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Freaksville National Orchestra

by Freaksville National Orchestra

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1.
Tama Migaki 01:24
2.
The Lancs 02:30
3.
4.
5.
6.
Don Simon 03:40
7.
8.
9.
10.
Amber's Song 03:16
11.
12.

about

A mutant orchestra of Liverpool freaks who produce melodic, noisy and sometimes danceable radioactive music. Produced by Belgium Headhoncho Benjamin Schoos and Alex Gavaghan (The Cubical, The Boss Jockeys)

Un orchestre de freaks psyche rock de Liverpool qui produit une musique radioactive mélodique, bruyante et parfois dansante. Produit par le gourou belge de Freaksville Benjamin Schoos et Alex Gavaghan (The Cubical).


A few words by Alex Gavaghan

I can't remember exactly when it was but, at some point during the last 18 months, during one of those lockdowns probably, Benjamin got in touch with me to suggest working on a new project together, which is always a very pleasant email to receive. His idea was thus: You (us, The Boss jockeys) record some drum, guitar, and bass "grooves" (lofi is fine) and we (they, the extended Freaksville family) will put all kinds of stuff over the top to build into a jolly good sonic frenzy, and we'll call it The Freaksville National Orchestra. Sounded like a fine idea to me, and, of course, he already had an album cover and everything. At that point we were down to the bare bones of The Boss Jockeys, just being myself and long-time drum brother, Mark Percy. Suited us just fine though and we set about our task in earnest, which is just off Vauxhall Road in Liverpool. The first batch of tracks were recorded in two sessions which involved whacking up a few mics, pressing record, opening many Guiness and seeing what happened. A joyous way to work and write and well, these songs all happened in two or three takes, and there we go. I think some of Percy's best drumming is on this record, and ol´ Perc sets a high bar. It´s pretty incredible stuff at times...but, you know, don't tell him though. Anyway, very happy with our grooves we sent them over to Benjamin. A short while later he sent them back covered in all kinds of glorious things like hammonds, rhodes, sitars and such from the dexterous digits of Bernthøler legend Simon Rigot, not to mention the distinctive whoops, swoops and fizzes from Freaksville's own synth hero Phillip Joseph A.D that have added such a delightful depth to the first batch...brilliant guitar work on Marina Goes Electric to boot. Very nice project we thought, and that would be that. Then, wouldn't you know it, an electrical surge took out two Freaksville hard disk servers and destroyed the lot. Luckily, we were able to locate all the original takes and piece it back together again, but sessions gone, Benjamin asked if I / we could record more lead instruments, and indeed more songs, and if I'd like to remix the tracks. A dangerous question to an inverterate tinkerer such as I, ha! Of course, I'd be delighted to. I knocked off a few more and enlisted some old muso friends and, for those I couldn't get in to the studio, sent bounces off down the cables with (probably overly complicated) instructions as to what I wanted but also giving license to try ANYTHING. Most of them completely ignored me anyway but perhaps for the best, as what they sent back was phenomenal. My old Cubical mate and eminent Wizard of Twiddly Simon James did an of coursely splendid job with some red hot playing on the sax and flute, and features heavily herein. Former Boss Jockey beLOey ov Paris wrote and sang a brilliant melody for Je N'ai Pas D'âme, hence it being called that, covered it in mad noises and added a nice coda...he always adds something you never would have thought of. Keith Thompson did what he does best on the harp and we built a completely new section to Carr Mill Nights based around his slide guitar. Get on to his vocal when it pops out in the fade. I was just telling him yesterday that it's my favourite part of the album and that's because it is. The coolest cat in showbiz Bruno Cruañes Peris was invited to add some Spanish garage flare to Avinguda de la Malva-Rosa when funnily enough, my wife Marina and I were living out in Valencia for a time during this rather frantic period and another story entirely. And he wins guitar solo of the album.
While I was editing away at all this, Benjamin was ferrying files back and forth to the aforementioned Phillip Jospeh A.D (who was instrumental in recording the final vocal, see below) and Simon Rigot who continued their fine work adding to the newer ideas. Initially there was no hammond solo on Amber's Song but there's a certain note Simon went to in the rhythm track that meant it just had to be done and it's just top top organeering. The Amber in question is my eight year old niece who joins me on some of the harmony sections and also plays, yes, tambourine rather well. She's quite the talent and she's got a great future ahead of her, as long as she doesn't listen to her uncle. I finally managed to get Edgar over for a session and he nailed both tracks in about 10 minutes, as he does; wrapping his notes around, through and beyond the chords with effortless aplomb, as he also does. One more Percy and Guiness evening, and album almost done, Benjamin kicked in with a couple of requests: 1. Get Dan Wilson from The Cubical on the record doing a spoken word thing, which ended up as the not that spoken but glorious Jimmy Was a Rat Catcher...A typically sharp penned piece of Wilsonian northern psychosocial observation done in one complete take, Cubical style! 2. Record a shouty rock n roll song to open the record. Shouty rock n roll song done but I wasn't pleased with the vocal. Benjamin and I almost typed to each other simultaneously "Do you know any Japanese singers?". Turns out Phil did, one Shiomi Kawaguchi, and that was our last trick.


Alex Gavaghan, Liverpool, May 2022

credits

released February 10, 2023

Freaksville National Orchestra
Produced by Alex Gavaghan & Benjamin Schoos
All songs : Freaksville Publishing 2022

Recorded, Mixed by Alex Gavaghan at Trailer Park Studio, Liverpool and Patacona Heights, Valencia
Keith Thompson recorded at Room With a View Studio, Liverpool
Simon James recorded at Mill of Rango Studios, Orkney
beLOey recorded at Studio 5 Illusions, Paris
Mixed by Maxime Wathieu & Benjamin Schoos at Wood Studio
Mastered by Gilles Martin at Farside

Freaksville Publishing/Records 2022

Alex Gavaghan
} The Boss Jockeys
Mark Percy


Phillip Joseph A.D
Simon James
Shiomi Kawaguchi
Dan Wilson
beLOey
Keith Thompson
Amber Hurd
Bruno Cruañes Peris
Simon Rigot
Gregarious McAllister
Edgar Jones

ASIDE

1 Tama Migaki (Alex Gavaghan / Shiomi Kawaguchi)

Shiomi Kawaguchi: vocals
Mark Percy: drums, backing vocals
Alex Gavaghan: guitars, bass, backing vocals, tambourine
Phillip Joseph A.D: organ
Simon James: saxophone


2 The Lancs (Alex Gavaghan / Mark Percy)

Mark Percy: drums
Alex Gavaghan: guitars, bass
Phillip Joseph A.D: synt
Simon Rigot : hammond
Simon James: saxophones


3 Avinguda de la Malva-Rosa (Alex Gavaghan / Mark Percy / Simon James)

Mark Percy: drums
Alex Gavaghan: guitars (solo 1), bass
Bruno Cruañes Peris: lead guitar (solo 2)
Phillip Joseph A.D: synth
Simon Rigot : hammond
Simon James: saxophones
Gregarious McAllister: trumpets




4 Marina Goes Electric (Alex Gavaghan / Mark Percy)

Mark Percy: drums
Alex Gavaghan: rhythm guitar, bass
Phillip Joseph A.D: lead guitar, rhodes,
Simon Rigot : hammond
Simon James: saxophones, flute


5 Le Juarès Café (Alex Gavaghan / Mark Percy)

Mark Percy: drums
Alex Gavaghan: guitars, bass
Phillip Joseph A.D: synth
Simon Rigot : hammond


6 Don Simon (Alex Gavaghan / Mark Percy / Simon James)

Mark Percy: drums, percussion
Alex Gavaghan: guitar, bass
Phillip Joseph A.D: synth
Simon Rigot : hammond, Sitar, Rhodes
Simon James: flute, mandolin
Keith Thompson: harmonica

BSIDE

1 Jimmy Was a Rat Catcher (Alex Gavaghan / Dan Wilson / Mark Percy)

Dan Wilson: vocals
Mark Percy: drums
Alex Gavaghan: guitars, bass
Simon Rigot : hammond, rhodes


2 Je n'ai pas d''âme (Alex Gavaghan / beLOey)

beLOey: vocals, acoustic guitar, synth, piano, mandolin,
Mark Percy: drums
Alex Gavaghan: guitars, bass, backing vocals
Simon Rigot : hammond
Gregarious McAllister: brass


3 Carr Mill Nights (Alex Gavaghan / Mark Percy / Keith Thompson)

Keith Thompson: vocals, harmonica, slide guitar
Edgar Jones: bass

Mark Percy: drums, percussion, backing vocals
Alex Gavaghan: vocals, guitars, backing vocals


4 Amber's Song (Alex Gavaghan)


Alex Gavaghan: vocals, guitars, piano
Amber Hurd: vocals, tambourine
Simon Rigot: hammond, rhodes
Edgar Jones: bass

Mark Percy: drums
Gregarious McAllister: brass


5 Waiting for a Taxi on Vauxhall Road (The Freaksville National Orchestra)

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Freaksville National Orchestra UK

A mutant orchestra of European freaks who produce melodic, noisy and sometimes danceable radioactive music!

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