HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ TUGBOAT CAPTAIN
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Tugboat Captain — a DIY Pop band from the UK whose latest single ‘Be Strong, Smoke Less’ offers some wise life advice, which seems extra fitting to mention in the intro to a Q&A asking for more life advice (you can also find their new single hanging out with other UK artists in the HI54 MIX CD ‘U… KAY?’). Now, onwards to the recommendations…
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
We’re out on tour through March and April around the UK and we’re lucky enough to be joined by some totally amazing bands. I’d really really like to talk about them and I even drafted out an incredibly long answer to this question where I spoke about all of them but I guess that’s not in the spirit of things. Instead here’s one song from one of our supports. This here’s is Joshua Zero, I know nothing about him other than that this song is unbelievable.
It came out the same day as our new single ‘Be Strong, Smoke Less’ and if I’m honest had I known about this track before we may not have even bothered putting out that single. In fact we may quit music all together. This song is just gorgeous.
I’d love to share all of our supports just because we’re so blessed to have so many amazing artists play with us but obviously I feel like I’d be breaking the parameters of this Q&A so here’s a link to a playlist with as many as have been announced so far.
We’ve got Max Bloom from Yuck opening for us in London which is mind blowing as Yuck have released some of my favourite music of all time. Also Enjoyable Listens, LIPS, Bull, GINS, Joshua Zero, Home Economics, Oof, Perspex. And loads more. All of these people are amazing so go check them out immediately. I’ll stop now.
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
I re-watched the George Harrison documentary ‘Living In The Material World’ for the first time since I was a kid and was really moved. It still shocks me how incredibly talented a group of people The Beatles were and how remarkable it was that four such individual talents could come together (see what I did there) as a unified front.
On top of the reminder of how fascinating a character George was it also reinforced how much of a dude Ringo is. I refuse to listen to anyone who says otherwise – the guy rocks.
#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE BOOK STORE (OK, PROBABLY AMAZON) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
Lately I’ve been reading Anne Truitt’s ‘Daybook’ which is a really lovely read. Anne Truitt was a sculptor and in Daybook she keeps a daily log of her progress and thoughts as an artist. It’s a really interesting lens through which to see creativity and productivity in the context of it sort of being your livelihood.
I’d strongly recommend picking it up for fifteen minutes a day and just following her journey and using it as a way to channel all the anxieties that are inherent in being someone who expresses themselves for an audience.
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
A favourite of ours as a band is the Masayoshi Takana, Japanese funk wizard, musical adaptation of the childrens book Rainbow Goblins. There’s an extraordinary live video of the whole album being performed end to end at The Budokan.
One of our favourite post show activities when we’re on tour is finding a screen to watch this on and chilling out whilst Masayoshi does his thing. I would strongly recommend dedicating an evening to this activity.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
I’d like to take this moment to recommend someone. I know that sounds ridiculous but in our lives we have a man called Rob. He drives our van and looks after us. This isn’t a small task given that we’re a DIY band with penchant for excessive touring.
This man is a hero and if you’re in a band and you’re reading this hire him to drive you around. In fact if you’re not in a band you should hire him to drive you around. Seriously not enough kudos can go to this man. He’s driven us thousands of miles and will do thousands more with us on this coming tour. Rob we love you. You can find him here.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Tugboat Captain think you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go find your own Rob to drive you around, make sure to follow Tugboat Captain on the Facebook / Twitter / Instagram and then also give ‘Be Strong, Smoke Less’ a listen…
