BaT In The Saddle will be back this year (2015) after a seemingly indefinite hiatus.

Family bereavements and personal issues seemed set to scupper the plans and good work that had been produced up until their split, but after plenty of time, reflection and soul searching, the decision was made to finish what was started.

The aim is to release 24 songs this year in 4 parts. New avenues will be explored, namely being studio based for the first time rather than working out complete songs then recording them, using processed beats and found sounds. Who knows how this will turn out but it is an exciting prospect and something that will test the band, which is never a bad thing.

BaT In The Saddle are:

Danny Bowden - Vox, Lyrics, Percussion, Stylophone, Guitar, Keys, Blues Harp and Harmonies.
'Tiff Miller' - Guitar, Vox, Keys, Harmonies, Percussion, Processed Beats and Lyrics.

Former members:

Ste 'Bots' Campbell - Drums, Percussion, Remixes and Guitar.
Sam 'Mule' Taylor - Bass and Harmonies.
Mark Rinder - Synth and Keyboard.
Emily Collier - Harmonies and Cat Stuffs.

Press contact: batinthesaddle@gmail.com
Booking agent: batinthesaddle@gmail.com

If viewing on a mobile you can access info  here:
https://www.facebook.com/Batinthesaddle
https://twitter.com/BaTInTheSaddle

In The Beginning...

Formed in 2011, initially as a duo, when old friends Bowden and Tiff began writing and performing together again after collaborating on other projects sporadically since the turn of the millennium. 

Their mutual love of live performance and desire to create a fuller sound led to the recruitment of 'Mule' on bass, whom Bowden had collaborated with in Diego Snail. A richer sound was developing fast, though the then trio agreed the line up was not yet complete. 

It was then they approached 'Bots' who had worked alongside Bowden and Tiff in the funk-punk-prog behemoth that was Tunji!. Though committing his time to other projects initially, they convinced 'Bots' of the musical direction they wanted to take and the fourth BaTITSa was recruited soon after.

A prolific period of writing and a busy practise schedule, and a 30 song back catalogue to cipher, took BaTITS into the studio to record. The recording of BaTITS debut ep 'Surreal Estate' was completed as 2012 came to an end. Sadly, this is where the road ended... Or was it!?! This will hopefully also be released this year (2015) so, get yer pennies and lugoils ready! :D BaT In The Saddle are here and more than ready to bring their infectious style to a growing audience in this new year, with over a hundred songs in the vault.

Comparisons have been made to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Fleetwood Mac, The Shins, Red Hot Chili Peppers (Standard!), Teenage Fanclub and many others. High praise indeed for them, who admit this is all very flattering if a little bemusing, though it does reflect their multiverse palette. Comparisons will always be cast but any similarities are purely coincidental. BaT In The Saddle are proud to bring their own styles and sounds to the table.

There is not much worse than seeing a band who are not into what they do and that can never be said of the BaTITS brethren. Put simply BaT In The Saddle are a band who get out what they put in and who wear their hearts and souls on their collective, proverbial sleeves.

Dave Middleton is a singer/songwriter from Leeds. 

He is the current singer/songwriter for Sea Of Shadows, a local Leeds band, he is also the vocalist for Skywriters, a rock cover band from Leeds and occasional guest vocalist for Tiph Miller.

He has featured in many bands over the years, including Shades Of Grey, Diego Snail & Hobson’s Choice.

The songwriting partnership of Leeds singer/songwriter Dave Middleton & multi instrumentalist Matt Walkin started around 2002 when they both met each other through fellow Leeds musician Chris Ferguson and formed the first incarnation of Hobson’s Choice. 

Matt and Dave have since been inseparable and consider each other as brothers, in fact Dave Middleton hasn’t written a song without Matt Walkin since 2002 and Matt was Dave’s best man at his wedding. 

Upon the pair leaving Hobson’s Choice they immediately formed a partnership of mainly acoustic/experimental music which became Sea Of Shadows. Dave wrote the lyrics and a basic idea of how he wanted the tune to go, Matt would pick up and write and compose all the music, record all the parts and they would eventually write over 30 songs this way.

Around 2012, Matt Owen, formally of Diego Snail, another band Dave sang vocals in joined the pair and provided Drums and Percussion. 

For a short time they had another Leeds musician Michael Pressley performing with them live. 

Dave’s first band was Shades of Grey which he formed with Craig Smith and Christian Caulfield when he was 15, Shades of Grey was a punk rock band.

He was in and out of a few bands that didn't last too long, Rambling Rose etc but got serious again when he met up with Matt Walkin and Chris Ferguson whom he’d been in one of the short term bands with and formed Hobson's Choice.

Hobson's Choice was an experimental acoustic band with all three musicians on various instruments recording and performing.

About a year in he also joined Diego Snail, a band that had been formed by a few of his mates from back in the day, including Calan Ryan, Sam Taylor, Mark Rinder, Matt Owen and Matthew Tiffany. They had a good few years playing and recording, doing a lot of gigs with both Diego Snail and Hobson’s Choice on the same bill.

After leaving Diego Snail Dave continued for some time with Hobson's Choice, adding Matt Owen on percussion and fellow singer/songwriter Kelly Hezelgrave on vocals and for a short time they re named the band The Brooks.

Eventually Dave and Matt went on alone and so did Chris and Kelly. They formed Hobson and Dave and Matt formed Sea Of Shadows, adding Matt Owen back on Drums/Percussion. 

This account is mostly for songs from each band which aren’t available elsewhere and from time to time new solo tracks or works in progress might be added temporarily.

All original music remain under copyright of Davidjmmusic (c) 

Please also check out Sea of Shadows on Soundcloud, Twitter and Facebook:

http://soundcloud.com/seaofshadowsband 

http://www.facebook.com/SeaOfShadows

@SOSbandtweet

Please check out Skywriters on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/skywritersband/

Please check out Tiph Miller on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tiphmiller1/

We are Sea Of Shadows From Leeds, England. 

Members:

Dave Middleton: Vocals, Ukulele & Acoustic Guitar 
Matt Walkin: Guitars, Basses, Ukulele & Percussion
Matt Owen: Drums & Percussion

Feel free to use any of my beats. Just send me a link to the finished product.

Ayup sithee! I hope I find you as you find me, diddling dandy and fine..

I'm Daniel James Bowden, 30, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. I write and I sing. I started my first band and wrote my first songs (death metal!) when I was around 9, since then I have been in several bands: Waif &amp; Stray, BaT In The Saddle, Tunji!, Porch, iSEPARATISTS!, Diego Snail, Buzzing Black Pills Cartel, Bad Deeds.. and have also performed with The Hidden Cameras, 10,000 Things, Vinnie &amp; The Stars, Spanish Dave, Dave Kelly and the Robin Hood Babes In The Wood panto.

Currently, I write and sing with Waif &amp; Stray and BaT In The Saddle.

Waif &amp; Stray: myself, Jack Ozyer-Key, Mike Stephenson, Josh Hannaby and Sam Cook, were started as a two-piece politico-acoustica act around 2008, by Ben Kershaw and me, and has since evolved into a 5-piece, 10-winged post classic rock grim grunge pop sniff machino-phoenix cabaret. The Waif &amp; Stray debut album, Straight For The Dust, 'will' be finished come Summer 2012.

Waif &amp; Stray perform on the Danthology set as yours truly, Ben Kershaw and Tiff Miller, as part of a live 24 hour musicathon on ELFM, recorded at Seacroft Methodist Church.

BaT In The Saddle: I and I, Tiff Miller, Sam Taylor, Emily Collier and Steve Campbell, were formed by myself and Tiff Miller, who I have written and performed with for a decade, in 2011. Since then we have filled out for the winter (adding bass, harmonies, drums and atmospherics), are gearing up for more live performances and have begun self-recording our first offerings of 2012.

BaT In The Saddle appear here as yours truly and Tiff Miller, and were recorded by the lovely, talented Simon Whitton; I hope you enjoy the live, acoustic session vibes.

Tunji! have appeared in many weird and wonderful guises since the turn of the millennium; alas they are no more but in our and your hearts, memories and ears. I believe everyone who was ever in Tunji! are still making and performing music in one way or another, so dry your proverbials.

Tunji! appear here as Daniel of the Bowden variety, Tiff Miller, Chris Haysom, Paddy Gallagher, Christian Caulfield, Emily Collier, Ste 'Bots' Campbell and Matt Le Bong - Recorded, mixed and mastered at Soundworks, Leeds by the mighty Will Jackson.

Danny Bowden - Lead Vocals / BVs / Percussion / Lyrics except*: Reflections, XL - PG &amp; DB, Opal, Sunrise, Roulette &amp; Pull The Plug - TM &amp; DB and the opening couplet of Greed Is A Bottomless Pit - BK.

Tiff Miller - Electric &amp; Acoustic Guitar / BVs / Percussion / Keys / *.

Jack Ozyer-Key - Electric Guitar.

Mike Stephenson - Bass Guitar.

Josh Hannaby - Drums.

Sam Cook - Electric Guitar.

Ben Kershaw - Acoustic Guitar / BVs / *.

Chris Haysom - Bass Guitar / BVs.

Paddy Gallagher - Electric Guitar / BVs / *.

Christian Caulfield - Drums / BVs.

Emily Collier - Harmonies.

Ste 'Bots' Campbell - Drums / Electric Guitar.

Matt Le Bong Bellerby - Bongos / Djembe.

Will Jackson - Keys.

Hannaby is following