INTERVIEW: Junko Daydream

INTERVIEW:

Junko Daydream

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THE guys of Junko Daydream have been telling me…

about their current single, Bug Bites, and what its story is. I ask how the band got together and what they have planned in regards touring. They talks about their upcoming E.P., I Will Show You Fear in a Handful of Dust (available from 1st November), and its themes; what Ontario is like as a base – the band reveals some upcoming artists to watch.

I wanted to know what music the guys grew up around and which albums are important to them; if they get much chance to chill away from music; the advice they’d give artists coming through – they end the interview by selecting some great tracks.

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

Hectic. We’ve been preparing for the launch of our music video, finishing the launch of our website (junkodaydream.com) and keeping our drummer in check. He’s been falling pretty deep into the moth memes and we’re more worried about his mental stability more than usual. 

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

We’re Junko from London, ON (Canada). We play frenetic, emotionally-raw Punk for people looking to challenge their perception of what aggressive music is and will be. Megaton riffs and sappy poetry are the pillars of the sound - the rest we throw at a wall and see what sticks.  

How did Junko Daydream get together? When did you all get together and start making music?

Scott: Jack and Ryan had been playing together for years. Similarly, Jeff and I played together in various projects since we were teenagers. After our previous band, Radio Caroline, broke up in November of 2017, I eventually got sick of sitting around doing nothing and started looking for a new project. I responded to a Kijiji ad Jack posted looking for a guitarist and we started jamming in February of this year. We’ve been writing, gigging and getting into screaming matches ever since. 

Bug Bites is your new single. What is the story behind the song?

Jack: Bug Bites is a song about my anxieties. All my life, I tried to deal with my issues by brute force but some recent events came to make me realize it was only worsening my situation. I took that knowledge to heart and started to make a change. I understand now that mental illness will tear you down through relentless repetition; something represented by the almost mantra like second-half of the song that only consists of a quietly sung chorus slowly devolving into some really gut-wrenching howls. We can all get better with time, remember that!

I Will Show You Fear in a Handful of Dust is your upcoming E.P. Are there particular themes and ideas that inspired the E.P.?

A lot of ‘Fear' (and Junko Daydream) can be defined by our desire to remain genuine to ourselves and our audience. Most of my lyrical themes for this E.P. don’t require second listens as they’re all presented at face value. Baseball deals with some life-changing trauma in my youth; Bad is an introspective into past break-ups and the way they affect how I see myself - and Song for a Friend is about shitty friends.

Ontario is where you hail from. Is there a great scene there at the moment?

Ontario has some great pockets of support for our types of tunes - you just have to know where to look. Tight communities are important, though. They’re what is keeping independent artists like us alive and working harder than ever.

In terms of music; what did you all grow up around and idolise when young?

All: The extent of our shared interests is a mutual love of loud-ass music. We all love to shred some ears.

Scott: I listened to a lot of Blues. I grew up listening to a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer and Buddy Guy…which may not be apparent in our music! 

Jeff: I’ve always had a thing for Skid Row and other ’80s hair metal. I love the virtuosity and time that goes into huge symphonic arrangements.

Ryan: Always been a fan of Stoner-Rock but I grew up with a huge Funk influence that I inherited from my ex-drummer father. Along from bands like Sleep, CKY; Mastodon and The Melvins have all had a huge influence on my playing.

Jack: I grew up with an older single mother so I listened to a lot of her old mixtapes growing up. A lot of Motown and Surf-Rock for sure though!

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Success of any measurable degree…

Have you guys got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Our recent show in Montreal. The crowd there really reminded us of why we put so much work into this project.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Scott: One-X by Three Days Grace

Don’t listen to it anymore but I spun that record into the ground as an angry teenager in grade eight. 

Jack: Changes by David Bowie

It has such a unique tone to it and a huge variety of influences – plus, every tune on it f*cking SLAPS.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Dinosaur Jr.

Our rider would exclusively entail a clause that dictates that J. Mascis will actually talk to us. 

Are you going to be touring more later this year? Where are you heading?

East Coast, early-November. Ontario to Prince Edward Island, we’re going to redefine the meaning of the word ‘greasy’. By the end of it, hopefully we don’t hate each other as much as we hate ourselves. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be patient. Write the best songs you can, record them in the highest quality you can afford and release them strategically. Focus on the major markets in your area and establish a good online presence.  Play lots of shows - anywhere with whoever you can. 

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

The Fly Downs: Sick, old-school Skate-Punk from Ottawa.

Big Vein: ’70s and ’80s throwback Punk out of Montreal.

Tomorrow Today: The most chill group of Indie punks from Toronto that we’ve ever met. 

Do you all get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

We unwind by working at our day jobs so we can continue to funnel money into Junko!

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Scott: Cadmium - Pinegrove

Jeff: Back from Cali – Slash (ft. Myles Kennedy)

Jack: Covet - Basement

Ryan: Sleep - Dopesmoker

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Follow Junko Daydream

Official:

https://www.junkodaydream.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/junkodaydream/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/junkodaydream/

Bandcamp:

https://junkodaydream.bandcamp.com/releases

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv3rBtQ9qu5GIuc_tuZoP5Q

 PHOTOS:

Seamus O'Hara

INTERVIEW: Perfect Body

INTERVIEW:

Perfect Body

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I have been speaking with Perfect Body…

about their new single, Fields, and releasing a Split EP with Zac White (it will be available digitally from 12th October). I ask how they came to work with White and what the story of their latest track is; how they found one another and why they have an attachment/fondness for older formats/music’s physical side.

The Welsh band talks about their favourite music/artists and which rising artists we should get behind; the choice memories from their careers so far; if there are any gigs coming up – they provide some useful advice for artists coming through.

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

Not so bad, thanks!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

We are Perfect Body, from Cardiff, made up of five members that are Josh Dickins, James Bikram; Sioned Willicombe, Will Johnson and Cam Wheeler.

Fields is your new single. What is the story behind the song?

Cam: The title, Fields, was taken from a lyric in the song that read: “I wander through, fields of desire” - and the concept of the song is based around this line I guess. When writing the lyrics, I had recently had an experience where I realised a number of things that I desired were far out of reach. Instead of this affecting me negatively, I figured that maybe in a different reality these things could happen which was quite comforting.

You are releasing a split-E.P. with Zac White. How did that collaboration come about? Can you talk more about it?

The whole Cardiff music scene is crazy-friendly. We knew Zac and his band (all members of Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard) very well just from being around Cardiff.  Rich Chitty from Bubblewrap Collective suggested the idea of doing a record with Zac. We loved Zac’s music from the start so we pretty much agreed straight away.

It seems like you have a love of physical formats and an older style! Is it true there will be vinyl pressings of the E.P.?!

Yes. There will be vinyl pressings of the E.P. We all collect records, so to have our first release straight onto a 12” is a blessing. Our good friend Teddy Hunter, also really prolific in Cardiff’s music scene, provided us with some of her stunning digital art for the cover and we’re all very grateful to her for how good it looks.

How did Perfect Body get together and start making music?

Cam: Me, Will and James grew up together all the way throughout school and have been friends the whole time. I think one day we all realised we loved the same music and figured we should start a band. James introduced Sioned to the band about a month after we started playing together, then very quickly we found that we needed a bass player. I knew Josh just about well enough to ask him while on a night out on the town if he would like to play bass in this band. He had played in bands pretty much his whole life and he said ‘yes’. Haha.

In terms of musical inspiration; what sort of music were you raised on?

Josh: Back when I first started playing music, I was really into all the Thrash-Metal classics (Megadeth, Metallica etc.). And, as I got a bit older, I got really into bands like Fugazi and Slint as well. So, I guess I was raised on that. I wouldn't say that’s really reflected in the music we play now though. As a band, we listen to a big variety of music but we have a lot of common ground in bands like My Bloody Valentine, Toy and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Will: My dad’s well into the Blues and I heard my fair share of Hendrix growing up. Nobody will ever wield a Strat better.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

We’ve no specific plans for what we’re doing after the record comes out. But, our main aim is to play further afield around the U.K. a bit more. Hopefully, we’ll have started work on our next release as well.

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Will: Headlining Bristol’s renowned venue The Fleece in front of a grand total of about five people, including a crackhead off the street and a guy rocking with a Zimmer frame. HA! But, what sticks out most to me was our first gig in May 2017. We opened for Surf Curse - Clwb Ifor Bach bottom floor.

Just hearing how our music translated from a cramped practice room onto a fat P.A. system; hearing the reverb fill the room. It was a thrilling rush and it reassured us going forward. We were nowhere near as tight back then but people seemed to dig what we were doing from the start.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Josh: Dots and Loops by Stereolab

It has so many layers to it and is so complex without feeling showy. Really has its own sound; I’ve never really heard anything that sounds quite like it.

Will: Dizzee Rascal’s Boy in da Corner

It will forever appeal to my inner bandit, keeps me on my toes.

Cam: Nico - Desertshore

From the first listen, I was so intrigued by both the songwriting and the delivery. It scared me but also felt very familiar. It took me to a place only the imagination could access.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Stick us on tour with the B.J.M. with a whole lotta red wine!

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

We would love to get around the U.K. a bit more for sure. There are some plans in the works to play a couple cities we’ve never played before. Next show is in Le Pub supporting Say Sue Me; a band we really like. We are playing Sŵn Festival in our hometown, Cardiff, on 20th October which will be a blast: all our good friends will also be playing. And, then, 3rd  November we are playing The Maze in Nottingham. We will be organising a launch party for the E.P. as well.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Love what you do; try not to worry about what other people think of your music. Get out and support your local scene and your scene will support you.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Private World

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

There’s too many to mention but we really like Private World, Silent Forum; Laundrette, Rosehip Teahouse and Accü. So many good bands in Wales at the moment.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Accü

Do you all get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Josh: I like to cook, I go to the pub; I watch films, I occasionally read a book. Nothing interesting there, I’m afraid.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Josh: Bowery Electric - Without Stopping

Will: Robert Lester Folsom - Biding My Time

Cam: The Future Sound of London - Papua New Guinea

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Follow Perfect Body

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/perfectbodyband

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/perfectbodyband/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/perfectbodyofsound

FEATURE: The September Playlist: Vol. 5: No Pressure, Honey

FEATURE:

 

The September Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Robyn 

Vol. 5: No Pressure, Honey

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IT is great to see a new track from Robyn appear…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Little Simz

and Honey ranks alongside this week’s very best. Alongside her are new singles/videos from Muse, The Chemical Brothers and Little Simz. There is some John Grant, Jesse Glynne; The Prodigy and Leon Bridges – more than enough to keep you all motivated and satisfied as we head through another well-deserved weekend!

I have been looking through this week’s finest and most appealing cuts and collated them into a handy rundown. Have a flick through the selections and have a good listen to what is around music this week. It is another heady and interesting brew that will keep the energy up and make us all motivated until Monday comes back around!

ALL PHOTOS/IMAGES (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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Robyn – Honey 

IMAGE CREDIT: CarellaFrancesca

Muse – Pressure

The Chemical Brothers – Free Yourself

Weezer - Africa

ARTWORK: Little Simz

Little Simz – Boss

Matt Corby – No Ordinary Life

Laurel – Adored

IMAGE CREDIT: Matthias Hombauer/The Prodigy

The Prodigy - Light Up the Sky

Leon Bridges - If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)

BADBADNOTGOOD & Little Dragon – Tried

Avril Lavigne – Head Above Water

John Grant – He’s Got His Mother’s Hips

Jess Glynne – 123

Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper - Shallow (A Star Is Born)

Rita Ora – Let You Love Me

PHOTO CREDIT: Gareth Cattermole/Getty 

Richard Ashcroft – Born to Be Strangers

JoJo Siwa - Only Getting Better

Kane Brown – Homesick

Kings of Leon – Frontier City

Eves Karydas – Wildest Ones

PHOTO CREDIT: Bríd O'Donovan Photography

Æ MAK – Too Sad to Sing

Four of Diamonds – Stupid Things

Saint Sister – Steady

Methyl Ethel – Scream Whole

OK Button – The Message

Jacob Banks – Love Ain’t Enough

The Japanese House – Lilo

Stereo Honey – Icarus

Sasha Sloan – Faking It

Nile Rodgers, CHIC – I Dance My Dance

PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Marsland/WireImage

Cher – Dancing Queen

Amy Baker – The More I See You

PHOTO CREDIT: @micaiahcarter 

Yaeji – One More

TRACK REVIEW: Beth McCarthy - Shame

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Beth McCarthy

Shame

9.3/10

The track, Shame, is available via:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjS83It6Tlc

GENRE:

Pop

ORIGIN:

York, U.K.

RELEASE DATE:

21st September, 2018

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WHEN I think about Beth McCarthy…

a few things spring to mind. I want to talk about ambition and passion for music; experimenting with sound and ensuring you get the right components; keeping the pace going and staying in the public mind; back to Yorkshire and why there is so much great music coming from there; artists who you know will go a long way; promotion and great live performers who are putting their all into things. McCarthy is someone who seems born to do music. Every waking hour, I get the sense her career is in her mind. I look at her social media feeds and you can understand exactly why she wants to continue down this path. I am one of those people who can get weary getting so many requests and being busy but, at the end of the day, it is what I want to do. Maybe my faith wanes a little and there are darker times but I feel Beth McCarthy never feels like music is the wrong choice. There is infectiousness and energy that comes from her that gets into the bones and creates smiles. I can tell those artists who do not want it as much and seem to be a bit tired now and then. McCarthy seems to radiate glee and promise; a boundless sense of wonder that should be a lesson to everyone else. Maybe that is down to her natural personality – bright, warm and upbeat – but the songwriter has goals to be a big artist and get far. She will get there in time but the way she drives and pushes through is exciting to see. I know McCarthy wants to grow and explore new ground but, right now, she is producing fantastic work. There are a lot of great female songwriters out there and the Pop market is quite busy. It can be tough differentiating between some of the artists out there and I know how competitive things are.

The reason why the very best songwriters succeed and continue to impress is their passion and determination. It can be tricky keeping that spirit high and finding positivity but McCarthy knows where she wants to go and what she should be doing. I have been following her work for a little while and she is growing more impassioned and solid. The infectious positivity from McCarthy is what we need in music and what more people should be displaying. It is not only the music from McCarthy that gets into the blood but is her social media output. You look at what she is putting out and how she communicates with her followers and it makes you want to stick with her. She has a quirkiness and friendliness; a natural and loveable personality that draws you and gets into the heart. Above all, you hear a young woman who wants her music to touch people and spread around the world. I know she will tour internationally and things will get a lot more hectic for her in time but, right now, she is busy promoting Shame. I will talk about the song later and what it is about but I can tell McCarthy has put everything into the song. It is a time of transformation and experimentation for the Yorkshire-based artist. I can tell each song is a chance to express a new side of her and say something fresh. A lot of songwriters get into a rut and seem to write the same thing over and over again. McCarthy has been in the business for a little while but she knows what it takes to succeed. So many people think they have a great sound and do not need to move on – they might get a lot of streams and positive comments – but music is all about evolution and movement. You always need to keep it fresh and explore different territory. Another thing that amazes me about Beth McCarthy is the way she plays with sound and experiments.

I have mentioned how artists need to keep it fresh and move forward but McCarthy knows this better than anyone. Shame is her first true release – she has released other material but this is her first, big track – and she has been playing with image and sound. I look at how she appeared last year on Pretty Lies (bespectacled and concentrated) and now, on Shame, that has been that blossoming. If the somewhat shy or reserved figure of the previous single has been replaced by a vivacious, bold and complex artist who has a new look; the determination and passion has remained the same. It is interesting to see how McCarthy has changed. I think artists like Dua Lipa have made an impression on her. Maybe it is a more sexual and confident look but you can tell McCarthy’s new work is a more adventurous, bold and enflamed thing. Shame has tease and emotion but there is a world of colours working away. This is her bid for a big step and, after one listen, you know she has the ammunition to succeed. McCarthy has stepped up a lot and has spent a lot of time creating a more intense, mainstream-ready and mature persona. That is not to say she was lacking any maturity but there is something eye-catching and captivating about the cover for her latest single. Maybe you think looks and style are irrelevant when it comes to music but it is vital. So many artists stay with the same look and do not reinvent themselves. I am not say artists like McCarthy are like David Bowie and drastically reinvent but they do keep evolving and trying new looks. Now, in 2018, McCarthy has adopted a striking and stunning look that matches her music. Not only does she look different and we have a new version of the artist coming out; her sound has fresher and more polished production and her lyrics venture into new ground.  

I will move onto new things later but I wanted to stick with this subject. Look at the biggest Pop artists of the moment and they change their style and outlook between releases. Even if they score a big smash and get a lot of media attention; trying new look and changing it up regarding sound is really important. We might think people want artists to stay the same and do not have the imagination to accept change but we want to find talent that keeps things moving and can present new aspects. Beth McCarthy seems to adopt a new persona and outlook on every track. Now, on Shame, I get the impression of someone who has experienced a lot of heartache and trouble but she is fighting back. I will go more into the song but heartache and relationships are still at the centre of what she does. In previous reviews, I have asked whether songwriters need to stick with heartbreak and relationships and whether they should move things on. The great artists can talk about their personal lives but step into new subjects and broaden their horizons. McCarthy is looking at love and her experiences at the moment but it will not be too long until she looks wider and takes in new subjects. The finest songwriters can balance the personal with unusual and I feel it is only a matter of time before McCarthy is stepping away from matters of the heart. I am excited to see where she goes and whether there is more material coming next year. I know McCarthy has experienced changes this year – most of it positive – and she has a lot to reflect on. She is a D.J. and has seen some career progression; a lot of happiness and things are good right now. I hope McCarthy brings this spirit and joy into her work and reflects how far she has come recently. The past year has been brilliant for her and I would love to see some songs come through that talk about those times and how she has blossomed.

Beth McCarthy is working in an industry where there are so many competitors and challengers. It is hard to make a break and stand out – many quit and do not find the strength to keep going. I can emphasise with those who find it hard and retreat but there are many who overcome hurdles and tough times. McCarthy knows how far she can go and what she has accomplished so far. Rather than compromise what she does and succumb to something quite cheap and easy; she puts her all into the music and writes songs that are natural to her. That is an important thing to consider. Many artists seem to copy what is in the mainstream and are reluctant to put any personality and unique edge into their sounds. I worry a lot of new acts are compromising and struggling to find their own identity right out of the traps. Beth McCarthy reminds me of artists like Dua Lipa and Sigrid but does not mimic what they do. McCarthy has the passion and heat of Dua Lipa; the songwriting maturity and intelligence of Sigrid and a soul that is all her own. Those combinations and strengths mean her work bursts from the speakers and gets right into the blood. Everything about McCarthy – her look and image; the way she writes and how she comes across on social media – leads me to believe her time in the spotlight is not that far away. Pop is a genre that has changed a lot through the decades and many ask whether it is as strong and surprising as it was back in the 1980s and 1990s. I feel a group of young female artists/bands – like Dua Lipa, Christine and the Queens and Robyn – have made such a huge contribution and are doing wonderful things. Pop is really interesting right now and there is such a banquet of sounds. Whether you want something commercial and easy or a more mature and complicated brand – there is something out there that will prick the senses.

Look at Beth McCarthy and you can tell she encompassed all the strands and textures of Pop. There is the emotion and challenging songwriting from the industry’s best but there is an accessibility and lightness that will appeal to those who stick to the mainstream. McCarthy tackles tough subjects but never makes things sound too heavy and dark. She can embody a sensitive and tortured lover and then jump to someone who is out there in the world and ready to face things head-on. I have not seen many artists who have so much in their locker and have some variation available. I am confident McCarthy will go a long way because, even this early, she has been clasped into the public bosom. People are reacting to Shame and it seems like there is a big appetite for more from her. I know 2019 will be a big deal and we will see more releases from the York-based songwriter. It is a great time and you can hear that ambitious and excitement come out in the music. What excites me is how positive McCarthy is and how optimistic she is. That glee and passion we see in everything she does is infectious. You need an artist like that who can stay in the heart and you remember easily. I feel McCarthy has the skill and talent to get into the mainstream and mix it alongside Dua Lipa, Sigrid and the very best out there. The market is always looking for artists who show something special and have the potential to remain for years. Maybe there will be an E.P. or album from Beth McCarthy next year but I know she wants to release singles and show a new look. Now, after a slight break, there is this determination to get music out there and strike hard. The first signs are very positive and we are going to see a more sustained period of activity from the songwriter. I feel compelled to come back to Yorkshire.

I have talked about the county a lot and am always interested what is coming from there. The county, for me, defines the height of ambition and innovation. You get something different, exciting and original when it comes to Yorkshire. Places like London and Manchester are steeped in history and great music but I feel we need to look more at Yorkshire and the artists emerging. There are fantastic bands in Sheffield and terrific solo artists that put their heart on their sleeves. What amazes me is the way Yorkshire artists can fuse older styles and music with current movements. I feel the media ignores the county a lot and we need to uncover the magic coming from there. If we are too reliant on London for our sounds and follow what the media thinks; we are going to deny the true spectrum of music and all the local brews. Yorkshire is a proud and fantastic county that has a raft of great artists. Beth McCarthy is one of the best from the area and she seems to vibe from the diversity and spirit happening. You get the impression she takes a lot from the people around her and is inspired by local musicians. She is getting a lot of praise and focus but I wonder how long it will take to get to the mainstream – given the fact she is not from London. Maybe there is, by virtue of there being more people here, more great music from London but I feel there is more range in Yorkshire. The county has always been pivotal and exciting. Let’s spend some time uncovering all the great Yorkshire music and why artists from here need more exposure and love. It is a wonderful county that keeps producing gems. Beth McCarthy is among a long list of artists who are putting the county on the map.

I will come to look at her new single in a bit but want to end the section by looking at those who throw their all into it and have the tools for success. Beth McCarthy is not one of those artists who wants to keep her eyes on streaming figures and getting onto playlists. Sure, that is important and something she needs to consider but it is the art and music itself that is most important. The fact the songs resonate and people can get something from them is the most crucial consideration. McCarthy is a wonderful songwriter and artist who brings something new to the business and she wants to influence others and be around for a very long time. I know she can continue to evolve and strive and that is all a matter of time. The reason I am sure she will get there is because of the energy she tosses into music and how dedicated she is. I love what she is putting out there right now but am excited to see what comes next. Everyone should keep an eye out for McCarthy and follow her every move. She is an artist that wants success and to be in the foreground. You can feel that determination and passion in every note and her naturally warm and bright personality has made her a fan favourite. Her live performances and the way she can connect with people is wonderful. You feel this artist radiate and shine from the stage. McCarthy has a brilliant smile and warmth but she is serious and complicated. You get so much from her and, when watching her from the stage, all of that comes to light. There are not many who have the same colours as Beth McCarthy. Here is a natural and ready songwriter whose path to the mainstream should be unhindered and clear.

There is a breathlessness and smokiness coming from the firs moments of Shame. You get this electronic pop and bubble that teases you in and projects a mood of night-time revelation, delicate emotions and something sensual. The introduction does not race or explode: we get something tempting, soft and brooding that gets under your skin right away and spikes the mind. McCarthy’s voice has a sexiness and softness that mixes with a soulfulness and caramel entice. She seems to be attracted to someone and wants to be the only one. You get lost inside this honey-rich and engaging vocal that is soft but powerful; it is impassioned but has some tease to it. McCarthy is talking about someone that means a lot to her – that need to be with them and not have anyone else in the scene. Maybe there is that history and long relationship that has gone through changes and stages. You get the sense something has happened to compromise the purity and strength of what they have. My first impression was two lovers who have that strong bond but something has caused a slight weakening. The heroine definitely wants to be there and not overlooked but you sense some reservation and hesitation in her voice. Indiscretion and loyalty are subjects that make their way into the environment soon enough. Most Pop artists would ramp up the tension and throw energy into the mix; crowd the production needlessly and rush to the chorus. McCarthy takes her time and wants the listener to stay with her – not run off and be too keen to throw everything into the mix. It appears the hero does not want her or his heart does not resound the same way. You feel they are together – in the same bed and room – but are on different pages. Rather than communicate, things are being hidden and the heroine is feeling the weight. She has been loyal and open but he has either been cheating or not revealing what is on his mind.

You get involved with the song and fall for the way McCarthy presents her words. It is a shame the man is not with her and feeling the same way. From the husky and low-down words of before; McCarthy lifts the mood with sweet vocals and there is that rush. Before long, it is brought back down and we are back with them. Our heroine shows how she runs to him and would come if he asked. There is a loyalty and passion from her that has not been compromised or questioned. You never feel like she is unattached and feeling cold. The hero is the one who has lacked that connection and has forgotten why they are together. I am not sure what has caused the division but there is something heartaching coming from McCarthy. I know how much she has invested and how faithful she is but the man is turning away and leaving her out in the open. It is hard to hear and the heroine never overdoes things. A lot of artists would be over-emotional or rack their vocals right to the limit. McCarthy keeps her voice fairly restrained and emotional. Rather than belt out notes and go for something too heavy-handed; she keeps it controlled and that creates a much more potent and long-lasting effect. Your heart is with her and wonder why things have gone the way they have – is it a case of an affair or have things just run their course?! The man gets a bit of a kicking at times (he is doing deals with the Devil) and it seems she cannot help herself. An addictiveness and sense of entice comes from the hero and, maybe, she saw all this coming. It is hard learning lessons like this and being fooled by someone but it seems like this is the final nail. She should, as she confesses, know better but there is something powerful and pure that means she keeps coming back. The chorus is brief but beautiful and admits how it is a shame things have gone the way they have. After a single listen, you remember that chorus and the song is indelible. McCarthy does not overload the song with words and keeps things fairly simple. The power of her voice and the emotion coming from the lyrics does all the talking and stays in the brain. You will return to the song to see how things work out and figure why it turned sour. I was backing the heroine and wanted to know whether things would work out. It seems times are hard and maybe there is no going back. Shame is a heartfelt and effecting song that has detail and personal relevance. Beth McCarthy has been working hard on her new material and wanted to produce a return that was emphatic and new. This is a big step from her and I hope we see more material coming soon. All the signs are good and I am confident she will make some serious waves next year. Keep an eye out for the talented songwriter and get behind everything she does. Shame is a song that means business and comes from an artist who wants to remain in music for a very long time to come.

Follow social media to see what Beth McCarthy is up to because the next few months will be busy. The York artist has a new radio gig and Shame is out there. I know she will be hitting the stage again and getting the music out there. Local stations have been playing the fresh cut and she has been hitting the road to spread the word. The determination and energy expended to promote her material shows you how much this all means. I feel McCarthy has all the qualities we require from an artist. She has that natural beauty and alluring smile; a sense of evolution and experimentation that keeps you hooked; a grace and passion that gets into the soul; that desire to connect with people and produce something genuinely stunning. I will close things by recommending we all listen to Beth McCarthy and what she is putting out there. Maybe there has been a bit of a gap and things have been slightly quiet the last year. She has been busy working away and developing new music; getting her new track out to people and letting people fall in love with her sounds. I have blathered and chatted a long time and will bring this all down. I am excited Beth McCarthy is back and writing. We can see a retuned and new artist who has grown and knows where she wants to head. I feel there will be more singles and maybe an E.P. will arrive in a few months. It is a great time for her and I can feel that energy radiate. We have so many artists to choose from in music right now but Beth McCarthy definitely stands aside. A fantastic talent who is reinventing herself and has her sights set on the horizon; I know how far she will go and what an impact she will make. Keep your eyes fixed on this exciting artist and watch her fly. It has been a busy year for McCarthy so far and she is not willing to drop the pressure and energy right now. Things are starting to hot-up and dare anyone…

STAND in her way.

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Follow Beth McCarthy

Official:

https://bethmccarthymusic.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bethmaymccarthy

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bethmccarthymusic/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bethmaymccarthy/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ba5BHaaNzyzG5ZEfKXIF2

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC51Jwy26FL8JU5Wt7UlIpJg

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/bethmaymccarthy

FEATURE: Sisters in Arms: An All-Female, Autumn-Ready Playlist (Vol. V)

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Francine Belle 

An All-Female, Autumn-Ready Playlist (Vol. V)

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I guess we are seeing the final remnants…

 IN THIS PHOTO: ZAND

of summer come to us and provide some warmth and sunshine! It is nice to see a bit of hot weather linger but I know the clement conditions will end soon. Whilst they are hanging around; I have been looking around music from last year and combining it with fresh cuts to provide an autumn-ready playlist that is female-led and ready to get us in the mood for the weekend!

Have a flick through and you might discover something new. Everything from Pop and Indie to Soul and Folk is covered and there is a nice range of artists. As the nights draw in and we are all thinking of those autumnal days; I think we need music to accompany that and ensure we are in the right mood. This rundown of songs is surely going to…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Four of Diamonds

ACHIEVE that.

ALL PHOTOS (unless credited otherwise): Getty Images/Artists

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Stella Scott

Phoebe Coco – Silver Lines

Men I Trust – Seven

Francine Belle – Beautiful Heights

Night Flowers – Let Her In

PHOTO CREDIT: Rachel McCord

Rose Droll – Hush

ZAND – LUCI

The Japanese House – Lilo 

Yaeji – One More

Diving Station – Drown

Tenille Townes – Somebody’s Daughter

Eves Karydas – Damn Loyal

 

WILDWOOD – Hourglass

Æ MAK – Too Sad to Sing

Larkin Poe – Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues

PHOTO CREDIT: Josue Orozco Brockmann

 L’FREAQ – New Skin

Nikki Hayes – Move

Holly Abraham – Shore

PHOTO CREDIT: Rich Gilligan

Saint Sister – Steady

Pistol Annies – Best Years of My Life

Rita Wilson – Blindsided

PHOTO CREDIT: Danny McShane

Georgia Mae - Fools

Kaylee Bell – One More Shot

CLOVES – California Numb

Iyamah – Silver Over Gold 

Four of Diamonds (ft. Saweetie) – Stupid Things

PHOTO CREDIT: Rob Blackham

Hannah Lou Clark – We’re Rich

Holly Macve – All of Its Glory

INTERVIEW: Nigel Thomas

INTERVIEW:

Nigel Thomas

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MY final interview of the week…

is with Nigel Thomas as he tells me about his new song, Alchemy Rose. I ask the songwriter how his solo work differs to that he performed with The Foxes; what we can expect from his sophomore album; what sort of music he is inspired by - Thomas selects a few albums that have made an impact on him.

I ask whether we will see any tour dates and who, given the chance, he would support on tour; which rising artists we need to get involved with; if Thomas gets time to unwind away from music – he ends the interview by selecting a top song.

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

I’m great, thanks – BUSY! I’m filming a music video in Soho this week for the new album and have another shoot in Scotland next week.

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

Hello. I’m Nigel…and your name is?

What is the story behind your latest single, Alchemy Rose?

It’s a song about people who take things at face value and don’t do anything to check whether or not something they say, or share online, is actually true. It only takes seconds to check a fact…I’ve helped on one; there is no real Jack and Rose on Titanic. You’re welcome.

Your sophomore album is out next year. Are there particular themes and stories that influenced the music?

A lot of it is influenced by world events and the crazy times we’re living in: on the other hand, I want the album to also show that we’ve never had it so good. It’s easy to be gloomy - bad news sells. There’s a track on the album called Settle Down and I mean just that. Everyone needs to calm down and think a bit more. A lot more.

How does life as a solo artist differ to your work with The Foxes? Do you take a lot of what you learnt from that time into your current work?

Absolutely. I had a wonderful time with The Foxes. We toured the world and made some music I’m very proud of – being a solo artist gives you more control but it’s also a lonelier way or working. I’m very lucky that I get to work with a number of great musicians which has really opened up the sound of my music.

In terms of musicians; what sort of stuff are you into? Who were you raised on?

I’m into everything and I think the years of D.J.ing and running Death Disco with Alan McGee really broadened my musical horizons. I was brought up on the best - The Beatles, Steely Dan and Squeeze and I love Elliott Smith, Paul McCartney; Blur, R.A.T.M., Radiohead…

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Well. The album is finished and ready to go. I’m hoping, by the end of the year, I’ll know how I’m going to release it and have the tour dates coming together. I’m so excited to get the new music out there!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Hmm; so many! Probably back in The Foxes when we quit our day jobs and the next day we were in a Jacuzzi outside a lovely house where we were in North Carolina sipping cold beers before our first gig of the tour thinking: ‘Yes, I could do this for the rest of my life’. I was still thinking that when we slept on floors for other gigs, so I knew I was on the right path.

For a purely musical side, I’d say the Alchemy Rose launch party. It was the first time 90% of the songs had ever been played live and hearing the reaction from the packed out crowd was quite incredible.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Which mean the most to each of me? Interesting. I’m liking the mysterious approach!  For my pure side, I’d say Rubber Soul by The Beatles. Revolver and Sgt. Pepper get all the fame and glory but, for me, Rubber Soul is the most perfect, complete album; full of haunting lyrics, sweet melodies and smoky feelings.

For my rebellious side, I’d say Mosley Shoals by Ocean Colour Scene – rebellious, as it’s not a very ‘cool’ album to like but I really couldn’t care. It’s great; every track perfectly formed and always a reminder of being a teenager.

For my dancey side, I’ll go with Fuchsia Riot by the Bobby Hughes Experience. I first heard it in a dank cellar pub in Brighton and it took my breath away with its complex rhythms and mix of melodies. A lovely, lovely album.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Well. Obviously, Paul McCartney as I could not only meet him but sing for him while he mimes (sorry, Paul!). I’d love to support Blur or Graham Coxon. Such great musicians.

Can we see you tour soon? Where are you playing?

There’ll be a big tour next year for the album and there may be one or two surprise gigs coming up soon so keep your eyes on my website/Facebook page.

You have enjoyed some packed and celebrated gigs. It seems like the stage is somewhere you love being. Would that be fair?

That would be more than fair, yes. I’ve always loved performing; whether it’s acting or music. There’s nothing like being on the stage and giving your all. It’s truly a magical thing.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Practise. Practise. Practise. That time you might want to spend making yourself appear cool? Stop it and practice.

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Trend/PHOTO CREDIT: Arpad Hovarth

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I really enjoyed The Trend and Calico Jack when I played with them at the single launch party. Check them out.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Calico Jack/PHOTO CREDIT: Danté K Photography

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I’m a big reader, so I do a lot of that. I’ve just finished Stephen King’s book about writing, On Writing, as I’m planning my own novel. Would you like to be a character? I’m also a titanic geek.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

That’s very kind! I choose Is It Like Today by World Party. I love the idea of chatting to God in a song. How did it come to this? Well, quite

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Follow Nigel Thomas

Official:

https://www.nigelsongs.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nigelsongs

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/nigelsongs

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/nigelsongs

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/29ZPtJmhCidIEacOzSzWf8

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_-7SP5yfH-1EcUaYrqzGg

INTERVIEW: LaKyoto

INTERVIEW:

LaKyoto

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IT has been great speaking with LaKyoto…

about the new track, Something About You, and whether there is a story behind it. I ask the Edinburgh band how they all got together and what it feels like being featured on Made in Chelsea - they highlight some local artists that are worth getting behind.

I was excited to know if they are touring and what happens next in terms of material; if they ever get time to unwind away from music; which albums are important to them – the guys each select a song to end the interview with.

__________

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

Hi team! We’re great, thanks. It’s been a busy week so far with rehearsals, demoing and gig promotion - and it’s only Tuesday!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please? 

We are LaKyoto, a four-piece Synth Pop/Alternative band from Edinburgh, Scotland. We pride ourselves on writing huge Pop songs with stomping drums, pounding sub-bass and soaring melodies.

Something About You is new. Is there an inspiration/story behind the song?

Something About You is a twisted love song about how love can blind us to the worst issues and cause us to fall into the same traps time and again just to feel wanted. So many of us stay with the wrong people simply because it’s easier, without thinking about what best for ourselves. This isn’t what love should be about and the lyrics of the song demonstrate this conflict and how we so often settle for less.

Will there be more material coming later down the line?

We have spent the last year working on new music and we have plenty of new material written, recorded and ready to go. We will definitely be releasing some new tracks very soon; maybe even sooner than you think...

Can you remember when you got together and started making music?

We first started making music together whilst studying music at college a couple of years ago. We had all been in various bands over the years, but this was the first moment where everything really clicked musically. We spent a lot of time in our first year writing music and practicing it together so that, when we eventually went live, everything was already in place.

What is it like having your music backed by the likes of The Line of Best Fit and Made in Chelsea?!

The support we’ve had from The Line of Best Fit and Made in Chelsea has been incredible. It’s very surreal hearing your music being played on one of the biggest shows on television - especially as an unsigned band - but we see it as a massive compliment. We really felt the benefit of featuring, with a number of new fans saying that they looked us up because of the show. We’d love to feature again and hopefully now that they’ve used our music once, they might use us again.

Do you have shared music tastes? What was the sort of music you were raised on?

Luckily, the four of us all have the exact same taste in music and all love the same bands as each other. We love music with bright, punchy synths and catchy, singalong melodies - and some of our favourite artists include Everything Everything, Nothing But Thieves; The Naked and Famous, Sigrid and The Killers. Our music tastes aren’t restricted to specific genres either, which is extremely important for the songwriting process: it allows us to draw influences from absolutely anywhere and we feel that if it’s a good song, it’s a good song. We even referenced Kylie Minogue recently to help us write a song. It was definitely strange. But definitely worth it.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Our brand new single, Something About You, will be released on 28th September and we’ll be celebrating this at our Edinburgh headline show on 5th October at The Mash House. We have a few more special treats for our fans to come before the end of the year as well and, come January, we’ll be ready to start all over again with some brand-new material and more releases coming very soon.

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Playing at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival this summer was probably the big stand out for us in our time as a band. It was amazing to play at a festival we’ve all attended over the years; made even more special by a much bigger crowd than we could have expected. Special mention for featuring on Made in Chelsea as well - a year later and we’re still trying to process it!

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Everything Everything are our shared favourite band and their most recent release, A Fever Dream, has helped shape the band into what it is today. Every single song on the album is beautifully-crafted and the ingenuity and attention that has been paid to every last detail has greatly influenced our own sound and mindset. We have drawn a number of influences and ideas from listening to this album and we still listen to it every single day.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

If we could support any one act today, it would be Everything Everything. They are one of the main reasons this band exists and it would be an absolute pleasure to share a stage with them.

We’re not picky with riders: as long as there’s an unhealthy amount of Irn Bru and Haribo, you’ll get no complaints from us.

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

We’re playing our biggest hometown headline show to date on 5th October at The Mash House, Edinburgh. We have a couple more shows in the planning stages before the end of the year; then we can start fresh next year. Touring would be a very important moment in the development of the band and it’s definitely something we’re looking at.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

The best advice we can give to new artists would be to just enjoy it. Write the music you want to listen to and don’t write it for anyone else. If you believe in your music and you have a passion for what you’re doing then other people will too. Being in a band is a much more difficult job than anyone outside of the circle can understand, but the second you’re not enjoying it, take a step back and start again.

And make mistakes! It’s the only way new bands can really learn, and once you’ve gone through that process, you’ll really start to see the benefits. That’s when you know you’re on to something. You have to make big sacrifices - and you’ll forget what sleep is - but watching your band grow is worth it in the end.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Retro Video Club/PHOTO CREDIT: Rory Barnes

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

There’s a lot of incredible talent here in Scotland - and the national scene is only getting stronger. We’re really into Retro Video Club and Vistas at the moment - both from Edinburgh - and we can’t wait to share the stage with Lost in Vancouver, who will be supporting us at our next show.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Vistas

Do you all get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Not really! But, it’s definitely something we’re getting better at. At this stage of a band’s existence, you almost have to commit your entire life to the cause; to start climbing up the ladder and expanding your fan base. No one else is going to do the work for us, but we’re extremely driven and have such a genuine passion for making music. Most importantly, we enjoy what we d so it’s never a chore to us anyway. Netflix breaks definitely help.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Everything Everything – Desire

Bleachers - Don’t Take the Money

Fatherson - Making Waves

Nothing But Thieves - Forever & Ever More

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Follow LaKyoto

Official:

http://www.lakyoto.uk/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/lakyoto

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LaKyoto/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/Lakyoto_UK/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/lakyotouk

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MaLwJim7ypQqbUy0TTLC4 

INTERVIEW: Run Coyote

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Balderston

Run Coyote

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AMANDA and Sam of Run Coyote…

have been discussing their new track, Night Rider, and what its background is. I was keen to learn how the band found one another and whether they have favourite memories from their career so far; which albums are important to them and whether they have advice for upcoming musicians.

Sam and Amanda discuss the upcoming Run Coyote album and tell me how they spend time away from music; which rising artists we need to get behind – given their band’s latest single; I ask which David Hasselhoff moment stands out to them.

__________

Interview with Run Coyote’s Sam Allen and Amanda Grant.

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

Sam: Great! We’ve just started playing some fall shows and I’ve been wearing my new trench coat.

Amanda: Fall is just starting so I’m pretty into making soup at the moment. That makes for a good week.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Sam: My name is Sam and I play guitar and sing; my brother Jake plays lead guitar; Amanda plays the bass and Jeremy holds us together on drums. We’re a Western-Noir band from Toronto, Canada.

Night Rider is your new single. Can you reveal the story behind it?

Sam: Night Rider was inspired by late-night drives on deserted highways. When you play in a band, you spend a lot of time on the road and I wanted to work that experience into a song. It ended up being a story about a guy drifting between work, his family and adventure.

Given the title of your latest single; do you each have a favourite work from the thespian David Hasselhoff?

Sam: The Simpsons episode where “David Hasselhoff” is one of Lisa’s first words.

Amanda: I’m partial to his cameo in the Baywatch remake…

I understand an album is coming next year. What can we expect in terms of themes and stories on the record?

Amanda: Sam’s been really into film noir and hardboiled fiction so that was a big influence on this record. He brought a bunch of songs to the band that play on the idea of a femme fatale character and a detective. But, we also love old westerns and the music from those movies so there is definitely some of that too.

Sam: I’m a very visual songwriter. I imagine scenes in my head and try to express them through the music. For most of these songs, I was picturing a crossroad between film noir and spaghetti westerns - trying to mix moody Rock ‘n’ Roll with twangy guitar; Roy Orbison with Ennio Morricone.  

PHOTO CREDIT: Rima Sater

Can you remember how Run Coyote got together and started making music?

Sam: It grew out of a solo project I had. When I started writing the first Run Coyote record, I knew I wanted the songs to be performed with a full band, and the more we played together, it became obvious this wasn’t just my thing anymore. We all bring a lot to it.

Do you have shared music tastes? What was the sort of music you were raised on?

Amanda: We have grown to have a shared taste in music. If you spend enough time together you inevitably start to like the same things. We all love the Canadian band Timber Timbre. That was a unifying thing off the top. But, I was raised on a lot of singer-songwriter stuff - Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Cat Stevens - while Sam and Jake grew up with Frank Zappa…so we’re nostalgic for different things and that brings different influences to our music.

Sam: Yeah. Bluegrass is also something I was raised on. My aunt, uncles and cousins play in a family Bluegrass band. I grew up with that and Country-Gospel at our family farm in Southwestern Ontario.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Sam: A sold-out stadium tour. (Laughs).

 PHOTO CREDIT: Rima Sater

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Sam: One time in Quebec City, we were playing a house show in an attic apartment. Before the show could start, the downstairs neighbours complained so we had to find a new spot to play, quick! We couldn’t speak French, so we weren’t sure what the plan was but ended up doing the show at one of the original host’s friend’s place around the block.

So, everyone who had come out for the concert helped us move our gear, with a parade of people marching up the street on a fall night carrying cymbal stands, amps; drums and guitars. It still is one of my favourite shows we’ve ever played.

Amanda: Ooo; mine is in Quebec too, but in Montreal. It was the first time an audience of people we didn’t know started singing along with one of our songs. That’s a good feeling.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Amanda: Probably Talking Heads - Fear of Music

All because of the song Life During Wartime. I have distinct memories of jumping around singing that song at the top of my lungs with my dad. He loves music but doesn’t think he’s any good at singing; so I love when he just lets loose.

Sam: The Beatles - ‘The White Album’ (The Beatles)

It sounds silly but, when I was thirteen or something, I didn’t know you could make music like that until I heard that album.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Sam: I’d want to play with Nick Cave. I wouldn’t need a rider if I got to do that every night.

Amanda: Paul McCartney, for sure. I’d get to hang out with Paul and get in on his post-show vegetarian feasts. I would share my rider of tea and every kind of candy with him and we’d become the greatest of friends!  

 PHOTO CREDIT: Rima Sater

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

Sam: We’re touring across Ontario and Quebec in Canada this fall:

Sept 22 – Toronto, ON – Burdock

Oct 5 – London, ON – Rum Runners

Nov 2 – London, ON – London Bicycle Café *

Nov 3 – Kitchener-Waterloo, ON – T.B.A. *

Nov 4 – Hamilton, ON – Collective Arts Brewing *

Nov 7 – Peterborough, ON – House Show *

Nov 8 – Belleville, ON – Capers Concert Stage Room *

Nov 9 – Kingston, ON – Musiikki Café *

Nov 10 – Kincardine, ON – House Show *

Nov 14 – Toronto, ON – The Dakota Tavern

Nov 17 – Ottawa, ON – Pressed

Nov 18 – Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo

 * solo Run Coyote shows with Dave Allen

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Amanda: Don’t do it for the money.

Sam: I would say it’s important to play a lot of shows in order to discover what type of musician you are and your relationship with an audience. Something I’m still trying to work on is to always find ways to make and keep it fun…

Amanda: …And always thank your sound person. You’d be lost without them.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Alex Mason

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Sam: Listen to our friends Alex Mason and LUKA - they’re great!

Amanda: Julie Arsenault has the most beautiful voice. The Lifers are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Check them both out!

 IN THIS IMAGE: Julie Arsenault/IMAGE CREDIT: Jack Phelps

Do you all get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Sam: I unwind listening to Chet Baker.

Amanda: …and eating candy.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Sam: Tom Waits - Shore Leave (from Swordfishtrombones)

 

Amanda: The Weather Station – Shy Women (from Loyalty)  

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Follow Run Coyote

 PHOTO CREDIT: Michelle Balderston  

Official:

http://runcoyotemusic.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/runcoyotemusic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RunCoyoteMusic/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/runcoyotemusic/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/runcoyotemusic

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG6kjuu7ypaWKSbvW1MZuSQ

INTERVIEW: Johnny Kills

INTERVIEW:

Johnny Kills

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THE chaps of Johnny Kills…

have been telling me about their new single, Seems, and what the story behind it is. I ask how the band got together and whether there are plans for future material/gigs – they recommend some rising artists that are worth spending some time around.

I was keen to know what sort of music drives them and albums that are important; whether they have any advice for musicians emerging and, considering their name, which Johnny they’d hire if they need a good, professional kill.

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

Hi! We’re good, thanks; hope you are too. It’s been really good actually. We had a gig at The Finsbury on Saturday and we hadn’t had one in a while so that was fun. We were trying a couple new things which was cool too – two new tracks in the set plus adding in some keys for the first time. It’s always fun when you get the opportunity to change it up a little!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

So. We’re Johnny Kills and we play slightly punky, slightly poppy; quite guitar-y and a little keyboard-y Surf-Rock stuff. People have said we sound a little bit like Weezer, Wavves and FIDLAR which makes us happy because they are definitely influences.

Seems is your new track. Is there a story behind the song at all?

Seems is about a moment where you hear something really great at the same time as something really sad. Going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows really quickly and ending up feeling confused about it and trying to process both at the same time.

Might we expect more material in the coming months?

We’re heading into the studio soon to record a few songs which we’re really excited about; so, hopefullyyyy before the end of the year but if not then definitely early-2019.

How did Johnny Kills get together? When did you find one another?

We’d been in few bands kicking around the Cambridge scene for a few years, a couple of which we were in together, and then we decided to start a new one just as Cameron and I headed off to university at opposite ends of the country - which made it a little hard for ourselves. Aha. But, we’ve know each other for years: Lewis and I are actually brothers so I guess we found each other at home and then we met Cameron about sixteen years later.

In terms of musical inspiration; what sort of music were you raised on?

Mine and Lewis’ dad has always played us a lot of stuff. He introduced us to Pavement, Arcade Fire and still introduces to a load of cool new things that we haven’t heard yet. Then, we veered off a bit and got really into Radiohead. Then, when we were friends with Cameron, we all stumbled upon fuzzy stuff such as Yuck and FIDLAR together and that definitely made an impression. But, we love all sorts of different stuff: I’m really getting into St. Vincent’s most-recent album at the moment for example.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

Umm; well, it’s pretty close to the end of 2018 now so I’ll be pretty conservative with a small ‘c’ here and say to have a few cool new recorded tracks in the bank and maybe a few more fun live shows. We’ve got a gig on 4th October for Riff Raff at Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney which we’re looking forward to so, hopefully, that goes well too. And then, I guess, Wembley.

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Tim: I always love recording . We go up to The Nave to work in Leeds with the excellent Alex Greaves and get to play with a load of crazy gear that we’d never get the opportunity to use otherwise, like super-cool and temperamental retro pedals. Getting to do that whilst also actually being productive and seeing the song come together in stages is really fun.

Lewis: There used to be new band nights at The Junction in Cambridge we played when we were all in an old band together. They were generally pretty well attended; however, one time, the stars aligned in terms of line-up/timing or whatever and it was a complete sell-out. Playing to nearly one-thousand really receptive people (“Wave your arms!”; 'Sing this back!”; “Jump around!”) was pretty surreal, and kinda mind-blowing.

Cameron: It’s a weird one. I’d probably say our first gig in a ‘man-that-was-lucky-we-just-about-pulled-that-one-off’ kind of way; just for the fact that it even happened. Basically, we’d had our debut show booked in for a while - it was in Brighton at The Hope and Ruin. And then like the muppet I am, I accidentally booked a holiday to Corfu that got back on the same day and meant we couldn’t rehearse for the two weeks up to it - after the last practice beforehand hadn’t gone amazingly. I had to take a guitar on holiday with me to practice and then go straight from the airport to a rehearsal with the other guys.

By the time of the show, I think I’d been up for around forty hours and was pretty much delirious but it was surprisingly disaster-free in the end. This is more a fun memory in hindsight: it was super-stressful at the time. But, we’d been excited to gig for ages (almost a year) and the drama added to a release of tension that made us realise why we’d missed doing it so much. It was back to being a real band again rather than online pen pals.

Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

Lewis: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - Pavement

It got me into Pavement who are one of my favourite bands and showed me that being a bit ramshackle can actually add to the music…and that it’s all about the songs.

Tim: OK Computer – Radiohead

It’s a cliché choice but that’s just because it is an amazing album. I’m usually into slightly more distorted and fuzzy stuff but Karma Police, Let Down and No Surprises would all stake a claim at being my favourite-ever song. We got to see them at Glastonbury last year and it was one of the best moments ever.

Cameron: Yuck – Yuck

Bring the fuzz!

Give your name; which Johnny, if you were hiring a sure-fire assassin, would you hire to get the job done?

Johnny Bravo.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Probably Pavement or Radiohead as they are our all-time heroes. I have no idea on the rider. I think playing with them would be enough. Maybe, we’d do the classic thing and say only blue/no blue M&Ms? Or an excellent board game.

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

We’ve got that show on 4th at Paper Dress Vintage in London for Riff Raff and I’m sure there’ll be a few more before the year is out.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

You don’t have to say ‘yes’ to everything  - but also just try be as nice as possible to people. There might be times when there are problems with the sound at a show or whatever, but it’s not always someone’s fault and it never pays to be a dick about it. Everyone’s trying their best and probably just as stressed as you are when things go wrong. Also…write some really good tunes.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Pizzagirl

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Pizzagirl – catchy-as-hell 1980s-esque Synth-Pop from a man who calls his bedroom a ‘beatzzeria’. What’s not to love?!

Sports Team – really good tunes to go along with a really fun online presence. Got to see them at a local cricket club’s bar and they were really good live.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sports Team/PHOTO CREDIT: Louise Mason

Do you all get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Well. Lewis and Tim’s are involved in music for work, so not as much time away as you’d think. But, we love it so great. We also like ourselves a bit of football and are huge Liverpool fans, apart from Cameron. Cameron is actually the manager at a trampoline park so that’s how he spends most of his days - trying to learn to do backflips for the one-thousandth time and filling out health and safety forms. 

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Tim: Pizzagirl – Coffee Shop

Lewis: WOOZE - Hello Can You Go

Cameron: Childhood – Don’t Have Me Back

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Follow Johnny Kills

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/johnnykillsband

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/johnnykillskillskills/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/johnnykillskillskills/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/johnnykillskillskills

INTERVIEW: Holly Abraham

INTERVIEW:

Holly Abraham

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HER debut single, Shore, is out today…

so I have been talking with Holly Abraham about it and whether she has more material in the pipeline. The Bristol-based songwriter tells me about her musical upbringing and what sort of sounds have inspired her – I ask whether there will be any tour dates.

Abraham discusses her favourite memory from her career so far and what music means to her; whether she has any advice for songwriters coming through; which rising musicians we need to check out – she ends the interview with a great song choice.

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

Hey, Sam. It’s been great, thanks! I’ve been doing loads of prep for my single (to come out) and it’s finally been released so I am on a crazy buzz right now!  Apparently, dreams really do come true!

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

I’m a chocoholic from Wales who creates mellow Indie/Folk music! I’m a singer-songwriter who has been in love with the guitar for about twenty years and I’ve just recently moved to the wonderful, vibrant city of Bristol to start pursuing my music seriously.

Shore is your debut single. Can you reveal the origins behind it?

Shore is the first real and authentic song that I wrote. It was created a few years ago during a darker period of my life and originally it wasn’t even meant to be heard by any ears apart from my own! It’s an honest expression of the sinking feeling I was experiencing at the time, whilst still holding onto the hope that things wouldn’t stay this way forever. Shore is a pretty vulnerable track, so it’s fitting that it’s my debut single as that’s exactly how I want to introduce my music to the world – raw and honest with no pretence.

Will there be more material coming? What are you working on at the moment?

Absolutely! Shore is just the beginning of many plans we have coming over the next year! I’m hoping to drop another single around February, which will then make way for my debut E.P. to be released soon after. I’ve learned very quickly you have to be ten steps ahead at all times in the music industry! You can be sitting on tracks for months or even years before they are available for the world to hear!

Do you recall when you got into music? Which artists did you grow up around?

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a pretty musical household, so it’s been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad was a singer-songwriter and my absolute hero. He started teaching me how to play guitar when I was five-years-old and I was convinced when I was younger we were going to be a famous daughter-dad duo! Honestly, I have no idea what music was popular in the ’90s because I was being brought up on The Beatles and James Taylor!

As a teenager, I loved Newton Faulkner and Jack Johnson so they largely inspired my love for acoustic guitar. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve fallen madly in love with atmospheric Indie things and still enjoy a little bit of Rock.  

Is music the best way you express yourself? How important is it to you?

I’m pretty sure music runs through my veins - I absolutely live and breathe it! When I’m not writing, performing or recording; I’m making playlists, going to see live music or sharing new artists with friends. I can’t even do the washing-up without having some tunes on! I’m quite an external person so songwriting definitely helps me process. I love the way music can provoke, inspire; entertain and move people: it’s such a privilege to have an opportunity to bring that to the world!

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

A lot of work this year has gone into producing and releasing Shore as well as getting my artist profile off the ground so I’m looking forward to seeing the response from that in the next few weeks or so. It’s already being featured in an autumn playlist so it will be awesome if it gets a bit of love from some other places too! I’m focusing a lot on live performance at the moment and we’re also starting work on the next single and E.P. for 2019. Busy, busy, busy!

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

During my time in Australia this year, I lived in a little place called Toowoomba in Queensland and I took part in the Toowoomba Busking Festival which was really fun! I formed a little collective called Going Zucchini with two friends from the U.S. and Germany and we got to spend the day playing sets in different locations around the city (shout-out to Luke and Luca!).

The atmosphere was absolutely magical - it was really sunny and there were so many people relaxing and enjoying themselves! It felt like the whole city had come out just for that day; all united together by the love of music. We had such a good time, so it was just an added bonus when we received a People’s Choice Award!

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

1 - The Beatles

When I was growing up, I had this huge yellow book of the music of ALL the Beatles’ songs and so most of my first songs ever learned on guitar were featured on this album. The Beatles still bring back so many memories of hanging out with my dad and sneaking out of bed to watch music documentaries with him until 2 A.M.!

Sunny Side Up - Paolo Nutini

I think this is one of the first C.D.s I ever owned! It kept me company all through high-school and Paolo and I sang many a duet whilst I tidied my room during the early-2000s! Last Request was one of the first terrible YouTube covers I ever did and a meaningful song I shared with my first boyfriend. Who doesn’t still get cheered up by a bit of New Shoes?!

Dome - Firewoodisland

This E.P. came out in a time in a time of my life where a lot of things were changing for the better and it was then that I first realised I could actually pursue my dream of making music. I was around for a lot of the production of the E.P. and that’s where my eyes were first really opened to how the music industry works - it was so exciting to see all the things that happen behind the scenes that most people don’t even know about! The title-track, Dome, is extremely moving and will always be really special to me.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Supporting Of Monsters and Men would be an absolute dream! I met them after a gig in Bristol on their world tour around two years ago and they were so lovely even though they were exhausted!

The rider would definitely involve some hot chocolate, some excellent pizza from Bosco on Whiteladies Road and a mandatory deep conversation about our experiences and inspirations!

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

I’m playing a lot of local gigs at the moment - mainly Bristol, Cardiff and Bath. Supporting some great artists soon and I’m hoping to do a U.K. release tour when my E.P. comes out next year, so stay tuned!

How important is it being on stage and performing? Is it the place you feel most comfortable?

I really love performing and have done live stuff in the past; just never my own songs until now. It’s been a funny transition this year going from writing and practicing to the wall in my bedroom; to actually playing what I’ve written on stages in front of people!

I get the most out of music when I see it’s moving other people in some way and I think live performance achieves that in a more tangible way than recorded music does in some respects. I still equally love spending time in the studio and in production though - making my songs come to life behind the scenes is really exciting too!

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

1.      Be prepared to put in A LOT of hard groundwork in the beginning for little reward. Every successful musician once did those toilet gigs!

2.      Don’t allow how many ‘likes’ you have on Facebook or plays on Spotify determine your worth as a person or as an artist - focus on why you started making music in the first place and the rest of the world will catch up later.

3.      Be ridiculously lovely to everyone you meet and remember to have some flipping fun along the way!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Novo Amor/PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Alexander Harris

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Novo Amor is one of my biggest inspirations; Ali Lacey and Ed Tullett provide a little bit of ear-heaven for me on almost a daily basis. If you haven’t heard of Novo Amor please go and fall in love with him too so we can sway our phone lights back and forth together and hug each other at the next gig!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ed Tullett

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Music is one of the biggest joys in my life, so I never want to fully get away from it; even in my downtime, I’m usually getting inspiration or hanging out with other creative/musical friends! I’ve just started customising my polka dot Fender Strat which is an exciting project I’ve never done before! Otherwise, if friends are busy then being snuggled up in bed with a mellow playlist, candles and Pinterest is always a dreamy alternative!

I’ve also really got into cacti and home décor recently, so an embarrassing amount of time is usually spent dreaming about my imaginary, unrealistic future home. There will be plants…

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

I mentioned Dome by Firewoodisland earlier and I’d like to play another one of their beautiful songs called Knot. I listened to it on repeat during the hard times in Cambodia this year and it’s never let me down since! Gorgeous stuff!

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Follow Holly Abraham

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/hollyabrahamm

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/hollyabrahammusic/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/hollyabrahammusic/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/hollyabrahammusic

PHOTOS:

Forest Child Music

ARTWORK:

Abi Eleri

INTERVIEW: Rhian Sheehan

INTERVIEW:

Rhian Sheehan

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THIS day starts with me talking…

with the New Zealand-based artist Rhian Sheehan. He talks to me about his new single, The Absence of You, and what its story is. I ask what we can expect from the album, A Quiet Divide (out 5th October), and what plans he has going forward.

Sheehan tells me about the albums and artists that mean the most to him; whether there are tour dates coming up; how he got started in music; how important orchestral music is to him – he ends the interview by selecting a great track.

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

It’s been busy. We’re gearing up for a tour around New Zealand next week, so we’re full swing into rehearsals. It’s also the most technically challenging show we’ve put together, with multiple screens and projections - so we’re in full preparation right now.

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

Well. I’ve been releasing music since the early-2000s but, over that time, I became a full-time screen composer for film, T.V. and video games etc. So, I have worked in many different genres over the years. It’s a little tricky trying to pigeonhole my own releases into one genre as my own style has evolved over the years.

My earlier releases were predominantly electronic in nature but I would say that my last three albums (Standing in Silence, Stories from Elsewhere and A Quiet Divide) have all delved more and more into an orchestral and atmospheric sound, mixed with moments of Post-Rock and synth soundscapes. Someone recently described my music as “atmospheric Chamber music”, which I think describes the latest release well.

The Absence of You is just out. Is there a story behind the track? 

Originally, the track was in a very different form as a slower piano piece. When I began working on the new record, I rediscovered the original idea and completely reworked it into something very different. The finished piece (for piano moog and chamber strings) is far more passionate and focused than my original slow sketch. I’m always jotting down ideas; sketching on the piano or guitar, and many of these ideas never see the light of day again so it’s nice when some old idea helps spark off a new one.

It’s from the album, A Quiet Divide. In terms of themes and ideas; what can we expect from the album?

I think my scoring work shines through on A Quiet Divide more than any other release. Listening now, in retrospect, the album feels like it could be a film score in places. My intention was to write and produce an album that was reflective, emotive and delicate but that also had interesting sonic colours and textures. It’s by far the most heavily piano and chamber strings-focused album I’ve released.

I often find myself daydreaming when sketching out an idea, getting nostalgic about the past and pondering the future. I’m a parent and, being a parent, it quickly becomes apparent that all of the beautiful little moments we experience in life are fleeting. They fade into a past memory in an instant. There’s a little sadness wrapped up in all this. Our time is limited. That’s where the title for the album came from.

Is there more material coming later down the line? What are you working on?

I'm very busy working on Magic Leap and film soundtracks so, at this stage, my future output is focused on the more commercial side of my work.

Can you talk about the video for Soma Dreams? What was it like working with Matt Pitt?

Matt, A.K.A. redkidOne, is an old friend of mine and an extremely talented animator. He’s produced some beautiful music videos for me over the years - and they all connect to each other in subtle ways. The idea for Soma Dreams video came about from the Japanese girl’s dialogue at the beginning of the track. She’s talking about a dream she had about a whale in the sky. Matt took inspiration from that and ran with it, with gorgeous results.

Give me a sense of the music you grew up around. Was it quite varied?

I was around music from a young age. My mother was in a tour band when I young, so we spent some time on the road. But, I didn’t really take music seriously until I was about seventeen. I played in many bands as a pretty average guitar player but then went on to study composition and began recording my own music in my home studio from around the age of eighteen. My tastes are wide and varied, but I’ve become more and more influenced by orchestral and Classical music as well as Ambient music over the years.

It is clear strings and Classical elements are important to you and who you are. Do you think genres like Classical get overlooked by many people and warrants greater attention?

I think Classical, or more specifically orchestral music, has had a huge resurgence in recent years and that’s in some part because of the success of artists such as Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds; Nils Frahm, the late and great Jóhann Jóhannsson and many others; all of whom have taken the idea of Classical music and turned it on its head; experimenting with orchestral sounds in a far less traditional way. It’s an exciting time for modern-Classical music.

My own experience is that writing for orchestra can be somewhat addictive. Every recording session you do is like watching magic unfold in front of you. You are literally listening as notes written on paper spring into life via the hands of very talent performers. That’s an exciting moment.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

It’s been a busy year from me. As well as finishing the new album, I’ve just wrapped up writing a score for Magic Leap’s mixed-reality game, Dr. Grordbort’s Invaders, which is coming soon. I’m also excited to tour the new album around New Zealand over the coming months. We have a fantastic band and I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with some incredibly talented visual artists on these shows too.

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

Yes. To celebrate my new album I'm playing with a nine-piece band and orchestras across N.Z. in Dunedin, Nelson; Wellington and Auckland - with a visual backdrop created by Weta Workshop and collaborations from a host of visual specialists from N.Z., U.S.A. and U.K. I'm super-excited to unveil this show.

SAT, 29 SEPT: Dunedin Town Hall

FRI, 12 OCT: Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington

SAT, 20 and SUN 21 OCT: Nelson Theatre Royal

FRI, 26 and SAT Oct 27: Q Theatre, Auckland

All info at http://loop.co.nz/shows; Video trailer for shows.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

One of favourite recent musical moments was seeing Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed live in Auckland. It was such a stunning show.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Cliff Martinez - Solaris (Original Motion Picture Score)

A live, changing album for me. One of the most powerful and affecting orchestral scores ever written in my opinion.

Max Richter - Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

A stirring record. Beautifully rearranged, reinterpreted and recorded. A brave album to make given the purists that exist within the Classical and orchestral genre. Probably one of the most listened to albums of the last few years for me.

Micronism - Inside a Quiet Mind

Without a doubt, one of the best Electronic records ever made. Timeless.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

I’d support Nashville band Hammock because they’re been a huge influence on me over the years. Unfortunately, they don’t play live often, if ever.

My rider would entail a raw veggie smoothly, a tank of pure oxygen and a pedicure. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Perseverance. Keep writing good music and opportunities will come your way eventually.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I’m a big reader. Nothing beats curling up in the sun and reading a good book.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose any song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

I still think Cliff Martinez’s score for the film Solaris is one of the best scores ever written.

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Follow Rhian Sheehan

Official:

http://www.rhiansheehan.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rhiansheehan

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/rhiansheehanmusic

Bandcamp:

https://rhiansheehan.bandcamp.com/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0H1edn1doFZiHiu2INB2CT

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/rsheehan

INTERVIEW: ANTIBOY

INTERVIEW:

ANTIBOY

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I am ending the day…

by speaking with songwriter/model Harry Hains about his musical alter ego, ANTIBOY. The exciting artist speaks with me about the debut single, Devil, and what we can expect from the forthcoming album, A Glitch in Paradise – I ask what the future holds and which three albums mean the most.

ANTIBOY talks about personal heroes in music and how new songs comes together; the importance of Los Angeles in terms of inspiration and its vibe; what gigs are coming up (you can see ANTIBOY at El Cid, Los Angeles on Sunday 30th at 3 P.M.); how the Australian spends time outside of music – ANTIBOY recommends an artist we should all be aware of.

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

Hi! I’m pretty good!  My week’s been a little crazy. I was shooting a role on a T.V. series for Amazon; then another role for a feature film over the last few days, with a couple of big meetings coming up! It's a very exciting time right now for my career, however. I’m also in the process of looking for a new place to move in the next week which is always a little stressful.

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

My name is ANTIBOY; a gender-fluid android from the future stuck inside a virtual simulation glitch.

How did ‘ANTIBOY’ come to be? What does that name symbolise and represent?

ANTIBOY was originally meant to be a rebellion against social constructs of modern-day society; particularly of what someone who’s male-born is meant to sing about, wear and represent in Pop culture. ANTIBOY is from a future where race, gender and sexuality (minus physiological desire) are no longer terms that are used.

So, if ANTIBOY was in the present, it would be confusing and disturbing to hear how much segregation and hatred has been made based on purely on the minor differences in physiology within the entire HUMAN race. There becomes only two ‘races’ on Earth - robot and human - and eventually they fuse together.

Who do you rank as music idols and inspirations? Did you grow up around a lot of music?

I think of my music as a blend between Lana Del Rey, Nirvana and the 1975 with its own unique flair; a genre I like to call ‘Glitch-Rock’ - a futuristic electronic element. I’m also very much inspired by FKA twigs, Twenty One Pilots; Years & Years, Lorde; Banks, Tove Lo and the fashion stylings and image of David Bowie and Lady Gaga at certain points in their careers. I did grow up around music.  My dad has a huge record collection and was constantly learning new instruments. 

My brother's taste in music showed me new genres of artists and music like ‘Future-Garage’ and more unknown artists like James Blake that I hadn’t heard of yet. He would introduce me to artists like that before they blew up.

Devil is your new single. Is there a story behind the track?

Yes. Devil is about someone bringing the worst out of you. Literally, “you shine the devil into me”; loving that person so much, but loving them is so harmful and is that obsession that destroys you and brings you to your worst self. It explores love as an addiction.

I believe an album, A Glitch in Paradise, is coming. What sort of themes and stories inspired the music?

A Glitch in Paradise is about a future where after we have merged with A.I. We reach a point in time where we can upload our consciousness to the ‘Cloud’. ANTIBOY, who is so addicted to a past relationship, is stuck in a loop of heartbreak as implanted memories continually get replayed over and over. In a world where we can create the perfect reality, our human minds will always bring us back to the pain and suffering of the love we never quite got over.

Are there particular moments when you sit down and write? How do songs usually come to you?

It’s always at a complete random point in time. It could be at 4 A.M. as I am lying in bed and I suddenly gasp and black-out - and then write an entire song that I don’t really remember writing. When the inspiration hits me, maybe it’s something someone says or something I read or hear or see or smell. I can write the lyrics to a whole song very quickly, as I’m very in touch with my emotional side and very good at spilling my emotions; expelling everything so it is removed from me.

How does living in Los Angeles suit you? Is it a great place to work and create?

L.A. is the kind of city that is what you make of it. If you work hard at what you love - and are passionate and driven - you can make anything into a reality. I didn’t grow up singing. I wasn’t even a decent singer until I wanted to find a way to turn my poems into something people would want to hear which is when I started writing songs. I then spent a lot of time taking voice lessons and finding my voice as I worked on two other music projects including a musical I wrote.

Though, particularly throughout the process of this album - with help from my producers, A Jones and Zeus -, I found my own unique style. I wouldn’t have been able to bring this into fruition if it wasn’t for the team of people including them that believed in my vision and concepts and was able to help guide me in the right direction by turning my wild visual ideas into sonic ones.

This is the city of opportunities and, if you can’t get one, you can certainly find a way to make them. I booked my first lead role in a feature film the first month I arrived here. It’s a city where people care about who you are in this moment, not necessarily who you were in the past - and so you can reinvent yourself in Los Angeles until you’ve found what works for you.

Does your experience as a model and actor impact how you write about gender roles do you feel?

Getting to play around with a lot of different sides of myself, in different roles (or ‘characters’); I’ve managed to feel out differing points of view and experience them through the material. I’ve played the dumb, chauvinistic asshole and I’ve played the sweet, sensitive guy who treasures their partner to a fault. Through not only getting these opportunities, but also through my own life experiences, I’ve come to look at gender as something very different to sex; something to be explored, as femininity and masculinity are just too different forms of energy. 

They shouldn’t be use to represent your sex or your gender. I fluctuate comfortably between these energies. I don’t feel the need to define myself in any particular way. Gender is a social construct.  Gender roles need to hurry up and be a thing of the past. Our gender can be defined by us and we can choose how to play it.  No one else gets to decide that.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I hope to have released more of my album and to have successfully pitched the pilot of the T.V. show, A Glitch in Paradise, where each episode is based on a track from the album in a sci-fi musical about ANTIBOY.  The series outline is in development so I won’t reveal too much, however, that is my focus: to make this show a reality. 

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

That’s a tough question as there are so many great memories. Releasing my debut single around two weeks ago and it already being over 300k+ views on YouTube is a big one, as it shows all the hard work I’ve put into this and all the time invested. People are actually into it. However, my favourite memory was more a subtle one: when something clicked inside me after we were a couple tracks in on the album with my producers and we decided to go in a more organic, Rock direction and, somehow, I found my voice. 

We re-recorded the tracks prior to that. I found this new sense of comfort and confidence and we all got really excited; having a very strong feeling about how well this album could do; sensing that rock is making a comeback.

Which three albums mean the most to each of you would you say (and why)?

In no particular order, here are some of my top rated albums:

I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it - The 1975

It has this incredible atmosphere, being super-cinematic with very powerful lyrics and melodies. Bringing back Rock music in a new and interestingly emotive way (LOVE the songs Paris, Somebody Else and Change of Heart).

Born to Die - Lana Del Rey

Her soft, beautiful vocals and old-school, dark Hollywood glamour made this album incredible; something very elegant and timeless about her music with such a deep and honest sadness (Off to the Races, Summertime Sadness and Dark Paradise).

M3LL155X - FKA twigs

This E.P. is experimental, slightly bizarre and extremely original with an incredibly strong visual component. All the songs connect together in one extended music video that is mind-blowing. It feels more like an art film than a music video. She is so talented and conceptual. There is no way to even compare her to another artist as she truly does her own thing that no one else does. (Glass & Patron is my favourite song and video from it - amazing).

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

You probably saw it coming but it would be Lana Del Rey…which would include getting to perform one of my songs or one that I write with; or for her as a duet which is what opens up into her main show.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Work hard, think outside the box. Don’t make music that is so inspired by a current artist’s work that it just sounds like a version of them - that’s a year too old - but rather be inspired by multiple people and create your own sound or, in my case, genre, and think about yourself as a brand or concept. Play around with unique ideas and really go for it. Music is an art, so don’t try and be someone else; use what you have and make your personal side come into place. The most interesting musicians are the ones who are most authentic.

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

We have yet to organize my first tour as my first single only just came out, but a tour is definitely something that’s on our minds. I just came back from N.Y.C. where I had a couple of shows but will be ready soon for a proper tour. I have a show this coming Sunday, 30th Sept at El Cid (Wild Riot presenting Sundaze 12 P.M. til 5 P.M.).

 IN THIS PHOTO: H.E.R.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I’m a huge fan of H.E.R. Her album last year was so fantastic and after touring for a long time now, she has started to blow up which I knew was coming!

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Well. When I’m not working or writing, I love to binge-watch T.V. shows. I just did that with the first two seasons of The Good Place which I really loved and currently I’m watching the new season of BoJack Horseman. Otherwise, hanging around with friends; meeting new people and connecting.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Thanks for the interview! I’d suggest literally anything by H.E.R. This one has a special place in my heart, though:

H.E.R. - Pigment 

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Follow ANTIBOY

Official:

http://antiboy.org/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/antib0y

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/theantiboy/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/theantiboy/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLeW5isReJiGeax0Q7tHMog

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6rbE8bRrhhaGnAkw3i6xOI

PHOTOS:

Zac Stone

STYLIST:

Todorov

FEATURE: The Roots Beneath the Stream: Is Spotify’s D.N.A.-Related Playlist a Step Too Far?

FEATURE:

 

 

The Roots Beneath the Stream

IMAGE CREDIT: Nick Veasey/Getty Images

Is Spotify’s D.N.A.-Related Playlist a Step Too Far?

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A few things have been happening…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@dotgrid

that relate to Spotify and its quest to be the biggest player in the market. With SoundCloud and other music-sharing sites available; it is always a challenge keeping ahead and ensuring others do not nip at your heels! Audius is the latest name on the market that hopes to redress what they see as Spotify’s (and SoundCloud) unfair compensation/payment to musicians. Many see these sites as a bit lax when it comes to paying artists and ensuring they get adequate remunireations. This article looks at the new venture and how it differs from Spotify:

“It’s the latter that’s primarily in its eyeline at first, with the project’s website arguing that “Audius is building an audio distribution, attribution, and monetization platform that puts power back into the hands of audio content creators”. It initially secured venture capital backing to the tune of just under $6m, and now it’s confirmed to CoinDesk that it’s pressing on with the next part of its plan.

It’s introduced a white paper, that in turn has revealed the two cryptocurrency tokens that Audius is looking to launch. The one that most people are likely to engage in is the Loud token, that’s going to be used for transactions on the Audius service. Loud tokens are core to the idea, in that through them, the service aims to properly reward those who create material on the platform”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@jbrinkhorst  

“The Audius token itself is the second, and that’s described thus far as a token of governance.

Its white paper explains the difference, saying that “[Audius will be] used by service providers to participate in staking protocols and earn proceeds from the minting of loud tokens … This separates the mechanism for price-stable value transfer (loud) from the mechanism for value capture and accrual (audius), better serving the needs of users of each token”.

Details of the two tokens are also provided at the Audius website, here. The white paper is here .

The first beta release of the Audius streaming platform is scheduled for early next year, with the aim being for a full public launch before 2019 is out”.

I love Spotify and the fact we can get any album (pretty much) and, if you pay a subscription fee, you can have what you want and unfiltered access to a world of music. I have always been a bit conflicted when it comes to the site. It seems reserved, in the most part, for bigger artists – they are most likely to profit – but I wonder how much they actually make when their big hits receive millions of streams. The issue is more pronounced for minor musicians who put their new songs online. Do they ever make much money and are they being paid what they should!? It is hard to say for sure but there is that feeling sites like Spotify and SoundCloud are not spending enough money when it comes to the songs/artists on their sites.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@rachitank

It is tough to keep the site popular and showing a unique edge and, in a bid to move it ahead of its rivals; Spotify is giving the options for artists to upload their material onto the site without having to go through record labels and the usual mechanics. Independent musicians can upload directly without paying a fee and suffering by not being signed by a label. The Verge covered the story:

“Spotify has announced a new beta feature that will allow independent artists to upload their music directly to the platform instead of through a label or digital aggregator. Normally, artists who aren’t signed to a major label (which can directly upload music to Spotify) have to pay a fee to a third-party service like Tunecore to upload their music to Spotify. The upload feature will be contained within the service’s existing Spotify for Artists platform, which, among other things, allows artists to view data about their listeners and directly submit their songs for editorial playlist consideration.

The new upload feature won’t work like SoundCloud, where songs can be instantly available. Instead, Spotify views it as a way for artists to have control over their own music in advance of its release date. Those who are part of the program will be shown an interface where they can upload their music and accompanying artwork, pick a release day, input additional information (like if it’s a single or an album), and then preview how it will look once published. Direct upload is being offered as a free service”.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Spotify/Getty Images

This is the least alarming recent initiative from Spotify but there are good and bad aspects to this scheme. It is good artists do not have to pay to put their music onto the site and it means those who, before, could not afford to pay to have their music on Spotify now have an open route. It means independent artists can have the same freedom and access as those big-label acts and it seems parity is coming in. There is a problem regarding quality control and the fact, now, the floodgates are open. Already, we have all the big releases and usual collection of songs and the choice seems bewildering. Now, with this extra and free option; I worry there is going to be a flood and it will be hard to decipher the genuinely worthy – too much choice and music coming to us and an attempt for Spotify to keep its reputation and name strong in the wake of rivals/other ventures emerging. I still worry, even though independents have a free option and way of getting their music out there; will they be paid anything and is this a misguided measure from Spotify? I understand why they decided to allow this option but I think it will exacerbate the issue of artists/payment; not adequately profiting musicians who do get their music streamed and get a lot of traffic for Spotify. Any measure that allows unsigned artists greater exposure is good but that lack of quality control and ongoing issue regarding royalties/payment is going to be a big problem. The Verge’s article helped to explain that conundrum:

“Regarding payments for the artists who upload directly to Spotify, Kene Anoliefo, senior product lead for Spotify’s creator marketplace, tells The Verge that the company will offer artists 50 percent of Spotify’s net revenue and 100 percent of royalties for the songs they upload. “We created a pretty simple and fair deal for uploading music where artists receive 50 percent of Spotify’s net revenue, and Spotify also accounts to publishers and collection societies for additional royalties related to the musical composition,” Anoliefo said. “Artists will receive automatic monthly royalty checks. They will be able to view all of that information and check all their data within Spotify for Artists”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@kalvisuals

Whilst Spotify have been finding ways of benefiting independent artists/keeping a lot of press; they seem to be keen to mess with our heads and D.N.A. The self-upload news will be welcome to some and it is debatable whether it is a genuine attempt to benefit independent artists or something more cynical. A couple of recent news stories tied to Spotify have worried me. It is not news to say Spotify has been increasing its data analytical capabilities and keen to see what mood we are in. They target us with adverts depending what songs we choose/how we feel; bespoke playlists make us feel loved and like Spotify knows what makes us tick; collating all this data (personal and third-party) to target us with music and advertising. The Guardian recently ran a piece that covered this and how we are being targeted depending on the songs we listen to. I would rather be left alone when it comes to my moods and what adverts I am sent and, if anything, I do not want a service like Spotify giving me adverts at all. I pay a subscription so I do not get bombarded with stuff but I feel the mood-based marketing is a way of lining their pockets and a bit intrusive!

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@vheath

One of the biggest flaws of Spotify – I maintain how much I love and use them but there are flaws – is the lack of music-based advertising. By that, they are not using the data we put out and what we listen to in order to open our minds and introduce us to great music. I would be happy for them to monitor what I listen to if they can get their boffins to look through music’s catalogues and uncover gems I am not aware of. I feel music is a very personal thing and, if I listen to a sad song to lift my mood or help me get through; is it rather unsettling this Spotify machine is gauging that and preparing to send tailored adverts me way?! They are, as The Guardian observed, not the only service that does this:

“You see, Spotify is far from the only platform helping brands target people according to their emotions; real-time mood-based marketing is a growing trend and one we all ought to be cognisant of. In 2016, eBay launched a mood marketing tool, for example. And last year, Facebook told advertisers that it could identify when teenagers felt “insecure” and “worthless” or needed “a confidence boost”. This was just a few years after Facebook faced a backlash for running experiments to see if it could manipulate the mood of its users”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@trovatten

Whilst the giants are keen to tie our moods to perceived consumer desire and take the soul away from music; they are now using D.N.A. in order to recommend music to us. Spotify members can input results from the AncestryDNA website; the streaming site will then generate selections based on the results and, as they see it, it’s a chance for people to connect, musically, with their family tree and history. I have my own thoughts regarding this venture but I read an article written by Sarah Zhang that highlighted some flaws:

“Genetic-ancestry tests are having a moment. Look no further than Spotify: On Thursday, the music-streaming service—as in, the service used to fill tedious workdays and DJ parties—launched a collaboration with AncestryDNA. The partnership creates custom playlists for users based on DNA results they input: Oumou Sangaré for Mali, for example, and Ed Sheeran for England.

If this were simply about wearing kilts or liking Ed Sheeran, these ads could be dismissed as, well, ads. They’re just trying to sell stuff, shrug. But marketing campaigns for genetic-ancestry tests also tap into the idea that DNA is deterministic, that genetic differences are meaningful. They trade in the prestige of genomic science, making DNA out to be far more important in our cultural identities than it is, in order to sell more stuff”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@mariusmasalar

The problem with the new scheme is it fails to recognise people’s musical tastes are personal and subjective. So far as I know, my family is English and we do not go much further than Ireland. I do not think there is anything exotic in my family tree and, as such, the music that will be recommended to me will be, what they see as, quintessentially British. There will be a lot of Ed Sheeran and The Kinks; songs that celebrate Britishness and do not, as music always should, encourage me to look at the wider world and uncover musical D.N.A. that is foreign to me. I appreciate genealogy and your heritage is important and it should be a personal and un-musical pursuit. Finding out where you come from and who your ancestors are is a precious and emotional thing. It is a process of discovery and shock; learning where your very roots and marrow descends from – having a streaming service use this semi-sacred inquisition as a means of targeting you with music seems, to me, rather shallow and pointless. Unless the music they are suggesting is from a member of your family – not many of us can say that – then it seems like a rather pointless thing. The same article raised a very good point regarding genetics and how this initiative can emphasise differences:

“The most charged criticism against genetic-ancestry tests is that they emphasize people’s genetic differences, ultimately reifying race as a meaningful category when it is in fact a social construct. A 2014 study found that when people read a newspaper article about genetic-ancestry tests, their beliefs in racial differences increased. And white nationalists have taken to DNA ancestry tests to prove their European heritage”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@leio

I have put ‘my’ playlist below. All I typed in was my nationality and it came up with the results. I did not put in my name and details and it seems, if this is the way it is done, it is quite a vague and generic selection. There is nothing I have not already heard and it does not define me as a person. I feel the playlists are like astrology. Nearly every prediction for star signs can apply to pretty much anyone. There is no science and facts in any of it and people get sucked in something stupid and facile. Among the selections, there was music I have heard and will never listen to again – including Ed Sheeran and The 1975 – and I am not sure they are more British than The Beatles or Nick Drake (music that is more personal to me). It seems the selections are based on popularity and a vague sense of national excellence rather than any actual science and soul-searching. This article, written by Ashley Reese, saw her crunch the data/D.N.A. and discover something unsettling: just how naff the British music selections were!

“When I first received my results in early 2017, my top ethnic region was Senegal. But thanks to Ancestry updating and enhancing their reference samples, I started off my playlist adventure with the realization that Senegal actually represents a mere blip of my ethnic roots. I was admittedly bummed out—Senegal seems cool—but I moved on. As of right now, my top ethnic region is “Cameroon, Congo, and Southern Bantu Peoples” at 26 percent, followed by Mali at 20 percent, Benin/Togo at 18 percent, England/Wales/Northern Europe at 13 percent, and Ireland/Scotland at 11 percent”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@skmuse_  

“…My problem with this entire affair rests in the British Isles portion of the playlist.

Admittedly, I’m an Anglophile who could spend an inordinate amount of time talking about British alt rock of the ’80s, Brit pop of the ’90s, and the British indie/garage rock revival of the ’00s. I am also an expert on the Spice Girls. It’s obnoxious, but I know my shit! I can say, with confidence, that despite bringing a grim, nonconsensual scourge upon my DNA, the English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish do a pretty good job with that whole music thing”.

I would be behind Spotify if they offered something that broadened our musical minds and helped get us away from the overly-commercial and much-hyped. If they genuinely wanted us to connect with the world in a more profound and illustrative way – in a divided and broken time – then it would be a beneficial and impressive move. I feel our D.N.A. and where we are born is not the sum of our personalities and it does not take into consideration measures for musical love: personality and emotional demands; what our parents listened to and other concerns. It is a very limited and overly-simplistic search that, in my view, is more commercial and advertising-based than it is a chance to make the subscribers feel heard and enriched.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I think it is important services like Spotify keep moving and find new ways to get people invested and stimulated. It can be soulless and boring scrolling through endless playlists or having to listen to the mainstream artists Spotify promote. What they should be doing is fixing issues surrounding artist payment and help subscribers get involved with rich and unexpected musical sources. Spotify is obsessed with the new and trending; the big artists that are all about now – there is so much in their archive that many people are not aware of because they are not being led that way. I feel Spotify are spending too much time manipulating our moods and trends to suit advertisers and make us feel too watched and more like a number. I am interested to see where I come from but I feel Spotify cannot adequately provide a playlist that shows the complexity of a nation and its D.N.A. There is that problem with racial division and the fact most of us do not discover music based on our nationality – it is rather limiting and problematic. I know how hard it is to wrestle and tussle with newcomers in a competitive market but Spotify could do so much more if they just concentrated on music itself and less on advertising/monitoring us. Maybe it is a sad inevitability of the times we live in but I feel, in an attempt to get ahead of the competition, Spotify has taken a step that is unnecessary…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@devindtx

AND far too flawed.  

 

INTERVIEW: Iyamah

INTERVIEW:

Iyamah

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THE terrific Iyamah…

has been telling me about Silver Over Gold and shooting its video. I ask how important her hometown of Brighton is and what sort of music she was exposed to as a child – she recommends some great rising artists worth some time.

I ask what comes next for her in terms of gigs and material and whether there are a few albums that are especially important to her; how she spends any time away from music – Iyamah provides some handy advice for musicians coming through.

__________

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

Hey! I’m great, thank you. Just busy. I’ve been at home finishing off some songs and getting ready to go on tour next week! 

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

Sure. I’m a Soul singer; lover of Hip-Hop and Jazz. I try to combine all my musical influences into my own genre, which also includes Reggae and live sounds. Really, I’m a hippy kid from the sunny seaside town of Brighton. 

Silver Over Gold is your new track. Is there a story behind the track?

Definitely. The song means a few things to me really. It’s mainly about what influenced me growing up and my surroundings; being by the sea and diverse cultures and representing sounds from around the world.

But, it’s also about the value of things and how we carry memories with us in different ways like jewellery - but it doesn’t always have to be the most expensive or valuable that mean the most. It can be a place, or a person; those things come for free.

What was it like filming the video in Brighton?

It was honestly the best day I’ve had in a long time. Everything was perfect. The sun was shining and my whole crew and team were happy to be there! I was proud to call it my hometown and we managed to get exactly what we hoped for the video. It’s something about the energy and the vibe in Brighton during the summer.

How important is your hometown of Brighton? Did you grow up around a lot of music and local sounds?

100%! I think it’s the reason I love music so much. My mum was always playing music at home, but it was also all the parades and festivals; the festival attitude of life that you end up taking on and the travelling mind-set people have there too. I was encouraged to travel the world and explore sounds from around the world.

Will there be more material coming next year do you reckon?

Next year! Sooner; sooner than you think.

In terms of music; who do you count as idols and influences? 

Oh, I have many. I’ve always naturally been inspired by empowering women. Maybe it’s because I was raised by my mum but there’s something about female singers that gave me strength. I have my queens that definitely had an influence on my sound; maybe because they’re ‘woke’. They speak the truth.

I’d say they’re Erykah Badu, Jill Scott; Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill; Sade and, of course, Amy Winehouse. I’m sure a lot of singers of my generation would say those people! But, I also love the ones who influenced us all: Etta James, Whitney and Aretha. 

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

If I’m able to keep up the momentum, I’ll be happy. People have responded so positively to my music and that’s all I hoped for. I’m grateful for all the support I’ve had so far.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

I loved shooting the video for Silver Over Gold. That’s probably the most proud I’ve felt of any of my work so far because I had a vision and Dalia captured it so well. It was the best feeling when we were able to share it!

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

Oooohh; probably the albums that take me back!

Kanye West - Late Registration; Sona Jobarteh – Fasiya and Bob Marley – Exodus.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Erykah Badu! And my rider would have halloumi and sweet potato fries…some hummus and pitta bread AND some Mount Gay Rum. 

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

Yes! So excited to be supporting Masego next week for his Europe tour. You can catch me at the London, Manchester; Paris and Amsterdam shows. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Just be honest and real with yourself - that’s all you can do. But, make sure you always follow your gut! It’s always right. You got to take every lesson as it comes and only allow it to make you stronger and more powerful. 

IN THIS PHOTO: Isaac Waddington

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Yes. There’s a couple people coming through at the moment you might not have heard of who definitely deserve more recognition. Isaac Waddington. If you can see him live he’s probably got the best male vocals I’ve heard in a long time. Sam Wills is incredibly talented. Also…Raveena. Her music’s super-sweet and very chilled.

IN THIS PHOTO: Raveena/PHOTO CREDIT: @raveena_aurora

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I try to, even when there’s so much I have to do. I make sure I give my mind a break for at least ten-fifteen minutes a day to meditate! It helps me to focus and set the day right. I also make sure I eat good food - that helps break up the day. Some days I don’t do music at all because if I feel uninspired and I can’t force myself to be creative. I’ll go off and do something else, then come back to it. That way I know I’ll do a better job. Whether it’s going for a walk or seeing a friend.

But, those days don’t come often: I’m always doing something to do with music even if it’s writing notes, making plans for the week or recording ideas on my VoiceNotes. I like to be organised; it’s kind of addictive.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Oooh…Sampa The Great - Rhymes To The East (edit). She’s amazing.

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Follow Iyamah

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/iyamah_artist

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/iyamah_artist/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/iyamahartist/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMSvMfxngE6nPdqw5McHVfg

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/iyamah_artist

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3kf01riKEcjHq6eiATvWT1

INTERVIEW: Morley

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts  

Morley

___________

I have been spending time with Morley…

PHOTO: Sandrine Lee

as she tells me about her forthcoming album, Thousand Miles (out on 5th October). She discusses the influence of New York’s Queens on her writing; how she came to music and what sort of sounds inspire her – Morley recommends some rising artists to follow.

I ask whether a U.K. tour is possible and which albums have impacted her most; if she gets time to unwind outside of music; whether music can bring people together and resolve disputes – she chooses a brilliant track to end the interview with.

__________

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

Greetings! I am well, thank you. My week has been wonderful; packed with music and gatherings (a real need in these times).

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

I’m a singer, composer and poet. I write on the guitar, piano and percussion. I’ve made six studio albums of original material independently as well with major labels. My music is conscious; political, love and justice-driven…it addresses lust, love; loneliness, loss and the willingness to begin again. I am deeply influenced by global rhythms; Folk, Soul and Jazz. You can hear this in my music. I am very VERY lucky to be surrounded by genius and innovative musicians to collaborate with - this you hear in my music as well (smiles).

Thousand Miles, your album, is out on 5th October. Are there particular themes and ideas that inspire the music?

Courage, surrender; dignity, self-transformation; friendship and love. It is a culmination of songs after two years of global travel to post-conflict regions.

Do you find music can resolve conflict and bring people together? Does modern political turmoil affect the way you write?!

Music reveals our borderless hearts. Two people cannot speak at the same time to each other, but they can sing together. Two people may not be able to stand next to each other in the same room but they can certainly dance in the same room. I’ve seen it happen time and time again so, yes, music brings people together... 

Yes. My writing is always affected by what is happening politically, socially and communally. It is natural to be connected to the world around us and if I don’t write about it: I feel unnatural and can get very overwhelmed. Music brings me together with my own wellness in this way.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ebet Roberts

How did growing up in Queens affect the way you write music and approach people? Is it a part of New York that seems to encompass every walk of life?

Queens is home to immigrants from all over the globe and a key component of New York City's melting pot. As a youth, I shared food, songs and dances with my friends…finding my reflection in others that are ethnically and culturally different than myself greatly informed the way I grew up, my writing and my thinking. It gave me insight of how similar we all are.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sandrine Lee

In terms of musicians; what sort of stuff are you into? Who were you raised on?

Prince, David Bowie; Jeff Buckley, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan; Mercedes Sosa , Sweet Honey in the Rock; Toshi Reagon, Joan As Policewoman; Somi, Meshell Ndegeocello; Meklit Hadaro, Daniel Lanois; Nina Simone, Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

To do everything I can to help get people out to vote in our election.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sandrine Lee

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

When I played the Nice Jazz Festival in Monaco with my good friend John Andrews on guitar, it was drizzling (it was outdoor concert) and the people were very far from the stage; seeking shelter from the rain. But, we just plugged in to get ready to play since it was still safe to do so. As soon as we started, people began to move towards the stage. By the end of our set, there were over a thousand people with us.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

Nina Simone - Live at Ronnie Scott’s

Because of her songs God and King of Love - and how she sang it on that particular night. 

Mercedes Sosa - 30 Años

Because of how the crowd is with her.

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

Because it is everything that ever was.

  PHOTO CREDIT: Sandrine Lee

Can we see you tour soon? Where are you playing?

Working on it.

Will you come to the U.K. and play here?

Working on it. Can’t wait to return to the Barbican. I was there a few years back opening for Raul Midon at the London Jazz Festival.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Stevie Wonder. 1 d.i. box 1 mic on boom stand.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Write what you feel, tell the truth about it; do not compromise your vision.

IN THIS PHOTO: Be Steadwell

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Be Steadwell; Benjamin Clementine and Las Cafeteras.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Benjamin Clementine/PHOTO CREDIT: Protsko Nikita 

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Not really, thankfully. I dance.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Lhasa De Sela’s - De Cara a la Pared

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Follow Morley

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sandrine Lee  

Official:

http://www.morleymusic.org/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/morleymusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/morley_music/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MorleySongs/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/morleymusic

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/morley-official

INTERVIEW: laye

INTERVIEW:

laye

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THE awesome laye…

has been telling me about her latest track, milk n honey, and what its background is. I ask the Canadian artist whether there is more material coming up and whether she is always learning new things – I wanted to know how early music came into her life.

Laye reveals her favourite albums and touring plans; what advice she would give to artists emerging; a rising act worth checking out – laye shares her favourite musical memory.

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

Hi. I’m good, thank you. Sleepy. My week’s been nice. Had a few shows in Toronto and B.C. and I’m now back in Montreal.

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

My name’s laye and I’m an artist from Montreal. The last two-three years I’ve been working on music and I’ve recently started releasing it (go put it in your ears). I think my music always has a sort of longing feel underneath it all and a darker Alternative-Pop production to it.

milk n honey is your new single. Can you reveal how it came together and what its story is?

I was out in L.A. and I had a session with FnZ (Finatik N Zac) along with Lauren Christy - who co-wrote the song with me which was amazing. She wrote a lot of Avril Lavigne’s music that I loved growing up. We wrote the song pretty smoothly together and it was a really good feel.

Will there be more material coming next year do you think?

More material coming this year. I’m back in the studio finishing up my album and I’ll be releasing a song on October 5th that I wrote two years ago. Getting nervous about that one: it’s coming up fast but I’m very happy about it finally coming out.

When did music come into your life? Which artists did you fall for at a young age?

My dad would have Alternative music radio stations playing that definitely impacted me somewhat as well as my mom played a lot of Dido and Norah Jones. I think, in terms of my own exploration of music; that only came later. I didn’t have a phone or laptop for a lot of my growing up and, when I did, I started listening to a lot of acoustic sessions on YouTube and singer-songwriter-type music.

As an artist; are you always learning new crafts and sides to the industry? Is music a learning experience? 

Definitely. This year has been a huge year for growth. I’m currently self-managed so I’m learning a lot about the whole industry as well as on the creative side of things - I’ve gotten to experience so much more than I expected and meet so many new people. I’m constantly learning.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I want to get to a spot where I feel that I have the team I need around me to go full force in 2019. I want to release a lot of new music, new visuals and start doing shows. I don’t want to slow down. This year, I’ve started to finally put music out and, by the end of 2018, I want it to feel like it’s just the beginning and be happy where I’m at but without getting comfortable. 

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

I just recently flew out to Vancouver to play Westward Festival - opening for Cigarettes After Sex - at The Vogue. I never would have imagined that happening. That’s going to stand out for me for a bit.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)? 

That’s something that’s always going to change for me but, right now, I’ll say these guys:

Kodaline - In a Perfect World

Really helped me through a tough patch.

Leon Bridges - Coming Home 

It is a good way to start the day.

Dido - Life for Rent

My mom played it a lot when I was younger and two of the songs off of that album were the first songs I sang in front of people.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

There would be so many different artists I’d love to tour with. Some of them don’t really make sense because of our musical differences, sonically. However; I’d hope our paths cross at some point. I think Lorde would be amazing; Locals Only Sound, Daniel Caesar; Leon Bridges and SZA.

Rider: wine and a warm blanket. Cozy. 

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

No tour dates just yet - hoping to start playing some small shows in Montreal, Toronto and wherever else it takes me right now.

How important is it being on stage and performing? Is it the place you feel most comfortable? 

It’s funny because you would think that it should be. For me, I’m getting used to it. I love it, but I love it once I get pass the fear - and there’s still a lot of fear there for me. I want to get to the point where I have nerves but I’m confident enough to enjoy it.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Don’t get down on yourselves - it’s so easy to. And, if you do, try to recognize it and get out of it and keep pushing forward. Only you can be you so, as long as you’re doing that, nobody else is. 

 IN THIS PHOTO: Locals Only Sound

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Locals Only Sound. A duo/collective from Toronto. They have some stuff out right now and a lot more on the way that’s really exciting.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Right now, things are pretty go, go, go but, when I do have downtime, I want to read more…and Netflix and wine. I just recently started and finished Game of Thrones so, if you have any recommendations, let me know (or books too, I guess) I also started getting into production myself, so downtime is sometimes still music for me - but, getting to work on my own things and explore other aspects of it.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

I’m gunna go with If This Is Love - Xavier Omär

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Follow laye

Official:

http://www.layemusic.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/layemusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/layemusic/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/layemusic/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7g1EQA6dmP3_sXVit3nRg

INTERVIEW: AyOwA

INTERVIEW:

AyOwA

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AHEAD of their E.P. release tomorrow…

I have been speaking with AyOwA about Farvel and what we can expect. They talk about their new single of the same name and what the story behind it is; how AyOwA got together and what sort of music inspire them.

I ask whether they are going on tour and what the music scene is like in Denmark right now; if they get time to chill away from music; who they’d support on tour if they had the chance – they end the interview by selecting a great track.

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

Hi, there! Thanks. It’s been good but busy since we’re releasing an E.P. and getting ready to go on tour!

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

AyOwA consists of synth/piano player and producer Nicolai Kornerup and singer and composer Hannah Schneider, both from Copenhagen in Denmark. Nicolai does most of the production and Hannah mostly takes care of the lyrics and melodies.

We create our music in a basement studio in Copenhagen - that seldom see the light of day - but has a lot of good vibes and a grand piano. If you mix Noise-Pop with Electronica and melodies with improvisation, in an evocative and playful mix, that’s where you’ll find our music. 

 

Farvel is your new track. What is the inspiration behind the song? 

Farvel is a song that has had many different arrangements: from a big electronic track over complicated beats, until it eventually ended up in this simple version; recorded at the Wurlitzer in one take. We felt a song that sticks with you for that long has something it wants to say! 

It is from the E.P. of the same name (out tomorrow). Are there particular themes and ideas that influenced the songwriting? 

Hannah: Throughout AyOwA’s existence, there has been an underlying theme of saying goodbye to a loved one. I lost my father in the process of recording this E.P. and, naturally, it has been with me in the process of writing the texts and the melodies. Farvel means farewell and, in that word, there is both sadness and a wish for lighter and more hopeful times. I think this duality shines through the E.P.

How did AyOwA get together? When did you start making music? 

We’ve been friends since we were teens and we’ve played music together ever since. We decided to join forces in AyOwA almost three years ago.

When did music arrive in your lives? Which artists are you inspired by? 

We both come from ‘a home with a piano’. Nicolai’s grandmother taught piano and both Hannah’s parents and grandparents were Classical musicians. Music is a vital part of both our lives and we get weird when we don’t have it around! We are both inspired by a lot of Classical music like Debussy, Satie and Bach - but some of the bands that have brought us together are bands like Boards of Canada, The Internet; Cocteau Twins and Beach House.

You are based in Denmark. Is there a varied and strong industry there right now? Are there a lot of great local artists emerging?  

It seems like Denmark and Norway has always been standing in the shadows of the Swedish music industry when it comes to the Scandinavian scene but now it’s changing - lots of really interesting acts are emerging! The Danish music scene is small but really diverse and strong. There are a lot of interesting female artist coming thru like Soleima, Kwamie Liv and, of course Mø.

 What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018? 

Not many months to go but, as we’re going on a big European tour supporting Faroese artist Eivør in October, we’ll be playing our music many new and exciting places and that has definitely been a goal for us since the beginning!

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind? 

We both had a really spectacular time playing Roskilde Festival last year- probably one of the peaks so far! 

Which one album means the most to you would you say (and why)? 

Hannah: There are so many! But, if I can only pick one I think maybe the Bjørk album Homogenic is the most important to me

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail? 

If you could fix us a tour supporting Massive Attack, Portishead; Björk and Cocteau Twins we wouldn’t say no!

Might we see some tour dates coming up? Where might we be able to catch you play?

We’re playing a release concert at Absalon in Copenhagen on Friday, Sep. 28th and then we’re going on tour with Eivør:

10.10. Teatr Szekspirowski - Gdansk Poland

11.10. Hybrydy - Warsaw, Poland

13.10. Chorzowskie Centrum Kultury - Chorzow, Poland

14.10. Hirsch - Nürnberg, Germany

15.10. Treibhaus - Innstbruck, Austria

17.10. Bleu Lezard - Lausanne, Switzerland

18.10. La Salle Du Cercle - Bischheim, France

20.10. The Control Club – Bucharest, Romania

22.10. The Studio - Norwich, U.K.

23.10. Patterns - Brighton, U.K.

24.10. The Globe - Cardiff, U.K.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through? 

Have something to say with your music! And keep saying it!  Some of the most interesting artists are the ones that keep evolving, and hang in there.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Pernille Smith-Sivertsen of Blondage/PHOTO CREDIT: @ventilstudio, @stefanwessel and @alicekaufmannjewellery

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out? 

We love the Danish Electronic-Pop act Blondage; Art Pop-er ML Buch; fantastic Masasolo (who did a great remix of our song, Sommer - just sayin’) and check out newcomer Ida Kudo as well - she’s on fire!  

 IN THIS PHOTO: Masasolo

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind? 

We basically don’t! Funny, because it’s too true.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Please play us Falling by Vera (ft. Okay Kaya) and we’ll be dancing through the night!  

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Follow AyOwA

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AyOwAmusic

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ayowamusic/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thisisayowa/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/ayowa

INTERVIEW: HEAVN

INTERVIEW:

HEAVN

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I get to talk with HEAVN…

about her single, High, and what the story behind it is. She speaks with me about changing her artist name and how her music has developed since the start; the sort of sounds she is inspired by – HEAVN recommends some rising artists to look out for.

I ask her if there are any albums that inspire her and whether we can see any gigs; what she hopes to achieve before the end of this year; how she spends her time away from music – HEAVN selects a cool song to end things with.

__________

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

Hi, Sam. It’s been great! I’m just getting everything ready for my release and I’ve just shot my music video which will be coming out soon!

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

I’m a Dark-Pop/Indie singer-songwriter. Originally from Milan; I moved to London four years ago to follow my passion for music. I’ve graduated from BIMM last year and I’ve just finished my Masters in Songwriting and Production at Tileyard Studios. I used to release music under CarryLyanne, but I’ve just rebranded and changed my artist name to HEAVN.

What promoted the artist name change from CarryLyanne to HEAVN? Does it signal a new creative and personal phase?

Since I’ve started writing, I feel my style has developed in a different direction so I wanted a fresh start to release my new music under a different name. Everyone says my voice is very warm, so I thought something soft like ‘HEAVN’ would suit well.

Can you reveal the inspiration behind your new track, High? Is there a story behind it?

The track is about learning to love yourself first before you give love to someone else: “I can’t teach you how to love if you don’t love yourself”. I originally written the track inspired by My Week with Marilyn. The film follows the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and her personal assistant, Colin Clark.

It also shows Marilyn’s complex personality. She is unable to love herself and, as a result, cannot give love to Colin or anyone around her. Indeed, the intro of the song features samples from Marilyn’s interviews.

Will there be more material coming next year do you think?

Definitely. I already have some new tracks which I can’t wait to share with the world!

How do you think you have evolved and changed as an artist since your earliest days? Do you feel you are more confident and assured than before?

To be honest with you, I don’t think I will ever feel assured! The more I get to know the music industry, the more I realise it’s just a big gamble! If anything, I feel I am more confident with what I want from my music and who I want to work with.  

In terms of musicians; what sort of stuff are you into? Who were you raised on?

It’s funny cause I was raised on Hard-Rock and Metal and everyone laughs when I say that! One of my all-time favourite bands will always be Aerosmith. However, I listen to everything; some of my favourite acts include Lana Del Rey, Halsey; ZAYN and Highly Suspect.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I am starting this new musical journey with HEAVN, so I’m hoping for my brand to become established and I want to start planning gigs for the New Year and get involved in as many songwriting camps as possible.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

Yes. In June, I went to a songwriting camp in Nashville. I had the best week of my life creating music with talented musicians and producers and exploring a new city. I love working with people so, for me, it was an unforgettable experience and it really helped me to grow as an artist.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Christina Aguilera – Stripped

Great, raw vocals and emotions

Lana Del Rey - Paradise

It felt like something authentic and unique when I first listened to it and it had a big impact on my writing.

Aerosmith - Nine Lives

Reminds me of my youth - and Tyler is probably one of the best singers of all time!

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Lana Del Rey!

For the rider, I would probably ask for a personal chef as well as a permission to have my hotel room filled with cats.

Can we see you tour soon? Where are you playing?

I’m performing my new music live for the first time at Two Brewery on 9th October at 6 P.M.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be true to yourself and always respect other people in the industry.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Måneskin

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Måneskin, Folly Rae and Two Feet.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Folly Rae

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I like to read books; work out (when I’m not being lazy!) and just chill with my friends.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Pink + White - Frank Ocean (smiles)

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Follow HEAVN

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/heavnuk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/heavnuk/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/user-48903410

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/64HRGLSNGNqa9SvDFxySxR?si=q_5YmiCWSa6Uuygk9BR00g

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO_zTzRZMMuHLBGGRTEAuDg/featured?view_as=subscriber

FEATURE: 2011: The Limbs of a Shaking Nation: The Best from a Fantastic Musical Year

FEATURE:

 

 

2011: The Limbs of a Shaking Nation

IN THIS PHOTO: PJ Harvey (photoed in 2011)/PHOTO CREDIT: Max Marcocia 

The Best from a Fantastic Musical Year

__________

THIS series is designed to celebrate years in music…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Radiohead (captured in 2011)/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

post-2000 - and the fact this century can rank alongside the last in terms of the best music. There are some who claim music peaked by the end of the 1990s and we have not seen anything as good. I have already focused on a couple of years from the twenty-first century and there are few as strong as 2011. From superb efforts from the likes of Laura Marling and Kate Bush to stunners from James Blake and Beastie Boys; PJ Harvey and Radiohead – quite an exceptional and varied year. You cannot claim 2011 lacks bite and, to my mind, it can rank alongside most years in terms of its sheer brilliance. Have a look at the records below and recall all the wonder we saw seven years ago. 2011 remains one of those years that…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

HAS yet to be touched.

ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images

                                                                         ______________

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

Released: 14th February, 2011

Label: Universal Island Records

Genres: Alternative-Rock; Folk-Rock; Folk

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Released: 18th February, 2011

Label: XL Recordings

Genres: Alternative-Rock; Electronic; Experimental

St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

Released: 12th September, 2011

Label: 4AD

Genres: Indie-Rock; Post-Punk; Art-Pop; Baroque-Pop

Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials

Released: 28th October, 2011

Label: Universal Island Records

Genres: Alternative; Indie; Pop

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Released: 17th June, 2011

Label: 4AD

Genres: Indie-Rock; Folk

Tom Waits – Bad as Me

Released: 21st October, 2011

Label: Anti-

Genres: Rock; Blues

Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow

Released: 21st November, 2011

Label: Fish People

Genres: Art-Pop; Jazz; Chamber-Pop

Beyoncé – 4

Released: 24th June, 2011

Labels: Parkwood, Columbia

Genre: R&B

James Blake – James Blake

Released: 4th February, 2011

Label: Interscope Records

Genres: Dubstep; Soul; Experimental; Electronic

The Black Keys – El Camino

Released: 6th December, 2011

Label: Nonesuch

Genres: Blues; Blues-Rock; Garage-Rock

Lady Gaga – Born This Way

Released: 23rd May, 2011

Labels: Streamline, Kon Live, Interscope

Genre: Dance-Pop

Björk – Biophilia

Released: 5th October, 2011

Label: Universal International

Genres: Electronic; Experimental; Trip-Hop; Glitch

Wild Beasts – Smother

Released: 9th May, 2011

Label: Domino Recording Company

Genres: Indie-Rock; Indie-Pop; Dream-Pop

Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Released: 27th April, 2011

Label: Capitol Records

Genres: Hip-Hop; Alternative Hip-Hop; Post-Punk

Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know

Released: 9th September, 2011

Label: Virgin Records

Genres: Folk; Folk-Rock

FEATURE: The Devil Makes Work for Idol Hands: Is Music Following Hollywood into a Dark Pit?

FEATURE:

 

 

The Devil Makes Work for Idol Hands

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@benwhitephotography  

Is Music Following Hollywood into a Dark Pit?

__________

A couple of big revelations have come from the world of music…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@melwasser

that have caused shock and called into question how far cases of sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour extend. It is not a shock seeing big names in Hollywood being revealed and exposed when it comes to taking advantage of women and letting their hands wander. Bill Cosby has just been sentenced to between three and ten years in prison and it has shown powerful men are not immune from justice. It makes for grim reading!

“It is time for justice,” said Judge Steven O’Neill, who handed down the sentence on Tuesday at the Montgomery county courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Cosby was found guilty earlier this year of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia estate in 2004. The sentence caps a precipitous downfall for an actor once known as “America’s Dad,” who starred in the popular Cosby Show in the 1980s and 90s”.

I suspect Cosby’s sentence will be reduced – if he lives long enough to see that happen – but it is another instance of a once-loved figure being revealed as something nobody expected. When we come to music, there have been fewer high-profile cases. Times have changed and women are coming forward; accusing and revealing men who have let power go to their heads and crossing lines.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Judge Steven O'Neill sentenced 81-year-old comedian Bill Cosby for sexually assaulting Temple University athletics administrator Andrea Constand in 2004/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/AP

Look back at music and you can see how things have changed regarding consent and sex. There once was a time – maybe it still happens – where the ‘groupie’ would hang around and wait for her favourite band/artist to emerge after a gig. That idea of bedding a famous musician and them in turn revelling at the attention of their fans was glamorised and seen as normal. Who knows which of the idolised and celebrated music legends have been privy to having sex with a string of female fans – who knows how many of them were under the age of consent. It is rather seedy and sworded thinking about how those encounters were initiated and whether any of the women/girls were plied with alcohol/drugs beforehand. As I say; there are dungeons and crevices of music where that still happens but, thankfully, the groupie culture died and has taken on a reduced form. A lot of bands scorn groupies and find it embarrassing; a lot of the dangers regarding sexual exploitation and abuse are online – grooming and inappropriate messages/images falling into the hands of young girls/women. We have passed the time when big bands like Led Zeppelin would engage in debauchery and excess; their contemporaries inviting young fans into their tour buses/hotels and, in essence, using them.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@sauvageisland

This article, written by Rae Alexandra last year, examines the history of assaults at gigs and how things have changed since the 1990s:

“Assault at shows is an issue that has been publicly discussed since riot grrrl first shone a light on it in the early 1990s. This reached its peak in 1999 when the chaos of Woodstock resulted in numerous sexual assault reports and a number of rape allegations from audience members. More recently, in 2015, five teenage girls in the U.K. started #GirlsAgainst to highlight the fact that this problem is ongoing. Just last year, 26 women reported being assaulted at the Schlossgrabenfest music festivalin Germany.

It’s not talked about all that often, but the risks facing women and girls who like live music are not limited to fellow audience members. There is a culture of silence in this male-dominated industry that, in my 18 years of journalistic experience on the road and backstage, has shocked me”.

She went on to examine that idea of the groupies and how it is a rather complicated discussion:

“The issues surrounding bands and groupies are complex and frequently rooted in a culture that tells rock musicians that it's their right, and tells young women that their greatest commodity -- their easiest “in” -- is their bodies and their sexuality. Romanticized depictions of groupies in TV and movies (Showtime’s Roadies was a recent offender) continue to perpetuate the idea that groupies are beloved and essential; that women can get in on the excitement of being on the road, if only they’ll give it up. In reality, groupies are often mocked by the band the second they’ve been ushered off the bus”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/carolinehdz

There are articles that seem to skew the idea that being a groupie is negative. This piece features a different take on sex - as a way of making connections and bolstering confidence:

“There’s no stigma around making connections within a music scene through online or non-sexual networking, but there is lots of stigma around using sex to make those connections, and there shouldn’t be. Why not utilise my erotic capital, whether through flirting, dressing a certain way, or having casual sex? This became an almost necessity when I realised how hard it is to get a foothold in a music scene. When we started our night we had practically no contacts; we couldn’t even get through to most venues, never mind convince them to take us seriously when we finally got hold of someone on the phone. If you’re not a DJ, then the received wisdom is, what business have you got starting a club night anyway? No one starts club nights just for the fun of it. Even the DJs who we eventually booked were skeptical. So I felt it necessary in certain situations to deploy the erotic capital I realised I had after gaining confidence after sleeping with a string of musicians”.

The New Yorker  investigated the often-maligned word and wondered whether being a groupie was about sexual expression, independence and the only way women, in music or not, could feel part of the scene:

“Some feminists might wish to decry this kind of live-and-let-live ethos as witless and naïve. There is, of course, a more troubling presumption embedded in these relationships—that, at least in the earliest days of rock and roll, “groupie” was the only viable position open to a woman who wanted to participate, in some way, in the creation and dissemination of the music she loved. The logic goes like this: women became groupies because what else could they possibly do to mediate or amplify the sublime experience of reacting to these songs?

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@skylerorking  

“For me, the most interesting question that “Groupies” raises has less to do with cultural pathways and more to do with old-fashioned carnality and the places within us that it comes from. Perhaps it’s not so much that sex was the only option for these women, but that it was their preferred option. Fandom operates differently than a creative or critical impulse—and it wants for different things, too. People find all sorts of ways to manage the magnificent, sometimes paralyzing feelings a true communion with art incites: as long as there have been humans making beautiful things, there have been other humans who wish to subsume or harness that energy via sexual congress. Sex is a method (and an effective one) for achieving a kind of transcendental closeness to another person and, by inevitable extension, to the work that they make”.

There are other articles such as this; here and this that looks at the way musicians and fans used to connect – or the somewhat lascivious and sexual nature of band-fan relationships. The reason I bring all of this to play is because of the way some artists still think that culture is acceptable. I am someone who is unwilling to accept anything positive or good could come from celebrating casual sex in music and that rather unseemly scene of the past.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew G via Flickr Commons

I am glad to see there is not the same sort of exposure and gaudiness happening today but there have been a couple of big stories coming out that make me wonder whether music is as clean and safe as it should be. Most male artists are respectful to their female fans and the big bands of today – Muse, Coldplay; Foo Fighters and the like – are not inviting lines of women into their tour buses and getting their rocks off. It appears, even though social media is there to unveil and condemn any form of sexual inappropriateness, it still is happening. BØRNS is the latest artist who is making the news for all the wrong reasons. Pitchfork has reported what has happened and the revelations coming forward:

“On September 21, a woman with the Twitter handle @kaliforxniaposted a statement in which she called Borns a “manipulator” and “user.” She said that she met him at a concert in 2015, and struck up a friendship that continued over text and social media. Months later, she alleged that he asked her to “meet him for drinks” in L.A. “I was expecting a bar but ended up at his place,” she wrote. She claimed that she then entered Borns’ home, where he offered her alcoholic drinks. “Suddenly I became drunk and was completely taken advantage of,” she said. She continued, “Once everything happened I went to the bathroom and started bleeding. I was completely shocked from the blood and started to get it together and realized what just happened. I blamed myself for that night because I didn’t say no even though I was intoxicated”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: BØRNS/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The piece continues and looks at the allegations. It paints Garrett Clark Borns in a very bad light. He came forward and tackled the accusations:

“In a note posted to Instagram today, Borns wrote, “I am both hurt and angered over the disturbing and false allegations that have been spread over the past few days on social media. All of the relationships I have had were legal and consensual. They ended abruptly and that obviously caused hurt feelings, but for anyone to suggest anything beyond that is irresponsible”.

It seems a special account was set up on Twitter in order to collate testimonies and reactions from fans who have experienced similar inappropriateness from the musician:

“The Twitter account @exposing_borns has also been collecting various accounts of alleged misconduct. One claim was allegedly made by a 19-year-old named Mathilda. She allegedly said that she and Borns began corresponding over social media, after she reached out as a fan, but “he never wanted to get to [sic] deep or personal. Only asking for nudes. If I didn’t send any, he ghosted me for days.” She then claimed that he flew her out to Hamburg, where they spent two days together. “I did not like the way he wanted to have sex wit [sic] me. Made me scream for daddy’s cock etc etc. Very uncomfortable”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Moose Blood/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

These accusations will have a damaging effect on his career and you wonder why artists feel they can still behave with this sort of disregard and arrogance and expect to get away with things. There is that danger, in a social media age, anyone can out and accuse any musician without evidence and they, in turn, can immediately be removed from Twitter and the ball can roll a lot quicker – being dropped from their label or gig organisers cancelling them from their bills. You can never tell how true the allegations are but it seems like so many young women are coming through and sharing stories. His Twitter account is still active and it seems like he is standing his ground. It is troubling to see this story come to light and I wonder how far it goes – whether there will be more women telling their stories. You always have to ask how many of these allegations have validity and proof but it seems odd to accuse, originally, a musician for no reason. Back in February; Moose Blood were in the news for sharing nude photos from a fan’s phone and spreading them around. NME told the story:

“Moose Blood have responded to allegations that frontman Eddy Brewerton stole nude photos from a woman’s mobile phone.

Last year, Twitter user Zoe Maria spoke out to claim that Brewerton took the images from her phone before spreading them around on the band’s WhatsApp group.

“Just a friendly reminder for those of you not in the know: Moose Blood vocalist stole nudes off my phone and sent them to band’s Whatsapp group,” she wrote. “No I will not shut up about it because it still hasn’t been addressed. I’ll bring it up at every opportunity”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@charissek

After Good Charlotte removed the band from their tour; it signalled a new low for Moose Blood and, just recently, they have announced they are taking a break from music:

“Moose Blood have announced that they’re going to “step away” from music, following a “traumatic year” off the “back of serious false allegations”.

The band removed drummer Glenn Harvey in March 2017 following sexual harassment allegations against him that surfaced online.

This was followed almost a year later by allegations against frontman Eddy Brewerton, when he was accused of stealing nude photos from a woman’s phone and sharing them with other band members. Brewerton denies the accusation”.

The band have come out and staunchly defended their reputation. They claim they are being falsely accused and are not happy with the situation:

"Rumours have escalated beyond belief and it makes us sick to our stomachs that we have been very wrongly labelled with these horrendous, incorrect terms. If certain people actually did their research and knew one ounce of truth about the situation then we would not be in this position. You can’t wrongly label innocent people. Your words have very real effects and consequences. You are part of the problem and the reason why social media can be such a toxic place".

We will have to wait and see what the future holds for Moose Blood but I find it hard to believe a band who have had two unrelated accusations levied at them are innocent. Even if, in one case, they were misunderstood or joking around does not wash – there is no excuse for any of it!

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@kj2018

A survey conducted early this year revealed the extent of sexual harassment and abuse in the music industry as a whole:

“The survey was conducted by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), a non-profit organisation with nearly 9,000 members, who work to protect the interests of professional musicians. Among the respondents, 60% said they had experienced sexual harassment, both from superiors – such as conductors, teachers or established musicians – as well as peers in musical groups.

“I always take a sleeping bag on tour, because often we are sharing sleeping space, and a sleeping bag (that doesn’t zip all the way down), is the most effective way of not being molested while asleep,” one respondent wrote. Another said: “‘I have been propositioned and/or expected to engage in ‘casting couch’ or flirtatious behaviour so many times I have lost count.” Other respondents spoke of musicians exposing themselves, being kissed and touched against their will, and, in 6% of cases, being victims of rape and assault”.

Big artists such as R. Kelly have been accused of sexual assault and, as this list shows, it is not only actors/those in the entertainment industry that are being exposed. I looked at sexual abuse and misconduct in music last year off of the back of reports such as this and revelations from big names who have experienced sexual harassment/assault.

 IN THIS PHOTO: R. Kelly/PHOTO CREDIT: Live Nation

BØRNS and Moose Blood are aberrations and rarities: they are the most-recent cases of sexual assault/misconduct but this has been a problem in music for a long time. It seems the punishment for artists who go too far is severe. This article, from this May, looked at the case of R. Kelly and how Spotify dealt with allegations of sexual abuse:

“Streaming service Spotify will no longer promote R. Kelly’s music, Billboard reported on Thursday. The move comes after Time’s Up called on Spotify and other companies and concert venues to cut ties with the singer, who has faced allegations of sexual abuse for decades.

This is a small step forward, I guess. But as many have noted before, the music industry has yet to face the same kind of #MeToo reckoning that Hollywood and media have. R. Kelly and XXXTentacion are just two of the many men whose careers have, until recently, been largely unaffected by the allegations against them. Earlier today, New York Times pop music reporter Joe Coscarelli tweeted an email he got from XXXTentacion’s lawyer, who listed some of the other musicians accused of sexual assault and domestic violence that Spotify has not yet penalized, including the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, multiple members of which have been accused of battery, the Backstreet Boys, whose member Nick Carter has been accused of rape, and rapper Trey Songz, who was arrested in March on charges of felony domestic violence”.

I do worry how many cases are coming to light and how many are being hidden – women fearing they will not be believed or punished somehow. Whilst names as big as Harvey Weinstein are not being accused in music, I know full well there are numerous cases of sexual abuse happening and the penalties for artists who are accused is not stiff enough. I think more stringent and brutal measures need to be taken. I know everyone is innocent until proven guilty but you cannot really allow any artist to remain on social media and touring until they have been cleared. One does not know for certain how many of the recent stories are 100% true but I am in no position to disprove or cast aspersions on the young women who have come forward. As I said; sexual abuse is not new n music but we continue to see it and I wonder how far the problem extends; whether it can ever be stopped and what more can be done. It is not only female fans who are being subjected to unwanted abuse/attention – those in other areas of music (publicity, for example) report issues with boundaries and how they often find themselves being inappropriately touched or talked to.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@crea_tives

This Noisey article investigated that in more depth; how endemic and widespread the issue is – and how many women are pressured into having sex by those higher up in the industry:

"There's a lot of confusion over what is the boundary and with whom," said Rebecca Haithcoat, a freelance music journalist, who has contributed to Noisey. "If I go out to [a drink meeting] with a publicist or a manager and he sexually harasses me, who do I tell?"

Others I spoke with said the insecure nature of freelancing makes speaking out too great a risk, particularly among younger workers who may rely on such work as an entry point into the industry.

Kate, a former freelance music writer who now works in A&R and asked to use a pseudonym, says the precarious nature of freelance work made her afraid to speak out when a well-known musician pressured her to have sex with him before an interview. She was 21 at the time. Kate says she excused herself to the restroom and left. Though she eventually told the festival publicist who had invited her to the event about what happened, she never told her editor.

“This was my main source of income, and the reason I was able to meet people and get assignments—I didn’t want people to think I was difficult. You can easily feel isolated. I was scared that [the musician] was gonna take some revenge on me, or publicly discount everything that I said in order to save his career”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@rawpixel

Social media makes it easier to identify perpetrators and lead to greater awareness. Whilst some of the waters are muddied – how many true cases and genuine claims are there?! – women (and men) are not afraid to come online and castigate artists who have come too far. Only time will tell as to whether music can turn a corner and we can do much to protect female fans/those in the industry. It is sad to see artists risk their careers and be so stupid. I am not one who feels those accused are as innocent and spotless as they say. I do not believe random attention-seeking or vendettas are at the heart of these claims. More needs to be done to ensure we see fewer cases like we have seen recently. Until then, it is sad to see cases of sexual abuse/inappropriateness emerge. I genuinely hope, sooner rather than later, we can create change and safeguarding so women in music (and fans) can…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@isaiahrustad

TRULY feel safe.