London based Scoundrels are the first UK band to be signed by Sire Records founders, Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, to the recently revived Blue Horizon. The label, which has been dormant since its late 60’s heyday, will be a perfect home to the blues influenced Scoundrels.
The band release their single ‘Gulf Of Mexico’ on June 20th(stream it below) is followed by their self-titled debut album on June 27th.They have UK tour dates slated for later in May see those below too!
The single was recorded in the band’s own studio, in London, and was mixed by Richard Gottehrer and Alzonzo Vargas at The Orchard Studios in New York.
‘Gulf Of Mexico’ was originally intended to be a closer for the album, but, when the label heard it they loved it so much that it was unanimously decided that it should be the first single to be taken from the album.
“It’s the kind of song that sets a mood and gets under your skin”… Seymour Stein
“Blue Horizon is a respected trademark, something that people remember,” Stein said of the label that released albums from bands including Fleetwood Mac, BB King & Champion Jack Dupree in the Sixties and early seventies, “Scoundrels are the kind of band Richard Gottehrer and I were working with back then. . . . . their sound is classic and timeless!”
For Ned Wyndham (25, vocals/guitar), Alex ‘Billy’ Hill (24, bass) and Josh Martens (25, drums) the journey had inauspicious beginnings. Being friends since their schooldays, they already shared the first magic ingredient to band chemistry, and a shared a love of 50s soul, roots, doo wop and classic rock led them all to London’s LCCM music college where they were able to hone their skills, putting on rootsy nights at Notting Hill Arts Club and The Troubadour and recruiting the final piece of their band jigsaw George Elliot (20, guitar) along the way.
“College equipped us and it helped with our confidence,” admits Ned today, but they will admit that only two years ago they had tendencies to play hour-long single-song jams peppered with renditions of the Batman theme.
The real dream at play was to find an authentic British version of the kind of blues that existed in their record collections and their imaginations. And when they managed to do that, they would find things moving faster than they could ever have imagined.
At the end of 2009 the band received funding from Shamrock Solutions and spent 2010 recording their debut with Steve Albini (whose long list of credits include Nirvana, The Pixies, The Stooges and Jarvis Cocker) in Chicago and at the legendary Louisiana studios La Louisianne (the ‘Sun Records’ of Lafayette) and Studio in the Country (previously a second home to Stevie Wonder, Marilyn Manson, Willie Nelson).
The whole experience was captured by Wyatt Garfield (‘Director of The Execution of Solomon Harris’ – Official Selection Sundance Film Selection, 2008) in association with Pulse Films (‘No Distance Left To Run’, Blur: Live at Hyde Park) for a documentary entitled ‘Go Sell Your Soul’ which will be shown in six ten minute episodes on Babelgum.com in the weeks around the album release.
Album Track Listing
Just Can’t See It Through
Sniff It Up
Outta Town Blues
All On My Own
Little Red Riding Hood
Hangman’s Lament
Loud n Proud
Arrogance Blues
Louisiana Song
Issues
Porno
Gulf Of Mexico
UK Live Shows Announced:
Tue 17th May – Ronnie Scott’s (Residency)
Sun 22nd May – Mayfest, Derby
Wed 13th Jul – Larmer Tree Festival
Sat 16th Jul – 2000 Trees Festival
Tue 19th Jul – Ronnie Scott’s
Tue 16th Aug – Ronnie Scott’s
Sat 17th Sep – Hem Stock, Dorset
Gulf Of Mexico by The Orchard
Official Website: http://scoundrels.fm
