Biography
Whalebone’s distinctive sound is created from a mix of many genres, merging Celtic music with bluesy riffs and traditional tunes with rock flash to create a unique and joyful blend. These far ranging influences combined with dexterous finger work and energetic live performances have built them a reputation amongst fans with a diverse array of musical tastes. With artistic sensitivity always at the fore coupled with their charismatic rapport at live shows Whalebone continue to seduce audiences wherever they perform.
With a sound that hints at Fairport, Flook and acoustic Led Zep without the vocals, Whalebone’s music is a marriage of folk music and classic guitar rock played on acoustic guitars and fiddle, combining upfront spellbinding musicianship, infectious driving rhythms and exuberant presentation. The trio’s performances feature fiery and emotive original material, supercharged renditions of traditional music and wild re-workings of rock guitar classics played with dazzling virtuosity.
In the last five years they have made many Radio and TV appearances and performed at numerous festivals. Their original music has also been used as a soundtrack to the television series ‘UK Boating’. A successful 2009 saw the release of both a live album ‘Rootsy...Folky...Live and Funky’ and the re-release of their remastered debut album ‘There to Here’. 2010 saw a 34 date 'The Gathering' tour and the release of their third album, ‘Three Fires’. In 2011 the 'Three Fires Tour' took the band's show to venues throughout the UK. Starting in February 2012, the ‘Origins Tour’ set will include some of the tunes that will make up their fourth album, to be recorded in the summer.
Ethos
.... whalebone explained
Whalebone came together over a period of years through a shared love of cake and tea, starting in 2005 with Steve Downs and Charlotte Watson as an acoustic guitar duo and then, following the happenstance addition of Sarah Ibberson on fiddle to a miserable gig on a miserable night in 2007, the realisation that this was exactly what the group needed on a permanent basis. More of that later....
Whalebone’s sound has been created over several years by mixing many styles and influences. Whilst we started out as an acoustic guitar duo playing Celtic influenced music we never wanted to set any boundaries or goalposts. Both Steve and Char shared a love of blues-based classic rock, and in the same way that discovering Guinness didn’t stop Steve drinking real ale, discovering the amazingly rich and diverse world of acoustic music gave us the chance to enjoy many new flavours and tastes alongside more familiar ones. When Sarah joined a little later her repertoire of traditional tunes were added to the mix, along with a growing sense of mischief that came from realising that it was a lot of fun to play music that borrowed and was influenced by whatever we heard or encountered. This approach also seemed not surprisingly to gain approval with our audiences - after all most music fans listen to a wide range of styles and artists. Our policy, if we ever had to write it down, would be that if we like playing something we’ll play it.
The three of us had come from very different musical backgrounds, Steve with a long career as a professional guitarist playing almost every genre imaginable, Charlotte with Whalebone as her first experience of playing the guitar outside of her bedroom, and Sarah who’d spent years being bored in orchestras and offices before almost abandoning the idea of ever picking up the violin again. In many ways, Whalebone saved each of us, and we’ve never stopped being quietly astonished at our good fortune.
We all feel very strongly that playing in this line-up, as an instrumental trio, gives us exactly the right combination of both support and space, intimacy and richness. It’s demanding in the sense that there is nowhere to hide, everything that each of us plays is important, but at the same time we can react quickly and respond to one another so no one person dominates, each can influence the others at different points. The whole concept of not having a singer exposes the full tone of each instrument, encouraging us to play more expressively. We can’t currently imagine ever wanting to change this line-up or add anything else, not least because we’d each get proportionately less time to show off! Each instrument can be heard individually to its full advantage, whilst at the same time multiple lines are woven. Listening back to some of the recordings from our most recent album ‘Three Fires’ we were amazed and gratified to hear the sheer number of things which seemed to be going on at once given that there were only ever the three of us playing the same instruments.
We have been lucky enough to play at some great festivals and venues, but our very favourite settings are relatively small spaces where we can forge a connection with practically everyone in the audience. That two-way flow of energy and enthusiasm is one of the best feelings a performer can have, and we are extremely lucky that this forms the core of our live work. We have found that it is practically impossible to play the kind of music we do without a smile on our faces.
The Story
.... a more detailed history... and where the name came from...
The idea for whalebone was born in 1998. A tour of the UK and Ireland playing with folk singer Charlie Landsborough gave Steve the opportunity both to discover the delights of playing acoustic guitar after a twenty year dedication to Gibson Les Pauls and to be introduced to Irish, Celtic and Folk music. The tune Two Wild Women was written in hotel rooms and sound checks on this tour and was the first hint of what was to become whalebone.
Back home in Shropshire more tunes followed and with them the idea of playing eclectic instrumental music that would put musicianship to the fore whilst still playing accessible tunes that mixed influences ranging from Led Zeppelin and Richard Thompson to Davy Spillane and Flook (no Jazz!) and a few tentative outings with various musicians occurred. Around this time a conversation with keyboard maestro and fellow cake enthusiast Rob Willis who Steve had spent much time with on the Charlie Landsborough tour led to the band’s name. Rob had commented that he liked the name Didgeridoo Records because it sounded organic, earthy and fun, and with these thoughts in his head, the name ‘whalebone’ came to Steve when standing on Rob’s door step. He then saw Flook perform at Bridgnorth Folk Festival (now Shrewsbury Folk Festival) and was completely inspired by an instrumental band playing with such enthusiasm and energy.
As the idea for the band took hold, Steve wanted to find a more stable line up and asked Charlotte who had similar influences and ideas, to become a permanent member of whalebone. Their first performance as a duo was on October 23rd 2005 in Bridgnorth and the first gig at Cinnamon Coffee & Meeting House, a venue that was to feature largely in the whalebone story, was on 8th December 2005.
A steady stream of gigs followed through 2006. Having amassed enough material to record an album, Steve and Char set up a small studio in a room overlooking the River Severn in Shropshire and in November 2006 the bulk of the first CD There to Here was recorded in a single week and released in January 2007. The album featured Dreamstate, the first tune co written by Steve and Char.
By this time, whalebone was the resident band at Cinnamon, a cafe owned by Sarah. On discovering that Sarah played fiddle, several informal jam sessions took place. The bands first live performance as a trio was at an offshoot of Cinnamon in Highley when, during a calamitous evening, Sarah did a lightening 14 mile dash to get a purple fiddle and save the gig. Other trio gigs followed and, realising the special chemistry that existed between the 3 musicians, Sarah was asked to become a permanent member of whalebone.
The addition of Sarah introduced traditional and classical influences to the band, allowing new sounds and more complex and intricate musical arrangements to develop. After a number of recording sessions during 2007, the band were becoming aware of the difficulties of capturing the energy and exuberance of a live performance in a studio setting and so plans were made to record a live CD at Cinnamon in front of a rowdy home crowd. Rootsy...Folky...live and Funky... (the live album) was recorded on 1st June 2008 at Cinnamon on possibly the hottest day of the year. On its release in March 2009, it became an instant favourite both with the band and fans. Three Fires, the first studio album as a trio, followed in November 2010 and was recorded over the summer months of June and July in the idyllic setting of the Barn Theatre, Kemberton in Shropshire.