We’re Back!

As you are probably already aware, our guitarist Jackie took a tumble near the end of last year which resulted in some injuries (including to her wrist) which have taken some time to heal. During this time we were much indebted to her brother Carl, who manfully stood in so we could honour our bookings. Jackie is now properly on the mend, and we have some upcoming gigs for your calendar.

We are actively booking gigs going forward. If you would like us to come and entertain you, please get in touch.

Panic Room + Ethryll
Saturday 3rd June 2017. Doors 7.30pm
Local Authority @ Corporation, Milton Street, Sheffield
Ethryll will be supporting the superb female fronted five piece Panic Room. www.PanicRoom.org.uk
Tickets £16 in advance from Corporation, Sheffield
14+ only.

Five Rivers Music Festival
The RS Bar – 156 St Mary’s Road, S2 4AX Sheffield
16th-18th June 2017. Ethryll performing on Saturday 17th June.
Kingfisher Blue Music and The Royal Standard present the Five Rivers Music Festival, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. More than 20 bands and performers over 3 days. Tickets £5 (£3 conc.) per day or weekend tickets £10 (£6 conc.)
ALL proceeds to Macmillam Cancer Support. Tickets will be available from 25th February from The Royal Standard.

Please note that May’s Strangefish Gig has been moved to December 2017.

Ethryll Newsletter – September 2016

Hello Ethryllites Everywhere! My Goodness, September Already!

Ethryll have been having an exciting summer. Between the excitement of some super gigs such as the Sheffield Tramlines Festival and our behind the scenes work on our first album “Murmuration” we have been busy little bees. More on both of these later. Firstly we would like to tell you about some upcoming chances to see us live.

Upcoming Gigs

Saturday 10th September 2016 – Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Norfolk Street, Sheffield.
Maer Atholl Shelter Music Marathon
13.00-21.30 (Ethryll on at around 21.00)
Ethryll will be performing this coming Saturday to help raise funds for the Maer Achol Shelter. This shelter provides help to street children in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and is an extremely worthy cause. We hope you can join us and dig deep to support their fantastic work.

Sunday 11th September 2016Flying Scotsman Tap, Silver Street, Doncaster
7pm until late
This event is an open mic night with a featured headlining band (that’s us this time). Knowing Doncaster’s lively and diverse open mic scene, you are in for a treat. Due to the nature of the event timings are a little fluid. Things kick off from 7pm, and we will be on at around 9-9.30 ish. We look forward to seeing any Doncaster Ethryllites who can make it along.

Tuesday 27th September 2016 – The Folk Train – Second Carriage
7.14pm to Manchester Picadilly from Sheffield Station (Please check platform on the night)
It is with immense excitement that Ethryll will be playing on the Folk Train. For the uninitiated, the Folk Train is the 19.14 to Manchester Picadilly from Sheffield Station on the 4th Tuesday of every month. Each month a featured folk band entertains the passengers between Sheffield and Edale, where everyone decamps to the The Rambler Inn and the entertainment continues until everyone returns on the 21.29 train to Sheffield with the band still playing. Recently the Folk Train has been hugely popular, so much so that there is overspill into the second carriage. September’s main band is the Porch Lizards. Ethryll will be performing in the second carriage to make sure all the folkie passengers are suitably entertained. Please note that Ethryll will not be performing at the Rambler Inn.

Tuesday 4th October 2016Ethryll at West Street Live
West Street Live, West Street, Sheffield
Doors at 7.30pm More information on other artists and timings to follow.

Tuesday 18th October 2016Ethryll supporting “What the Folk” at the RS Bar
The Royal Standard, 156 St Mary’s Road, Sheffield.
Doors from 7.30pm
14231140_1240684102641222_4647203983023719326_o
Summer Fun

This summer as been a fantastic time. One of the highlights has been the Sheffield Tramlines Festival. We were invited to perform on the “Bird Table Stage” in the “Folk Forest” in Endcliffe Park by the excellent Richard Masters of Bell Hagg Orkestar (or you may remember him from Poke if you were a 90’s student). Weather wise, there could not have been a more perfect day. We got to sing “Burning Blue” under an actual burning blue sky as picnic blankets and knotted hankied heads filled the park in front of the stage. The atmosphere was amazing, and it was great to see so many young folk fans enjoying the day. Thanks to everyone who came to support us. Here are a couple of pics from the day.

Ethryll playing the Bird Table Stage at Tramlines Folk Forest in July 2016.
Ethryll playing the Bird Table Stage at Tramlines Folk Forest in July 2016.

13775397_1111062032288824_861143865059976302_n (1)
We also enjoyed a return to West Street Ale House (OMG the beer is sooooo good). Always a great place to play, and it was great to see so many friends there. We were up against the Olympics Opening Ceremony, but were very pleased (and slightly relieved) that we still got plenty of people in.

Recording

The work on Murmuration continues. We are still not yet at a point where we can give a release date, but we are still aiming for it to happen in 2016 if we can. Eel Reel with it’s miriad tempo changes has presented some distinct challenges, but no laptops have been hefted through windows (yet).

Newsletter June 2016

Hello Ethryllites everywhere.

Ethryll have been having a couple of quiet weeks whilst Martin is helping his students through the exam season and Hannah has her annual hayfever explosion. However, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes, so we felt a quick newsletter was in order to tell out all about it.

We have just enjoyed a fantastic run of gigs, which have each been unique and fun.

Well done to the organisers of Roof Raiser for Refugees, the event raised over £800 (some still to come in when I last spoke to them) and has enabled them to continue their work. Thank you to everyone who came along and dug deep.13178754_1735700950009839_274947299526684320_nThe Royal Standard was a great venue, and we can heartily recommend the bar food.

Taste Sessions in Doncaster was a fantastic night. As the guests of Tony Nicholson we were just one part of an awesome night. There was even some extra exuberant partying thanks to a Birthday Boy in one of the bands. We discovered several other fantastic artists we had not met before. The food, as always, is fantastic.
13312790_1079990412062653_6120589927778564085_nThe quirkiest moment has to go to our “gig on a tram” as part of the BBC Music Day “Sheffield Makes Music” events. Turns out that being allowed to ride around the steel city on the rails singing your heart really puts a smile on your face.

Releases

Starlight and StarlingsThe last month say Ethryll’s first proper releases with a demo version of “Starlight and Starlings”.

wtigyhNot even a fortnight later we had the release of our teaser single “Wait ‘til I Get You Home” which will be on the upcoming Murmuration Album.

They are available to stream and download on most platforms including Google Play Music, Amazon, iTunes, Deezer, Spotify, Reverbnation. Just head to your favoured platform and search for Ethryll.

Upcoming Gigs

13062257_813253982139667_3321314534091563056_nSaturday 23rd July 2016 – Tramlines Festival, Sheffield
The Bird Table Stage, The Folk Forrest, Endcliffe Park, Rustlings Road, Sheffield. 1-2pm (times are approximate).

Ethryll are chuffed to bits to have made it in to the 2016 Tramlines Festival. We will be performing on the Bird Table Stage at 1pm on Saturday. This is the free stage in the market area, so you don’t need a wristband to get in. However, there is so much going on that we can highly recommend getting your wristband to enjoy the other artists and activities happening throughout the city. Just remember to make it to the Folk Forrest! We are looking forward to seeing you there. https://www.facebook.com/events/1793069960914104/

Friday 5th August 2016 – West Street Ale House, West Street, Sheffield

In August we return to the excellent West Street Ale House. How could we turn them down. The beer is magnificent! Exact times will be announced a little nearer the day. https://www.facebook.com/Studio54Sheffield/?fref=ts

Sunday 11th September 2016 – The Flying Scotsman Tap, 69 Silver Street, Doncaster DN1 1JL

A new venue for us. In September we will be at the Flying Scotsman Tap in Doncaster. The Sunday night session involves a regular host, a featured artist (that’s us) and some open mic slots. https://www.facebook.com/Flying-Scotsman-Tap-1540022736242558/?fref=ts

Other News

Evening StarlightWe are well on the way with the recording of the first album “Murmuration” and this is occupying a lot of our time and energy just now. Kris is doing an awesome job producing our handiwork as it comes hot off the microphone. We are thrilled to have been granted permission to use the painting “Evening Starlight” by Jane Tomlinson for the album artwork. It has now been incorporated into the design of our refreshed website.

Even as we are recording Murmuration, the Jeanie Johnston suite continues to take shape, with new songs such as “Ten Miles a Day” which tells a remarkable love story that involved some of Jeanie’s passengers. You can look forward to hearing it in our set list later this year.

13315516_10154919028202782_1630344012723599504_nWe have also been considering our on stage look (and how to make sure people can spell Ethryll to google it). Thanks to a bit of painting and sewing and some salvaged curtain fabric we now have a shiny new backdrop banner.

That’s all for now. We look forward to seeing you all and folking your world in July.

Website Updates

As you’ll probably have noticed by now, the website has undergone a slight change – the new banner is now in place, based on the amazing artwork by Jane Tomlinson.

We now also have mini players on the track pages so you can listen to (and show your friends – hopefully) the tracks on here!

Finally, I’ve removed a few surplus pages and slimmed the site down in general so it loads quicker on a mobile. I hope this has improved your experience!

New Demo – Starlight and Starlings

Hello Ethryllites everywhere!

We are happy to bring you our brand new demo song today, “Starlight and Starlings”. You can listen to it on sound-cloud now by following this link https://soundcloud.com/ethryll/starlight-starlings

The song will be available for download from Google Play in the near future. Then it can be yours to keep. I will post and let you know as soon as it is available.

A huge thank you to Jane Tomlinson who is allowing us to use her beautiful artwork. You can check out her work here http://janetomlinson.com/ It is truly unique and beautiful.

Ethryll have a busy week coming up with two upcoming gigs;
12th May 2016 19.00 – The RS Bar, Sheffield (with The Blewes, Lily Gaskell, Art Neilsen)
14th May 2016 19.00 – RoofRaiser for Refugees at Shakespear’s (with Kingfisher Blue and Bell Hagg Orkestar)
We hope we can see you there!

Lyrics Insights 2 – Pothole Tambourine

Hello Ethryllites everywhere. Welcome to another our series of insights into our songs and lyrics. This week our featured song is “Pothole Tambourine”.

Firstly, A Quick News Update

 On Wednesday night we were at West Street Live in Sheffield for an eclectic evening featuring ourselves, Uncle Funkle and Bright Black. Some youtube clips of our performance can be found here. I would like to particularly thank Matt H. who made me lemsip and was generally lovely (I was feeling rough as a badgers bum that night as I have had the lurgy all week – not quite sure how I made it through the set).

The next gig we currently have booked is on Saturday May 14th “RoofRaiser for Refugees” at Shakespeare’s in Sheffield. We will be appearing with the Bell Hagg Orkestar and Kingfisher Blue. It is all taking place for a fantastic cause. We would love to see you there if you can make it.

Pothole Tambourine

Pothole Tambourine is written about the delightful highways and byways of South Yorkshire. Whilst driving between my home in Rotherham and work at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital I had to drive up a particularly badly potholed road in Greasborough. Having had a rehearsal the night before, I still had my tambourine in the boot. Every time I hit a pothole there was a wonderful arrhythmic percussion effect. Thus the idea was born. It was developed further as I drove around Sheffield. Southey, Walkley and Arundel Gate all get a mention.

I particularly hate potholes as, following back surgery a few years ago, they have caused me particular pain. They have also done hundreds of pounds worth of damage to my vehicles over the last 20 years.

I  this song Kris really gets to have a bit of a show off on the bass, with a really funky beat going on below. Martin uses a light hand on the fiddle here, adding just a little pizzicato embellishment. We decided to use the harmonica as the solo instrument in this song, as it mimics the frantic car horns which can be heard wherever drives swerve to avoid holes in the road and nearly hit each other. The vibraslap was added after seeing a friend’s band “Braver than Fiction” use one and realising it would give us the perfect “sproing” noise we had been missing.

Happily Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Sheffield City Council seem to be trying to get on top of these potholes at last. Keep it up guys, you’ve a little ways to go yet. Our vertebrae and vehicles thank you for your efforts.

Pothole Tambourine

Fare thee well my springs and track rod ends,
Shock absorbers fair thee well,
For I know that it’s going to be a long time in the shop,
Before you all work again.
There’s a rhythmic clunk from the junk in my trunk,
The change on my dash rings like a bell,
There is no help for it, I cannot ignore it,
If I let it bug me I would be in Hell,
I’m shaken to distraction, by the up and down action,
When I only want to go along,
There’s just one thing left to do for peeps like me and you,
In all the clatter try and find your song.

Pot Hole  (sproing) Tambourine (clap clap) Pot Hole Tambourine
Like the surface of the moon, On a lane of leafy green,
Pot Hole (sproing) Tambourine (clap clap) Pot Hole Tambourine,
The state of Britain’s roads is utterly obscene,
Pot Hole (sproing) Tambourine (clap clap) Pot Hole Tambourine,
Sing this song as you bounce along,
To your Pot Hole Tambourine.

The views may be pretty around the steel city,
But better keep your eyes upon the track,
Otherwise a crater will get you sooner or later,
Knackering your wheels and you back,
From the Green of Southey to the heights of Walkley,
You will find it is much the same,
Ridge and Furrow Tarmac, Grass through the black,
Not so much a journey as a deadly game.

Chorus

Instrumental (harmonica)

My poor old shocks, can’t take any more knocks,
I’ve lost my exhaust and cowell plate,
My track rod ends, now have funny bends,
And my oil sump is down Arundel Gate,
It’s becoming clear, I’ll need new wheels every year,
Driving’s draining all the pennies from the bank
Unless I win NASA give over, to lend me a Luna rover,
Or I buy an army surplus 10 tonne tank,

Chorus x 2 (key change on 2nd)

Sing this song as you bounce alon———————-g, To your Pot Hole Tambourine. (Sproing)

Lyrics Insights 1 – Wait ’til I Get You Home

Hello again Ethryllites. I hope you are all having fun and generally being awesome on this fine spring day. We enjoyed a fabulous gig on Friday night at the West Street Ale House. It is a great new venue, and you need to try the beer. Delicious.

On Wednesday next week (13th April) we continue our “World Tour of West Street” at West Street Live. We hope to see you there, treating yourself to an outrageous cocktail and some good tunes. The perfect remedy for hump day.

WestStreetAleHouse

At Friday’s gig I had a request to start posting some of Ethryll’s Lyrics on our website. I thought this was an epic idea. I am hoping it may even lead to more singing along. So over the next few weeks I will be writing some features about our songs, including the lyrics and some insights.

Wait ’til I Get You Home

“Wait ‘til I Get You Home” is about a couple, one of whom is an extrovert, the other is more reserved. The song tells about the social awkwardness this creates for them. However, the song also tells how all’s well when they get home and it’s just the two of them. The song is not about any particular couple, it is based on patterns I have observed in many relationships of friends, family, colleagues and fellow conspirators. The song does not specify the genders of the couple. So don’t be surprised if it reminds you of some people you know, or even of yourself.

The song writing process for “Wait ‘til I Get You Home” began whilst I was driving, and was hastily scribbled down in my notebook whilst parked in a lay-by. To start with it was quite “straight” but I knew I wanted to use my new djembe in it. What brought the song truly to life was when Jackie and Kris got hold of it. Jackie changed the guitar part to more flamenco inspired rhythm, and Kris added a calypso style bass line. Added to this, Martin’s fiddle is more traditional UK folk. Like chocolate and chilli, it probably shouldn’t work, but it does.

You can hear us performing Wait ’til I Get You Home at West Street Ale House in this youtube video.

 

Wait ‘til I Get You Home – © Ethryll 2016

Verse 1

Tonight you’ve been laughing a little too loud,
Tonight you’ve been acting a little too proud,
Tonight perhaps you’ve raised one more glass than you should,
That pot plant you’re chatting up would run it it could,
And you’re dancing like my dad, After too much coffee,
I forgot on nights like this, You can get really bossy,
It might surprise them all but it happens to be true,
The best part of the evening will be leaving with you.

Chorus

Wait ‘till I get you home, darling,
Wait ‘till I get you home,
They just can’t understand why we fight on no man’s land,
Wait ‘till I get you home

Verse 2

Tonight I’ve scarce seen a smile on your face,
Tonight you’ve been acting with funereal grace,
Stood by the wall with that stick up your butt,
Too cool to come out on the dance floor and strut,
On the edge of conversation, Wincing at jokes,
Your Monosyllabic, Responses are like croaks,
It might surprise them all but it happens to be true,
The best part of the evening will be leaving with you,

Chorus X 2 Bridge Chorus X 2

Coda

Wait ‘till I get you home, Wait ‘till I get you home, Wait ‘till I get you home (Cha, cha, cha).

Ethryll April Newsletter

Welcome to Spring Ethryllites Everywhere!

Coming Up this April

Friday April 8th 2016 – West Street Ale House, Sheffield – from 8pm

Wednesday April 13th 2016 – West Street Live, Sheffield – from 7.30pm

Saturday May 14th 2016 – RoofRaiser for Refugees at Shakespeares, Gibraltar Street, Sheffield  – from 7.30pm. Ethryll will be the guests of Kingfisher Blue and The Bell Hagg Orkestar.

Thursday May 26th 2016 – Taste Sessions – Taste, 36 Kingsgate, Doncaster – from 7.30pm, we will be the guests of Tony Nicholson.

Ethryll In the Media

Check our this fantastic article about Ethryll from Unsung Music Blog

What’s New With Us?

At our upcoming April gigs Ethryll will be premièring the first pieces from the new Jeanie Johnston suite, plus our other new song 2020 Vision.

Our existing song “Pothole Tambourine” now has added Vibraslap. It needed more vibraslap (thanks to Mel Lampro and Braver than Fiction for the inspiration). The packaging that the new toy came in also caused endless amusement. Nice one Stagg.

My new vibraslap came in dubiously branded packaging.
My new vibraslap came in dubiously branded packaging.