Picture by (C) Lee Gentry

Here's an interview with Jean Elsie, the winner of the Christmas Present Giveaway, who where kind enough to answer a few questions of mine.

Congratulations on winning the Christmas Present Giveaway! To use the biggest cliché in journalism; How does it feel?

JE: It feels wonderful to win the Christmas Present Giveaway! I think it might be the first time I’ve won anything!

Could you please tell us a little about yourself?

- My name is Jean Elsie, and I live in St Austell, Cornwall. I am retired, but used to work for the tax office – but don’t hold that against me!

How long have you been a fan of The Sea Kings?

- I discovered The Sea Kings when I heard their interview on the David White Show on BBC Radio Cornwall, back in the summer. I liked their songs and harmonies, and they seemed like lovely boys.

Ever had the chance to see The Sea Kings live?

- Unfortunately not yet. I believe that the shows they were performing then were a bit far for me to travel, but I would be very happy to see them in the future.

Your favourite The Sea Kings song?

- I like “Swim”, which they performed on the radio show.

A few off topic (non The Sea Kings) questions to round this up.. To get a sense of where you are in the musical landscape; What kind of music do you listen to on a normal day?

- The music I hear is mostly from the radio (I don’t have a large record collection), and I tend to switch between Radio Cornwall and Classic FM, so about half of the time it’s classical, which I very much like.

What are your Top 5 favourite songs of all time (besides The Sea Kings of course!)?

- I don’t know if I’d be able to name as many as five! If I’m allowed classical pieces as well, then my absolute favourite is Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, which is so incredibly beautiful.

I also love Elgar’s Cello Concerto.

I’m afraid I don’t know too much popular music, but I was a fan of The Beach Boys when I first heard them back in the ‘60s, and I still enjoy hearing their songs now!

What was your Musical Discovery of the past year (except The Sea Kings of course!)? Any lesser known bands you want give a shout out?

- Apart from The Sea Kings, I remember hearing a very nice song by Ben Howard on Radio Cornwall – I think it was called something about a tree…? (NB: The song is Old Pine by Ben Howard). Anyway, it was very nice.

Thanks for participating in this interview and keep spreading the word about The Sea Kings, it's truly appreciated!

Fri, Mar 9 - Liverpool Acoustic eXtra, w Bird & Thom Morecroft, Liverpool, UK

"Liverpool Acoustic eXtra returns for a one-off event on Friday 9th March with a special show featuring local atmospheric folk favourites Bird.

 Joining Bird from Cornwall and London are the fantastic folk trio The Sea Kings. Expect tight harmonies, great songs (some of them even about the sea!), and wonderful musicianship.

 Finally we've singer-songwriter and youtube star Thom Morecroft, who's already a firm favourite and a crowd pleaser on the local acoustic music scene.

 Doors open at 8pm and the music runs from 8.30pm to just after 11pm. Unfortunately there is no disabled access as the venue is on the third floor of the gallery. There is a full bar, and it's an over 14 event.

 Tickets are £5 in advance and £6 on the door. This is set to be a popular night and demand for tickets will be high. Tickets are currently on sale only via a secret link available to those who subscribe to our Events Publicity mailing list. To sign up to this list click here http://​liverpoolacoustic.us2.list-​manage1.com/​subscribe?u=d03f1555f3bf1e1​...

 Tickets will go on general sale from Friday 27th January and will be available from http://wegottickets.com/​liverpoolacoustic"

Upcoming Shows

As announced on The Sea Kings Facebook & Twitter pages the winner of the Christmas Present are Jean Elsie. Congratulations!!

‎'Jean Elsie', goods in the post tomorrow. best wishes The Sea Kings

— The Sea Kings (@TheSeaKings) January 9, 2012

The Christmas Giveaway are now closed for further entries and a winner will be drawn and announced shortly. The winner will get her/his hands on this cool present handmade by The Sea Kings

A 'digital copy' of 'An Introduction To The Sea Kings' EP sent to your inbox.
Christmas card in the post from the Sea Kings to include:
-a photograph
-a signed Sea Kings flyer
-Handwritten lyrics to songs from the ep

Thank You! - To all of you showing an interest in this and keep spreading the word about The Sea Kings.

The final 'End Of The Year' interview with the crew from The Sea Kings are Joe Holtaway (Vocals/Mandolin). Still the same set of questions as we get to find out about their highlights of this past year, the band’s plans for next year (first full-lenght album..) & last but not least; What's on their Christmas dinner menu?

And check out the fabolous Christmas Present Giveaway that we're doing right HERE - You can get your hand on the following:

A 'digital copy' of 'An Introduction To The Sea Kings' EP sent to your inbox.
Christmas card in the post from the Sea Kings to include:
-a photograph
-a signed Sea Kings flyer
-Handwritten lyrics to songs from the ep

Back to business...

Thanks for doing this! How was the year 2011 for you?

JH: Working as a band has been a good journey this year, learning from each other, bringing our album together and travelling - from warm summers playing beside our tour van to rooms in our houses this winter and everything in-between.

2012: What plans and high hopes do you have in store for next year?

- Looks like our first record will be done next year. All our old friends, family, bands we've played with and new friends we've made along the way are all part of it I feel and being able to share it with them is something special.

What are your favourite band at the moment? Any lesser known bands you want give a shout out?

- I recently heard this song called 'Up Up Up' by a band called Givers from the states - just really fell for it, will be spending sometime with them for sure.

What was your Musical Discovery of the year?

- A band out of Toronto called 'Wildlife' they have this album called 'Strike Hard, Young Diamond' - I've been listening to it a lot while cycling - love it.

Are there any bands/artists or albums that you have high hopes and are particularly excited about in 2012?

- I'll say Givers again and maybe Bon Iver will make some more magic for us.

If you had to pick one Experience and put it above the rest, what would that be?

- Jake and I, and some friends went to see Bon Iver when they came to London a few months ago - to be there with a room full of people opening up to these songs was moving; from his winter shed to this indie pop star I feel his journey is honest and if you like his music, it's as though you're there with him like he's a friend. I still have no idea really what all his songs are about, at least in my mind - though my heart knows exactly!

Your Album Of The Year?

- Some nice albums out this year, hey - I'll go with 'Smart Flesh' - by Low Anthem

Your Song Of The Year?

- I really fell for 'Old Pine' by Ben Howard a few months ago

Your Book Of The Year?

- Not current by any means but I've been really soaking up Buddhist teachings this year - one Zen guy called 'Thich Nhat Hanh' still alive living in the South of France, wrote a book called “True Love”, I've read it many times these last 12 months.

Your Movie Of The Year?

- Went to a screening of a film called 'I am' recently, due for DVD release in January, I understand. The film is a documentary made by a Hollywood comedy producer - he suffered a accident on his bike that almost ended his life - as part of his recovery he took a film crew to visit a list of world leaders and writers to ask them what they thought about life.

What are your own personal favourite The Sea Kings song or songs?

- Hard to say about your own songs - there are parts in all the songs I particularly love playing and those parts change and shift each time we play them.

If you could pick anybody from the present or past to collaborate with, who would that be?

- Just now I'd say Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg; they was more of a jazz fans I think but maybe if I played some mandolin tunes they would start rolling out some poetry about love and brotherhood over the top.

If you could choose from all the songs in the world and make it your own, which one would you have liked to have written?

- The other day was listening to 'Heart of Gold' by Neil Young and feeling like it was the most beautiful song I had ever heard, today it happened with Tom Waits 'Ol'55' - it changes but there's two for you.

And finally as Christmas are sneaking up on us. What will be on your Christmas Dinner Menu?

- vegetables put a smile on my face: so any of the following; 

Potatoes, Beetroot, Parsnips, Sprouts, Carrots, Parsnip - I leave to my mum to decide which.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!!

Second in my series of 'End Of The Year' interviews with the crew from The Sea Kings are James Wills (Vocals/Guitar). Same set of questions as we get to find out about their highlights of this past year, the band’s plans for next year (first full-lenght album..) & last but not least; What's on their Christmas dinner menu?

And check out the fabolous Christmas Present Giveaway that we're doing right HERE - You can get your hand on the following:

A 'digital copy' of 'An Introduction To The Sea Kings' EP sent to your inbox.
Christmas card in the post from the Sea Kings to include:
-a photograph
-a signed Sea Kings flyer
-Handwritten lyrics to songs from the ep

Interview time...

Thanks for doing this! How was the year 2011 for you?

JW: 2011 has been good for me; as well as working with The Sea Kings I have been recording my own songs and have done a lot of writing independently. Within the band I am most proud that we have (nearly) finished our first album!

2012: What plans and high hopes do you have in store for next year?

- Getting the album finished, mixed and pressed early on in the New Year is, for me, the main thing. After that I am looking forward to getting back into writing and developing new songs and increasing our set.

What are your favourite band at the moment? Any lesser known bands you want give a shout out?

- A friend of mine is doing really well in his band, Brother & Bones – I really like their music and totally want to lend my support. But not any money.

What was your Musical Discovery of the year?

- Ben Howard – another Westcountry boy!

Are there any bands/artists or albums that you have high hopes and are particularly excited about in 2012?

- The Sea Kings’ first album. There! A shameless plug!

If you had to pick one Experience and put it above the rest, what would that be?

- In late August we spent some time back in our homeland of Cornwall, where we had organised a Summer Tour. That two weeks was special for me, as well as the solo busking I did, seeing as it was the first time I’d ever attempted it, and the setting (alongside the harbour, with the sea behind me and the summer traffic and tourists passing in front of me) made me feel connected to the town more so than I have felt in the past.

Your Album Of The Year?

- James Blake’s debut album – not usually the kind of music I’d go for, but I really got into the album as a whole.

Your Song Of The Year?

- I heard Feist on Jools Holland play “The Bad In Each Other” from their album Metals, and really liked it.

Your Book Of The Year?

- Not a book published this year, but around the time of Remembrance Day I read “Forgotten Voices of the Great War”, which is a truly incredible account of the day-by-day existence of the soldiers (on both sides), as well as those that were left behind.

Your Movie Of The Year?

- I agree with Jake – must see Trollhunter.

As for a film from this year I did see, it would have to be The King’s Speech.

What are your own personal favourite The Sea Kings song or songs?

- Easy! No, not really. I really enjoy singing Lifeboat, and feel Villages really encompasses our feelings towards where we come from. Then again, the surge I get when Sails & Boards kicks can’t easily be ignored…

If you could pick anybody from the present or past to collaborate with, who would that be?

- My favourite guitarist is Richie Sambora, so it would have to be him. On the ‘dead’ side, I’d probably go for (aside the obvious Elvis/Michael Jackson route) someone like Muddy Waters or Stevie Ray Vaughan.

If you could choose from all the songs in the world and make it your own, which one would you have liked to have written?

- It’s hard to differentiate between the songs that feel most personal to you, and the ones you want to choose because you’d own an island by now. I think I’d go for either some old standard, like “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”,

or something more modern, like “Wild Wood”, by Paul Weller.

And finally as Christmas are sneaking up on us. What will be on your Christmas Dinner Menu?

- Usually it’d be fairly traditional, though perhaps with chicken as my family have gradually realised that no-one much likes the traditional main. Having said that, this year I’m visiting my sister in Holland, so maybe it’ll just be dope!

Merry Christmas!!

HeyHey HoHo...

I and The 'faboulous' Sea Kings are feeling the Christmas spirit and have decided to set up this cool! Christmas Present that we will give to one lucky fan, just check it out:

A 'digital copy' of 'An Introduction To The Sea Kings' EP sent to your inbox.
Christmas card in the post from the Sea Kings to include:
-a photograph
-a signed Sea Kings flyer
-Handwritten lyrics to songs from the ep

How to get your hands on this? We don't ask for much, but for this Christmas we'd be forever thankful if you'd share The Sea Kings with your friends; Tell them why you like The Sea Kings music, Link to Twitter, Facebook, Homepage, or whatever.

So all you have to do is one of the following and you'll be included in the draw for the Christmas Present:

1. Share The Sea Kings on Twitter (Important! Remember to include @TheSeaKings in the tweet for us to monitor it)

2. Share The Sea Kings on Facebook (Equally important! Remember to Tag The Sea Kings in the Status update for us to monitor it)

3. Share The Sea Kings on your own blog, website, on a forum, whatever and wherever, be creative, just share. And then tell us about it by commenting on this post (at the bottom)

4. Simply comment on this post or send The Sea Kings a tweet or talk to them on Facebook and tell us that you'd like a chance to win this Christmas Present.

The Giveaway will be open for entrance until 7th January 2012

Important! Remember to make it easy for us to contact you if you're the lucky winner!

The Sea Kings on Facebook - Twitter - Youtube - Homepage - Join The Sea Kings Mailing List

And keep watching this space as there will appear a few "End Of The Year" interviews with the guys over the next week!

Merry Christmas to you all from The Sea Kings and me here at 'Introducing The Sea Kings'

Salud!

P.S. Any of you into Rock Music as well? Then you definitely should check out the Christmas Present Giveaway that's running on ''Introducing The Suede Brothers'. From Perry, Ohio, US of A The Suede Brothers been described as playing Rust-Belt Rock, so If gritty, hard “old school” Rock n Roll is your thing, then these guys should suit you perfectly!! - The Suede Brothers Christmas Present Giveaway