Franz Nicolay might be the most talented person I’ve ever met. Not only is he a multi-instrumentalist (he plays guitar, accordion, banjo, keys and probably a few more), but he’s got a fantastic voice too. Having previously played in The Hold Steady and The World Inferno Friendship Society (and collaborated with Against Me!, Frank Turner, The Bouncing Souls and The Loved Ones, amongst others) Franz now takes to the stage as a solo artist and his live show is absolutely amazing.

On his recent tour with Chris T-T he was gracious enough to record a Moon & Back Session, playing two songs from his forthcoming 3rd solo album Do The Struggle. If you’re not a Franz fan yet, these next couple of tracks might just change your mind. He plays both songs on the banjo too which, at the very least, is something different. Check them out below, and look for a session from Chris T-T before the end of the year.

‘You Don’t Know I’m Here’

‘Live Free’

Against Me! have been one of the most successful and revered punk bands in recent years. Having just come off a UK headline tour, the band took to the road with Frank Turner. Before the show we chatted to, bass player, Andrew Seward about the band’s transition from major label to self distribution, how the band had taken to Turner’s crowds and the possibility of re-recording Vivida Vis.

Under The Bridge is back for what might be the last time this year. Lewis Bolland is our guest as we talk about everything from porn to the Bee Gees. We didn’t have much of a topic, but when do we ever? Either way, we think you’ll enjoy it. Splitting up our inane banter, we played some really awesome tunes. There’s a new one from Apologies, I Have None, a cracker from Digger Barnes and even a bit of At The Drive-In.

Go on, have a listen:

Under The Bridge #31: “Who Reads Blind People Magazine?”

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You might know them better as ‘Frank’s Band’, but those four guys bringing that extra bit of umph to every Frank Turner show are The Sleeping Souls. Nigel, Matt, Tarrant and Ben have been touring and recording with England’s favourite singer/songwriter for years. We sat down with them to chat about the ever lasting tour, playing bigger venues and firework displays.

Folk music has always been about telling stories. Well, it used to be. Today anyone armed with an acoustic guitar is pigeon-holed as being ‘folk’ and, whilst there’s plenty of valid examples out there, there’s few that do the definition of folk music justice like Beans On Toast. Trying To Tell The Truth follows on from Beans’ previous two efforts, and it’s here that he’s managed to perfect his craft.

Whilst, his debut, Standing On A Chair was rough and ready, it had a lot of charm (a lot like the man himself). It’s these songs that endeared him and his music to the people. Last year saw the release of Writing On The Wall and whilst it was a better produced, more scaled back, effort, it lacked that little something that made the first batch of tracks so great. With this record, Beans has managed to split the difference – creating a polished collection of twelve, very British, folk songs. Just don’t go in expecting something all rose tinted glasses.

Granted, there’s a few on here that try to paint a perfect picture – ‘Peter Pan’s Playground’ says “Hi!” – but, for the most part, Trying To Tell The Truth is a really honest record. Not only that, but Beans manages to cover a range of topics that some would choose to ignore, including: buying new shoes, over population and blowjobs. Each song offers up something clever and comedic in equal measure, with very few dull moments. Despite this, my favourite track covers something a little more traditional. ‘My New Number One’ is a simple, catchy, love song about “Lizzie B” – presumably Beans’ other half – which everyone should be able to relate to.

Beans On Toast might not have the best voice in the world, or masses of technical skill, but his songs are honest and simple, and that’s what makes them great.

Jimmy Islip is a stalwart of the UK punk/emo scene. Having previously played in Eighty Six, Jimmy now divides his time between That Fucking Tank, Milloy and The Magnificent, whilst also playing solo acoustic shows every once in a while. Before playing one of the aforementioned acoustic shows, we roped him into playing a few songs for a Moon & Back Session.

As well as playing a brand new song, that we’ve dubbed ‘Untitled’, Jimmy also graced us with an acoustic version of, The Magnificent single, ’1981′ and a cover of ‘Rumbleseat’s ‘California Burritos’. Jimmy will be embarking on a UK tour alongside Digger Barnes and Moon & Back Music/The Under The Bridge podcast will be bringing that tour to Manchester on January 28th.

For now, enjoy! And, as always, feel free to tell us who you’d like to see in session with us in the comments below.

‘Untitled’

’1981′

‘California Burritos’ (Rumbleseat Cover)

We decided to change the show up a little bit this time around. I know, I know, we do that a lot. We just like to keep things fresh, is all. Anyway, for the foreseeable future we’ll actually be playing full songs on the show. That means none of that ’30-ish second clip bullshit’ any more! We also recorded this one in the pub with a lot of guests. We’d like to do that again, but who knows if it’ll happen.

Anyway, the reason for the change in formatting is down to one thing. We have a theme tune! Ryan from Mixtapes – a wonderful band from Ohio – set up a ‘song shop’ service (I guess), so we took him up on this and he recorded us a theme tune. We think it’s pretty good and you’ll like it too. With that in mind we thought that one full song and then a bunch of clips was a bit rubbish, so we’ve consulted our ‘legal representative’ Matt Baldwin (of Matt & Mondo fame) and this episode features songs from Bangers, Emma Hallows, The Gaslight Anthem and Sam Russo.

This week we are joined by Emma Hallows, Kieran Kelly, Sam Russo and Matt Swaby to discuss what happens when you piss off a bunch of hardcore Gaslight Anthem fans, how Helen Chambers may or may not be a dolphin and how it’s probably good to shut up when you’re on the internet. We were also joined by a burlesque compere called Barry who’s absolutely hilarious. Shame we’ll never see him again.

Go on, have a listen:

Under The Bridge #30: Church Street In Ruins

I have it on good authority that Sam Russo is actually the fucking man! Not only is he a fantastic singer/songwriter, but he’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Sam was in town to play an impromptu show in Manchester, so we decided to get him in front of our cameras to play a few songs. Not only did we get, the excellent, ‘Tinned Peaches & Diamond Rings’ (taken from his split with Helen Chambers, Jimmy Islip and Chuck Ragan), but we were also treated to a bit of an exclusive – a brand new song by the name of ‘Black Coffee & Bingo’.

Remember, we’ll be back next Friday with another Moon & Back Session. Who do we have in store? We’ll be announcing that in the coming days over on our Facebook and Twitter pages, and if there’s anyone you’d like to see in session leave us a comment below. Enjoy!

‘Black Coffee & Bingo’

‘Tinned Peaches & Diamond Rings’

We decided, in our infinite wisdom, to dedicate this episode of Under The Bridge to our friend Helen Chambers. Helen’s an awesome singer/songwriter from York (check her session out!) and, seeing as she made a few cameos o The Revival Tour this year, we thought we’d give her a ring so she could talk about her experiences on the tour – which included singing songs with Chuck Ragan and Dan Andriano. We were also joined by Jenny Gorton, who judged us way too harshly as we talked about The Borrowers, this year’s Warped Tour and why Dave Hause might think we’re stalking him, amongst other things.

Music this week was provided by Helen Chambers. We hope you enjoy the show. If you do, please rate, review and subscribe on iTunes, ‘Like’ us on Facebook and maybe even follow us on Twitter. If you want to listen to past episodes, you can go to the Under The Bridge website. Please do, that would be awesome!

Go on, have a listen:

Under The Bridge #29: “No Helen, You’re Not Shit”

If you’ve ever listened to Under The Bridge, you’ll know that we love Helen Chambers. The singer/songwriter from York recently released a split 12″ with Sam Russo, Jimmy Islip and, the one and only, Chuck Ragan. Not only that, but she became a surprise inclusion on more than one Revival Tour date this summer – singing alongside Chuck and, Alkaline Trio singer/bassist, Dan Andriano.

We’ve been trying to get this session done for a while now with little success, but we’re glad to finally have it up on the site for your listening/viewing pleasure. Helen performs ‘Little Demons’ a track from her debut EP and, brand new song, ‘Not Breaking Down’. We hope you enjoy them. We’ll be back next week with another Moon & Back Session!

‘Not Breaking Down’

‘Little Demons’