elementary
recordings
Boat To Row
A history lesson:
On the 22nd February 2009 I attended a gig at a house in Kings Heath, Birmingham for Brumlive website. I was there to review and photograph the proceedings. Boat To Row were the headline act. My review is at the bottom of this page*.
As you will see below I was extremely impressed with the band and Michael King's unquestionable skill as a songwriter. Soon after I approached him with a view to helping him get the band's music out to a wider audience. Michael thought about it.
Later that year, Michael approached me to help release the band's debut ep "The Young and Quirky" (which included the original solo version of "A Boat To Row To Row To You" as well as the stunning compositions "Forgetful Madame", "Woolen Jumper" and the title track). This we did as MP3 download on iTunes, Amazon etc, and also as a limited edition CD with cloth cover and picture inserts: these special edition CDs quickly sold out, the demand was so great.
Boat To Row soon became hot property and many others were eager to cash in. So it came to pass that Michael moved on; hopefully to bigger and better things.
Boat To Row have since released new material through other labels, which we are not bitter about, we just miss them. We always agreed from the outset we would untie our apron strings when it was the right time, but it was just so hard.
Regrettably, with the 2011 release of the full band version of the single "A Boat To Row To Row To You", we have had to delete the band's first ep as Michael felt uncomfortable having the original version available to download alongside the new release.
So it was with a heavy heart that the process was set underway to remove it from all stores. Therefore, "The Young and Quirky" ep will soon no longer be available to buy anywhere. It will be as if it never existed.
I must state for the record though that I am proud of our achievement: getting Boat To Row's debut single out there and I am happy to have been some small part in the Boat To Row story. They will always be welcome here.
by Al Neilson
THE LIVE REVIEW FROM BRUMLIVE:
"After a short break of more coffee and more cake, Boat To Row weave through the crowd and take up position in front of the mantelpiece. They are made up of three very young men - Michael King, of the band Youves (previously Mirror! Mirror!), accompanied by Paul Wecther on percussion and Craig Wainwright on guitar, bass and ukulele. Michael has an air of Scott Walker and early Bowie (circa 1968, around the time of “Love You Til Tuesday”), which is no bad thing in my book. And when Boat To Row begin their set my first impressions are pretty close. Michael’s knack of writing great lyrics, coupled with a good old fashioned sense of real heart-lifting melodies is a breath of fresh air in a scene where the majority of singer-songwriters opt for the easy option of moaning about lost love. Here we have a mixture of upbeat and quirky, and heart-melting and tender; totally original, but with a small nod towards Belle and Sebastion.
Stand out songs are the bouncy “Autumn Glow”, which features a lovely descending bass line in the chorus; also “Forgetful Madame”, which has an early Simon and Garfunkel arrangement and a beautiful lyric in the chorus: “You’ll wonder why you walked away from a man who loved you truly”, which is repeated until Michael’s voice breaks with emotion. There is also a song, but I missed the title, which is a story of traveling on the M42 and it is fabulous, utterly heart-warming.
There are moments when the room is in sync and it is partially due to the quality of the performance and also the actual surroundings themselves. At the Coffee and Cake Club, you have things not normally associated with gigs: you can hear everything, the singer and guitar is less than six feet away, the vibrating air from vocal chord or guitar string is sensed immediately. There is something truly inspiring about hearing a voice come from a mouth and not a stack of speakers. Moreover, you feel a part of the performance, not distanced standing in the dark, and this is felt most powerfully during an off the cuff rendition of Springsteen’s “Dancing In the Dark”. Michael seems to glow when all around him joins in with the chorus; this was real audience/artist bonding… it is priceless.
And it is Boat To Row’s final song, which Michael sings alone without his two compadres, that leaves a lasting impression. He bravely ends on a ballad after getting everyone fired up with the Bruce anthem, but now we are hanging on his every word and even though his voice is quieter than before, we lean in to listen. The intimacy of the surrounding lends itself perfectly for this kind of performance and although annoyingly I am humming “Dancing in the Dark” on the way home, when I listen again to the Boat To Row Myspace site, the self-penned songs really shine. Whether or not Michael remains as both Youves and Boat To Row, or settles for one path, it is difficult to say, as both have their strengths, but whatever he does, the quality of his musicianship is unquestionable. A real star in the making.”
Review and pics by al neilson except the 3rd image (showing me taking the other photograph) by Jade Sukiyaki.
Also below: original cover for the now deleted "Young and Quirky" CD
