old-school melancholy West Coast troubadour with dreamlike songscapes and lyrical references to evanescence, mythology (Sisyphus) and even Holy Communion. The musical settings also reflect the late sixties/early seventies vibe with hints of The Band and the rockier Neil Young material. It’s loose but with a nice swing. If there’s one song that encapsulates the outsider status of Rich Dembowski, it’s ‘Weeds/Wildflowers’, which sees the outsider as the weed. As gardeners will tell you most weeds are just plants that grow where you don’t want them.

‘Metaterranea’ is very much a back-to-basics album where the focus is on creating settings that emphasise the message of the original and unusual songs without any unnecessary studio trickery – just great arrangements and great playing. I’ll take that any day of the week.

Here’s the album’s opener, ‘Old Kings Road’: