STRUMMERVILLE’S FIRST U.S OUTING
What do Billy Bragg, The Foo Fighters, The British Music Embassy, the Strummerville family and legendary British filmmaker Don Letts have in common? All of these tastemakers in film and music will be celebrating Strummerville’s debut at this year’s SXSW Music and Film Festival.
Strummerville is a proactive charity, set up by family and friends in the wake of Joe Strummer’s death in 2002. Since then it has built a strong community network - offering otherwise unfunded bands and solo performers the chance to record, rehearse and play live. A regular feature at Festivals in the British Summer season, Strummerville’s work goes on all year internationally. Offering mentoring services, a magic bus on loan for gigs and tours, partnering with projects from Belfast to Bogota and a range of charities including The Amber Trust (helping blind and partially sited children enjoy music) and Jail Guitar Doors (helping prisoners gain access to guitars) Strummerville insures the spirit of the man who inspired its creation lives on in the most practical manner.
March 2010 marks Strummervilles’ debut at the internationally renowned SXSW Music and Film festival:
On the evening of Monday 15th March Strummerville will takeover the British Music Embassy. Hosted by Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters the night will feature performances from the infamous ‘National Treasure’ Billy Bragg in addition to some of Strummerville’s finest bands: Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Smokey Angle Shades, Beans on Toast, Nat Jenkins, The Good The Bad, and The Supernovas.
STRUMMERVILLE SXSW 2010 BRITISH MUSIC EMBASSY SHOWCASE RSVP CLICK HERE
Get Cape Wear Cape Fly aka the introspective Sam Duckworth received critical acclaim for his debut album ‘Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager’. A cross cultural line-up of Northern Irish, German, English and Italian members The Smokey Angle Shades take their name from a flying moth and create a world where the bar room rave ups of The Faces meet joyful country capers, spiced with psychedelic whimsy. Beans On Toast, a topical Troubadour, in the style of his East London (The) Clash inspired forbearer Billy Bragg, is a regular MC at Strummerville events with songs that are a jostling blend of humourous aside and a hardnosed invective. Nat Jenkins - Intense Richie Havens flare ups, finely plucked emotional landscapes; rock swagger and pop nous indicate a singer songwriter for all seasons. The Supernovas, a young band from Holloway North London with a sound influenced by the political attitudes of Castro and Chavez, combined with the wry irony of Morrissey, and the cutting observational skills of Lennon. And The Good The Bad bringing the finest New School Surf and Flamenco to the masses. On Wednesday 17th March Strummerville will kick off proceedings on the official opening night of the SXSW Music Festival by holding a second showcase at the renowned Prague. Wayne Kramer, singer, songwriter, producer and esteemed guitarist, will join the line-up for this special occasion.
On Friday 19th March ‘Strummerville – a film by Don Letts’ will premier at the Paramount. The film, directed by the London born, Grammy award winning filmmaker and artist Don Letts, captures the very essence of Strummerville. The film journeys through the past six months of the diverse Strummerville calendar, including interviews with the bourgeoning talents and the friends and family of Joe who work hard to keep the charity going. The documentary also includes unseen footage of Joe Strummer taken from Don’s personal archive. On the film Don says, “In a cultural climate that feels like punk never happened Strummerville (the film) serves as a timely reminder of a way forward. It worked back then and it can work again – and man it needs to!”
Don Letts was the first in-house DJ at London nightclub Roxy, playing a mix of punk rock, dub and reggae. Letts’ music choice influenced Joe Strummer and The Clash; he is credited as the DJ that single-handedly turned a whole generation of punks onto reggae. He became a close friend of Joe’s and is pictured on the cover sleeve of the 1980 release, ‘Black Market Clash’. His first film The Punk Rock Movie (1978) catalogued the Punk movement in the UK. He has directed many documentaries and music videos since and in 2003 his film Westway to the World featuring The Clash won a Grammy for ‘Best Long-form Music Video’
For more information please contact:
Kate Head: kate@stokedpr.com
Zoe Stafford: zoe@stokedpr.com 020 7841 4875
We are proud to announce our take over of The British Music Embassy on Monday 15th March 2010.
It will be taking place @ Latitude 30, 512 San Jacinto, Austin TX as part of the SXSW music convention and will be hosted by Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters).
Music will be brought to you by:
* Billy Bragg with special guests The Good The Bad
* Get Cape Wear Cape Fly
* Smokey Angle Shades
* Beans On Toast
* Nat Jenkins
* The Supernovas
Doors 7.30pm
In memory and honour of Joe Strummer we’re delighted to release our Winter Sessions Showcase 2009 album today on his anniversary.
This is a compilation album of recordings by bands who performed at the Strummerville Yard in the rain under the stars.
All tracks are available for free download here
Thank you everyone for your continued support and love this year.
Wishing you all peace and love for Christmas and 2010.
Strummerville x
ps. if you’d like the CD please send self addressed envelope to:
Winter Sessions Showcase 2009
Strummerville
22A Stable Way
London
W10 6QX
NME - Dec 21st 2009: A hand-drawn Christmas card by Joe Strummer is to go on sale tomorrow (December 22), seven years to the day since the Clash frontman passed away.
The card was designed by Joe to be given to friends and family personally. As well as the card, a tribute album is also being released tomorrow (22nd Dec) showcasing new UK acts.
Listen to and download Strummerville’s ‘Winter Sessions Showcase Album 2009‘ now.
On 30th November 2009 underground hero Beans On Toast will release his debut album - Standing On A Chair – a 50 track double album incorporating all his songs to date.
The gravel-voiced singer/songwriter from Braintree has been busy penning songs on his child-sized guitar for the past couple of years. His Bragg-esque odes take in themes of sex (‘Junkfood Sex’), drugs (‘M.D.M.Amazing’), sex whilst on drugs (‘Eggs Benadict’) and wry social, political commentary that is both poignant and funny (‘Fuck The Smoking Ban’, ‘London At War’). Occasionally he has made them available online. Occasionally he has stood on a chair and sung them out in pubs and clubs up and down the country. Finally, now, he’s collected them all together and presented them in an old-skool double disc album.
‘Standing On A Chair’ is the perfect antidote to the glossy, cheesy, manufactured Christmas dross that is currently clogging up the charts. An anti-Christmas, Christmas album best enjoyed post-pub with good friends, cheap booze and in high spirits.
Having just played to around 16,000 people whilst supporting friend Frank Turner on his huge UK sold out tour, he will be heading out, with his guitar and wooden chair to play his own shows in January 2010. Further details to come.
We love Beans On Toast and are grateful for all his amazing support and general good vibes around all our work here at Strummerville.
Click Here to buy Standing on a Chair
Beans on Toast MySpace
Strummerville Summer Sessions showcasing 14 of our bands, on 2 stages in a heatwave
Thank you to everyone who came and made it such a lovely day/eve. Special thank you to all our bands who played on the day - Beans On Toast, Handshake, The Penny Black Remedy, Illegitimate Sons of the King, Goodtimes Goodtimes, Beans On Toast, Nat Jenkins, Dan Smith, Bill Coleman, DeKay, Cheka, The Wutars, Paper Plane Pilots, Jamie Ley
Listen to and download for free the Strummerville Summer Sessions 2009
Loads of love,
Strummerville x
Album Info:
In the summer of 2009 we showcased 14 of our bands in a heatwave. This is our first album - The Strummerville Summer Sessions 2009. You can share this player on your website, myspace, facebook and twitter profiles. All tracks are available for free download.
Album Track List:
- Goodtimes Goodtimes - Love
- Nat Jenkins - Message
- Dan Smith - Daniel In The Den
- Bill Coleman - Your Hands Were Made For Working
- Cheka - The Fool
- Wild Wolves - Honey
- DeKay - The Estates
- Illegitimate Sons of the King - I’ll do It
- The Wutars - Oh La La
- Paper Plane Pilots - Reign In Your Applause
- The Penny Black Remedy - 95 Charing Cross Road
- Handshake - Lockdown
- Jamie Ley - Goodbye
- Beans On Toast - I’m Not That Old Sunshine
A big thank you to all our bands.
Loads of Love,
Strummerville x