Cover of The Stones Roses classic from the forthcoming album, 'Wenlock Hill,' out on 5th May 2014.

Wenlock Hill is the new release from Merrymouth, the three piece folk-orientated band formed by Ocean Colour Scene’s frontman Simon Fowler along with long time OCS band member Dan Sealey and acclaimed keyboard player Adam Barry.

Wenlock Hill is the follow up to their critically acclaimed debut, Merrymouth, and will be released through Navigator Records on May 5th 2014.

The 11-track album sees a diverse range of songs with inspiration coming in many different forms. The title track was inspired by the series of poems ‘A Shropshire Lad’ by AE Houseman, though “I’m not sure Wenlock Hill actually exists!” remarked Adam.

The melodious first single, Without You, is a love song about being apart and the loneliness of a long-distance relationship.

He Was A Friend Of Mine is a tender, melancholic song about the murder of John Lennon. “Dan introduced us to Roger McGuinn’s version concerning the death of JFK and we wanted to relate that loss to our generation. So, we sat down and wrote the song to reflect Lennon’s death,” recalled Simon.

There is a remarkable ‘folked-up’ version of The Stone Roses’ I Am The Resurrection. “It was really interesting to strip this tune down to a piano, strings and three part harmony,” Adam described. “We have always felt that although Ian Brown is never associated with folk, there is an influence in his vocal and melodies. Since songs are kept alive by different singers interpreting them, we wanted to add our own touches to this tune.” For a similar reason, their inspired reworking of The Stranglers’ track Duchess was because “it too had a great melody and could almost be a Ray Davies song,” he added.

Guest appearances include the legendary Chas Hodges on Salt Breeze, and award winning violinist John McCusker assisted on several further tracks, both artists having been of great influence on Merrymouth. Also guesting were Catherine Harper (cello), Andy Derrick (trombone), Hugh Thomas (clarinet), Anthony Jones (muted trumpet) and Nick Lyndon (double bass).

The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire and was produced by Dan Sealey and Adam Barry.

TOUR DETAILS:
Merrymouth will embark on a UK tour to support the release of Wenlock Hill, expect additional dates to be added :

8th May - The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
9th May - Rothes Hall, Glenrothes
10th May - Tolbooth, Stirling
15th May - The Fruit, Hull
16th May - The Met, Bury
17th May - The Mac, Birmingham
18th May - The Glee Club, Nottingham
31st May – The Brook, Southampton
1st June - The Glee Club, Cardiff
2nd June – Kings Hall, London

Pre-order your signed copy from : www.propermusic.com/product-details…-Edition-166477

www.merrymouth.net/
www.navigatorrecords.co.uk/

Merrymouth - I Am The Resurrection

The End

Blame James are a British pop rock outfit from the Midlands in the UK. Founding member James Edwards, is a great songwriter who is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, penning huge anthems about love and life. An old friend, Luke Preece (lead guitar) hooked up with James. They jammed out more song ideas then recorded these as rough demos together. Realising the potential of the sound, they went about assembling a powerful live band. They contacted Dan Sealey (bass guitar) through Myspace who brought with him Ted Atkinson (drums) and Dan Hodgetts (keys). Together, with there influences and song writing abilities, Blame James came to realise the potential of there massive anthems... and anthems they are. Every song has single potential and with the live sound could all be festival favourites. There’s no bullshit. Just great songs played by great players. Blame James - 2011 .
