"Emotionally direct... an intelligent and enticing melange of many
old styles"
Graham Reid, Elsewhere
"Inventive arrangments of old folk songs... Evocative, fresh, and a bit theatrical" Nick Bollinger - The Sampler, National Radio
"A small yet intricate offering from some very talented folk musicians" NZ Musician magazine
Oh, what a queer sensation...
Oh, what a queer sensation is Forbidden Joe's debut EP, and is available through Ode Records, so pop into your local record store and order a copy.
It's also available online at . Alternatively, you can get a copy from our concerts, or e-mail us to get one posted to you: forbiddenjoe@gmail.com
“With their eclectic repertoire of traditional and original music, Forbidden Joe are coming to town to entertain you with their “wicked new folk sound”.
Already being hailed by New Zealand’s folk scene as “the next big thing,” Forbidden Joe’s dynamic arrangements and funky grooves, spiced with influences of Jazz, Celtic, European, and Soul make for a quirky show of songs and tunes.
The cheeky and effervescent Frances Dickinson heads the line up (hailed by Alice Murray of bFM as an “up and coming folk superstar”) with smouldering vocals and fiery concertina. Alongside Frances, the versatile and soulful grooves of Emily Giles (Cello) and the crankin riffs of Alex Borwick (Banjo/Trombone) complete this-one-of-kind musical menagerie.”
About the Band
Emily’s womb experience was noisy. Her mother took an alternative approach to nursery rhymes with the help of a 5-string banjo. It is still unknown if Emily’s kicking was an enthusiastic response or just plain fury, but it proved she had rhythm.
In typical NZ fashion, Emily first learnt the recorder but moved on to the ‘cello when recorder techniques became too hard in the second year. As a result, she did time with the usual classical suspects and for the last six years has been jamming with musicians on the Auckland acoustic music scene, performing in folk clubs and festivals around New Zealand.
Influenced by traditional Irish and English music, gospel, Eastern European fusion groups and American roots music, her style is unlike anything that you’d expect from a ‘cello; versatile, staunch and funky. And with a generous crop of luscious, curly hair to boot, you’d do well to keep one eye on her at all times.
As a child, Frances spent her days on the shores of the bitter coast of Northern England, up to her eyes in seaweed and dreaming of pirates and a career as a shark diver. At convent school she was exposed to fiddle and choir lessons, until she finally ditched her bad habits and discovered her addiction to good ‘Craic’ in the backstreet pubs of Whitby. She has been proudly jammin’ away with dirty old men ever since.
Frances continues to be one of the modern day musicians redefining the boundaries of ‘folk’. Her dirty, fiery tunes on concertina and her angsty yet silky vocal tones are making folk music the new black. Her original material is exquisite and, mixed in with her fetish for sea songs and wild tunes, provides strong reference points throughout the band’s musical ventures.
Alex was being subjected to music before he even knew what it was. More specifically, the music of the film, ‘La Bamba’. After spending his toddlerhood researching these strange sounds with the help of a private eye, he saw fit to take the fairly normal route of piano and trumpet lessons at school. At the age of 12 he picked up the trombone, and from there blossomed his passion for jazz.
Over the next few years, Alex also tried his hand (s) at the drums, playing in rock bands, most notably an alternative rock band called Inverse Order, until he decided to study jazz at the New Zealand School of Music. After an intense year of musical rendezvous in Wellington, Alex moved back to Auckland where he stumbled upon the Devonport Folk Club and discovered his latest project – the tenor banjo. As a result of this unconventional concoction Alex brings to the lineup his own heady flavours of jazz, funk, and rock.
Check out Graham Reid's review of Oh, what a queer sensation HERE
G'day, Excuse me, I'm polling a few onto it individdles and wondering.... If your Myspace icon photo is s'pose to represent something about you , would you say I was a clown,,, or a horses arse?
Hey there Joes Sorry we missed you, have been down at the Hokonui Festival playing - will have to catch you next time!!! hope it is all going well Delgirls:-)
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