Jukes

Tammy Payne has never sung in a hardcore punk band, but that’s about the only thing she hasn’t done in a varied and eclectic musical career. Working from 17 on a cruise liner, spontaneity took over on arrival in the USA, where she jumped ship with a friend and a musical odyssey began. On the ensuing road trip Tammy began copying the riffs of Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane and drumming in Salsa bands..... On her return to the UK, all of this led to a couple of dance floor hits..... Then, determined to improve her percussive skills, Tammy travelled to Brazil and Amsterdam to learn from the right people. She also spent time hanging out with her half Arab brother listening to North African Rai music. She learnt to play the drums and played for Patrick Duff of Strangelove, Mckay (Geoff Barrow) and PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish..... Through all this she was writing tunes and getting her 'thing' together. She did some writing for Smith And Mighty and features on their album ‘Big World Small World’..... Listening to 70s stuff like Leonard Cohen, Simon And Garfunkel, Bowie and the Beatles, Tammy began to take more of an interest in writing lyrics. As she says, "I took to heart a dream I had of hearing singing coming from a cupboard. The singing was so sweet and pure. When I opened the door it was me as a six year old girl. I realised that I wanted to sing with that lack of style, with that purity. I threw away my embellishments and started to sing straight!”.... Then came Jukes, the first album, with Twisted Nerve Records. Run by eclectic dj and producer Andy Votel and his mate Badly Drawn Boy, it was a perfect place to be. A place where beats and folk were at home together..... The new album to be released by Triumphant Sound is full of classic songs with a twist. Described by some as soulful psychedelic folk, Jukes also recalls Enio Morricone Spaghetti Western music, and bands such as Broadcast and Young Marble Giants Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.