Carnival (band)
Encyclopedia
Erland and the Carnival are a British
folk rock
band, formed in London
, by multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong
(formerly of The Verve
, Blur
and The Good, the Bad & the Queen), Orcadian folk guitarist and singer Gawain Erland Cooper
and Drummer/Engineer David Nock (The Orb
, The Cult
, The Fireman
). In 2010 they released a critically acclaimed cult hit with their eponymous debut album.
Erland and the Carnival are best known for their contemporary arrangements of traditional Scottish and English folk songs, including "Tramps and Hawkers", "Was You Ever See" and "Love Is a Killing Thing", collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams
. The band's debut album was recorded at Damon Albarn
's Studio 13 and released in January 2010.
and Davey Graham
, sourcing old British songs from the Vaughan Williams museum near where he lives and developing his writing skills. He was introduced to Simon Tong and David Nock by his friend Youth
.
After Erland recorded the track "Coming Home" with Nock for Tong and Youth's Butterfly recordings compilation What the Folk (Vol 2)- the three began writing and playing together around London. Inspired by Daniel Johnston
's Hello How Are You? (On which he re-recorded individual albums to meet demand because his tape machine was broken), Erland and the Carnival released a limited edition debut EP in September 2008, with each CD containing different recordings unique to each copy.
Carnival are named after the Jackson C. Frank song "My Name is Carnival" which the band have recorded a cover version of. The track "Everything Came Too Easy" was inspired by a speech by Charles Van Doren
to the House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight
, a United States Congress
subcommittee, investigating a rigging scandal on the quiz show Twenty One. The track "The Derby Ram" is a modernisation of a folk standard about a giant fictional sheep, reworked to comment on the suicide of Shaun Dykes.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band, formed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, by multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong
Simon Tong
Simon Tong is a guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of The Verve between 1996 and 1999 and is currently a member of Erland and the Carnival and Transmission. He has also played on tour with Blur, Gorillaz and the unnamed supergroup responsible for The Good, the Bad & the Queen...
(formerly of The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
, Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
and The Good, the Bad & the Queen), Orcadian folk guitarist and singer Gawain Erland Cooper
Gawain Erland Cooper
-References:...
and Drummer/Engineer David Nock (The Orb
The Orb
Throughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...
, The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
, The Fireman
The Fireman
The Fireman is the moniker given to electronic music experiments created by Paul McCartney and Youth. In 1993, the duo of McCartney and Youth released its first album, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest, and followed that with Rushes in 1998. In 2000, Youth also took part in McCartney's similarly...
). In 2010 they released a critically acclaimed cult hit with their eponymous debut album.
Erland and the Carnival are best known for their contemporary arrangements of traditional Scottish and English folk songs, including "Tramps and Hawkers", "Was You Ever See" and "Love Is a Killing Thing", collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
. The band's debut album was recorded at Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
's Studio 13 and released in January 2010.
Band members
- Simon TongSimon TongSimon Tong is a guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of The Verve between 1996 and 1999 and is currently a member of Erland and the Carnival and Transmission. He has also played on tour with Blur, Gorillaz and the unnamed supergroup responsible for The Good, the Bad & the Queen...
– GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, HarmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, ZitherZitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
, Backing Vocals - Gawain Erland CooperGawain Erland Cooper-References:...
– GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Vocals - David Nock – Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Andy Bruce – Synthesizers
- Danny Wheeler – Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
History
Erland Cooper spent years studying Bert JanschBert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
and Davey Graham
Davey Graham
David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham, originally spelled Davy Graham, , was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival...
, sourcing old British songs from the Vaughan Williams museum near where he lives and developing his writing skills. He was introduced to Simon Tong and David Nock by his friend Youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
.
After Erland recorded the track "Coming Home" with Nock for Tong and Youth's Butterfly recordings compilation What the Folk (Vol 2)- the three began writing and playing together around London. Inspired by Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
's Hello How Are You? (On which he re-recorded individual albums to meet demand because his tape machine was broken), Erland and the Carnival released a limited edition debut EP in September 2008, with each CD containing different recordings unique to each copy.
Carnival are named after the Jackson C. Frank song "My Name is Carnival" which the band have recorded a cover version of. The track "Everything Came Too Easy" was inspired by a speech by Charles Van Doren
Charles Van Doren
Charles Lincoln Van Doren is an American intellectual, writer, and editor who was involved in a television quiz show scandal in the 1950s...
to the House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight
House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight
The House Subcommitte on Legislative Oversight was special subcommittee of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, responsible for the oversight of federal regulatory agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission...
, a United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
subcommittee, investigating a rigging scandal on the quiz show Twenty One. The track "The Derby Ram" is a modernisation of a folk standard about a giant fictional sheep, reworked to comment on the suicide of Shaun Dykes.
Discography
Erland and the Carnival have released 2 studio albums. These are shown below.| Album Name | Release Date | Record Label | Charting | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erland & the Carnival (album) Erland & the Carnival (album) Erland & the Carnival is the debut, self titled album by experimental folk project Erland and the Carnival. The album was recorded at Damon Albarn's Studio 13 and released on Full Time Hobby Records in January 2010.- Track Listing :- References... |
25 January 2010 | Full Time Hobby Full Time Hobby Full Time Hobbyis an independent record label formed in London in January 2004. Since its inception it has released records by artists such as White Denim, Tunng and Malcolm Middleton.-History:... Static Caravan Static Caravan Recordings Static Caravan Recordings is an independent record label, whose discography includes releases by Darren Hayman, The Hornblower Brothers, Shady Bard, The Yellow Moon Band, Tunng, Peter Astor, Magnetophone, Fieldhead and Serafina Steer.... |
- | The Times The Times The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International... - |
| Nightingale (album) | 7 March 2011 | Full Time Hobby Full Time Hobby Full Time Hobbyis an independent record label formed in London in January 2004. Since its inception it has released records by artists such as White Denim, Tunng and Malcolm Middleton.-History:... |
UK Indie Charts - #21 | The Times The Times The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International... - |