INTERVIEW: Jules Rendell

INTERVIEW:

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 Jules Rendell

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THERE is something about Jules Rendell…

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that strikes a chord in me. I am hooked by her current single, Old Friend, and the emotion that goes into it. Rendell talks about the song and its creation; moving from Birmingham to London – and the differences between the two cities (her experiences of Manchester and being among its people, too). Rendell’s forthcoming album, Imagine, is one possessed of great heart and innovation – she tells me about it and the spark behind some of the songs.

I ask her about the artists and albums that drive her; a couple of new acts we should all seek out; the highlights of 2017 (so far) – and how she will be spending her Christmas.

PHOTOS CREDIT: CK Goldiing

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Hi, Jules. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey! I’m really well.

Release-days are like birthdays: so many people getting in touch to congratulate you all at once - so, my spirits have been quite high since the release last Friday!

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

Sure. I’m Jules Rendell; a soulful Pop singer-songwriter. My music is always honest, connected to real life; melodic and catchy. You’ll get an insight into my life when you listen to my lyrics and, hopefully, something about my music will provoke some kind of reaction in you - rather than just pass you by!

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Old Friend is your current single. Is there a tale attached to the song?

Yeah. The first half of this year (2017) I found really hard and I struggled for the first time in ages with my mental-health. I felt under a lot of pressure to achieve stuff, be good enough; write amazing songs; earn loads of money. I was working really hard but I felt I was achieving nothing: so, I would work harder, not see my friends; not do fun things; not rest.

Anyway, I went up to my friend’s house in Manchester to get away from the rush of London and quiet myself to write. It was such a relief to be around chilled people and not face my usual pressures: friends can make you see things differently. I came back so much more relaxed and, actually, my year got a lot better from that point...

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Were you going through a period of assessment and self-reflection when writing the song? It seems like the track was a sort of catharsis and release, in a way…

Yeah…

I feel like I am always assessing and reflecting - so that’s not unusual. I’m not sure I find a release in a song until I finish it (and it actually took another month or so to finish it)…certainly; when I wrote the bridge, it felt complete - and that’s the bit where you relax in the song; that is definitely a release.

The video is thought-provoking and emotional. How did the concept come together? What emotions stir in you when you hear it back?

The video is quite simple, really - it’s my story - except with two guys instead!

Why do we end up alone when we are struggling? It’s always better to be with people. You see the main actor consistently alone - except when he is reminiscing about better times - and then, of course, at the end...

I love that the video-set in the grit and grind of London - and it’s just so normal. It’s an everyday story that anyone could have.

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Imagine is the album it is taken from. Can you tell us about the record and what we can expect in terms of themes and songs?

All the songs were written this year as I was struggling strong emotions; mainly feeling not ‘good enough’. It’s such an abstract feeling really - who sets the standards?! We set our own standards in essence and, if you have perfectionist tendencies; that can be really hard.

So, a lot of the songs on the album face these emotions and try to put some truth into them. My next single, Let Go, is about letting go of perfection - it’s really upbeat, vibrant and sounds free. The Return is about freeing yourself from fear and worry. Of course, there’s an obligatory love song in there, too (*smiles*).

All of the songs reflect the sounds of my city and life here.

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Birmingham is the city you were born in. What compelled the decision to move to London? Did you feel the capital offered more chances?

I actually grew up in a small town just south of Birmingham - and then I moved to Manchester for a few years. I’ve been in London for a decade now. I love city life (even though it has its pressures!) and, when I moved to Manchester, it was obvious I’d be more comfortable in a bigger place.

Yes, I guess I did feel London offered me more (and it has) - but I also moved because I needed to re-assert myself in a new place, too.

I have definitely changed for the better living here. It’s also a lot warmer! Ha!

I know you felt pressured in London and went to visit a friend in Manchester. Is that city somewhere you feel more settled in?

I think that, feeling settled, is something you have to learn how to do whatever you’re surrounded by - and wherever you are. Peace comes from the inside. But, it is a slower pace of life up there - and people are friendlier.

I don’t know if I’d feel better living in Manchester or not (I’d be colder. L.o.L.) but I do know that, whenever I visit, I return in a nicer frame of mind!

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Are there any particular musicians who have inspired your career and made you want to get into music?

Ha! Of course.

My influences have changed over the years - there’s so much inspiring music out there - but I remember the album that made me want to write and perform my own music: it was Jill Scott’s live album. That changed me. Recently, I have a lot of love for Jack Garrett’s album (and for ThirdStory).

They’ve both inspired me a lot and given me a lot of love back for music.

Looking back at your year; what have been your personal highlights?

A definite highlight has been making the album and making the first video.

Hearing my songs come to life has been amazing. My producers (OL Music) did an incredible job - more than I imagined. Another highlight was performing at a night called The Write House (back in August) alongside Tank and the Bangas - who are INCREDIBLE.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Jordan Rakei

Who are the new artists you recommend we check out?

Tank and the Bangas! If you get to see them live; you won’t regret it.

I have recently got into Jordan Rakei and Tom Misch, too - they’ve been around for a while but I bet there are people reading this for whom they are new....

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If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

That’s a hard question - as you have different albums for different seasons of your life.

I’ve already mentioned Jill Scott’s live album: that convinced me to start on this original music journey.

I really appreciate good lyrics so, for that, I would choose John Mayer - Continuum or Michelle Willis - See Us Through… love that album!

For vocal dexterity; I’d have to go for Lalah Hathaway’s live album (Lalah Hathaway Live)

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What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Work at your art. Keep working at it. Write and re-write (and re-write) - and get feedback and re-write again. Do gigs. Get good at performing. Be nice to people.

People will want to help you if you are nice!

Where can we see you play this year? Any new dates coming up?

I’m about to go into a really busy season with my vocal group, Get Gospel - so I’ll be gigging properly with my new album when I have more time in the New Year! I do log all my live dates on my website - so check that out.

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Christmas is not too far away. Do you have plans already - or will you be busy working?

Yep; working like a bee.

It’s the busiest time of year for me - but I always make sure I spend time with my family over the holidays, too.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

Oh, coooool! Well…how about Tawo by Jordan Rakei? Hope you like it!

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INTERVIEW: Andrea Di Giovanni

INTERVIEW:

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 Andrea Di Giovanni

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THIS young songwriter has had…

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a pretty hectic year so far! I have been speaking with Andrea Di Giovanni about his time in London and why he moved from Rome. He discusses the new single, Got to Blame, and the story behind it; whether there is anything coming in the pipeline; why modern artists like Beyoncé are influences; how inspiring London is as a city – and whether there are any upcoming gigs we can catch him at.

I learn more about the creative process of a modern-day Pop artist and what it takes to succeed. Di Giovanni offers some advice to new artists; the albums that mean the most to him – and a few cool artists we would be wise to check out.

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Hi, Andrea. How are you? How has your week been?

Hiya! All good…you?

It’s been amazing. Released my new single and performed live with my band at Thousand Island!

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

I am a twenty-three-year-old singer-songwriter, originally from Rome (Italy). I moved to London four years ago to study at the British Institute of Modern Music - where I graduated this year in Creative Musicianship.

The main artists I’m inspired by are David Bowie, Rihanna and Sam Smith. I like to combine Pop with dark electronic elements.

Got to Blame is your new single. Can you tell me about its story and origins?

I wrote Got to Blame about a year ago when I finally chose to be myself and let go of the shame that held me back for a long time. The song talks about the struggles that you find and fight on the way to self-acceptance. Life is already hard.

We need to stop criticising ourselves so harshly and live up to who we are.

The song has a big, electronic sound. Did the composition come together gradually or was it quite an organic process?

I wrote it, originally, in an acoustic way and then created a home-made demo. I’ve, then, contacted my friend Jamie Sellers at Run Wild Music and developed, in two sessions, the final arrangement.

The epic backing vocals on the track are from Lucrezia Perletti and Nadjibá Shabieva.

Is there going to be any more material coming in the next few months/next year?

After Got to Blame; I will be taking a break - as I’ve been working nine months-consecutively and need some fresh air to get new ideas for 2018. I will then write a lot; collaborating with producers in London to create a strong portfolio - to present to labels I am working with.

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Tell me about the artists you are influenced by? What kind of music were you raised on?

I always loved Pop music since I was a little kid. My dad used to play me a lot of great music such as Queen, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston - and I fell in love with music that had soul. Artists that I look up to, now, are David Bowie, Rihanna and Sam Smith - but I always like to bring my own original twist.

I believe in artists that make music that’s different from what the world presents already - rather than copying-and-pasting the top-ten charts.

What compelled the decision to move from Italy to the U.K.?

I was pretty lost in Italy...

I didn’t feel fully understood and, therefore, wasn’t able to express completely my personality. I’ve also wanted to explore the world and make new experiences - and London seemed the place to be.

When you arrived here, you studied at the British Institute of Modern Music. What did you learn from your time there and how important was is it you?

My time at BIMM has been truly amazing. I’ve grown so much since I’ve joined; met pretty incredible musicians and industry professionals - and made connections that are still working now.

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Looking back this year; what has been your favourite memory so far?

My best memory so far has to be performing at Brighton Pride. Having that platform to speak to my kind of people has been (truly) a blessing I’ll never forget!

Is London influential when it comes to your music and getting ideas for songs?

Oh, hell, yes! The music scene is so diverse and eclectic here that you end up getting inspiration everywhere.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Native Dancer

Who are the new artists you recommend we check out?

Indigo Face, L.E.A; Native Dancer, July Jones and Georgia Meek.

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IN THIS PHOTO: July Jones

If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

I’d say: Frank by Amy Winehouse

Because that’s when I fell in love with her incredible voice.

Lemonade by Beyoncé

As it’s an incredibly eclectic album and not too ‘mainstream’ in terms of sound.

Whitney: The Greatest Hits by Whitney Houston

As it reminds me of the times I used to sit in my living-room and sing my heart out!

What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Be yourself; be resilient and have fun!

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Where can we see you play this year? What dates do you have coming up?

I will be supporting my friend, Brendan Cleary’s E.P. release at Notting Hill Arts Club on 17th November (with my full-band).

Christmas is not too far away. Do you have plans already or will you be busy working?

I will be back at home in Italy - enjoying some good family time!

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

I have a Spotify playlist with all the up-and-coming artists in music.

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INTERVIEW: John Galea

INTERVIEW:

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 John Galea

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I cannot think of many artists…

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who have covered as much ground as Johh Galea. His fourth E.P., Missing Pages, was released last year and, since then, he has played the Main Stage at Sundown Festival; appeared at London Pride – the video for the single, When You Truly Love Someone, gained massive support and views on YouTube. I speak to Galea about his latest track, Honesty, and the story behind it; whether there is going to be an E.P./album arriving – and how he got into music.

He reveals when music came in his life and the evolution present in his own work; those albums/artists that have shaped who he is; what tour dates are approaching – whether there are any plans (already cemented) for next year.

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Hi, John. How are you? How has your week been?

I’m good, thanks. Yeah; busy as ever.

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

I am Independent singer/songwriter from sunny Great Yarmouth; now living in London - and my music is heavily influenced by piano and Soul music.

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Tell me more about Honesty. What is the story behind the song?

The track, Honesty, I wrote with the amazing singer/songwriter, Frankmusik. I came up with the title, Honesty, and main chorus and took it to a writing session we had - and it developed from there. It’s a very simple - but honest - track about love and what we all need in it.

How has your music evolved since your fourth E.P., Missing Pages? Have you found yourself developing and changing as an artist?

Absolutely.

I have gone from Dance-based-Pop to more of a soulful sound (and songwriting). I still have those upbeat tracks - but they are certainly deeper, message and songwriting-wise, than my earlier music.

What was it like playing at events like London Pride and Sundown Festival? How vital were they in regards your confidence?

It is all very vital and great experience.

The fact is, as an unsigned artist, I was performing on the same stage as Craig David and Rag'n'Bone Man. It was crazy. The interaction you get from the audience - e.g., singing back the words etc. - is something you can only get playing live (and I love it).

There's nothing like performing live.

The video for Honesty documents your time at Sundown. Did you feel the images naturally scored and represented the ideas expressed in the song?

Well. The idea was there’s an honesty between performing live - and performing live is a very special thing for me. The reaction, be it good or bad, is instant and you can see, as a performer, if the crowd likes your stuff or not - and the track all about asking for that honesty in a relationship; so we thought the two would work well. Also, it gives backstage footage of Sundown and getting ready and it’s great to show people the ‘behind-the-scenes’ element of performing.

It ain't all glamorous.

Your single, When You Truly Love Someone, did big business on YouTube. Were you humbled by the response that song got?! What, do you think, was the reason for it?

I am indeed...

I knew we had something special when my producer, Oscar Lo Brutto, said that’s the one to release. He knows what he likes. The fact it has done so well on VEVO and now, being considered for a Grammy, is so cool. The track is all about the conflict of the pain when it comes to loving someone.

It is something, I guess, we all can relate to.

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Music came into your life at a young age. You started writing at thirteen! Were there particular artists that compelled your spark? Why did you decide to get into the business?

I watched Mariah Carey sing once on T.V. and she blew me away - and I wanted to sing.

But, then, when my dad brought home an electric organ one day; I wanted to go deeper and see how you write songs - and write hits and write my own music – hence, the classical grades I achieved and the constant need to switch the radio on (and see what music was coming out).

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IN THIS PHOTO: Lao Ra

Who are the new artists you recommend we check out?

I write for and with new artist all the time and I can’t wait to hear Lao Ra’s album when it drops.

Also; keep an eye out for a soul singer called Wayne Thurtell. He’s going to do well.

If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

Daydream - Mariah Carey

My first C.D. that was given to me - and I played it to death I love it. Looking In, the last track, is such a personal track - so good!

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The Record - The Bee Gees

It is their greatest hits and I played it to death when it came out. I couldn’t believe how many amazing tracks they wrote for other people - as well as themselves.

Songwriting at its best!

1000 Forms of Fear - Sia

She is a musical genius and has to overcome so much to get her music out there! This album is so good and so raw - and honest and real - but commercial at the same time.

What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Never let anyone, including industry people, put you off doing what you want to do! Do your music homework and keep working to achieve your goals. You can do anything you want to - just got to work hard and keep on pushing even when times are hard.

We all get those days!

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Where can we see you play this year? Any new dates coming up?

Not at the moment - as most of the year I have been playing live, on tour and at festivals. It’s studio-time, now, for me.

Christmas is not too far away. Do you all have plans already - or will you be busy working?

Spending it with family in Norfolk and, hopefully, get out somewhere nice for New Year.

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Do you have a gameplan for 2018? What do you want to achieve next year?

I’m writing with some new artists (and myself) so will be producing, either a new E.P. or working towards my first album - and seeing how that all goes.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).  

You Can Do Anything - Sia

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INTERVIEW: AlphaCub

INTERVIEW:

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AlphaCub

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CANADIAN songwriter AlphaCub…

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is currently working on his full-length record with acclaimed talent such as Ken Lewis (Katy Perry, Lorde). Right now; the track, Don’t Waste My Love (produced by Alex Meade) is out there and gaining a lot of respect. I ask AlphaCub about the song and the background; he tells me the reasons he's donating proceeds to Cystic Fibrosis Canada; how 1980s Canadian music resonated at an early age – and why this week has been a stressful one. 

I learn more about an artist determined to spread his music to the people. AlphaCub talks about plans regarding U.K. performance and how his parents’ music collection inspired him – and why Canada is producing so many great artists.

PHOTOS: Michael Mangov

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Hi, AlphaCub. How are you? How has your week been?

Honestly, this week has been sh*t. Relationship stuff; family stuff - life stuff, ya know? That's how it goes. Overall in life; I'm happy.

I'm happy to be talking to you!

For those new to your work, can you introduce yourself, please?

My name is AlphaCub. Some people like it; some don't.

What can you tell us about the new track, Don’t Waste My Love?

I wrote that song with my producer, Alex Meade. It's inspired by Canadian 1980s Light-Rock. The synthy stuff: Alfie Zappacosta, Gino Vinelli; The Box and Gowan.

I just met Gowan - nicest guy.

It has quite an energised and club-ready pump! Did you want to create a track that would get people dancing?

F*ck yeah, I did!

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The chorus has a great hum and addictiveness. Was that the lynchpin and muse that got that led to the song’s creation?

The chorus came first and the melody just popped into my head. I originally envisioned it with more horns but, as you move forward with an idea, it evolves.

Will there be an official video for the track – one with a concept and actors – in the pipeline?

No plans for a video but...who knows - I love putting my face on camera and showing it to people.

You are working with Ken Lewis on your upcoming album. What has it been like working with him and what did he bring to the music? Did you learn a lot from him?

Well. I've never met him in my life but his reputation speaks for itself. His mixes take my songs to the next level.

So; I like him and I can only hope he'd like me.

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The proceeds from your new track go to Cystic Fibrosis Canada. What is your experience with the illness and have you had friends/family members affected?

My first agent, Paul Gourlie, passed away from C.F. almost five years ago. My niece was born with it. It's a nasty affliction and I want to help people with it in any way I can. I make music: it's the thing I have to offer a cause - and C.F. is the cause close to my heart.

Can you reveal when the album is out and what kind of themes you tackle on it?

All I can say is it'll be released in 2018.

The album is about how everyone is something else: everyone is something that you don't see.

I am getting a lot of requests from Canadian artists. You are in Toronto. What is the music scene like there and what is about Canada that produces so many interesting musicians?!

I love it here and the music scene is really exciting. As far as ‘the thing that makes us interesting’; I don't think it's any one thing - we're just a bad-ass group of people; each with our own unique history to draw from.

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Do you remember the first artists that got you hooked on music? What was your record collection like when you were younger?

It was my parents’ tape collection and it had a bit of everything - from The Beatles to Air Supply; from Jann Arden to Seal.

(My dad really loved Seal.)

When I was four-years-old; my mom woke me up in the middle of the night to come watch a Bengals video. I think that was the moment it happened - or maybe it was the first time I heard Shout by Tears for Fears.

If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

Peter Gabriel - So

Radiohead - OK Computer

Jeff Buckley - Grace

These albums taught me how to be a songwriter and how to find my voice.

What tour dates do you have coming up? Where can we see you play?

December 1st at The Horseshoe in Toronto.

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Are you coming to the U.K. soon?

I love the U.K. and I hope to get there in 2018.

What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Don't ever stop. You're right. People need to listen and it's your job to make them listen. Don't ever stop. Do what you love.

Nothing else matters.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

My fav. band right now is GUNSHIP and their song, The Mountain, is my jam!

Play it!

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INTERVIEW: ETCHES

INTERVIEW:

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ETCHES

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AFTER their single Love Is…

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captured the public imagination and gained kudos; the lads launched into a double A-side, Human Façade/My New Empire. The former concerns an ex-adult industry whistle-blower. The song examines the effect of online pornography on the mind and consciences. My New Empire drips with 1960s Motown influence and a lo-fi rhythm section. The Liverpool band talk about their craft and how the songs came together; how they got together and started playing – what the next step is for them.

I ask them about their favourite albums and songs; what gigs we can expect them to play; how their Christmases are faring – and what the music scene is like in Liverpool right now.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

As the one member of the band without a car or a Liverpool residency - I’ve been fairly shafted by Mersey rail industrial action and the ongoing Lime St. works this week.

Business as usual for everyone else…

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

We play Alt-Pop with fat choruses.

Human Façade/My New Empire is your new double A-side (out on Friday, 3rd November). What is the origin of the songs?

We have a painfully democratic process of deciding on what ideas and half-songs are going to be fleshed out. Human Façade, at first a lazy drum and bass loop, almost didn’t make the final cut until it was welded onto another half-song that had been knocking about for years.

My New Empire appeared almost fully formed from Ross; for us then to add guitars and instrumental nuances.

Why release a double A-side? What was it about the songs that compelled you to release both?

We’ve been sitting on these songs for a while and just wanted to get them out there. At this point, the desire to have them public outweighed any release strategies.

Both songs find contrasting sounds. There is everything from Motown/Soul to Psychedelia. Would you say your current material is broader and more ambitious than your earlier stuff?

I’d say so...

In the past, our tracks began pretty far-out, and then, were gradually reigned in. We are better at telling the difference between what’s fun to play and what gets to the point more these days.

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James Bragg produces. What was it like working with him?

He had no agenda and would just listen and fiddle with things - a temperament most suited to enduring us in the studio.

Can you tell me how ETCHES came together and what those early rehearsal sessions were like?

A long time ago, under various incarnations, originating in Guildford. The band is getting progressively younger (and more northern) -which 3/5ths of us are glad about.

Do you all share a love of the same artists? Who are the musicians you all look up to?

Not necessarily; although, we find common ground in Jazz, Hip-Hop; classic Pop as well as modern weirdos like Ariel Pink, UMO and King Krule.

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Will your new singles lead to an album or E.P.?

It’s possible: we certainly have an album's worth of material good to go.

The band is based in Liverpool. How vibrant and busy is the city when it comes to new music? Do you think the city gets the credit it deserves?

Actually, three of us are in Liverpool: one in Manchester and one in Wigan. Admittedly, we are out-of-the-loop, almost completely, in Liverpool.

What tour dates do you chaps have coming up?

Manchester – The Castle (02/11).

London - The Islington (04/11).

Liverpool – East Village Arts Club (26/11; supporting Echobelly).

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Who are the new artists you suggest we check out?

Not necessarily new artists - but this year I’ve enjoyed new albums by Richard Dawson, Xiu Xiu; OXBOW and Show Me the Body.

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If you had to select the one album that means the most to you; which would it be and why?

595 by Karate

It has everything I love in equal measure: Jazz, Post-Rock and Emo. It evokes fond memories of sitting around listening to music with friends in university halls - where I first heard it.

What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Paul: Decide immediately whether you want to make it a career or whether you are in a band to have fun and play a few shows. If you want a career, you need to work harder than you ever have before; push yourself, your relationships and your finances further than you sometimes even feel comfortable with - and always strive towards acceptance of the fact that even then, that probably won't be enough. ‘The music industry’. That phrase is a misnomer, to say the least. Trying to be a professional musician is a kind of insanity.

But there are fun bits.

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Christmas is approaching. Do you all have plans already or will you be busy working?

Quality time with loved ones all around, I think. I, however, will be working on Christmas Day; earning triple-pay…reflecting on life choices.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

Paul: Somewhere Safe by Elevant as my song - and suggest people check out the labels Deathly Records and Loner Noise for new artists in the city

Ducktails – Letter of Intent

If You’re Here – Cornelius

Carolina Bela – Jorge Ben e Toquinho

Richard Dawson – Black Dog in the Sky

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INTERVIEW: Larry Gordon

INTERVIEW:

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 Larry Gordon

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I was eager to find out more concerning…

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Larry Gordon’s new single, Running Away. It is also his debut and a tremendous offering that promises future brilliance. Gordon discusses working with Curb Records and whether we can see any new material before 2018; how he got started in the music business – and how it feels being compared to the likes of Justin Timberlake.

Gordon tells me about his tour with Akon – and icon he is looking forward to hitting the road with – and how it feels seeing his music used on T.V. and film; the artists/sounds he was raised on – and whether the U.S. artist is looking forward to visiting the U.K. for the first time.

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Hi, Larry. How are you? How has your week been?

My week has been good - and very hectic at the same time. I have been super-excited about experiencing the U.K. for the first time.

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

My name is Larry Gordon. I am a Pop artist who loves music. I write, perform and produce songs that allow you to zone-out and let the music consume you...

I call it ‘feel-good’ music.

Running Away is your debut single. Has it been a long process putting the song together – or has it gelled quite easily?

Running Away actually came together in a unique way. The chorus of the song came first and everything else just fell in line from there.

Curb Records is who you are signed to. What is it like working alongside them?

Curb Records is a very supportive company with an amazing staff. They always push you to be better. With the new Pop division at Curb Records; I’m at the right place at the right time. All the hard work I’ve done over the years is making the dream a reality as a songwriter and artist at the label.

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What comes next in terms of music? Is there an E.P. afoot?

I’ll continue to perform, produce and write for myself and co-write with other artists.

Yes, an E.P. is scheduled for release late-2017 or early-2018.

What compelled your decision to come into music? Was it something you have wanted since you were small?

I’ve been in and around music since I can remember. So, I guess you can say that I’ve wanted this since childhood. Also, seeing my father and mother entertain/perform nationally and abroad compelled me to be in the music business.

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You have garnered comparisons to the likes of Justin Timberlake. Is it quite daunting being linked to an artist like that?

To be honest, I am extremely humbled to be compared to someone of his magnitude. He is an amazing musician and writer.

I believe your music has already been featured in film and T.V. How did you get involved in that side of the business and what is it like hearing your song on the screen?

Yes. The songs End of the World and MV were featured on Love & Hip Hop New York and Los Angeles. The same songs were also featured in two movies: Yoga Hosier (ft. Johnny Deep) and Hoovey - which is an inspirational sports story. Film and television are two areas that I have always been interested in.

Any time that I am writing, it is (with) the intention that the song will be used in multiple areas of the industry. 

Tell me about some of the artists you were raised on…

Well. My parents had an eighteen-piece orchestra/show-band that I grew up performing in. So, I was exposed to a variety of music genres such as Big Band, Country; Rock, Gospel; Jazz, R&B; Rap and so on.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Kehlani

Who are the new artists you recommend we check out?

Kehlani, Demi Lovato; Migos and Bryson Tiller.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Migos

If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

Michael Jackson – Bad

Because it has so many classic records on this album. He opened the gateway for you to get lost in the ‘moments’ of each song.

He definitely gave you an experience. 

Usher – Confessions

This is definitely an album you let play from beginning to end. To me, it is, hands-down, one of the best-crafted albums of all time. Each song had its own individual story or situation that you could relate to.

Lil' Larry – Lybeatrics

This was the first album I ever wrote - and I did it all by myself. The reason it is so close to me, when I listen to each song, it takes me back to the place where it all started - and the main reason why I wanted to become a songwriter, artist/entertainer and producer.

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What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Don’t put yourself in a box: have a vision and stick to it. Understand that everyone will not always agree with or see your vision – so, being ‘CONSISTENT’ is key. 

You are coming to the U.K. for the first time. Are you excited about heading here? What else will you be doing when over here?

Yes, this is my first time in the U.K.

I am extremely excited and it is an honor to be here. I remember being in history class saying to myself: “I hope I can go there one day!” I want to visit Bath, Stonehenge; Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace etc.

I can’t wait to try some of the local cuisine like fish and chips, jellied eel; meat pies and so on. I want the full experience! (L.O.L.)

You’ll be supporting Akon. Is that something you are looking forward to? Are you a bit fan of his music?

Most definitely!

Akon is an ‘icon’ in the industry. He embodies the true definition of a ‘Pop’ superstar. I am really eager to meet, watch; listen and learn from him.

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Christmas is not too far away. Do you have plans already or will you be busy working?

My plans at the moment are to be with my family and friends. I am really big on family and everyone getting together for the holidays.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

Yes, of course!

I would like to hear from Sam Smith - Too Good at Goodbyes

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Follow Larry Gordon

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INTERVIEW: SIIGHTS

INTERVIEW: 

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 SIIGHTS

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THIS is not the first time I have featured…

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SIIGHTS on these pages. Toni and Mia talk about their current single, Alive, and what the story behind it is. They tell me how they got together and why Alive, with its anti-bullying message, is especially personal and relevant to them. The girls have had a busy week so I ask what come next and whether they have plans for later this year; the albums and artists that have inspired them most – and whether there will be tour dates upcoming.

I learn more about a fantastic and close duo who give me a view into their world and music life. They talk about a couple of artists we should check out; whether there is an E.P. approaching – and how their music has developed over the last few months.

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Hi, Toni and Mia. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey, Sam. We’re really well, thank you. It’s been a hectic week; we just released a new track and have just got back from the U.S - so, it’s been a really busy one (which is great). 

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

Sure. We are new duo, SIIGHTS; made up of Toni Etherson from Glasgow, Scotland - and Mia Fitz from Dublin, Ireland. 

Alive is your new track. It has already gained applause and positivity. Is it exciting knowing your music connects with people?

Yes, definitely.

It means a lot to us to get that feedback from people. We try to write about stuff that has happened to us personally - that we know might be relatable for others, too. It’s always going to be a scary process when you create something and then put it out there. At the moment, we’re doing everything ourselves - from the songwriting/recording and producing the record.

We’re so close to everything, creatively; it really is amazing to get such a positive reaction from people.

I believe there is an anti-bullying message and a need for positivity that runs through the song. Were there any other sources of inspiration and was it quite tough writing it?

Yes! we really wanted to share a message of hope and understanding to show people who’ve gone through any kind of struggle in life that they’re not alone. The video touches on some visual examples of personal struggle; the lyrics in the song explain the journey through reflecting on the situation – It’s about finding your inner-strength and realising you’re stronger than you think. 

“I won’t speak your words” is a lyric in a song but, for us, it’s a statement for anyone who’s deciding they won’t be made feel less than they are - or made to feel like they don’t fit in. It’s about saying that you won’t conform to other people’s ideals of what or how they should live their life: you won’t believe any negative things other people may say about you; that you’ll think for yourself and just be yourself.

Most of all we just wanted to make a positive, uplifting song that empowers anyone who’s felt a bit low at any point in their life.

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It has a different vibe to songs like Nobody Like U. Do you make sure each song has its own skin and identity?

I guess, with every new song we write, we’re trying to portray how we’re feeling in that moment as honestly and openly as we can. Production-wise, we have so many influences - and Alive was a new side of our coin that we haven’t really shown before.

So, it’s a great to be able to share that with everyone.

Do you think there will be an E.P. or album next year?

We have so much music. We’re currently in the studio at the moment, too. L.O.L.! So, we plan on getting as much of it out there as possible; whether in the form of an E.P. or album - both are definitely things we would like to do.

Take me back to the start and how you met? How did SIIGHTS come to be?

We met in L.A. Mia was on tour with Hozier and writing on her days off. I was out there writing for other people and we were introduced. We started out writing together for other people. It's crazy what’s happened since then. L.O.L.! 

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It seems like you have a sisterly bond! Is that one of the reasons the music sounds as tight and together, would you say?

I definitely think it helps...

When you’re creating music with someone, you definitely have to be on the same page and get each other’s vision. I think that’s the main reason we decided to start a project together in the first place - because we worked so well together writing in the studio...

It’s been such an amazing journey so far. 

There are more all-female duos/bands emerging. Do you feel it is important more light is shone on female acts and why do you think there is a rise at the moment?

It definitely feels like there are more female acts around lately - which we think is amazing! In an industry that has always been very male-dominated: I think it’s great that young girls are able to identify with and have strong female role models in the industry - and not just as artists but as producers, recording engineers and musicians, also.

We think It’s important that equal light is shone on females in the industry (as it is on the men).

Are there particular artists that have inspired your sound? Who did you both grow up listening to?

Mia: Definitely. I find I’m constantly being inspired by different music and things around me. Growing up, I listened to a lot of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson; Fleetwood Mac and quite a bit of Folk music, also.

Toni: I would listen to Brandy and Christina Aguilera; Oasis - a real mix of stuff, to be honest. I really love Soul music but, once I learned to play the guitar, Oasis and The Verve took my interest for most of my teens. L.O.L.! 

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IN THIS PHOTO: Kllo

Which new artists do you recommend we check out?

We’re loving Kllo’s new track, Predicament. They’re  Australian and killing it right now. 

Also; Jaz Karis. Their Into the Wilderness E.P. is SO GOOD! The single, Sugar Don’t Be Sweet, is a vibe. 

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IN THIS PHOTO: Jaz Karis

What tour dates do you have coming up? Where can we catch you play?

We’ve just got back from L.A. and are back in the studio at the moment. We’re making plans over the next few months (for 2018) - as we’re excited to come play for everyone who’s supported us online from all around the world.

We can’t wait. 

If you each had to select the one album that means the most to you; which would they be and why?

Mia: Great question - and it’s a hard one. I’d have to say I really love the album Simple Things by Zero 7.

I think it’s quite timeless.

Toni: I was going to say Brandy - Never Say Never (but I know I’ve said that before). L.O.L.! So, I’m going with London Grammar - If You Wait

This is the soundtrack to my 2015 - 2016 travels; it’s what I listened to on every long-haul flight in and out of L.A on my first few trips there - and my life really changed then. Musically, it’s just brilliant and timeless. 

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What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Don’t give up, always believe in yourself; find influence in everything around you; don’t be scared to truly express yourself - and forget about what anyone else might think about you.

Christmas is not too far away. Do you both have plans already or will you be busy working?

We love Christmas.

We generally spend that time in the studio - and then we head home to spend time with our families, too. 

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

Mia: X- Ambassadors – Gorgeous (Upstate Sessions)

Toni : Billie Eilish - Ocean Eyes

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Follow SIIGHTS

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FEATURE: Albums to Watch Out for in November

FEATURE:

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 IN THIS PHOTO: Sam Smith 

Albums to Watch Out for in November

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OCTOBER has been a really productive and…

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IN THIS PHOTO: Grace VanderWaal

top-notch month for new music! Great albums from the likes of Baxter Dury and St. Vincent have amazed critics and stunned listeners. We are in the final throes of October but, before we head into November, it is worth looking back and remembering all the sturdy and awesome albums we have been lucky enough to witness.

Now, as November is moving into view; there are so many fascinating L.P.s arriving in the coming four weeks. Morrissey’s Low in High School must be the most-anticipated record of the year; Stereophonics, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift release new material – some of the mainstream’s biggest rubbing shoulders with Moz. In addition; Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Kid Rock are unleashing their latest albums – what more could you ask for?!

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Stereophonics – Scream Above the Sounds

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Release Date: 3rd

Labels: Stylus Records/Parlophone

Follow: https://twitter.com/stereophonics

Grace VanderWaal – Just the Beginning

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Release Date: 3rd

Labels: Columbia/Syco

Follow: https://twitter.com/GraceVanderWaal

Sam Smith – The Thrill of It All

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Release Date: 3rd

Label: Capitol Records

Follow: https://twitter.com/samsmithworld

Kid Rock – Sweet Southern Sugar

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Release Date: 3rd   

Labels: Top Dog Records, Inc./BMG Rights Management (US) LLC

Follow: https://twitter.com/KidRock

Evanescence – Synthesis

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Release Date: 10th

Label: Sony Music

Follow: https://twitter.com/evanescence

Taylor Swift – Reputation

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Release Date: 10th

Label: Big Machine

Follow: https://twitter.com/taylorswift13

Sleigh Bells – Kid Kruschev

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Release Date: 10th

Label: Lucky Number

Follow: https://twitter.com/sleighbells

Barenaked Ladies – Fake Nudes

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Release Date: 17th

Label: Universal Music LLC

Follow: https://twitter.com/barenakedladies

Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black

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Release Date: 17th

Label: Anti-Records

Follow: https://twitter.com/mavisstaples

Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest

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Release Date: 17th

Label: Because Music

Follow: https://twitter.com/cgainsbourg

Morrissey – Low in High School

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Release Date: 17th

Label: BGM Rights Management

Follow: https://twitter.com/officialmoz

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Who Built the Moon?

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Release Date: 24th

Label: Caroline International

Follow: https://twitter.com/NoelGallagher

Simeon Walker – Mono

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Release Date: 24th

Label: (Self-released)

Follow: https://www.facebook.com/simeonwalkermusic

FEATURE: Music Musings and Such at Six: The 10,000-Hour Rule: Burnout, Progress and Ambition

FEATURE:

 

Music Musings and Such at Six:

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PHOTO CREDIT: Burst 

 The 10,000-Hour Rule: Burnout, Progress and Ambition

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MAYBE that order of words is wrong but I wonder…

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty

at a time when artists have to work so much harder (than ever) to prove themselves – are we putting too much pressure on their shoulders?! For me, I wanted to raise this subject for two reasons. For one; the sixth anniversary of my blog is upcoming: it is something I have dedicated a lot of my free time to and am constantly searching for rewards and new chances. Another reason involves the lengths musicians have to go to achieve their dreams – and whether innate talent and dexterity is more important than work ethic and commitment when it comes to achieving goals. Before I come onto my own experiences; a quick question: Where does that 10,000-hour rule from? It is from Malcolm Gladwell’s popular book, Outliners, and states, in order to perfect a craft/object; one must expend that many hours. I was interested in a BBC article - that went into more depth:

“But Ericsson (Anders) was not pleased. He wrote a rebuttal paper in 2012, called The Danger of Delegating Education to Journalists.

"The 10,000-hour rule was invented by Malcolm Gladwell who stated that, 'Researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: 10,000 hours.' Gladwell cited our research on expert musicians as a stimulus for his provocative generalisation to a magical number," Ericsson writes.

Ericsson then pointed out that 10,000 was an average, and that many of the best musicians in his study had accumulated "substantially fewer" hours of practice. He underlined, also, that the quality of the practice was important.

"In contrast, Gladwell does not even mention the concept of deliberate practice," Ericsson writes.

Gladwell counters that Ericsson doesn't really think that talent exists.

 "When he disagrees with the way I interpreted his work, it's because I disagree with him," he says.

"I think that being very, very good at something requires a big healthy dose of natural talent. And when I talk about the Beatles - they had masses of natural talent. They were born geniuses. Ericsson wouldn't say that”.

I have a concern modern musicians/music personnel are getting caught in a trap between talent and expectation. That 10,000-hour figure seems arbitrary and random but is there truth that, regardless of your level of expertise/proficiency, you can master anything in that time? Modern music requires total focus and balancing so many different aspects. The industry is so competitive so I wonder, regardless of the number of hours expended, are the hardest working and most dedicated likely to get the same amount of success as those who ride and skate through life? In music, I see so many artists who have big labels behind them and get into music to get money and easy fame. Other have joined the business relatively late and, by being in the ‘right place at the right time’, they are granted golden tickets and fabulous rewards. There are many more who toil and endless work, only to see their fastidiousness and dedication go unnoticed. One of the reasons people like me get into journalism is to support new artists who create fantastic music – only to find very few people who will offer them exposure. Small venues and spaces are willing to put artists up but there are fewer people turning up to see performances. If a band/act struggles to draw people in; will talent and potential all count for anything?! It is hard organising and policing music so we can get people into spaces and ensure the best and brightest artists get their just rewards. The comparative lack of gig-goers is another area to explore but I wonder whether natural ability is as important as grafting and intent study.

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty

It is clear the most respectable artists in the world did not get where they are by hard work alone. One needs talent and ability in the first place but it is important to supplement that with constant effort and attack. There are so many great artists emerging and putting their all into things but I am concerned, regardless of whether they obtain ‘expertise’ and a sense of perfection that will be enough. There is an inverse relationship between hours spent and success rate. If certain artists are getting to the precipice on looks and a certain personality; does that send a negative message to other artists – who, in turn, will quit and think they are not going to get anywhere?! I would say we need to do two things in order to sustain the quality and profligacy of music and ensure our best do not burn out. I think we need to re-nurture and subsidise small venues so those starting out are provided proper promotion and chance. If a lot of small venues are struggling to get people in; we need to look there. I have seen a lot of bands call time because punters are not coming out and seeing them. If the likes of Oasis and Primal Scream, back in the day, had been in the same position then they could have enjoyed very short careers. Regardless of the number of hours you put into music; are there structural and foundation issues that need to be addressed? I feel, in a digital age, hard work and talent need to accompany a savviness and market-minded brain that recognises the way modern music is going. It is all very well having awesome music and crafting endlessly. If you do not understand the intricacies, mechanisms and motives of Spotify – and other streaming services – then you are risky falling at the first hurdle.

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty

One needs to assess a lot of different sides to the argument to get a clearer picture. Another article, that contradicts the rigidity of K. Anders Ericsson’s assumption, argued it is better to focus on quality rather than quantifiable hours:

“In deliberate practice, you need to be fully tuned in to learning the skill you are working on, and minimize distractions as much as possible (put away your phone). Because focusing intently takes so much energy, you can really only sustain that level of practice for 60 to 90 minutes at a time, perhaps two hours at most.

Putting in too much time might mean you're not making good use of it. If that's the case, you're more likely to burn out. Instead, try to focus harder for a defined period of time, then take a rest.

Even when doing deliberate practice, reaching the top levels in a field is long road. Photographer Dan McLaughlin tried to develop the skills to become a PGA tour golfer with 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, despite having little experience with the sport. His mission stalled out just past 6,000 hours, when his body stopped cooperating and the demands of life made it hard for him to continue.

However, deliberate practice is still your best bet for mastering a skill to the extent your personal ability allows. So the next time you're trying to learn a new skill, worry more about the quality of your focus than the hours you log”.

As I come to my sixth anniversary of Music Musings and Such – in a couple of weeks – it is interesting looking at that magical number and whether expertise (whether that is possible) is the same as happiness and fulfilled? If one was to master an instrument or profession; does that make them more rounded and better suited to the industry?! In terms of music; maybe a more targeted approach to work is the best way to go about things? It may sound illogical but is it possible to put fewer hours in and produce something of a higher quality – that, in turn, is a more economical way of doing things?! There is always a part of my mind concerned musicians feel they need to push themselves to the point of breakdown in order to get further ahead.

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty

There is no evidence to suggest a certain number of hours and effort will guarantee success. Music can be arbitrary and unpredictable: there is no golden rule as to what the industry will favour and what will strike the collective heart. One of my main problems is the burnout possibility and putting too much out there. If the article above suggests focus and logic is more important than irrational exhaustion and quantity – it gives me much to ponder as I continue to write and search. My goals is to monetise what I do and be in the position where I have influence and can mix it with the big guns – whether that is at a big radio station or newspaper, I am not sure. Are we in the music predisposed to expend an insane amount of time and effort simply to exist and remain stable? Maybe that is an issue in the wider working world but it is hard breaking away from an intuitive (if irrational) way of life and embracing something new. I am excited as I head into my seventh year (writing the blog) but am determined to reverse my current status and adopt a healthier approach to writing. Doing fewer pieces/interviews means I can concentrate on documentaries and single articles. It might not seem the best way to do things – fewer pieces means I there are fewer shares/retweets and people seeing my work – but people can see when someone is under pressure.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Stefflon Don (an artist I am tipping for big success in 2018)

There is no point doing anything when you feel it necessary to push yourself to breaking-point. I feel the best way for myself, and people in the music industry, to get where they need to be is to preserve their health and look after themselves. One cannot function and work if they push their minds and bodies to the limit. Stepping back and allowing oneself to relax and recharge every now and then is a better long-term strategy. Sure; one needs to put the hours in but it is no good thinking you will master music and be a major success if you put in a five-figure slog. I am not near the 10,000-hour figure but feel, even if I do reach it, my success and potential will not be down to that milestone. Success and happiness will come, in time, but we need to – whether it seems impossible or not – stop chasing the eternal carrot and assuming failure will come if we do not constantly work. If it is deemed we all need to bust a gut and sacrifice so much of our self pursuing our dreams; the only way to confront this ill is to put ourselves first. I will take this approach because, for all of us, wellbeing is…

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IMAGE CREDIT: Getty

MUCH more important than popularity.

FEATURE: ‘The J-Word’: Why Jazz Remains a Misunderstood Genre

FEATURE:

 

‘The J-Word’:

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IN THIS PHOTO: The Comet Is Coming/PHOTO CREDIT: Fabrice Bourgelle   

Why Jazz Remains a Misunderstood Genre

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IT seems the mere mention of the word 'Jazz'…

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IMAGE CREDIT: Jazzradio.com

is like uttering some kind of curse. There are certain genres that have struggled to assimilate into the mainstream through the decades. Like the spectacled child standing shivering and exposed in the playground – waiting to be picked for the football five-a-side – the poor old genre of Jazz often gets selected as a forced consolation. I am a fan of Jazz but worry it is still seen as a rather boring and ignored style of music. It is maligned and snobbishly overlooked by those who feel they have a grasp on music. If one looks at the critics’ favourite albums of any year and how many Jazz albums make it into the list?! It is hard to say why many feel the genre lacks appeal. For me, I think the fact it has not burgeoned and gained mainstream passage is the fact reputation and assumption goes before patience and endeavour.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Laura Jurd's band, DinosaurPHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Many assume they hate Jazz and it will offer no surprises. I bring this up because I am seeing a lot of prejudice come through for certain genres. There are certain age groups and demographics who refuse any taste of Jazz because, in some way, it repulses them. I am not a huge devotee of the genre but I cannot understand the attitude afforded Jazz music. In recent years, bands like Here Comes the Comet and Dinosaur have been nominated for the Mercury Prize. Those two bands, one can argue, take a rather ‘interesting’ approach to Jazz. Rather than a more conventional and streamlined take on the style - think John Coltrane and Miles Davis – they bring more acidic hallucination and a psychedelic angle. I call Miles Davis ‘streamlined’ (more on him a bit later) but I mean his Kind of Blue material. Dinosaur’s prize-nominated, Together, As One, is an eight-track release of various-lengthened songs. Each composition is immerse and transportative. One listens to the record and can close their eyes and drift – imagining the scenes and projecting your own interpretations.

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IMAGE CREDIT: Jazzradio.com

The same can be said of Here Comes the Comet’s Channel the Spirits. When defining the album, - speaking with M last year - band member Betamax Killer spoke in these terms:

“Channel The Spirits was meant to be a soundtrack to planet Earth’s doom. To stare death in the face and explore a symphony of human emotions. Panic, hope, defiance, fear, brotherhood and a release from cultural restrictions. We hoped to discover the underlying human power beneath the mundane day-to-day routines of modern life. Through the process of making the record we have been on a journey together through the distant realms of our collective mind. It feels like we have become creative space explorers”.

Modern Jazz is not that far departed from the older, more traditional forms we are all familiar with. Jaimie Branch’s Fly or Die is a perfect integration of styles from the Long Island trumpeter. One gets a hit of Noise-Rock and Psychedelia; Jazz and Hip-Hop all in one. It is an extraordinary record that is the definition of what modern Jazz is all about: the assimilation and unification of various themes and genres against a backbone of conventional Jazz.  

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Loneliness Road is the latest album from Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte. It sees Iggy Pop collaborate and is an inter-band conversation where the members show their mastery of their respective instruments. Falling between the seduce and sophistication of Bill Evans and the urgent rush of Alice Coltrane – one of the strongest Jazz albums of this year. Diana Krall’s Turn Up the Quiet and Linda May Han Oh’s Walk Against the Wind are respectable and standout records from the year. The latter, especially, boasts huge fluidity and poetic expression – the sound of a woman’s path through life and development. The performances are uniformly exceptional and add so much colour, candid energy and emotion to the music.  Whether one likes to admit it or not: all of us have an attachment to at least one Jazz piece.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Louis Armstrong/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Take someone like Louis Armstrong, for example. He remains one of the most influential trumpeters and composers from the world of Jazz. What a Wonderful World is one of the most popular and requested songs in the world. It seems to resonate in so many people and is an accessible, touching and universal number that cuts to the heart. People might be a little wary of lionising Miles Davis, John Coltrane; Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk. Their music seems to define what Jazz is and, if you don’t like it (or get it), you cannot say you appreciate Jazz. Maybe that is an over-simplification but one need not know every passage and album (from those artists) to approve and understand what they are about. I am a fan of Miles Davis but would say Kind of Blue, Birth of the Cool and Sketches of Spain are his finest – In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew are essential works.

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I think one of the big problems when it comes to Jazz is the critics who are charged with proffering the genre. Many, when looking at the list of best Jazz albums of this year, seem to reduce their assessments into tropes and diminishing sentences. A few albums I have seen on a list have been labelled as records to listen to when having a cup of tea – perfect background music that you can enjoy when doing other things. I think this reductive and dismissive attitude, whilst unintentionally diminutive and patronising, seems to mirror the views of many out there. Jazz, like all great music, is not meant to linger in the back of the mind and prohibited from focal attention. I agree some Jazz albums are not palatable and popular enough to convert those uninitiated and hesitant. The best Jazz records are those that keep the ethos and roots firm but update and evolve the form. I have mentioned modern artists like Here Comes the Comet who, in a way, have more in common with bands like The Stone Roses and The Beatles – as they do Mile Davis and Louis Armstrong.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

If one feels they ‘hate’ Jazz then one would hope they have had enough exposure to make that determination. It seems the popular go-to decisions for many: I have not given it a chance and, therefore, it sucks. I think a lot of us get into the presumption all Jazz sounds like a single artist/album then, yeah, you are going to fall into that mindset. The fact is no genre, even Jazz, is limited in scope and appeal. A lot of the modern equivalent is far-reaching, progressive and exciting. Those who claim Jazz is a boring genre would do well to properly investigate what is happening right now. There are two sides to Jazz that need to be defined and distinguished. There is the more romantic and reflective side and the cross-referencing, cross-pollinating brand. Maybe those who favour the former are of a certain age and taste: those who chase the more modern and experimental alternative slightly younger and more hip. That would be an over-simplification but Jazz is at its broadest and most accessible right now. If one listens to the finest Hip-Hop artist around and you’ll see how influential and important Jazz is to them.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Kendrick Lamar/PHOTO CREDIT: Alan Gwizdowski

This has been the case for decades. Whether samples into De La Soul’s incredible L.P., 3 Feet High and Rising, or Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly – Jazz has been invigorating and connecting artists in all corners. It is not a coincidence some of the best albums ever – whether Jazz is used as a sample or an original thought – take so much from Jazz. It has never been a genre limited to certain tastes and rigid in its sound. This is definitely true today. The reason it is still fighting against resistance is the fact the mainstream still refuses to fully embrace it. In a way, when integrated into Hip-Hop and Rap, it is almost like an ingredient in a dish – rather than the main meal itself. Jazz warrants fonder and worthy study as it is not a dirty word…not anymore. I don’t think it ever was but we have to stop labelling genres and thinking we know everything about them. Jazz is misunderstood and underappreciated. I am not saying everyone should obsess over Jazz and go right through the ages but reappropriation is required. If the average listener gives it a chance they will find, without having to dig too far, there…

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IN THIS PHOTO: John ColtranePHOTO CREDIT: Getty

 IS much to love.

FEATURE: Love Me Do: The Birth of The Beatles

FEATURE:

 

Love Me Do:

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The Birth of The Beatles

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HISTORIANS and aficionados of The Beatles…

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have their own interpretations surrounding the band becoming 'The Fab Four'. I guess a moniker is the way one can determine when an artist has truly arrived in music. Whether one assumes it was literally the first Beatles record that defined and announced their birth; their finest earliest album; the moment they cracked America – there are subjective and different viewpoints regarding the canonisation of the world’s greatest band. To me – and why I wanted to kick this piece into the wider world – was the vital landmark that is Love Me Do. On 5th October, 1962, the song was one of Paul McCartney’s earliest songs – written whilst he was cutting class from the Liverpool Institute back in 1958. I will quote from Ian MacDonald’s definitive and sacrosanct Beatles manuscript, Revolution in the Head. Here, like all their other songs, he charts the course and genesis of the track – where it stemmed from; which take we hear on record; how it fared in the public; his impressions of the song. From pages fifty-eight through to sixty; MacDonald charts the progress of the song’s creation and the place it plays in The Beatles’ cannon. To me, those opening few seconds, not only beckon and proclamation the greatest force of nature the music world has ever seen – it runs to a deeper, more personal level. To me, it is the tributary of the river that is my love of The Beatles. That harmonica blast (John Lennon playing that one) causes shivers, memories and fond reminiscence. I remember encountering the album Please Please Me (I shall come onto that) and being blown away by the sheer simplicity, live sound and class dripping from every song. In my estimation; Love Me Do is the first landmark release from the band – the time they transcending from promising boys (playing covers) to a truly original band who could change the world. Love Me Do employs two chords (G and C). Most Pop numbers of the time revolved around three common chords: the fact Love Me Do had two made it, in its reverse-evolution and base appeal, a more progressive and evolved thing.

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IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles recording at Abbey Road on 4th September, 1962

Breaking a trend by making music more simplistic might seem counterintuitive and risky. The boys knew they could not repeat what was out there and expect to gain the recognition they warranted. The song was started by McCartney during his educational day but, struggling to finish it off, showed it to Lennon – who added the middle eight and helped ensure it saw the light of day. Back in September 1962; Love Me Do was one of half-a-dozen songs being rehearsed by a band who were a bit nervous about releasing singles. The record label (Parlophone) preferred the inferior How Do You Do? as a single for The Beatles. The Mitch Murray-penned song was more commercial and toe-tapping but The Beatles disassociated themselves with the song – not wanting anything to do with it and thinking it did not represent what they wanted to say. Tackling and confronting the decision-making bosses is a bold decision for a band who were, in 1962, not a known commodity. It would be a few more months before the public took them to heart so that decision to rebuff the single suggestion showed the Liverpool foursome were determined to have their say and take their career where they wanted it to go. The “vernacular title” (as MacDonald sums it up) and dockside harmonica impressed producer George Martin. He knew there was something unconventional and original emanating from Love Me Do. Pop music of the early-1960s was more concerned with guitars, big choruses and fitting into the packs. The Beatles came along with a song that imbued the nature of early Blues recordings and 1950s sounds – the band were inspired by artists like Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley; not desperate to remain rigidly in the 1960s and jettisoning their tastes. There were a few issues surrounding the recording of Love Me Do. Legend has it – although interpretation has been interrogated and questioned – McCartney was dissatisfied with Ringo Starr’s drumming: he was hurrying into the chorus and failing to lock-in the bass-drum with the bass guitar.

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McCartney, playing bass, felt there was an arrhythmic and undisciplined approach from Starr. Martin shared these concerns and felt, against a loose-swinging expressionist like Starr, a more conventional and studied drummer would give the performance more professionalism and reliability. A week after the fraught rehearsals; the band sojourned to Abbey Road Studios (Studio 2) and laid down the track. Andy White, a session drummer at the time, ‘sat in’ on drums whilst Starr reinforced percussion with rudimentary tambourine smashes. Two versions of Love Me Do were issued: the first (mixed bottom-light to distort and hide Starr’s bass-drum) went out as the A-side to The Beatles’ debut single; the second found its way onto the band’s debut album, Please Please Me, and opened its second-side. What amazes me about the song is how it contrasts what the band would go on to create and how distinct it was juxtaposed against the colour and excitement of the time. Love Me Do is a primitive and raw song that is a balustrade against a rainbow sky: a black-and-white rug in the kitsch and Art Deco kitchens of the suburban cool. Sales figures were cautious when the song arrived: many unsure how to approach it and what to expect. The “modal gauntness” seemed extraordinary against a Pop scene that demanded songs get to the mind quickly and traditionally. Some claimed the arrangement has been tampered with (by Martin) and the lead vocal had been given to McCartney rather than Lennon – hardly a surprise considering it was McCartney’s baby. Beatles fans, in retrospect, realise the song didn’t capture the live energy of their shows and seems awarded slow and contemplative. The easy hook (‘Ple-e-e-ease’) and untraditional chorus phrasing from McCartney; the passionate harmonica from Lennon; the raised-brown solo clash from Starr that followed Lennon’s performance. It seemed George Harrison was the only player who remained anonymous and lacking character. That would change but was understandable considering the eventfulness surrounding Starr and his technique; the fact Lennon and McCartney were the main songwriters and leaders.

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Even if the open-fifth vocal harmonies were drowned in reverb; the production was cracker-dry and lacked the sheen, sparkle and timbre one would encounter on records at the time. The song, as Macdonald notes in his book, was a blast of autumnal air against the homogenised smog of the 1960s Pop scene. There was a hangover and awkward transition from the late-1950s and masters like Presley and Holly. So much of Love Me Do separated The Beatles and spotlighted a band that was going to make a huge impact. The harmonica wailing from Lennon contained no bent notes – the sort one might hear on U.S. blues recordings; the sort Dylan employed in his music – and has more in common with the working-class Blues and Folk of British artists from the North. That was a revelation from a public who were used to – when they heard harmonica – to something more jazzed, syncopated and florid. Lennon’s erstwhile and singular performance defined him on that record. McCartney’s lyrics might seem rather generic and unspectacular when you consider what the band went on to be. In any case; it was his story and song that lit the fuse – one that started the fire and showed these four lads from Liverpool were not going to stamp out covers and be like every other group of the day. Love Me Do was, in MacDonald’s terms, “awed by nothing” and signified the move from the elder-respecting stuffiness of modern culture – overthrown and besieged by the youth generation and a tipping towards a more energetic and reckless style of song. One might see a song like Love Me Do and balk at how basic it sounds when compared to Beatles songs such as Strawberry Fields Forever and A Day in the Life – songs that arrived only five years after Love Me Do. The band, even by 1963, was starting to experiment and grow their sound. That 1962 introduction single was never going to be the studio-pushing, genre-defying track that defined Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; the head-bender conclusion to Revolver or the majestic L.S.D. melts one could find on The Beatles (‘The White Album’) – or should that be marijuana?! In any case; Love Me Do is an epochal song because it changed the face of music.

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IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles captured in Liverpool (1962)

I think of Love Me Do in terms of the album, Please Please Me: the former the creator and mother of the progeny. Love Me Do appeared on The Beatles’ debut album – although, as we know, a different version to the single – and was part of a musical revolution. The album is a stark polemic of the complex and pioneering works such as Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although there were some flaws and rough edges on the record – a couple of the covers missed the mark; Harrison’s singing on Do You Want to Know a Secret a little flat; A Taste of Honey lacking the quality it could have – it is an extraordinary record that still inspires musicians today. The brief was simple: record an album in a single day that would, essentially, replicate the live energy and spontaneity of The Beatles’ shows. It was recorded far less expensively than albums of the times (£400 at the time; about £7,500 these days). Following the success of Love Me Do and its flip-side, P.S. I Love You, there was a need to get an album out to capitalise the spirit captured on those songs - the band's second single, Please Please Me, became the album's title-track. P.S. I Love You distilled McCartney’s gift for melody was balanced against Lennon’s comparative laziness – singing and projecting the minimal intervals of everyday speech (another MacDonald thought). Although a naïve song that adds a little to the ‘letter’ sub-genre of music; its expressive chorus and verses elevated the song to the consciousness of the masses. Those songs formed the bedrock of Please Please Me. George Martin needed ten further songs to accompany the band’s two singles. It was intended, at first, to be a morning and afternoon session – the evening session was added later – and captured at EMI in Abbey Road Studios, essentially, as a long-drawn band live performance. The band started at 10 A.M. Monday, 11th February, 1963: finishing at 10:45 P.M. the same day – with breaks and breath; a thirteen-hour (more-or-less) sessions that got the L.P. recorded and captured.

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Six of the fourteen songs featured on the album are cover versions: of the original cuts; the majority had Lennon singing the lead vocal – the same was true of the covers. Each band member got a vocal lead (Ringo Starr taking the helm on Boys) whilst the lead-off track, I Saw Her Standing There, gained its own life and gravity. Its unconventional phrasing and lexicon (“She was just seventeen/You know what I mean”) – the original pitch saw the second line “Never been a beauty queen” – replaced with something less cloying and predictable – amazed fans and its explosive tone set the scene for the record. Mixing more tender and calm numbers against thrilling cuts: Please Please Me ended with the now-legendary and logic-defying version of Twist and Shout. By the time the guys had completed the definitive take of There’s a Place (the penultimate track), they knew what was left: the spectacular finale of Twist and Shout. The fact the session run until late at night was because of Lennon and poor health. Suffering a cold and sore throat; he spent breaks gargling milk and soothing his throat with honey and medicinal substance – whilst the rest of the band supped coffee. The 585-minute recording session would never have a better moment than the opening notes to Twist and Shout.  The fact they had recorded all day means recording a fireworks-take of Twist and Shout would have been hard: throw in an ailing Lennon and it made the job that much more difficult. As it was, somehow, he stepped up the microphone and nailed it in one take. It has to be done in a single take because that performance blew his voice beyond recovery – he has nothing left after that. George Martin wanted a new take but Lennon’s voice was shredded – the version you hear could not be topped, in my mind. The jubilant and relieved whoop from McCartney as the track ends shows what excitement and deflation there was in the room – the fact they had done it and managed to record the song that day. Apparently, when the take was completed, there was cheering and jubilation in the studio.

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The engineers, staff and band were enthralled and buzzing from the energy that has been projected during that take (I imagine Lennon would have needed a week or so off after that song!). Love Me Do is the first blush of The Beatles and their debut cut – in my view, the most important offering from the band’s chest. Please Please Me responded to the building heat and popularity the band were accruing. If 1966 – 1967 was the peak of their creative powers: 1962 – 1963 was the start of things and the shaping of the biggest band on the planet. Match and contextualise Love Me Do in Please Please Me and you discover a group who were genuinely making music history. It all started with that John Lennon harmonica clarion of Love Me Do – the first notes of the Paul McCartney song that traces its lineage as far back as 1958. The song seems inexplicably forward-thinking and staggering today. That is a fifty year period (from its release) and still acts as a guide to musicians who want to add spice and difference to the Pop market. The Beatles went on to make better songs but few had quite the same impact and effect as Love Me Do. It stunned a complacent public and shook the charts up. Labels and bosses had not experienced a band like The Beatles – there has been nobody quite like them ever since! Put the song on and let it take you somewhere special. I can only imagine the sights, smells and sounds that came from the studio when John Lennon, Paul McCartney; Ringo Starr and George Harrison – ably assisted by George Martin – captured that moment of history. Fifty years since its release; Love Me Do still wields immense power and  (is a song) that…

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HELPED define the music of the 1960s.

TRACK REVIEW: Jena Rose - Loved

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Jena Rose

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Loved

 

9.4/10

 

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 Loved is available via:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsTT0ZxTZTY

GENRES:

Pop; EDM

ORIGIN:

Texas, U.S.A.

RELEASE DATE:

10th August, 2017

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WE might be heading towards the tail-end…

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of 2017 - but that does not mean Jena Rose is going to idly sit around! A week from tomorrow; she will be announcing her full U.S. spring tour (2018) and that will include doing it with a worldwide platinum act, no less! The video for her forthcoming single, Sweet Love, will be released on Friday – the remixed version available next month. Right now, there is a lot of love being shown for the single, Loved – it seems love is a big consideration and focus for the young Texan songwriter. I will talk more about that (love) soon but, right now, I wanted to discuss female Pop singers in the modern market; the music coming from Texas at the moment; the pressure put on youth and young talent; expressing oneself through vocals and music; writing your own songs (and how rare that is) – how it can be possible to separate from the crowd in a genre that is defined by homogenisation and limitations. There is a lot to discuss regards Jena Rose but, when thinking of her, a couple of things strike the brain: she is very young and very beautiful. This is not a precursor to a discussion about sexism and age in music but Jena Rose has natural assets and positives at her disposal. Music – Pop, especially – still puts a lot of emphasis on looks and beauty – selling sex and promoting artists who have a sense of beauty and physicality. In the ‘Spotify Age’; a lot of artists – who do not have huge talent – have their aesthetics and body put ahead of the actual sounds. With Jena Rose, that will never be the case. She is still in her teens, yet, has an immense talent and determination that will see her go all the way. I have just come off of Twitter and seeing another terrific teen talent, Billie Marten, finish a tour of the U.K. I have discussed her a lot this year – having created my favourite album of last year, Writing of Blues and Yellows – but she is an eighteen-year-old who has immense beauty and charm – but lets her music and raw talent speak volumes.

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I worry there is a lot of pressure and expectation put on the shoulders of young singer-songwriters – especially females. I am seeing a lot of tender/ingénue artists emerge who are moulded and directed by record labels. Commercialism and dollar-expectation mean, even before a note has been produced, there is a rigid game-plan and ideal for each artist. I am pleased to see songwriters who rebel against that and choose to define their career through their terms. Jena Rose is someone who could easily have fallen through the cracks of the machine. She has an immense beauty, kindness and sweet disposition. One can imagine, in the hands of the label men, morals and values being stripped in favour of exposition, sensuality and fame. In years to come, when her career hots up, there will be a lot of T.V./film attention coming the way of the Texan talent. She will be called upon for acting roles and the music side of things – having her records featured in productions. Later today – and not meaning to meander down the garden-path of inconsequentiality – but I am writing a piece about The Beatles later today. It is fifty-five years since their first number-one, Love Me Do. Even though, in 1962, there was little understanding of The Beatles and what they would become; one knew, on that first hit, they were going to be huge. The lyrics of Love Me Do might seem quite trite and cliché – compared with their later songs – but, at the time, it was new, revelatory and seismic. Now, in a comparable Pop market, how does one experience that sort of leap and progression? It is harder when there is such saturation and proliferation. Someone like Jena Rose excites me because, in a scene where there are so many manufactured artists, she is a natural and organic woman who is pushing Pop in new directions. One listens to a song like Loved and there are no processed vocals and preordained agendas – a song that comes from the heart; through the speaker, to the listener.

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I am a little ambivalent towards Pop and tend to tread very cautiously. Sure, there are some brilliant artists around right now but I find, when looking for something deeper and less manufactured, one needs to look elsewhere. It is people like Jena Rose who are showing Pop can resonate and connect with those who want something more soulful and mindful. I have been musing about Soul and how the modern interpretation still retains ideals of legends of old. Jena Rose is not a pure Pop artist: there are soulful undertones and Country strands that mix into a dizzying and velvet blend. One hears teenage and explorative innocent, mixed with a vivacious and strident confident, that goes into her incredible music. I will return to this theme in the conclusion but, when thinking about the state of Texas, one gets definite impressions of what the music will sound like. Jena Rose hails from Plano which, as a city, has a unique charm. The Heritage Farmstead Museum and the Interurban Railway Museum – tracing the history of the Texas Electric Railway – sits in a city that is modern and forward-thinking. Among some of its notable residents – N.F.L. players such as Kyle Bosworth (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Jake Brendel (Miami Dolphins) – is a lot of inspiration for young songwriters. I guess we think of Texas as being an extension of Nashville: a hub for Country music and a very distinct sound. Unlike the Tennessee city; Texas is a lot more varied and deep than many would think. There are some brilliant Country artists like Erick Willis, Red Shahan and Flatland Cavalry –playing around areas like Lubbock, Austin and Dallas. Jena Rose is part of an alternative scene that adds colour and personality to the Texas landscape. Bee Caves, Jackie Venson and Tele Novella; The Bishops and White Label Analog are among those defining Texan music. It is a packed and multifarious state that is proving hospitable and popular with young artists.

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I can see Jena Rose locating to L.A. in the coming years because it seems like her pull and ambition, coupled with the fact Los Angeles provides more scope and opportunity, might see her follow that course. I am not sure but, right now, she is among the prime and finest of Texas. I have talked about the modern Pop market and how much pressure there is on the shoulders of young artists. It would be incongruous to say every new artist is expected to act, dress and look a certain way; however, those artists who rise to the top are rarely in a negotiating position where they can express themselves in a particular way. Jena Rose, on paper, could fall prey to the neon clutches of the commercial jaw. She is gorgeous and has a sensitivity that seems beguiling: an intelligence and strength that few of her contemporaries possess. Rather than leer after big-label deals and have her voice processed and distorted – she is following her own mind and creating music the way she feels is right and honest. It is her integrity and determination that sets her apart from the masses – those who want to get millions of Spotify streams and create music that does not tax the brain. Music rewards those who are self-sufficient but, at the same time, there is a commercial perversity that sees a young star and takes them by the hand – leading them, like Sleeping Beauty being fed through an industrial-sized fan, into the murkiness of the anodyne and radio-friendly. Not that one has to sell their soul and dreams to be a success but, if one looks at stars like Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift, there is a particular dynamic and methodology that must be constructed. They are artists who have an army of songwriters, producers and talent working their music and pre-planning their promotion. The figurehead is often the sum of multiple organ transplant and transfusions – less of them in their own body; a composite of others and their ideas.

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Jena Rose is a young woman who will be a fan, I assume, of artists like Lady Gaga, Rhianna and Taylor Swift: it is hard to avoid their influence and compelling voices. I am actually a fan of Lady Gaga and think she is one of the exceptions in the Pop market – someone who has more control than you’d imagine. Jena Rose acts as a beacon and shining light to those who feel the only way to craft identity and influence is to conform and surrender. Her incredible pen and voice has as much power and potency as any of the mainstream best – without needing dozens of others to make the music happen. One knows, as her career blossoms, there will be offers and nefarious tease; money and chances heading to the foot of her door – ways she can build her career and get further in the industry. I know Jena Rose is someone who will not be easily led but I feel she has the maturity and fortitude to find major success without having to promulgate looks, youth and the vanilla. Jena Rose is someone who has music coursing through her body and soul. It is an integral part of her being and a destination she was always going to fall in love with. She bonding with music’s purpose at the age of nine: as a shy child, as she says, other musicians’ songs/voice seemed to articulate a conversational confidence that she could not articulate. The dichotomies, ethos and rationalisations they vocalised seemed to touch the young Jena Rose. We have all been in that situation as children: unsure how to come out of our skin and connect with the wider world. To me, music has been a lifeline and island on which I can moor anchor and settle myself. Not being the most overt and sociable soul – hence, the reason most of my free hours are spent bonding through electronics – music, like Jena Rose, seems to provide a degree of acceptance and direction.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Alexandra Thomas

In a way; it means I am less lonely and misunderstood: my favourite artists are able to keep me calm and comforted when I need it most. I am not sure whether now, as a teenager, Jena Rose has the same anxieties and reservations as she did back then – I assume she has only managed to get into music because she found inspiration through her idols. Jena Rose started playing classical piano at aged five (unbelievable!) and, at her Plano home; she would take a rather structured and rigid attack. Like all the great voice and songwriters through time: Jena Rose is someone who realised taking a conversational and dry approach to their craft would never break beyond the ordinary and boring. Classical attitudes are fine but they can be rather imperious, formulaic and stilted. The festination she felt was liberated when, a few years down the tracks, she took up contemporary styles. It goes, as the young artist recalls, a night when her parents went out for an evening meal. Alone with the piano and the limitless expanse of creative sky; Jena Rose began tinkering at the piano. The tentative kiss turned into a passionate and insatiable tussle. The creative juices flowed and, before she knew what was happening, a chorus, verse; bridge and structure was laid down – she has given birth to an actual healthy and boisterous song! Her music teacher was stunned and amazed her student could create something so quickly. Maybe it is her influences and heroines that have dictated her course and singularity. Rather than idolise the plastic and sugar-rich Pop artists; Jena Rose, instead, fell for the beauty and wonders of Sara Bareilles. Music, to the young songwriter, is a way to express herself and reveal her hidden messages, thoughts and feelings. As a young woman making her way through the world; she negotiates a labyrinth of romantic confrontations, misdirected passions and hard-hitting choices. She has a fallible heart and that is subject to exploitation and deceit – boys who will come and offer her the world; only to leave her broken and exposed at the roadside.

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There will be princes who provide pure motives but siphoning them from the slew of toxic pretenders is a challenging (and daily) obstacle course. I feel a natural connection with Jena Rose because she has a faith and kindness that, one suspects, is easy prey to those who think of nobody but themselves. It is rare finding a young songwriter who takes their own lead and refutes the Disney villains who pose poisoned apples and chalices her way. I guess her location and upbringing is as powerful as any temptation to follow dollars and the mainstream. She was raised with music in her D.N.A. The fact she bonded with the piano as a young child means she already knew the music/direction she would pursue. I imagine there are some commercial artists in her record collection but I can imagine, if I visited Jena Rose’s home, there would be music (vinyl among them) from the finest and most original female artists from the past couple of decades. Even though Jena Rose has a modern fabric to her music: one hears embers and spectral suggestion of iconic Folk and Pop singers. It is important we proffer artists like her so the scene can afford itself greater naturelessness, meaning and personality. I listen to a Jena Rose single and am instantly absorbed into her world. She never speaks with cliché vowels and predictable tenses – her words could be cribbed from her diary pages; unfettered and fantastic thoughts that make you yearn and support the heroine. I will explore her music more, soon, but, right now, I wanted to look at a couple more themes: love and its popularity; an American songwriter in the modern world. Love, as a meme and fountain, is the most popular and predictable for songwriters. There is a reason why that is so: everyone has encountered love and a sense of passion. Whether you are a frustrated bystander – an unrequited desire that goes unfulfilled – or immersed in a burning, white-hot relationship – it is a thing we can all relate to, in some degree or other.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Alexandra Thomas

Jena Rose is young and experiencing the confusions and turbulence of tender years but has – as we hear on Loved; she brings fresh hope and aperture to the subject. Jena Rose has a lot of love for her family and loved-ones; she is someone who is potently aware of all forms of love and its hierarchies – how it can nourish the soul or destroy the heart. Forthcoming single, Sweet Love, is – not the Anita Baker track – but the desire for something simple and un-destructive. Maybe she has witnessed too many fools and ill-conceived relationships. One wonders whether the song is borrowed from the remnants of her own years: maybe it is an iteration of another songwriter; something drawn from fiction, to an extent. Jena Rose, as I have discussed, is able to define her depths and words through the lead and guise of other artist. I am not sure whether her approaching single is a declaration for compassion and a true love. Maybe she is looking at her favourite songs/artists and employing a degree of personal detachment. It will be fascinating to see the song come through but, in Loved, one hears a very personal and particular story emerge. You can look at those two songs and see the word ‘love’ appear on both occasions. It can be dangerous relying on that word as a certain musical curator might discard such songs; assuming they will be asinine and commercial. Jena Rose is not somebody who recruits menial verses and easy choruses: her music rises from her heart and is as unique as one could hope to find. It is unavoidable using the word ‘love’ as the songs concern passion and relations in different forms. New material will use new terminology but, right now, there is the compunction to document what matters most to her: expressing thanks for faithful love; the burning need for a secure and simple love. I have mentioned The Beatles and, if we are returning to that well, their first few singles did not stray far from that word – Love Me Do, She Loves You and P.S. I Love You and were all early singles. Those looking for relatable and familiar themes; mixed with wise and unexpected lyrics should align themselves with the Texan-born songwriter. Hypnotic vocals and EDM elements; daring melodies and independence distinguish the young songwriters form her peers.

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Loved begins with piano notes that put me in mind of two things: Joni Mitchell and a night-time adventure. I discover feint scents of Mitchell, as explored and revealed on Blue. The combination of stately definition and sensitive curiosity come out in the early piano expressions. Many songwriters might come in with a sweet and saccharine key that would seem, in their mind, to define the song and what needs to be said: love is the most powerful thing and I am in a happy place. Instead, we hear something more contemplative and questioning. There is a kiss of the moonlight that emanates from the fingers. Jena Rose takes the listener to the outside as the stars twinkle; cats creep with devilish glee whilst the aroma of jasmine lingers like a haunting refrain. One is powerless to resists the swarm of images and poetry that rips the clothing and teases its tongue down the body. A sinewy and graceful river-flow gets the song off to a flying start! The black-and-white of the piano keys is reflected in a video (optimal viewing-listening conditions involves one watching the video) that sees the heroine yearning and pondering in equal measures. It is hard to escape the huskiness and womanly prowess of the vocal. One might expect one so young to have a more twee and cutesy sound. We get something, instead, breathy and coffee-flavoured; a tone that can cause shiver and buckle the heartstrings. Our heroine ponders rainy days and crying her tears away. Previous Jena Rose songs have hinted at what is coming through in Loved. Here; the young woman watches the footage of old love flicking from the screen. The brief flings and false-start endeavours; the promising romances and near-misses all conspire and entangle in a frisson of broken glass shards and new promises – the heroine wanting to move on and not be subjected to the kind of boy who leads her astray. It seems, now, there is someone in her mind that differs from the clowns and clones. Maybe he is more grown-up and realises there is more to Jena Rose than looks and sex appeal.

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She is a deep and considerate human with so many sides and fascinating personality traits. She has a vulnerability but, even though she is young, there is a burning flame inside her that flickers with maturation and sagaciousness.  She does not usually let her heart run ahead of the safe route. Like a curious child racing towards a sweet shop (better images allude me); Jena Rose is venturing into new and exciting areas. She has never been in this position where a man/boy has arrived and keeps her awake at night. The voice never sticks with a single sound and line. High-pitched notes swoon with the darker and huskier elements. It is a cacophony of emotions and variations that go into an enigmatic song that alludes to a new and precarious bond. Things are fresh and, normally, the young woman does not open her heart so fondly and readily. The caution bulb is on but, more powerful than that, the blood runs hot and the loins – in a non-salacious manner – burn and lust. Jena Rose keeps things settled and considered; never becoming too infantile and sexual with her words and mindset. When she is employing wordless vocals and teasing her voice; I hear whispers of singers like Whitney Houston. There is something soulful and unadulterated about Jena Rose’s voice. Inspired by the queens and giants of Pop and Soul; one witnesses the spectrum of colour and personality come through in her voice. The video’s hero has short/cropped hair and looks like the kind who could lead a girl astray – one assumes the song’s actual inspiration is not the actor who features in the video. In any case; one is hooked by the tongue-licking and ethereal softness of Jena Rose’s voice. Recalling the boy and how they came to be; one hears that sigh and fondness ooze and stem from the flowering and sweet vocals. Our heroine feels lonely and is fatigued pushing love away. The boy makes her feel free and liberated; easy and comfortable in her own skin.

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If one assumed a structured and predictable piano-led Pop song was going to continue; they will be surprised by a new, vivacious side-step. Jena Rose’s vocals are processed, cut and vibrated as wasp-sting electronics and cracking vinyl sounds give the song a fresh and rushing buzz. Things get harder and hotter as the pretence and seduction is replaced with something to-the-bone and confident. The girl becomes a woman and steps out with red lips and painted nails. In a black dress and a smile that suggests a kiss is not out of the question – we see the rapid and uninhibited evolution from shy and questioning girl to a lioness woman who knows what she wants…and is not stopping at any red lights chasing it down. This boy has awakened something shy and reluctant in her heart. The EDM touches take the song from the boudoir and parlour of sophistication and romance to the bright-lit, neon-flickering rapaciousness appetite of love. I will not go as far to say sex overrides the mood but there is a definite castigation of the old ways. The vocal flecks and breaks up like static and strobe lighting. It is hard getting to grips with the whirlpool of voices and notes that rush into the mind and run in different directions. It is a stark contradiction to the measured and compassionate refrains we witnessed in the early moments. The lovers are “never getting older” as they embrace one another and make promises – maybe, keeping their hearts true and not straying from one another. At every avenue; Jena Rose never loses sight of herself and the way she has been treated in the past. Her present is enforced by the zombies of the past; she is not willing to close her heart to the possibility of change – her new guy seems a refreshing and fragrant king who can vanquish the horrors of dark days.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Alexandra Thomas

The verses return to the more demure and tamed sound that we experienced in the opening. Even though the pace is calmer and less rampant; the heroine lets her voice swim like a fish and fly like a bird. I hear touches of modern and classic Soul greats. One witnesses someone who has a real conviction and confidence in her voice. Learning music from a young age; it is understandable hearing a singer who can project the maximum amount of wonderment and range in her voice. Backing vocals – Jena Rose sparring with herself – puts me in mind of Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child. Queen Bey and her commanding presence can be found in Jena’s Rose fuc*-with-me-and-I’ll-end-you spirit. Even though the girl is in control; there is plenty of faith and trust in the man. Before the next pistol-whip chorus; the heroine talks about pushing the boy away. She has done this for so long but one feels that was not a lack of attraction and respect. Having scars and tattoos from previous failures; she is not going to run into a relationship without knowing whether it can stand the test of time. Things seem clearer and there is a real understanding the cloud has been lifted and there are no hidden skeletons. Loved moves from Folk/Soul ease and beauty to EDM rampancy; to soulful R&B back to EDM – the chorus swaggers back in and provides more clarity and relevance than its maiden voyage. The contrast between the red dresses/black-dressed heroine – symbolising love and death, to a degree – and the young woman sitting serenely at the piano gives the song two concurrent and intermingled personalities. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde capriciousness of love see the sexy and sweating vixen part of the same body as the mature and sensitive girl. In that case; it is a song that can appeal to the mainstream lovers and those who want to unearth a song they can dance to – Loved can fit into club rotation and score a sunny drive down an open highway. Also, for people like me, there is the intelligence, quality and songwriting brilliance one experiences in the great Soul and Folk songs. Jena Rose keeps her lyrics simple but mixes that into a melting pot where quixotic notes and spellbinding shivers lead to an incredible and memorable song.

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I am looking forward to seeing Jena Rose rise and progress. I have mentioned her upcoming our announcement and a surprise platinum artist who will be joining her. She has Sweet Love next week and has an E.P. arriving soon. Lost at Sea, a piano ballad dedicated to her grandmother, is another song we can expect to see soon. With Grammy-nominated writer, Druski; she has seen those songs given an extra sheen and elevation. The beating heart and core is from Jena Rose herself. She takes control of the songs and ensures they are what SHE wants to hear. The inclusion of Druski is there to give the production and sound an extra layer of professionalism and silk. Next year will be the busiest and most important for Jena Rose. There will be the E.P. and new material; touring commitments and the chance to explore more of the U.S. I wonder whether there will be West and East Coast dates among her scheduled appearances. I can imagine Jena Rose is someone who has one eye on the Californian sun. Not in the sense she will abandon her roots and embrace something cheap and alluring – more, there is a larger market and wider community she can get involved with. Texas is a wonderful state for music and a part of the world producing great artists. I said I’d talk about songwriters in modern America – and forgot to – but Jena Rose, in a lot of ways, defines the complexities and nascent mysteries of the American songwriter. On one level, she is a pure and sweet-cheeked woman. There is caramel, sweetness and chocolate streaming from her gorgeous tongue. One gets a real allure and comfort from the tender tones of Jena Rose. Beauty and fashion are a part of her personality: there are few as striking and entrancing as her! Sexuality is not a part of her marketability: instead, a maturity and intelligence are more powerful muses and contours. There is contrast in the soul of Jena Rose. She is someone with a passionate heart and welcoming soul. Jena Rose wants love and acceptance but has encountered some rogue lovers and cheating minds.

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The corpses of those experiences go into her music but, from the ashes of ruinous love, comes a songwriter keen to enter a new phase and find safety. There is something very mature and assured about Jena Rose. Maybe there is still a youthful naivety that means she will always wish for the best – when form and reality shows there are more needles in the haystack than there are bandages. Jena Rose is relatable to young fans and those who want accessible Pop and contemporary sounds. Songs like Loved have a real sense of melody and can be extrapolated by those who prefer their Pop music instant and warm. On the other side; there is real talent, artistry and intellectualism working in every fabric of the song. Jena Rose, in spite of her limited years, is someone who has confidence and an established sound. There is no denying the confidence and sense of place she has already. I would love to see her come to London as I know there is a fanbase in the U.K. There are a few venues I can suggest she comes and places. The Lexington and The Finsbury are two smaller venues that would welcome her in. Manchester’s Deaf Institute would be a good fit – the city, as a whole, is somewhere she would fall in love with. London is a big market and a place she could do very well in. Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen has a modern and cool vibe; Union Chapel has a grandeur and beauty that could perfectly bond with Jena Rose’s wonderful music; The Bedford (Balham) is a great stage – all corners of the capital could be explored and exploited. I suggest Jena Rose go beyond London as there is money and opportunity in other cities like Leeds, Brighton; Manchester and Glasgow. If she did a bit of research, and polled the people, she would get a sense of the demographics and fan-numbers waiting for her. Whatever her U.K. plans; we might have to wait until she has finished seducing America. Loved will lead to Sweet Love: maybe the young heroine is entering a creative phase where she wants to be settled and not play the silly games of teenage love. It is thrilling watching the young woman spread her wings and open her plumage. There are few Pop artists like her and, in a music scene where there are too many familiar faces; it is rewarding and sensational seeing Jena Rose…

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ADD a one-of-a-kind personality you will never forget.

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INTERVIEW: Akiva

INTERVIEW:

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 Akiva

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WITH so much tension emerging in the…

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political arenas of the U.K. and U.S.; it is only natural musicians would want their say. Akiva are based in Bedfordshire - and are one of the most intriguing and engaged bands around. I ask them about their new single, M.O.D., and the connection it has to the Ministry of Defence’s ‘Be the Best’ slogan – and how they feel about that. The guys discuss their feelings about President Trump and recruitment of military personnel; whether the world is in stable hands – and why they have been compelled to react.

They chat about their musical idols and how Akiva formed; the story behind M.O.D’s awesome animated video; what comes next for them – whether there will be more material surfacing very soon.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

All good, thanks. Been a good week. 

Our new single, M.O.D’s been getting some good feedback - so we’re all pretty happy.

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

Yep. We’re Akiva; a four-piece Electro-Indie outfit from Bedfordshire. We’re into analogue synth. loops; drum-beats with a groove; rolling basslines; Stones-y guitar sounds and big choruses. Our sound was probably originally inspired by all that Electro-Indie crossover stuff that came out of the nineties: The Charlatans, Primal Scream; Unkle; Black Grape; Doves, Stereo MC’s etc. – and, also more recently, the likes of The Horrors, Jamie T and Beyond The Wizards Sleeve. We’re also big fans of trying to use music to get a message across - particularly in the volatile climate we currently live in. 

We were recently described as ‘George Orwell-meets-The Killers’ - which is not far off.

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Tell me about M.O.D. and the inspiration behind the song?

M.O.D. was originally written when we had that massive spate of soldiers being sent back from Afghanistan in coffins and paraded through Wooten Basset. At the time, it felt like it was happening almost every other day. There was a massive amount of respect shown for them by the public - and it was pretty emotional stuff to watch on the news every night. The tragedy of it was that it felt like all of those deaths were completely avoidable and unnecessary - particularly, in light of the fact that that war doesn’t seem to have achieved anything...

Talk to me about the video and the animations employed. Was that quite tough to put together?

Yes, but we don’t get to take any of the credit for that part!

We hooked up with an animator called Wayne McCauslin to put the video together. We put an early release of the track out to a load of music video-makers and animators - and Wayne came back with a really powerful pitch that we instantly loved. He completely understood the song, the message; our taste in music and what we’re generally about. We loved some of the stuff he’d done before, too. We’d play his other videos with the sound turned down and stick our tracks over the top - and it just felt like whatever he did would fit with our music.

We spent a couple of months going back and forwards with Wayne’s ideas and our feedback - but we didn’t really ask him to change anything he came up with. He got it right from the beginning, so we just went completely with his vision. We think he did an amazing job. It’s funny: it feels like we’ve known him for ages now, although we’ve never actually met or even spoken on the phone as everything was done by email (he lives in Germany and we’re in England).

It’ll be funny when we do finally meet up (I haven’t even got any idea what his accent is…).

Does that Ministry of Defence ‘Be the Best’ slogan, juxtaposed against the funeral parades we saw in Wootton Bassett, rile and disgust you as a band?!

We have to be careful not to get too high and mighty about this. It’s easy to have a pop at politicians - and we understand you need an army and people to protect the country. What our armed forces did in World War II, for example, was incredible; brave and inspirational - and we all owe them a massive debt. However, in the last fifteen years or so, it’s all just felt so pointless. Very few people think the wars we’ve been engaged in have actually protected us against anything. Yeah, that ‘Be the Best’ slogan did rile - that’s why it’s referenced in the song.

‘Be the Best’ was a marketing slogan trying to persuade very young lads - who didn’t know what to do with their lives - to go and stand in front of bullets for no obvious reason. In the '00s, the average age of a new army recruit was nineteen. I understand that all organisations have to do a bit of advertising to get people interested. It’s one thing using that sort of emotive language to sell someone a car: quite another to ask a kid to put their life on the line, for no apparent cause.

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Politics and polemics of war play heavy in your aesthetic and mindset. What is your view regarding the way Britain is changing and the divides you see around you?

Yeah, massively so... 

I remember talking to my granddad as a kid about World War II; he was in the Navy. At that time, almost everyone had a living link in their family to someone who had fought, died or been involved at some level. We all lived in a very peaceful time but the memory and awareness of just how devastating and destructive conflict could be (was) very apparent and it affected how people thought and behaved. That living link has all but gone now and as this has disappeared: it feels like that awareness of the consequences of war has evaporated as well.

People don’t take anywhere near as much care in what they say. Highly divisive and threatening rhetoric gets flung around now in such a casual manner: it’s pretty scary where it might lead.  I don’t think it’s just Britain, either – this seems to be happening everywhere at the moment.

The same goes for the U.S. Do you feel Trump is a man who needs to be stopped? Why do you think he is someone who, apparently, speaks to a lot of Americans?!

Trump is obviously a disaster-zone.

He’s a complete imbecile with a lot of power and extremely divisive opinions - which makes him very dangerous. However, I do also think he’s a symptom of a wider problem at the moment, rather than the cause. If he gets ousted, there could equally be another populist lunatic taking the reins. Growing inequality over the last few decades has played a big part in that. There are a lot of people who are stuck in a rut with no obvious way of getting out and chancers with intellectually lazy, flawed populist ideas are now starting to appeal to them. Trump is the aristocratic, son of multi-millionaire; whose vast wealth is purely a result of his huge inheritance. 

Despite this, he managed to win the votes of millions of broke, working-class Americans. He has no idea what their experience of life is like and he certainly won’t make their lives any better – yet, they still all voted for him. Something, somewhere, must have gone very wrong with our political system for that to be able to happen.

Bedfordshire is where you are all based. How did Akiva come to be and what is the inspiration behind the name?

We all went to school together. Rob and Dave are brothers and were at junior-school with Malc. I moved down from the North and met the others at secondary-school. We started out by messing around with guitar riffs and trying to learn the odd cover - that we could play to our mates in the school talent shows and stuff. In the sixth-form, we started to take it a bit more seriously and set up camp in Dave and Rob’s foam-plastered garage - much to the disappointment of their neighbours. That’s when we formed the band properly. 

We were originally called ‘Hush’ but changed our name to Akiva in 2004 - when we released our first album. Akiva is the name of a character in an old Second World War film called Kelly’s Heroes.

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Your music mixes in classics, Rave suggestion and Grunge undertones – packed inside intense and to-the-point lyrics. Who were the artists you all grew up with and source as influences?

The Grunge thing comes mainly from Nirvana - who were the first band we all got into. We were very young, then. We loved Kurt Cobain, the energy and those noisy guitars - but we didn’t really identify with the whole ‘I-hate-myself-and-want-to-die’ thing. That’s why bands like Oasis, Primal Scream; The Charlatans and the Prodigy appealed to us so much more. They had the same energy and Punk spirit - but it was all so much more uplifting. The Rave scene had that energy, too. Malc used to go to a lot of raves and my brother started D.J-ing old-skool, Drum & Bass and breakbeat - so I got a lot of those influences passed down to me.

We loved the feel and sound of a lot of Rave and old Dance tunes; however, for us, guitar music was always the first love; mainly because of its powerful ability to send a message. People like James Dean Bradfield, Ian Brown and Thom Yorke were big inspirations as they always had something important to say. 

Also, and probably most significantly, it was going back and discovering The Who and The Rolling Stones that made the biggest difference for us. That late-1960s combination of swaggering, upbeat guitar tunes with powerful, politically-tinged messages in the lyrics – incredible! Sympathy for the Devil and Won’t Get Fooled Again became our blueprints for what a song should be...

It seems your music is as influenced by the cornerstones of legendary music and Question Time/BBC Radio 4 alike. Would that be a fair assessment?!

Yeah. It seems weird for a band to say they’re influenced by Radio 4 , but I think if you going to write about something, you have to do your research and you have to understand what it is you’re talking about. We read a lot and listen to and watch a lot of programmes about news, politics; economics and history - because we want to understand things. We want to know what’s going on in the world and why. Songs with personal themes (love, loss; pain, regret and aspiration) have always been those that appeal to people the most; however, for us, it’s combining the personal and the political that makes the most powerful music. It doesn’t work with the political on its own (no-one wants to hear a song about the Government’s fiscal policy!) but, when you combine love and class-conflict..you get A Design for Life. When you mix anxiety and the Vietnam War...you get Gimme Shelter.

This was very much at the back of our minds when we wrote M.O.D. - and framed what we were trying to achieve.

George Orwell is a hero for all of you. What is it about him and his writing that connects with the band?

George Orwell was a visionary and a genius. Nothing short.

1984, in particular, is a bit of Bible for us. It’s pretty mind-blowing to think that he wrote this nearly seventy years ago - yet it couldn’t be more relevant today. The stuff about Big Brother and surveillance was prescient: look at the Edward Snowden revelations. I also remember when George W. Bush first declared the ‘War on Terror’, thinking: “Who is he actually waging war on?! Terror isn’t a country or a person it’s a concept. How can you win a war against an idea?!”. George Orwell had this nailed in the 1984 plotline: the state constantly declares itself at war with unknown and intangible enemies to create fear and uncertainty in the population. This allows them to maintain control and stay in power.

This is exactly what Bush did. Despite being one of the most incompetent presidents America has ever seen; in 2004, he managed to get re-elected - largely, in part, to this everlasting ‘War on Terror’ he’d created.

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What tour dates do you have coming up? Where can we catch you play?

We’ve not got many live dates in the diary over the next few months, unfortunately. We’re focusing on writing some new songs - which we’re planning to record early next year. We’re also teaming up with Wayne again. Next week, we start work on another video for our next single - which will be called Ammunition. 

You can probably guess what the themes of this one are about, too…

If you each had to select the one album that means the most to you; which would they be and why?

Me (Dave MacK - Vocals):  Mine would probably be Tellin' Stories by The Charlatans

I had this on-repeat permanently as a teenager and still never tire of it. It’s the combination of that Stones-y, Dylan-esque swagger; Burgess’ heady, optimistic vocal drawl and those pounding drums, basslines and piano riffs - it just makes you feel so alive! I used to feel like I could do anything when I listened to this. 

I still do, now! 

Malc (Guitar): The Stone Roses’ debut album (The Stone Roses)

It has everything I adore in music swirled into a perfect package - and twinned with the coolest original artwork, personal to the band. Grooving basslines; the funkiest breakbeat drumming; an arrogant swagger; dark, cutting and topical lyrics disguised in familiar, uplifting melodic harmonies… and then; the sparkling, absorbing guitar that binds and lifts these tracks to magical perfection. If I’m happy, I want to hear this record: in my deepest despair, I reached for this album - a night out on the town is improved by hearing a track from this album.

When I pick up my Les Paul it’s this album I think of - and I fall in love with music over and over again.

Dave Merc (Drums): I’d go for Ill Communication by the Beastie Boys 

Layered; new; aged; aggressive and blissfully chilled - all in one album. It encapsulated the confusion of my late-teens, but it had a culture about it and a resilience that helped see me through those days with focus and persistence.

Rob (Bass): David Bowie – Hunky Dory would get my vote

There’s not much I can say about this album that hasn’t already said. It’s just a masterpiece and I can’t help but be moved by it every time. Bowie was a true genius. I felt like I’d lost a close friend when he died last year.

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What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Work hard, practice loads and don't expect to make any money! You really do have to do it for the love of it - now that all music is pretty much free. That's always been our biggest motivation: trying to become as good as we can at playing and writing and trying to create something we can really be proud of. 

Christmas is not too far away. Do you all have plans already or will you be busy working?

We haven't made any Christmas plans yet. It gets a bit annoying seeing Christmas ads when we haven't even had Halloween yet.

There are still two months to go…

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

(With pleasure):

Propellerheads - Bang On!

Black Grape - Reverend Black Grape

Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

David Bowie - Life on Mars?

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FEATURE: It’s That Time of the Year! The Hallowe’en Playlist

FEATURE:

 

It’s That Time of the Year!

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 The Hallowe’en Playlist

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WHETHER you convincingly immerse yourself…

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in the costumes, fun and theatre of Hallowe’en – or take a rather laid-back and detached attitude to the celebrations – the final day of October has an effect, one way or the other. One cannot avoid the build-up and the peculiar fascination, adults and children alike, have for Hallowe’en. Few are concerned with its origins and history – I shall not bore you with it, now – but I am worried there is little of the dark arts working through music. Gothic-Rock was a style of music that emerged in the wake of the Post-Punk era of the late-1970s. Growing from the ties of English Punk-Rock; Proto-Gothic bands enjoyed great influence and importance in the late-1970s/early-1980s. Joy Division, The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees were early proponents and made music defined by a certain fashion, sound and identity. It is fascinating watching these artists follow from a time of great rebellion and anger.

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IN THIS PHOTO: The Cure

The Punk movement, by this time, had all but trickled down to a whimper: a new sensation was beginning to take shape. If Goth-Rock did not quite dominate music, it gained a lot of followers and compelled musicians – who were a little more peculiar and 'outsider' than most – to step into the spotlight. It seems rather crude and immature assuming this style of music is ghoulish and Hallowe’en-y. The reason for bringing this subject up is to show how music and Hallowe’en relate. Sure, other genres of music have created moments of witchcraft, the spooky and dark – it is not exclusive to a particular time and place. What I find interesting is how Gothic music was less a genre and more a movement. Bands and artists helped launch a distinct literature, fashion and community. If bands such as The Cure saw their popularity wane towards the end of the 1980s; the impact they made helped influence new musicians – mutating and preserving Gothic-Rock into the 1990s (and beyond). Today, bands such as The Horrors preserve aspects of legends like Joy Division and The Cure but it seems (Gothic music) is less prevalent and popular than once was.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Chelsea Wolfe

Tastes and times have changed but I feel music needs that new burst of colour and light – not as black and dark as many would assume. This year, Gary Numan and The Horrors have released terrific Gothic-Rock/Electronic albums – the former more dystopian and bleak than the latter, it must be said. Numan’s Savage (Songs from a Broken World) looks at fractured elements of the modern world – a desertified, post-apocalyptic landscape as a result of global warming. The Horrors’ latest, V, is more widescreen and varied: a less bleak and shadowy creation than their earliest work. Throw in other acts such as Chelsea Wolfe, Zola Jesus and The Tiger Lillies and there are enough musicians keeping the more haunted and intense side of music intact. It would be unfair to suggest these artists/this music are depressive and suppressive. That is unfair but it is clear they occupy a singular segment of the musical map. To me; there is a link between Hallowe’en’s history, dynamics and identity and music. Over the years, there have been some terrific songs produced by artists who channel something ghostly, spectral and twilight. To end this piece; I have collated an essential mix of Hallowe’en-ready tracks that span the decades. A rich and varied collection of songs that will provide any Hallowe’en night…

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THE perfect kick and spice.

FEATURE: Anarchy, EMI and the Monarchy: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols at Forty

FEATURE:

 

Anarchy, EMI and the Monarchy:

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 Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols at Forty

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FEW bands record a single album…

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and go down in music history! There are fewer who could only release one record and remain in the memory for (over) forty years. Perhaps the Sex Pistols struck a particular vein at a perfect point in time. I will bring in a Rolling Stone article a bit later but, it seems, Never Mind the Bollocks… was the ultimate and most intense way of articulating the stresses and divisions apparent in 1977. The Punk band formed in 1975 and, despite four singles and one album, were instrumental in spearheading a new wave of Punk bands. There are those who say the group were overrated and arrived in music a little too late – albums by The Clash faring better and predating their sole album. If one looks at Never Mind the Bollocks… then you will see, years before, bigger and bolder Punk artists has already set the flame alight. The Clash released their eponymous debut in April (1977); the Ramones unleashed their eponymous debut the year before – there were already markers and leaders in the market before the Sex Pistols.

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To get a bigger picture of the Sex Pistols’ only album and one has to look at the country at the time and John Lydon’s arrival in the band. In 1975, Bernard Rhodes – a good friend of Malcolm McLaren – spotted a nineteen-year-old John Lydon, a Kings Road habitué, at a gig wearing a Pink Floyd T-shirt – with the image's eyes gouged out; a message, ‘I Hate’, scrawled above the band’s name. It attracted Rhodes’ attention – he asked Lydon to meet with fellow musicians Steve Jones and Paul Cook. Unbeknownst to them; the green-haired rebel that entered their midst was going to be their leader. Lydon, at the start, improvised singing and would do some unique renditions of popular songs – to the amusement of his band-mates. His unconventional and untutored mannerisms – coupled with the fact he was seen as a bit grating and loud by the guys – meant there was a natural and instant bond. It would be two years before the band settled and recorded their landmark album.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Sid Vicious in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Gruen

At this stage – before the album was released – Glen Matlock was on bass. He was replaced by Sid Vicious (who had never played bass before joining the band) and, with McLaren managing the Sex Pistols, the legend was cemented. It was hardly a shock, given their non-conformist mind-set and anarchic disregard, they would prove unpopular with the press at the time. The Clash were, at the time, the biggest British Punk group: American had the Ramones and, at a time when there was the desire for social change and re-engineering; Sex Pistols seemed like a breath of (much-needed) fresh air. That yearning for pandemonium and moral retaliation – against the crown and state – meant the Sex Pistols were granted a free pass by the music public. If the press felt they were too uncouth and ragged to appeal to the shiny, white-teeth-polite-words requirements for the mainstream – those who preferred their artists real and original bonded with the London band. In the spring of 1977, the three senior members – excluding Sid Vicious – went to the studio to record the album. The band were not keen for Vicious to be around them at the time – fortunately, as they see it, Vicious had hepatitis. Matlock came and recorded with the guys as a session musician:

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PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock/Richard Young

Vicious’ incompetence and behaviour meant he was barred from the studio. Jones played most of the bass parts on the record with Matlock having to audition, in a way, to play with the band – a process, many say, he felt demeaned having to do. The only element of Sid Vicious on Never Mind the Bollocks… is a pared-down, near-mute bass part recorded for Bodies. There was an appropriate amount of disarray and disorganisation when it came to recording the album. Members being switched and there was very little structure at the time. Many would say that is what one requires from a genuine Punk band: if they were methodical and well-behaved; that would take away from their ethos and music. Luckily, the band did actually make an album – what was captured remains one of the most explosive and important albums of the 1970s. Critics at the time had their opinions, for sure.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Johnny Rotten

Some saw the record as too controversial for the sake of it; songs like Bodies contained profanity and, naturally, was not a favourite for radio stations – Never Mind the Bollocks… was censored because of its testicular reference. Politicians – often the go-to when it comes to music opinions and reflecting the opinions of the masses – felt the record reflected the downward turn society was taking. These bratty and explicit boys were not what Britain wanted or needed at that time. In 1977, Star Wars was breaking box office records; Elvis died; Red Rum won the Grand National for the third time – it was a weird and wonderful year. The fact our Queen was celebrating her Silver Jubilee. Around August, there were strikes against The National Front and it seemed there were contrasts in the U.K. in 1977. Even if you were not a royalist; you would have been captured in the spirit and celebration that unfolded then – a fact the Sex Pistols did not let slip.

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The fact there was far-right fascism and a disenfranchised youth rallying sat with strikes, economic problems and regal celebrations meant a Punk movement of Pistols proportions was inevitable. Johnny Rotten and his crew recorded an incendiary record that verbalised an anger many felt. To commemorate the album; Johnny Rotten and Glen Matlock conducted an interview with Rolling Stone - and looked back on the record with mixed feelings:

"Bollocks was such a solid piece of work, yet when we were recording it, it felt anything but," says Johnny Rotten, looking back on the watershed 1977 LP Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. By his account, the group was working with a producer who was "deaf in one ear and tone deaf in the other," and he and his bandmates had to cram a lot into their time in the studio”.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Dennis Morris

Their annoyance with production and sound mars the fact Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols sounds just right. If the singles/standouts – God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the U.K. among them – were highlighted by critics (and seen as the ‘hits’ among filler) then it only takes a few minutes to get stuck into the remaining tracks. Many overlook tracks like Liar and Seventeen: essential cuts that provide fuel, cohesion and story. They are an essential part of an album and songs that have their place. It was not until 20th September that the tracklist was finalised for the album. There were debates and problems along the way – the band were dropped by their label and signed with Virgin – and the record took a long time to get down. Holidays in the Sun – with Satellite as its flips-side – was the fourth single from the band and proved less successful as previous singles like Pretty Vacant. If the songs’ content and themes provoked controversy: the album’s title/cover – but was originally called God Save Sex Pistols – would see store leave blank spaces on shelves; remove copies from circulation or censor the cover. It caused a furore and did what Sex Pistols needed it to do: get people talking and cause controversy. Rolling Stone, in their recent article, assessed the magic and purpose of the record:

“Ultimately, the Sex Pistols created the defining clarion call for punk mayhem. The record was a little less than 40 minutes of seething rock & roll frustration aimed at anyone within gobbing distance, and their home country, in particular. And around the time Never Mind the Bollocks came out on October 28th, 1977, the band caused chaos as much as it inspired anarchy”.

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God Save the Queen attacked the deference of the Crown and coruscated the country’s regalism; other subjects broached looked at the music industry, consumerism and apathy – violence, the Holocaust and abortion. Johnny Rotten, when speaking with the magazine, talked about songs like Bodies (“The song is about abortion, and yes, it is a woman's right [to choose] absolutely because she has to bear the child and all the issues thereinafter. Is it wise to bring an unwanted child into the world? No, I don't think it is, but again that is just my opinion, because I always would leave it to the woman”.) and Liar (“But the song isn't totally about Malcolm. I think we always knew that about him, and in an odd way, it was one of his most adorable features. Do you know when you really know someone, you kind of accept those kinds of things because you take everything with a pinch of salt?”).

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Glen Matlock talked about Anarchy in the U.K. (“Around the summertime, we were rehearsing and once again I said, "Does anybody got any ideas?" And I had a go at Steve, 'cause I felt I was pushing the band along a bit, but that time he had something, which wasn't much. And he said, "Why don't you come up with something?" And I had half an idea for a big overture, and I just started playing that descending chord progression and everybody picked up on it and said, "Where's it go next?") and Pretty Vacant (“Malcolm McLaren had been going back and forth to the States to be involved in the rag trade and buy old Fifties clothes because he had a Teddy Boy shop, and I knew he ran into Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls and went backstage. Malcolm came back with fliers for the shows and he brought back set lists, but none of these bands had made records at that stage. One said "Blank Generation," and that got me thinking about how there was nothing going on in London, and there was a real air of despondency and desperation, so I came out with the idea of "Pretty Vacant.”).

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IN THIS PHOTO: Glen Matlock (2017)/PHOTO CREDIT: David Mallows

It is clear the biggest songs struck a chord with Rotten (Lydon) and Matlock. They have a fond spot for Seventeen, New York and Sub-Mission but their ‘anthems’ are the songs that have endured and resonated hardest. It is fascinating seeing two Sex Pistols dissecting and discussing their music forty years down the line. It is clear, regardless of whether you see the album as underrated or too pumped, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols remains a wonderful work. It is as synonymous with its background and changes as it was the music itself. By January 1978 – when the band completed a chaotic tour of the U.S. – Johnny Rotten announced the band’s split. There was no chance or time to release another album: that was the end of the Sex Pistols! The remaining members of the band have embarked on reunion tours – Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose in 1979 – but it was merely a chance to rekindle some of the magic they created in 1977. Nothing or nobody can diminish the effect the Sex Pistols’ only album had on music. Maybe it caused conflict – among the government, record labels and distributors – at the time but it compelled and ignited the public.

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It was unlike anything else out there and a true reflection of the simmering dismay in the 1970s. Times are tough now - so it seems an album like Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols has a relevance and purpose. Noel Gallagher claims it is his favourite album; Kurt Cobain listed it among his favourite albums, too – it has made a huge impact on generations of musicians. One need only look at the current musical landscape and realise Sex Pistols are encoded in the D.N.A. of our rawest and most primal acts. From IDLES and Sleaford Mods through to Honeyblood and Drenge: bands who all, consciously or not, have taken something from Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.

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I feel today, more than 1977, we need another band to spark the same kind of passion the Sex Pistols did then. If 1997 was defined by Radiohead’s OK Computer; 1967 by The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Joshua Tree in 1987, perhaps?!) then 1977 belonged to Sex Pistols. Against strong competition from fellow Punk luminaries, The Clash; a ramshackle group of guys came together to make something sensational. They may, on the surface, have seemed unprofessional and unfocused but the Sex Pistols were tremendous musicians and vital voice of their generation. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols has its detractors but, look at the musicians it has compelled, and one cannot ignore its importance. At a time where we are as fragmented and troubled as then (back in 1977), the relevance and wisdom of the Sex Pistols’ majestic album is…

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PHOTO CREDIT: Dennis Morris

AT its absolute peak!

TRACK REVIEW: Michael Jablonka - Peacefully

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Michael Jablonka

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Peacefully

 

9.3/10

 

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 Peacefully is available via:

https://soundcloud.com/jablonka-music/peacefully-2/s-pmUw3

GENRE:

Rock

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

RELEASE DATE:

 15th September, 2017

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THE next couple of days will be spent…

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reviewing some interesting artists and talking about an array of subjects. That might sound vague but, among it all, there are things to get excited about. Michael Jablonka is under my radar and someone I am keen to assess. I interviewed him last year – when he was promoting his previous single – and was fascinated by his story and talent. I will talk about his new song, Peacefully, very soon but, right now, a few relevant points. This week, when reviewing Baxter Dury’s album, Prince of Tears, I was blown away by his incredible lyrics and voice. There are some innovators in music but there are (relatively) few that stay in the imagination that long, With Dury, when listening to the songs on the album, it was amazing seeing all the scenes and images painted – an amazing musician who makes you smile, think and emote without much effort. Before I move on, I want to talk about, among other things, guitar wizardry and backing big stars on the road. Jablonka is an exceptional guitarist who has been compared with the likes of Jimi Hendrix. Most of my reviews revolve around solo artists and bands that are not renowned for their guitar skills. In the case of Jablonka; his guitar work has been compared to the greats for good reason. What impresses me is the fact he is able to provoke comparisons to the big names but retain his own style. I have been pining for a great guitarist; someone I can get my teeth into and stick with. Most of the solo artists I encounter have the guitar as part of their music – it is not a big dynamic and mantra. For Jablonka, it is an integral part of his sound and one of the main reasons he is so adored. One imagines he would have trained and studied for years to sound that good. I have tried learning the guitar myself but have struggled to stick with it. Many are taught to sound like others: it can be hard crafting a unique technique and personality when being guided by rigid instructors.

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I am interested in the instrument but am not sure I will ever find the patience and talent to master it. That is a shame because I feel, if one can get a command of the guitar, it can open up a whole new world. One has the opportunity to join a band or start a solo career with horizons and chances. Jablonka is able to perform in a soothing manner but has incredible electricity and fire in his blood. I am always stunned witnessing great guitarists express themselves through their instrument. It becomes an extension of who they are and a part of their soul. That might sound a little pretentious but guitarists do not take up the instrument and have a casual relationship with it – that is true of any musician, I guess. Jablonka has been playing for a long time but has really stepped up his game the past few years. So few solo artists are synonymous with the guitar. Emphasis is put on the voice and lyrics: how many of us remember someone because of their guitar skills?! It is becoming so rare and, because of that, a man like Michael Jablonka is deserving of a bigger audience. Apart from, maybe Jack White, there are few that get into the brain because of their guitar chops – a slight exaggeration, perhaps, but he is someone that stands above the herd. I will move on but would urge anyone with even a passing interest in the guitar to check out Michael Jablonka. He is someone who will have a long career – it is wonderful watching the young man blossom and bringing so much from the guitar. Maybe I obsess too much over a single element but it is an integral aspect of who he is. The fact Jablonka’s music is so nuanced, trained and stunning is, to a degree, the fact he has supported a fellow Michael on the road…

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Jablonka has shared the stage with Mercury Prize-nominated songwriter, Michael Kiwanuka. I am a massive fan of Kiwanuka and count his album, Love & Hate, among my favourite of the past few years. It is an amazing record and, whilst not as defined by guitar as Jablonka’s work, it is a rapturous and stunning work from a special human. On it; Kiwanuka addresses faith and his place in the world; racial imbalance and the state of the modern world – the struggles we all face and the ways we can overcome. It is not a shock that record gained a prestigious nod. Taking his music on the road and one would have witnessed a stunning artist who has come on a long way. Kiwanuka’s leap from his first album, Home Again, to Love & Hate was immense. The former was a personal and traditional Soul record that showcased an amazing voice but, in terms of lyrics and compositions, was a little honed and limited. Love & Hate expanded and broke new ground. The themes widened to the outside world and deeply political realms; the music more adventurous and multi-genre – the vocals employed new shades and power. Jablonka would have learnt a lot from Kiwanuka but, the fact he was given that honour, shows what a talent he is. Michael Jablonka has gone a long way in a short time but that time on the road would have given him a good insight into the music industry. Not only has he had a first-hand look at the day-to-night cycle of touring: the demands of the road and buzz of the crowd will be in his ears and eyes. That has fuelled his desires and made him strive and work harder. One of the reasons that experience has been notable is how he has assimilated new strands into his music. Mantra is Jablonka’s previous single and one that showed a lot of wisdom, energy and vivaciousness. Now, on Peacefully, he seems to have incorporated new inspiration into the work.

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What interests me about the Jablonka-Kiwanuka connection is how much the former has been impacted by the latter. It seems like a natural bond so I wonder, down the line, whether the two will conspire in the coming months. I hear bits of Kiwanuka’s voice and songwriting on Peacefully. It is a song that has commercial appeal but is a lot more striking and bold than your average fare. In fact; few artists have created a song as particular and immediate as Jablonka. I feel the time on the road – and the time has hanged with Kiwanuka – has made a big difference in terms of confidence and enlightenment. The music, now, appears more confident and natural; the lyrics and vocals jump off the page and into the heart; the overall effect is incredible. It seems Jablonka dedicates every waking hour to his craft and music. That sort of commitment is impressive to see. I know a lot of musicians put in that much graft but, to the London-based musician, it seems more like a calling. There are so many out there who want to chase fame and commercial benefit. For Jablonka; I sense a man who wants to bring something revolutionary and new to the music world. He is not content performing staple and samey songs to people who will not take anything away from it. The fact he was selected as the go-to stringsman of Michael Kiwanuka speaks volumes – a man at the top of his game would not recruit a young guitarist if he was not up to the job! That faith has been repaid with incredible live performances and loyalty. The two Michaels would have learned a lot from each other but it is the chance Jablonka was given that will motivate him to make more music and keep aiming high.

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Talk about commitment and passion and there are few who compared with Michael Jablonka. This is something I wanted to look at in more detail. I have alluded to the fact there are some who go into music for the wrong reasons. For Jablonka; few can doubt his willingness to give his all to music. Whether you see it as a calling or something he was meant to do – he spends all his waking time thinking about music. That comes through in his sounds. One knows how much effort he puts in; always pushing his skills to the limit. If one concentrates their existence to a field then it is going to have negative and positive effects. Jablonka is someone who obsesses over his music and will want to push it to the very ends. He wants success and to get as far in the industry as he possiblly can. That sort of passion cannot be faulted but I wonder whether he is exhausting himself and pushing himself too much. That might seem like a paternal attitude but, as I shall explain in a piece tomorrow, are modern musicians risking burnout by writing and performing too much?! Maybe the industry is putting too much pressure on the shoulders of the new musician and wanting them to give too much, too – that, in turn, is leading to physical and emotional cracks. Jablonka is attacking music on his own terms but knows what it takes to be remembered and make a dent. He will spend his free time battling and forging new material; touring as much as he can and thinking about new avenues. Maybe there is a risk he will stress himself but I feel there are more positives in the case of Jablonka. He is not a man who seems likely to explode or feel the rapture of commercialism. For him, music is more about doing things in his own way and putting out the sounds that feel right and pure. That is one of the reasons there has been quite a gap between his debut and follow-up single.

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What stuns the listener is the fact it all sounds so effortless and easy. There are no thrills and the desire to bring too many other bodies to the party. It is Jablonka and a few others in the song; a track that is defined by his guitar and spectacular talent. I know there are others who have a singular songcraft but few that make such a noise as Michael Jablonka. I guess that time with Kiwanuka would have helped but one looks at the embers of Hendrix and knows that has made a bigger impression. The all-time-great guitarist is someone who you do not hear a lot of in modern music. If there is a big guitar player then one picks out other influences – maybe your Jack White types and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Maybe it is daunting measuring up to a guitarist who many consider to be the finest there has ever been. Jablonka is not quite up to the mark of Hendrix, yet, but one feels he has the potential to get there. Everything he has taken on-board – the touring and experience; the passion he has for what he does – have all helped mould a wondrous musician. I will move onto the song in question but, before then, a couple more points. There are few that expend as much energy into their music so it is understandable Jablonka would pace things and not rush too heavily. Mantra was a song that gained a lot of esteem and headway but hinted at new promise and bigger things. Peacefully is a move forward and an evolution from Jablonka. His latest song explodes with crunching riffs, fireworks and scintillating drama. I have mentioned the likes of Jack White but one gets hints of Matt Bellamy and Jimi Hendrix. That improvement is something I wanted to look into and examine in forensic detail.

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Perhaps it is the reception Mantra gained that has pushed him on and made him a finer and more nuanced musician. Mantra is brilliant but Peacefully is a song that hits harder and lasts longer. Jablonka will support The Strypes – or is at the moment – and is learning new things from another act. He is still in touch with Michael Kiwanuka but, with The Strypes, he is gigging with a band that differs greatly. That will give Jablonka a chance to get his new music to different crowds – that will get new fans in and give him new drive and purpose. I feel gigs are the reason Jablonka is stepping up and making his music as explosive as possible. If the ghost of Jimi Hendrix can be heard in his guitar-work; I still hear bits of Kiwanuka in the voice and lyrics. I will leave things there but I am stunned by the step Jablonka has made between his previous single and the one now. The London-born artist has gigged with The Strypes but he will play Map Café (NW5) on 25th November. He is keeping busy and ensuring his music reaches as many of the capital’s faces as is possible. All of this will propel and infuse the spirit and body of Michael Jablonka. I am pumped to discover where the youngster can go and what is next for him. I feel London plays a pivotal role in who he is and what he plays. Jablonka is keen to stand aside from supporting and other musicians and establish his own music career. He is in the right city to achieve all he sets out to do. In terms of venues; he has the finest and biggest right on his doorstep. This time of year, many will want to evade the cold and darker nights and go see live music.

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Jablonka will have a platform on which to strike and campaign. I am determined to see his music go as far as it possibly can. By doing gigs around London, he will gain local pride and press and be able to move on from there. It is easy getting caught in the London rut but is that such a bad thing?! Jablonka was born here and, so, has a natural affinity for its people. I feel there is a bigger world out there that deserves his music. Jablonka will want to get some attention in the city but, when he has broken ground and made his voice heard, there is an opportunity to take the music further. The U.K. has so many great areas for the new artist to explore. Whether he has the fanbase and finance to get up and down the nation, I am not so sure. Regardless of that; everyone will want to fall for the extraordinary guitar chops of Jablonka. There are so few like him and, because of that, the waves will spread and the good vibes come his way. I will look at Peacefully soon but it seems, in regards this track, it speaks about detaching and finding some space. Everyone gets caught in the stress and rush of life – even Jablonka – and that need to get away and find solace emanates from the song. The track investigates the hustle of everyday life and the storm we can all get mixed up in. Whether there was a romantic bent to the background – or a modern influence – it is hard to say. It is a song that will resonate with many and can be taken to heart. We have all be in the same situation as the hero and can relate to what he is going through. Even if his guitar work is intangible to mere mortals: Jablonka balances that with down-to-earth lyrics and familiar paens.

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The opening riff is a juggernaut that breaks through the walls and throws grenades into the landscape. It is an industrial rampage that destroys all in its wake and breaks all the surroundings. It is an acidic and delirious swirl that makes you stand up and gets involved. The hero comes to the microphone and talks about light and seeing the sight – perhaps, it is about love and trying to detach from a bad bond. Perhaps there is a sense of being caught in a mass of confusion and needing time to get away from the rush and demands of everyday life. Jablonka’s voice is echoed and heightened; it is bold and volumised so that the words stand firm and shout their meaning. Right from the off, one is primed for something epic and intent. The door is being opened and it seems like our man needs release and meaning. Some of the words get lost in the throng of the guitar but it is easy to detect the desire that trips from the tongue. The chorus brings in other vocal strands – and is lighter and more harmonic – and seems to bring a Pop edge into the Rock core. Strings trip and weave; they stutter and throw themselves around. Jablonka is not someone who writes generic riffs and ordinary parables. His notes have so much expression and personality to them. What I found, as the song expanded, was the different layers and colours Jablonka employs. He is a man who has crafted this tune and spent hours ensuring the music distinguishes itself from all others. It is a magnificent composition that has so many wings, bodies and minds – a diverse and compelling song that hits all parts of the body. There are salty tears and a weight that burdens his pockets. Maybe Jablonka is talking of a compatriot who has that desire to find some safer space and calm.

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I feel there is more of the personal that runs through Peacefully. It is a track that seems to come straight from the heart – winning you with its openness and bravery. One of the biggest draws is the vocal, which has a real sense of the unique. One cannot compare it to others and gets a lot of emotions and contours from the delivery. It is a shame some of the words do get lost – the production, heavy composition and pronunciation mean it is a fragmented lyrical experience. One gleams as much as they can from context – so it is not too detrimental some words get buried in the background. What you do sense is that the hero has witnessesed a lot of chaos and has to take a lot on board. Maybe it is love that has weighed him but I feel it is the daily routine that is getting a bit too heavy. He is making a decision to deal with the problem and not let things burden him. The percussion rumble and tumbles – it is warped, drugged and bold at the same time – whilst the bass cuts through and offers guidance and cohesiveness. Jablonka is in the centre of the picture and looking for direction. It is easy to empathise with the hero as he seems to be in the same position as many of us. That need to open the door and take a step seems to define the song. The chorus is that naturally effusive and rousing thing that tries to get the listener to look at their own life – if there are strains and problems; take action and make some time for yourself. It is so easy getting caught up in the song and the energy it projects. The spiked and angular slams sit with masculine percussion and a dizzying array of sounds. Peacefully is an ironic title for a song that never relents its grip.

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What staggers me about Jablonka is the way he manages to sound relatable but gives us a song that seems to connect. We can connect with the words being spoken and the emotions that bubble inside him. There are shades of Muse and Jack White alongside the Hendrix nods; a bit of Queens of the Stone Age and some Royal Blood. It is quite simple comparing a musician to others without thinking too hard and putting much thought into it. Rather than lump Jablonka with others; one listens to the way he plays and the whole of his artistry – there, you will discover a musician who covers his own ground and is his own man. Peacefully is a different song to Mantra and shows there is no sense of the predictable with the London musician. I wonder where he will go from here and what the future holds. If new music is anything like his current jam; there will be many new listeners coming through with eagerness. I am a fan of Michael Jablonka and know he will go very far in the music world. He is a writer that has such a way with words – even though some do pass you by – and marries that with some of the best guitar playing you will hear. Long may his pioneering, electioneering music continue. Here is someone with a clear future and the determination to see it through. Few musicians have the same work ethic as Jablonka. Against lyrics that speak of poor mental-health and being overwhelmed; he is offering solace and positive reaction. This is a crucial thing to put into modern music – many will find heart and support listening to a song like Peacefully.

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I have mentioned a gig Michael Jablonka has later in the year but it seems 2018 is going to be a big one. I wonder whether an E.P. will be out in the year and what form that will take. There are so few Rock gods circulating at the moment: there is a definite need to embrace a new hero/heroine that can get the blood racing. I am hearing some great female bands where there are some gravelled guitars and explosive songs. In terms of the male solo artists; not too many who put you in mind of the stalwarts and icons of past days. Perhaps there will be big gigs next year but I feel Jablonka will want to do some more local dates and get his new music to fresh realms. Peacefully is a sign of where he is heading and what he has it his disposal. I would love to see more music come from him – whether there is an E.P. or album. I have a connection with him and the effort he puts into his music. There are few that have the love of music he does - that all comes through in his latest track. It is a fiery and immense song that grabs you with its physicality and sexuality; the lyrics have a common head and can be taken in by everyone. Many musicians write songs that seem too personal and relate to a very particular love story. Jablonka is someone who wants to speak to the larger populous with his words. Let’s hope he continues and records as much as he can. How many of you can say they have discovered someone like Michael Jablonka and what he does?! I have not heard anyone like him and, for that reason, feel he deserves a large audience. His fans are growing and the word is getting out there.

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Every great musician has a place in the industry but now, more than ever, there is a need for someone like Jablonka. I find all the guitar-based music out there is quite predictable. There are certain bands that create music primed for arenas and show little imagination and technique. So long as they have meaty hooks and big choruses then it does not matter what else they do. This can get very boring and I am reluctant proffering this type of Rock. Jablonka is a different beast: someone who puts real attention and detail into his music. There is ample push and heave but intelligence and compassion come through. Peacefully is a fantastic and mesmeric track from a man who has the legs to last for many more years. He is never beholden to the charts and producing music that will get people jumping onto Spotify. It is for the true music-lovers who want their artists original and fresh. Few have the same guitar talent as him; the words that stay in the mind and make you think – a performance that stands out and makes you feel like you have discovered a star-in-the-making. Peacefully is a stunning offering from the Londoner that stuns the senses and gets the body moving. I have not heard someone as intense and stirring as Michael Jablonka. This year has been a big one for him but 2018 is going to see him transcend from the underground to the mainstream. It may take a few months but I feel, when he releases new music, he will find himself on the interview circuit. His music is not a secret but it is getting to more people by the month. The guitar genius is someone who gives something wonderful to music. His songs are those that can be appreciated by audiences in a huge arena or a smaller café. He is an artist who has come a long way and has seen his dedication and passion rewarded. Respect to Jablonka and everything he is doing. If you are foreign to Peacefully – and all that has come before – then do yourself a favour and…

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SEE what all the fuss is about.

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Follow Michael Jablonka

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INTERVIEW: The Americans

INTERVIEW:

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PHOTO CREDIT: Concepción Studios 

The Americans

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FEW bands would be harder to locate on Google…

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PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Garnell

than The Americans. Combine it with most search-terms and you'd come up with a mass of irrelevant results! I ask the guys about the name and where it derives from; how they all got together in the start; the music/sounds that mould who they are - and whether there are any Christmas plans formed.

The boys talk about their new album, I'll Be Yours, and the themes that inspire it; their favourite tracks from the record - and why they are compelled by the old Rock and Roll masters such as Chuck Berry.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Patrick: So kind of you to ask…

Zac: It's been a good week. The Dodgers are going to the World Series. We've got a record coming out in a couple weeks.

Jake: As Zac said - and it’s my birthday on Oct. 21st.

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

Patrick: I sing and play the guitar.

Zac: I play guitar and banjo.

Jake: I play the upright and electric bass. I also repair the pump organs.

Your band-name must be the least-Google-friendly ever! What is the relevance of the name and do you worry it might put some off?!

Zac: We got the idea from a collection of photographs called The Americans by a photographer named Robert Frank. Our first drummer, Cody Edison, was a photographer who introduced us to his work. These days, he is a full-time photographer - and took the photo on the cover of our upcoming record, I'll Be Yours.

Right now, being American in general, might put some people off - regardless of our band-name. I think that having the opportunity to travel around the world representing a side of America that embraces all the culture we have in this country, and our great music, is a privilege.

Jake: America is grander than its current state. From my view, we have the name after the Robert Frank photography series - because he showed a complex America both beautiful and ugly; rich and poor.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Sari Thayer

Is it true you all got together through a shared love of busking?

Patrick: That's true: I started busking in high-school.

Zac: I have often thought of busking as more of a necessity than something I love. We all used to busk - but I think our connection was more in the music we were playing than busking itself.

Jake: Patrick and I used to busk in San Francisco over on Broadway and Kearny. I remember strippers coming out and giving us some of their one-dollar bills. We made friends with the homeless community in North Beach and even did a recording project with several of the local homeless musicians. One of the guys, Deforrest Wiggins, claims he used the C.D. we made to get himself off the street.

But, truth be told, it was just his desire to get off of it.

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I’ll Be Yours is your forthcoming album. Can you tell us about the themes and ideas you explore in it?

Patrick: Devotion and solitude.

Is there a song from the album you all hold dear?

Gone at Last

Zac: I really like Long Way from Home

Jake: I was really happy with the way I’ll Be Yours came out

Your sound is Roots with Rock and Roll thrown in. It seems to hark back to pre-War Country and legends like Chuck Berry. What is it about the time period that appeals to you?

Patrick: I don't know if you could put your finger on it exactly. It was a renaissance that began soon after the invention of recorded music - and lasted over half-a-century. The phonograph record gave voices to all different musical cultures, styles and textures that had spent an eternity sequestered. Then they all started combining...

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PHOTO CREDIT: Broadway Photography

It's an event that could only happen once.

Zac: I don't think there is a lot about that time period that appeals to me. I think, for most people, things were as hard then as they are now, if not harder. I guess, in general, music was better. We've all argued a lot about different ideas for why that could be. I think musicians probably just use to devote more time and effort into making music. Most musicians drew on solid traditions from the past a lot more - instead of making originality a top priority.

That being said, I think we all love Hip-Hop - which is always trying to be really progressive.

Jake: As Zac was saying, living now is quantifiably better in so many regards - it seems strange to seem sentimental. With that said, I’d say the things that appeal to me about another era would be to really ask what I like about how another era handled the human condition. People have always wanted to dance and I like the way the 1950s embraced the rumba rhythm for much of its music.

People have always had a black market and I like the bravado that came out of the '20s bootlegging and gambling songs. When there was a high mortality amongst women and children, they wrote murder ballads and used the ballad as a form of information.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Brendan Pattengale

It seems like you are trying to create something new. Do you think music lacks invention, in a way?!

Patrick: No. I think all creative work necessarily involves invention. It's less like creation and more like discovery: if you discover a lode of silver that someone is already mining, you didn't discover anything.

Jake: No. I wouldn’t say that. I would never say that. I would say that musical innovation is an American trait that we hold dearly.

Zac: I would like to see more people focus on making good music, instead of trying to invent things. Invention happens naturally when people pursue whatever moves them in music as diligently as possible.

The Right Stuff is the current single from the album. What is the song all about?

Patrick: It's about failure and coming to terms with it. Creative work also necessitates failure; even becoming comfortable with it.

Los Angeles is your base. How hospitable is the city when it comes to accommodating your love of older music?

Basically, everyone I know, besides my parents, who like music that I like I met down here.

Jake: There’s a thriving scene for old American music in Los Angeles.  

Zac: There is a long history of really good music in this city. There is a train station in East L.A. called Mariachi Plaza - where Norteño musicians hang out all day and night, waiting to be picked up for parties.

A lot of the songs they play are over a-hundred-years-old.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Christian Lee Hutson

Who are the new artists you recommend we check out?

Patrick: Christian Lee Hutson.

If you each had to select the one album that means the most to you; which would they be and why?

Time Out of Mine - Bob Dylan

Zac:  I'll Be Yours (comes out Nov. 3rd)

Jake: The Anthology of American Folk Music compiled by Harry Smith

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What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Patrick: If you can develop a couple of sets' worth of songs – covers, if you have to - some bars will pay you a decent wage; no matter how small or new you are. Book some of those along with a tour - and you'll actually make money.

Jake: Coming through what?! Puberty?!

Zac: I'm not sure if I feel qualified to give anyone advice on that matter.

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Christmas is not too far away. Do you have plans already - or will you be busy working?

Patrick: I'll be up in San Francisco with my folks. My brother and sister and nieces and nephews always come over Christmas morning.

Jake: We’ll be writing new material.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

Patrick: 'Cross the Green Mountain - Bob Dylan

Jake: The Creole Love Call - Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Zac: Ma Blonde Est Partie - Breaux Freres

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Follow The Americans

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INTERVIEW: St. Bishop

INTERVIEW:

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PHOTO CREDIT: Samuel Foxton

 St. Bishop

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HIS family know him as Stephen Bishop but, to us…

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ARTWORK CREDIT: Ethan Hart

he is known as St. Bishop. I ask the Irish songwriter about his current song, Porcelain, and why it has such emotional resonance; how he started out in music - and whether coming out to his family was a tough experience. St. Bishop talks about his style and music and the artists that have been instrumental; what the music scene is like where he is - and whether there will be more material in the future.

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Hi, Stephen. How are you? How has your week been?

Thanks for asking. I’m good.

It’s been a pretty busy week doing the last bit of prep. for the single release - but it’s been good. I have been living in Dublin full-time for over four years now and rarely get to go home to Monaghan to my parents’ house - but this week, I had a few days off and went back home and spent time with my family; so that was really nice.

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

Yeah, so, I’m St. Bishop. I am an Alt-R&B artist based in Dublin. I have spent the last year-and-a-half writing, recording and developing my sound with producer Sean Behan from A Place Called Kai.

Talk to me about the name, ‘St. Bishop’. Is there a story behind that?

When I first started gigging my own material, I used the name 'BISHOP’ (which is my surname). I started working with a band when I was in my second year of college. But, after a few months, we parted ways and then I began working with Sean Behan - and joined his independent label A Place Called Kai. I then changed the name to St. Bishop.

There is not much of story to the name except that it’s my own name - just without a few of the letters – and, also, 'St. Bishop' makes me sound way cooler than just 'Stephen Bishop'.

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ARTWORK CREDIT: Ethan Hart

I am interested in the new single, Porcelain. Is there an inspiration that led to its creation?

I wrote Porcelain, not long after coming out to my family and friends. For me, it’s the boldest statement I could make about my sexuality. Its lyrical content and emotion is inspired by my struggle with self-acceptance issues. I found the shift from adolescence to adult life quite difficult; so, I guess calling myself 'porcelain white’ is a reference to my youth and innocence - which can’t last forever and is tainted in the chorus with the unreserved expression of my sexual desire.

It was the marriage of these two ideas that created this song.

How instrumental has your coming-out been to your songwriting and writing the material you do at the moment? Was it an emotional time – revealing your homosexuality to your family?

For me, songwriting is an incredibly therapeutic process: there is nothing better than down at the piano and pouring out all of the mess that’s inside your head; it not only helps my own mental health but also has the potential to help others when they hear the song. That’s pretty cool, if you ask me. Before I came out, I tended to not write songs that were about my own life: I would shy away from being honest in my songwriting as I knew I wasn’t being honest with myself.

Like, before I came out, I would write songs where the counterpart was female - knowing fine well that I was gay.  After coming out, I was more comfortable with myself and began to write about personal experiences. This enabled me to come to terms with a lot of self-acceptance issues I’ve had.

Coming out to my family was a really lovely experience. I was really nervous but it was actually great. I’m incredibly lucky as I have such a loving and caring family. Everyone was just really happy for me. When I look back I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner but, then, I guess I just wasn’t ready to do it when I was younger.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Samul Foxton

It seems you have taken a positive approach to your sexuality – celebrating it rather than shying away. Do you feel, in society and music, there is still a lack of compassion and understanding?

For the majority of my life, I have shied away from my sexuality but, since coming out, I have just embraced it. To me, it’s only one part of my life and is just a fact about me. The same way I have brown hair or have blue eyes – it’s just thing that makes me who I am. I feel that a large part of society embrace individuality and are really open-minded when it comes to sexuality. Obviously, there are those who don’t - but I try to not focus on that. It was the passing of the marriage equality referendum in Ireland that made me realise how many people don’t actually care - and just want people to be happy and live their own lives.

So, that’s pretty awesome.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Samuel Foxton

Are you inspired by modern R&B/Electro artists? What artists can we find on your playlist right now?

Yes. I am incredibly inspired by R&B/Electronic artists. It’s my favourite kind of music to listen to, which is good, because it’s the kind of music I write. Currently, I have been listening to a lot of Will Heard, NAO and Daniel Caesar. I also have been listening to a lot of Irish artists such as Jafaris, Wyvern Lingo; LAOISE and Rosie Carney (to name a few).

Did you grow up in a musical household? How early did music come into your life?

My first memory of music coming into my life was when I was about nine or ten when I sang a solo in a school play. I have one brother and one sister who both are very musical. Growing up we all sang and were involved with music, especially in secondary-school. They are both incredible singers and musicians.

Mam and Dad claim responsibility for our musical talents but I’m not sure where they came from to be honest - as neither of my parents are musicians. Having said this, music was always playing in my house when growing up. My parents both have great taste in music.

Leonard Cohen, Tracey Chapman and Norah Jones were the soundtracks to most car journeys as a child.
 

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PHOTO CREDIT: Samul Foxton

Being based in Ireland; how much exposure to great venues and local artists do you have? Do you get the opportunity to bring your material to a variety of audiences?

The Irish music scene is thriving at the moment. It’s incredibly inspiring. I debuted at Electric Picnic this year, which was deadly. It was so cool to see my name on the same bill as so many awesome Irish artists. I have only begun gigging but I am so excited to take my music to different parts of the country/world and share it a variety of audiences.

Can we expect an E.P. at any point? What are you working on right now?

Yeah, so, as I said; I have worked with Sean for about a year-and-a-half and, in that time, we have recorded a good few songs, I have plans for future releases but am unsure if I will release them as a collection of songs or just as singles. I guess time will tell.

But, for now, my first single is finally out and I am really excited to share more songs/stories with people.

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IN THIS PHOTO: Farah Ellie/PHOTO CREDIT: Tara Thomas Photography

Who are the new artists you recommend we check out?

From studying in BIMM, you’re exposed to so much music and become friends with so many artists. My current favourites are:

Rosie Carney, Ailbhe Reddy; Maria Kelly, LAOISE and Farah Elle (ladies; y’all are killing it).

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IN THIS PHOTO: Ailbhe Reddy/PHOTO CREDIT: @keithoreillly

If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

That’s a tough one but I’d say NAO – For All We Know; Adele – 21 and Gregory Porter – Liquid Spirit

When I find an album I like, I tend to listen to it every day for weeks/months on end. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve played these records. Each of these artists has massively influenced my songwriting/vocals.

What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

I think the most important thing is to just work really hard. Don’t do things by halves: take risks and believe in yourself. It’s a scary career path but, if it’s something you want to do, just do it and don’t be apologetic.

Where can we see you play this year? What dates do you have coming up?

I’m playing some really nice shows this year. I have two stripped back gigs coming up: Sin É – 25th October and Crow Club 9th November. I have started planning a really special gig in the New Year - and I am so excited for it.

It’s gonna be sweet.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Samul Foxton

Christmas is not too far away. Do you have plans already or will you be busy working?

I have no definite plans for Christmas, except spending time with family and friends and eating loads of food. That’s what Christmas is all about. I will also be working over Christmas and prepping for 2018.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae (it’s an absolute tune)

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Follow St. Bishop

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INTERVIEW: We Are Wolves

INTERVIEW:

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 We Are Wolves

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I won't even mention the fact We Are Wolves...

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are from Canada - as a lot of my current time is being taken up by artists from that part of the world! The guys recommend some great Canadain acts to watch; why each member is an integral part of the machine - and how they channel the darkness of David Lynch with the Disco funkiness of the Bee Gees!

The guys talk about their new song, I Don't Mind, and how its (dramatic and filmic) video came together; what comes next for them; what tour dates are coming up - and how they will be spending this Christmas...

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Hi. How are you? How has your week been? 

Great week! We’ve been working on some new stuff...a bit colder and darker but still Raw/Mutant-Pop. 

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

Hummmm…ok.

We are: WE ARE WOLVES…

A Montreal band with a stand-up drummer, a Weird-Pop-cold Electronics dude - and a Latino guy; playing dark Dance bass-lines with Punk fingers…and a kind-of-Garage-guitar. You could call it ‘Mutant-Pop’.

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I Don’t Mind is out there. What was the inspiration behind the song? 

We have always been fans of Disco and dark soundtracks (think, Carpenter-Moroder) but, in a strange way, we could never do a full-on weird Disco song. On our last album, we just told ourselves that we would do what we wanted and not what people expect...so we went full-on druggy-Disco…kinda.

It has been called a cross between the Bee Gees and David Lynch. It seems you embrace light and darkness in equal measures…  

I loooove light!

I really love the sun and dream of moving to Barcelona or Colombia - but only really feel alive at night..in the darkness (hahaha! Whatever that means...but still true). So, yes, I guess we do “embrace light and darkness in equal measures.”

The video for I Don’t Mind looks dramatic! What was it like seeing it back and what was the shoot like?

We have been working with that dude for a couple of videos and it seems like we share the same interest of the occult and the mystical. So, that video, mixed up with that Disco song, makes a lot of sense.

The song/video is the soundtrack for the New Age occult, as imagined by Jérémie Saindon. Is Saindon someone who brings the best out of your music in a visual form?

Yes!

We never really understand where he wants to go with his vision, his videos. But, then again, I’m not sure he understands, also...

That is exactly the reason why we work with him.

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WRONG is the new album. What kind of themes and stories go into the record? 

Hummmmm…same as always. 

Love; death, but this time, it’s more psychoanalytical and less philosophical.

Can you tell me how you all met - and what it was about one another that formed We Are Wolves.

Art students bored of being art students: I always wanted to be a professional skateboarder and ended up learning to play an instrument (still learning).

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Montréal is home. What is the city like for music and vibes at the moment?

Amazing! Sooo many different scenes, bands; music venues and people making it happen. 

Who are the new artists you recommend we check out?

My god! That’s hard. There are so many...

VICTIME. Choses Sauvages. Chocolat. Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche. Paul Jacobs. Incredible Woman. I.D.A.L.G. No Negative. Paupière

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IN THIS PHOTO: Avec le Soleil Sortant de sa Bouche/PHOTO CREDIT: Minelly Kah

What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

Could not say anything; it’s too complex. We would need to invite the person or band for dinner and get drunk.

Do you all get the chance to detach from music? What do you all get up to when not making music? 

Hmmm…make more music.

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Where can we see you play this year? What dates do you have coming up?

South America and, hopefully, Europe and Asia.

Christmas is not too far away. Do you have plans already or will you be busy working?

Going to see my family in Medellin, Colombia and, hopefully, learn some cumbia - and bring back some influences for the new album.

I love cumbia!

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Finally, and for being good sports; you can each name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

1: Bernardino Femminielli  - Plaisirs Américains

2: CO/NTRY  - Cash Out

3: No Negative - Cellophane

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Follow We Are Wolves

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INTERVIEW: Binky

INTERVIEW:

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Binky

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HER move into Country music was not instant...

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so I ask Binky about her transition and development. The Essex-born artist unveils her new track, Fireflies, and talks about the music/artists that have inspired her. I learn how Binky came to acquire her raspy and stunning voice; how she moved from T.V. presenting to music - what plans she has for the next few months.

Binky talks about the albums that define who she is; why the U.S. is an important market for her; the relevance of London and its heartbeat - the advice she would offer young songwriters of the moment.

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Hi, Binky. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi. I am very well, thank you.

This week - and the last couple of weeks - have been absolutely amazing! I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful and supportive people around me. I am so overwhelmed with the love and support for Fireflies.

For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m Binky and I am a Country-Pop artist from Essex. I started to write and sing Country music about six-seven years ago, now. But, before then, I used to attend many open mic nights around my local area in Essex - and many of the singers from an older generation mentioned that I had a Country twang. For me, as a young girl from Essex, I didn’t know too much about Country. However, more people continued to mention this ‘twang'; so I become intrigued to find out what they meant.

As I grew as a singer - over the years and found my feet - I spent a lot of time with Stevie Lange, and she helped me develop my sound. She, too, agreed that there was something about my tone - that had a strong Country presence. I then decide to focus my core attention to Country music. I fell in love with the stories and the emotions expressed throughout each song...

I then knew that this was the route I was destined to take.

 

Fireflies is your new song. Tell me what the idea behind it is and how it came to you?

My new single, Fireflies, is my interpretation of a Country sound mixed with the Pop sounds of London. Every Country song has a story behind it - which I wanted to portray in my new sound.  The track has a deep relation to the struggles of young people today. We all have daily battles with our own demons and the pressure’s that they can apply to everyday life.

I wanted to merge two sounds together that would really impact on the listener - but in a positive and encouraging way. I don’t really know where the idea came from as such: it kind of just fell into place as we were writing the track.

Sometimes, when you don’t overthink it too much…that’s when the best songs come to life.

It has an addictive sound and sticks in the head. It sounds like it came to you in a flash of inspiration? Would that be fair or did it take a while to formulate?

The first line (written) was the first line of the chorus - “I fly with fireflies” - and my producer played it on the guitar and it just sprung to life from there. We didn’t have a formula for it: we just took it section-by-section and made a story. It was, probably, the best studio session I’ve done. It was so fun bringing it all together and I remember hearing it for the first time - once Michael had finished the production.

It gave me butterflies - and I just knew this was the song I wanted to release as my debut single.

There is a rasp to your voice but elements of Urban sounds and Country in your locker. Who are the artists and singers you idolise when you were younger?

The industry has been home to so many amazing artists over the years and so many of them have inspired me in different ways. I would definitely say (one is) Tina Turner. Her strong vocals and presence on stage always blew me away. She truly is one-of-a-kind. The raspy sounds I think came from the likes of Stevie Nicks, along with the Dolly Parton (and her wonderful vibrato).

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You used to be T.V. presenter. Why did you decide to move into music?

I actually moved into presenting after I started to write and sing Country music. The opportunity to work on The Smith & Rogers Show came up and I thought it was such a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Country culture - including the fans and what they loved so much about the music. I gathered so much inspiration that has been moulded into my new sound. I had a wonderful time filming The Smith & Rogers Country Show with all the team.

I would love to get back to T.V. at some point.

Are there any skills you learned, whilst a presenter, you bring into your music?

Yes, definitely.

The show enabled me to work with a full, live band on a regular basis. This was an amazing experience on its own. But I, of course, learnt a lot about presenting: it was a lot harder than I’d expected - but this has really helped me for when I film my music videos.

It is a similar process. You need to know where the camera is at all times and how to connect with the camera.

It seems the U.S. is very important to you and your sound. Will you get a chance to play over there and how much of the American Country scene do you bring into your music?

The U.S. is home to some of the most incredible Country songs and artists - so it’s very important to my sound as I would like to share Country music with a wider market within the U.K. I started this new sound after visiting Nashville for a while and taking in all the inspiration from artists there - then, merging this with a U.K. Pop sound.

My songs are very diverse and some tracks will portray an American country sound more so than others. I am hoping to go back to the U.S. early next year to share my music over there, too - but, we still have many more new things in the pipeline for my U.K. market as well.

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London is where you’re based. How important is the city and do the people inspire your music?

London is my home and its where it all began so many years ago now.

The city is my biggest inspiration: we have so many diverse cultures and musical influences here; I know there is a big market waiting to be broken in the U.K. If I could share a Country-sound-mainstream within the U.K., that would exceed my dreams. I’ve always wanted to push for a Country sound here - and I think I am getting close to doing so. People are playing my single, Fireflies, who wouldn’t even know what a Country song is (and they are loving it).

This shows that the people want more and something new - and I really hope that I can share it with them.

Can we expect more music in the coming months?

Yes, definitely!

There’s is so much more to come: Fireflies is just the start! I have so many songs that I cannot wait to share with you all.

What other tour dates do you have coming up?

I don’t have any released tour dates yet, but these will be coming very soon, and they can all be found on my social media or website. I have spent so much time creating my new sound, and now, I am so excited to get back on stage and share it with you all.

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If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

It is so difficult to pick just three: there have been so many wonderful, breathtaking albums over the years - and many, before my time, that continues to inspire new artists like myself.

Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn, I think, must be in my top-three, just for their stories. They are so heartfelt and very inspirational for someone like myself - when I was learning a lot about Country music. I couldn’t pinpoint albums for these artists - as there are singles which have inspired me the most. But, also, artist such as Amy Winehouse (Back to Black) and Adele (21 & 25).

These albums really inspired me to bring the British and Country sounds together.

What advice would you give to artists coming through right now?

A piece of advice to all artist don’t hold back: just go out and do it. You have absolutely nothing to lose. Worse-case, you’re back to Square One. The release of Fireflies has been the most amazing experience of my life.

Just put your music out there and share it with the world. It’s the only way you will know what your creating is right - and it will give you the strength to become an even better artist.

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Christmas is approaching. Do you all have plans already - or will you be busy working?

I don’t know where has this year gone!

Christmas is my favourite time of year! I have a lot of work to finish on the lead-up to Christmas - as I want to share something very special with you all in the New Year.

So, I think it’s going to be a busy one for me...

What are your hopes and aspirations for the next year? Do you have any big ambitions you want to tick off the list?

Yes. I would like to go back on tour next year, as well as release a lot more music to share with you all. So, keep tuned into my social media and make sure you don’t miss out - it’s going to be a very exciting year.

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Finally, and for being a good sport; you can name a song and I’ll play it here (not one of yours as I’ll do that).

Ok. It’s not a new song, but I cannot get enough of it: it’s H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line

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Follow Binky

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