Theatre and Live Music...

...on this week's  The Multifarious Mix . Listen to the show here.

We featured two sets of excellent musicians. From Frome we welcomed two members of the band My Social Orbit: Pierre Shepard and Graeme Lawson. The full band are pictured. We were given a fine acoustic set. Their self-penned songs were Legal Bank Job, Festival Fantasy, Line Of Least Resistance and Life's Not Easy. Find out more about their music on Facebook and MySpace.

It's always great to have local singer songwriter guitarist Nicky Swann playing for Phonic FM. Nicky has a wonderful new album out featuring songs connected with her home town of Newton Abbot. It's called How Does Your Land Lie and from the album we played New Found Lands. Nicky's live songs are also featured on the album: Union Babies, Diving and Run Away.

Thank you very much to all the talented musicians.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Exeter Blitz, Viva Voce, in collaboration with Exeter's BikeShed Theatre, have created a theatrical Blitz experience based on accounts by people who experienced the blitz. The production runs from 3-19 May. Full details on the BikeShed Theatre website. Many thanks to co-director Jessican Beck for telling us all about this innovative and exciting production.

We were pleased too to hear from Malcolm about productions coming up at Exeter's New Theatre, home to the Cygnet Training Theatre. The theatre consistently produces top class shows. The next productions are Trouble and Strife (5 May), The Cygnet Review (12 May), Born in the Gardens - Creative Cow (16-17 May) and The Taming of the Shrew (28 May - 1 June). Details here.

Support Water Aid

That was the message from our first guest today, Susie Golics of South West Water, who had visited rural and urban communities in Zambia recently and seen at first hand there how important WaterAid is for many people.


WaterAid works in 27 countries using practical solutions to provide clean water, safe sanitation and hygeine education to the world's poorest people. Find out more about their work and how you can help here.


Thanks to Alan Rose who introduced us to his band's State Of Undress's new album. Details of this and the band's gigs on their website.

Matt Newbury gave us a run-down of events coming up at Exeter Northcott Theatre. Details here.

We publicised events too at The New Theatre, Exeter and Exeter's BikeShed Theatre. Find out more by following the links.


Playlist
Living Room..Royal Mile..Colouring Book
Ben & Alfie..After The Noise
Wala..Zambian Music 
Mulemena Boys..Kwi Lamba Ekwesu
Lonely Tourist..I Live Where You Are..I Live Where You Are
Bo Walton..Wicked Moon..Waiting On A Dream
Lampliter..From The Gutter To The Stars..Lampliter EP
The Little Unsaid..There Go All Our Wide-eyed Days
Maz Totterdell..Kaleidoscope..Sweep
Asha Bhosle & Shujaat Khan..Naina Lagai Kei..Naina Lagai Kei
Matt Norris & The Moon..Roots Below..Roots Below
Adelia Tisdall..Tree Falling..Postcards From Within
State Of Undress..The Hangman's Daughter /The Black Hills Of Mendip..Journeys Of The Heart
Debout Sur Le Zinc..Les Déserteurs..Recreations
Tom Waits..Back In The Crowd..Bad As Me
Kirsty McColl & The Pogues..Miss Otis Regrets / Just One Of Those Things..Red, Hot & Blue
Beirut..Port Of Call..The Rip Tide
Penguin Cafe Orchestra..Perpeuum Mobile..Signs Of Life

Writing and performing plays

Both featured heavily on today's show. 


Playwright Nick Discombe joined me for the first part of the show to share his recollections of the plays of his that have been performed over the year since his first full length play Halfway to Paradise, performed at the Drum in Plymouth in 1996. He brought us up to date with his talking about three plays he is currently working on: Civil War in Exeter, Crystal Clear and Art for who's sake? 


Many of Nick's plays have strong connections with songs. He brought some of the music along to play on the show. The tracks were
Billy Fury..That's Love..Sound Of Fury
Cheim Tannenban..Young Love..The McGarrigle Hour
Cold Play..Politic..A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Rufus Wainwright..Oh What A World..I Want One
Mumford & Sons..Thistle & Weeds..Sigh No More
Rev Hammer..No-one Or Nothing..Down The Alley


Nick Discombe is soon running Playwriting Courses in both Exeter and Plymouth. Find out more by contacting him: 01392 679110; email discombenick2@gmail.com

Callum and Michael joined me to talk about Worklight Theatre, a company they formed with friends Hannah and Joe.They are about to host an exciting event Open Stage at The BikeShed Theatre, Exeter this Sunday 11 March starting at 19:30. The evening will take place in the bar and will be a showcase of local talent with artists performing comedy, music, dance and theatre. 

After a residency at The BikeShed Theatre, they created a Scratch performance of How to Start a Riot for an invited audience of local artists. The feedback from that event has helped them develop the show as they prepare to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year.

We also publicised...

Phonic FM presents The Magic Band at Exeter Phoenix for the Vibraphonic Festival on Friday 9 March

Events for International Women's Day in Exeter including Seven: a Documentary Play for International Women's Day. For details follow the link.

Shilhay Charity gig at Barnfield Theatre (Clifford Room) on Thursday 22 March with KAT With Attitude, The Boys From Melbourne Street, The New Potatoes. Details here.

Exeter LGBT Pride on Saturday 31 March including The Pride Show on Phonic FM.

Music played by Martin

Jerry Cahill..Breath Of Fire..Armchair Traveller

Madison Violet..Home..The Good In Goodbye

Andrew Bird..Fiery Crash..Armchair Apocrypha

Jacksons Warehouse..Feel Like Sunday

Lonely Tourist..I Live Where You Are
Kat Jenkins & Jim Howden..Lay It Down..KAT With Attitude
Andrew Bird..Orpheo Looks Back..Break It Yourself
Mariachi El Bronx..Spread Thin..Mariachi El Bronx II
The Monkees..Riu Chiu
Random Sound..Found My Way
Street Heat..Felix..Street Heat
Eartha Kitt..Let's Do It
Salif Keita..Beguine Thee Beguine..Red Hot & Blue
Lotte Mullan..Would You Be So Kind..Plain Jane
Chris Woods..Release..Woodcraft

Fair Trade and pretty fair entertainment

Plenty of interesting and enthusiastic guests today with lots to tell us.


Our first guest Sebastian Pope introduced us to the delights of a play called Alas, Poor Fred, playing at The Hour Glass in Exeter from Wednesday 7 to Saturday 10 March. James Saunders' absurd two hander is the first of four plays at The Hourglass by the newly renamed OwlGlass Theatre. Buy tickets (£9) in advance from the pub venue.

Councillor Ian Martin and Hilary Noakes talked about the importance of Fair Trade products in ensuring that the people who produce what we eat, wear and use should get paid enough to live on and a chance to improve their lives. There are several events in Exeter over the next two weeks promoting Fair Trade products. Find out about them here. 


The Fair Trade Foundation has an excellent website where you can find further information about ethical trading and production and getting involved in fair trade.

Malcolm, Tessa and Hannah came along from Cygnet Training Theatre who perform at The New Theatre, Exeter. Fresh from the success of a run of As You Like It at the theatre, they told us about their own production, visiting theatre companies and concerts coming up. This Friday 2 March from 19:00 there is a fund-raising event run by students to raise money to take the company to the Edinburgh Festival. The event includes a Revue and a Silent Auction. See the full programme on the Cygnet New Theatre website.

Our final guest was UK rockabilly singer songwriter 
Bo Walton. Bo received considerable acclaim for his first two singles, 's Too Much backed with Hey Mister Night, the latter featuring Mark Knofler. Just as successful  were his next "double sided" single Wild at Heart and Wild Woman. His new album Waiting On A Dream - featuring "modern rockabilly music with an edge" was recorded and produced by John David at Berry Hill Studio in Gloucester. The album has just been released by Exeter-based Tabitha Records.
It's worth checking out Bo's videos on Youtube.


Music played 
Penguin Cafe Orchestra..Bean Fields..Signs Of Life
Roxy Music..Remake, Remodel..Roxy Music
Hugh Laurie..Red Hot..Let Them Talk
Jacques Brel..Madeleine
Jackie Oates..The Sweet Nightingale..Saturnine
Roberto Fonseco..Bibisa..Yo
The Four Seasons..Sherry
AfroCubism..A La Luna Yo Me Voy..AfroCubism
M4trix..Lord Mayo..Gaps
Mike Silver..Maybe It's Just Love
Mariachi El Bronx..48 Roses..Mariachi El Bronx II
Gallavin..My Baby Just Cares For Me
Bo Walton..'s Too Much / Hey Mister Night / Wild At Heart
Del Shannon..So Long Baby..All The Hits & More
Lord Rockingham's 11..Hoots Mon
Norma Waterson..On Friday's He's Fred Astaire..The Very Thought Of You
Penguin Cafe Orchestra..Southern Jukebox Music..Signs Of Life

It's all happening in Exeter

Wednesday 1 February


Today we put out lots of info on films and theatre in Exeter and there is a lot happening. Many thanks to Gavin and Geoff for contributing to the music and to Geoff for doing a Film Round-up. 





Geoff particularly recommended films at the Exeter Picturehouse and Exeter Phoenix. Follow the links for details of events at these venues.

 Matt Newbury from Exeter Northcott Theatre introduced us to Imogen and Janet who are acting in Talking Heads by Alan Bennett, directed by Anthony Richards, and playing at the theatre from 2 - 7 February. I was delighted when they agreed to give us snippets of their performances. Should be well worth seeing!

Fresh from critical acclaim at Edinburgh Fringe, Matt from Rhum and Clay Theatre Company told us about what seems likely to be a highly entertaining, funny, physical and provoking piece of theatre: Shutterland. It is on at Exeter BikeShed Theatre from 2-4 February.

We played
Charlie Hearnshaw Band..Smiling..download
Watcha Clan..Osfour..Radio Babel
P J Harvey..The Words That Make Good Murder..Let England Shake
Joni Mitchell..See You Sometime..For The Roses
David Paskell..A Place Called Home..download
Martina..I Just Call You Mine..Shine
Mariachi El Bronx..Poverty's King..Mariachi El Bronx II
Steve Black..Blink Of An Eye..All The Best
Ry Cooder..No Banker Left Behind..Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down
Leonard Cohen..Democracy..The Future
Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston..Between The Sheets..Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston
The Eel Grinders..The Hill Changes Colour..Voyage
Tom Waits..Face To The Highway..Bad As Me
Laura Marling..Devils Spoke..The Observer Disc
Scott Walker..The Bridge..Golden Years
The Dartmoor Pixie Band..Redwing..The Pixies Strike Again

Jim Causley..Old Uncle Whiteway..Domnonia
Anoushka Shankar..Buleria Con Ricado..Traveller
Gillian Welch..The Way It Goes..The Harrow & The Harvest
Boreale..Bulistan..Mousson

Live music rules!

Today Jim Finnegan joined me to play recordings of musicians we had each encountered live and really enjoyed. Many indeed were performers who had given us great sessions in the Phonic FM studio in 2011.

Listen to the show here. 

The icing on the cake was two excellent musicians Harry Vinnicombe and Harry Dowell playing live for us today. Harry Vinnicombe's own songs performed by him on electric and acoustic guitars were superbly complimented by Harry Dowell's accompaniments on bass guitar, saxophone and flute. 

 Check out Harry Vinnecombe Music on Facebook.

The songs were: Who She Is, Away From The Storm, If You Ever Get Lost, I Love A Little Clean and All The Hurt.


Thanks, guys. A real treat!

Recordings played
Chris Woods..Nightlife..Woodcraft
Gecko..Best Friend..Pigeon EP
Chartwell Dutiro..Kana Ndazofa..Dendere Ngoma
Smashing Pumpkins..Mayonaise Acoustic Live
Black Mountain..Modern Music..Black Mountain
Nicky Swann..Hold On..Matches & Dispatches
The Bad Shepherds..Making Plans For Nigel..By Hook Or By Crook
Fight Like Apes..I'm Beginning To Think You Prefer Beverly Hills 90210 to Me..Fight Like Apes & The Golden Medallion
Eels..Your Lucky Day In Hell..Beautiful Freak
Phillip Henry..Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning..Live In The Living Room
Phil King..The War I Cannot Win..They Come & They Go
Lampliter..Flowers Of The Arab Spring
Lara Conley..You Know I Know..Apple Tree
Eric Ness..All The Things You Are..All The Things You Are
Sondorgo..Cororo..Tamburising: Lost Music Of The Balkans
Gotan Project..La Gloria..Tango 3.0
Brendan Power..CD Stealer..Blow In

Into 2012...

Wishing you a happy and invigorating New Year