Music Player + History

Here is my new EP Workhouse, you can listen or download the whole thing for free, so enjoy and share, but be warned, this is my anti-Tory EP!

“YOU HAVE TO, HAVE HAD THE BLUES, TO PLAY THE BLUES”

“Hardest working act on the UK Cigar Box Scene”- Chicken Bone John

If you could look it up in the Dictionary it would say:

StumbleCol:

“NOT A STATEMENT OF INTENT, MORE A COMMENT ON THE WAY WE ALL STAGGER THROUGH LIFE”

Home grown Punkabilly Blues, played on Home Made Instruments!

Original songs with an edge of raw emotion and heart felt honesty!

StumbleCol is now a One Man Band:

With: Vocals, Slide Guitar played on my own Home Made Cigar Box Guitars, Harmonica (Rack Harp), Briefcase Bass Drum, pre-recorded beats.

“GREAT BIG TUNES TO BLOW YOU AWAY WITH”, some bloke once said in the Paper. Don’t take my word for it, check out this site or if you can, catch the live show!

HISTORY

Colin: I have always written songs and create music because I have to!

“Let that boy Boogie Woogie, coz it’s in him and it’s got to come out”, in the words of John Lee hooker!

The Music

In 2005 I started gigging with the new stage name StumbleCol, with 12-string acoustic guitar and rack harp.

In 2007 I recorded The Stumble Tapes a solo EP with an eclectic mix songs in a singer/song-writer type style. You can hear and download The Stumble Tapes here, for free – https://soundcloud.com/stumblecol/sets/stumblecol-origins-the-stumble

Because I play the Harmonica, I have always played and written songs in some kind of Blues structure, with my music always having a heavy influence of Foundation Blues, but it was not until I renamed myself StumbleCol, that I really started to embrace my Blues influences and found my true path.

Then in August 2009 I broke my leg; I had 4 wks with it elevated. I did not want to sit there and do nothing, and as I had always wanted to learn, I started to teach myself Slide Guitar.

I then discovered Cigar Box Guitars and it has changed me!

I was always the 12 String Guitar Man, but now I play Slide on Cigar Box Guitars and also on a variety of Home Made Instruments, all made by me, and accompanied by myself on Harmonica, in a brace (Rack Harp), I also use a Briefcase Bass Drum and prerecorded beats/backing tracks and on occasion I bring out one of my nice vintage guitars too.

The Lineups

I must at this point talk about previous lineups, in the early 2000`s, I started playing Solo, then in 2008, I was accompanied by Roger Norman on Bass and Backing Vocals. The gigs started to come thick and fast and Roger was not able to make that level of commitment and so with a heavy heart, he had to quit.

After Roger left, I started working with Tom Few, who played Lead Guitar, sang backing vocals and played a Suitcase Bass Drum, this is probably the StumbleCol sound that you know!

With Tom Few I recorded 3 StumbleCol progressive Blues albums from 2010-2013.

From mid 2013 we also took on a Smutbot as a Bass Player, who also brought Hip Hop beats and StumbleCollective was born.

The Collective recorded 10 or 11 new songs for an album, which will never now, be released as an album, but you can hear it here – https://www.reverbnation.com/stumblecollective/song/20141372-romsey-boys-2-nd-mix

We did also, have one track released world wide, with great success, through College Radio and College Radio Day Records in 2013 – https://soundcloud.com/collegeradioday/stumble-col-love-love

Despite the success and great booking for the forth coming year, plus the potential of the Collective, sadly after a few months the band split up!

You can call it “Creative Differences”, the fact is, that we do not play together anymore and I am now happy to be a solo act.

Col-Tom & Roger`s join past history

In 1996 I formed an Indie/Rock band called The Other Garden, this project ran for 6 or 7 years, saw the recording and release of 3 CDs + the setup of our own Indie Record Label. We won numerous awards, performed at many Festivals and toured extensively through out the UK. Unfortunately the major record deal eluded us and in 2002 the band split.

You can hear all 3 EPs put together as one LP here – https://soundcloud.com/the-other-garden/sets/the-other-garden-3-eps-1-lp

The Future Sound

Now solo, a One Man Band!

I have taken my StumbleCol sound and just Grunged it up a little bit, using my influences as an original Punk and original Psychobilly to make it, what I feel to be more me, I`m calling it “Punkabilly Blues”, but to be honest, I now play/record anything that I fancy and weave it into my live set.

Still with Harmonica and Briefcase Bass Drum, but also with beats/backing tracks.

ABOUT THE RECORDINGS

Workhouse EP

In the spring of 2017 I set up the StumbleCol Studio and recorded, the long awaited/long promised, new political EP Workhouse.

I am a life long socialist and union affiliated member of the Labour party, this is my anti-Tory propaganda EP.

All songs written by me, all guitars built and played by me, all other instruments played or programmed by me, all tracks mixed and engineered by me, StumbleCol.

This EP is 100% solo, 100% home recorded and 100% StumbleCol.

You can hear/download the whole EP at: https://soundcloud.com/stumblecol/sets/workhouse-ep

I am now Gigging and in fact Headlining as a solo act, the solo album, “Punkabilly Blues” was released to critical acclaim in 2015 and has sold out twice and had to be repressed.

Punkabilly Blues

A return to my roots, with 13 solo tracks, featuring some of my best songs + a few choice covers, released early summer 2015.

No over dubs, no tedious guitar solos, just 100% pure StumbleCol magic!

Recorded as I sound live on stage, a total joy to record and to listen to, once again recorded and engineered by Smutbot.

You can hear the whole album at: www.reverbnation.com/StumbleCol

and also download 2 tracks for free!

The Mighty StumbleCol

Released in 2013, 2 years and life time in the making, 17 tracks, 100% Home Made!

This is a real album, with real songs, again recorded and engineered by Smutbot.

This album has been constructed in 2 halves like an old vinyl LP.

You can hear the whole album at: www.reverbnation.com/StumbleCol

and also download 2 tracks for free!

Sour Mash:

Released in July 2011, a whole year in the making this album features 13 original StumbleCol songs and has Cigar Box Guitars and Home Made Instruments on every track. With this album we introduced Suitcase Bass Drums and the sound is more rounded. We really pushed the boundaries with this album, with the playing and the guest players and singers and some ambitious arrangements, recorded and engineered by Smutbot.

This album features the Stumble Choir, on So Much To Be Grateful For, which is made up of 32+ voices, my kids, friends and neighbours. The thirteenth song is When I win the Lottery – live!, some may say the track is rough, well it is supposed to be, anyone who grew up in the Punk era, as I did, will remember the abundance of Bootleg Cassettes, that we used to get in the late 70`s. They were of terrible quality, yet beautiful, this track is supposed to be reminiscent of those old Punk Bootlegs, rough and raw!

You can hear the whole album and download 2 tracks for free by visiting

www.reverbnation.com/stumblecol

Smutbots Rm:

Released in July 2010, this album took the first 6 months of the year to record and was engineered and recorded by Smutbot in his home studio in Cambridge, UK. The album is a heady mix of Blues songs, mostly original, with a couple of old covers from the 1930`s, all given the StumbleCol spin. 13 songs, with the extra track, mainly recorded on Resonator and 12 String Guitars, but also featuring 3 songs on Cigar Box Guitars.

You can hear the whole album and download two tracks for free from www.reverbnation.com/stumblecol

THE VIDEOS

I have made a number of Videos, some taken from our live shows around the country; some are Ninja Busking Videos and some from my home. The ones from my home are usually to showcase a new song or instrument.

I invented the term “Ninja Busking” to describe what I sometimes do, the idea is simple, you take a battery amp and a Cigar Box Guitar, a Briefcase Bass Drum, Camera and Camera Op. You setup and play a song to Camera, in a prime location without consent, you then pack up and leave before security can arrive.

You can check out our videos at www.youtube.com/stumblecol