Dr Johny Lamb

Senior Lecturer, Music

Johny is a lecturer specialising in the study of popular music. He is a songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who, under the name Thirty Pounds of Bone has released five albums (one in collaboration with Dr Philip Reeder) and two EPs to consistent critical praise. He also fronts the small, who began releasing music in January 2018 to immediate BBC airplay. Johny has also appeared as a musician on a further 29 international releases since 2005. He has toured extensively throughout Europe as both solo artist and session musician.

Johny has worked on some more unusual projects including The Ships Log as part of Lone Twin’s Boat Project for the Cultural Olympiad, and the forthcoming Still Every Year They Went, a collection of maritime songs recorded at sea on a commercial fishing boat with composer/phonographer Dr Philip Reeder. A short film of this project was published by the Performance Research journal. He also collaborated with Jarman award winning artist/filmaker Seamus Harahan to develop a piece in response to Mercier and Camier for the first International Samuel Beckett Festival in Enniskillen and composed songs for the Cornish town of Hayle as part of the award winning Hayle Churks oral history app. His doctoral research was concerned with songwriting's relationship to place, and the making of alt-folksong. He has a particular interest in fidelity and multi-format recording.

He co-founded and led the Drift Collective for five years (a successful DIY artist led record label). Johny began teaching at Falmouth as a research student and started his current post in February 2013. Johny co-runs the POST- ensemble with Will Parker, which brings together analogue synthesis, prepared guitar and noise making devices in order to promote musical co-operation, close listening and a tactile and haptic engagement with electronic music. 

External Links

Contact details

Email johny.lamb@falmouth.ac.uk

    Qualifications

    Qualifications

    Year Qualification Awarding body
    2014 PhD University of the Arts London
    2004 MA Digital Media University of Sussex
    2000 BA(Hons) Visual Performance Dartington College of Arts

    Research Interests

    Research interests and expertise

    Johny's research interests include: Alt-folk as a means of articulating the experience of place, the aesthetics and ideologies of recording and production, autobiography in songwriting, atavism and postmodernity in approaches to folk music and authenticity and integrity in popular music.

    Research centre and group affiliations

    Sonva

    Research Outputs

    Publications and research outputs

    Article

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2019) Dead Animals Ontologies of recorded songs through the analogue of taxidermy. Performance Research, 24 (1). pp. 115-119. ISSN 1352-8165
    [thumbnail of Dead Animals actual paper..pdf]

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 and Reeder, Philip (2016) 'Still Every Year They Went': Studio performance at sea. Performance Research, 21 (2). pp. 79-80. ISSN ISSN 1469-9990 Item availability may be restricted.
    [thumbnail of Post print of article] [thumbnail of still every year.pdf]

    Conference or Workshop Item

    Reeder, Philip and Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2015) Project Report: 'still every year they went'. In: Innovation In Music 2015, 8 June 2015, Anglia Ruskin University. (Unpublished)
    [thumbnail of Programme for the Innovation In Music Conference 2015] [thumbnail of Slideshow for Presentation delivered with Dr Johny Lamb at Innovation in Music 2015]

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 and Reeder, Philip (2015) Reeder, Philip and Lamb, Johny (2015) Project Report: 'still every year they went'. In: Innovation In Music 2015, 8 June 2015, Anglia Ruskin University. (Unpublished). In: Innovation In Music 2015, 8 June 2015, Anglia Ruskin University. (Unpublished)

    Book

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2021) The Tender Appropriation. Difficult Art and Music, Bandcamp physical release. ISBN N/A Item availability may be restricted.
    [thumbnail of A miniature book that accompanies and explicates in part, the compositions of this project]

    Composition

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2021) J.Lynch The Tender Appropriation. [Composition]
    [thumbnail of composition, production and text in form of cassette, A5 book, and download.]

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 and Reeder, Philip (2019) Still Every Year They Went. [Composition] Item availability may be restricted.
    [thumbnail of REF Portfolio]

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2019) J.Lynch - Skipholt 31. [Composition] Item availability may be restricted.
    [thumbnail of EP Skipholt 31]

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2018) J.Lynch - Extended Play. [Composition]

    Hayman, Darren and Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2016) Herodsfoot, Cornwall - Thankful Villages #16. [Composition]

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2015) The Taxidermist (Thirty Pounds of Bone). [Composition] Item availability may be restricted.
    [thumbnail of Thirty Pounds of Bone - The Taxidermist] [thumbnail of REF Portfolio]

    Lamb, John ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2013) I Cannot Sing You Here, But For Songs Of Where. [Composition]
    [thumbnail of RR_I cannot sing you here_190214.jpg]

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004, Reeder, Philip and Frears, Lucy (2013) Churks, Clidgy & Doodle-Dashers songs. [Composition] Item not available from this repository.

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2012) Have Done with the Celtic Phantom. [Composition] Item not available from this repository.

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2012) The Ship's Log. [Composition] Item not available from this repository.

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2010) Method. [Composition] Item not available from this repository.

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2009) And They Go Down To It In Ships. [Composition] Item not available from this repository.

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2006) The Homesick Children of Migrant Mothers. [Composition] Item not available from this repository.

    Conference

    Ferrett, D ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8421-6308 and Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2015) Dark Sound: Destructive Pop 2015. [Conference]
    [thumbnail of Dark Sound Symposium Text]

    Other

    Reeder, Philip and Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 (2016) BBC Radio 3 Late Junction Radio Playback of 'still every year they went' composition 'Farewell To Grog'. UNSPECIFIED.
    [thumbnail of Playback of Exclusive Late Junction Composition of 'Farewell To Grog']

    Lamb, Johny ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7654-1004 and Reeder, Philip (2016) Farewell to Grogg. UNSPECIFIED.

    Teaching

    Areas of teaching

    • Popular Music
    • Songwriting
    • Composition
    • Music Recording and Production

    Courses taught

    • BA(Hons) Popular Music
    • BA(Hons) Music
    • BA(Hons) Creative Music Technology
    • MFA

    Professional Engagement

    Independent professional practice

    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2018. You Made Me (Home Taping is Music 4). Woodland Recordings. (Produced)
    • the small. 2018. Lungcutters. Holt. (Produced)
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone & Philip Reeder. 2017. Still Every Year They Went. Armellodie.
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2015. The Taxidermist. Armellodie. (Produced)
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2013. I Cannot Sing You Here, But For Songs Of Where. Armellodie. (Produced)
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2013. Have Done With The Celtic Phantom. Woodland Recordings. (Produced)
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2012. The Ship's Log. Lone Twin. (Produced)
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2010. Method. Armellodie. (Produced)
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2007. And They Go Down To It In Ships. Woodland Recordings. (Produced)
    • Thirty Pounds of Bone. 2006. The Homesick Children of Migrant Mothers. Drift Records. (Co-Produced)
    With other bands
    • Martha Tilston 2017. Nomad. Squiggly Records.
    • The Pure Conjecture 2017. No Ghosts. Armellodie.
    • Darren Hayman 2016. Thankful Villages Vol.1. Rivertones.
    • The Great Park 2016. Turn Your Back on the Crown. Woodland Recordings.
    • The Diamond Family Archive 2015. Would I Were a Swift or a Skylark Be. Map.
    • Haunted House. 2014. Woodland Recordings
    • Jim Bob 2013. What I Think About When I Think About You. The Ten Forty Sound.
    • Darren Hayman and the Long Parliament. 2013. Bugbears. Fika Recordings
    • Chris T-T and the Hoodrats. 2013. The Bear. Xtra Mile Recordings 
    • Jim Bob. 2012. Day Job. The Ten Forty Sound
    • Binoculers. 2012. There Is Not Enough Space In The Dark. Hafenschlammrekords
    • Cuddly Shark. 2012. Body Mass Index. Armellodie
    • The Pure Conjecture. 2012. Courgettes. Armellodie
    • The Great Park. 2011. Now Wash Your Hands. Woodland Recordings
    • Le Reno Amps. 2011. Appetite. Armellodie
    • The Masked Eldorados of the Americas. 2011. If You Are Prepared To Kill It, You Can Eat It. Lynched Recordings
    • The Diamond Family Archive. 2011. Lakes, Meres, Ponds and Waters. Dinosaur Club
    • King James. 2010. King James. Bleeding Hearts Records
    • Jim Bob. 2009. Goffam. The Ten Forty Sound 
    • Cottonmouth Rocks. 2008. Witch Doctor. Drift Records. (Produced) 
    • The R. G. Morrison. 2008. Farewell My Lovely. Loose. (Produced) 
    • Matt Eaton. 2008. Finish Your Chips. Drift Records
    • Actress Hands. 2008. Come the Summer Days. Life is Easy
    • Actress Hands. 2007. Boys Need Jazz. Life Is Easy
    • Actress Hands. 2007. Snack Horse. Life is Easy
    • Palm Springs. 2007. No Hurt Like A Broken Heart. Random Acts of Vinyl
    • Tandy Hard. 2007. Tandy Hard. Drift Records
    • Actress Hands. 2006. Half an Hour. Life is Easy
    • The R. G. Morrison. 2005. Learning About Loathing. Drift Records. (Co-Produced)

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