Olivia Chaney's new band

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: GUEST,Rigby
Date: 31 Jul 17 - 01:06 PM

Who knows, maybe the album was recorded live in the studio? That would be pretty cool.

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 31 Jul 17 - 10:08 AM

(ps - I'm also talking about this track specifically, not about Olivia's general studio practice).

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 31 Jul 17 - 10:04 AM

Guest Rigby - if it is a live video, then who is playing the tambourine which you can hear in the left speaker? Also, why does it sound exactly the same as the album version?

Bonzo3legs - re. vocal and keyboard separately performed, I'm talking about in a recording studio, not live.

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: GUEST,Rigby
Date: 31 Jul 17 - 08:42 AM

I've always been a fan of Olivia and I like the Decemberists too, but I'd agree with those who wish they'd cast the net a bit more widely in search of fresh material -- this is all very familiar fare.

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 31 Jul 17 - 07:13 AM

Olivia always does play the keyboard/harmomium and sings simultaneously. What makes you think that she doesn't guest RA?

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: GUEST,Rigby
Date: 31 Jul 17 - 05:24 AM

"I doubt very much that Olivia actually played the keyboard and sang simultaneously in the recording studio - that only happens visually in the video."

Pretty sure the videos are actually live performances. You can hear her pop the mic in a couple of places. If not then she's a phenomenally good mime artist!

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 30 Jul 17 - 05:13 PM

There's at least one more link to the band at the Newport FF that should show up when you go to Bonzo's link. I no longer go to that but caught the band here.
https://youtu.be/04zzHaKuHbE

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 30 Jul 17 - 08:42 AM

Offa Rex live at Newport Folk Festival(USA) yesterday in very blustery conditions!

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Hagman
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 08:58 PM

I've never seen any evidence that they were married, nor even of there being more than a "professional" relationship, not that I've researched that.

Am tempted to ask the guy who runs the MainlyNorfolk website.. Er, wait a minute... :-)

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Reinhard
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 02:46 PM

I wonder about Olivia Chaney's note to "The Gardener" referring to Maddy Prior and "her then husband Tim Hart". Maddy was married to Rick Kemp for a long time but her being married to Tim Hart before him is new to me. Is there any other evidence for this?

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 10:36 AM

Here's what I thought, from a post on Friendface:

Got this album yesterday - first 'new' folk purchase in a long time. The band is basically the Decembrists plus Olivia Chaney on (most) lead vocals; the material's trad. plus a song each by Ewan MacColl and Lal Waterson. It's all good - apart from a couple of rocked-up accordion tunes which sound exactly like mid-70s Albion Band* - but the plainer, less 'arranged' songs work best for me (a minimalist Willie o' Winsbury is the highlight). Olivia Chaney's song notes are interesting, and give full credit to the singers she got the songs from; most of the names are a bit obvious**, but I guess it'll get some less experienced listeners making discoveries.

Also, for the first half of the album I kept being reminded of unaccompanied renditions of the same songs I'd heard at the Gas Lamp and thinking I'd rather be there...! Live music is killing home taping, or something.

*The CD booklet makes it clear that this was precisely what they were aiming for on that track, so fair enough - I just really dislike that sound.

**Says man who got into folk way back in 2005...


To expand that point about sources, Olivia Chaney does credit Phoebe Smith and Almeda Riddle for a couple of songs, but otherwise the sources she cites are all a bit A-list - Martin Carthy, June Tabor, Maddy Prior, Norma Waterson, Ashley Hutchings. Wot no Tony Rose, Peter Bellamy, Tony Capstick, Shirley Collins, Ray Fisher...? No Brian Peters, Steve Turner, Jo Freya...?

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: GUEST,RA
Date: 25 Jul 17 - 05:42 AM

I doubt very much that Olivia actually played the keyboard and sang simultaneously in the recording studio - that only happens visually in the video.

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 24 Jul 17 - 11:30 AM

I could hear the words OK.

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: leeneia
Date: 24 Jul 17 - 10:24 AM

I listened to Bonzo's link for a while. I can understand only a few words of the lyrics. She should leave the keyboard alone and concentrate on singing clearly.

The point of a ballad is that it tells a story, and to hear the story, I have to understand the words.

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 24 Jul 17 - 05:51 AM

They are new to folk rock, so I knew they were new to me!!!!

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Hagman
Date: 23 Jul 17 - 09:32 PM

Less of a "new band" and more of a "collaboration"? Sounds OK on cursory listen. Sweet voice.

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 23 Jul 17 - 05:05 AM

Bonzo Box Jury has sat and given thumbs up to order CD! Will be interesting to compare quality with Spotify version.


Listening to That Line in Will O'winsbury, frankly is saying no more than that he's a very handsome chap. Nutty folks will read whatevaaaaaaaar pleases them!!!

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 22 Jul 17 - 10:05 AM

In fact Spotify played the tracks in order for me, recorded to PC, loaded into Adobe Audition, tracked and burned to CD for "Bonzo Box Jury" over breakfast tomorrow morning!!

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 22 Jul 17 - 07:48 AM

I've had this running from Spotify for the last 2 hours as a preface to ordering the CD, so hopefully all tracks will have recorded to my PC from the random playing!

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 21 Jul 17 - 01:41 PM

Well as the guy from the Decemberists said on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show, they wanted to be her Albion Band!!

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Reinhard
Date: 21 Jul 17 - 07:23 AM

I got The Queen of Hearts yesterday and I'm a bit disappointed. It's a nice enough album and Olivia sings beautifully but at first and second hearing there is no 'wow' moment and none of the songs comes near the versions they give as their sources. Maybe I am biased by knowing and loving these versions for so long but there you are...

Subject: RE: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: GUEST,Joe G
Date: 21 Jul 17 - 06:34 AM

Yes they are excellent

Subject: Olivia Chaney's new band
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 21 Jul 17 - 03:01 AM

Queen of Hearts - Offa Rex

Magic!