This view of TFOF from The Gilded Palace Of Sin sort of sums up our last few months activity and the kind of thing you can expect from gigs and festival appearances over the summer months. Look out soon for news of our autumn tour.
Two Fingers of Firewater are a band we've wanted to work with since hearing their debut album earlier this year. Drawing on the three great eras of country (Carter/Cash, Byrds/Band and Jeff/Jay) they push all the right buttons. Sure, they wish they'd been born in Georgia not Guildford, but we won't hold that against them. Pedal steel, mandolin, banjo, accordion all feature and they've some barn-storming tunes (plus some choice covers).
Their album has a ragged quality that I really warmed to: they've left some of the warts in, and it's all the better for it. Opening your debut album with a cover might not always be advisable, but their rout of Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down (Carter Family: check, Uncle Tupelo: check) is more a statement of intent. Morphing into their own instrumental, Bandit, it suggests they're aware of their influences but willing to take them somewhere original too. Of their own songs, we get Buritto's-influenced 'tears in your whiskey' tunes (I'm Not Sad) and almost prog-leaning country-rock (The End).
Riverside Festival (June 2009) review:
We could talk about Two Fingers’ dry humour, their contempo-country lope, their chiming pedal steel or their ‘60s rock touches (we heard the odd waft of Love in the climax), but all we can think about is their wah-wah mandolin.
UK Tour with Al Perkins
They've recently made hundreds of new friends across the UK on their ‘revue-style’ tour with US slide guitar legend Al Perkins, San Franciscan singer Brigitte Demeyer and Chris Donohue and Brady Blade, the bass and drums combo behind Emmylou Harris’ Spyboy project. Al Perkins described them as "remarkable young British outfit who class themselves as 'Country Rock Revisionists'. They sure do play authentic country rock, and are as fine a bunch of musicians and people as you will find.
Deadstring Brothers UK Tour.
Late September will see the band touring the UK with Bloodshot Records artist the Deadstring Brothers. There are plans to visit the US for a series of dates early next year.
"A wonderful British band" Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
Americana Music Times Review ***** (December 2008)
If you were to put Jay Farrar, They Might Be Giants, and The Jayhawks into a giant blender and push the "puree" button, you may create a giant bloody mess. But, if you concentrated really hard and thought positive thoughts, you might end up with Two Fingers of Firewater. I can't get this CD out of my player. Songs like the pseudo-gospel jam session "Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" and the wistfully fun "Southbank Girl," pave the way for "The Night Ends" (my favorite song) with its references to "smoking someone else's cheap cigarettes," and "B Mando" with its neo-prog intro, which lead us to the gorgeously lush "The End" and the album's coda, a tribute to the "whatever" attitude, "The World Can Turn."
This is definitely one of the best records I've heard this year. (SC)
From The Luminaire, London July 2009. Final number with Al Perkins on lap steel, Chris Donohue on guitar, Brigitte Demeyer on tambourine and Brady Blade on lunacy
Some days the band raise the roof. Riverside Festival on 22nd June 2008.
Two Fingers of Firewater was formed in 2005 by founding band members Jon Clake (acoustic/electric guitars and vocals), Tom Harding (bass) and Alex Chappelow (pedal steel/guitar/mandolin). The original line-up changed significantly in mid-2007 with the addition of Stephen Price (keyboards) and James Sacha (drums).
For all management enquiries contact: Peter Christopherson, Crossroads Music via peterchristopherson@hotmail.com or on 07777 660162
I saw you at the Luminaire a couple of weeks ago, and I really enjoyed your music. Thank you very much for the album and good luck with those recordings.
Hey Two Fingers, I've got a radio show for a few weeks - so, please tune into the Paul Hughes Show (filling in for Gordon Hotchkiss) on Celtic Music Radio this Wednesday between 7pm – 9pm UK time. As well a Scottish, Irish and American folk/roots music I’ll be chatting with Paddy Callaghan about being selected for the finals of the BBC Young Trad Musician of the Year and hear him playing the harp and box. Celtic Music Radio is available in and around Glasgow on 1530 AM (MW) and you can listen anywhere else in the world on the internet at www.celticmusicradio.net and click on “Listen Live” in the top right of the screen. Thanks for reading down this far.
This month we mostly have Catie Curtis (with a Richard Thompson cover), Lindsay Fuller and The Cheap Dates (and who amongst us isn't?), Josh Fix with a track from the well-titled album This Town Is Starting To Make Me Angry and the rather lovely Red Rooster.
Tune in and turn on. Episode 18 features the long awaited return of Ben Folke Thomas, from his hidden island lair to continue his evil plans to take over the world, an interview with, performance by, exclusive album track play, and give away, by noir-folkists 'Juniper Leaf', and many more goodly musical gifts to be bestowed upon you dear listener by the noble Lantern Players.
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howdy, if you've got nothing on, we're opening a showcase of UK Americana at Bush Hall tuesday 11th august. With Lana, The Green Rock River Band and The Cedars. Reckon it's gonna be alot a fun. cheers mark & graham the henry brothers
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