News From Mexico

29 April 2010

For the last four months David Rybka and Honeyfeet’s Rik Warren have been touring Mexico with Debt’s creative associate Jon Bonfiglio. As well as the usual bars, clubs and festivals the pair have also been booked to play shows in a maximum security prison and the British Embassy. They are also working on an album with local musicians from Cuernavaca (which will be released on Debt later this year).

We finally caught up with Dave to get his thoughts on this latest tour, so far from his native Wigan…

“There is so much history, so much to understand… the Ruins and archeological finds are really inspiring. I have seen so much yet barely half of what Mexico is about. On my return I intend to delve deeper into its history.

And what effect has it had on your writing?
“It’s made me write songs that are very different to those ones I wrote back in England… the different climate, the scenery, the feeling - it all just adds to the creative flow that boils inside all of us.”

What can we expect from the new record?
“The project is with two Mexican musicians called Matisse and Andrea Valdez. We are producing a record consisting of two traditional Mexican songs and two European Folk songs, then two songs from each of the four musicians involved in the project. They sing and play on our songs and we play and sing on their songs, then see what comes out. It should be an interesting project for everyone involved.

And what are your thoughts on the prison gig?
“Blake wrote that the body is the soul’s prison unless all five senses are fully developed and open. He considered the senses the ‘windows of the soul.’ People in prison deserve a second chance most of the time, lets hope we awake their senses…”

Rybka and Warren will be reunited with the rest of the Debt Records community at Kuiperfest in North Spain this June before returning to the UK to get their Mexican collaboration album ready for a late summer release.

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MAPS Festival Tickets in our shop

26 April 2010

Tickets for this year’s MAPS Festival (which takes place between 30th April - 3rd May) are available in the Debt Records shop

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Cry God for Monkey Poet and St George!

23 April 2010

It’s St George’s Day and Monkey Poet is treating the world to an exclusive free download of his long-awaited debut record Welcome To The UK.

The album - which will be officially released by Debt Records on the day of the General Election - is based on Monkey Poet’s award-winning live show of the same name, an act that toured the world last year, gleefully vaulting customary genre divisions and inspiring no small amount of controversy for its political, sexual and occasionally downright obscene content.

Never one to tread the usual paths, however, Matt Panesh (the Monkey in question) has decided that a conventional live album just won’t do.

“It’s hard enough to entertain with just one voice and one body in front of a crowd but take away the body and leave the voice and it gets harder still… I thought the idea of a radio play with some acidic asides and poetry to emphasize certain points could be more effective.”

Effective is one way of putting it. Mould-breaking is another. Panesh’s signature enthusiasm-combined-with-rage is typically delicious here but all the more moving when set within the grey confines of a kitchen sink radio drama.

“The play was born out of a desire to reflect the society we live in… and to mock it! The album afforded me some amazing liberties - allowing me to push the boundaries of the original show and then laugh heartily when the cast subsequently ran with the ideas.”

He goes on to address the subject of poetry itself:

“I’m very protective of poetry as a form. I loathe people who want to identify it as Poetry rather than Entertainment. Entertainment covers anything that’s entertaining, Poetry allows people to don their righteous boots… It’s the opera syndrome, if you will.”

With this album Monkey Poet explodes the form entirely, with some elements taken from live performances, some set to music and others played out by actors. The collaborative element working under Panesh’s stewardship is certainly one of the record’s great strengths and features wonderful turns from label-mates Biff Roxby (from The Bedlam Six - who also produces the record) and the legendary voice-over skills of Richard Barry.

So does Matt believe this is the future for recorded poetry?

“Well, it’s not perfect but I think it stands as a blueprint for possibilities in this field.”

We wonder what he has in store for us next…

Welcome To The UK can be freely downloaded from the Debt Records shop for the duration of the St George’s Day weekend. It goes on general release 6th May 2010.

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MAPS Debt Stage Line-Up

22 April 2010

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Find Richard Barry's Uncle!

18 April 2010

Richard’s Uncle has gone away (but you can find him in the Debt Records shop)

Richard Barry is one of the most fondly revered performers on the UK folk circuit and Debt Records is making it their business to bring his work to a wider audience (whether he likes it or not). In the past Richard has shared the bill with the likes of Bob Geldof, Kiki Dee, Midge Ure, Fairport Convention and Dr Feelgood but now, at last, he is taking centre stage.

When the doors were first thrown open at the wonderful Kasbahn studio in Cheshire Richard and The Chaps went over to lay down a couple of demos in the live room, helping our engineer road test the space and iron out any kinks.

The result was two lovely little tracks that deftly address some of the popular song’s greatest themes: loss of a loved one and waiting for your wife to get dressed for dinner.

We urged Richard to let us officially release this as a double A-Side but he insisted that he had something a little more special planned for his first release with the label. He did, however, consent to letting us stick them in the shop as a free promo, as a way of sign-posting some of the material those Chaps have in store for us later this year.

So, to mark our second anti-press release (whereby we endeavor to reward those who are already supporting Debt Records by giving away music for free) here is “My Uncle’s Gone Away” and “Continents”, free to download from the shop.

We would like to let you know about future offers, releases and events so in order to take advantage of this freebie we ask that you join our mailing list. It must be said, however, that everyone at Debt is generally too busy gigging, recording and drinking to send out lots of mail so you probably won’t even notice you’re on the list. Needless to say, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Below is a video of Richard Barry & The Chaps performing “My Uncle’s Gone Away” live at The Dancehouse Theatre last year.

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Where's Molly?

16 April 2010

You may be wondering what’s happened to Molly Macleod Band. Well they’re still here and, in true underground fashion, they’ve changed their identity just as they were starting to make a name for themselves.

So what are they called now?

RED TIDES

Expect their first latest EP “Wild Hour” this summer…

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Debt Radio

06 April 2010

The Debt Records Free To Download Radio Show is here… and what a show to start on!

Biff Roxby presents an hour and a half of musical delights featuring tracks from Debt signings and independent contemporaries from all over the world. Plus the infamous John Fairhurst - recently returned from his tour of Australia and South East Asia - stops by the Kasbahn studio for an intimate acoustic session and interview.

Listen to the first Debt Records Radio Show
(Left click to stream, right click to download)

John Fairhurst himself will take the interviewer’s chair for the next broadcast. Check back here soon to find out who will be his guest…

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