About Chris Manners
Chris Manners is a song-maker, singer and guitarist who’s been knocking around the folk scene for years, mainly in Yorkshire but also for appreciable times in Manchester, Oxford, London and Essex. He’s a resident with Ryburn 3 Step and the Ryburn folk club in Ripponden, and you’ll also catch him at venues around Airedale, Calderdale and Wharfedale.
Find me on bandcamp using the button below.
New album – Exit Pursued by a Bear
The long-time-coming third album, firmly rooted in the English folk tradition, filtered through a mash-up of other influences: Nic Jones, Spike Jones, Jake Thackray, Bruce Springsteen, and John Chibadura & The Tembo Brothers.
Lyrically it’s a sharp but affectionate dissection of . . . well, everything, really. From Napoleon’s exile on Elba to choosing the right colour for the kitchen wall; from the decline of tradition industry to the horrors of war and the disappointments of middle age. It even includes a couple of love songs, one of them with fleas.
Latest From the Blog…
Match fit
It might be urban myth, or it might be a genuine quote from Paderewski the pianist. He claimed, ‘If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it.’ I’m no Paderewski; I’ll never be a...
Swapping songs with Piers Cawley
The very estimable Piers Cawley runs an on-line song swap on Friday evenings. Huge fun, either to watch and listen or as a participant: chat that might amuse, enlighten or just meander, studded with half a dozen songs each. Here are edited highlights of my session...
Tossin’ a Wobbler: Vin Garbutt — Forgotten Favourites #8
The voice is true enough but not a thing of beauty. Harsh, even. The guitar playing is clumsy, staccato, full of snaps and rattles. The whistle playing, on the other hand, is supple and deft. The material’s a rag-bag: the album opens and closes with contemporary...