FolkWorld article by Michael & Christian Moll:

Irish Music is cleaner - with Chris Sherburn, Denny Bartley & Jane

Christy Moore for the price of a steak and other crazy facts...


Jane on stage; photo by The Mollis If you have ever seen them on stage, you surely know that they are very funny guys; if Jane was with them, you know that she is always smiling and laughing on stage. With this interview we experienced that Chris and Dennis are also totally crazy, that Jane smiles also when she is not on stage, and we found out their tricks how to get booked...

The setting of the interview: The dressing room at Gosport Easter Festival, at a time when the dressing room is reserved for the Bumblebees. One of the craziest interviews we have ever had...
Do not expect too much information in the following text; here is just a few information: Chris Sherburn plays concertina, Dennis Bartley plays guitar and sings well-known (mainly Irish) songs in a way that nobody can recognize them; and Jane smiles and plays sometimes bodhran...

Describe your music.
Chris on stage; photo by The Mollis Dennis (spontaneous reaction on the first ‚exercise'): Shite! (laughter)

Jane: Hectic.
Chris: Hectic! Very constructive, Jane.
D: Frenzied...
C: Yes, we try to put a lot of excitement into it.
D: Yeah - what we do is a blend of Celtic and something – ehm... (door opens, Bumblebee comes in and looks confused at the guys in her dressing room) Come on in – it's your room now... (Bumblebee leaves again)
Anyway so it's a cross of Celtic and I suppose a mixture of English songs, folk songs, but we just try to put them in a new direction really.
C: Yes, very rhythmical we try to be. That's Jane's job. Jane's the rhythmical chairman... (another Bumblebee comes in) It's your dressing room – we don't mind at all... (takes her fiddle and goes)
D: Great fiddle player.
Denny on stage; photo by The Mollis C: Is she?
D: Yes she is. Anyway...
C: Jane is the rhythmatic...
D: My playing is very percussive as well, so we are two, we are kind of a big rhythm section, and then himself screaming down the middle...
C: Yes, howling down the middle.
D: So we are trying to make it more dancy as well, and aim a bit towards that scene maybe – hopefully.
C: Yes kind of roots music...
D: The roots are our label...
C: Yes the roots are our label...
J: Good crack – that's in it.
C: I am quite a follower of the Afro Celts Sound System and that kind of roots based type. – Yes, and of course I am a follower of FolkWorld... (hehehe)

D: Well what other things do you require... we are playing with each other for about five – four years – five years this year maybe. We have been playing full time for two.
C: We have met at Whitby Folk Festival – it's great festival...
D: And how long have you been in England now – I suppose not just for this festival?
Ehm – we do not think that this is of interest for our readers now...

Chris and Dennis on stage; photo by The Mollis Maybe you can say a few words on your musical background?
D: Mine isn't all that folky I guess; it's kind of rock'n'roll and stuff, and I found to folk music by listening to people like Dick Gaughan, Martin Carthy, and people like Joanie Mitchell as well – very kind of quite diverse –; so I started playing banjo and mandolin then, and changed to guitar mostly when I met Chris, and because I was singing a lot more together, I was doing a lot more singing – so that was it – Chris was bred up...
C: I and Jane were born in a folk club!
J: It was English folk music...
C: English folk music, yes. Irish music was our way of rebelling when I was fourteen – Jane was sixteen then. We played Irish music for our excitement.
J: Yes, my mum did the folk club for 21 years...
D: You did have people like Christy Moore didn't you? This was twenty years ago...
J: Christy Moore for 12 Pound in 1973...
C: 12 pounds – the price of a steak... (laughter)

Jane on stage; photo by The Mollis C: It was fun as you see. --- Over the last few months Alistair Russell has taken over our management. That's moving us a bit – so we are doing a few acts now – folk clubs, festivals...
D: We have 15 festivals this summer to do.
C: That's 15 drinking experiences... (begins to work with a floor-cloth that stands around in the room) ...and we are cleaning up now!
D: That's how we got into this festival – we were cleaning it up at the end of last festival (laughter) – quite a few floors anyway, checking a few tunes, says then the guy ‚come in as cleaners', and then we sit down and play a few tunes –
C: And - was it Whitby cleaning and Warwick playing a few tunes or...? (big and long laughter; Jane looks like nearly dying from laughing)
C: So – it's good, it's good.

Chris on stage; photo by The Mollis J: Chris is a mechanic by trade... (Bumblebee comes in, searches for something, looks confused at Chris with the floor-cloth, leaves)
C: So this is more fun than mounting cars – it's cleaner. – Yeah – why do you play Irish music? `cause it's cleaner. (another big laughter)

D:Yes, yes, that's about it isn't it. – It helps with my drinking problem...
C: We have just released our second CD which is doing quite well – it's that we have sold five of them now isn't it? That's quite good...(laughter)
D: The last one we have sold 23...

Denny on stage; photo by The Mollis So is it difficult touring full time?
D: I suppose it is financially really. We are beginning to... – we are break even at the best of time – we are trying to make that...
D: We have done a few tours in America now. We have an agent over there.
C: We have just been on the Folk Alliance as well in Memphis – oh we don't know - we meant to be there but... Memphis, Massachusatts – it all sounds the same doesn't it...
D: Yeah, we are picking up... We are hoping to do some European stuff soon as well.


Well we still have to add a few things.


Photo Credit: All Photos by The Mollis


Latest published CD: Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley with Jane Sherburn "Foothold"; reviewed in last issue

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