C86 Show - Indie Pop

Root Cartwright in conversation with David Eastaugh  Their first public performance was at an event called "Dance of Words" organised by students (one of whom was Jeremy Ensor) in Portsmouth and hosted by John Peel in May 1968, which also featured Fairport Convention, Free, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Alexis Korner, Gary Farr, Pete Brown's Poetry Band with John McLaughlin on guitar, and poets Brian Patten and Michael Horovitz. They were signed by Korner's management team and, with Peel's active support, performed at similar events and gigs in London and elsewhere, sharing bills with Pink Floyd, The Fugs, Family, Free, King Crimson, Yes, Deep Purple, Elton John, Ten Years After and others. The group were the first to be signed to Peel's Dandelion Records; though the label's co-founder Clive Selwood later described them as "the most pretentious act I have ever come across", and Peel's radio producer John Walters described them as "incorporating all kinds of arty-farty nonsense"; and performed at the first Bath Festival of Blues in June 1969.

Martin Bisi in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://www.martinbisi.com/news.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5UpP0xMzMc https://www.martinbisi.com/ In 1981, he started B.C. Studiowith Bill Laswell and Brian Eno in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn, where he recorded much of the No Wave, avant garde, and hip-hop of the early 1980s including Lydia Lunch, Live Skull, Fred Frith and Afrika Bambaataa. In 1982, he recorded the instruments for the first song Whitney Houston recorded as a lead singer, "Memories" off of Material's One Down LP. Soon after recording Herbie Hancock's "Rockit", Bisi split from Bill Laswell but continued working from BC Studio till present time, with a specialty in loud, dense, often noisy sound, with a focus on local NYC music such as White Hills (band), Clone, Cinema Cinema, and Weeping Icon.

Philip Hogarth & D'Arcy Walsh in conversation with David Eastaugh https://royalottawa.bandcamp.com/album/here-comes-everybody https://www.royalottawa.ca/ It all began in 1981 when Philip Hogarth moved to Dublin to study Irish theater for his fourth year of university. “I ended up getting sidetracked because there was such an incredible music scene going on at that time that looked way more attractive than classes.” Hogarth would soon meet Michael Griffin and Aidan McGovern, and feeling like ‘like-minded lost souls watching this amazing music world go by too quickly’, the three got instruments – guitar, bass, and keyboards respectively - and started learning to play them and write songs. When, at the end of the year, Hogarth needed to return to Canada, Griffin and McGovern decided to join him to keep the band going. Back in Ottawa they teamed up with drummer D’Arcy Walsh, who’d cut his teeth playing with The Bureaucrats and The Action. And thus Bugs Harvey Oswald was born. They got a band house, played eight hours a day, and would go on to open for The Ramones, The Fall, and Mission Of Burma. Bugs’ 1982 7”, Bye-Bye, got a lot of airplay, bringing the band to the New York City for gigs at Danceteria,  CBGB’s, and across the river at Maxwell’s. Yet a record deal remained elusive. By 1985 guitarist J.P. Vaucrosson had left the band, and marriage and kids were calling, so Bugs Harvey Oswald called it a day.    Come 1993 the members decided to reform as Royal Ottawa, with The Night Twisters’ Alan Pollock now on guitar, releasing the Heaven mini-album in 1996. Writing prolifically as ever, they also began to construct their own studio and rehearsal room to focus even more on their craft, the space evolving over three iterations in the decades since. The ripest fruit from these years was released on the full-length The World We Know in 2015, mastered at Abbey Road Studios, and the much-lauded Carcosa double album in 2023. The Here Comes Everybody EP was released earlier this year to glowing reviews across the globe. 

Matt Devine in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://ventilatorofficial.bandcamp.com/album/reseda-spleen https://matt-devine.bandcamp.com/album/a-distant-present Thirty years after its original release, Reseda Spleen, the 1996 debut album from Los Angeles psychedelic rock project Ventilator, is getting a new lease on life through a reissue from Bar/None Records. Led by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Matt Devine, Ventilator emerged following his departure from Permanent Green Light, the power-pop band he shared with former Three O’Clock frontman Michael Quercio.   Recorded largely in Devine’s North Hollywood apartment using a Tascam 388 eight-track tape recorder, Reseda Spleen blends melodic songwriting with noisy guitars, atmospheric textures, and moments of experimentation. While Devine was the driving creative force behind the project, the album also features contributions from drummer Byron Reynolds (Possum Dixon), lap steel guitarist Jeff Caruana, and Brad Laner of Medicine, who played bass on “Earthquake Song” and mixed “Schadenfreude.” The majority of the album was mixed by Earle Mankey, whose extensive credits include Sparks, the Runaways, and the Beach Boys.

Julie Hair in conversation with David Eastaugh https://femalegenius.bandcamp.com/album/female-genius https://www.facebook.com/ftothegenius/ Julie Hair and Marnie Jaffe blasted out of the LES underground rock scene of the 1980’s and are still creating. Julie’s experience in the the art rock band 3 Teens Kill 4 and Marnie’s Live Skull footprint inform their musicality. Nikki D’Agostino is an an avant-garde composer who contributes integral skronk, and lyrical sax lines. LES Artist Janice Sloane's uber minimal guitar adds sonic texture.

Steve Hill in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://www.route-online.com/all-books/friday-night-fever https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/friday-night-fever-inside-the-cult-of-half-man-half-biscuit-steve-hill-tickets-1999016058844 Half Man Half Biscuit occupy a unique place in British culture. Existing largely outside the music business, this idiosyncratic Birkenhead band has flown under the radar for over four decades. Without embarking on anything that could realistically be described as a tour, they have nevertheless garnered an army of adoring followers. This is one fan’s story. Biscuit concerts are supremely joyous occasions, with disparate devotees often travelling huge distances to far-flung locations. United by their love of the band, some of the hardcore never miss a show. Following the enforced pandemic hiatus, author Steve Hill made the life changing decision to join these Ultras and go full-time. Round Britain in a Dukla Prague away kit – from Somerset to Scotland and all points in between – Friday Night Fever is a raucous road trip: one man, one band, 25 gigs. But beyond the jocularity and Joy Division oven gloves, there is a poignant exploration of the lives touched by this most beloved national treasure.  

Kathryn Pepper in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://www.zervaspepperjonitribute.com/ https://zervasandpepper.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/Zerodeo Zervas & Pepper are Songwriters Paul Zervas and Kathryn Pepper that have been creating and performing original music for over a decade professionally. The duo and their recording/touring band enjoy cult success in UK and Europe, having released five critically-acclaimed studio albums. Undertaking countless headline and support tours, receiving strong national and international network radio support throughout their career. 'This Flight Tonight' is a celebration of Joni Mitchell's music that the duo has had in the making for many years, established in early 2023 and touring extensively thereafter. The carefully crafted set list will feature songs from Joni's million-selling albums such as 'Song To A Seagull', 'Clouds', 'Ladies of the Canyon', 'For The Roses', 'Court and Spark', 'Hissing of Summer Lawns' and 'Hejira' featuring many cuts from her 1971 landmark release 'Blue'.

Jay Collins in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://ryvvolterecords.bandcamp.com/ https://ryvvolterecords.storenvy.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RyvvolteRecords/ https://katecollinsart.bigcartel.com/ Hardcore Punk label based in Philadelphia. Formed in 2014, ran by Jay & Kate Collins.

Patti Rothberg in conversation with David Eastaugh  https://pattirothberg.wordpress.com/ Patti Rothberg played all the guitar and bass parts on her debut album, Between the 1 and the 9, which was released on April 2, 1996. The first single, "Inside", reached number 25 on the Billboard magazine Alternative chart.  

Stan Greenwood in conversation with David Eastaugh  The original line-up of the band was Anne-Marie Hurst (vocals), Stan Greenwood (guitar), Roger "Trotwood" Nowell (bass guitar), Ian "Karl Heinz" Taylor (keyboard/saxophone) and Steve Crane (drums). In 1983, after their first single, "Trees", the band signed to independent record label Red Rhino Records. They recorded their first single for Red Rhino, "The Night", shortly after losing their original drummer Crane, who was replaced by Howard Daniels. Daniels soon left, joining My Pierrot Dolls, and was replaced by Martin Henderson (formerly of The Last Laugh).Skeletal Family's first album, Burning Oil, recorded in four days at a cost of £640, was released by Red Rhino in August 1984. It topped the UK Independent Chart, staying in the top 10 until the end of the year. The band began touring with the Sisters of Mercy during the Sisters' First and Last and Always tour. Skeletal Family released the Futile Combat album in 1985, along with the "Promised Land" single.