Announcing the YouTube release of

Tingle Factory's first pop video...

Roy Wells’ Collage of Music
Occasional Newts Letter - Vol. 1. No.1. May 2009

Toad in Mr Barbe slowly edges forward..... RWCM Launched !

See inside
Steve Barbe, RWCM founder member, is Pop video on youtube

a Hole at last playing his own music with other See back page !
musicians as “Tingle Factory”.
Performing solo (as he had been doing
Tingle Factory have been busy this last year filming this music mostly since 1991) had never been wholly
video (produced by Steve Barbe & Marcus Armstrong) for satisfactory to Mr Barbe. While
“Toad in a Hole.” – the last song on the CD. admiring musicians who can successfully
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Upt2Sdg54 present their material on a live solo
Quotes: platform, he prefers to indulge in the
“Totally awesome man! fantastic…. loved the song and the music and richer textures, poly-rhythms and
your voice sounds wonderful. The whole thing is really beautiful and harmonies that only an ensemble can
amazing!” – Chris Gregory produce. Previously, he had only been
“I watched your video, it is so endlessly cheerful I wouldn’t change a
able to do this in the recording studio.
thing.” – Sue Armstrong
Asking musicians (mostly busy with other projects) to attend long,
“The video is really pleased and the tune is nice.” Nicholas (French
unfinanced rehearsals for his own relatively structured material, was
Student)
always a challenge. Providing the opportunity for them to share their
“I liked to follow the lyrics too!” – Goddess of Golden Seas
own material has been one way of getting around this, so you may hear
“Kids and parents would love the song.” – Iris Borgers of Devonshire
songs by other members of the ensemble in the same live set.
Road Nature Reserve
Rather than form a band
“Who are those people? Where’s Tom and Jerry??” – Ousmane
at this stage, he is
Heissenbuttel - aged 5.
linking with other
WARNING!! musicians keen to work
RWCM MAY BE A
FIGMENT OF ROY in this way.
WELLS’ IMAGINATION.
NORWICH BEWARE OF APPEALS.
ONION Interested parties
Steve Barbe & John Miller performing at please call
See the main RWCM website:www.myspace.com/rwcmstevebarbe The 100 Club for a 70th birthday gig. 0207 732 7782.
 CD CONCEPT
2008/9 - Launch Programme The concept for the CD was that of a musical
collage comprising various styles. The character
Roy Wells’ Collage of Music - CD
“Roy Wells” was invented as a kind of community
This CD, was recorded under Steves own tag, which he has called
music leader, who enables musical diversity to
“TINGLE FACTORY with Steve Barbe and friends.” This was not so
flourish.
much a band but more of a solo project involving various guest RWCM
musicians, including: Marcus Armstrong, Edward Weston, Will Rutter
(performed with Gwyneth Herbert on her album “Bittersweet & Blue.”), THE BIGGER CONCEPT
and members of LETSwing (www.myspace.com/letswing). It is a diverse As well as being the CD title, “RWCM” was also
collection of material he wrote and recorded between 1991 & 2007. adopted in 2008 as an umbrella term for all
the musical activities engaged in by, and
musical networks linked to, Steve Barbe.
Tingle Factory
These include RWCM core projects such as
MySpace site LETSwing and Community Scrapbands,
launched - now (www.myspace.com/communityscrapbands),
including 10 out of but also other associated musicians and
the 14 tracks on community music organisations.
the CD. IRREGULARLY FUNDED QUASI-ORGANISATION
Launch & Homeless Benefit at The Well
www.myspace.com/ RWCM is more an “Irregularly Funded Quasi-Organisation” than
In February 2008, Steve Barbe & Marcus
tinglefactory Armstrong performed songs from the CD it is a formal entity. It is a “collage”, if you will, which overlaps
following a spirited and fun performance with other musicians “collages”.
Quotes and paraphrases: by LETSwing. www.myspace.com/446104808 PAN-DIMENSIONAL ENTITY
“Lovely stuff” – Tom Green www.poffle.com
RWCM is thus pan-dimensional in
“The instrumentation and arrangements are brilliant. Your voice is
concept, a finite product of Tingle
really beautiful, reminiscent of Peter Hammil and dashes of David
Factory on the one hand, and an
Bowie. Interesting and theatrical chord progressions” – Chris
infinite “nebulum” encompassing
Valentine
“Cold Wandering Stars is (currently) my favourite song.”
Tingle Factory, on the other. It is
Roshi (Feat. Pars Radio) also simultaneously both ironic and
“Your music is very quirky… I am stupefied for influences… metaphorical. If it’s confusing, it’s
Excellent. Keep ‘em coming.” – Billy Jenkins (Blues Collective…) meant to be, in order to reflect the
“Daisy Rain is pure genius… What a tune!” – Spencer Pearce complex world of musicians and
“I am very impressed with all your songs.” – Ian Thiele their portfolio careers.