22 may 2008

DC FONTANA have announced they will be working with Donald Ross Skinner on their forthcoming new album.

Skinner, who is a close friend of DC bass player Mark Mortimer going back to when they went to school together, has agreed to produce the album which will be recorded over a series of months throughout the rest of 2008.

He is best known for his work with Julian Cope both as a multi-instrumentalist and also producer but has been involved in many projects both as a musician and as producer.

Mortimer said: "I'm thrilled, really and genuinely and in a non bullshitty way.

"Of course it's totally great to be involved with Donald again musically and I know for a fact he will help bring out the best of us in the studio and take us forward so it's exciting news on several levels.

"I first met Donald when the schools he and I went to became amalgamated into one big secondary school in 1978, so it's a 30 year trip that's gone into a full cycle. We are very excited he will be helping us out with the new recordings."

The band is expected to head up to Liverpool to begin recording next month at Parr Street Studios, owned by Echo & The Bunnymen's management people.

17 may 2008

THE DCs headline this year's "Run From The Scum" scooter rally in Cornwall, UK tonight.

The band have made the trip to play at the Trevelgue Holiday Park in Porth, near Newquay plus DJ support from scooter scene stalwart Emma Cox.

01 may  2008

DC FONTANA  have returned from their European adventures exhausted but happy after a series of successful gigs on the continent.

The band tried out a number of their own new tunes as they continue to write numbers for their debut album and also managed to hook up with the brilliant Italian jazz duo Chicca Andriollo & Oscar Marchioni for a memorable and beautiful evening of fun and music in Paris on the final night of the tour.

Mark Mortimer said: "On the way back to England we stopped back off in Paris and met up with Chicca and Oscar, went out for dinner and drinks and ended up at their pad jamming and drinking more in to the early hours of the morning.

"It was uber-cool stuff just hanging out with them in Montmartre smashed but having fun - great times..."

Andriollo sang with the band as a guest vocalist on the opening night of the tour in Paris.

22 april 2008

DC FONTANA begin their mini European tonight with a show at the cool La Flèche d’Or venue in Paris France before the band head south tomorrow to play the Double Six club in Lyon before heading further south to headline this year's annual Scooter Rally of Tuscany on the beautiful Isle of Elba off the coast of Italy.

31 march 2008

DC FONTANA is sad to announce it will NOT be performing this Saturday (APRIL 05, 2008) in Portsmouth, UK.

The band was scheduled to be playing the "Wack! Wack! Club" and agreed to do the show several months ago. But since then, despite agreeing to do the gig, the band has been unable to make any contact with the club or the people behind it despite making innumerable attempts to get hold of them.

A spokesman for Jazzfish Promotions who handles some of the group's bookings said: "We are extremely disappointed that no one from the Wack! Wack! Club has bothered to contact us regarding the scheduled April 5 show.

"DC Fontana have been extremely keen to go ahead with the gig but all attempts to speak to the venue have failed and so we can only conclude -sadly - that DC Fontana will not be making the journey this weekend.

"For all we know the band could travel all the way down there only to find the place is closed and that is not going to happen. The people at the Wack! Wack! Club have had several MONTHS in which to contact the group but have failed to even give them the courtesy of a reply and so we have no alternative but to cancel this show."

Bass player Mark Mortimer added: "We hate cancelling gigs and it's an alien concept to us! But we just can't risk travelling to Portsmouth on the day only to find the place closed! Obviously we would like to apologise to anyone who was expecting to see us this weekend but it is out of our hands. We would urge anyone who was planning to go to the gig on Saturday to catch us at the Soul Cellar in nearby Southampton on Sat May 24 or the Opera House in Bournemouth on Sat May 31."

The sensational singer, who is making a great name for herself with her live group Intrigo, is a good friend of the DCs and sung with the band last August at their sell-out show in Paris.

And the DCs are delighted that the beguiling Chicca will again team up with them when they make a much-anticipated return to the cool La Flèche d’Or venue in the French capital on Tuesday, April 22.

Bass player Mark Mortimer said: "It's an honour to have Chicca on stage with us singing - she really is an exceptional talent.

"Not only does she possess a fantastic and original voice that blends the emotion and power of soul music's great past with rhythmic sophistication, swing and expression that combine to become that hard-to-define entity that is "jazz" but Chicca is an extraordinary performer.

"She oozes a stellar magnetism, she reaches for the stars and she holds them in her hands.

The date in Paris comes as part of the forthcoming European DC Fontana mini tour.

DC FONTANA undertake a small European tour next month including their very own "Italian Job".

The band headlines this years Tuscany Scooter Rally on the Isle of Elba (Italy) as well as having dates in France and the UK.

The opening date of the tour comes on Friday April 18 when the group make the very short trip to Lichfield in Staffordshire for a special fund-raising charity show on behalf of a local child who needs urgent medical equipment after suffering from meningitis.

After this local date the band then moves on to France and once again returns to PARIS for another show at the wonderful Fleche d'Or venue on the eastern side of the capital on Tuesday April 22.

The following night sees the DCs down in the Alpes-Rhone region of France when they reach Lyon before they head off to plays the Elba scooter rally on Friday April 25.Please go to the DATES page to check out the full list of shows but please always check with venues beforehand as changes may sometimes occur at short notice.

THE new-look DC Fontana line continued its exciting new revamp today by welcoming excellent drummer Ben Jones to its ranks.

The West Midlands-based percussionist has a fine pedigree & reputation was brought into the band following a series of auditions since the start of the year.

Sax player Jamie Ryder said: "Great news for us - Ben is a real talent and he will bring a new dimension to our sound.

"Really cool to have him involved!"

The new addition comes hot on the heels of the news that the group will be recording and releasing its first album this year after a tie up with the Hollywood based label Real2Can.

Delighted DC Fontana have revealed they are to release their first album later in 2008 after agreeing to do a deal with an American indie label.

The DCs have agreed to release the album with Hollywood-based Real2Can and couldn't be happier.

It means the group will head into the studio in the late spring or summer to begin work on the album which will then gain a worldwide release via Real2Can later in the year.

Bass player Mark Mortimer said: "It's been a long time coming but we are really happy as you'd imagine.

"It's exciting because we have SO many original tunes either written or  being written that we just need to get them out their in the public domain.

"The hard work begins now in effect but you know this is a major boost for us for sure."

Watch this space for more information!

Stevens decided on a change of direction, particularly due to the distance between where she lives and the rest of the group.

Mark Mortimer said: "We wish Tina well, she's a talent and we'd like to thank her for the time she spent with the band."

DC Fontana have traditionally used a host of different singers live and will continue with the excellent trio of Karla Milton, Scott Riley & Neil Jones handling vocal duties in 2008.

23 november 2007
THE DCs have been jet-setting again after a whistle-stop visit to beautiful Rome in Italy yesterday.
The 11-piece band played at the fantastic Micca Jazz Club and, as in Athens, had a really fantastic experience.
Sadly, the gig also marked the final appearance on stage for drummer Jim E-Williams who has decided to retire from the band to spend more time with his family.
"This made it a bit if a bittersweet night really, if honest," admitted bass player Mark Mortimer.
"Jim has been an outstanding member of the band and will be sorely missed both as a musician of the very highest calibre and also as a brother."
Founding DC member Nigel Horton has come back to the fold to replace Williams and will be playing at the future DC gigs.
Neil Jones remarked: "It's terribly sad to say goodbye to Jim but of course we are delighted to have Nige back in the band!" 

18 november  2007
BOTH the Northside Scooter Club and A Casual Existence Scooter Club have hosted gigs by DC Fontana in the past fortnight.
The DCs played for the Mansfield-based Northside Club, having driven to the venue direct from Gatwick airport south of London following the band's triumphant show in Greece.
And last night the group travelled to south Wales to play for the A.C.E. club in Pontypridd. Both shows were hugely successful.

05 august 2007
THE much anticipated return to France by DC Fontana turned out to be a fantastic sell-out success.
The band had a sensational reception at La Flèche d'Or in Paris and were joined on stage for a guest spot by the brilliant Italian singer Chicca Andriollo (from Intrigo & The Boogaloo Guys).
Chicca sang with the band on two numbers to further enhance an already memorable night of sonic frolics.
Staff at the well known Parisien indie rock hang out were forced to turn away people after long queues formed outside the club.
The band is hopeful of making its third appearance at the venue in 2008.

The band has used various talented singers live  and will continue to do so at different evemts.

09 March 13 2007
DELIGHTED DC Fontana are returning to the stomping grounds of past gigging fun when they return to the Isle of Wight in May for an important event in the British scootering scene calendar.
The new-look and revamped DCs are to headline the 9th annual "Lambretta Day" event inside the excellent Grand Theatre venue in Ryde on Saturday May 26.
Support on the night comes from The Small Fakers, a new tribute to the Small Faces that have been put together by ex-members of Dan's People who played alongside the DCs at the same venue back in August 2005.
Guitarist James Stanley said: "Great news to be back on the Isle of Wight, it's been a great destination for DC Fontana over the years and the venue is just superb so we can't wait to go back and meet a lot of old friends.
"Actually, if honest, the last time we played there it was probably the worst show we had played since I've been involved with the band so there's also a determination for us to put that small matter right with a cracking show."
For returning founding member Neil Jones, the group's other guitarist & singer, the Isle of Wight also holds fond memories.
He added: "I've played with the DCs at both the Lambretta Day event and also on the famous August Bank Holiday rally which is always a huge occasion so it's a place that I have warm memories of.
"It's truly great to be back in the band and I can't wait to play Ryde again."

08 december 06
OUR man in Spain reports that DC Fontana wowed a large audience at last night's Purple Weekend Festival in León despite a cruel twist of fate that left them without any of their usual singers!
The never-say-die had to be at their most resourceful after both their singers fell ill with Hayley Tucker developing a severe chest and throat infection on the 'plane over to the Iberian peninsula!
But the band locked themselves away in their hotel room all day yesterday and managed to re-work most of their set with Hammond player Scott Riley assuming stand-in lead vocal duties while trumpet player Charlotte Rose even volunteered to sing a couple of tunes.
She had never sung live before in her life but our man in Spain, the Rev. Delirium, reports it worked a treat.
The DCs appeared on the opening night of the prestigious Purple Weekend festival in the huge Estadio Hispánico venue and the Rev. Delirium whooped: "They were brilliant!
"I was worried and fearing the worst when Hayley couldn't sing but Scott and Charlie were true heroes and they pulled it outta the fire big time!
"They got a great reaction from the Spanish crowd and then proceeded to get totally wasted after the gig - they all have sore heads today I can tell you!"