Biography
Albums	
As a solo artist, Jelena Radan has released a debut album "Nije kraj" in 2003, a live album of fado music "Moja potraga za fadom" (My research of fado) in 2005, and in October 2006 her sophomore album "Novi dan" was published, all of these with the Scardona label. The album "Nije kraj" has earned her two nominations for the Porin musical award. In May of 2008 Scardona released a DVD/CD „Fado na Peristilu – Da Vida Quero Os Sinais (I want signs from life)“, thus immortalizing a concert performed with her musicians Joško Tomić, Mario Stojan, Nenad Miškec, Matko Petrić,and Mario Bavčević, in September of 2007 at the famous Peristil in Split, Croatia.

In 2013 she released her third studio solo album "Voyage" which is in four languages (Croatian, English, Portuguese and French), produced by Edi Cukeric and published by Menart. In early 2014, the album was nominated for European award Impala for best album of indie music. "Voyage" was nominated for best female vocal performance, and has received the National Porin Award for best visual design (B. Sekulic and Creative sheep).

The authors she works with are Anita Valo and Meri Jaman from the Meritas, G. Bošković, M. Trošelj, A. Šerić, R. Martin, I. Prajo, A. Kunštek… In October 2012, she released the first single Sjeti me Se, Ljube (Remember Me, Love).

Concerts "Voyage", organized by the Zagreb Concert Management held in Klovicevi dvori and Tvornica kulture in Zagreb.

That same year an album for children "Place for Me" has been completed in collaboration with the Breza from Osijek, where Jelena signed lyrics for five songs.

Musicians she now performs with under the concert name Voyage are Miroslav Navracic on accordion, Emil Gabric on violin, Ivan Gazibara on double bass, Josip Konfic on drums and percussion, and Tomi Novak on guitar.

Beginnings

Jelena began her musical journey and quest for her own sound already as a teenager, singing with several bands including Faust, Inner light, Contesa Nera, Funky Town, performing in clubs of Zagreb, as well as in many TV shows of the time (Crno-bijelo u boji, Dobri ljudi, Hit HTV...). Later on she broke new ground as a solo artist singing in the "Sarajevski krug" musical, which took her, together with other performing colleagues, some 40 strong, to the famous Lisinski Concert Hall a dozen times, to virtually all national theatres in Croatia, to the Theater den an der Wienne in Vienna, Austria, as well as stages in Scotland and America. This material has been recorded on a studio album entirely finalized in the Austrian studio of Linz, Austria, both in Croatian and English language, "Sarajevski krug" ("Sarajevo circle").
Her first national breakthrough as a solo artist was her performance at the Melodije hrvatskog Jadrana Festival in 2001, where she appeared in a tailcoat and ragged jeans, with her rendition of „Ruže venu same,“ penned by the legendary Zdenko Runjić. There she received an award for Best Newcomer. This launched a string of appearances at various festivals, where she presented her insightful songs, and earned numerous awards for her interpretation.
The song that remains her personal anthem to this day is „Leti do snova“ (Bulić-Dodig) from 2003, which version in Italian s titled «Prendi la vita.» The latter reaffirms the Italian style Jelena brings into her expression and interpretation.

About her music

In her work, Jelena follows some simple rules: a dignified approach toward music, and creating sonics and performing songs that express her own sentiment. She greatly appreciates the musicians, authors, music arrangers and producers she works with, whose work and expertise help her present herself in her very own style and breathe life into her songs. 

Collaborations

Together with her musicians, in the summer of 2006, Jelena participated at the Liburnia jazz festival in Opatija, Croatia. In 2008 she also performed at the Siscia Open Jazz & Blues Festival. In the bill of illustrious cooperation there is also the famous Parni Valjak band. Participating with her band in the Vlatko Stefanovski & Miroslav Tadić Croatian Tour increased her visibility as well. She performed with the well-known jazz pianist Matija Dedić, who was also her special guest in December of 2005 at her concert of fado music in the concert hall of Tvornica in Zagreb, Croatia. Her albums record collaborations with Marijan Brkić, Dejan Orešković, Saša Bulić, Ines Prajo, Arjana Kunštek… 
A fortunate collaboration with the exceptional tandem Meri Jaman i Anitom Valo (the famous Meritas) has outgrown the mere composers-performer relationship and become a true jewel of concert attraction, with a unique joint program under one title, „When tomorrow comes“, which presents, in an interesting manner, their direction in music, their love for songs and authors and performers who have been their major inspiration. 

Jelena and her fado

Already involved in the traditional Portuguese sound, Jelena started her fado tour titled "Moja potraga za fadom" (My Research of Fado) by the end of the summer in 2005. She presented her new musical direction – a story in music, starting from her intimate world of experiences and listening to the music, wherein she comes to love the fado sound, and growing into actually story-singing to the audience, expressing thus the impregnation with the state and the feeling of saudade, yearning and pain. Concerts inside the famous Diocletian's Palace, in the Cathedral of Trogir, theatres of Šibenik, Zadar, and Rovinj, in the Tvornica concert hall in Zagreb, in culture centers and other appropriate scenes, like those in the cities of Rijeka, and Osijek, as well as the one at the Peristil, in the city of Split, but also the concerts yet to come, only confirm what she already knew – that there is a demand for beautiful music, and that the audience can truly appreciate her intimate and immediate sound.
On this great journey her greatest support comes from the translator Dean Trdak, helping her with pronunciation and understanding Portuguese language and culture. 
On the wings of the American promotional tour with Meri and Anita from the Meritas duo, whereby they presented their joint concert program «When tomorrow comes», a surprise call from Mr. Hoji Fortuna came at the right time, and Jelena was invited to perform her fado in New York. The outstanding guitar player Beledo from New York took over the guitar, and Meri and Anita, presented their unique songs to the audience in the Big Apple, providing a grande finale.


In early 2010, she accepted the invitation of the Director of Ballet Theatre in Zagreb, Irena Pasaric, and together with the ballet company became part of contemporary ballet „Variations in f.ado minor“, choreographed and directed by Hugo Viera, together with her musicians Josko Tomic and Mario Stojan within the play they performed fado live. 

The premiere of Femme Fadal - Dream of Amalia Rodrigues, the images of shadow theater, directed by Morana Dolenc was in May 2012 at the theater KNAP. This is a piece which combines a shadow theater and puppetry with fado performed by Jelena Radan accompanied by Pedro Abreu on guitar. 

When tomorrow comes

The concert program headlined by Meri Jaman, Anita Valo (the Meritas) and Jelena Radan, grew out of a spontaneous and sincere desire to share with the audience the songs, authors and performers that have been their greatest source of inspiration. When put together, the common feeling they share, and their quite different but evocative voices and distinct ways of performing, an interesting musical treat is created, charged with emotional resonance. This is done with ample support by the musicians, Tin Ostreš, Dejan Orešković, and Zdeslav Klarić, comprising the backup Meritas band. In the past two years the audience has had numerous opportunities to hear them in the splendid atmosphere of the friendly Bulldog Club in the downtown Zagreb, and thus enjoy their special concert program.
In the fall of 2008, Meri, Anita and Jelena took a promotional tour in the United States, following an invitation by Lauren Olane, who organized the entire tour. They performed in clubs in Detroit and Chicago. Follows a feature at the Kalamazzoo radio station. They then traveled to New York, where Jelena gave her own fado concert together with the guitar player Beledo, due to the invitation by Mr. Hoji Fortuna. Meri and Anita provided a wonderful closing to the concert by presenting a few of their own songs. The entire tour experience will be remembered for a long time. 
Within CNN's special show at the end of 2008, there was also a special feature by Ivana Dragičević-Veličković, a HRT journalist, wherein she includes an excerpt with their impressions on the atmosphere in America on the eve of the elections, as a reflection on the Barrack Obama victory.

Other relevant data

Jelena participated at the International Festival of French Chanson in 2000, where her rendition of a French tune earned her the first prize. Curiosly, Jelena took part in the Croatian version of the “Brother Bear” cartoon ("Legenda o medvjedu") wherein she sings a Phil Collins number, originally performed by Tina Turner. She also recorded a song for the cartoon „The Prince of Egypt“, previously sung by Ofra Haza.
The album cover for „Nije kraj“ contains a sticker with Braille writing for blind people, and the booklet for her album „Novi dan“ contains an entire page written in the same Braille symbols. 
The video for the song Nije kraj (Bilandžić-Matić) is performed using the symbol language for deaf people. 
In  2005, together with Edi Matić, she started a traffic security campaign, especially aimed at young drivers. 
In 2007 she was approached by the Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP), with an invitation to join a campaign titled «„Manje oružja, manje tragedija“ (Less guns, less casualties) (a joint effort by the MUP and the UN Police Department)», in which she participated with her colleagues from the Meritas band. This led to recording the song „Čudesan svijet“ together. 
In 2008, following an invitation from the „Ja volim životinje“ (“I love animals”) project leadership, under the direction of the singer-songwriter Lea Dekleva, she joined forces with other likeminded musicians and recorded the „Nema isprike“ song as a part of the band-aid.
In the company of her friends from the Meritas group, she participated in the Zemlja bez granica manifestation (The Land Without Borders), which the Breza association from Osijek has been organizing for many years now. In 2008 this commendable manifestation under the seasonal title of «Kao oblak», transformed itself into Zeda – The Land of Children, inside the walls of the fort Tvrđa in the city of Osijek. Numerous children, teenagers, and international artists directing the workshops, partook in creating the Land of Children on the streets of the ancient downtown Osijek. The idea was drawn directly from Jelena's, as yet, unpublished story „Rejna Zum u Zemlji djece“, the main advocate for it being Suzana Vargović, the project manager and director of the Association.
In 2007 and 2008 she accepted the invitation by the Croatian national television to participate in the music show Zvijezde pjevaju (Singing With The Stars), which she appeared in the first and the second season of the series.
She is also a regular in the singers group for the new HRT's music show titled The Evergreen, which went on air from January the 3rd to February the 21st of 2009. 
For the first time in her career she appears as a member of a professional jury in the RTL show in search of new talents, titled Hrvatska traži zvijezdu (Pop Idol).

News

In 2014 she published her first novel for children, "Zeda - Rejna Zum in the Land of Children", published by Algoritam.






Cardboard Cowboy spluttered into life in 2002 in the form of Dave and Ant, formerly drums and bass respectively in future wave Leeds popsters Brazil.   “Bless My Soul”, still a crowd favourite, was recorded by these two mere mortals and showed enough scuzzed up raw swagger to get people all frothed up on both sides of the Atlantic.  Claire Sturgess on xfm proclaimed it “such a glorious racket – it works for me!”, indie mogul Alan McGee and LA label Medicated records heartily agreed, the latter faxing a record contract to the office of Dave’s crappy pen-pushing job and lining up Jim Reid from The Jesus & Mary Chain to produce their debut.

Sadly, this is one of those “it wasn’t to be” tales but after such an auspicious start, Dave and Ant figured it would be churlish to do anything other than plough straight ahead.  They were blessed by stumbling on piano pounding, guitar twanging Pat and the hardest hitting, disco bomb dropping drummer around, The Cardinal.

They played a lot of gigs around Leeds and London, honing their sound; a ragged, raging, glorious blend of old time country and the kind of indie rock and roll that’s the birth right of every northern girl and boy.

Another lucky accident was getting to know Jez, drummer from 90’s shoegaze legends Swervedriver, who ended up producing debut album “Unload Your Head”.  Uncut magazine reckoned we’d cracked the sound of “Primal Scream in a Texan roadhouse” and leedsmusicscene.co.uk lavished it with a glowing 5 star review calling it “addictive...a uniquely fine album of great songs”.

The band played the hearts out of these songs up and down the country over the next few months, all the while building up songs for the follow up “Shorthand For Love”.  Once again produced by Jez, it stretched the band’s horizons still further; their country leanings even more apparent with the high lonesome ache of “I’m Not Sleeping”, shades of Astral Weeks in “Lady Brown”, the Velvet Underground in “You Don’t Need To Cry” (with a guitar sound courtesy of Pete Doherty’s trench coat) and the Strokes-y urgency of “When I Set Sail”.

That summer, the band played the BBC unsigned stage at the Leeds festival and rounded things off with a US tour.  Their jet-lagged midnight show in Detroit is a shining moment the band will never forget.  Ending on this high, the band went their separate ways in 2007, raising families and playing with other musicians.  2014 saw Dave move back to Leeds after years in London and someone noticed it was 10 years since the first album was released – why not play a reunion gig and have a party?  This they did on a glorious summer’s afternoon, realising that, not only was it still massively exciting to play these songs together, but that they are now an even better band.  They’re hooked and so, if you can, we’d really recommend you catch them when they’re round your way. 

  When I need to push myself, I think of all those nicely polished trophies waiting to be lifted up by the winner – and how that winner might be me. 
  I have a very big sweet tooth and I love treating myself to something that I wouldn’t necessarily eat during the tournament such as a nice-sized cake.  
  I love my parents. Coming out to them was sort of coming out to myself. I educated them, and I wanted our relationship to keep growing. I wanted them to be a part of my life still. I wanted to be able to share with them what I was going through. 
  I just want to be myself. 
  Boards and myself get along somehow.  
  I think I should be active politically. Because I look upon myself as a politician. That’s not a dirty work you know. Some people think that there are something wrong with politicians. Of course, something wrong with some politicians. 
  Only through destroying myself can I discover the greater power of my spirit.  
  Every time I write something, I think, this is the most offensive thing I will ever write. But no. I always surprise myself. 
  I’ve always said that one night, I’m going to find myself in some field somewhere, I’m standing on grass, and it’s raining, and I’m with the person I love, and I know I’m at the very point I’ve been dreaming of getting to.  
  At first, I only laughed at myself. Then I noticed that life itself is amusing. I’ve been in a generally good mood ever since. 
  Writing for somebody else is really fun ’cause I consider myself a songwriter first and foremost.  
  I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don’t care. For me, it’s really about who I surround myself with, so I just try to always be with hilarious people.  
  It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.
  I was in a queer mood, thinking myself very old: but now I am a woman again – as I always am when I write. 
  I’m grateful to God for His bountiful gifts… He gave me courage and faith in myself.  
  I’ve woken up from dreams and the whole song is there. I’m listening to it in my dreams. I consciously have to wake myself up and get a tape recorder because I hear it like a record.  
  Certainly I’ll never be able to put myself in the situation that people growing up in the less developed countries are in. I’ve gotten a bit of a sense of it by being out there and meeting people and talking with them.  
  I’m not trying to be sexy. It’s just my way of expressing myself when I move around.  
  I quote others only in order the better to express myself.  
  I have brought myself, by long meditation, to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment. 
  I study myself more than any other subject. That is my metaphysics, that is my physics.  
  If I read a book that impresses me, I have to take myself firmly by the hand, before I mix with other people; otherwise they would think my mind rather queer. 
  The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on. 
  If I make a fool of myself, who cares? I’m not frightened by anyone’s perception of me. 
  The first thing which I can record concerning myself is, that I was born. These are wonderful words. This life, to which neither time nor eternity can bring diminution – this everlasting living soul, began. My mind loses itself in these depths. 
  I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars.  
  O public road, I say back I am not afraid to leave you, yet I love you, you express me better than I can express myself. 
  More and more, it feels like I’m doing a really bad impersonation of myself.  
  When you’re singing you can hear the echo of people in the audience singing every single word with you, and that was that big dream that I had for myself. It’s happening. 
  Yes, and I had pimples so badly it used to make me so shy. I used not to look at myself. I’d hide my face in the dark, I wouldn’t want to look in the mirror and my father teased me and I just hated it and I cried everyday.  
  I am no longer sure of anything. If I satiate my desires, I sin but I deliver myself from them; if I refuse to satisfy them, they infect the whole soul.  
  I used to work in a funeral home to feel good about myself, just the fact that I was breathing. 
  I care not so much what I am to others as what I am to myself. I will be rich by myself, and not by borrowing. 
  I would describe myself as emotional and highly strung. If something upsets me, it really upsets me. If something makes me angry, I get really angry. But it’s all very upfront. I can’t hide it. I’m also loyal and I hope I’m fun. 
  I’m in trouble because I’m normal and slightly arrogant. A lot of people don’t like themselves and I happen to be totally in love with myself. 
  When I was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself.  
  I alone of English writers have consciously set myself to make music out of what I may call the sound of sense. 
  I’m not a fighter, but in my mind I’m fighting every day. ‘What’s new? What am I doing?’ I’m fighting myself. My soul is samurai. My roots aren’t samurai, but my soul is.  
  I find myself hoping a total end of all the unhappy divisions of mankind by party-spirit, which at best is but the madness of many for the gain of a few. 
  When I give, I give myself.  
  Henceforth I ask not good fortune. I myself am good fortune. 
  I have never seen a greater monster or miracle in the world than myself.  
  The dupe of friendship, and the fool of love; have I not reason to hate and to despise myself? Indeed I do; and chiefly for not having hated and despised the world enough.  
  I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.  
  Where ever I am I always find myself looking out the window wishing I was somewhere else.  
  I felt ashamed for what I had done. I don’t have any excuses. I did what I did. I take full responsibility for myself and my actions. I wouldn’t pawn this off on anybody. I’m sorry it happened. And I hurt people. 
  I’m not going to limit myself just because people won’t accept the fact that I can do something else. 
  If I wasn’t Bob Dylan, I’d probably think that Bob Dylan has a lot of answers myself.  
  Madame Bovary is myself.  
  In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost. 
  When I record somebody else’s song, I have to make it my own or it doesn’t feel right. I’ll say to myself, I wrote this and he doesn’t know it! 
  What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven. 
  I could see myself in a relationship with a girl; Olivia Wilde is so sexy she makes me want to strangle a mountain ox with my bare hands. She’s mesmerizing.
  I do myself a greater injury in lying than I do him of whom I tell a lie. 
  Every night on the court I give my all, and if I’m not giving 100 percent, I criticize myself. 
  God has entrusted me with myself. 
  The No. 1 issue in the Hispanic American community is ‘How do I leave my children better off than myself? 
  I pinch myself because of the understanding that I’ve been blessed with a real rare opportunity that few Americans ever get – to serve their government and their people at this level. 
  Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all alone. Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring.  
  If all of us acted in unison as I act individually there would be no wars and no poverty. I have made myself personally responsible for the fate of every human being who has come my way.
  Picasso once remarked I do not care who it is that has or does influence me as long as it is not myself. 
  To withdraw myself from myself has ever been my sole, my entire, my sincere motive in scribbling at all.  
  To be intimate with a married man, when my own father cheated on my mother, is not something I could forgive. I could not look at myself in the morning if I did that. I wouldn’t be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife. 
  ‘Worry’ is a word that I don’t allow myself to use. 
  I don’t follow other players or the tournaments they play. I have my own schedule and do my own thing. I never really think, ‘Oh, I want to be or play like so-and-so.’ I just like being myself.  
  If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life – and only then will I be free to become myself. 
  I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well.  
  I don’t look to a man to get pride in myself. It’s not about having a black president, it’s about having a good president, and I think that’s the most important thing.  
  I have had more trouble with myself than with any other man.  
  Shall I not have intelligence with the earth? Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself. 
  I have to live for others and not for myself: that’s middle-class morality.  
  I do not concern myself with gods and spirits either good or evil nor do I serve any.  
  I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.  
  I think it’s important to take a break, you know, from the public eye for a while, and give people a chance to miss you. I want longevity. I don’t want to get out there and run myself ragged and spread myself thin.  
  Mickey Mouse popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner.  
  If I seem to boast more than is becoming, my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself.
  I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human being with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most important moments. 
  When the burdens of the presidency seem unusually heavy, I always remind myself it could be worse. I could be a mayor.  
  There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.  
  I’m happy being myself, which I’ve never been before. I always hid in other people, or tried to find myself through the characters, or live out their lives, but I didn’t have those things in mine. 
  I’m undaunted in my quest to amuse myself by constantly changing my hair.  
  I have learned to keep to myself how exceptional I am.  
  I was like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.  

Formed in 2010 by long-time musical sympathisers and ex 'Pot Boilers' Michael Bennett and James Paul, Toronto's 'Garage Baby' carries the ethos and axioms of late 70s punk and pays it back and forward with raging vengeance and swaggering conviction.

Originally conceived as a punk power trio after Michael and James convinced journeyman drummer Claude Kent that Garage Baby is the best band that he'll ever be in, this nascent trio was unexpectedly hijacked at one of their first live shows by stalwart punk rock guitarist and Queen West elder statesman Adam Faux. After witnessing the band's live fury, musical might and Michael's prophetic vocal delivery, Adam brashly informed the band he was now their new lead guitarist. So much for holding auditions …

With just shy of two-hundred years of musical experience and street cred between the four band members, to the uninitiated Garage Baby is; real, vital, convincing, in your face, evocative, compelling, what's truly needed and the epitome of three chords and the truth. This band makes no musical compromises: They do it their way and play with a ragged bravado that lets all within ear-shot know they have nothing to lose. Their live shows are undeniable and leave each stage they conquer with a musical crater that few can fill. With nothing to prove, Garage Baby chooses to carry the punk rock torch out of contempt for contemporary music's complacent malaise and fakery. In the words of the legendary Joe Strummer; "phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust".


Hailing from the long gone lonesome plains of East Anglia, The Malingerers’ music evokes a sound sometimes more at home in the south western states of America than the UK folk scene. However, whilst clearly influenced from a melting pot of traditional country, blues, folk and jazz (Hank Williams, Merle Travis, Leadbelly, Woodie Guthrie, Bob Wills etc.) their music somehow manages to combine these influences with typically British and Irish flavours, cynicism and warped sense of humour and history! 

The Malingerers were formed around 2009 from the ashes of twisted country blues noise mongers; The Surgens. Whilst clearly sharing similar DNA due to the same songwriters and three of the original Surgens members, The Malingerers are an entirely different animal drawing on more traditional acoustic folk, blues and country influences.

After a couple of years of writing and arranging new material (and a few personnel changes!) The Malingerers finally settled on the current lineup in 2012 with Tim Palmer joining on fiddle. 

The bands’ first album, “Lonely Years” which received some excellent reviews by the music press, was released in 2013 containing all original material recorded at Gizzard’s analogue studio in London. By recording everything live (including vocals) straight to 2” tape like they used to do in the good old days, the bands’ recordings retain the sound and feel of the live band whilst giving a raw and punchy traditional sounding album.

The Malingerers’ second album 'Wine & Lies' will be released on 4th March 2016. The seven-track LP continues to somehow blend vintage, dust bowl era Americana seamlessly with British Folk and as usual taking in more than a sprinkling of early Jazz and Blues influences.

Here’s what’s being said about The Malingerers:

“The latest in a seemingly never-ending line of British bands who do American music as well, if not better, then the natives. This Peterborough-based band major in old-time and acoustic country-blues.
Americana UK – 7/10

“Taking their lead from The Band, via folk/blues influences like Leadbelly an Woody Guthrie, brothers Kevin and Craig Murphy peddle tales of financial hardship (“The Optimist”) and sleepless nights (“Drunken Angel”), the former’s vocal growl underpinned by the latter’s plaintive harmonica. The musical tones may be informed by the wide open spaces of the Southern US, but the lyrics offer a liberal helping of good old British cynicism.”
Uncut Magazine – 7/10

“Still blazin’ a trail for Rockabilly and old time country blues”
Maverick – 4 Stars

“Squawking harmonica, dusty strumming and a ragged feel scoops us up and plonks us in the Americana-flecked house of UK folk outfit The Malingerers. They’ve been shaking things up on the airwaves, and for sound reason; the down trodden slur of The Optimist is irresistible melancholy, Hell Child delivers a breezy, upbeat shanty, and the boxy stomp of Down By the Sea is pure unadulterated campfire bliss.”
The Guitar Magazine – 4 Stars

“If these reviews were based on an album’s first three tracks then The Lonely Years would be getting a full five stars. ‘House of Mine’ is a stirring opener, the kind of up-tempo blues that lends itself to Kev Murphy’s gravelly voice, with strong support from brother Craig’s harmonica and Tim Palmer’s fiddle.

It’s followed by ‘The Lonely Years’, where the enthusiasm of the playing contrasts with the sadness of the lyric. While these songs are good what comes next is exceptional. ‘The Optimist’ is quite simply one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. The poignant lyric, a journey from tragedy to hope, is brought to life by Murphy’s soulful vocal and beautiful playing from the band, subtle touches of mandolin and harmonica contributing to the song’s melancholy feel.”
R2 Rock n Reel Magazine – 3 Stars

“Great new stuff, The Malingerers ‘House of Mine’, Mark Lamarr recommended them and he’s usually right.”  
Bob Harris – Radio 2

Secret Players Society is the name given to a musical project that has been bubbling under the San Francisco fog since 2009. Helmed by an unnamed singer-songwriter, Secret Players Society came together after she lured her friends into the studio with the promise of free booze and good times – and her friends were kind enough to show up. Working on this iteration of Secret Players Society are Will Sprott on guitar (The Mumlers), Elias Reitz on drums & percussion (Gojogo, Painted Cakes), Laura Ortmann on violin (Family Dynamics, The Dust Dive), Stuart Bogie & Eric Biondo on horns (Antibalas), along with a few other secret soldiers. The songs were built from the ground up, starting as field recordings from disparate Northern California sounds – train horns, sea lions, church bells, roller coaster screams – and then cradled and molded into ragged, cosmic folk songs.

Keshet Suman is following