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| Mr Grimshaw |
There's been many exciting developments over at the Spinout Productions rapidly expanding empire recently so Amy decided it was time to catch up with boss man Lee Grimshaw for an update.
Q. Hi Lee, congratulations on the second birthday of Spinout Nuggets! It's been a busy couple of years for you, what do you feel have been
the highlights for the label so far?
A. Thank you! And thanks for all the support throughout! Never did I imagine how or where it would go, but I'm really humbled at it all. Every single moment has been a highlight, starting with Sergeants Mess, pounding all the way through to release number seventeen, with many more already planned. Last year we tried to aim for one release a month and to continue the same this year, but it's now looking to be maybe two or three a month, as so many good things are coming through. This year has already seen releases from Bully Bones, Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes, The Claim/Jim Riley's Blues Foundation, The Hannah Barberas and The Veras. I've really enjoyed moving through the 'genres', although there's still a distinctive sound between them all. The label is all about the creators be it the writers, performers, producers, mastering boffs, graphic artists or creativity providers in any form. I feel very humbled to be working with them all, and a pleasure to share with those that are supporting.
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| Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes |
A. They are all my favourites! I've been very lucky, I admit, and there's much more in the pipeline. I would love to blurt them all out, but that wouldn't be fun. We're soon to see the first label release from Paul Groovy & the Pop Art Experience, a band we've been playing on The Spinout Show for some time now, so great to have a release from them on the label. We're also soon to be putting out the second label release from The Hurricanes, their second album full of many goodies - full-on Mod-Garage-Power-Pop. Then there'll be the second label release from The Voo-Dooms, a six-track Mini LP. I was fortunate enough to be at Ranscombe Studios during the second day of the recording, which was ace. Nice to see it all coming together. Then there's a six-track Mini LP from Palooka 5, another band I've spent some time with, mainly through Tim's stomping Club Kongo events in Taunton, where a few of the label's bands have played too. This will be the second vinyl release from Palooka 5, and it's mighty fine!
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| Palooka 5 |
After that, there's a follow up 7"
release from The Treasures of Mexico, which I'm very pleased about. Another one
that I managed to capture some of the recording during the studio time at
Ranscombe Studios. Now with Nick Rice on bass, joining ex-members of The
Dentists, Mark Matthews and Bob Collins, and Russ Baxter (he also of Secret
Affair, and formerly Phaze, The Discords and so on). With some vocal help from
Beth Arzy too. We're currently trying to decide which of the recorded tracks to
put out first. Then, world meet The High Span! A fairly recent
collaboration, with some known faces, another one I was lucky to catch during
recording at Ranscombe Studios. I always try to get along and capture a little.
The High Span are Kev Younger (Armitage Shanks, Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes, Subway
Sect, The Speed of Sound and more), Mark Aitken, (Ye Ascoyne D'Ascoynes, These
Guilty Men etc.) and Jimmy Moore (Moore more!). They've had a fair few gigs
over the last year or so, and have attracted many ears. We're doing a
four-track 7", and hoping to follow that up too. There's another project
I've been working on that'll be out around the same time too, which will also
be a milestone - there's quite a back-story to it too, and I'll save that for
the next gathering. Oh, and another! Then more again! But as said before, they are
all very special in their own way, and every single individual is a pleasure to
work with. I think it's safe to say that the current global pandemic has
changed some of the plans ahead, but we're doing as best we can to keep things
going. The intention is for the label to always be an independent, DIY thing,
but you must allow growth. We have recently set up distribution with
Shellshock, in view of reaching out to some corners we haven't already, and
we're still looking for someone to carry the distribution Stateside. Clear Spot
have been covering mainland Europe for some time, and a pleasure to work with.
We still do directs too, which is very important, and a pleasure. We've also
dabbled in the dark world of digital for previous releases, due to getting
requests for it, so we wanted full inclusion.
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| The Spinout Show |
Q. I believe you've got a date for our diaries for this
September?
A. Yes, September 5th at the Royal Function Rooms in Rochester and we'd love to see you all there! Dave and I play at the annual Shiiine On Weekender at Minehead Butlins every November, and have been lucky to help with the line up over the years too. Last year we actually got to program a stage, where we had Graham Day & The Forefathers and Big Boss Man in, with us DJing around them too. It went very well, and was a most enjoyable night. Steve Lamacq was even in the crowd for GD&tF show, jumping around. Rod Spark, who played with The Prisoners during their last ever gigs, was there to play in one of his bands, so Graham invited him along to join them on organ for some of The Prisoners tracks, which was good to see/hear. A memorable night! The evening went so well, we thought we'd try and recreate it as best possible, this time in Medway at Graham, Allan and Wolf's local emporium the Royal Function Rooms, the same venue as the Medway Music and Beer Festival, Kent Soul Club and more. To this day, Big Boss Man haven't played in Medway, so it will be great to have them in. We wanted to add something else to the menu, and it made sense to pick The Hurricanes to start proceedings. Their second album should be out soon (on Spinout Nuggets), and it's sounding mighty fine! In addition to the live events on the evening, we wanted to invite some DJs in to help keep the music going from the start till the end, so we've invited local top man Rob Flood, Kent Soul Club Promoter/DJ Richard Flack and Cookin' Catfish Club Promoter/DJ Russell Deal (who's club night takes place in The Billabong Club at the back of the same venue at various dates throughout the year), in addition to Dave and I. All we need now is a good crowd of people to fill it up.
Q. What comes next for the ever-expanding Spinout empire?
A. Ah! Well, the label has a fair few releases lined up for the year ahead, as already said. We are working on the next label compilation, Chapter 2 also, but no particular planned release date as yet. I'm hoping to do a Spinout Nuggets showcase or two at some point, as it would be great to get everyone together. In some ways, Mick and Dave's club night The Primitive Club has already been an accidental part of this, with The Voo-Dooms (house band), Thee Girl Fridays, The Hurricanes and more planned too. The Spinout Show continues to go out every Wednesday, 6-8pm on NCB Radio (www.ncbradio.co.uk). Only realised recently that it's been almost four and a half years since Episode 1! We're currently up to Episode 217 at the time of writing - we've missed the odd week or two. We love guests on the show (remember when you and Rick joined us?). Dave has been able to help with more shows recently which is perfect. The record shop is still on the planning, but with being away so much, it's a little tricky at the moment. So, I'm continuing to sell old/new records online. I've been pondering a book division for the last year or so, as I have a few ideas, but I need a helper with that one! The sky is the limit, unless your ambition is Space! I'd like to end things with another huge thanks to all that have helped in many ways. It's really nice to be able to share something good, and it's much appreciated. There's lots that goes on in the background too, and I really do appreciate their input. Please buy records and support live music, and check out Damaged Goods Records, State Records, Heavy Soul Records, Trouserphonic Records and all those doing good things, including Retro Man Blog of course. We appreciate your ears!
- AKB April 2020
Many thanks to Lee and Amy - be sure to check out all the exciting happenings from Spinout at their web-site here, where you can also find out more details on all the label's featured bands and releases. More info on the Spinout Explosion event on September 5th can be found here.
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