John Madden profile picture

John Madden

...the trouble with us mayflies is...

About Me

Hi! If you have stumbled upon this profile in search of the John Madden of NFL fame or the director of films such as Shakespeare in Love, then sorry to disappoint!
In February 2007, I decided to pack in my 'serious' job and make time to start writing some songs and performing. I had done this before on a very casual and sporadic basis but through lack of self-belief or maybe just plain laziness, never with much conviction.
Still it's the only thing I can do of any note. I can't rap, I can't dance, I can't even play the guitar and jump at the same time. I can't juggle, I can't act and I get self-conscious around and find it hard making conversation with new people (people I've just met, not babies). I tell old jokes, I write bad rhymes and I get easily confused by songs with more than eight chords. So this is what I do: write songs with clumsy rhymes, preferrably of eight chords or less and mumble bad jokes in between them when playing live.
As the weeks go on, I do feel a bit more confident about what I'm doing and I've met some amazing people who've helped me on my way, whether they're aware of this or not. Tom Mitchell and Ellie Hanwell are top of that list of people. Rough recordings of what we've done so far are on the profile for your listening pleasure.
To everyone who's accepted my friends requests- thank you! The world of myspace music friend requests is a cynical one. You know when you receive one, they're never going to be around to lend you a tenner when you're short or meet you in town for a drink.
Still, without exception, I've looked at every profile I've sent a friend request to and only sent the request if a) I like their songs b) I think the person may like my songs and/or c) I think we would actually get along as friends if we were to meet in the 'real' world.
If, upon reflection, you feel that b) and c) don't really apply to you, please feel free to delete me as a friend. I won't be offended! If you're happy with our current arrangement - thanks! Whilst I'm notoriously low on tenners myself for the following three weeks after pay day, should you ask, I'll be happy to meet you in town for a drink whenever I'm next in that town. You're more than welcome to come round for tea whenever you want too. I've got these great limited edition butterscotch digestive biscuts :-)
Finally, please have a listen to some of the following acts when you have time, some of whom I've met whilst gigging, some in the murky world of myspace, some are just bands I like - all of them worth more recognition than they're probably getting:
Aural Candy; The Climbers; Seratona; The Cartwheel Club; Uncle Slacker; Brien Edwards; David Goo; Ian Stewart; Mr Milk; Benjamin Apal; Guillemots; Burton Paul; Teresa Morini; Simon Lawrence; The Lazy Guns; Rebsie Fairholm; The Last Town Chorus; Mike Scott; Rosa Conrad; Rosa Rebecka; Hanging LinTel; Aoife Mannix.
"My name is Yon Yonson. I work in Wisconsin."
Thanks for taking the time to stop and have a listen.Photography by Kim Roberts (unless otherwise stated). Copyright 2007


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Member Since: 2/19/2007
Band Members: John Madden: Vocals/Guitar; Tom Mitchell: Guitar/Bass; Ellie Hanwell: VocalsAdditional vocals on 'The Same Page': Anita Jeffery and Jane Bartholomew
Influences: Left foot; right foot; left foot; right. Best foot forward, carpe diem etc. etc. When the big hand reaches the 12. Your call is important to us/press 0 for further assistance. Breathe in/breathe out. Brush your teeth, do your wash. 7 hours a night. 8 glasses a day, remembering that tea, coffee, fruit juice all count. Art for commodity's sake. Remembering to smile in all the right places and maintain eye contact. Always maintain eye contact. Dirty, filthy pigeons picking chicken from the bone. Democracy: any colour you want as long as it's blue or red. 'Witty' slogan/band name on t-shirt in lieu of own personality. WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS... YAY!!! Counteracted as follows: Strangers' smiles. Random acts of kindness. Tiny little explosions of spring-time, sweeping through the country like wildfire. Close your eyes in the sunshine. Work for free. She laughs and it's all you need.
Sounds Like: Butter fingers clutching at straws
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None