Banjo player, Oxford Classics graduate and poker journalist. Is there no end to the talent of Dana Immanuel? Find out on her new four and a half track EP where she teams up with an Americana-en version of a motley crue.

Label: Fish Records

Formats: CD / DL

Joining Dana – or as she says, band members that she’s stolen (get it?) – are a crew who match her own eclectic background. From all-girl Ramones tribute acts (The Ramonas) to go-go dancing and close associations with Nina Simone and a violinist who’s played with Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker and Tankus The Henge (the playing described as ‘filthy’) it’s a kaleidoscopic patchwork that’s likely to go anywhere in any way.

You’re just as likely to find them jamming out on Foxy Lady in her kitchen as well as any acoustic instrument embellished fizzing dirty bluegrass. The thought occurs that this might come tagged as country or ‘alt-country’ music – but which country? Somebody has described them as “country music from another universe” which is probably more apt.

So, having missed out on their Come With Me debut album, we can catch up with the whirlwind of an EP that aside from the pant swinging title track, reflects on the end of the world with a jazzy swing and the blitzkreig of a high-stepping romp on an Appalachian folk standard. All led by a vibrant and effervescent Dana.

Dedicated to the behind the scenes team – think of Motorhead’s We Are The Road Crew – WD40 & Duct Tape is slow brooder that “whisky for a broken heart” lament carried by some mournful fiddle. It’s all rounded off with a manic reprise of the title track – a sneak attack of magnitude that sums up the Devil may care joie de vivre of the quintet. A party you don’t want to miss out on.

Immanuel says of the title track: “Mama’s Codeine is a bit personal, but rest assured it’s not actually about either my mother or codeine. I feel as though the chorus remains pretty relatable though, even without a back story.”  Listen here:

Dana Immanuel online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube