musomusic #11 - ahead of his January UK live dates, BEANS ON TOAST gave us his 9 favourite tracks, check them out....
I received news during Q3 of 2016 that Beans on Toast was to tour, imagine the glee on my face upon hearing this....imagine that glee being wiped off when I heard that he wasn't planning on visiting the West country, yes folks, I was mightily pissed off.
Fast forward a few weeks and I am browsing through my local gig guide when I see that he is planning on playing a show on my doorstep at the Exeter Phoenix on 24th Jan (glee restored).
After releasing his latest studio album A Spanner in the Works in December, I was keen to catch up with him, as time wasn't on my side and instead of bombarding Jay with a festive sack full of questions right in the middle of the Christmas break, I thought we'd have some fun!
I asked Jay to think of 9 tracks and provide a few words to explain WHY they mean so much to him. He was more than happy to take part and what follows is a playlist that I have crafted from his selections followed by his words....
Todd Snider - The Devils Backbone Tavern
One of my all-time favourite songs, I discovered Todd Snider the first time I got stuck into Spotify. A night in smoking weed exploring an endless ocean of music, generally lead by the "similar artists' button I ended with Todd Snider and fell in Love. He's like a hippy cowboy with a big heart and a brilliant sense of humour. Since that day he's been one of my favourite songwriters.
Turnpike Troubadours - Down Here
Sticking with the country vibe, Turnpike Troubadours are an Oklahoma band who bring something fresh and unique to country music and I Love it. We listen to this band all the time in the van because it's one of the few bands that Bobby Banjo and I both have a lot of love for... And we spend a lot of time together in the van. The exciting news is that they're coming to the UK early next year.
Jam Baxter - Soi 36
This song came out this week, first in a while from Jam Baxter, one of the UK's finest MC's and a lyrical ninja. With this and all of his tunes, the words paint an abstract otherworldly picture. It's beautiful and gruesome. He's part of HighFocus which is a Brighton based label that hosts the best of UK Hip Hop.
Ezra Furman - Lousy Connection
I love Ezra Furman and his new slant of rock 'n roll music, my guess is that we'll be seeing a lot more of him over the next few years. Very interesting chap.
The Beatles - In my Life
I'd always choose The Beatles over the Rolling Stones and I'd always choose John over Paul. Maybe that says a lot about me? Either way, this is one of the many many brilliant songs from the fab four.
The Doors - Celebration of the Lizard
A bit of a medley here, one that blew my mind as a 13-year-old. I thought I was Jim Morrison for a short spell, relocated to Braintree, Essex. I used to listen to live Doors albums nightly and memorise the poems so I could repeat them back to my baffled teachers at school while they were trying to tell me off.
Leonard Cohen - You want it Darker
RIP
L.A. Salami - Day to Day
Great new and exciting songwriter from London, signed to Sunday Best. A couple of brilliant albums out there!
Kate Tempest - Europe is Lost
The most important song of modern times, hands down, taken from Kate's new masterpiece Let Them Eat Chaos.
Beans on Toast plays a handful of UK dates in January 2017 prior to heading off to Amsterdam for a February date. If you're not able to catch him this time round, please keep an eye on his social media where no doubt countless music festivals and Summer performances will be added as and when they're confirmed.
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