Photo: Thomas Truax with David Lynch

Thomas Truax: Songs From The Films Of David Lynch; Released May, 2009

Brief:

Thomas Truax (pronounced troo-aks) New Yorker currently residing in London.

Singer-songwriter and inventor of strange self-made instruments like his now legendary ‘Hornicator’ and motorized mechanical drum machines including new ‘Mother Superior’.

Employs these as well as traditional instruments in exceptionally crafted, witty and often touching songs.

His activities have been documented in two feature-length films: ‘Instrumental’, from director Gabe Shalom (US, 2005) and Adam Clitheroe’s ‘One Man In The Band’ (UK, 2008).

Education: NYU Film School.

Background includes work as a stop motion animator.

With three acclaimed full length albums under his belt: ‘Full Moon Over Wowtown’ (2004), ‘Audio Addiction’ (2005), and ‘Why Dogs Howl at the Moon’ (2007) Thomas took a break from near-constant touring and work on a nearly completed fourth original album to concentrate instead on an album of cover songs from the films of David Lynch. It was not in order to fulfill any contractual obligations.

Excerpts from “FBI Interrogation” of Thomas Truax:

FBI: Why David Lynch?

TT: “I think we share a similar taste for certain brands of strange and beautiful vintage rock n’ roll. And for good shoes. (The first thing he said to me when we were introduced was ‘Wow man, cool shoes!’ ) I’ve also had my own music described more than a few times as the ‘perfect soundtrack for a David Lynch film’, so it seemed a natural. He always picks (and sometimes has a hand in writing) great songs for his films. At least half these songs I could have easily chosen outside the context of their association with the Lynch films. ‘I Put A Spell On You’, for example. In a way I was just lucky that a version ended up in ‘Lost Highway’, because the original Screamin’ Jay Hawkins version was something I loved even as a kid. Curiously the Backbeater (self-made motorized rhythm contraption Truax wears on his back) had broken down a while ago and was now only able to play one wonky rhythm, but this wound up being the perfect beat for ‘Spell’. Serendipity like that happened all the time in the making of this album, it was one of those projects where everything just went right.”

FBI: You’re known for your very original songs. Why a covers album?

TT: “A great song is a thing to celebrate, worth revisiting in different times. A strong song will glow in different ways through different voices. I really love all these songs, I love playing them and I feel an affinity for them. I only chose songs that I felt I could do something new with, twist or cast a different light on. One has to remember that in the history of music it’s a relatively recent trend that singers even wrote their own songs. And It wasn’t long before that that songs travelled and got known by being passed on from player to player or via sheet music and got around by different musicians playing them, rather than in any fixed recorded medium. So covers are a traditional part of a music person’s life.”

FBI: You’re known for your very unusual self-made instruments. Why an album that is mostly guitar based?

TT: “My first inspiration was to do it all in a very stripped down rockabilly style, just me on vibrato guitar and voice backed by my (mechanical drum machine) Mother Superior. But then I found myself recording bats via a bat detector in Barnes (London) and thinking I’ve just got to use these sounds (they provide rhythm on ‘In Heaven’) I realized I had set my goals too narrow. So there’s a fair share of self-made instruments and other sounds but I do love guitar and it is always part of my process to ask of a song: does it need more than guitar? Sometimes yes, it needs bass, or it needs bats, or Hornicator, or what have you. Other times no, keep it simple and sparse, let the reverb of the room have some space to work it’s magic. In its original version ‘I’m Deranged’, the Bowie/Eno song, is this very busy rhythmic-dominated kind of drum n’ bass-y thing. The chord progression that almost gets lost in that context is just beautiful though. As a mostly solo artist on a limited budget, I often take a deconstructive approach.

FBI: Are you going to be doing a Lynch-themed live show when you tour this spring and summer?

TT: You bet!

FBI: Will it feature a backwards-speaking dancing dwarf?

TT: Are you available?

FBI: At turns you’ve been referred to as antifolk, part of the one-man-band resurgence, and the Guardian even labeled you “Steampunk royalty”. How does this album fit in with all that?

TT: It doesn’t.

CATALOG #: PT-1010
LABEL: Psycho Teddy/SL Records

Press:

“Inventive and Romantic” – TimeOut

“Beguilingly Bizarre” – Uncut

“Genius.” – NME

“A cranium pouring with genuine innovation. Imaginative, out-there, rich in content.” – Plan B

“Like a trip to the frayed edges of sanity…unapologetically original.” – Dazed&Confused

“Suddenly he’s a serious proposition.” – Q

Thomas Truax 2009 UK live dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

25 April – Electrowerks (early show, 6pm start) London
29 April – Orange Street – Sounds New Festival Canterbury
30 April – Fat Fox Portsmouth
5 May – Goodbye, Faithful Kingdom! @ The Macbeth London
14 May – Great Escape Festival Brighton
26 July – Truckfest Steventon

Buy Music:

Thomas Truax on amazon.co.uk

Thomas Truax on amazon.com

Thomas Truax Official Website
MySpace

“To me his voice sounds like the wind forming words and being sent to you from across time. His voice is so alone it defies comparison.” – Tom Waits

“Roy’s ballads were always best when you were alone in the dark. They were scary. His voice was unearthly.” – Bruce Springsteen

On October 13, 2008 (UK), Sony BMG & Orbison Records are proud to release The Soul Of Rock And Roll, the long-awaited definitive 4 CD box set of 107 seminal recordings including demos, live recordings and 12 previously unreleased cuts spanning the entire career of the profoundly influential American singer, songwriter and performer, Roy Orbison.

Roy Orbison – The Soul of Rock ‘n’ Roll on amazon.co.uk

The Soul of Rock and Roll on amazon.com

The Soul Of Rock And Roll, the centerpiece release of Sony BMG’s mammoth Roy Orbison Reissue Project, is the first truly comprehensive Roy Orbison collection, an historic career-spanning compilation of breathtaking scope and variety drawn from all phases of Orbison’s musical history.

Exclusive Barbara Orbison interview

Watch video: Bono on Roy Orbison : Mystery Girl footage:

Disc One of the collection opens with a previously unreleased recording of “Ooby Dooby” Roy’s early group the Teen Kings followed by “Hey! Miss Fannie,” an Ahmet Ertegun composition performed by Roy’s first band, The Wink Westerners, in Dallas in 1955.

The first disc of The Soul Of Rock And Roll continues with a series of Orbison’s 1950s recordings including Teen Kings sides cut with Norman Petty in 1956 and 1957 at Petty’s legendary studio in Clovis, New Mexico as well an unreleased cover of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” from 1956.

Also featured on disc one are an ample selection of Orbison’s early Sun Records rockabilly recordings, produced by Sam Phillips, including both sides of his first US chart hit, 1956’s “Ooby Dooby” and “Go! Go! Go!” and several unreleased demos including “Claudette,” “Night Owl” and “Love Struck” from 1958. The first disc’s fascinating cross section of Orbison’s groundbreaking 1950s roots includes the previously unreleased “Guitar Pull Medley: I Want You, I Need You, I Love You/I Was The One/That’s All Right/Mary Lou/You’re My Baby” recorded in Galveston, Texas in 1956 featuring Roy Orbison solo on guitar and vocal. The disc closes with Orbison’s 1958 RCA Victor single, “Almost Eighteen,” produced by Chet Atkins and a pair of his early 50’s sides for Monument: “With The Bug” and “Pretty One.”

Disc Two of Roy Orbison’s The Soul Of Rock And Roll focuses on the artist’s watershed recordings for Monument in the early 1960s, bringing together emotionally wrenching hits like “Love Hurts,” “Blue Bayou” and “Only The Lonely” with career-defining masterpieces like “Oh, Pretty Woman”, and “Crying” and “In Dreams” alongside a selection of rare b-sides from the period.

Disc Three continues with the Monument years with live recordings from the era and some of his strongest studio work including the signature classic, “Oh Pretty Woman,” Roy’s biggest hit and one of the most immediately recognized and popular rock songs of all time. The third disc of The Soul Of Rock And Roll includes many of the singles Roy recorded for MGM as well as the Orbison songs from the films “Zabriskie Point” and “The Fastest Guitar Alive,” the MGM western-musical which marked Orbison’s only starring role in a movie. Disc three premieres a demo recording from the late 1960s of an Orbison composition, “Precious,” and a previously unreleased live recording of Chris Kenner’s “Land of 1000 Dances” from 1972. Disc Three also includes Roy’s duet with Emmylou Harris, “That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again,” (from the motion picture “Roadie”) which won a Grammy in 1981 for Best Country Performance by a Group or Duo.

Disc Four of The Soul Of Rock And Roll collects a fantastic range of recordings from Orbison’s creative renaissance of the 1980s including tracks from the Grammy-winning ‘Class of ‘55′ album with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins; the 1987 recording of “In Dreams” from “Blue Velvet” produced by T Bone Burnett, Roy Orbison and David Lynch; “Not Alone Any More,” one of Orbison’s tracks with the Traveling Wilburys; Orbison’s Virgin Records singles: “You Got It” and “California Blue” produced by Jeff Lynne, “She’s A Mystery To Me” produced by Bono, and “Crying,” his duet with k.d. lang produced by Don Was; songs from Roy’s final studio album, ‘Mystery Girl,’ and tracks from the acclaimed television special, “A Black And White Night Live” including Roy’s Grammy-winning performance of “Oh Pretty Woman” with Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello on backing vocals. The fourth disc of The Soul Of Rock And Roll also includes a selection of tracks from Roy’s posthumous release, “The King of Hearts” and well as Orbison’s tracks for the films “Insignificance” (”Wild Hearts Run Out Of Time”), “The End of Violence” (”You May Feel Me Crying” produced by Brian Eno), and “Less Than Zero” (”Life Fades Away” produced by Rick Rubin).

Executive produced by Barbara Orbison, Roy’s widow, and compiled by Roy Kelton Orbison Jr, Roy’s son, The Soul Of Rock And Roll comes in a limited edition deluxe box set covered in white linen with an 80 page book featuring new liner notes from Barbara Orbison, Fred Foster, Joe Melson, Roy Orbison Jr and a host of testimonials from friends and fans including Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Dolly Parton, Glenn Danzig, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Lemmy Kilmister, Chris Isaak, Clint Black, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, K.D. Lang, Elvis Costello, and Neil Diamond.

Tracklisting:

(Information subject to change.)

Disc One

1. Ooby Dooby (The Teen Kings) (previously unreleased)
2. Hey! Miss Fannie (The Wink Westerners)
3. A True Love Goodbye (The Teen Kings)
4. An Empty Cup And A Broken Date (The Teen Kings)
5. Tryin’ To Get To You (The Teen Kings)
6. Tutti Frutti
7. Advertisement: Overton Park Shell Concert (June 1, 1956; Memphis)
8. Ooby Dooby
9. Cat Called Domino
10. Go! Go! Go!
11. Rockhouse
12. Guitar Pull Medley: I Want You, I Need You, I Love You/I Was The One/That’s All Right/Mary Lou/You’re My Baby (previously unreleased)
13. You’re My Baby
14. Mean Little Mama
15. Problem Child
16. One More Time (demo)
17. You’re Gonna Cry
18. It’s Too Late
19. Sweet And Easy To Love
20. This Kind Of Love
21. Claudette (demo)
22. You Tell Me (previously unreleased demo)
23. Night Owl (previously unreleased demo)
24. Bad Cat (previously unreleased demo)
25. I Give Up (previously unreleased demo)
26. Love Struck (previously unreleased demo)
27. Baby Don’t Stop (previously unreleased demo)
28. Defeated (previously unreleased demo)
29. Love Storm (previously unreleased demo)
30. Almost Eighteen
31. With The Bug
32. Pretty One

Disc Two

1. Uptown
2. Only The Lonely
3. Blue Angel
4. In Dreams
5. Running Scared
6. I’m Hurtin’
7. (I’d Be) A Legend In My Time
8. Love Hurts
9. Lana
10. Crying
11. Candy Man
12. Night Life
13. (They Call You) Gigolette
14. Let The Good Times Roll
15. Blue Bayou
16. Wedding Day
17. Dream Baby
18. Evergreen
19. Working For The Man
20. The Crowd
21. Leah
22. The Actress
23. Borne On The Wind
24. Falling
25. Indian Wedding
26. Shahdaroba
27. All I Have To Do Is Dream
28. Mama
29. Pretty Paper

Disc Three

1. Mean Woman Blues
2. What’d I Say (live in Holland – Combo Concert)
3. It’s Over
4. Oh, Pretty Woman
5. Yo Te Amo Maria
6. Goodnight
7. (Say) You’re My Girl
8. Ride Away
9. Crawling Back
10. Breakin’ Up Is Breakin’ My Heart
11. Too Soon To Know
12. Communication Breakdown
13. Walk On
14. So Young (from the motion picture Zabriskie Point)
15. Blue Rain (Coming Down)
16. Big As I Can Dream
17. Pistolero (from the motion picture The Fastest Guitar Alive)
18. The Fastest Guitar Alive (from the motion picture The Fastest Guitar Alive)
19. Precious (previously unreleased demo)
20. Unchained Melody
21. Land Of 1000 Dances (live in Australia)
22. Blues In My Mind
23. Born To Love Me
24. That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again (duet with Emmylou Harris)
25. Hound Dog Man

Disc Four

1. Coming Home
2. Waymore’s Blues (with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins)
3. Oh, Pretty Woman (re-record)
4. In Dreams (from the motion picture Blue Velvet)
5. Not Alone Any More (Traveling Wilburys)
6. You Got It
7. She’s A Mystery To Me
8. California Blue
9. A Love So Beautiful
10. (All I Can Do Is) Dream You (live – Black And White Night)
11. Oh, Pretty Woman (live – Black And White Night)
12. Heartbreak Radio
13. You’re The One
14. Crying (duet with k.d. lang)
15. After The Love Has Gone
16. I Drove All Night
17. Wild Hearts Run Out Of Time (from the motion picture Insignificance)
18. You May Feel Me Crying (from the motion picture The End Of Violence)
19. Life Fades Away (from the motion picture Less Than Zero)
20. It’s Over (live – from Roy’s final concert) (previously unreleased)
21. We’ll Take The Night

Roy Orbison – The Soul of Rock ‘n’ Roll on amazon.co.uk

The Soul of Rock and Roll on amazon.com – US release September 30, 2008

Roy Orbison Official Website

After a triumphant summer of festivals and four spectacular dates with R.E.M., the perpetually inventive Guillemots return this Autumn with an ambitious national tour.

Beautifully fusing film and music in sixteen of the of the UK’s most intriguing alternative venues, November’s ‘Fishbone For A Drink’ tour confirms Guillemots’ reputation as pop’s true trailblazers.

As well as theatres and concert halls, the Brit and Mercury-nominated quartet will perform in a Cornish cave, Lancaster’s main public library and a converted cinema right in the heart of Edinburgh – a unique program of events such as only Guillemots could offer.

Fyfe said, “We want to get to places that are off the usual touring circuit that’s reeled out, and really mix around the type of venues we’re at each night. It makes it more fun for us and audiences too. And the set will be different as well. We’ll definitely be trying out something we’ve never played live before.”

The ‘Fishbone For A Drink’ tour also reunites the band with film events company Future Shorts. Building on their successful re-scoring of David Lynch’s ‘Eraserhead’ at this year’s Latitude Festival, each show will commence with a selection of short films re-scored live by the band – adding an entirely new audiovisual dimension to the Guillemots live experience.

These unmissable November dates are preceded by a colourful new double A-side single, “Kriss Kross” / “Clarion”, released September 22nd, 2008 on Polydor. Available as digital download and strictly limited edition numbered vinyl, the single brings together two of the stand-out tracks from the band’s inspired second album ‘Red’.

Led by Fyfe Dangerfield and featuring the talents of Magrao, Aristazabal Hawkes and Greig Stewart, Guillemots are one of the most inventive voices in UK pop.

In addition to their full UK tour, the band headline Orange Rockcorps alongside Busta Rhymes later this month.

Guillemots November 2008 tour dates and booking information:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Fri 7th BIRMINGHAM, Custard Factory * gigbeth.com 0844 8883883
Sat 8th BATH, Pavilion Theatre * seetickets.com 01225 330 304
Sun 9th YORK, The Duchess * ticketweb.co.uk 08700 600 100
Tue 11th INVERNESS, Eden Court gigsinscotland.com 0844 499 9990
Wed 12th MIDDLESBROUGH, Empire * seetickets.com 08700 600 100
Thu 13th EDINBURGH, Picture House gigsinscotland.com 0844 499 9990
Sat 15th LANCASTER, Lancaster Library seetickets.com 01524 580712
Sun 16th SHEFFIELD, Plug the-plug.com 0114 241 3040
Mon 17th BRADFORD, St Georges Hall seetickets.com 01274 432 000
Wed 19th LISKEARD, Carnglaze Caverns * seetickets.com 0871 2200260
Thu 20th FALMOUTH, Princess Pavilion * seetickets.com 0871 2200260
Fri 21st PORTSMOUTH, Pyramids Centre seetickets.com 023 9282 4355
Sat 22nd BRIGHTON, St Georges ** ticketweb.co.uk 01273 606312
Mon 24th DERBY, Assembly Rooms * seetickets.com 01332 255 800
Tue 25th CAMBRIDGE, Junction livenation.co.uk 01223 511511
Wed 26th LONDON, Barbican *** barbican.org.uk 0845 120 7536

Tickets Onsale Thursday 18th September 9am
£14 unless otherwise stated. *£15; **£16.50, *** £13/£18/£22.50

For music, videos and more information, go to:

Guillemots Official Website