Gina Kelly and her Weather Maker Press.

Gina Kelly is an outstanding artist, who literally blew me away when I first stumbled across her Beirut poster a few months back. Unfortunately at the time, it was necessary that I kept my wallet deep in my pockets, and although I realised I had missed out on a real gem (that poster unsurprisingly flew off the shelf) I did make a note to myself to keep an eye on her future offerings.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to wait too long, as soon enough her art called out to me, this time in the giuse of an exquisite Andrew Bird Poster.

Having very kindly agreed to ship the poster to me in the Uk, at a very reasonable price I didn't have too wait too long for the latest edition of my collection to arrive safely on my door step, and If that wasn't enough, she also was generous enough to answer a few questions about inspiration, music and excellent pie and burger restaurants in her neighbourhood.














Hey Gina, so how was the Pitchfork festival? in England it always rains at Festivals, did it rain there?
I love going to Pitchfork every year. Its the only festival I really come back to year after year because I'd feel a little empty if I didn't go. Chicago has two things I love that I can't get in California, fireflies and thunderstorms. If I get to experience each when I'm back in the Midwest, I have had a glorious trip. This year it did rain at Pitchfork, but there wasn't any lightening and thunder. Just a slow little drizzle...thankfully I got my fix on the first night back, a few days before the festival, while sitting around a fire at 3 am. Thunder and lightening and fireflies all at once...and ten falling asleep to the sound of rain on the rooftop. There's a little magic in all of that.

How long have you been screen printing? was there anything that inspired you about it or did you fall into it organically?

Did you ever have something enter your head as a really casual thing and then materialize really fast in front of you? That's how it happened, I have always loved gigposters and once I decided that screenprinting would work out in my then new studio space, everything just kind of started buzzing. A total stranger gifted me a whole studio's worth of professional supplies. Friends started needing things made, it all just came together. Everytime I think I'm going to put it down for a bit or try something new an interesting job pops up, or a great band gets in contact. I'm not sure what it is, but I definitely think screenprinting came to me. In return I work super hard at it, so I guess there's a middle road somewhere in there...

What was the last record you listened to?

Let's see, everyone's been throwing tons of music at me but I think if I say whole album start to finish its either Brian Eno's "Here Come the Warm Jets" or the new (not yet released) Califone album (which is really unbelievable, Tim Rutili is a genius song writer). I tend to want to listen to something that is layered and both these projects satisfy the crazy sound palette and beautiful/rocking song writing that I freak out over in music.

Where are you based and what would you recommend people visiting of they were ever in your neck of the woods?

Again I have to answer in two's...#1 is a diner in Pasadena called Pie and Burger because you really should eat them in that order (and the pies are killer, trust me, there's a very very long list) or The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City. That must be the one true magical museum in the entire world, so you'd be sorry if you missed it...

What is your all time favourite dinner?

Shit. Do you have any idea how much I love food? There's absolutely no way I can answer this question! How do you choose between oysters or home-made baked mac and cheese or fish fry or a lamb steak? If I try to answer this I'm gonna get all stressed....

For all those people that are reading this interview and saying to themselves "I need a piece of Gina Kelly Artwork!" , where can they find you?

The best place to find me is in my print studio, but since most of you are over the pond, I guess www.weathermakerpress.com is just as good. Of course, you don't get to hang out and enjoy a tequilla shot with me, but you'll get the idea. :)

Are there any artists/musicians you think deserve more recognition?

Well, I mentioned Califone earlier, and no matter how much people love them I think that it'll never be enough for me. I think Roomsound is a "perfect" album, and all the other albums that follow just grow from there. I They just do what they do so well and so naturally, I am always surprised when people say they love Wilco for example, but then they don't know Califone. Hopefully more of you will after reading this!

and finally, do you have any words of wisdom that you would like to leave us with?
Get out of your own way...i'm telling myself this everyday right now. I bet we could all do that just a little bit more in some respect.

If you do fancy spending some time in the world of Gina Kelly, please visit her website www.weathermakerpress.com.

Crispy Cream eggs, Tartan and other stories with Lewis Irvine

When you hear Lewis Irvine for the first time, it is fairly easy to be drawn into his unique world of strummed guitars and husky vocals. I can't describe what it sounds like, perhaps a blend of celtic anti-folk mixed with both genuine sincerity and humour, however what I can tell you is that his records are very good and will keep you pressing repeat over and over again.

Having become a big fan of his work , I was delighted that he was able to answer a few questions, answers which cover all important topics, such as fashion, men in skirts, musical recommendations and Scotland's insatiable appetite for deep frying Cadburys products.

Please take time out to read these questions whilst listening to the undeniably talented Lewis Irvine.


Hello Mr Irvine, what have you just been doing?

To be honest I was just woken up by this huge sneeze which scared the shit out of me. I thought I was having a stroke but it turned out to be an absolutely massive sneeze.

Whereabouts in Scotland do you live and what would you recommend someone visiting should they ever be in your neck of the woods?

I live in Glasgow. In a house with a yellow door. I'd probably recommend visiting me. That's probably a good bet. If you can't find my house based on that description, then I'd recommend going anywhere up north/the west coast where it's beautiful or just exploring Glasgow for days and days. It's a lovely place. And if you're looking for free furniture, there's loads in my area.

What is your most prized possession?

I'd say it probably a close tie between my boots, my books and a CD given to me by my friend Greg Whalen. It was his first "album" and it was called "Some of My Songs For Lou To Listen To From Greg" and there was one copy made.


What was the last record you listened to?

Before I fell asleep we listened to the Arthur & Yu album In Camera. They're from Seattle and they're just great. This very minute I'm listening to The Only Living Boy in New York.

I see in your picture that your wearing a cravat, I myself often sport one at weddings etc etc. Could you please share with the Tuckshop followers the main plus points to wearing such a distinguished piece of neck gear?

Apart from framing ones face nicely, elevating ones visual grouping to the gentry, being very snug and, I must say, fetching, cravates serve the following purposes - they minimize the soiling of one's doublet and they allow one to successfully emulate the old fashioned kings of France. My doublet's squeaky clean.


As you are from Scotland, do you have a kilt? Or even tried a battered Mars Bar?

I do have a kilt in the distinguished Irvine tartan, no I have never eaten a battered Mars Bar. BUT, did you know, that at Easter some Scottish chipshops sell battered Creme Eggs?

Is there any wisdom you would like to share with us?

Never ever stand up in a small boat.

What was the last thing you saw that made you laugh?

Talking with my friends about soiled doublets earlier on this interview made me laugh, but the last thing I saw... My friend Dougie blowing bubbles at a "noise" gig. At the "noise" band. While they were on stage.

How can we get hold of your records?

You can buy my first record for £3 through my page on myspace. Or from me in person. Or, you can wait a few months and buy my new one. If you're willing to travel, I'll give a free haircut to anyone who buys one.

If you would like to get your hair cut by Lewis Irvine, you can book an appointment by visiting him here

A good job is an Anti Job

Fresh from the DIY New York College Scene, The Anti Job have been entertaining all Jocks, Geeks, stoners, preppies, cheerleaders and even the janitor at a variety of venues close to their campus. Originally a pair, The Anti job have now required a drummer and on the back of this have released an excellent E.P self titled "We are the Anti Job"which is full of both lo-fi melodic charm and avante garde punk. It is refreshingly original and will no doubt be blaring out of the speakers of many a Students dorm and Professors office

Fresh from finishing thier summer exams, they very kindly dropped us a line to talk about their new EP and to put forward thier own version of Cockney Rhyming Slang!

So Anti Job, How are you all and what are you up to?

We are great! We are on summer break enjoying being away from the stress of school and what not. Right now all three of us are scattered all over the country with Amanda in Washington D.C, Martin in L.A, and Katie in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Would you like to introduce yourselves?
We are the Anti-Job, We are a band. And we REALLY enjoy making music. Katie Troy plays the drums, Martin lopez-iu plays electric guitar and Amanda Jones plays acoustic and sings.

If you could describe your sound in one sentence, how would you do it?

We are an indie-avant-punk-psychedelic-clepto-rock band from New York

Tell us about our excellent EP?
There are five songs on the EP. its a collection of songs written from 2007-2009. We recorded it by ourselves in a diy, unpolished spirit. We talk about war, crime, long distance relationships, mental health and pandas...yes pandas

How can we get hold of a copy?

You can download a copy of the entire EP "We are the Anti-Job" on our myspace page June 25th for free. In addition we will be passing them out at shows and if you want a hard copy you can email us your mailing address to: antijob@rocketmail.com
I hear you guys are from New York, which coincidently is where my girlfriend originates from (she moved to England when she was 7) She still dreams about eating Pizza at a place called Johns, somewhere in Greenwich Village. Do any of you know it? where is the best Place to get Pizza near you? Yea we know it we go there all the time. We know John personally...actually we don't eat pizza....only guacamole.

Am I right in thinking you guys are still at college? in England we associate American colleges with Geeks and Jocks, what category do you fall into and are you members of a fraternity?

Yes we are still in College Let's see I think we transcend all definitions And noo we are not in any fraternities there are none at our college....we can out drink those bastards anyways

Have you ever heard of cockney rhyming slang?

Yea....kinda. All we can say is an expression when someone is in trouble. Um rob a bank your in barney. Haha we try.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Martin will share his body. And hopefully we'll be seeing you at your local venue! Check out the EP!!!! "We are the Anti-Job" online and at our shows!....they will not be in stores soon.

The Anti Job can be found here......Watch out!

June Club Ugly is so Hot right now

So The June Club Ugly left it's final Tuesday slot with a fair amount of gusto. It was indeed a cracker of an evening further embossing the haphazard Club Ugly brand into all those around to a level that even the likes of Sir Alan Sugar would have been impressed with. Whilst the whole of London roasted. The Club Ugly suprisingly remained cool.













Eddie Halliday opened proceedings playing records straight from his latest album "replaced by these colours", armed with no more than a few guitars and a Dr Rhythm he hand picked his way through an impressive opening set, showing us all why the good guys at naked tree recordings have yet again put faith in him. With a mix of old and new records, some loud and some sweet. Eddie Halliday left the Club Ugly entourage with both envy and admiration as he sang, strummed and daintily stepped between his line of guitar pedals, paving the way for a que of newfound admirers wantng a copy of his latest recordings.













Admittedly (due to a heavy work load), I hadn't done my homework on Off Ground Touch, and as a result hadn't even played them on Tuckshop Community Radio. "I think you'll like them" Tobias had told me as we sat outside the Social earlier that evening tucking into Chicken soup fresh from Itsu which was conveniently located round the corner. "The new stuff they're doing is cracking" he added imbetween slurps, and boy was he right as within the first few chords of thier set, I with everyone else fell into a trance and collectively hummed along to happy melodies accompanied by harmonica's, banjo, electric drum kits and soothing vocals. I will indeed be chasing them for a few recordings in the near future so keep your ears open.














Even though Jared, our compere for the evening kept the crowd in good humour, introducing to us all the new social networking game of Club Ugly Soul Mates (Come down on the 23rd to play the next installement) I'm not quite sure if anyone was fully prepared for the theatrics that surrounded the 8 instrument strong ensemble of Gabby Young and Other Animals. With the brass section standing in with the crowd, Club Ugly perhaps more than ever before became fully immersed with the performing band, the front row telepathically ducked every time the trombomist burst into solo, the second row and beyond swung to the swinging bass and ticking drums, whilst those on the side, shimmied up and down the aisle as Gabby sang strong.













It was indeed, yet again a fantastic evening and although we feel a little sad to be leaving our Tuesday slot, we look forward to seeing you on Thursday the 23rd July where we'll have some more fun and games

Dwile Flonking. Pagaen ritual or silly game?

If I'm honest, I had never heard of "Dwile Flonking" , so I had no idea what to expect as I rather innocentely strolled down the main high street of the town called Lewes. A town that can be found in East of the county Sussex. It was a fantastic May Bank Holiday Sunday afternoon, where everyone was out and full of joy, safe in the knowledge that work was still a full two days away. The smell of warm ale, wafted through the cobbled streets and in the feint distance I could hear the sound of not only music playing but also the odd scream.













Intrigued by both the sound and smell, I followed my senses, which guided me firstly over a bridge,which then followed walking down a narrow side alley. Reaching the end, I found myself huddles within a curious throng of strangely dressed adults who were dancing wildly to music, holding hands around a lone figure who crouched low,long stick in hand.













Suddenly the music stopped, the dancers froze and the lone figure proceeded to flick what appeared to be an old rag, dipped in beer on to those dancing. Everyone cheered, the lone figure then literaly downed a pint, while everyone huddled aroud him. Once all the ale had been consumed, this band of straw collared, waistcoat wearing country folk, once again began to dance around a newly elected Lone figure.














Dwile Flonking, has been a tradition of Lewes amongst regulars of the infamous Lewes Arms (also the home of the international Pea throwing championships) since the mid 1960's, it does have a set of rules, which I was unable to work out. Although the initial scenes reminded me of an excert from Stephen Kings "Children of the Corn", once I had sat down on a nearby crate I felt quite at ease.

If you would like to know more about the lost art of Dwile Flonking, then you should visit the Lewes Arms website here.

Stacie Willoughby interview

For those of you that either visit this blog from time to time or tune in regularly to Tuckshop Community Radio , the chances are that you've probably heard me harking on about Santa Cruz artist Stacie Willoughby. A chance sighting of one of her posters whilst in Big Sur last year, eventually led to me posting a blog about her talents. Since then we've been in touch and rather amazingly, she was happy to talk to us about all things interesting, including an unusual take on a Cornish Pasty.


What album are you currently listening too? and have you read
anything interesting recently?

I listen to The Broads a lot, and SF Watercooler's new one that
isn't out yet is FANTASTIC....their first one is great too. I found this great
record called Buskers recently that's just all these buskers in England from awhile back....you guys have great buskers!! Other than that I've been listening to a lot of Swans and the later John Fahey stuff this week.

Am I right in thinking you live in Santa Cruz? When I briefly visited this Autumn I went to this amazing vegetarian burger place called Saturn, in fact I still remember that dinner with fondness, is there anything else that you would recommend people checking out?

I do live in Santa Cruz, I actually used to work at the Saturn,
first as a waitress and later as a baker...there are tons of great natural spots
around, that's where I spend most of my time. As far as businesses,
some of my favorites are Logos (used book/record store), Crepe Place
(restaurant that has a lot of shows), Pergolesi (cafe with shows), the
Bike Church (bike repair co-op), Bargain Barn (great bulk-thrift
place)...and there's always the Boardwalk on Cheap Night! There are a
million forest and beaches and places to hike and camp and picnic
and all that. The whole county is full of beautiful places, but they're
hard to list...you just have to explore...like the other day I went to see a
waterfall in Big Basin, the oldest California state park, for the first time.

I also checked out the Surf Museum and watched the guys surf at
steamer Lane, where there was this one crazy old bodyboarder who had a big
white beard and a crash helmet, he looked amazing...do you know him?

No idea. That's one thing I don't do here is surf....but I have
surfing friends, and anyway I certainly am familiar with a lot of strange
individuals. That's another thing about Santa Cruz....we have a lot of
unique and startling inhabitants....some of them are rad and some
of them are fucking annoying.

What are you currently working on?

I am about to paint a couple of surfboards, and I have the Bert Jansch
posters to do, and there are a couple of tentative art shows in the
works, as far as that goes. Just finished Folkyeah posters for Sir Richard
Bishop and Animal Collective. Oh and I'm doing t shirts for a really great
little mexican farmhouse restaurant out here.

Are there any artists you admire that you think we should all look
up?
The list is long and I always blank when asked this question, but I
was looking at my Tisnikar book earlier today and so I shall mention
him. He is awesome.

Have you ever eaten a Cornish Pasty?

No. Is that anything like haggis? I actually like haggis alright. It
sounds like it would involve bread.. is 'pasty' like our 'pastry'
here? As far as I know, pasties are things you put on your nipples. If
you're so inclined, I mean.

What is the most awe inspiring thing that you have seen in recent
weeks?

It would have to be Mono Lake from the top of a crater, with the
sky all alien and weird over the tufas there.

and have you ever seen a great white shark? or even a Blue whale?

No. and No. I've seen smaller whales though, and once I saw a
leopard shark.

Stacie Willoughby can be found not only in Santa Cruz, but also regularly sketching awesome posters for Folk Yeah. To view her incredible gallery of work, you can visit her myspace page by clicking here

Easy Eddie

Eddie Halliday will be opening the next Club Ugly on June 2nd, having just released his second album through his own impressive label Naked Tree Recordings, he has indeed been a busy chap. Despite all this going on, he has been kind enough to spend some time talking about weak Swedish cider, broken bike handles and touring with Michael Jackson.

So Mr Halliday, I believe that you've just been to Sweden, what were you doing over there?

I was recording an amazing band called Steel Island. It's there first single and i'm gonna release it through Naked Tree Recordings in September which is pretty exciting! I also played a gig in a very nice little cafe called Simpan and got a free smoothie.


Have the Swedish people been treating you nice?

They've been treating me very nice!. Better than i probably deserve. The only problem is the lack of alcoholic beverages above 2.5 % in the shops. I kept getting caught out and having to drink weak Kopperberg cider! lame


If you could describe your excellent new album in One sentence, what would you say?

It's better than my last one, not as good as my next one. Awesome artwork. Buy it or you'll go to hell... probably.


Have you managed to find someone who can fix your handlebars yet?


Yeah!. In a stroke of unrivaled genius a new shop opened round the corner from my house that fix up old bikes. So they did it and i'm back on the road. Which is good because if i had to get one more tube i was gonna cut someone's balls off and put them through the ticket machine.

I hear that your mother makes the best green bean chutney in the whole of the west country, have you inherited her culinary skills?

um, not really. Although i just made some rather fine fruit pancakes for breakfast this morning.

Where can we get hold of your excellent new album?
Well you can download it most places including itunes. And buy the awesome digipack from lot's of shops and sites including;

HMV
Amazon

and of course at Naked Tree Recordings

At the last Club Ugly, we were invaded by hip Z-List celebrity Johnny Tourettes, what celebrity do you hope to see at your gig with us in June?

Michael Jackson. I want to ask him if i can support him at all of his o2 shows. I'm pretty sure he'll say yes.

Other than yours, what album would you suggest we all go out and buy?

Grand Letdown by Scraps Of Tape. Out on Tenderversion Records in Sweden.

Do you have any other words of wisdom that you care to share with us?

Put cinnamon in your pancake mix, go to the park at least once a day and work as little as possible.

You can spend more time in the company of Eddie Halliday at Club Ugly on June 2nd, Its completely free and is well worth a visit.

You can check out more of Eddie's songs by visiting his myspace page here