Imagine this: You're a working stiff. You live in a crappy little town. You play around in a couple of crappy little bands. People are always telling you you're a good guitarist, you can write a good tune. You should do something with your talent. You then get into a nasty motorcycle accident and your laid out for a couple of years.h2. He'd Be A Diamond (Live '04)During that time you collect a bit of money for your injuries. You've been holed up all this while with nothing to do but play your guitar and record some songs from your bedroom. With your last lump of cash you pull together 11 songs, compile them under the title _"Miasma"_ and essentially rename yourself **"The Bevis Frond"**. You create your own label and then have "Miasma" pressed into 250 copies. You then put them out there just to see what happens. And they all sell.h2. Lights Are Changing (Live '04)You go back to your archive of stuff and you pull out another 11 songs, compile them under the title _"Marshland"_, press them up and put them out. Boom, sold out again.If this sounds like your dream then you must be Nick Saloman from Walthamstow, England and it's 1987. By the end of 1988 you'll have released 3 more albums that sell out just as quickly as the first two.Now it's 1990, you've got enough money in your pocket to record in a proper studio and you put out your widest release so far. Your fanbase and list of adoring critics grow steadily. It's 1991 and you've got Twink from the "Pink Fairys" and Adrian Shaw from "Hawkwind" recording with you when you put out your masterpiece, _"New River Head"_. Now your a happy man.h2. Hole Song (Live '04)Well, that's a pretty good way to make a name for yourself. Between the years of 1992 and 2004 _"Nick Saloman and the Bevis Frond"_ release 10 more studio albums and a wonderful live album recorded at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. In between recording as the Bevis Frond Nick also managed to keep his label (**Woronzow**) running, produce the underground magazine **Ptolemaic Terrascope** and record with several other bands and side projects. All the live video footage in this post was recorded for the German TV show "Rockpalast" in 2004. The mp3 below is off of 2000's "Valedictory Songs". This is a "Filling in the Gaps":http://mog.com/Neill/blog_post/29537 post.
dermahrk says
Never heard of him, but when I saw Teenage Fanclub covered his song, I had to find out more. I REALLY like this! He looks like a mess, but plays, sings and writes like a mofo. "Lights Are Changing" cuts out a little early - too bad.
After watching the three videos, I enjoyed the MP3 as an example of what he can do in the studio.
Another discovery for me - from you!
scotfree says
I think I've heard the name, but never actually listened 'till now - quite good! He sounds sort of like a lost brother to Guided By Voices - a good thing in itself. Thanks for the info Dach!!
dachmo says
Actually waydutch, I was hoping you'd get around to hearing this post because I thought it would be something you'd like if you didn't already know him.
poebegone says
damn, dachmo, that was so great a post i was close to tears when i got to the end. okay, fibbing on the tears part, but who the hell did not dream that dream, right? i know i did, and i love your post for validating that. (:
dachmo says
The great thing is that it hasn't changed him, he still lives in the same town, his wife's an english teacher, something like your "everyman's hero".
Imagine this: You're a working stiff. You live in a crappy little town. You play around in a couple of crappy little bands. People are always telling you you're a good guitarist, you can write a good tune. You should do something with your talent. You then get into a nasty motorcycle accident and your laid out for a couple of years.h2. He'd Be A Diamond (Live '04)During that time you collect a bit of money for your injuries. You've been holed up all this while with nothing to do but play your guitar and record some songs from your bedroom. With your last lump of cash you pull together 11 songs, compile them under the title _"Miasma"_ and essentially rename yourself **"The Bevis Frond"**. You create your own label and then have "Miasma" pressed into 250 copies. You then put them out there just to see what happens. And they all sell.h2. Lights Are Changing (Live '04)You go back to your archive of stuff and you pull out another 11 songs, compile them under the title _"Marshland"_, press them up and put them out. Boom, sold out again.If this sounds like your dream then you must be Nick Saloman from Walthamstow, England and it's 1987. By the end of 1988 you'll have released 3 more albums that sell out just as quickly as the first two.Now it's 1990, you've got enough money in your pocket to record in a proper studio and you put out your widest release so far. Your fanbase and list of adoring critics grow steadily. It's 1991 and you've got Twink from the "Pink Fairys" and Adrian Shaw from "Hawkwind" recording with you when you put out your masterpiece, _"New River Head"_. Now your a happy man.h2. Hole Song (Live '04)Well, that's a pretty good way to make a name for yourself. Between the years of 1992 and 2004 _"Nick Saloman and the Bevis Frond"_ release 10 more studio albums and a wonderful live album recorded at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. In between recording as the Bevis Frond Nick also managed to keep his label (**Woronzow**) running, produce the underground magazine **Ptolemaic Terrascope** and record with several other bands and side projects. All the live video footage in this post was recorded for the German TV show "Rockpalast" in 2004. The mp3 below is off of 2000's "Valedictory Songs". 
This is a "Filling in the Gaps":http://mog.com/Neill/blog_post/29537 post.
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