Arrived Home Safely. Special Thanks to...
Lee & Ciaran, Dawn & Ian, Lee Janda, Ain, Allison O'Donnel, Emma Tricca, Brigid Power-Ryce, Carwyn & Colourama, The Maladies, Ambrose, Rob & Charlotte, Dan & Jo, Bethan Elfin, Michael McCann, Avril & Andy, Bruce, Seafrance desk, Travelling Band, Tractor Boy, Big Ben, Luca, Mojo Mills, Sara & Maya, Toni, Dan and all the people that came out to our fundraiser shows and supported us and those of you wrote nice things about us after the festivals. Thank You.
We've learned a few things while in England, Firstly that the roads are very narrow, Calvin "likes crisps" and that he's "here for about two weeks", and that his mandolin is "like a baby...a very good baby", that Richie & Calvin are particularly fond of multicoloured plimsouls (and the subsequent overweight luggage tariffs), to beware of road crossing "goths", flying Glockenspiels and to never, never ask the way to BWYLCH.
See some VIDEOS of Saffrons in The UK over on the SIGHTS page ok?
March 19th, 2008
UK TOUR DATES so far...
Aug 16. GREEN MAN FESTIVAL
Opening the Day's festivities
on the MAIN STAGE 12 Noon.
Glanusk Park, Crickhowell, Powys
WALES.
Aug 20.THE GLADSTONE
64 Lant Street, LONDON SE11QN
Tube=Borough
Aug 22.DULCIMER
567 Wilbraham Road,Chorlton, MANCHESTER.
Aug 27.THE DEFECTORS WELD
Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush, LONDON
Tube=Shepherd's Bush Hammersmith & City Line
Aug 28.REDBRICKS
aboard THE ENGLISH MAID, Saffrons with Emma Tricca & Brigid Power-Rice.
Albert Embankment (South)
Tube=Vauxhall, River Thames, LONDON.
Aug 29. 4:50PM MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL
Moseley Hall Park, BIRMINGHAM.
More Engagements To Be Confirmed.
February 11th, 2008
Hello again, We've got a mini-tour of England & Wales in the works this Summer, (mid-August)thanks to the good people at "Redbricks".
Please Zap us if you've got a spare wig-wam or if you've got a nice set of wheels and feel like galavanting from festival to festival with free admission, gasoline and good company.
December 9th, 2007
CHRISTMAS SHOW
(the holiday, not the group)
DEC 9th @The Smiling Buddah
961 College st. (At Dovercourt) CITY FIELD, THE SAFFRONS, THE HOA-HOA's, EGG NOGG. (see Shows section)
November 22nd, 2007
November 2nd, 2007
NOVEMBER 2007
November begins with the Saffron Sect backing Bob Bryden performing the music of CHRISTMAS & REIGN GHOST
Bob Bryden's Website.(Click)
November also brings electric gigs with BLOOD CEREMONY and the GHOST BEES.
August 27th, 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007
Septenber finds the saffrons very busy first of all they're backing Bob Bryden & Lynda Squires for a CHRISTMAS / REIGN GHOST revival show in Hamilton, then playing with MARISSA NADLER at Sneaky Dee's on the 7th, then they're whizzing off to the east coast, Halifax bound for the North By North End Festival for the 14-16 of September. Helping them will be assorted Blinkers & Pinecones. The Month closes with an autumnal equinox (the 23rd) & a performance by Michael Franklin (& Gaven) at the Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum & Arts Centre for their Fall Harvest Festival.
NORTH BY NORTH END FESTIVAL SITE (Click!)
See "Shows" page for details...
July 26th, 2007
PLEASE SEE "SHOWS" SECTION FOR UPCOMING PERFORMANCES.
In August, The Saffrons are playing "Scarecrow" at a celebration of the release of "Piper At The Gates of Dawn" (Aug.4th), and are venturing into Hamilton to play for the steel-town faithful. (Aug.10th)
May 30th, 2007
"Midnight Mass"
The good folk doing the "Bummer In The Summer" Festival, (renamed "Bummer Nights" at the Tranzac Club.)ve invited us to play a little woodland bop for their closing Wednesday night in May at an undisclosed mysterious area located in the westy-ends of downtown Toronto. Tradition-ally Sects make Music in Castles of Saffron. Listen carefully for the sounds of it may be so quiet you might be able to hear bells sounding through the woods.
May 1st, 2007
MAY DAY @Mitzi's Sister
Saffron Sect as guests of Sadoceanspacebear. (expect May Day Carols, Lullaby of Spring, Staines Morris,on sitar, autoharp, shoe & guitar)
December 2nd, 2006
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS!
Will winter wonders never cease? Not only does Simply Saucer fly again, but legendary rock paragon Bob Bryden has asked the Saffrons to join him in reviving CHRISTMAS & REIGN GHOST for a few shows performing a monumental set of Reign Ghost and Christmas songs, with their legendary "Heritage" album featured prominantly.
Word is, DAFFODIL RECORDS are releasing a compilation cd! Those of you who know will remember their amazing foil covered album re-issues of the best lp releases from IMMEDIATE RECORDS, The Idle Race (and this was still only the early 70's) alongside the exciting new Canadian rock sounds of the day.
December 1st, 2006
Hello, Nice to See you again.
The Saffron Sect "Phosphorous Flash" EP is now available in the United States of America, (for those of you wishing or somehow unable to order from Fig Records directly) through TIME-LAG RECORDS
Here's What they had to say...
"Top notch Sun-baked folk psych goodness...ultra fried but super catchy little songs...all sunglasses, acid and lavender"
October 20th, 2006
The Saffron Sect have been invited to play with Simon Finn of "Pass the Distance" fame, in Montreal at Sala Rosa on October 20th, and in Toronto November 3rd at the Tranzac Club with Wyrd Visions and Castlemusic.
Simon Finn
September 30th, 2006
October seems to be a busy month. (PLEASE SEE "SHOWS" PAGE FOR DETAILS) The Saffron Sect are playing Wavelength, The Pop Montreal festival, and with SIMON FINN, Wyrd Visions & Castlemusic at the Tranzac in November.
During the month of November (Ok December Now) Gaven gears up the Sect to record a full-length LP/CD for Fig Records.
August 6th, 2006
The Saffron Sect will be performing at the "BUMMER IN THE SUMMER" Experimental Music Festival. AUGUST 6th 2:00 PM at the TRANSAC CLUB. We'll be opening the day's festivities. Come along and have a listen or two.
BUMMER IN THE SUMMER FESTIVAL
BUMMER IN THE SUMMER MYSPACE PAGE
July 28th, 2006
EDGAR BREAU (of Simply Saucer)
THE SAFFRON SECT
MORESCA early music group
FRIDAY JULY 28th
The NOW lounge, 189 Church Street
a mere $5.00 admisssion
an assortment of stellar sounds from today's switched-on blues bards and tuned-in troubadors.
For a larger view of the poster, click HERE
July 15th, 2006
Saturday, July 15th, 2006 -A "Phosphorous Flash" EP Release celebration! A Midsummer Night's Scene! Right in front of your very eyes!
SATURDAY JULY 15th
RANCHO RELAXO 300 COLLEGE ST.
W/MORESCA (Early Music)& COUNTY KENT
ELECTRIC & ACOUSTIC PROGRAMME
$6.00 Admission
June 16th, 2006
Hello there's a "Phosphorous Flash" realease show in Montreal,
FRIDAY JULY 21
w/Emerald Cloud Cobra and Sailor White
The Main Hall's Green Room (downstairs)
Flashingly,
Clovis
June 6th, 2006
Hello The "Phosphorous Flash" EP is now officially here and is available for hire and purchase at finer records stores everywhere, ask often for it by name. If confusion arises direct any negligent, apathetic or uninformed store staff to the FIG RECORDS website and the contact/ordering information contained therein.
"PHOSPHOROUS FLASH" EP
FIG RECORDS
Also of note the Saffron Sect will be performing with Edgar Breau (of Simply Saucer) and Moresca Early Music Ensemble, who I'd like to add, are fantastic! They play folk and popular dance peices from the 12-16th centuries on shawm, hurdy-gurdy, medieval bagpies, crumhorn, and a sort of galacian tambourine.... very beautiful.
Friday July 28th at the NOW lounge
(189 Church St.)
June 5th, 2006
Saffron Sect & Apothecary Hymns
Our very own Gaven Dianda has been invited to sit in on sitar for an Apothecary Hymns recording session for an upcoming release. Keep your third eye peeled for this, and in the meantime check out Apothecary Hymn's "Trowel & Era" or their "marigold jugendstil" 45.
April 9th, 2006
Saffron Sect in Electrocution Scare!
"During their first ever "electric" set, in support of the Gris Gris, no cries of "judas" were heard (not surprisingly, i think you have to have played more than 4-5 gigs for that), only the occasional yelping of singer Gaven Dianda as he suffered massive repeated electric shocks from the sound equipment (was that singing?). Blue flames were reported to arc from the microphone as local musicians Matt Murphy and Peter Elkas leapt valiantly on stage to aid the struggling and slightly disoriented singer. "There was no ground switch!"
Some camps within the Saffron Sect have taken this as an inauspicous omen and are now deeply suspicious of further adventures in their electric medieval acid-rock sound. Singer-Guitarist Gaven, co-icidentally took up smoking cigarettes almost immediately after his ordeal with electrocution.
Despite all this they managed to pull off an impressive set that featured a new arrangement of "La Rotta" (a popular 14th century Italian dance piece) and some "heavy" fuzz guitar, flute, drum, recorder and electric bass freak-out passages in their usually folk based numbers. No Dynamics, Brian Glaze and The Gris Gris were stellar as could be expected, despite the appearance of "the pigs" who revoked the liquor license for the night.
who cared?
Yours faithfully,
Clovis
