Y'all Is Fantasy Island
Encyclopedia
Y'all Is Fantasy Island are a Scottish
alternative
folk
band from Falkirk
, formed in 2001.
. After a couple of low-key releases, including 2002's cassette only Wisconsin Death Trip
mini album and 2005's Skeletal Demos EP, Stafford recruited guitarist/sound engineer Tommy Blair and drummer/clarinettist Jon McCall. The band recruited bassist/keyboardist Robert Lesiuk in 2006 to help fill out their live sound. McCall and Lesiuk left the band in the summer of 2007 with McCall being replaced by Steven Tosh on drums and Jamie Macleod taking over bass duties.
2008 saw the band release their second album, Rescue Weekend, again to critical acclaim. The album was originally written and conceived as a separate project from the band, but when multi-instrumentalist Tosh joined in 2007, the band decided to issue it under the Y'all is banner on their own DIY Label, Wise Blood Industries.
The band subsequently released "With Handclaps EP" on Glasgow punk label Winning Sperm Party in August 2008, "No Ceremony" in November 2008 and "Infanticidal Genuflector: Selected Film Soundtrack Work 06/07" in December, respectively (again on Winning Sperm Party). This notched the amount of releases in 2008 to four: one EP and three LPs.
The band continued to play live extensively through the year before the unexpected departure of Blair in October 2009.
After the departure of Tommy Blair the band played a handful of shows in 2010 including supporting Warpaint
before announcing they were to split.
Their final show was played at Sneaky Pete's on the 11th March 2011 with original member Robbie Lesiuk returning in place of Tommy Blair on guitar.
Adam Stafford continues to work as a solo artist and film maker, with a new project featuring ex-YiFI members mooted.
The LP received much acclaim from the Scottish Music Press, drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen
, Ry Cooder
, and fellow Falkirk musicians Arab Strap
.
provided viola and vocals on the track "High Hopes, Lost Love & Ruined Lives". Rescue Weekend was a lyrical departure for Stafford and saw him assuming the position of imaginary characters with each song following a narrative. The LP received The Skinny's Album Of The Month and was acclaimed by the magazines Plan B
and The List. It was issued on the band's own DIY label Wise Blood
in May 2008.
's own film collaboration with author Alan Bissett, entitled The Shutdown.
band Zoey Van Goey
and Scottish writer Alan Bissett
. Dubbed the Super Puny Humans, and inspired by Ballad of the Books project, the shows featured performances by both bands and sections with everyone on stage. Bissett would read from his published novels while both bands provided musical backing.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band from Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
, formed in 2001.
Overview
Originally formed in 2001 by singer/songwriter Adam StaffordAdam Stafford
Adam Stafford is a musician & film maker from Falkirk, Scotland.Adam Stafford is probably best known for being the lead singer and song writer with critically acclaimed Scottish band Y'all is Fantasy Island. Having formed the band in 2001 as a solo project Stafford added various members to augment...
. After a couple of low-key releases, including 2002's cassette only Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip
Wisconsin Death Trip is a non-fiction book by Michael Lesy, first published in 1973. It has been adapted into a film.The book is based on a collection of late 19th century photographs by Jackson County, Wisconsin photographer Charles Van Schaick, mostly in the city of Black River Falls, and local...
mini album and 2005's Skeletal Demos EP, Stafford recruited guitarist/sound engineer Tommy Blair and drummer/clarinettist Jon McCall. The band recruited bassist/keyboardist Robert Lesiuk in 2006 to help fill out their live sound. McCall and Lesiuk left the band in the summer of 2007 with McCall being replaced by Steven Tosh on drums and Jamie Macleod taking over bass duties.
2008 saw the band release their second album, Rescue Weekend, again to critical acclaim. The album was originally written and conceived as a separate project from the band, but when multi-instrumentalist Tosh joined in 2007, the band decided to issue it under the Y'all is banner on their own DIY Label, Wise Blood Industries.
The band subsequently released "With Handclaps EP" on Glasgow punk label Winning Sperm Party in August 2008, "No Ceremony" in November 2008 and "Infanticidal Genuflector: Selected Film Soundtrack Work 06/07" in December, respectively (again on Winning Sperm Party). This notched the amount of releases in 2008 to four: one EP and three LPs.
The band continued to play live extensively through the year before the unexpected departure of Blair in October 2009.
After the departure of Tommy Blair the band played a handful of shows in 2010 including supporting Warpaint
Warpaint (band)
Warpaint is an American art rock group from Los Angeles, formed in 2004. The band's members are Emily Kokal , Theresa Wayman , Jenny Lee Lindberg , and Stella Mozgawa . The band's membership has also included actress Shannyn Sossamon and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer...
before announcing they were to split.
Their final show was played at Sneaky Pete's on the 11th March 2011 with original member Robbie Lesiuk returning in place of Tommy Blair on guitar.
Adam Stafford continues to work as a solo artist and film maker, with a new project featuring ex-YiFI members mooted.
In Faceless Towns Forever
The trio of Stafford, Blair and McCall recorded the debut album In Faceless Towns Forever during a 19-hour session in an abandoned house in their hometown. The album was released in 2006 on Falkirk-based indie label Panic in Year Zero and distributed by Cargo Records.The LP received much acclaim from the Scottish Music Press, drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
, and fellow Falkirk musicians Arab Strap
Arab Strap (band)
Arab Strap were an indie rock band from Scotland that consisted of core members Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, and split in 2006...
.
Rescue Weekend
The outfit's second album was written in autumn/winter 2006 and recorded during three days in February 2007 in Homegrown Studios, a converted farmhouse studio in rural Falkirk. The LP was originally conceived as a solo album for Stafford. He and Tosh added guitarist/bassist pianist Robert Lesiuk, pedal steel guitarist Alister Bruce and saxophonist Bruce Mechie. Kim Moore from Glasgow band Zoey Van GoeyZoey Van Goey
Zoey Van Goey are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, made up of Matt Brennan, Michael John McCarthy, Kim Moore and Adam Scott. Brennan, McCarthy and Moore, hailing from Canada, Ireland and England respectively, formed the initial trio in Glasgow in 2006, with Scott becoming a full-fledged...
provided viola and vocals on the track "High Hopes, Lost Love & Ruined Lives". Rescue Weekend was a lyrical departure for Stafford and saw him assuming the position of imaginary characters with each song following a narrative. The LP received The Skinny's Album Of The Month and was acclaimed by the magazines Plan B
Plan B (magazine)
Plan B was a monthly music magazine based in London, England. It catered mainly towards independent music but did not discriminate between the relative popularity of the bands it features. Plan B also documented alternative culture such as film, comics, video games, visual art and books. The...
and The List. It was issued on the band's own DIY label Wise Blood
Wise Blood
Wise Blood is the first novel by American author Flannery O'Connor, published in 1952. The novel was assembled from several disparate stories first published in Mademoiselle, Sewanee Review, and Partisan Review...
in May 2008.
No Ceremony
Recorded on and off over two years, No Ceremony was issued in November 2008. The album contained perhaps the band's two most famous songs, "With Handclaps" (which was championed by Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6) and Punk Rock Disco. Primarily recorded in Tosh's living room and Adam Stafford's parents' living room and bathroom, the album was issued to 4 and 5-star reviews in November 2008.Infanticidal Genuflector
The band's third album of 2008 was a compendium of instrumental film soundtrack music commissioned for Edinburgh filmmaker Leo Bruges' street documentary Fistfull of Roses, and also featured the track "Hammer Eats Hoover", which was used in Adam StaffordAdam Stafford
Adam Stafford is a musician & film maker from Falkirk, Scotland.Adam Stafford is probably best known for being the lead singer and song writer with critically acclaimed Scottish band Y'all is Fantasy Island. Having formed the band in 2001 as a solo project Stafford added various members to augment...
's own film collaboration with author Alan Bissett, entitled The Shutdown.
Super Puny Humans
In May 2007, YIFI embarked upon a short tour with GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
band Zoey Van Goey
Zoey Van Goey
Zoey Van Goey are an indie pop band from Glasgow, Scotland, made up of Matt Brennan, Michael John McCarthy, Kim Moore and Adam Scott. Brennan, McCarthy and Moore, hailing from Canada, Ireland and England respectively, formed the initial trio in Glasgow in 2006, with Scott becoming a full-fledged...
and Scottish writer Alan Bissett
Alan Bissett
Alan Bissett is an author and playwright from Hallglen, an area of Falkirk in Scotland. After the publication of his first two novels, Boyracers and The Incredible Adam Spark, he became known for his different take on Scots dialect writing, evolving a style specific to Falkirk, suffused with...
. Dubbed the Super Puny Humans, and inspired by Ballad of the Books project, the shows featured performances by both bands and sections with everyone on stage. Bissett would read from his published novels while both bands provided musical backing.
Discography
- In Faceless Towns Forever, LP 2006
- With Handclaps, EP 2008
- Rescue Weekend, LP 2008
- No Ceremony, LP 2008
- Infanticidal Genuflector, LP 2008
- Tracks We Laid Will Die: Demos & Rarities '01 - '07, LP 2011