Dan Sartain
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TRAILBLAZING FOR A THRIVING ALABAMA MUSIC SCENE, “PUNK ELVIS” DAN SARTAIN RETURNS TO THE UK IN FEBRUARY 2007 WITH TWO FELLOW BIRMINGHAM BANDS
NEW DAN SARTAIN SINGLE ‘FLIGHT OF THE FINCH RELEASED ON JANUARY 29TH 2007
“Dressed in army fatigues, he comes across like Travis Bickle had he learnt the guitar instead of the gun – and it’s as visceral and vital as anything currently on offer.” THE FLY MAGAZINE
“Dan Sartain – storyteller supreme and master of illusion, a pencil-‘tached minstrel throwing the mundane into his hat and drawing out colour and drama, people and places, which bare, dismal reality cannot compete with.” NME MAGAZINE
“Faintly campy tales of dangerous romance, home-made tattoos and cobras snapping at his heels in the desert are set to twangy, reverb-soaked mariachi rock, every one a potential hit.” THE GUARDIAN
Recently branded ‘the punk Elvis’ by iD Magazine, Alabama troubadour DAN SARTAIN returns to the UK in February 2007, bringing with him his own unique brand of snarling, spitting rockabilly which has earned him high praise in the wake of his latest album ‘Join Dan Sartain’.
The seven UK dates kick off in Cambridge on Thursday 1st February and complete on Thursday 8th February with a very special performance at the legendary 100 Club in London. Full details on the tours page.
To tie in with the dates, One Little Indian will release a brand new single from Dan on January 29th 2007. Entitled ‘Flight Of The Finch’, the single features on the latest album and is a live favourite. Written by Dan, recorded at Toe Rag Studios in London, and produced by Liam Watson (White Stripes, The Zutons), it weaves a tale about the struggles of fidelity in distinctive Sartain style.
Having received rave reviews for ‘Join Dan Sartain’, out through One Little Indian in October, alongside building a sizeable loyal live following in the UK, Dan has blazed a trail for a burgeoning Alabama music scene. On the forthcoming tour, he is joined by two fellow Birmingham bands Two Tears and Plate Six. One big family, Plate Six are fronted by Dan’s new bassist David Hickox. Plate Six’s drummer, Brad Davis, doubles up on tub-thumping duties for Dan and Two Tears (the one-woman show from former Red Aunts frontwoman Kerry Davis) on the tour. Dan’s regular drummer and friend, Ra-jaan, will join the tour for the European dates to follow the UK gigs. Phew!
Both bands emerged from independent Alabama record label, The Bent Rail Foundation, on which Dan released his first ever single before signing to Swami, the record label founded by Rocket From The Crypt/Hot Snakes frontman John Reis. The Bent Rail Foundation – like the spirit of the iconic Sub Pop label – was born out of a fanzine dedicated to the underground music scene, defining youth culture in Birmingham Alabama.
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Plate Six
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One Little Indian have joined forces with Plate Six to release their brand new ‘Battle Hymns For A New Republic’ on April 16th 2007. Tracks can be heard on this site’s music page and their Myspace page.
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PLATE SIX are David Hickox [vocals, guitar and permanent Dan Sartain bass player] 29, Darryl Jacks [guitars] 30, and Brad Davis [drums] 31.
All three are natives from Birmingham Alabama. The band met each other and Dan Sartain while they were all at high school. The band started here. Over the years they flirted around with four different bass players before deciding for a few years that 'bass players were worthless and it was no advantage to put up with them any longer' and became the three-piece line-up they are now: vocals, two guitars and a drummer. The band was influenced in the early days by bands such as Fugazi to do the most they could with just a guitar and an amp and not to use effects, and also by way of the wandering guitar work of [Southern/ Touch & Go's] Polvo and the noise and chaos of Sonic Youth. By relentlessly playing in the hardcore punk scene in small key venues, headlining or opening for bands such as Boris and Fugazi they were able to create a solid fan base for themselves in this burgeoning Alabama scene.
The Bent Rail Foundation
All three artists on this tour had initial releases on The Bent Rail Foundation: a Birmingham Alabama label started by Hickox, Jacks, and Jacks’ brother from a zine much the same way as Seattle's stalwart Sub-pop label.
The band wanted to put out a 7" but with nobody around to help, Darryl suggested they use his brother's Bent Rail Foundation zine name since he already had the all-important PO box number. After putting out two 7"s and an early album, they decided they had enough connections to help and release other bands.
The band shared work duties at their new label; David Hickox stood at the helm of the art and creative side and Darryl Jacks handled the more business related side of things.
Dan Sartain
Initially David Hickox and Dan Sartain worked together a recording called 'Who's Sorry Now'. This later became the b-side to his Walk Among the Cobra's single. This was before Swami signed Dan and this 7" became on of The Bent Rail Foundation's key releases.
David and Brad frequently backed Dan in his live shows and they are also about to hit the road playing in his band again as the support band for Gogol Bordello on a 3 week US tour.
Brad was in a band with Dan Sartain called the Glowing Swords and Darryl has also played guitars for Dan live.
Dan Sartain also took on the guise of A&R rep when he brought the first Two Tears record to The Bent Rail Foundation for them to sign.
Two Tears
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Two Tears is the brainchild solo project of Kerry Davis. Her lengthy resume reads like a list of some of the most influential bands and music makers of late, all of which are reflected in her eclectic sound.
Davis is probably most recognizable as the front woman and lead guitarist for Red Aunts (Sympathy For The Record Industry, Epitaph), the Los Angeles band best known for wrapping up a hodgepodge of diverse sounds – including swampy blues, girly pop, rough hewn punk and herky jerky noise – into a seamless sonic package. The band called it quits in 1998, but not before releasing albums which boasted producer credits by Brett Gurewitz of the seminal pop-punk band Bad Religion and Mick Collins of the much revered Gories and Dirtbombs.
Davis then went onto play in Beehive and the Barracudas (with members of Rocket from the Crypt and Hot Snakes), which released two albums (Swami Records). Then, almost by mistake, she discovered that with just a mic, kick drum and a guitar, she could sing and play all of her songs alone – no backing band necessary.
The simplicity of the line up gives the songs a rawer, more powerful sound than ever before. The Two Tears, which combines pop influences and clever lyricism with elements that come straight from the garage, is Davis’ most challenging project, but it’s clear she’s up for it.