An alternative view of politico folk rock, big guitars, accordion and fiddle, darkly lyrical yet very satisfying.

11 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Political, ROCK: Folk Rock



Details:
Dick Langford & Tricks Upon Travellers

I guess that most of us musicians have some kind of ego problem.

Sometimes it feels like Iâve been banging my head against a brick wall for too many years and yet still continue to do serious damage to my cranium.

So whatâs it all about ?

The band is/was Tricks Upon Travellers. We achieved more than a modicum of success in the folk roots world with appearances at Glastonbury and a number of festival gigs. The gigs were storming with mucho dancing and general frivolity which is interesting as most of the songs are lyrically very downbeat. Just goes to prove that at live gigs few people listen to the lyrics.

I get distinctly miffed and Iâm slightly suspicious of bands who seem unable to describe their music. What faith can you have in a band who canât describe their own music ?

OK you ask, what sort of music do you play ? Well, itâs difficult to describe really. Actually itâs not. Itâs folk roots or folk rock. For the uninitiated it means we can do pretty much what we want as long as we give the fiddler a few traditional sounding tunes and I manage to produce some authentic English folk melodies.

Itâs great working in this genre. I can assuage my guilt about not being as politically active as I should be by writing about inequality, globalisation and the manipulations of the media. Death and love come pretty high on the agenda as well which probably surprises no-one. It gives me freedom to write whatever I feel strongly about. If something moves me I donât have to fit it into some cliched style, I write as I feel and then we play as we feel.

Iâm lucky in that I worked with and learnt from our old singer Graeme Hobbs, who is an excellent writer. He has the ability to get straight to the heart of the matter. Whereas I tend to intellectualise the writing process and can agonise for hours over one line (and still get it wrong) Graemeâs lyrics just poured out of his head like some stream of consciousness beanfeast.

Now I'm working as the main songwriter I've hopefully learnt my lessons well. It's the quality of the songs that give the band itâs unique strength. Take for example "From Another Plaice" our 4th CD but the first in the new line up. Itâs a wonderful mixture of styles and songs (no shocks there then). From the sparse, dark opener "Sound of Sirens" to the gypsy swing of "Knocker Boys" and the bile filled "Third Way" there are no two songs that sound even remotely the same.

Maybe thatâs a problem, maybe we didn't have an instantly recognisable TUT sound. Nevertheless itâs received great reviews in the folk rock press and independent radio stations all over the globe have picked up on it in a big way. Unfortunately all the promises of a succession of agents, promoters and would be managers remained just promises.

Ah, the joys of the music business. I have âcynicâ running through me like the lettering on a stick of rock but Iâm still surprised at how talent is kicking around in little bars and clubs up and down the country. For our own part weâve been rejected by folk venues for being too ârockyâ and rock venues for being too âfolkyâ. A rock and hard place certainly come to mind. Câest nous !

Itâs strange really, I drive all over the south of England spending hours in cars and vans, unloading and loading heavy awkward gear and getting home again at 4 in the morning. Why ? Itâs for that 2 hours on stage, 2 hours of ego massage, 2 hours of feeling truly alive, 2 hours of feeling just wonderful. Itâs all a lie really itâs sometimes 2 hours of âI canât hear the guitar guysâ, 2 hours of âall I can hear is the guitar guysâ, 2 hours of âwho set this sodding PA up anyway?â. But the more I play these days the more I get a sense of incredible privilege to be able to do what I do.

The band has reached a temporary hiatus with the arrival of 2 sets of twins to drummer and bass player (!!!!) but I continue to write new songs and look forward to performing them when the time is right.

Stay cool guys.