Dear Not-Yet-Terrified Reader, Welcome to the website for The Spooky EP, a harrowing collaboration between three unique songwriters: pianist and children's author Sam Taplin, open-mic host and academic Will Tattersdill (FaceOmeter), and guitarist and meat-curer Max Jones (The Dapper Swindler). Together, the trio invite you enter a world where witches cackle on the dancefloor, ghost trains are haunted by more than just spectres, and strange creatures lurk in the nighttime woods. If you already own a copy of the Spooky EP, this page is designed to tell you a bit more about it, something in the manner of liner notes! Liner notes that we can change as the mood takes us! Evil liner notes that do our bidding! Also, liner notes with videos.
If you don't already own a copy, this is our chance to persuade you! Manipulate these controls and you'll find yourself listening to 'The Spine-Chilling Skeleton Express', perhaps the most anthemic of The Spooky EP's five tracks... The whole record can be heard in full, downloaded and mail-ordered right now on BandCamp. It comes carefully packaged in a lovely hand-made sleeve, and will be a jewel in your collection of physical goods. And the mail-order comes with a free download, because 'waiting' is so twentieth-century. You can also get the download all by itself, saving precious pennies.
The three of us met because of Oxford's splendid Catweazle Club, and after a few months of hanging out it became clear that we were writing a record about ghosts and other terrifying things. It was more-or-less unintentional at first, but then we spent a few months honing the songs in London, Witney and Shropshire. In September 2011 we recorded the whole CD in a single day under the auspices of the talented Dean McCarthy at SAE Littlemore. The EP was launched in a series of four intimate shows over Hallowe'en 2011, the climax being our commandeering of Old St. Mary's Church in Stoke Newington, London. With the help of Boxcar Aldous Huxley, we bepumkpined this atmospheric C16th venue and, lit by numerous candles, unleashed the EP to the world.
The amusing video on the right offers a little more insight into the development and recording of the Spooky EP... Ha ha ha! What a time we had, making it!
This 15-minute long po-faced documentary, on the other hand, actually does discuss the creation of the EP in some meaningful fashion! A compilation of specially-conducted interviews, gig footage, and clips from the recording studio, it's like all those DVD extras you never watch. But instead of having Elijah Wood, it has three entirely unfamous people in it! Enjoy.
Whether it's by coming to a show, paying for a download or ordering a physical copy, you are doing truly admirable work to support independent music in general and us in particular! Thanks in advance, and we really, really hope you like the record! We can't wait for you to hear the whole thing. Best Wishes, Taplin, Tattersdill, and Jones
Return to the FaceOmeter website.