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CHEEKY MONKEY - Four Arms To Hold You

by Cheely Monkey (Francis Macdonald & Michael Shelley)

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Bob Hester
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about

Way back around 1997 Michael Shelley was living in Brooklyn - bartending, playing music and doing a weekly radio show at WFMU where he came across some of the first few 7" releases on the Glasgow based SHOESHINE label. He liked what he heard, and thought his newly finished debut lp "Half Empty" shared some of the same musical sensibilities as the SHOESHINE releases. Michael sent an email to SHOESHINE asking if they were looking for any acts to sign and if he could send a tape over. Michael received an email back from SHOESHINE's Francis Macdonald saying "We're not looking, but send a tape if you like...". Michael knew Francis as the drummer/songwriter of the BMX Bandits & Teenage Fanclub, and his work with quite a few of the bands from the Glasgow scene.

A few weeks later Michael got a call from an excited Francis, who had received the tape and was listening to it & playing it for friends (and even for his Mom). The two talked for hours that first day. It turned out they had a lot of favorite music in common. At some point in that first conversation Francis suggested they write some songs together.

Michael received a cassette tape with song ideas from Francis shortly after. The first thing that caught his ear was a snippet of Francis singing the chorus of "I Wanna Live With You". Michael wrote some verse ideas & played them over the phone for Francis - together they worked out the bridge & finished the song up over the phone. Very exciting!

A few more songs were fleshed out over the phone and then in person, when Francis was visiting New York for a few days. The night before the recording began some covers were learned up: Michael showed Francis the Chixdiggit song "Gerry Cheevers" and Francis showed Michael Alex Chilton's "Free Again."

The album was recorded at Riverside Studios, in Busby, Scotland (just outside of Glasgow) in just three action packed days with Francis & Michael doing all the playing and singing. One way they saved time was by NEVER listening back to anything they recorded. If a take felt good, they moved on. The record ended up doing well in the UK & Spain, The U.S. and Japan.

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released February 8, 2024

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Michael Shelley New York

The Onion: "Shelley finds common ground between teen angst and grown-up heartbreak." No Depression: "Proving wisdom and whimsy can coexist in the same two-and-a-half-minute-roots-pop excursion, Shelley's writing strikes the correct balance between conversational and clever. His adventures feel like your adventures presuming that you've survived first loves, sunburns and faulty relationships." ... more

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