Ahead of the Great Estate Festival which takes place at Scorrier House in Cornwall over the Jubilee Bank Holiday Queen’s extra long Coronation thingy weekend, we chatted to a wonderful Falmouth based 12 legged outfit called JONAH’S LIFT. We covered loads of topics including musical influences, their humble beginnings into the world of music and their dream festival lineup, for all of this and more, read on….
Please tell me about the band, who is in it and what you do....
Jonah's Lift are an eclectic folk/world/rock band from Falmouth who dress up in ridiculous costumes, but play seriously good, fun music. We can also provide a mean Ceilidh should the need arise.
Dramatis personae:
Captn. Kelly: vocals, whistles, spugel horn, bodhran, random items of percussion, extremely piratical Ceilidh caller
Djellabah Ranks: vocals, whistles, clarinet, banjo, guitar
Rosie McFiddle: vocals, fiddle, guitar
Jenny Hendrix: vocals, guitar
Bongo Badboy: drums
The Candyman: bass
When did you start your musical journey?
The band was formed in 2008 evolving out of "The Sex Slaves from Hell".
You're based in Falmouth, do you have to travel in order to enjoy live music?
Individual members are scattered throughout west Cornwall - Hayle, The Lizard, Blackwater, Mawnan Smith, Falmouth and one who lives on a boat in Falmouth Harbour! We're so busy we hardly have time to go and listen to other live music, but if we do, it invariably involves travel! Welcome to Cornwall, ha ha.
What style of music do you play?
To make the perfect helping of Jonah’s Lift, first of all take a lively collection of rocked-up traditional and contemporary folk numbers and add a pinch of folked-up classic rock ballad.
Next, throw in a selection of quirky world folk pieces with their own characteristic non-European rhythm and style and top off with a soupçon of original tunes.
Finally season with a liberal helping of Jonah’s Lift fairy dust, stir well and unleash onto a stage near you!
So make of that what you will!
Who would you say are the band's musical influences?
Given there are 6 of us in the band, how long have you got! I think any musician is influenced in some small subconscious way by every piece of music they've ever listened to.
Do you know what day/time/stage you're playing at the Great Estate Festival?
Sunday 5th June, at 18:00-19:00 on the new Earth & Roots stage.
What can the audience expect from your live show?
An hour of fantastic, seriously good fun musical entertainment accompanied by ridiculous costumes!
The bill is looking pretty good for this year, who else would you recommend the festival goers make a beeline for over the weekend?
Obviously I'd have to discount anybody who is playing on another stage at the same time as us. Ha ha. There's so much to enjoy so just go along with open ears...
There seem to be more Cornish festivals popping up all over the county these days, what is it about them that keeps people coming back year after year?
They tend to be smaller, more intimate affairs (if you exclude Boardmasters) and so still retain much more of that laid back festival vibe. Anyway, who needs an excuse to keep coming back to Cornwall?.
Tell me a funny story about a festival/show that you've attended in the past....
Apart from the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll? Hmm, leaving out sordid tales of drunkenness and debauchery does limit it somewhat! One incident does stick in the memory though... On New Year's Eve in 2019 we played a small venue in Hayle, where halfway through the second set a group of revellers dressed as Smurfs appeared and spent the rest of the evening dancing away (the term "dancing" being used very loosely). It does now lose something in translation, but at the time it was an extremely surreal experience, and one that still brings a smile to our faces.
Give me 3 bands or artists that you would like to headline at your own festival (you can choose ANY band/artist dead or alive)
Headline our Festival? That's an easy one, it would have to be US! Once again with 6 members in the band you'd get 18 different answers, and if you asked again the next day you'd probably get another 18.
Please tell me about any new music that you have in the pipeline and when can we expect to hear it?
We are constantly working on new tunes to bring into the set, but it's a slow process as arrangements can take time to settle down. In terms of releases, we have tentatively discussed recording an album next year, but nothing's set in stone yet. Keep your eye on our Facebook page and website for any news on that score.
Lastly, tell me your top three festival survival tips?
Don't take it too seriously, have open ears - and bring a good pair of wellies. This is Cornwall after all.
We’d like to thank the band for taking the time to answer our questions and we wish them every success for their show at The Great Estate Festival and all future endeavours. If you’re heading to the festival, you can catch them on Sunday 5th June, at 18:00-19:00 on the new Earth & Roots stage, if you’re NOT currently going, final tickets are available to purchase HERE
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