Mojo Review of Rubber Orchestras

MOJO Magazine : THE SPASM BAND COVER THE ROLLING STONES AND RUBBER ORCHESTRAS GETS A FOUR STAR REVIEW

A couple months ago Mojo magazine contacted us for a special project. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' seminal 1971 album 'Sticky Fingers' they were asking contemporary soul (or soul influenced) artists to cover the entire album for their January 2012 issue.
The Spasm Band were given the unenviable task of covering the glimmer twins' dark and classic paen to heroin 'Dead Flowers'.
So we holed ourselves up in our producer Malcolm Catto's London studio for a couple days and cut our unique version, which you can hear on the cover disc which also features Aloe Blac, Sharon Jones and Lee Fields. All genius stuff really, to be in this company and to be associated with the greatest rock & roll band in the known universe. I hope Mick & Keith like what we've done.
Elsewhere in the same issue of the magazine, Lois Wilson gave our Rubber Orchestras album a resounding 4 star review, check :"...psychedelic jazz and voodoo funk...one of the most talented and engaging purveyors of the music right here and now. Joseph has been creating his mesmeric sounds that draw on Axis:Bold as love-era Hendrix, Marley, Gary Byrd and Coltrane since 2007 and with each record released he's getting stronger, stranger, bolder..." 
Its a great review; read it if you can sneak a peak at magazine, or buy it if you want to hear the music. Thanks Mojo. love... Anthony

here's an excerpt from the track :http://snd.sc/s6vO9D

Here is the new video for 'She is the sea'

The album version of this song is 9mins long! Album out Sept 10.

New Audio and Video

Its summer, which means that I'm touring Europe with the Spasm Band. We have a new album released this August, so as we get ready for that, here are a few recent clips.
Firstly though, listen to an edit of the first release from the forthcoming album, this is 'Griot' a homage to all urban griots of past, present and future.

Anthony Joseph 'Griot' (Long Radio Edit) by heavenlysweetness

And here's a recent performance from Rich Mix, London. The song is 'Generations'. The album version was produced by Gerry Dammers.

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band @ Festival des Libertés, Brussells, Oct 2010

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band @ Festival des Libertés, Brussells, Oct 2010,
features interview footage and a track from their forthcoming third album, due in Spring 2011!

Gi dem Spasm Band gi dem!

So, we have come to the end of another year of the Spasm Band's adventures. Last night the two year Bird Head Son tour came to a beautiful end in Lille, with an adoring audience, a menacing sound, some good Martinique Rum, a blistering set and two encores; a fitting way to end the year, the tour and one particular chapter or the band's evolution.
Much love to those who have played with us in the last year, you know who you are. And a special thanks to our management & label - Antoine Rajon and Franck Descollonges at Heavenly Sweetness, and all at Naive, our booking agents Clare & Arnaud at Planet Aurora.

On a more personal note I'd like to thank the band, probably the most gifted, most loving musicians anyone could wish for.
Andrew John, Colin Webster, Christian Arcucci, Michel Castellanos & Oscar Martinez. Much love to Jozef Berk who was with us for most of the year.

For the fans, merci, see you in 2011 with a new album and an almighty sound!±


Hold your lane!

We are operating at full capacity now.

anthony

Voodoo Funk - Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band in London!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143590462341402&ref=ts">

Raw Footage : Spasm Band in South of France, catch it before its gone!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Axq97RMRQ

Interview in Montpellier, late 2009

Live in Arles, July 2010

Article in Le Monde, July 16 2010

We recently played a series of shows in South of France, starting in Arles and moving to Montpellier. The article below came out the day after our show in Arles, its not everyday you play after the great Salif Keita.

http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2010/07/15/anthony-joseph-precheur-funk-venu-de-trinidad-emporte-les-suds-a-arles_1388355_3246.html

Live in Nice, March 2010 & Interview

Anthony Joseph on Later with Jools Holland - 23 4 2010 @ 23.50

I'm performing on Later with Jools Holland tonight @ 23.50 - BBC 2! with Jerry Dammers Spatial AKA Orchestra + Rico!! Watch it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/later/

It will be on the BBC Iplayer for a week after, and on youtube after that.

peace,
anthony

Meet the new Spasm Band Rhythm Section!

Photos from Nice, March 19 2010

Some photos from the first show of the new season.


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4448651570_02fa3592a4.jpg

SPASM BAND NEWS AND THE SPASM BAND MOVIE

Its been a busy start to the year, in fact, when is it not busy? At the end of a fantastic 2009 tour last December the Spasm Band bid farewell to two of its members : Paul Zimmerman, aka the General, Djembe and Congas, one of the founding members, and Paul Brett aka Lord Brett. I'd like to thank them for their beautyfull playing over the years and wish them all the best with whatever they decide to do. May spirits build nests in their beards.

I'm now working with a stripped down 5 piece of drums, (yes drums as in Drumkit, a first for the Spasm, with Mr Craig Tamlin previously heard on misc percussion ringing the rimshots!) Guitar, Bass, Sax and Vox. Its a very tight and muscular sound, a real tropical punk, ah... voodoo funk..ah, whatever. We will eventually complete the line up with a new percussion/conga player. (so if you know of anyone firey let me know)
We've been woodshedding, writing songs for the next album at our studios in Greenwich. I can only say that the intensity is even higher with this one than Bird Head Son, with more universal themes, hooks and a kick ass bottom end coming through from the kick drum foot! We're writing 'songs' which is a challenge at times, but after being on the road with the band for many years now new ideas flow easily. Plus, there's nothing like working with a badfoot drummer like Mr Tamlin laying down the fire, the maple snare. Exciting shit!
The next album promises to be even tougher than the last, as it should be.
Stay tuned. Its due for release in early 2011, but I'll let you peep the clues way before that.
In the meantime you can check out There is no time - The Spasm Band movie, a feature length film which includes international performances and rare backstage footage from the first 4 years of the band. Its a gift from me to all our fans, our management but most importantly to the members of the band. Hope you enjoy it. In case you're wondering, the film's title is something that our manager said to us many times during the last year, moving from country to country, 'there is no time guys, no time!'

There is no time : Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - the movie

And now for something really special. This is a feature length film featuring international concert performances and backstage footage from the first 4 years of Anthony Joseph & the Spasm Band.

There is no time : Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band from anthony joseph on Vimeo.

Review of Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band at Le Jam in Montepellier

MARDI 15 DÉCEMBRE 2009

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band au Jam
Un petite soirée de voodoo funk, n'est-ce pas le meilleur élixir pour réchauffer l'hiver brutalement survenu sous nos latitudes ? Le Docteur Funkathus opine du chef, voilà l'intermède-antidote idéal, à la fois brûlant et doux, comme le rhum arrangé combava siroté la veille.

Après l'annulation du Staff Benda Bilili, prévu au Rockstore une semaine plus tôt, c'est avec une réelle impatience que j'attendais le concert d'Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band, le 12 décembre. Je suis en vrai manque de concert, après une belle série d'empêchements. Alors, cette une nouvelle Groove Session me sied optimum : le poète Anthony Joseph et son groupe The Spasm Band sont sur la scène du JAM. Nous annoncions le concert dans Goutte de Funk (malgré un problème d'émetteur que nous ne découvrions qu'a posteriori), nous y sommes...

Read the rest here : http://lelixirdudrfunkathus.blogspot.com/2009/12/anthony-joseph-spasm-band-au-jam.html

Bird Head Son voted album of 2009 by De la lune on entend tout Blog

L'heure est venue de faire le bilan de l'année musicale sur De la lune on entend tout. A cette occasion les chroniqueurs musicaux, Dacallo, Maï et Paco ont proposé leur classement respectif (une liste pour Maï) d'une vingtaine d’albums. GrandGibbon estimant ne pas avoir écouté suffisamment d’albums en 2009 garde son jugement pour une prochaine fois. La diversité est tout de même au rendez-vous avec plus de 40 albums cités ce qui signifie aussi qu'aucun ne sort du lot pour devenir incontestablement l'album de l'année.

Douze albums émergent toutefois en raison du nombre de citations (3 pour Anthony Jospeh, Black Joe Lewis ou Buraka Som Sistema, 2 pour Fever Ray, Tinariwen, Lee Fields, Menahan Street Band, Brother Ali et Staff Benda Bilili) ou du classement élevé obtenu dans les tops individuels (IsWhat?! et Vic Chesnutt).

See http://delaluneonentendtout.blogspot.com for more

Bird Head Son voted album of 2009 by Art Rock Blog

Les 20 meilleurs albums de 2009 :


1. Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - Bird Head Son (9)

2. Elysian Fields - The Afterlife (9)

3. Dälek - Gutter Tactics (9)

4. Anti-Pop Consortium - Fluorescent Black (9)

5. The Black Heart Procession - Six (9)

6. Lhasa de Sela - Lhasa (9)

7. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information (8,5)

8. A Wake A Week - Little Black Cloud (8,5)

9. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (8,5)

10. A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head (8,5)

11. Kill The Vultures - Ecce Beast (8,5)

12. Lee Fields & The Expressions - My World (8,5)

13. Kieran Kane - Somewhere Beyond the Roses (8,5)

14. Oeresund Space Collective - Good Planets Are Hard to Find (8,5)

15. The Low Frequency in Stereo - Futuro (8,5)

16. Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse - Dark Night of the Soul (8,5)

17. Emeralds - What happened (8,5)

18. Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid (8,5)

19. The Allender Band - Outer Dark (8,5)

20. Ramblin' Jack Elliott - A Stranger Here (8,5)

Tout ça pourquoi ? Pour en venir au formidable Bird Head Son d'Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band. Un mélange irrésistible de funk, jazz, afrobeat, soul, spoken word... qui marie aussi à merveille groove, intelligence, audace, puissance, finesse, foutoir, cohérence et engagement. S'il fallait vraiment chercher la petite bête, trouver un défaut à l'album... peut-être l'impression parfois d'écouter un album des 70's. En écho au précédent article (pas de style pour les années 2000), on tient là un vrai grand album de la décennie même si l'album, par bien des côtés, pourrait avoir été composé dans les années 70. Mais ici... on s'en fout. Il y a un tel sens du groove dans cet album, qu'il emporte tout sur son passage. Impossible, d'ailleurs, d'écrire une chronique détaillée tout en l'écoutant. Juste préciser qu'Anthony Joseph vient de Trinidad (mais vit en Angleterre), qu'il est poète et musicien, que Keziah Jones joue sur plusieurs titres, que bird head était le surnom de son père... pas la peine que je perde plus de temps à écrire et vous à me lire, suffit de l'écouter et de se laisser porter par son groove exceptionnel.


http://art-rock.over-blog.com/article-27013075.html