The Wolfmen: live album launch at the 100 Club

What are you doing on the Thursday the 14th July? Whatever it is, put a line through it and hoof yourself along to the 100 Club as The Wolfmen rip the wrappers of their minty new album Married to the Eiffel Tower- with a prestige gig bought to you by the good people at Vive Le Rock magazine. Silvery, special guests, exclusive tunes and limited edition goodies and signed editions of the album are promised for this glittering night of glam garage anthems and black leather beats.

If you can't get to the gig (tut, tut) - console yourself that Married to the Eiffel Tower, will be available from August, and comes locked and loaded with a fistful of fruity new wolf-tunes, a haunting guest vocal from Sinéad O'Connor, a long lost Velvets rarity and an assortment of frisky remixes from Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Jacob Portrait.

So, find yourself a marker pen, and draw a big red ring around the July 14th - when The Wolfmen storm the 100 Club..

Dates, details and dialogue on this and all Wolfmen despatches are available on the official website and Facebook page – including a strictly limited offer available only to the first 100 ticket buyers..

The Wolfmen's offical website
The official Facebook page
That limited ticket offer

The Man Behind The Mixing Desk - Steve Musters

As Elvis said in the opening to his 68 Special - 'It's been a long time, baby! But Bocca is back with a bang, and takes you behind the band to meet the man who produces, shapes and sculpts The Wolfmen's sound..Mr Steve Musters. As well production on most of The Wolfmen's catalogue including both albums - Steve's CV also includes PJ Harvey, The Editors and Tricky

You've got an impress list of credits (engineer, mixer, producer) covering a broad range of artists. As a school leaver did you have a career in music mind - and if so was it a a techie, musician or something else.
Actually I wanted to be a wildlife photographer! I ended up working as a game warden in Tanzania for a while before deciding I missed civilization.

Barry Manilow's name appears on your CV, (as part of a soundtrack) is this legit!
Sadly yes. It was a very, very long time ago...!

What are your memories of your first project as mixer or producer - who was the artist or album? Were you nervous and would you change anything listening back now.
The engineer ran out of drugs at on an East 17 session and couldn't operate. He asked if I could step in. I had only been working at that studio for a month or so but I managed to blag it.
I love Spotify and have found some of my early mixes I hadn't listened to for years, there are always things you'd like to tweak but on the whole it is usually a pleasant surprise.

How do you approach a new studio session, what do you hope to accomplish at the end.
The best for the record or best for the band. Hopefully what is best for the record is also best for the band! I always aim to maximize the potential of every song with the raw material I have.

You've Produced both The Wolfmen albums, what are the differences between the two
Their sound has definitely developed from the first album. As most of it has been written in the studio all together as a band it has more of a live feel, but their classic influences are never far away!

You must have a head full of music when you get home - how do you switch off.
I have a very effective eject button in my head - the downside is that I forget what I did the week before

Are there any classic albums you listen to and think they need tweaking - if so which ones, and can you listen to music without thinking about production.

I find it very hard to listen to any record without analyzing it, but I never want to tweak iconic albums - the idiosyncrasies are what make them.

Any favourite producers, productions or musicians that shaped your style.
I have never consciously tried to emulate anyone - just do what I think sounds good! However Talk Talk's "Spirit of Eden" was one of the first records that really got me interested in production.

Who are the least/most demanding artists you've worked with.
I have yet to work with anyone as demanding as the Wolfmen! :-)

Is possible to record without software and achieve a level of sound quality that could still be commercially acceptable
Definitely! Tape has yet to be bettered for drums. Software speeds things up a bit especially when you are messing around with arrangements but I'd love to do a Wolfmen record entirely on tape.

You get calls from Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Macca, Bob Dylan and the Sex Pistols - they all want to record new material with you at the controls. But, you can only choose one, which would it be.
It would have to be Bowie - no contest! I worked on a Jagger solo project - that's enough for one lifetime.

Any dream artists you'd like to work with or classic albums you'd like to remix for Deluxe Editions
I have been very fortunate to have worked with some incredible artists in the past so no one jumps out immediately. As far as remixing classic albums - I used to run the old Island Records studio, the Fallout Shelter, for a while and one of the perks was getting old Marley multi-tracks out of the tape store and playing around with them. They always sounded incredible! But as I mentioned before I'd hate to remix a classic album for release - they are classic for a reason!

Artists as self producers - can it ever work.
You have to be a seriously disciplined artist to be so close to a project and still remain objective.


Why do all chart singles sound the same these days - where's the grit gone.

The danger of software overkill is that all the character can be sucked out of a band - bit like everyone in LA having the same noses and teeth!

Any top-tips for home-recording artists
Monitoring is always a major problem at home without spending a fortune on acoustic treatment - you just have to keep comparing your mixes to commercial CDs and adjust and experiment. There are no short cuts! Also spend money on getting the input sound as good as possible i.e. best mics & mic preamps that you can afford!

Tooty Fluty - July 20 Limited Edition Mix

It's buoyant, bouncy and springs along with the swing of a summer breeze. What are you creaking on about - they chorused.

Chris Constantinou's limited edition mix of July 20 of course!

The Wolfmen - July 20 (CC's Canned Heat Summer Flute Mix)



If you were lucky enough to be at the Dandy Warhol's recent London date, you'd have seen Chris appearing as a special wolf-guest adding some fluty toots to the Dandy's boho-beats on Lou Weed.

Don't forget wolf cubs the original July 20 is buyable right here at iTunes

Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio? Northfork Sound do

The aristocrats of the airwaves: those heavyweight DJs with impeccable credentials, impossible record collections and the keenest of ears have tuned into the sugary goodness of The Wolfmen's new sing July 20 playing - and repeat playing the track.

In the UK, life-long broadcasting legends Don Letts and Gary Crowley have both found a place in their hearts and playlists for July 20. While in the US, music biz blue-blood Howard Thompson has hand-picked a selection of Wolfmen wallopers for regular rotation on his Northfork Sound show.

Howard's three hour DJ jam broadcast's live on Fridays from 12 - 3 pm (5 - 8 UK time) so retune your radios to WPKN (or listen live here). Cranking out cool, cult and classic rock and roll cuts - it's the radio equivalent of CBGB's and somewhere your sure to spot The Wolfmen.

And be sure to check out Howard's North Fork blog for track-listings, listener favourites and the Legend Of The Month feature.

You can read how Howard's history inter-weaves with The Wolfmen here at The Family of Noise

July 20 the New Single is Out Now

Its a triple whammy of treats on the Bocca blog today - celebrating the release and red carpet arrival of minty new single July 20 - coming at you in a fistful of five mixes. So what's on the menu?

An exclusive interview The Dandy Warhols Courtney Taylor-Taylor
who has post produced and mixed The Wolfmen's new Album ' Married to The Eiffel Tower '

Two mixes by Courtney of July 20 one he did with Jacob Portrait and the other with Jeremy Sherrer.

A preview of the follow up single ' Cat Green Eyes ' .

Bocca Di Lupo speaks to Courtney Taylor-Taylor

What vibe were after with the July 20 remixes - one with Jacob and the other with Jeremy - were there any influences or source material you used for reference?
With Jake we referenced "Never Met a Girl Like You Before" by that cat from Orange Juice. With Jeremy we referenced that Stranglers tune with the harpsichord (Golden Brown) that got so big again a few years back. Ultimately though, once ya get into a mix it doesn't really help listening to anything else. We only listen for fun at the beginning. Once you start a mix in earnest you're on your own.

Will you be producing/remixing any other Wolfmen tunes
Oh I'm sure I probably will. They know they can count on me and my guys to churn out cool stuff and since I don't have to pay for studio time at the Odditorium it saves them a lot of heartache as well as money.

July 20 is a birthday shared by you and Chris - are you typical Cancerians
Yeah I think we are. I know that I am fer sure. Very homebody. I'm obsessive about my interiors and they are not only spectacular but ergonomically borderline genius. They have to be, what with me having such a low tolerance for wasted time/space/energy. Another cliché' is being hard, cold and business-like on the outside but a Mr. Snugglycuddlyman on the inside. That pretty much describes my days to a T.

What’s been your wildest or most memorable birthday
Oh I really think that more amazing than all the sex drugs rock n roll birthdays that I can't quite remember was the fifty foot slip-n-slide on the hill behind my house for my birthday last year. All the booze and chemicals and partying in the world, all the drunk driving and sad lonely endings only happened because there wasn't a fifty footer in the back yard.

Are there any plans for a Dandy Wolfmen team-up? What cover would you use as an ice-breaker at a both band-jam
An icebreaker jam has to just sort of "happen" but if I were to script it into the
movie I'd have it be "Suffragette City"(sp) or "Bela Lugosi's Dead".

Have you managed to see any gems from Marco's legendary guitar collection.
Nope. Not seen Marco's guitars.

A big thank you is due to Courtney and Jo Ryan for making this interview happen

July 20 The Birthday Mix (Courtney-Taylor-Taylor & Jeremy Sherrer)

You can buy all five mixes of July 20 over at The Wolfmen's iTunes store - right here

Cat Green Eyes - due soon

Place your pre-orders for the new single here..

With less than two weeks to go until The Wolfmen's minty new tune July 20 is officially released - why not get ahead of the game by placing an advance order.

It's dead simple. Just click here to pre-order July 20 at iTunes.

Oh, and did we reveal the secret behind the title/date yet? Here's a clue: birthdays

Tibet Film Festival and Wolfmen Team-Up

The Tibet Film Festival pitches up in London today, running until the end of July, before taking a tour around the UK.

Films, readings and occasionally live music performances (more on that later) will be hosted at select venues across the UK’s capitol city including the ICA, Riverside Studios, Roxy Bar & Screen and Ritzy Picturehouse

What can you expect on the menu? New films themed around twin topics: environment and music - from young and emerging Tibetan, Indian and women filmmakers.

Showing at Riverside Studios on Monday the 5th is Nmgyal Lhamo’s award Paradise Lost - this powerful music video featuring Tibetan opera singer Namgyal Lhamo is full of compelling imagery and movement that stands as a metaphor for the plight of her homeland, with an unusually striking combination of traditional Tibetan music and indie rock. Music written, performed and produced by The Wolfmen

Preview screenings and introductions take place tonight at Cinephilia West (doors open 8:30) but it will be busy, so get along early.

The full festival rundown is available here – with all information, dates and details available at the Tibet Film Festival website.