Picnic Area profile picture

Picnic Area

Picnic Area

About Me

Manchester-based Picnic Area came together through a shared liking for the darker, quirkier end of country music. In their short history they have already played support to acclaimed American country singer Jan Smith, Inspiral Carpets frontman Tom Hingley, and top Manchester alt country band Bonebox. Andy Callen is also a member of Shatner's Bassoon and The Spinning Fields, whilst Wayne McDonald came from the wrong side of town.The journey is about to begin...ABOUT PICNIC CLUB - Picnic Club is a showcase for acoustic/ Americana/ alt country acts we put on once a month at the wonderful Fuel Bar in Wilmslow Road in bohemian Withington in Manchester.Oh Fuel, Fuel, Fuel... ...you have a golden soul, within them there walls..All angels..We put on local acts but also performers from different parts of the UK (and the USA as well!) who play a compatible style of music. A hearty hot, hot heat has risen above the badland skies of Withington. Beauty overising on every such moment............. We give you the moon on a stick.!......................................... Come play with us at our Picnic... Via [email protected] - or by messaging this site if you believe in belief.......OUR NEW CD ALBUM IS NOW OUT! - Picnic Area's debut CD "The essential Picnic Area" is now out on M60 Recordings, 21 great tracks for only £5. It sears the sound of passion, power, courage, hope and despair (to who knows where...?)We're ready... see you there.!Its the moment. the golden moment.You can reach out at our gigs, or from Piccadilly Records in Oldham St, Manchester. Or from Vox Pop in Hilton St, Manchester, or deep inside your heart. You can also buy online from Piccadilly Records - go to http://www.piccadillyrecords.com then search for Picnic Area. And for our fans in the London area - you can now buy our CD at the fabulous Time Bomb at 31 High Street, Croydon - purveyors of rock'n'roll clothing and accessories!..................WHAT THEY HAVE SAID ABOUT THE ESSENTIAL PICNIC AREA: "The composition of the tracks is intelligent and inventive....'Disciplinary' is walking a very fine line between being adventurously bohemian or just plainly reckless" - MANCHESTERMUSIC.CO.UK............. "Picnic Area have something of that Manchester swagger: why else call your 21 track 1st album “The Essential”? (coming in at 62 minutes, that’s a lot of essentiality.) .... It’s the channelling of some late 60s British psychedelia, the nods to T-rex and the sense of adventure which make the album worth listening to. .... for volume and force of ideas, it has something going on". - AMERICANA-UK WEBSITE..............Forever love, forever more...W & A. x

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 7/28/2006
Band Website: soundsociety.co.uk
Band Members: Wayne McDonald - lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, effects, programming and a luvverly cuppa, biccies and inspiration...Andy Callen - banjo, piano, guitar, backing vocals and enthused vim and vigour, plus oodles of fire.!
Influences: Johnny Cash, The Smiths, Television, The Damned, Lambchop, Giant Sand, Neil Young, Will Oldham, Sparklehorse, Can, Elvis Presley, Everly Brothers, Nick Drake, Sly & the Family Stone, Brian Wilson, Kinks/ Muswell Hillbillies, Phil Spector, Dolly Parton, Byrds, Captain Beefheart, Saturday Night/ Sunday Morning, The Fall, Sex Pistols, Queen, Dusty Springfield, Husker Du, Nick Cave, Motown, Black Sabbath, The Who, T Rex, Roy Orbison, Pebbles, Nuggets, Stax, Hank Williams, The Triffids , Sham 69, The Krankies, Big Star, The Monkees, The Stoogies, Dylan, Top of the Pops, Sinatra, Nancy and Lee, Tap, T` Street, Led Zeppelin, Smokey Robinson, Love, My bloody valentine, The Cramps, Hubert Selby jr, Rentaghost, Dexy`s, Sun, The Killers, The Small faces, Buddy Holly, The Pixies, Primals, John Coltrane, Otis, Rolling stones, Blondie, Aretha, Funkadelic, A lovely sunny day, Kate Bush, Abba, Chocolate, Patti Smith, Carry on... Basement jaxx, The Beatles, Disco, Ennio Morricone, The Grumbleweeds, The Ramones, Suicide, Edith Piaf, Sleepy sleep, David Bowie, Kasabian, Tammi Wynette, Marvin Gaye, Northern soul, A last minute winner, MC5, Flaming lips, Brel, Velvets, Thin Lizzy, Sonic youth, A smile, New York Dolls, Zippy, George and Bungle, Faithless, Muse, Throwing muses, Jimmy Cliff, Madness, Buena Vista Social Club, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Easy Rider, Hendrix, Early Alice Cooper, Wheeltappers.. Chemicals, Simon and Garfunkel, Specials, Frank Carson, American Graffitti, Arctic Monkeys, Arctic roll. Rocky, Soft Cell, Lee Scratch Perry, Lynn Perrie, Shirl, Giant Haystacks, Eric Cantona, Windows of the soul, A good chippy, Marlon, A kickin' dancefloor, Howlin' Wolf, White Stripes, Rain on the window, The Office, Cornflake Pie and Custard, Roland Rat, George Best, Rod n' Emu, Joy Division, Stevie Wonder, Spaced, The love of life, Posh crisps, New romantics, Little Richard, Rising damp, Brucie, Skin on skin, Springsteen, Air, Arthur Daley, Papa Lazarou, Pee Wee, Bernie Clifton, Wham!, Rolf, Coffee, That moment.. and a million more...
Sounds Like: You make up your own mind... but generally speaking our music sounds like psychedelic country with a dash of electronica. Our music at various times has been likened to: Jim White, The Monkees, The Rolling Stones, Hank Williams, Lone Pigeon, Badly Drawn Boy, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Okkervil River (for Wayne's vocals), David Bowie/ Spiders From Mars, Brecht and Weill, The Cure (for Andy's guitar style), the list goes on... We both come from a background of playing in punk bands so there's a bit of that as well!
Record Label: M60 Recordings, contact 07950 119151
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Americana-UK’s 8/10 review of Wayne McDonald’s debut CD

WHAT AMERICANA-UK WEBSITE SAID ABOUT WAYNE MCDONALD'S DEBUT ALBUM - Because They Came From The Wrong Side Of Town: "Because They Came From The Wrong Side Of Town" (M60 Recordings 2006) Enigmatic DIY p...
Posted by Picnic Area on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:19:00 PST

Jay Taylor’s review in City Life of Wayne McDonald’s early demo

WHAT BONEBOX'S JAY TAYLOR WROTE IN CITY LIFE ABOUT WAYNE MCDONALD'S EARLY DEMO - Star Choice - Because They Came From The Wrong Side Of Town - what a wonderfully long-winded moniker, BTCFTWSOT's hard-...
Posted by Picnic Area on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:17:00 PST

Picnic club 19/3/07

FUEL MONDAY 19TH MARCH 2007 PICNIC CLUB. And so it came to pass... they came...they rose and strode like giants in the night.. They sang and sang..............oh they sang...! Unleashing smo...
Posted by Picnic Area on Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:31:00 PST

Tom Hingley gig last night

What a great gig last night at Fuel! We packed the place out and the music was great from all acts - Joshua Ben Joseph (with his new commercial set!), Picnic Area, Mike Doyle and Damien Morgan from Sa...
Posted by Picnic Area on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 05:03:00 PST