Mike Gibson - Vocals, guitars
Al Kenning - Bass guitar and vocals
Mathew Wig - Guitars, acoustic and electric
Martin Fieber - Lap steel and slide guitars
Neil Findlay - Drums and percussion
Influences
Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Nick Drake, I am Kloot, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, The Rolling Stones, Country Rock, The Died pretty, Iggy Pop, Glen Campbell (Jimmy Webb), the Monkees, the Arctic Monkeys, Surf, Rock and Roll, Gene Vincent and the Bluecaps, early/mid Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Richard Thompson, Hayseed Dixie, AC/DC, Early Status Quo, Joni Mitchell, early Roxy Music, Frank Sinatra, Matt Monroe, Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway, Pulp, Echo and the Bunnymen, 13th Floor Elevators, the Nomads, the Waterboys, James Brown, Bobby Bird, Candy Statton, most anything on Stax or Red Atlantic especially Booker T and the MG's, and Otis.
HATE: Whitney Houston and the other over-singers of neutered 'soul' (Sorry but R&B is on Stax to us), Goa trance. Imagination-free dance music/bland techno.
Sounds Like
They say:- "Like Syd Barret meets Waylon Jennings" Charlie Boogie
"carries on the whimsical tradition of Messrs Crosby, Stills and Nash, and does it very well indeed." Maverick Magazine
We wrote about ourselves and it was crap so we asked our journalist friend if he could do better. This is what he wrote about us. It's all pretty much the truth but it still makes us blush...
The members of the City Farmers have nothing left to prove.
Theyve been around. Theyve been in bands before. Theyve played The Ritz in New York and the pub on the corner. Theyve hung out with hookers and hustlers, and with David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker and the Pixies. Theyve had teams of roadies to coil their leads, and theyve stood in the snow at 2am trying to start the van.
They dont play music to meet girls, make money or annoy their parents. They play music because they love it, because when the bass and the drums are just there, when the guitars are riding the groove, when the slides talking to the singer, and when the crowds drinking and dancing and whooping, its the best feeling there is.
And the music they play is the music they love, the music that meant something to them when they started, and still does. Theres a whole lot of rock nroll in there, some country, some folk and some blues. Theres punk attitude, rockabilly fervour and pop suss. Theres Vince Taylor and Joe Strummer; Nick Drake and Johnny Cash.
But all of this would amount to little more than a superior bar band if it wasnt for the songs. Former Godfathers guitarist Mike Gibson put the City Farmers together in 2004 because he needed a band to promote his first solo album, City Farm. The album pulled together a collection of Mikes material from the past few years, mature meditations on the shapes modern life forces people into, the need to resist those pressures, and the possibilities for escape.
Everyone who heard those early City Farmers gigs knew there was something special going on, a chemistry that took Mikes songs to unexpected places. And the band knew it too. Theyve carried on working together, gigging, growing into their sound. And you can hear the results for yourself via the downloads available at http://www.cityfarmers.co.uk and myspace.com/cityfarmers, taken from the bands recent show at St Marys Church in North London.
Mike Gibson and the City Farmers's Friend Space (Randomized)
Come
down to Buzzsaw Joint for an explosive mix of high octane rockabilly,
rock 'n' roll, r 'n' b,old school ska, raucous garage, surf, killer
instrumentals, and all manner of retro rockin noise from the grooves of
1950s and 60s on 45s.
With your Djs Nice Sean and Fritz
Buzzsaw Joint Weds 23rd Dec Three Blind Mice 5 Ravey Street Shoreditch London
Get down to a mix
of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Old School Ska, Surf & 60’s
Garage with your host DJ’s Fritz, Nice Sean and Eric Ulcer (from the
excellent Corn Rocket Club).
Friday 25th Sept
The Royal Sovereign, 64 Northwold
Road, London. E5
8RL
Once again dust off your dancing shoes and get down to a mix of Rock ‘n’ Roll,
Rhythm & Blues, Old School Ska & 60’s Garage with your host
DJ’s Fritz and Nice Sean
Friday 17th July - 8pm till 1am, FREE The Royal Sovereign, 64 Northwold Road, London E5 8RL
Dust off your dancing shoes and get down to a mix of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Old School Ska & 60’s Garage with your host DJ’s Fritz and Nice Sean
Friday 5th June The Royal Sovereign, 64 Northwold Road, London E5 8RL
We've two new T shirts on sale for you.
Either in the Track Records story - http://www.trackrecords.co.uk/store/index.php?area=7
or at Track Records Ebay store.
cheers
tDS
Alan here.
Packing me boots, stringing me guitars and getting ready for the next two weeks. Don't be frightened to shout out any songs off the album you want to hear and don't forget the crazier you are the crazier we are.
Look forward to seeing you in the asylum at the end of the tour.
