Christchurch based one man band David Thorpe AKA Li'l Chuck The One Man Skiffle Machine, releases his new single 'Stick It In Your Pipe And Smoke It' today.
'Stick it in your pipe and smoke it' is a clever, quirky reminiscence on colloquial phrases bandied around the playground when Chuck was a kid in 1970's England.
"In essence when a kid used to shout off his mouth about something and we didn't like what they were saying the response would always be 'Stick it in your pipe and smoke it'
The phrase has as much significance today as it has ever has... only in this day and age we often tend to say something a little stronger....
The endearing black & white video for 'Stick It In Your Pipe And Smoke It' was shot in Chuck's hometown of Christchurch at his favourite pre-quake busking locations. Here, Chuck warmly invites members of the public to give his 'skiffle machine' a go.
Utility Blues (out March 17th) is Li'l Chuck's follow up to the highly acclaimed 2013 release Blues In Full Swing.
Having spent a lifetime rummaging through the drawers of 1930's - 50's music, Chuck’s mostly original songs are inspired by the sounds of the era - Blues, Early Jazz, Western Swing, Ragtime etc. and are uniquely presented in the style of street performers from those glory days.
Sticking to the traditional one man band format, Chuck plays and records all the instruments simultaneously, no overdubs or edits. Just, Chuck, his skiffle machine and a bunch of mics.
'Stick It In Your Pipe And Smoke It' is now available for purchase from iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify and all good digital service providers.
Utility Blues is out March 17th. Preorders now available from iTunes.
Li'l Chuck The One Man Skiffle Machine shows:
Sat 18th March - Wunderbar, Lyttelton - album release show
Sat 8th April- Wine Cellar, Auckland- album release show
Praise for Blues in Full Swing:
“Five Stars” (NZ Musician)
“Wherever you drop the needle you are guaranteed to have a good time” (Blues Matters magazine UK)
“Addictively Intoxicating” (Sunday Star Times. NZ)