Hi Folks!
Liz Frencham here (Jigzag, Frencham Smith) & my little 2 month intimate house/cafe tour has almost reached it's end. It is so incredible to do a near-pub-less tour where you can be playing to a lounge room of fifteen people one night & cafe full of fifty the next but every gig keeping it's close, personal & gentle feel. I really recommend it to anyone wanting to tour & make some really good friends! I'm headed to Sydney this Saturday for my Sydney launch which will be a slightly larger affair with a five piece band. It will still take place in a beautiful intimate listening space. So please spread the word around to anyone who likes honest earthy heart felt music, & can do without the smoke & the smell of stale beer!
Cheers folks & happy travels,
~liz
SYDNEY
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Sat 29th Oct 7.30pm $12/$10 conc.
The Cafe-church Space (37 St Johns Road, Glebe)
Liz Frencham & the Dream Seat
"Jericho" ALBUM LAUNCH
with special guest Brett Robin Wood (Leonard Cohen meets Charlie Chaplin!?)

Come & sink into comfy lounge chairs in this intimate, candle-lit space while Liz & her friends take you on a journey through her debut solo album Jericho.
The Dream Seat features:
Steve Vella-guitar/bass/vox
Nick Southcott- piano/flute
Pete Harding- percussion/vox
Saul Lewis- French Horn
------------------------------------------
Media Release 23/10/2005
Liz Frencham "Jericho" ALBUM LAUNCH TOUR
"Warm, earthy, luminous, cheeky" -all adjectives that have been used to describe the performance of Jigzag's Liz Frencham. Fresh from a tour of Europe & the UK she is headed back down the east coast completing her Australian album launch tour.

Liz is an experienced session double-bassist /vocalist who has been employed by household names like the The Waifs, & was once flown from Canada to England to add her distinctive style to an album for English folk names Chris While & Julie Matthews.

Her natural habitat, however, is the stage. She has become an audience favourite on the festival circuit whether performing alone, or with Sydney band Jigzag or U.S based songwriter Fred Smith. There is something undeniably sensual about the way her double bass
& body become indistinguishable in full flight & the velvety warmth of her vocals linger like a nice merlot. The list of spontaneous collaborations are endless including America's Ricky Scaggs, Canada's Ember Swift, Scotland's Tony McManus & England's Bob Fox, Jodi Martin, Kavisha Mazzella, Margaret Roadknight, Damon Davies.

So come down to the last remaining gigs at the Cafechurch Space (Glebe,Sydney) or St Stephens (Richmond, Melbourne) & celebrate the launch of her debut solo album 'Jericho'- a rich & varied work full of her perceptive songs & including contributions from Waifs drummer David Ross Macdonald, Sydney jazz pianist Michael Bartholomei, south coast blues brothers Damon Davies & Damien Cohen & rising star Jodi Martin. Already the tour has left a trail of good vibrations across venues in Western Australia & is sure to leave smiles right down the east coast!
www.lizfrencham.com
 

Hello Folks,
November is here & so is the new LIVE album! Take home songs like 'Take it Like a Man' & 'Stronger the Tree' & Caroline's absolutely spectacular song "Feel Like a Child" by showing up to the launch at the Basement in Sydney or the Merry Muse in Canberra this month. You can also get one by sending a cheque for $30 (last chance for this price including postage!) along with your name & postal address to-
Jigzag
PO Box 301, Croydon Park, NSW 2133
We'll send one to you pronto!
Just to let you know that this list will no longer be a forum for my idle ravings as I'm intending on utilising the website a bit more for stories & keeping the gig e-mails straight to the point. So to the gigs!
----------------------------------
LIZ FRENCHAM GIGS
I'm up to my ears in the album at the moment & it's really shaping up.I'm really happy with the songs I've chosen & there are going to be some unusual instrumental textures. I wrote a new song this week with the working title of 'Suitcase State of Mind' & I'm even thinking of sneaking it on there somewhere. More happy songs I say! Things are getting a little desperate financially though so if you want to help out you can pre-buy to speed up the process. Just send a cheque for $25 (discount price) & your return address to me at-
Liz Frencham    26 Strata Ave Barrack Hts, NSW 2528.

I'll send you back a free voucher for the launch that you can use to redeem your CD early next year when it's out. Only one more gig for me this year which will be the final UFB for 2004. We don't know yet who the 3rd act will be as Kat has finally left for Europe (but I'm whispering into the ear of my good friend Jodi Martin...) Come & hear my new song & some of Brett's new ones are gems.I LOVE that song 'Sex & Violence', Brett!
~~@~~
For information: www.jigzag.com  info@jigzag.com
 

 

Hello!
Just a quick one this month as I have only a matter of a couple of hours here with my PC between Adelaide/Melbourne/Canberra & packing the car up to head to Newcastle for our first gig back at Harrigans in the Hunter Valley tonight. And guess what's arriving next week folks? YAY! Finally a new Jigzag album! Any of you who have wanted to take home songs like Sweet Basil & Stronger the Tree can now do so by showing up to a gig or sending a check for $30 (last chance for this price including postage!) along with your name & postal address to-

Jigzag
PO Box 301, Croydon Park, NSW 2133
-------------------------------

Hello all!
Liz here reporting from Jigzag central & I have actually found a couple of
hours consecutively to get a proper update out to you all. This feels
really good. Am on my own PC again connected via ADSL & everything appears
to be working. Actually... life in general feels fantastic right now. My
multi-talented songwriter bf is in the roof fixing a leaky pipe for my mum
whilst singing loudly. Meanwhile the leg of lamb that he drenched in
rosemary & garlic is slow roasting in the oven & I am indeed the luckiest
bass player in the known universe!

On the Jigzag front our sabbatical is all but over & we had a great deal of
fun yesterday in Glebe rehearsing for Wednesday nights Heartbreak theme
concert. Highlights will include Caroline's beautiful version of Joni
Mitchell's 'A Case of You' & I'm really looking forward to the challenge of
tuning my bass to an open C chord for a cover of Clare Bowditch's
'Treehouse'. Admit it- all of you have had a broken heart at one time or
another & will relate to the process. Come & join us for a communal cathart
of the heart! There is not a lot more on this month for us as a band but
next month sees us touring to far north Queensland via Northern NSW & then
launching the album...

For all of you who have been waiting. The NEW LIVE ALBUM is all ready for
mastering in Melbourne next Tuesday. I can reveal the track listing will
include: Bottle, Stronger the Tree, Sweet Basil, Feel Like a Child, Little
Things, Take it Like a Man, The Chainsaw Wedding Arrangement, Man of Wood,
30 Seconds of Happiness, Between the Darkness & the Deep, Misirlou & The
Barefoot Bride Set. I can also reveal that the first two launches look like
being in Canberra at the Merry Muse on November 26th & in Sydney at The
Basement on Nov 29th. Stay tuned for the final details.

I am also promising to attend to the website with some new photos & info.
So take a peek in a week or so. (Wow... he's now fixing mum's leaky tap in
the kitchen sink- this guys a keeper for sure AND he lives in Australia!!!)
Anyhow, it's the gigs you are after so here goes:
 

Hello folks,
Liz from the 'zag here on a frosty night in July hoping that you are sipping the warm beverage of your choice while you read this on a fully functioning PC or mac (unlike the 3 weeks of hell & nearly $600 I've spent on my sick machine! grrr..)

The Celtic festival at Port Arlington was our last spot of music making as Jigzag & we've now had nearly six weeks away from the stage in order to organise our lives & put together our LIVE album. Yep. It's definitely on the way. We've been listening to material recorded at the ABC studios at Southbank for the Music Deli radio show & also two shows that were recorded from the mainstage at the Wintermoon Folk Festival. Now all that remains is to finalise our choices & then compile & master the album. Oh & rustle up a bit of artwork, so it should all be ready towards the end of the year. Are you excited? I'm even more excited than Big Kev!

On the gig front we don't start touring again until October but we already have some fine plans. The New Zealand tour is definitely going ahead in January starting with the Whare Flats Folk Festival in Dunedin. November will take us from Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass festival all the way to Cairns in Queensland with as many stops on the way that we can manage. There are also gigs in Canberra, South Coast & hopefully another Melbourne stint late November or December.

But you don't want to wait that long to hear some Jigzag songs? Well there are a few side projects happing in August. All is quiet on the Greg & Caroline front as Greg is heading to the US of A to do some Yoga training. I have heard that there will possibly be another hard rocking DV8 revival in September as Greg dons his 80's gear & takes on Newcastle but that may just be a rumour... I'll keep you posted I promise!!! I'm doing a couple of solo performances which started off with the Merry Muse last Friday. I'm sorry that I didn't get this mailout done in time to let you know about it in advance. My computer has driven me crazy & even now I'm here in my cousin's daughter Samantha's bedroom surrounded by Lord of the Rings & Harry Potter memorabilia trying yet again to send this to you remotely. Anyhow, the Muse was a wonderful warm place as usual & I had an amazing night, thanks to my old friend & accompanist- Quentin. This was the debut of a lot of songs & I was happy to see that my nervous energy was a little more under control at my second public attempt at bouzouki playing. I think I managed to expend all that energy earlier in the day when I played a brand new song 'Gabriel's Kid Brother' live in the ABC studios while they handed live snakes & reptiles around in front of me. Tough gig! But if you want to hear some of what I performed check out http://www.abc.net.au/canberra/stories/s1162114.htm You can hear versions of Jericho & Man of Wood & listen out for the extra line at the end of Jericho when I caught sight of a snake wriggling a foot away & forgot the lyrics! Finally, Fred Smith is just back from Canada & we have a couple of Frencham Smith gigs in Port Kembla of all places. So come on out & share some grisly PC nightmare stories so that I don't feel so bad. Whatever you do don't come up & say smugly "I run on Linux." or I may get violent...

On my solo album front things were progressing nicely- that is until I sprained my thumb at Brett Wood's birthday bush walk in th Blue Mountains. So I'm resting until my hand is up to the task of putting down a whole bunch of bass tracks. So far I have been working on a new version of Room at the Table & Stronger the Tree & a cover of the Police- 'Message in a Bottle'. I also had the pleasure of pianist Michael Bartholomei accompanying me on an arrangement of an old hymn especially for my mum. Hymns were the first songs I ever learned & are therefore pretty special even now. Next in line are bass & vocal versions of Make my Day, The Nerd Song & a little song called Sleepless which may contain some poetry from my friend Miles. Other contributions are coming from Damon Davies, Penelope Swales & more so stay tuned.

Stay beautiful & if you can make it out to hear some live music I'd love to see you,
~Liz
THIS IS A GENERAL LIST. IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE A MORE SPECIFIC GUIDE PLEASE REPLY WITH DETAILS OF YOUR LOCALITY. YOU CAN ALSO REQUEST A PLAIN TEXT VERSION OF THIS GUIDE. IF YOU THINK COMPUTERS ARE MORE TROUBLE THAN THEY ARE WORTH THEN SEND ME A POSTCARD!

www.jigzag.com
info@jigzag.com  bookings@jigzag.com 

 

Only a few gigs before we take a break for a couple months in which to compile & mix our upcoming live album. (oh & I'm making another one at the same time, it's good to keep busy!).

Last month was really amazing especially Wintermoon. What a paradise! Tropical setting, old friends & new, late night jazz singing sessions & for me a really memorable free spirited final jam on Monday night. Thanks to all who looked after us so well. The Crossing Cafe at Deniliquin was another memorable evening. I was very attracted to their larger than life metal sculpture of a double bass that turned out to be a wine rack!

There were also a couple of great cafe gigs closer to home at the Mars Hill Cafe & the Tin Shed Cafe which was erroneously billed as our "last concert ever!" Now that's one way to fill a room but it probably wouldn't work too many times before you'd be the band who cried wolf...

Thanks to those who shared wine & chocolate at my album fundraiser. What a great night! Kate sang & played deliciously as usual. I was a little nervous but still appreciated your company. The atmosphere was warm & inviting & special thanks go to Maree, Brae & Jane for their assistance on the night & Patrick for all the wine he brought.

Victorians will be pleased to see we are doing a couple of festivals next month- firstly the Ranges Festival & then the National Celtic Festival at Port Arlington. Sydney siders can see us the Harp one more time before we disappear for a few months & for a more intimate experience come to the Sutherland Folk Club. For those in WA I may be coming over to do some duo work with David Hyams in September so stay tuned. Canberrans can see Jigzag at the Muse in Nov & Frencham Smith will be at Tilleys on the 9th October. For the Queenslanders, coming up in October/November we are planning a decent northern tour stretching from the Northern NSW Dorrigo Hills through Brisbane & the sunshine coast. Hopefully we may make it up as far as Cairns & who knows, maybe even Townsville???

Anyhow, final thanks to those who have sent soothing messages re. my recently aquired single status. Them's the breaks
 

Almost Acoustic concerts take place in the old church. The acoustics in the room are wonderful, with minimal amplification. There is an old fashioned candlelit atmosphere, with black tablecloths and a black back-drop depicting the inimitable Robert Johnston. Seating is mostly at tables, unless an exceptionally large crowd is expected.

Fish meals are served by the staff of the Sea Breeze Café next door; and soft drinks, tea and cappuccino and desserts are available in-house. Bring your own grog. You are welcome to bring takeaways or your own snacks.

The building is near the school where the Rozelle Markets are held - close to the corner of Victoria Road and Darling Street (on the Balmain side) next door to the Sea Breeze Café. You can drive around the block and park on the vacant land behind - turn left at the Commonwealth Bank, then left again.
 

Liz here fresh from our New Zealand tour where we stormed the Canterbury Folk Festival & had them dancing on the tables at the Mussel Inn! What a beautiful country! We drove through snow capped mountains, alongside the glassy Tasman & saw such sunsets... walked through rainforest to waterfalls & clear springs. We bathed in natural hot springs & toasted marshmallows on a huge bonfire. So many new friends & great experiences! I should take this opportunity to apologise for not updating the notes or photos on the website for such a long time. The problem is that these days I spend only a day or so a week at home & don't always get through the necessities of my office work. I will get some New Zealand photos up there soon I promise.

We also had a fantastic time at St Albans, though our concerts were both so late at night it was almost too cold to move your fingers with any accuracy. Thanks to all those faithful fans who braved the antarctic atmoshphere to share some music with us.

May starts out at the Wintermoon Festival near Mackay in Queensland. Then a short trip down south to Deniliquin in Victoria before heading back for another intimate Mars Hill Cafe gig. We finish up the month with appearances at Thirrouls Tin Shed Cafe, the Springwood Folk Club in the Blue Mountains & then an appearance at the Dandenong Ranges Winter Folk Fest.

Hope to see some of you this month to share some songs & laughs.
...& now for merry month of MAY!
----------------
THE DRIVE GIGS
The Drive are a 'live' electronica band with a mix of
psy-trance,dub,house and ambient styles overlaid with
electric guitar,violin,flute,percussion and
vocals....featuring Greg,Caroline(Jigzag) and Jasmin
with Lachlan on percussion and dancing

LIZ GIGS
Well on the solo album front- rehearsals have been a lot of fun (actually TOO much fun- more laughs than music!) & I officially put down guide vocals & bouzouki parts tomorrow. The long list of tracks looks like this so far with a few that you will recognise:

Jericho, Sweet Basil, Stronger the Tree, Far Away, My Reason, A Friend Like You, The Nerd Song, Girl in the Window, Message in a Bottle, Angels Wings, Make my Day, Sleepless, Room at the Table, Birthday Song

Of course which tracks will make the final cut is anyones guess- that's the mystery of recording!

For any new comers to the list I should re-interate that I'm offering a discount on the album & a free ticket to the launch for anyone who wishes to make a $15 pre-sale. That is: you pay $15 now & only have to pay $10 at the launch & you will get free entry & an album $3 below retail. Bulk discount are available at 5 copies for $100 which you can see is a substantial saving if you don't mind paying up front. Anyone interested in supporting my album in this way just needs to send a cheque & their return address to:
-----------
FRENCHAM SMITH
We had a great time at St Albans though I do apologise about not delivering the beer I promised to the audience for forgetting lyrics on the second gig. Please feel free to approach me one by one & I will make good bit by bit- even if it bankrupts me! Anyhow Fred & I will be continuing to present stuff from our album 'Into my Room' & a few newbies this month in Sydney & the Blue Mountains.

Finally, my collaboration with Canberra singer songwriter Fred Smith has finally borne a child. Welcome to the world our new album FRENCHAM SMITH - "Into my Room" It's full of Fred's wry & sometimes heart wrenching observations of human nature softened by the croonings of yours truly. I'm proud of it, I'd like you to hear it.