The Mules – Pick Your Own
August 9th, 2007 by sparky
Since June 25th, The Mules have been curating their totally FREE weekly Monday nights at The Big Chill House, Pick Your Own, presenting their choice of exciting new bands and DJ’s, from all over the musical spectrum. Ed Seed takes some time to discuss PYO, The Mules, and ceramic tiles with us, ahead of their next PYO on Monday 13th August…
Who are ya?
My name is Ed Seed, I am in a band called the Mules.
What’s your night called?
Our night is called ‘Pick Your Own’, as in strawberries.
What have you been up to, before this?
We made a record a while ago, and have been touring it around the country. We’ve also been learning lots of new songs, making videos, that sort of thing.
What’s the music policy for your night?
It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s good. We book bands we like and play records we like. It’s an entirely selfish policy.
Who has played, or is going to play?
We’ve had – amongst many others – Emmy the Great, Eugene McGuinness, Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit, Napoleon IIIrd, David Brewis from Field Music, Lightspeed Champion and Left With Pictures. Acts incoming include Jem Finer from the Pogues (playing with his family), Fyfe Dangerfield from Guillemots, Son Of Dave, Florence & the Machine and Good Shoes.
If money was no object, and you could book any line-up of DJs and bands living or dead, who would play?
Al Bowlly with Lew Stone and his Band, Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys, Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny, Talking Heads in their ‘Remain In Light’ tour incarnation, Roy Orbison and Sam Cooke. There wouldn’t be any DJs, just a constant rotation of records by the Swan Silvertones and Lonnie Donegan.
What are your current top 5 tunes?
* ‘I ain’t gonna drag my feet no more’ by Richard Thompson
* ‘Jesus hits like the atom bomb’ by the Pilgrim Travellers
* ‘Dog trot’ by Moondog
* ‘Track C – group dancers’ by Charles Mingus
* ‘Under the cherry moon’ by Prince
What three things would your ideal bar have to have?
Chairs, elaborate ceramic tiles, and a dog.
I’m just on my way to the bar – what I get you?
Generic lager, please.
Ideal evening chilling at home?
If I have nothing else to do, then listening to records. I don’t like too much relaxation, though – peversely, I get tense if I’m not doing anything.
Ideal evening chilling out?
A very quiet pub.
Favourite places?
These are variously good: Kennington Road, Welshpool, Wigan, Plymouth, Bishop’s Castle, the George Tavern on Commercial Road.
What are you reading these days?
‘Pnin’ by Valdmir Nabakov, and ‘A good man is hard to find’ by Flannery O’Connor.
What are you working on at present?
A new album – I’m still tinkering with some of the new songs, and writing more, and as a band we’re rehearsing/demo-ing/getting to know said songs.
What would most like to achieve over the next five years?
I’d like to make as many records as the Mules are capable of making, tour them and enjoy it.
Highlight of your life?
I’m a bit too young to be putting a cap on that.
At a festival – tent, B&B, or hotel for you, and why?
Afraid I’m not really a festival person, so it rarely comes up. Am sure I’d go completely unprepared, though, so probably someone else’s tent, followed by a torrent of whingeing the next day about how crap camping is.
What was your Top Big Chill moment?
We’ve really enjoyed putting on the residency at Big Chill House, everyone involved seems to have had a good time. I most enjoyed the show we did with Eugene McGuinness and Six Nation State. (I’ve never been to the Big Chill festival, sorry).
Describe the essence of The Big Chill in a few words…
The name seems to do a good job of that.
