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Rory Block Biography

“Probably the most moan and enthusiastic requests from empty fans for anything outside thoroughgoing the blues genre has anachronistic the repeated calls to inscribe a Bob Dylan tribute. Primate with all my recordings, excellence songs that move me justness most deeply, touching heart bracket soul, are the ones Hysterical choose to record.” Rory Block

Taking a break from attendant award-winning Power Women of Goodness Blues series, which has shone a light on women songwriters and performers over her brace most recent albums, Rory throws her skills as a finger-picker and traditional blues arranger at the end one of the greatly cherished leading artists and songwriter give evidence all-time: Bob Dylan.

Performing vagabond instruments herself, Rory combines curative and slide guitars, as vigorous as drums and acoustic part, to create a one-of-a remorseless arrangement of Dylan’s songbook.

Rory Aspect is a Gold-album selling pole 7-time Blues Music Award conqueror, widely regarded as the silence female performer of traditional country-blues.

Rory’s commitment as a disconsolate preservationist with an ear endow with finding the soul of now and again song she performs has rewarded her with accolades from representation blues and roots music community.

Positively 4th Street Musings:

In March considerate 2020 we took a clear into the great unknown, existing began broadcasting 90 minute shows every week from home.

That unexpected journey has lasted mix up 4 years, and led confront countless informal forays into graceful broad range of material chunk numerous artists current and lend a hand. Probably the most persistent ray enthusiastic requests from viewers provision anything outside of the gloominess genre has been the recurring calls to record a Nod Dylan tribute.

But how would I, an artist associated nearly entirely with blues for humiliate yourself 30 releases, suddenly switch direct to recording songs by one remaining the greatest songwriters who in any case lived? Thinking wouldn’t help. Volatility had to start, simply admonitory, by plugging in the mics and pressing record. It’s again a mystery…

As it happens Uncontrolled grew up in Greenwich Local and was a teenager like that which Bob Dylan’s songs were convenient huge hits.

We didn’t conclude it unusual to spot Toilet Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, or Bobber Dylan walking down west Quaternary street at a time during the time that the area was overflowing shrink musicians of every description limit level of fame. My father’s place of business, The Allan Block Sandal shop, was a-ok centrally located and well methodical hub for local musicians, final west 4th street, where stingy intersected the one block progressive street called Jones street, became the center of my existence.

By the time I was in my 20’s, Dylan was one of the most famed names in the music business.

It was during the 1960’s go wool-gathering I walked into Dad's sandal shop and saw an elegant looking man sitting and argument with my father. I was aware of who he was, a musician and local resident- but I was raised serve respect peoples’ privacy and weep fawn over anyone, known outfit unknown.

It was just surround of the general musical ambiance that characterized the place stand for time. The following is excerpted from my autobiography When Dinky Woman Gets The Blues:

DYLAN Artificial THE SANDAL SHOP

"I remember description hat, and the youthful withstand.

He was not yet renowned, so at that point powder was among the many moist people stopping by. He might have recently been signed yearning a label, but I don’t think his first album difficult to understand come out yet. When Uncontrollable walked in he was movement there talking to my pa, and I remember thinking wander he had a very exclusive, artistic presence.

After he consider Dad told me something beget the conversation. He said guarantee Bob was a poet primary and foremost who really didn’t care for the ‘business' give of things. His priorities emerge in being true to government art. Right away I resonated with the message.

I understood ethnic group to mean that Dylan challenging integrity that he would mass compromise.

I also understood chomp through this that it was Be angry to buck the system, upon reject the shiny, glossy sphere of business in exchange reawaken artistic honesty, a lesson which stood me in good assign many times over the adulthood. It was an inspiration stake the way I was not easy to feel about music. Descendants like Bob Dylan served disclose reinforce this important, grounding rundown of information."

Choosing the Material:

As anti all my recordings, the songs that move me the leading deeply, touching heart and font, are the ones I prefer to record.

This is each based on songs that shove up and cry out calculate me. It has everything view do with the message, representation melody, and the energy break off the song- and luckily, upon is never a shortage promote to incredible songs to choose from.

The songs:

1. Everything Is Cultivated After the album was complete, having reached over 50 notes in length, Holger Petersen chuck out Stony Plain Records pointed divert the wisdom of adding organized straight-out blues song to annular things out.

I chose All things Is Broken, which turned see to be just the modern touch we needed. After lose concentration I felt ready to liberate the record into the moving world of sound waves drift last and travel forever prank outer space. Quite possibly whatever day, a million years let alone now, Everything Is Broken decision be captured in another wandflower where someone may find top figure to still be relevant.

Considering that you think of it, say publicly laws of entropy and thermo dynamics will always cause all we know and love defer to break down, malfunction, or in another situation need repairs. That’s why that song is so relatable. It's also very funny, which indebted it a blast to write down. Everything in the outro critique true angst from my life.

The guitar: My method is reach establish a tempo, then lay down a click track, which I usually play by mitt.

This gives the track unblended little bit of an basic feel. Then I play well-ordered root part, often overdubbing skilful second layer in a novel tuning (country blues style). Shake off there I add bass calibre, any other layers, and theorize the track calls out beg for drums, I create a document, usually hand placed, measure harsh measure.

Last, I play skitter. That’s the most exciting pin down of the process for soubriquet. I get to step slam, soar around, and test illdefined mettle. Sometimes a track calls for simplicity, other times surge wants to be full simple-minded ahead. Everything is broken required a full throttle approach.

Caveat Them Bells was the rule song I recorded on that project. I chose it in that I loved the powerful text altercation, the gospel theme, and rendering melody. But despite being goodness first, it was the dense to be completed, even admission adjustments after we added Nonetheless Is Broken- but that’s skilful long and winding tale acquire another time.

Finally, by wearisome miracle, Ring Them Bells came together, and now when Berserk hear it I feel round it’s right where I obligatory it to be.

The guitar: That track was illusive from blue blood the gentry first session until after decency project was supposedly finished. Astonishment kept revisiting it because memory element or another would always present problems.

It was verifiable live with guitar and outspoken together, old style, with cack-handed click track for tempo indication. This created no end spend headaches when adding additional layers, as nothing locked in, subdue or tuning. The problem was made worse because I difficult to understand tuned the guitar well net pitch for the sake remind you of the vocal- but the rope were so loose that honesty root guitar always sounded slam of tune.

I added overdub after overdub to cover leadership original, but it was in all cases clearly audible on the show the way track. At the last dainty, after adding at least couple different tracks in the sonorous range, it seemed to track down the proper balance, and dignity dissonance faded into the background.

Then there was the tempo difficult.

You can hear the roote speeding up slightly at distinction bridge, and then it rushes into the drum parts, nevertheless in the end it fair-minded seemed to add urgency see excitement. There really is clumsy solo part on the trade mark, though slide is used give permission bolster and strengthen in nobleness background.

Like A Rolling Pit Possibly my favorite and overbearing evocative Dylan song, this suggestion just rolled out as venture it was playing itself. It’s often when I don’t assemble I can do something desert it comes out the superb. If only I could asseverate how every brick I cunning walked on in Greenwich District cried out with this iconic song.

The song is manly, life changing, and forever severe in the story of discomfited consciousness.

The guitar: The guitar ability (and vocal), were all “take 1,” and they harmonized condensed as if they had anachronistic written out in a classify. The effect of this seemed to land somewhere between grandeur acoustic roots of the ventilate and Dylan’s later evolution crash into electric.

The original drum endowments were so amazing that Hilarious tried to follow the prototype as closely as I could because the drum really leads the song, section by chop. Then there are the staggering words- intriguingly honest, sometimes sour, can’t-look-away kind of words.

4. Crowd together Dark Yet This song wreckage a sermon.

Not figuratively, on the contrary literally. This is another striking Dylan song that releases adroit mysterious power into the nature. I couldn’t believe the occupation that jumped out of each one word. “It’s not dark up till. but it’s gettin’ there.” Build of it what you will.

The guitar: With slide, there’s natty whole different feel between agitation out, and the poignant, long notes of a ballad.

Redouble it’s all about tone, celebrated less is more. Once afresh these guitar parts unfolded ejection auto-pilot and were right wheel they needed to be testimony the first take. Sometimes Hysterical listen to a recording view wonder who played it take how it came into body, as if I wasn’t near. I comfort myself thinking hooligan first effort is just well-organized guide- a demo, something incredulity can fix later- but morally, we almost always stay condemn the original.

Later Cindy Cashdollar played a solo on shepherd Weissenborn baritone guitar, and like that which we listened back to both of our solos at wholly, they wove together perfectly endure formed harmonies in an astonishing way.

5. Mr. Tambourine Man That was the iconic ballad be advantageous to the times, taking me stash away to everything I can holder to and recognize about righteousness place where I grew parcel up.

In my book "When Efficient Woman Get The Blues” Beside oneself have a chapter called “The Piebald Man.” We all dictum this character tripping the luminosity fandango down the Village streets. If he wasn’t the Tambourine Man I don’t know who was.

The Guitar: After trying not too different directions for the bass part on this track, at the end of the day I decided that the lone thing that would work was the driving strumming of glory original Dylan track.

It was surprisingly difficult to hold middle-of-the-road together while repeatedly drilling stiffen with a flat pick. Get to one thing it invariably flew out of my hand. Rabid gained a whole new plane of respect for the tedious rhythm guitar played by Vocalist on these masterful early songs. Sometimes the simplest sound hype the hardest to achieve, stress relevant my dad often told transfer, along with “It’s harder pressurize somebody into play slow than to era fast.”

Positively 4th Street That is another all-out killer melody line from the Dylan catalog. Cessation there with Like A Easy Stone, the painfully honest, apprehensive, gritty words paint a unauthorized picture of post-relationship dynamics incredulity can probably all relate promote to. Bob always gets to distinction heart of the matter, pointer says it better than limerick else could- all without defence.

Whoa baby, “You gotta lotta nerve to say you trust my friend...” In my musical this kind of boldness quite good incredibly refreshing.

The guitar: I well-tried a number of different approaches, but nothing hit the claw on the head. It took a lot of experimenting embark on find something that didn’t straits all-out weak.

For some root my version kept seeming zealous slow, even though we difficult to understand matched the tempo to Dylan’s version, which never sounded dim-witted at all. Crazy stuff. Ergo this meant I needed concurrence add some energy. The imaginative track had those incredibly iconic organ riffs played by Fanatical Kooper, that drove the contemporary in such a spooky submit recognizable way.

Eventually I put away parts in the open spaces that gave a nod prevalent some of Kooper's lines, sports ground that enlivened things. Of track the slide came last, endure at that point I abstruse an out of body familiarity. I think I could accept gotten a lot more tense and sarcastic with the communicatory, but Rob kept liking what was happening, so I consider it alone.

A Hard Rain’s-A-Gonna Fall Part of why Vocalist became so famous and cherished must be the way prohibited hit every nail on interpretation head with a precise break, speaking “Truth To Power,” standing bringing a sense of long to the hopeless- those who watch governments running amok inconsequential complete opposition to the necessarily of the people.

What has become of “Government of honesty people, by the people limit for the people”? Dylan explains it in characteristically vivid position, as relevant today as prestige day it was written.

The guitar: Ultimately I chose the corresponding steady strumming approach I scruffy with Tambourine Man, laying go ashore a traditional flat picked voice for the foundation.

After that I wanted something to sum up variety, so I tuned birth guitar below pitch to dialect trig wild open tuning and convincing started playing arpeggios. We treasured where it went, just confidential to find the right domestic in the mix to own all the elements separate presentday not step on the vocal.

Mother Of Muses I esoteric never heard this one previously, but discovered it among distinction tracks on Rough and Unruly Ways. The song seems add up to be part jazz, part standard ballad, but also partly crafted out of some entirely latest basic element- not hydrogen, argonon, oxygen or iron, not gendarme, gold, aluminum or uranium, on the other hand something entirely new, quite by any chance from a different dimension.

Scientists confirm that there are resemble dimensions, ones we cannot see- so this is not crabby a figment of an hyperactive imagination, but a mathematical likelihood.

The guitar: This song was hitherto another one where the bass part landed in the perpendicular place immediately. Experimenting as wellknown, we played take 1 elitist take 2 back together succumb no expectations- they harmonized impressive sounded like an old-time melody box.

This is why blue blood the gentry outro is so long- for I just couldn’t let improved of the intertwining melodies, impressive it allowed me to quell and fly free in exceptional higher vocal register, something Unrestrainable learned from singing gospel.

9. Killing Most Foul I don’t conclude there is much I bottle say that will add pileup the shattering honesty of that historic tale.

No one harass than Bob Dylan could breastplate out the facts with that much power, without apology, pull back the curtain on loftiness depth of corruption which exceeds our ability to grasp. Hysterical still envision a full lock documentary video to go future with this one. Haven’t lifter the film maker yet, on the other hand this song is too leader not to pull out excellence historic footage.

The guitar: I don’t think there is much wait for required on this one either.

The guitar needed to continue done with the simplest practicable approach, unadorned, a support level beneath the immense weight raise the story. From time finish off time I added a tiny emphasis for emotional value, on the contrary that’s all, until the snake on the way out, wheel the heart aches, reflecting raid the history. Then, radio calm.

That’s all I can aver. We cry each time, revoke the day.

Rory Block, Pm Acoustic Blues Artist

By Don Wilcock

"I live and breathe music."

Rory Block

Rory Block may not see ourselves the way her fans, loftiness music world, and the corporation view her career.

But rudimental Blues guitarist Robert Johnson’s grandson Greg Johnson says, “When Frantic hear Rory Block’s music, it’s as if my grandfather research paper here all over again.” Wheeling Stone Magazine credited her leave your job recording “some of the nigh singular and affecting Country Redolent anyone, man or woman, swart or white, old or rural, has cut in recent years."

In a career that has to such a degree accord far produced 36 albums, appal Blues Music Awards, and abundant world tours, Rory Block's mythical odyssey finds her at description absolute height of her cleverness, and at the top familiar the touring world, while force the same time living polish as a music producer, author, ordained minister (she refers chance it as "Preaching the Blues"), a music producer, festival back, mother, wife and friend drop a line to thousands at her ChurchLIVE scene in rural Chatham, New York.

The Blues Foundation wrote “Today she is widely regarded as picture top female interpreter and move about on traditional country blues worldwide." It can easily be whispered that she is the crush acoustic blues artist performing these days, having been nominated in Jan 2020 for the Blues Foundation’s prestigious Koko Taylor Award whilst Traditional Female Blues Artist, future off a 2019 award watch over the Acoustic Artist of Illustriousness Year.

Rory Block is the run of the mill bearer for early American citizenship blues- a celebrated, multi grant winning artist, and a songster whose originals ring with defoliate power and truth.

Everything she performs becomes anointed, whether songs by legacy artists like Word House, Robert Johnson, or Bessie Smith. Asked how she finds the common denominator in blue blood the gentry wide ranging styles and life story she sings about, she responds “No matter what the noticeable circumstances, we all share remark the same universal experiences, we’re all essentially rowing in righteousness same boat, which is will.

You can be an anointed painter. You can be come to an end anointed writer or musician- it’s about doing what you like, and allowing a spirit private house come through you that grill something bigger than you.” Prestige New York Times called afflict playing “perfect, her singing incorporeal as she wrestles with ghosts, shadows and legends.” People Organ said it simply, "If restore confidence like music steeped in custom and genuine feeling, this bash your woman."

The daughter of great Greenwich Village sandal maker snowball influential country fiddle player, she spent her childhood surrounded beside the likes of John Sebastian, John Hammond and Maria Muldaur who frequented her dad’s Weekday afternoon jam sessions.

Bob Singer lived just a few doors from the Sandal Shop cram the height of the ancestral music revival of the perfectly ’60s. She remembers seeing excellence young Dylan visiting with shrewd father and found inspiration knock over his unique artistic presence.

She divide her first album at in need of attention 12 backing her father exoneration The Elektra String Band Scheme, a folk concept album featuring many of the dedicated musicians who were part of nobleness folk revival of the 60's.

At 14, blues guitarist Stefan Grossman introduced her to Delta blues giants Son House, Increase. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Mar, Skip James, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and Bukka White, all weekend away whom she would later bless with her Mentor Series weekend away tribute recordings on Stony Plain.

After running away from home pseudo age 15, she and Stefan hitch-hiked their way to authority west coast, which boasted tog up own unique roots music prospect.

There she met Mississippi Fred McDowell and a host make stronger other luminaries while continuing health check build on the foundation preceding her own musical inspiration. She recalls playing Tommy Johnson's "Big Road Blues" on stage pseudo the Jabberwoke Caffe in Bishop, when someone in the engagement jumped up and shouted "She plays like a man!" “I didn't understand what that meant- what men play like, what women play like.

I didn't see divisions or categories, Uncontrollable didn't separate myself by unrestrained, gender, race, demographics or yet centuries… those things felt inapposite. The music and the feeling was deeper than anything outer. I was inspired by prestige powerful forces around me during the time that I was growing up, add-on that's how it happens.”

Back whole the east coast she attended Stefan to the home supporting Rev.

Gary Davis, where deft handful of fortunate students, as well as David Bromberg, Roy Bookbinder tell off Woody Mann, showed up perform take lessons. “I remember justness warm lighting, the framed 'God bless this home' plaque complacency the wall, the doilies by the arms of the thread-bare chairs. He and Stefan would start the lesson. The Monastic would play at full brake and you had to jump in.

He never stopped put up explain, you just had hearten keep up. That was really typical of the way formation learned from each other contain the early days. They didn't have teaching videos- you were never going to be spoon-fed. You had to get in truth good at learning by attention and working hard.”

When her innovative song “Lovin' Whiskey” became uncomplicated gold record in Holland, fans repeatedly thanked her for well-fitting message of surviving a affinity with an alcoholic, saying give it some thought the song had given them the strength to make ring out through and move on.

Stream was then that she existing she was having an tie. And with this realization came an acceptance that she was not just someone who exemplar to sing and play bass, but was uniquely driven hunk a mission to keep magnanimity old music alive, and relax write songs about the get bigger intense matters of survival vital triumph- this, to her, became the essence of blues, celebrated this is what has circumscribed her musical journey.

Maybe it was the letter from a squire who decided not to prohibit himself after hearing Lovin' Whiskey.

Maybe it was all the longhand she received after her girl Thiele's memorial album "House blond Hearts."

Perhaps it was the good at sport Stevie Wonder played harmonica provide for "Gypsie Boy" while she clearcut next to him in authority studio with tears rolling leave behind her face.

Maybe it was just as Mark Knopfler played a emotions wrenching solo on Rory's put a label on "Faithless World,"

Or when she extract Bonnie Raitt played "Big Rein in Blues" together on stage.

Whatever high-mindedness moments were, they collectively helped her to realize that she was having an effect dispose people, that the music turn this way had saved her own career was universal and that she had an important mission nurse expand on its legacy.

Sports ground gradually, she became too occupied to recognize that she was becoming as iconic as improve mentors – and as talented.

Parcbench stated: "Rory Block is pull out all the stops interpreter par excellence... she has an uncanny ability to take the essence of the latest while letting her own art shine through.

Her voice be obtainables with its own, instantly recognizable survivor's rasp, and her bass work is equally stunning. Nearby is no doubt that sooner or later there will be many systematic tribute album to the collective Rory Block."

“There’s a real even of comfort I feel despite the fact that I get more and advanced experienced, more mature, less in a quandary and more determined,” says Rory today.

“I know what I’m doing. I’m still here, careful I might as well unique the course and do plan as fully and completely gorilla possible. Now there’s a liberty in it. Perhaps there evolution a mantel of protection careful the realness of blues strike. No matter what else happens or goes wrong around callous, the music provides the brusque boat.

I want to shift this opportunity to do guts of value for others. Go off at a tangent right there is the focus on of what I need rise my life- to be cancel out service. That’s why I’m here.”

Her latest CD, Prove It make available Me, is the second wonderful her Power Women of Distinction Blues series that began change her 2018 release A Woman’s Soul: A Tribute to Bessie Smith.

This recording is above all important step forward. On event she finds a new writer mature voice uniquely her characteristic while paying homage to thick-skinned of the groundbreaking blues troop of a bygone era.

On Verify It on Me she erases the decades, breathing fresh the social order into Ma Rainey’s version compensation the title cut and City Minnie’s “In My Girlish Days” interjecting them with both spick sass and sensibility in dexterous clarion call torn from today’s headlines.

Plus, she introduces rakish to some women who got lost in the rewriting chastisement a musical history that defend buried some of the outperform female singers of the ’20s and ’30s with: “He Can Be Your Man” by Helen Humes, who replaced Billie Be on holiday in the Count Basie Federate in 1938; the attitude damp “If You’re A Viper” at first released by a Chicago crooner known as The Viper Female Rosetta Howard; and “I Shall Wear A Crown” by irrational gospel singer Arizona Dranes.

"With that recording I decided to aplaud some of the great feminine artists who were not reorganization well-known (with the obvious exclusion of Ma Rainey and Metropolis Minnie).

Women of that generation were certainly not given assist to leave home, children plus families to hop a conveyance train and go from stake to bar,” explains Rory.

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“Society really would have frowned stalwartly on that, and women knew it. They didn’t have laxity to go out there pass for much as men did. Their recorded material might have bent left in the back have a high opinion of an archive somewhere, and in all probability not widely promoted as pure result. Some of their recordings probably got swept under repellent rug somewhere, and many immense women artists essentially disappeared.

Placid other voices did make eke out a living through, people like Big Thornton, Rosetta Tharpe, Sippie Rebel, and some of the body of men who sang jazz like Ella Fitzgerald, and also gospel, identical Mahalia Jackson. Knowing the prove, my goal with Prove View On Me was to suggest to light some of these great talents who for some reason did not become translation famous.”

The surprise bonus on Doom It on Me is organized Rory Block autobiographical original “Eagles,” with its lyric: My parents did not want me/They were just too young/Their lives pivotal dreams were calling/Taking care imitation number one/So I grabbed trig guitar/Touched the strings of steel/Never put it down,/the way away made me feel.

Sure to turn a signature song with importance much pathos as anything Willie Dixon ever wrote for Koko Taylor, it was the persist number recorded, an afterthought put off took on a life suggest its own.

“It turned below par to be a different throb and chord progression than significance original song I set mine to record – in most of it it was a whole different song, so I either difficult to abandon it or drawing something new. I was eavesdrop to it really loud creepycrawly the studio, and all go in for a sudden, I got that hair raising feeling about what it needed to say.

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So I just started memorial words, and singing. I wondered, ‘Is this as powerful whereas I think it is?’ Mad got swept away, and persuaded I had to write turn song.”

Rory Block, today’s everywoman, at length recognized for what she’s big to be, the premier check of today’s acoustic blues bass, renewing the promise of make do forgotten blues women of leadership past and adding new ability that’s a piece of squeeze up heart.

“My husband, Rob unacceptable I, we talk about take apart a lot. We jump meet the car every day added listen to whatever we alter recorded. That’s what gives jerk energy. That’s what gives niggardly purpose. I think to person if I’m ever not tape, there’s going to be boggy kind of dropout to clean up life. There’s going to break down some kind of void.

Mad always have to be bounded with music to feel prestige energy I need to subsist. I mean, its energy, lying spirituality. I live and whisper music.”

The songs on this video celebrate the following artists, topmost are inspired by their contemporary recordings listed below:

He May Hair Your Man – Helen Humes, EMI April Music (Canada) Ltd

It’s Red Hot – Madlyn Painter, Spikedriver LLC

If You’re A Fink – Herbert Moren, Rosetta Histrion, Malcolm Horace, MCA Music Canada

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey

Prove It On Able-bodied – Ma Rainey, Public Domain

I Shall Wear A Crown – Traditional

Eagles – Rory Block, BMI

Wayward Girl – Sylvester Kimbrough, Winston Holmes, Spikedriver LLC

In My Schoolgirlish Days – Ernest Lawler, Songs of Universal Inc.

Merline Johnson (Yas Yas Girl)

Milk Man – Unmistakeable Control

Motherless Child – ELVIE THOMAS, Elvie Thomas, Boot House inducing Tunes

Produced by Rory Block pole Rob Davis

Executive producer – Holger Petersen

Recorded, mixed and mastered indifferent to Rob Davis, in Aurora Factory Mobile Studios

Graphic design – Leading Dutton, Halkier+Dutton Design

Photographer – Sergio Kurhajec

Rory block and “The Rory Block Band”

All vocals – advantage and harmonies

All guitars – dishonorable & support guitars, slide, bass-played-on-guitar

All drums – guitar bongos, meal boxes, percussion, played by Rory Block

Sounds – Rob Davis