Nigel Lavender - Vocal, Guitar, Harmonica..............assisted by Dave Smith - Percussion......Oliver Southgate - Lead Guitar, backing vocals, percussion........my 'Heavy Friends' on the cover of Alexi Murdoch's 'Orange Sky'------------->
Nigel - voice & guitar...
Julian Stone - guitar...
Les Woods - Mandolin & guitar...
Penny Stevens - Violin & mandolin...
Callum Lavender - mandolin & percussion
Paul Schmassmann- percussion...
Janet Lavender - tea,cakes & good vibes........
Influences
Dylan's Bob & Jakob - Josh Ritter - Ryan Adams - Neil Young - Van Morrison - Bruce Springsteen - Woody Guthrie - Joe Strummer - Cormac McCarthy - Stienbeck - Hunter S.Thompson..........
…..it was at a show I was at by American rock band Tyketto where their vocalist/chief songwriter Danny Vaughan said
‘Don’t deny or hide your influences…embrace them!’
& he’s right. I’ve always written songs where- somewhere- deep in the depths of my mind they’ve been born from the spark of ideas hatched whilst listening to Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin etc & where this maybe true there is so much more that I’ve soaked up. Music. Books. Films. In the main…..
…so I write a song about Woody Guthrie, let’s not hide the fact we’ll call it ‘Woody Guthrie’! & I’m up all night writing a ‘stream of consciousness’ Dylan-esque ditty called ‘Man On The Run’…well we’ll drop in a snippet from’Highway 61 Revisited’.Songs inspired by books? The still to be recorded trio of ‘All The Pretty Horses’, ‘Football Factory’ & ‘American Rust’ inspired by books by Cormac McCarthy, Jon King & Philip Meyer respectively & named after said tomes.
& as for the music? I’m of an age where I’m comfortable to be inspired by the songs that I grew up with. Which with me means the ‘70’s. & as well as the obvious such as Zep, The Who,Free,The Clash, Neil & Bob there’s all those bands I loved & forgot & have fallen back into love with…..which is why I’m just as likely to be inspired by Lindisfarne, Focus & Pye era Quo as much as anyone.
Oh & Creedence
…don’t forget the Byrds
….oooh Magazine & the Buzzcocks yes…
Don’t you just love music?
Album ‘Strange Child’ available on Audio Temple
Follow up in progress….which may or may not be called ‘HonestyLaughterTime’
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'STRANGE CHILD' - NIGEL LAVENDER
'....YOU SENSE THE MASTERY OF GUITAR & SONGWRITING SKILL IN NIGEL LAVENDER'S REPERTOIRE VERY EARLY ON...' ESP MAGAZINE JUNE 2007 ALBUM REVIEW 3/5*******************
A fantastic set at Acoustic Rotherham 4 Nigel - congratulations - brilliant. Thanks for your time and hope we meet again in the not too distant future.
Hi Nigel sorry about the late reply, massively busy with work and trying to organise my album launch. What day is the show on? I'm just moving to Nottingham in Sept so i won't be in the area but will most likely be able to come back and play the show since it's for a great cause.
The Squirrel Skin Slippers are a rough n tumble Mr & Mrs originating from the bone-rattling mythical antipodes of New Zealand. Their metamorphosis from two wild little animals into a gut punchin garage music beast started back in ‘07 when they began smashing pot lids together and howling like a drunk mule. Ever since this violent metamorphosis took place, they have continued to howl and gnash in venues in London, New York, and New Zealand.
The Squirrel Skin Slippers music is as rough-handed honest and straight talkin' as it gets. Their music is stitched together from the beaten skins of old deep south dirty blues, DIY garage music, folk noir and 60's punk and garage spirit. Their sound is like a primal, foot stomping, eye squinting, amped up yet stripped down blend of illegal liquor, with earthy undertones, hints of fruitiness, and subtle infusions of John Lee Hooker, Billy Childish, Link Wray, and the Trashmen. This new and unpredictable creature is then brought to life with their own fuzzed-up experimental style and served with a gut punching snarl!
Isn't the Internet wonderful? There you are in England, listening to rural American music and writing songs from it; here I am in rural America , listening to your songs. (I like "Maria," by the way.) We're two Lavenders on either side of the big drink (or mud puddle, as an old friend from Bedfordshire liked to call it), soaking up folk and redelivering it to the world. Now, how about that!
How gutted am I??? The first time in a zillion years that you play Barnack & I miss it!!! Big boo hoos. I cant remember the last time I saw you play :(
