Category Archives: Music

A Date With Beth Jeans Houghton 1

Friends of the Stars will be supporting rising folk star Beth Jeans Houghton at the Hare & Hounds, Birmingham on Friday November 6th. The line-up is completed by Banksa, and doors open at 8pm.

See you there. 

From the Lunar Society site….

Come November we’re back once again at The Hare And Hounds after our brief diversion in October.

This month once again we bring you 3 fine acts. Beth Jeans Haughton, Friends of The Stars and Banksa.

Beth Jeans Houghton was born in Transylvania to a pack of albino wolves who raised her on chewing tobacco… Read the rest

FOTS-POD#19 – “The No-Robson Club: Part 2″ 0

Apologies for the delay in posting the second part of this special two-part podcast. Things are busy at this end . You know how it is.

Always true to our word, “The No-Robson Club Part 2″ features a very special guest, so take a wild guess who that might be.

This episode features music from Ry Cooder, Teenage Fanclub, Linda Thompson and others. As usual, there is some effing and jeffing. Enjoy.

Listen:

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

TRACKLISTING

I’ll Have to Let Him Go – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Folk Song Oblivion – The Phantom Band
Read the rest

FOTS-POD#18 – “The No-Robson Club: Part 1″ 0

Episode 18 of the Friends of the Stars Podcast is a PART ONE of TWO PART affair. Recorded just last week in the fine city of Glasgow, these episodes DO NOT feature Executive Producer Robson.

Wait….come back.

Containing tunes by David Bowie, Magnetic Fields, Kevin Ayers and Elvis Costello, “The No-Robson Club” finds Friends of the Stars members Campbell and Craig spending the afternoon idly considering exactly how many copies of their next album the band need to sell in order for all 5 members to live high on the hog. They also discuss the difficulties of having family and… Read the rest

Nothing But The Tunes 0

No opinions. No tales of ‘where we were when we heard’. No grief, no anger and no jokes. No comment needed.

Listen to this…

(Feed viewers: This is the full 6 minute 07 second, 12″ promo version of “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” by the late Michael Jackson. View it HERE)

FOTS-POD#17 – “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Robson” 0

Apologies for the posting haitus these last few weeks, Friends of the Stars have been in the studio recording their 2nd LP, “Faiths Meat Kiosk”, and there will be more on that soon…

Here is Episode 17 of the ever-popular Friends of the Stars Podcasts. This one is called “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Robson” and continues in the fine tradition of it’s predecessors containing as it does lots of great tunes and two blokes swearing
at each other. If it ain’t fucking broke, and all that…

This Episode finds Executive Producer Robson and Craig discussing the… Read the rest

An Idiot With A Computer Is Just A Faster Idiot. 3

Earlier today Episode 16 of the Friends of the Stars podcasts was posted. Unfortunately when it initially went out onto the interweb it contained the links and files relating to Episode 17. The original post has now been amended and the person concerned has been fired.

Since we’re not sure how fast RSS feeds work (whether or not they pick up these posts immediately) and  just in case your FEED delivered version was incorrect, here are the Episode 16 files once more.

This problem will only have affected subscribers to the full FOTS RSS feed. Subscribers to the PODCAST ONLY… Read the rest

The Million Dollar Rematch….This Time It’s Personable 0

In the late 1990s in California Dorian Wood decided to track down his worldwide namesakes using the interweb and eventually got in touch with Birmingham-based Dorian Wood. Finding someone who shares your slightly out-of-the-ordinary name on the other side of the globe would be one thing, but to find out that you are both involved in the creation of strange and beautiful music is something quite altogether different.

On Friday 8th May 2009 we are bringing together these two unique talents to play on the same bill for the second time… It’s the Million Dollar Rematch.

Here’s what happened last March, when we did this… Read the rest

FOTS-POD#15 – “Das Robson” 3

According to Campbell, the man who made it, Episode 15 of the Friends of the Stars Podcasts is, “like listening to Radio fucking 4″.

Let’s see about that, shall we.

Executive Producer Robson turns the tables on this one and becomes the man with the questions, grilling a clearly excited Craig about his recent trip to New Zealand. Expect the usual great tunes, swearing and that peculiar kind of back-handed ignorance you only get from British people when they are forced to leave this rainy island.

(Sorry to all Kiwis)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

FOTS-POD#15 – “DasRead the rest

Country Donk 0

You’d think we’d be bored of DONK! by now, but we’re not.

Strangely, and despite it’s simplicity and apparent dumbness, it just seems to be the gift that keeps on giving…

….and the prove that we’re correct on that point, new online is the rather fabulous DonkDJ

In a nutshell, you upload the MP3 of your choice to DonkDJ and within minutes you are able download a donk remix MP3 of your song. It’s probably done by computers, or something, but it’s fair to say that the kids are going totally batshit for it, and it’s taking Twitter by storm.

Completely unable… Read the rest

With Apologies To The Dubliners…. 0

This is from Nicky over there on the Digbeth is Good website….

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

In the raffle at Twestival on 12th Feb I was lucky enough to win a cover of a song of my choice by Friends of the Stars, which was kindly donated by member Craig Hamilton.  I inevitably chose an Irish folk song – my favourite, Black Velvet Band.

But then I went and butchered the lyrics to reflect the recent Read the rest