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ellis island sound

About Me

Ellis Island Sound started life as a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists Mr Peter Astor and Mr David Sheppard, gentlemen adventurers in sound since 1997. Someone once said they sound like Nick Drake recorded by Conny Plank. Which is something.
EIS have cut tracks, singles, remixes and eps for innumerable labels ranging from All City Chicago, faux-lux and Static Caravan to Warp, Island and EMI. They released an eponymously titled compilation on Heavenly in 2002. Messrs Astor and Sheppard have also recorded and toured together with Matador recording artists the Wisdom Of Harry. Mr Astor is the erstwhile leader of the Weather Prophets and the Loft (the band that helped established Creation Records), while Mr Sheppard makes records with State River Widening and in partnership with SRW's Keiron Phelan (for the Leaf Label) and for Anglo-Spanish group, Continental Film Night (Tinhorn/Dock).
After the stripped down sound of 2003's Home Service mini-LP, EIS regrouped to record their "long-awaited" (hey!) 'agrarian' album, The Good Seed, which is now slated for release on February 19th '07 on Peacefrog of London (home of Jose Gonzalez, Findlay Brown, Nouvelle Vague, Klima etc).
Lately, Messrs Astor and Sheppard have gathered around them a throng of gifted musical stylists (with whom they have already played a handful of spectacular London shows) in whose company they will venture far afield in '07, spreading The Good Seed all over the land. Time, then, to introduce some new Ellis Islanders: On harmonium and melodica we have Mr Nick Buxton; on guitar and melodica Mr Iain Lowery; on violins are Mr Dan Mayfield and Ms Helen McGrath; on Moog, stylophone and assorted electrical goods Mr Darren Hayman; on bass Mr Luke Hannam; on drums/percussion etc Messrs Tom Colman and Geordie Hawdon, on saxophone is Mr Aki Paivarinne while the redoubtable Mr John Hart and new additon Matt play trombones. Mr Astor handles the ukulele and ceremonials while Mr Sheppard directs musical traffic while playing guitar. Everybody sings.
More about The Good Seed
Recorded in a tiny, deconsecrated chapel in the sleepy Waveney Valley on the Suffolk/Norfolk border (check the background photos here), the album features twenty brand new songs. Using acoustic instruments that range from parlour guitars and ukuleles to pump harmoniums, dulcimers, goat skin drums and washboards, and recorded on an antediluvian 8-track tape recorder, it's EIS stripped down to their analogue fundaments. That said, Pete and David also deploy a stylophone, a Casio mini-sampler, a Bentley Rhythm Ace drum machine and miscellaneous noise making devices. Their friend Josh Hillman (from the Willard Grant Conspiracy) helps out, lending violin, viola and pedal steel. Some of the new tracks will be available here very soon.
AVAILABLE NOW - THE TINHORN HOME COMPANION LIBRARY, SIX TRACK MINI-ALBUM FEATURING DAVID SHEPPARD'S ANGLO-SPANISH COMBO CONTINENTAL FILM NIGHT (TRACKS SPLIT WITH TELLERMAN). fIND OUT MORE HERE: WWW.BORDERDREAMS.COM
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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/02/2006
Band Website: http://ellisislandsound.free.fr
Band Members: Pete Astor - ukulele, kazoo, David Sheppard - guitar, Dan Mayfield - violin, Helen McGrath - violin, Josh Hillman - viola, lap steel, Darren Hayman - bass, Aki Paivarinne - sax, Matt - trombone, , Iain Lowery - guitar/melodica, Nick Buxton - harmonium/melodica, Tom Colman - drums/percussion, Josh Weller - percussion.
Influences: Starry nights, Norfolk, Suffolk, early Wim Wenders, Young Marble Giants, Harry Cox, Tomas Transtromer, Daniel Johnson's 'The Artist' - and a considerable quantity of other things.
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Record Label: Peacefrog www.peacefrog.com
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Scarily long US radio interview with David about his Eno biography...

http://www.colinmarshallradio.com/marketplace/and with the archive on iTunes here:http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewP odcast?id=266539442
Posted by on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:05:00 GMT

David Sheppard’s Eno biography

On Some Faraway Beach, David Sheppard's capacious biography of Brian Eno has reached Number 4 in Uncut magazine's 'Best Music Books Of 2008' end-of-year listings. The book is set for US publicat...
Posted by on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:36:00 GMT

EIS HEAVENLY DISC SPINNING

Pete and David will be DJ-ing as part of the 'Forever Heavenly' weekend birthday celebrations at London's Queen ELizabeth Hall this coming saturday, Sept 13th. Details here: http://www.southbankc...
Posted by on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:02:00 GMT

BRIAN ENO biography by David Sheppard

Ellis Island Sound's David Sheppard has his hefty biography of Brian Eno published on May 29th. Over two years in the writing, On Some Faraway Beach: The Life And Times Of Brian Eno is published by Or...
Posted by on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:36:00 GMT

Good times/bad times

Good times: EIS have a new track: 'Christmas In Hawthorne' on the Arctic Circle compilation album: 'That Fuzzy Feeling' (on the LOAF label). It's out any second now. Others appearing include Haushka, ...
Posted by on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:28:00 GMT

EIS in Festival mode

Ellis Island Sound will be gracing a number of upcoming summer festivals. The band play Norwich Chapelfield Gardens Festival on Sunday July 15th, The Big Chill Festival on 3rd August and the Green Man...
Posted by on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:05:00 GMT

ELLIS ISLAND SOUND LIVE IN LONDON

ELLIS ISLAND SOUND PLAY THE SPITZ (109 COMMERCIAL STREET E1) ON WEDNESDAY MAY 30th - HEADLINING THE ARCTIC CIRCLE CLUB NIGHT. ALSO APPEARING: SEVEN SANG & ROTHKO (DJ), OBLONG & LAURA, CLA...
Posted by on Mon, 28 May 2007 09:51:00 GMT

EIS GIG TONIGHT!!!!!!

Hello. Just a quick reminder to anyone in London who might be interested in coming in out of the rain tonight. Ellis Island Sound are playing (with Pram) tonight at Notting Hill Arts Club - part ...
Posted by on Sun, 13 May 2007 23:48:00 GMT

EIS at Craft Night

CRAFT NIGHT 14th MayThis month: The Flick Book ChallengeVenue: The Notting Hill Arts Club, Notting Hill Gate, London W11Lineup: LIVE: Pram, Tim Ten Yen, Ellis Island Sound plus The Sylvia Plath Charm ...
Posted by on Wed, 09 May 2007 06:05:00 GMT

EIS GIG DATE CHANGE

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO A CLERICAL ERROR, ELLIS ISLAND SOUND ARE NO LONGER PLAYING ON MONDAY MAY 7th. INSTEAD THEY ARE PLAYING (WITH PRAM) AT 'CRAFT NIGHT' AT THE NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB ON MONDAY MAY 14th...
Posted by on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:22:00 GMT