Two Dollar Bash

Artist Information

Biography

Two Dollar Bash are an acoustic folk/country/blues band, originally from Scotland and France, consisting of 4 talented singer-songwriters, who back up each other's compositions with an intuitive feel that can only come from many years of playing together. With great original songs, fine musicianship and impressive harmonies, the band blends influences from North American folk, blues and country with Celtic and European styles.

The four members, Mark Mulholland, Tony Rose, Matt de Harp and Joe Armstrong, have been playing together in different combinations throughout Europe for the past fifteen years, in a variety of bands including punk, rock, psychedelic and swing as well as the folkier formations, and also simply travelling around, picking up gigs and busking, swapping songs and stories with other musicians along the way. As well as honing their own songwriting and playing skills, this means that the band's repertoire includes many songs from friends, who in turn are singing Two Dollar Bash songs throughout Europe and North America.

The band has released three albums on Berlin label Cannery Row Records: "Two Dollar Bash", "On the Road", and most recently "Lost River", which was recorded in a farmhouse in the Czech Republic by engineer Dugald Jayes (Hugo Race and the True Spirit) and producer Craig Ward (The Frames, deUs, The Love Substitutes). The new album reflects great development in the songwriting skills of each of the band members, as well as much richer and more varied arrangements. The three albums are also available through all major download platforms.

Since the formation of this incarnation of the band in 2003, Two Dollar Bash have been touring
constantly throughout Europe, and have also completed four very successful tours of America. In March 2009 Two Dollar Bash was invited to perform a showcase at the prestigious South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, for the third successive year, as well as at the Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, another important industry event. Other highlights include winning the "Rising Legend" award at the 30th Old-time Country and
Traditional Music Festival in Missouri Valley, Iowa in 2005; playing at the first Latitude Festival in England and the International Country Night showcase at the Popkomm music industry conference in Berlin in 2006; a showcase at the Canadian Music Week in Toronto, the Wychwood Festival in England and the International Bluegrass Festival in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2007. The band has done several tours of the UK to support the release of the albums there through Proper Distribution, and of the Benelux territories where “Lost River” is released in partnership with Dutch label Corazong.



Press Reactions

"The ultimate power of Two Dollar Bash is the magical interaction between the four characters who make up the group...Anyone who fails to go and see them is missing a golden opportunity. Those who do are guaranteed an unforgettable evening" Rootstime, Belgium

"very catchy street corner songs overflowing with the sheer pleasure of playing" Revolver, Netherlands

"...the group's organic, authentic sound provides plenty of moments to savour, taking in folk, country, blues and acoustic rock ... this has the potential to impress any fan of uncontrived, richly-textured roots music." Maverick, UK

"...one of the best European acoustic folk/country bands. The four musicians...are not only outstanding instrumentalists and singers, but also very talented songwriters" MazzMusikaS, Belgium

"I really enjoyed this album, and I think you will too... It's a really great sound"Bryan Burnett, Brand New Country, BBC Radio Scotland

"Real music with heart and soul from real musicians with heart and soul"Christine Helmeke, No Fences, Germany

"This is heartfelt and very true Americana, and I bet they do a good live show." Gary Whitehouse, Green Man Review, USA

"Like CSNY without the monstrous egos" John Davy, Crooked Rain, UK

"Great original songs, fine musicianship and a wealth of influences ... (they) wield their different combinations of guitar, drums, mandolin, banjo and the rest to beguiling effect. Intelligent lyrics tell of loss and longing, love and friendship, and always, of packing bags and moving on" Jane Cornwell, Jazzwise, UK

"This is good ol' time American music. There is blues, folk, country and chugging R'n'B in here. The auras of Canned Heat, Woody Guthrie, Neil Young and Springsteen waft on the breeze. And... there is an echo of the Rolling Stones' down-home bluesy vibe...This is classic big skies and barrooms music." Nathaniel Handy, Songlines, UK

"really strong, timeless and striking in its simplicity... true to the motto "less is more", Two Dollar Bash win over the listener through memorable songs, honesty and sheer pleasure in playing" Christian Schäfer, My Revelations, Germany

"Two Dollar Bash are ready and raring to continue their plan to take the roots/Americana world by storm. Their blend of folk, country and blues combined with gorgeous three and four part harmonies has won them critical acclaim as well as several prestigious awards. The band's constant touring has honed their craft and the songs are ample proof that their time in the transit van has been justifiably spent." Mick Gaffney, Properganda Magazine, UK

"Two Dollar Bash intuitively pick up on the nuances of American country, folk and rock that can trace a direct lineage back to the folk music of their own countries. They have a natural instinct for simple, haunting melodies, with narratives revolving around road trips, ailing relationships and the eternal internal battle of good and evil." Lolo Wood, music journalist, UK

"This group is pretty folky in their approach to music, but it's the same kind of original folk creativity that Bob Dylan had when he started. Two Dollar Bash could easily be country, but I like their folky approach to their music. They have a banjo, but it's not bluegrassy. Some really strong acoustic guitar, lots of energy in their work, and some very poignant words in their lyrics. Bob Everhart, Tradition, USA

"American sounds with European Soul" Saechsische Zeitung, Germany


For bookings, info and CD orders, contact:
Cannery Row Music
Im Zentralbüro, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 7
10178 Berlin
tel: +49 (0)30 313 2872
e-mail: frank@canneryrowrecords.com
www.twodollarbash.net www.myspace.com/twodollarbash
www.canneryrowrecords.com

Instrumentation

Tony Rose guitar, vocals

Matt de Harp mandolin, harmonica, guitar, vocals

Mark Mulholland banjo, mandola, guitar, vocals

Joe Armstrong guitar, bass, vocals

Discography

"Two Dollar Bash" album 2003 (13 tracks) - self-released. Re-released on Cannery Row Records 2007 CRR 0704
"On the Road" album 2006 (13 tracks) - released on Cannery Row Records (www.canneryrowrecords.com) CRR 0602
"Lost River" album 2008 (14 tracks) CRR 0806
excerpts from all three available at www.twodollarbash.net or www.myspace.com/twodollarbash

Links

• band website
• band myspace

Audio

• Man in Black
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• Lonesome Whistle
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• The Old Man's Song
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• Lost River
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• the devil and the angel
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• old mail train
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• taking a taxi(sweet surprise)
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Man in Black
• Lonesome Whistle
• The Old Man's Song
• Lost River
• Old Mail Train
• Taking a taxi (sweet surprise)

Video

Roulez, Roulez - SXSW 2009

Photo Gallery

Press

• Maverick, UK; Feb 2009 [+ Show ]
  

  "...the group’s organic, authentic sound provides plenty of moments to savour, taking in folk, count..."...the group’s organic, authentic sound provides plenty of moments to savour, taking in folk, country, blues and acoustic rock ... this has the potential to impress any fan of uncontrived, richly-textured roots music."

• MazzMusikaS, Belgium; Jan 2009 [+ Show ]
  

  “...one of the best European acoustic folk/country bands. The four musicians...are not only outstand...“...one of the best European acoustic folk/country bands. The four musicians...are not only outstanding instrumentalists and singers, but also very talented songwriters.”

• Songlines, UK, December 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  This is good ol' time American music. There is blues, folk, country and chugging R'n'B in here. The ...This is good ol' time American music. There is blues, folk, country and chugging R'n'B in here. The auras of Canned Heat, Woody Guthrie, Neil Young and Springsteen waft on the breeze. And ... there is an echo of the Rolling Stones down-home bluesy vibe in here. ..Two Dollar Bash consists of three Glaswegians and a Parisian (who does, tantalisingly, sing a great, uptempo blues number - "Roulez, Roulez" - in French, midway through the album) based in Berlin...
  
  This is classic, big skies and bar rooms American music, and that is no bad thing. There are evocative songs here with harmonies, mandolin, banjo, guitar and particularly good harmonica playing from Matt de Harp. Jane Cornwell

• Review by Bob Everhart in [+ Show ]
  

  This group is pretty folky in their approach to music, but it’s the same kind of original folk creat...This group is pretty folky in their approach to music, but it’s the same kind of original folk creativity that Bob Dylan had when he started. Two dollar bash could easily be country, but I like their folky approach to their music. They have a banjo, but it’s not bluegrassy. Some really strong acoustic guitar. Lots of energy in their work, and some very poignant words in their lyrics. Come see us two dollar bash, we have a stage with your name on it.

• Jazzwise, UK, September 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  "What with their downhome laments, impressive three and four part harmonies and exemplary banjo pick..."What with their downhome laments, impressive three and four part harmonies and exemplary banjo pickin', Two Dollar Bash could be lifted straight out of the Appalachians. Turns out they're a – wait for it-Berlin-based acoustic/folk/country band, originally from Scotland and France, having evolved out of Prague collective The Oul' Bogwarriors. No yee-hahs, then (well, except for a few near yodels on the toe-tapping, harp-heavy „Old Mail Train“), just great original songs, fine musicianship and a wealth of influences ranging from North American folk blues and country with Celtic and European styles. Ex-buskers all, the four wield their different combinations of guitar, drums, mandolin, banjo and the rest to beguiling effect. Stand-outs include the see-y'all later track „Taking a Taxi“, the poignant ballad „Rosalyn“, the chugging „Ticket to Vilnius“. Intelligent lyrics tell of loss and longing, love and friendship, and always, of packing bags and moving on. The world is a musician's oyster, after all." Jane Cornwell

• My Revelations, Germany, December 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  Alle wissen: Country ist was für ewig gestrige Wildwestromantiker, Folk was für speckmattige Duschev...Alle wissen: Country ist was für ewig gestrige Wildwestromantiker, Folk was für speckmattige Duscheverweigerer und Blues die Musik der - keine Ahnung, der restlichen Trauerklopse halt. So die eine Meinung.
  Die richtige lautet: schreibt man ein paar coole Songs und sucht sich ein paar Coversongs, die man den aufgezählten drei Musikrichtungen zurechnen kann und spielt sie in drei Tagen mit ausschließlich akustischen Instrumenten ein, so erhält man eine richtig starke, zeitlose und in ihrer Einfachheit bestechende Platte. TDB müssen sich nicht durch fingerbrecherische Saitenakrobatik beweisen. Getreu dem Motto "weniger ist mehr" überzeugen sie durch Eingängigkeit, Ehrlichkeit und Spaß an der Musik.
  Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2003 tourt die Band durch Europa und die USA und hat sich hierbei auf diversen Festivals (z.B. Old Time Country & Traditional Music Festival in Missouri Valley/Iowa; Mean Fiddler Latitude Festival/England und der International Country Night der Popkomm/Berlin) zahlreiche Preise, viel Anerkennung und eine stetig wachsende Fangemeinde erspielt.
  Auf ihrem aktuellen Album haben TDB 13 äußerst hörbare Titel versammelt, die sich angenehm von klischeeüberfrachtetem Countryschlager abheben und nicht durch zwanghafte Fröhlichkeit und Fernfahrerträume nerven. Country lebt, Country ist cool- aber neben Größen wie SMOKESTACK LIGHTNIN' oder den Übercowboys von THE BOSSHOSS gibt's immer wieder tolle und vor allem live genauso unterhaltsame Nischenkünstler zu entdecken- beim Weihnac

Setlist

We usually play 2 or 3 sets of 45 mins to an hour, but we have a huge repertoire of our own songs and songs by friends that we have met along the way. Keep our throats lubricated and we'll sing all night. A representative set list would be something like:

Golden City (Mark Mulholland/Tony Rose)
Ticket to Vilnius (Tony Rose)
Waiting for the Sunshine (Tony Rose/Joe Armstrong)
Over my Shoulder (Joe Armstrong)
Old Mail Train (Matt de Harp)
Taking a Taxi (Sweet Surprise) (Mark Mulholland)
Rosalyn (Matt de Harp)
Saturday Night (Mark Mulholland)
Bottle of Luck (Mark Mulholland)
One Day I�ll be Gone (Tony Rose)
Wayward One (Mark Mulholland)
The Devil and the Angel (Tony Rose)
Too Bad You Ain�t Around (Tony Rose)
Put Your Hand in Mine (Mark Mulholland)
Further Down the Road (Mark Mulholland/Joe Armstrong)
Roulez, Roulez (Matt de Harp)
Long Time Coming (Matt de Harp)
Time to Go (Matt de Harp)
Watching You Sleep (Mark Mulholland/Joe Armstrong)
Lonesome Whistle (Mark Mulholland)
Tomorrow Never Comes (another night in a bar room) (Tony Rose)
Whisky (Russ Miller)

Basic Requirements

Calendar