TRACK REVIEW: the Village - Always on My Mind

TRACK REVIEW:

 

the Village

Always on My Mind

9.2/10

The track, Always on My Mind, is available via:

https://thevillage2.bandcamp.com/track/always-on-my-mind

GENRES:

Folk; Alternative; Indie

ORIGIN:

Derby, U.K.

The album, Carnival of Fools, is available via:

https://thevillage2.bandcamp.com/album/carnival-of-fools

 RELEASE DATE:

8th September, 2017

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ON this occasion…

I am taking my mind in different directions and looking at an artist who compels new lines of investigation. I am changing pace and looking at an artist, Phil Matthews, and a musical project that is growing and creating delight. The Village (or ‘thevillage’) is the moniker of Matthews and one that I have discovered quite recently. Before I review a song from his latest album, I wanted to look at records that grow and develop over time; music that is Folk-based and looks at something quite pastoral, quaint and calming; a look at artists who are building their reputation and growing a steady fanbase; a nod to musicians who cannot be easily predicted and are surprising when you hear them – I will look at where the Village might head and what comes next. My review schedule has been thrown into a loop and I have had to chop-and-change things recently. Even though I was going to review the Village’s album in a few weeks; it is a year old and a record that has been out there in the public long enough. I do not review albums but I was interested to review Matthews and his music. We are often told the album, as a concept, is dying and should be ignored. I have been thinking about that proposition and how we are starting to ignore albums in-full. Matthews, as the Village, prides himself on creating records that are complete, immersive and every song shines – he is one of those old-school artists who loves the album and creating something whole. The reason why I am not too bothered coming to Carnival of Fools late is because the songs shine and reveal themselves through time. Even through the pace, for the most part, is quite enticing and settled; there are nuances and revelations that do not instantly come to the fore. It is wonderful discovering an album that does that: it flourishes and blooms so long down the line and stays firmly in the head.

Songs on the record bubble and still have that charm whilst ones you might have overlooked are firmly golden and presenting fresh avenues. I have always loved the album and do not feel it is endangered and warrants any talk of extinction. It is brilliant finding artists who are more concerned with musicians who want to produce albums and give the listeners something solid and personal. Listen to the Village’s new (or most-recent) record and you will find yourself coming back to the thing time and time again! It is, as I shall investigate later, an album that has softness and pleasure but there is ample invention and interesting lyrics. I do not usually review artists with few high-resolution photos – although Matthews has a few – and relatively little information. I always look for artists who can produce great images – a selection of them – and some deep and stunning information. It gives me something to build on and I can go from there. It is not a big problem here (and a lot of artists are struggling to piece that together) because the album itself is rich and I struggled for a while to select a single track that represents Carnival of Fools. The album, as I have stated, is bursting with ideas and I feel one needs to investigate it in its entirety to get the biggest impact. Although I have singled a song out and wanted to focus on Always on My Mind; I suggest you all pick up the L.P. and spin it right the way through. I do not feel albums are dying and there is any risk they are going to slip away at all. What gets to me is how little patience people give to records and the fact many jut pass them by and focus on singles. Artists need their albums to be heard and do not want people to simply skim through and select the odd track. There is a National Album Day coming up in a week and it will provide a chance for us to celebrate the album and all bond with those that have defined our lives.

It has been a while since I last reviewed a Folk album. Although the Village is not purely Folk; that is the basis – although there is Pop and Psychedelic touches here and there. The Village, as Matthews claims, is a place for oddballs and outsiders; it is a space where they can feel safe and understood. Maybe that is a bit harsh and off-putting but, in fact, it is a place for those who want to get away from the rush and stress of modern-day life. Matthews has built up a following in the Midlands’ live circuit and I will look at that a bit later. He has cemented his reputation and honed his skills over the past few years. The music one hears on Carnival of Fools is quite slumber-inducing and inviting. I dived into the record and was blown away by all the sounds that came through. It is a tender and personal presentation but one that is filled with scenes, dreams and the serene. Whether you see the Village as a concept and specialised place; you cannot ignore the music is universal and easy to love. I have avoided looking at Folk-inspired music for a while because I tend to find the artists (I reviewed) sound very alike and I repeat myself when writing reviews. There is pleasant Pop that scores carnival tents and the rush of the fair. There is the quiet chatter and the softness of the village; the tenderness of a fete and something quite serene working away. Opposed to that is a musical excitement and vivid scenes that suggest something a bit more edgy and exciting. You do not often see albums that address these themes/emotions being proffered in the mainstream. Maybe we are too concerned with Pop and Alternative sounds – and that which is concerned with commercial avenues – but we cannot ignore artists creating something more sophisticated, calm and interesting.

I will move onto a new subject in a bit but I wanted to stick with Folk and how varied the genre is. Phil Matthews has spent years developing his music and getting to where he is now. I have not mentioned age – because it seems a bit coarse – but it is something that needs addressing. Although Matthews is not as young as he once was, I feel we need to mention artists who are not considered ‘trendy’ and ‘cool’ by the media. Perhaps Matthews does not care about that but there is ageism and exclusion in music right now. It has always been the way and it is not a new revelation. Radio has always been stuffy when it comes to middle-aged artists and they are less keen playing their music. Maybe BBC Radio 2 would be a natural space for Matthews and the Village but I wonder why all radio stations cannot get over age limitations and feel that, when an artist gets to a certain point in life, they are past it and consigned to the scrapheap. That sounds rather foreboding and cruel but I feel artists like Matthews warrant more attention and age gets in the way of things. Look at the experience he has and the way he writes; how engrossing the music is and the way it takes you by surprise. Most of the submissions I receive are from artists in their twenties and thirties and that seems to be what is sought-after and popular. I feel a lot of respect should be given to artists who do not have flashy P.R. teams and shiny websites; those that are performing at big venues with flashy sets and getting onto the coolest websites. Music is about image as much as anything as it seems age is a huge factor when it comes to focus. I feel music should only be based on quality and, when you listen to the Village; one cannot ignore the quality that emerges and how promising it all is. Maybe I have rambled a bit but I feel an artist should not be ignored or restricted to certain radio stations when they reach a certain age.

Matthews, as I said, has built his name in the Midlands and has been on the circuit for a long time now. Over two-hundred radio stations have played his music and he has a loyal and growing fanbase. Although one, on Carnival of Fools, is given projections of bunting and village carnivals; that is not to say the music is reserved for those who are found in those environments. What strikes me about the music of the Village is how ubiquitous and wide-ranging it is. Matthews is not singing only about villagers and the quaint pace of fetes and outdoor activity. His music dips deeper and the lyrics stretch further than you might imagine. That is one reason why he has built a big foundation and continues to reach new ears. People assume you have to pack out places and be on streaming sites – and getting millions of streams – to be deemed worthy and popular. Matthews has a great following and radio stations around the nation have turned onto his music. It has been a fabulous past few years and, with Carnival of Fools, it got a lot of attention and love. Even recently, he tweeted how delightful it is when someone asks for one of his C.D.s. That sort of reaction – when musicians are taken aback – shows how much things mean and the assumptions they have. I feel we get into a mindset where we assume everything is digital and people go after what is on Spotify. Matthews continues to plug and he is one of the hardest-working musicians on the road right now. He knows his music has that easy grace and cannot be pegged that easily. I am excited to see where he goes next and where his music will take him. I feel Matthews has the potential to take the Village to the cities and take it around the world. Maybe you assume his Britishness is the defining feature of the music but everyone anywhere can understand what he is performing and picture what is being sung.

This place for oddballs, the Village, is somewhere just south of convention and not a place where chart-makers and trend-setters might step. A reason why Phil Matthews gets into my head is because he cannot be easily predicted and written about. You might see photos of him and read his biography and feel you have it licked and figured. I got into that headspace and felt I would easily be able to write about him and what his music is all about. You only need listen to a few cuts from Carnival of Fools to figure the Village is a much more complex and interesting beast than you would imagine. The best musicians out there are those who can bring you in and do not push you away but have their own skin and do not follow the pack. I wonder whether Matthews has plans for new music next year because I feel the demand is growing right now. I feel music is too much about style and a sense of fashion and not enough about reputation and longevity. Matthews has built this base and continues to recruit people in. His live sets are fantastic and lauded and the records he puts out are filled with details, great scenes and wonderful memories. Maybe the population of the Village is expanding but I feel more radio stations need to get involved with what he is doing and how his music is perceived. I feel we still devalue artists of a certain ilk and age and we are missing out on so much! Before I move onto my last point; I wanted to address the visual presentation and marketing – how that can be increased or changes that can be made to get it to new hands. Many do not really consider it or might be wrapped up with the music itself and have little opportunity to think about websites and presentation etc.

It is a point I have made with a few artists in the past – and got my arse chewed once or twice! – but I feel one way of getting the music to a wider realm is to have a look at the images and website etc. It might sound shallow and insignificant but you can reach a lot more people when you think about these considerations. Matthews has a big fanbase but his music warrants a lot more love and exposure. His official website is updated and looks good but I wonder whether more biography and some review snippets would catch the eye of potential fans and radio stations. I want to know who Phil Matthews is inspired by and where his musical path started. The photos I have included in this review are good and of a great quality but, given the concept of Carnival of Fools and images one summons; the musician could run riot with that and produce a lot of new snaps. The same goes for a P.R. company. I am not sure whether he is being represented by anyone but I think a good team could get him some more images and add something to the website; bring new light and life to his music and push it hard to other stations. I might be one to talk – I need to sort my website out a bit! – but there is so much promise; that ability to get the music to other age groups and new realms. There is that domination of Pop and what is in the mainstream and anything on the boundaries is not given the same heat and affection. In order for music to survive and albums to be treated with more respect; we need to start opening our eyes and broadening our horizons. I have been caught by the variation out there and never limit myself to certain genres/sounds. The Village is a moniker that offers so much and has a lot more life left. I know Matthews performs regularly and he wants his music to reach as many people as possible.

Perhaps he will consider those aspects/suggestions for 2019 because I am keen for his music to pick up new waves and traction. Right now, looking at Carnival of Fools a little whole after its release, I wanted to make a few points. If you feel you have the Village figured out and know what the Folk-tinged sounds will involve; you listen hard and your expectations are subverted. I will wrap things up here and get down to the song but I feel it is amazing how narrow our tastes can be and how we peg artists too readily. Phil Matthews has that gentle and comforting sound but he is not someone who, in a way, shows his age and there is plenty of endeavour and excitement. His lyrics are far more intriguing and arresting than you might imagine and the whole experience is wonderful. I feel we should all snap up the album and build it in to our regular rotation. One other reason why I feel the Village could build and gain new fans is the timelessness of the songs. Not every track on Carnival of Fools is about love and matters of the hearts – there is imaginative diversions and tracks that step away from the familiar. In any case; I am interested to see where Phil Matthews takes his music next year and what he might come up with. It is a great time for him and, when I look at his Twitter feed; I can tell how people are taking his music to heart and how popular it is proving. Maybe he will look at his website and getting his sounds out to new markets but, in truth, he is doing brilliantly as it is. The man has been in the business far longer than I have and knows what he is doing! I know his audience is quite broad in terms of age but I think there are so many more people who would turn on to his record and what he is putting out into the world. Keep your eyes on his social media feed – and his official website – and see where the Village heads next.

You can definitely hear the croak and gravitas of Bob Dylan when Always on My Mind comes up. I got flavours of Traveling Wilburys (the supergroup Dylan was in) and that sort of sound. The hero saw this girl that has been seen as distant but is always there. The heroine, it seems, wants our man to be the one who to pass on some advice. The girl is nice, it is said, but I wondered what he meant by the opening verse. I wonder what the ‘advice’ alludes to and how they both met. Matthews’ voice holds so much potency and weight; there is colour and candour and you are instantly fused to the lyrics. Maybe the girl feels like she is too lonely and wants someone to hang with. It seems, right away, this is a sweetheart relationship and more than friendship. In the same way old masters like McCartney can still write about love in fresh and interesting ways; Matthews presents something alluring, original and surprising. Matthews looks at the girl and knows how she feels isolated and in need of sanctuary. This advice she is looking for seems to be romantic, perhaps, or maybe she required some wisdom and guidance. I get the sense of someone who has been cast adrift and has been fighting the tide for a while now. The composition is fairly simple but it is the perfect accompaniment to the lyrics. There is a pleasing beat that gives the song strike and passion whilst the guitar provides gentleness and tender allure. The hero is stepping between an honest and comforting presence and someone who wants a little more than, in the words of McCartney, “casual conversation”. It seems like this girl has made an impression on the hero but he is fighting a rival. The affections of the girl are being split between Matthews and an unnamed man.

The hero wishes she could be his alone but, as things often go, there is complexity and other jostling for her heart. The melody and gentle swoon of the song catches the heart and gets you calm but, when you listen to the lyrics, there is a lot of pain and pining emerging. What gets to me is how you get these impressions of Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney but are never too attached when you look at influence. Matthews has a bit of Dylan’s gravel and vocal sound whilst, lyrically, there is a bit of McCartney working away. Rather than stick too closely to them, you get this new and personal concoction that gives Always on My Mind much more weight and truth. The themes will ring true with a lot of people and it is the straightness and directness of the words that makes the song shine. Our hero can only watch and wonder whilst he says the girl going off with another man. He has a heavy heart and wonders why things cannot be different. Maybe this intrigue and yearning has been there for a while and, who knows, maybe he and the girl have a history together? I think there is more at work than an instant attraction and fresh encounter: there are roots and seeds that have been planted years ago and it seems like there is history to this history. Rather than cast anger out and give the song acidity; Matthews keeps his head and heart level and keeps his cool. The woman treats him like he is not there and ignores him somewhat. These pains and ignorances get to him but there is still that hope things might be different. You can never write things off and say they will not happen but things are tricky right now. Matthews’ voice holds so much conviction and I love how the composition changes and evolves. You have this backbone that lurches and drives through but, soon enough, another guitar line comes out and gives the song new electricity and ache. The spirit of Dylan and McCartney is never too far from view but, as I say, you never feel like these icons are too encroaching and dominant. Phil Matthews writes from his own heart and, because of that, Always on My Mind wins you easily and stays in the head. It seems like the hero himself is the lonely one – although he says he is feeling fine – and he definitely needs that company. I wonder how things worked out and whether the heroine of the song changed her mind and went to the hero. It is a frustrating tale of lust and unrequired affection; something we can all relate to and get behind.

Phil Matthews has been in music for nearly five decades and has written for a lot of different artists. He has been in bands since he left school and Matthews himself has been covering quite a lot of ground since he discovered music. After building up a collection of songs for bands and having all this material in his pocket; he went solo and formed the Village. Matthews records and plays the instruments himself and has been steadily putting out material since then. Although the Village has been around for about four years; it seems like the natural space for Matthews and where he is most comfortable. Perhaps I was being a bit harsh and judgmental when I said his biography was a bit scant. In fact, when you look at his official website, you get backstory and discover where he came from. It is amazing to see how he has evolved and where his career started. I am not sure what the next step is but Matthews will continue to record music and get out there. So much of today’s music is about how many times a song has been streamed and, although Matthews’ music has reached far and wide; should we look at Pop and mainstream artists more because of some flawed measure of popularity?! I think music and the market needs reorganising so we can put the Village on the same platform/level as a big Pop name. Matthews himself is a sort of cross between Sir Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan. He definitely gets guidance from those legends but there is plenty of energy and personal D.N.A. in his tracks. I selected Always on My Mind because it is one of the most accessible tracks from Carnival of Fools and I think Matthews himself counts it as a favourite. If you have not subjected yourself to the wonders of the Village and got involved with Carnival of Fools; make sure you rectify that and get involved. I am keen to see where Phil Matthews goes in 2019 and whether another album comes along. I am a recently new convert to his music and am looking back at what he has done. Carnival of Fools is an album that promises one thing when you look at its cover and name but, when you dive down, it provides so many more colours and themes. I love what Matthews does and how his music makes you feel. Have a listen to the great songwriter and make sure you spend the proper time to…

LISTEN to his music in full!

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Follow the Village

Official:

https://www.thevillage.me.uk/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/theVillage9

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/PhilMatthewsa.k.a.theVillage/

Bandcamp:

https://thevillage2.bandcamp.com/music

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/thevillage-2

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in Arms

IN THIS PHOTO: Chlöe Howl

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

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I am never quite sure whether it is autumn or not…

IN THIS PHOTO: Sody

because the weather has been pretty good today! The sun is out and it is pretty damn warm! I am looking around at the new releases (and slightly older songs) and there are some great songs around. In another edition of this female-led playlist; there is a great mixture of sounds and genres that should enlighten and entertain the most fussy of music lovers. Have a look through the selection and there is going to be a lot there to keep you amused and engaged.

This playlist brings together some of the most talented female/female-led artists around and songs that will get into the head and stay there for a very long time! It is a wonderful time for music and it is amazing hearing how many wonderful female artists are shining and standing out. For those who feel female-made music is a genre and does not have the same strength as male-led sounds need to have a listen to this playlist and see what incredible talent…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kassi Ashton

THERE is out there.

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

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 PHOTO CREDIT: Ella Dixon Hood

 Megan Dixon Hood - Drown

Galaxians – How Do U Feel

Jessie Munro – Enough for Me

Kassi Ashton - Taxidermy

Sody – Maybe It Was Me

PHOTO CREDIT: #shayrowanphotography

Natalie McCool (ft. Hattie Pearson) – Backstage Pass #1

Judith Ude – All the Love You Feel

PHOTO CREDIT: Gwenaëlle Trannoy

Tiger Lion – Black Sea

Harlee – GIANT

Megan Lara Mae – Losing to You

PHOTO CREDIT: James Gallant

DIDI – Fickle Friends

Marie Davidson – Day Dreaming

PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Ferrara

Sunflower Thieves – Two Halves

PHOTO CREDIT: Francesca Allen

Roses Gabor – Stuff 

Lily Moore – Do This for Me

GUTTFULL – Tits and Nails

Eve Belle – First Impressions

PHOTO CREDIT: Maxime Imbert

Farao – Marry Me

Chlöe Howl - Work

PHOTO CREDIT: Lissy Laricchia

Madison McFerrin – Shine

Ruby Francis – Rush

AURORA – All Is Soft Inside

Ivy Adara - Currency

 

Barbarella’s Bang Bang – Cowboy Job

PHOTO CREDIT: @thirtydirtybirds_

Kagoule – It’s Not My Day

Corina Corina – Toothbrush

INTERVIEW: Dani Wilde

INTERVIEW:

Dani Wilde

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ALONGSIDE her brother Will (as The Wildes)…

Dani Wilde has released a cover of the Joni Mitchell classic, A Case of You. I speak to Dani Wilde about why she recorded the track and what it is about Mitchell that attracts her; what sort of music she grew up around – whether Brighton is a great base for young musicians.

Wilde reveals whether there are tour dates coming up and what it is like being on stage; the advice she would give artists coming through; if there are particular albums she holds dear; how she unwinds away from music – she ends the interview by selecting a great song.

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

Hello! My week has been great, thank you. When I’m not touring, I lecture Music History and teach Vocal Performance at Britain and Ireland’s Modern Music Institute - so I’ve been juggling that with being a new mum and also gigging and recording.

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

Sure thing. I signed to Ruf Records, a European Blues record label back in 2007 and, more recently, VizzTone records in America. I’ve spent the past ten years touring all over Europe, Canada and the U.S.A. and I’ve been lucky enough to chart in the Country charts and the Blues charts in Europe. 

Although I often get pigeonholed as a Blues artist (and I do love the Blues), I’m more of a singer-songwriter inspired by many roots genres from Country to Gospel; Folk, Americana and Blues. My new record is really Folk-meets-Acoustic-Soul’ but you can hear the Blues in my note choices as a vocalist and the harmonica accompaniment.

A Case of You is your new track – recorded with your brother, Will. What was the reason for covering the song?

I’ve always been a big Joni Mitchell fan and her album Blue is in my top-ten-favourite albums of all-time. I actually decided to cover this song though after Prince died. I’ll be honest; even though I loved Prince’s music – songs like Purple Rain and How Come You Don’t Call Me - I didn’t delve fully into his back catalogue until he passed away. I came across a cover of Prince singing this Joni song and I really fell in love with it. That was when I started performing the song live. This coincided with me being pregnant with me little girl and so the song took on a whole new personal meaning for me.

I was touring out in Europe until three weeks before me due-date and when I performed this song each night with my huge belly on stage I would sing it for her. The lyric “Part of you pours out of me” really resonated with me - the concept of not knowing where I end and my little girl begins and how much I loved her even when she was still in the womb.

That’s why I decided to record this song.

Is there something about Joni Mitchell and the way she writes that attracted you to her?!

I was introduced to Joni Mitchell’s music by my high-school music teacher. She is a poet - her lyrics are just beautiful and her use of imagery is so unique –; she really paints such vivid pictures with her words. I also admire Joni Mitchell for her unusual vocal phrasing. There is no-one quite like her and as a vocalist I feel I have learned so much from listening to her records.

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

I grew up listening to my dad’s record collection: Bob Dylan, Motown; the Blues and ’50s Rock ‘n’ Roll. I grew up busking and playing Dylan covers in local pubs. My first professional gig was a support for Folk artist Maddie Prior (Steeleye Span) at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon. I was seventeen and I played a set of original acoustic material blending Blues and Folk influences. I was born in 1985, and so I also listened to a lot of the great ’90s pop singers such as Whitney Houston - who had a huge impact on me as a female singer.

You are based in Brighton. Is it a great area in terms of music and inspiration?

Yes. I came to Brighton to get my university degree. It’s a huge creative hub and a great place to meet like-minded musicians. I’ve recorded in studios across the world such as in San Diego, Washington D.C.; Berlin, Liepzig and Madrid – and so it was nice to record my last album, Live at Brighton Road, for VizzTone records in my hometown using Brighton’s best session players.

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

I would love to see my new single, A Case of You, chart in the Folk/Blues charts. I’ve got a big tour of Europe booked in for this coming autumn. I’ll be taking my baby girl, who is now eleven-months-old, on the road with me which is a dream come true.

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

For me, the highlight has been performing to children in the slums in Kenya. I’ve been fortunate enough to use my music as a fundraising tool to help provide children in Kenya’s slums with educational opportunities. I’ve worked with a charity called Moving Mountains to build classrooms and to deliver music education. I also support Toto Love Orphanage for children with HIV and AIDS in Embu, Kenya. When music can be used to put smiles on the faces of kids in need, and to make a real difference to their lives, that, for me, is what life and love is all about.

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

I don’t think I could pick just three albums - a lot of the Blues records I love were recorded before the days of albums. I love albums that make people question their own social conscience such as Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are a-Changin’ and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On.  

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

That’s a tough one…

Most of my heroes are sadly not still alive today. I’d love to open for Al Green or Van Morrison. Or maybe Paul Weller or Bob Dylan. I’ve been lucky enough to share festival bills with some of my heroes such as Bobby Womack and Koko Taylor whilst they were still alive.

In regards to my rider; labradoodle puppies and orange Smarties, obviously - and some sushi, prosecco and pumpkin spice lattes!  

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Create your own luck. Being in the right place at the right time means putting yourself in every potential right place whether that is your web presence; busking, gigs, local support slots; local radio and so on. Just share your music with the world at every opportunity and inevitably people will start to take notice.

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

I’ve got a U.K. show in Coolham, West Sussex in December. Before then, I’m out in Germany, France Luxembourg and Switzerland. In January, I’ll be up north in the U.K. at The Great British Rock & Blues Festival. Blues Matters are hosting an all-female stage there with myself and Dana Gillespie.

How important is it being on stage and performing? What sort of feeling do you get when up there?

I love it. It feels like a spiritual experience sharing your emotions through song and you can just feel it when the audience feel that magic too. That’s what it’s all about.

 IN THIS PHOTO: YEBBA

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Yes. I really love YEBBA - ‘YEBBA’ is ‘Abbey’ spelled backwards. Abbey Smith is an amazing artist from the U.S.A. who has so much emotion in her voice it’s insane. She is a spectacular talent. She fuses Gospel with R&B and Acoustic-Soul. Her songs, My Mind and Evergreen, can be found on YouTube.

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

I unwind by playing with my little girl - reading her stories, taking her swimming; pushing her on the swings in the park, taking her to feed ducks and escaping the city for days out in the countryside.

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).

YEBBA - My Mind (Sofar NYC). Abbey Smith wrote and recorded this after her mother committed suicide. I just find her voice mesmerising

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Follow Dani Wilde

Official:

https://www.daniwilde.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DaniWilde1987

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/DANIWILDEBLUES/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/75Fysjl73jB4dHfN0Yb1iB

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6TcC1Lm-W1eY0-8l4-dYgg

INTERVIEW: Alexis Keegan

INTERVIEW:

Alexis Keegan

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I have been speaking with Alexis Keegan…

about her new track, Gospel, and whether there is a story behind it. She tells me how she got into music and which artists have been most influential; a few albums that she holds dear and whether there are any tour dates coming up.

Keegan talks about future material and which memory from her career so far stands in the mind; which rising artists we need to get behind; what advice she would give to musicians coming through at the moment – I ask how she chills away from music.

__________

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

Hey! My week has been awesome. Had a viewing party last night for my new music video which was so fun!

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

I’m just a girl currently living in Los Angeles who loves R&B and believes music can change lives like it changed mine. Also; I’m a dog mom to the cutest Puggle named George. Haha

 

Gospel is your new single. What inspired the song? Does it come from a personal perspective?

After spending many years writing and recording songs about heartbreak, I was so ready to put out something that wasn’t about my broken heart:  I just wasn’t in that place anymore. I was working on my upcoming E.P. with producer Andrew Williams and we called in my friend Dom Williams to co-write a few songs. At the beginning of our first session, Dom said that he wanted to play us a song he had written that he thought I would like.

As someone who always has a hand in the writing, I was on the fence about it. But, once I heard this song, I was so blown away and had to record it. I grew up in a gospel choir but am not very religious so I LOVED the way this song had the Gospel-Soul feel without it being a religious song. I also loved the lyrics of basically telling someone to get their actions right or they will be kicked to the curb. We wanted to create a female version of CeeLo’s Forget You…just a super-fun, sassy; attitude-filled song.

What sort of music did you grow up around? Did music come into your life quite early?

I was obsessed with big Soul voices growing up…all the greats like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey; Aretha Franklin and then, later on, Christina Aguilera. I also really loved The Beach Boys. Their harmonies are insane. I have such amazing memories of going to a Beach Boys concert every summer with my dad. It was such a childhood highlight.

I love your vocal and its raw edges. Is it quite hard to get your found sounding like that?

Oh, thank you so much! I think growing up listening to those Soul singers; I just kind of pulled them into my own style.

Do you think there will be more material coming down the line?

Definitely! The plan is to release a full E.P. at the beginning of next year.

Can you remember when you decided to go into music? Was there a single moment where you knew you had to follow it?

I have always loved music and have wanted to be a singer my entire life but, when I was little, I was really shy. I would sing, but locked in my bedroom into a hairbrush with no one watching. Things changed a lot when I was in seventh grade. When I was twelve-years-old; my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I truly believe listening to music was the thing that got me through it. I would listen to Mariah Carey's Butterfly over and over again. Something about it just spoke to me in a special way. Towards my dad's last stage, I sang the song for him and he responded and smiled.

From that moment forward, I made a promise to myself that I would use my voice and music to help people get through hard times the way that music helped me. From there, when I entered high-school, I joined the MLK Jr. Gospel Choir where I became the only Caucasian member and one of the lead singers. It was one of the best experiences of my whole life and really brought my out of my shell. It was the priority for my life from that moment forward.

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

One memory that sticks out in my mind is the first show of the first tour I ever did. I opened for Ron Pope and the first show of the tour was in Philadelphia. Since I am from New Jersey and I went to college in Philadelphia, my whole family and so many friends came out. This was also a sold-out show so it was just insanity! One of the coolest nights of my life.

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

The first album I was ever obsessed with was Mariah Carey’s Music Box album

I remember having it on a cassette tape and it really was the first taste I got of a female that could REALLY sing. 

Whitney Houston’s Greatest Hits album is definitely on the list

I played that so much that it literally stopped playing. Haha. In high-school, my friends didn’t want to drive with me anywhere because I only played that album. Whitney is just my ultimate queen and such a huge influence on wanting to be a singer. I wish I could have had the chance to meet her. 

The third album and probably the most important is Mariah Carey’s Butterfly

Because that song is one of the reasons I got through my dad passing away.

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

Oh, wow. The dream would be to open for Mariah Carey! Since she plays such a huge role in my life, that would just be a dream come true. I’m excited even thinking about it. Haha.

My rider would be pretty minimal. Probably would just need bottled water, hot tea with honey and some gluten-free pretzels (I have a small addiction. Haha).

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

Hopefully, the beginning of next year! Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for updates!

 What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Early on, the things I was told and what appeared to be most important is likeability and physical appearance. As a teen, I put a lot of pressure on myself to look good because that’s what the magazines told me. To be a young girl and to feel the need to focus on sex appeal, I now know it doesn’t matter who you are; what you look like or where you come from…the most important thing is focusing on what you’re passionate about, what makes you truly happy and staying true to yourself. I would tell new artists to focus on those important things. 

 IN THIS PHOTO: Allen Stone

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

My newer obsessions have been Allen Stone (seriously; his voice is insane!) and Maren Morris. Maren’s album is the first in a long time that I can listen to from start to finish and love every single song. 

 IN THIS PHOTO: Maren Morris/PHOTO CREDIT: Austin Hargrave : Photographer

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

Because music is my everything; I have to make a conscious effort to unplug and take a break sometimes. And Los Angeles is such a busy city that it can get exhausting. My favorite thing to do is drive up to a little wine country area a couple hours outside of L.A. - the towns are Solvang and Los Olivos. It’s so quaint and beautiful. Plus, I love wine (smiles). It’s really nice to go up there a few times a year just to clear my head and relax; wine in one hand, dog in the other.

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 feel like dancing so let’s blast Whitney Houston -I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)! 

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Follow Alexis Keegan

Official:

https://www.alexiskeegan.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AlexisKMusic

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AlexisKeeganMusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/58U2dw8DQDSvmEJjvwToN6

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/alexiskeegan/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/alexiskeegan

INTERVIEW: Johny Dar

INTERVIEW:

Johny Dar

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THIS is not the first time I have spoken with Johny Dar…

but he is a busy man so there is always something brewing in his camp! I have been speaking with him about YOUNOTUS’ remix of his song, Be Free, and how that project came together; whether there is more work coming down the line and what he wants to achieve before this year is through.

Dar reveals a few albums that are special to him and how his love of fashion and music intertwine; who he considers as musical idols and whether he takes from past music and mixes it with his own expressions – he ends the interview with a great song selection.

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

Bitching. From London Fashion Week to a Paris trade show; I am now enjoying my weekend in Amsterdam.

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

If you really want to know who I am - your question will be answered with my next song… - I am a child that never stopped playing. I see life as one big playground. My art is always true to an emotion that is aching to respond to what life brings my way.

Your song, Be Free, has been given a remix by YONOTUS. How did you come to hook up? What do you think of the results?

Bitching. The wizards of P.R. put it together. We are an arranged marriage - but with a great looking baby; what do you think?

Is there going to be more material coming along do you think?

Don’t have to think about that one: once I start, I don’t stop. So you can expect much more…

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

Looking at my pictures being a kid; I tried hard to look like Michael Jackson…and, eventually, after he turned white, we looked alike (smiles). So; I started with wanting to be Michael Jackson and then realised that Johnny Cash is not so bad.

I didn’t grow up around a lot of music which drove me to discover the music within me, so it worked out in the end.

I know you are a big fashion lover and have graced catwalks around the world. How does fashion and music intertwine do you feel?

If you wanna see architecture as frozen music, fashion can be the bendable music - or body music. To me, in one way or another, it all ends up being music since everything is vibration when you break it down anyway! You can be satisfied with just creating a song or, in my case, I need more and have to keep expanding into the song of life; whether that’s building a car or creating a fashionable piece. I just keep creating so it all intertwines within my grander creative vision.

Do you draw from other artists when writing music or come at things from a fresh perspective?

I do my best to forget everything that I know about art, music; fashion and design before I am able to find that space of having an inspiration. As an artist, I don’t believe in sitting there and attempting to produce anything - other than finding greater flow or ease within the best medium to express my emotion in that moment.

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

Staying alive till the end of 2018 - cause I have many projects that are coming to their final stages before the next chapter of Johny Dar unfolds in 2019. From Art Forever to Dardelica to my novel, Darya; to the complete IQ-ME series to the launch of my new fashion collection and my body-art book, Wild Wild World. 2019 is gonna be rocking.

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

Pink Floyd - The Wall; Bob Marley - Greatest Hits and Jimmy Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

Those are just classics that never cease to inspire me.

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

Björk. I will bring aliens from the skies and rock it all…  

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

You can make a living copying others, or you can be great being you. If you are not an artist with the ability to come up with an original idea and concept in any moment given then it will be difficult in the times to come since artificial intelligence will be taking over.

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

We have a world tour coming up…ask my manager the details!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kaizen Karnak

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

So many. Two who played at our event at London Fashion week, Slackbaba and Kaizen Karnak, both are super-talented and rocked the party.

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

I paint to unwind.

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).

Santana - Put Your Lights On

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Follow Johny Dar

Official:

https://johnydar.com/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JohnyDar

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/johny.dar.5/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3mTekwi2ewzlxAdih6IAjA

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCETMTHu3unObULKFYI96XxA

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/johnydarcreations/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/johnydar

INTERVIEW: Big Lonely

INTERVIEW:

Big Lonely

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IT has been cool speaking with…

Jake of Big Lonely about the new single, Ticket, and how the Canadian band found one another. He talks about the upcoming album, Bad Magic (out on 12th October) and what inspired the music; how they have evolved as a unit since the start and whether any tour dates are coming up.

The band members each select a song to end with; Jake picks an album that means a lot to him; which approaching artists are wort checking out; how he spends time away from music – he provides some helpful advice for musicians coming through.

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

We are great! This has been a very excited week for us having just released our new single. Feels good to release some music again. 

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

We’re a band from Burlington, Ontario (Canada) called Big Lonely. Pleased to meet you.

Ticket is your new single. Can you talk about its background and story?

I wrote the first incarnation of Ticket three years ago. It’s about one of our original band members (T.J. Bowman) who left the band and what it was like to go on as a band without him.  Years before Big Lonely started, T.J. and I were in high-school together. I was very new to writing music, and T.J. was one of the few people who I trusted enough to show the first songs that I ever wrote. He told me I would be his “ticket to the top”.  I wasn’t.  (We’re still best friends).

It is from the album, Bad Magic (out on 12th October). What sort of themes and ideas influenced the songs?

The main theme of Bad Magic is misplaced belief: the morality of allowing others to believe in you, while you don’t fully believe in yourself. A lot of the album is about the idea of asking everything of someone and just hoping you’re worth the time and effort given.

Can you talk about how Big Lonely got together? When did you meet?

T.J., Cole; Ciaran and I all grew up and met in Burlington. We started the band in 2012 in London, Ontario together while we were in college. When T.J. left, we added our new college friends Taylor and Andrew.

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

We all come from different musical backgrounds and tastes, but I think Radiohead is a common denominator. 

How do you think you have developed and evolved since the start of your career?

Our first two albums dealt a lot with heartbreak and angst. Now that those things are no longer present in my life, I have to deal with everything else. Bad Magic is a mature progression of lyrical themes and personal growth. Musically, I think, over the years, we have become a little less sporadic and introduced a refined focus on rhythm and groove.

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

Releasing our album this October will be a big milestone for us. We hope to bring it to as many people as possible and in as many ways as possible.

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

A few weeks ago, we rented a school bus filled it with fifty of our closest friends and fans; drove everyone out to an isolated barn in rural Ontario and hosted an intimate album preview show called The Bad Magic School Bus. It was probably the most unique experience we’ve had as a band and one we won’t ever forget.

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

Building Nothing Out of Something by Modest Mouse stuck with me all through high-school and helped carry me through the aches and pains of being a young, angsty teen. It was also a major inspiration for me, musically.

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

We would support the Baha Men (of Who Let the Dogs Out? fame), and on our rider we would ask only for the dogs to be let back in.

Can we see you on the road this year at all?

Yes! We will be touring throughout the fall in support of our new album. All dates can be found at www.biglonely.com

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be nice to all that you meet.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Pineapple Girls/PHOTO CREDIT: @L.A. West

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Elementals, Pineapple Girls; Fonfur, Sweet and Lowdown; Clementine, Huttch and Thick Picnic.

IN THIS PHOTO: Fonfur

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

Whenever we get the chance, we vacate to our drummer Cole’s cottage and play copious amounts of ‘Spikeball’. Though I wouldn’t call it unwinding, we take it more seriously than we take music.

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).

Elementals – Angel Static

Pineapple Girls – Sleeptalking

Fonfur – Denim Dogs

Sweet and Lowdown – Bad Coffee

Huttch – Get Up

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Follow Big Lonely

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/BigLonelyBand

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/biglonelyband/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3f8MQIW7c15h431lHmmHfI?si=mj1ee6KjQDmeUTiUqXX-aQ

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLswC4lIfDXZ8zYiGkbvPHw

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/biglonelyband/

INTERVIEW: SHIRAN

INTERVIEW:

SHIRAN

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SHIRAN has been telling me about her…

track, Zehere, and what comes next for her. I ask what sort of music she grew up around and what she hopes to achieve by the end of the year; if there are albums that are important to her – she recommends some approaching artists to look into.

I ask SHIRAN whether there is any advice she would give to artists emerging right now; how it feels being on stage and delivering music to the people; whether there are tour dates coming up – she ends the interview by selecting an interesting track.

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

Hi. I’m and it was a great week.

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

I’m SHIRAN and I’m a thirty-one-year-old from Israel. In the last years, I tracked my Yemen roots and created songs from my grandmother’s stories of the Yemen (Aliyah). The songs were produced by my husband, Ron Bakal, and came out alongside a groove band and, together, we created a new style: Middle East-Afro beat.

Zehere is out. What is the inspiration behind the song?

The song describes my grandmother’s sister - a young girl named ‘Zehere’, and her family who moved to Israel from Yemen. All that she can think about is running away from the place she lives, to explore the world outside. The song was written from her sister's point of view: “Just be back, Zehere/Your time to see the world will come”.

Can you talk more about the video? Who came up with the concept and what was your reaction seeing it back for the first time?

My husband, Ron Bakal, and I met with the director, Vadim Mechona. After we told him Zehere’s story, together we created the concept of the video. Our idea was to bring the East together with the West - the old with the new and, finally, to bring Yemen into TLV 2018.

The first time I saw the video, I was very proud and excited about the results.

I believe an album is coming up. Are there particular themes and stories that have inspired the music?

Yes. The album concept came from the stories. I tracked my Yemen roots and created songs from my grandmother’s stories of the Yemen (Aliyah).

Might we see more material/singles coming down the line?

Yes.

Can you recall when music came into your life? Which artists did you follow?

Music came into my life when I was sixteen-years-old. That was the time I started to sing and discovered the music. At that time, I was listening to singers like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson; Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé and a lot of Israeli music.

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

I hope to bring my music to as many places in the world as possible. I hope to create a lot of music and be proud of it. 

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

I have a lot of memories. My favorite one is the time that Ron and I worked in the studio on one of the songs, Yatim. This song was written by the inspiring life story of Haim Malihi (Ron’s grandfather) that made an Aliyah from Yemen at a very young age; after being orphaned from his mother. The song describes the journey and the dream that he had to get to his heart’s destination.

The work on the production of the song was magical and the creation was amazing. It was clear to us how to create the musical journey of the song because of its strong story.

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

Balkan Beat Box - Shout It Out

I really like the album's musical production and I think this is one of the best bands from Israel.

Aziza Brahim – Soutak

I love her music and her voice. This album excites me because it is produced accurately to her truth and humility.

Omar Souleyman - To Syria, With Love

I love the groove and the rhythm of this album.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Music requires patience, persistence; willpower, determination and faith.

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

I’m going to perform at two festivals in Israel: InDnegev and the International Music Showcase. We’re now working on summer 2019 tour dates in Europe.

How important is it being on stage and performing? Do you love playing your music to the crowds?

Being on stage and performing is the most important thing!

After all the work involved regarding music and everything around it, I’ll always remind myself  that, in the end, I decided to make music because of my strong desire to sing -  especially with my own music on stage.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Quarter to Africa and Malabi Tropical.

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

I’m trying as much as I can - especially when my husband is my musical producer. So, most of our time, we’re playing music, creating music; making a decisions about the project. We sleep with it and wake up with it. So, it's important for us to do things that are not related to music like watching movie and traveling the world.               

The main thing I do to chill is sport (like swimming and running) or just taking a walk through the beach and pass time by the sea.

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).

Warni Warni - Omar Soulyman

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Follow SHIRAN

Official:

https://batovrecords.com/artists/s-h-i-r-a-n/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ShiranAvrahamOfficial/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4sJyVLje7OBYbgNuwwFj6S

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbkvlIBmm2gNmCYOLckCaqQ

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/shiranmusic/ 

INTERVIEW: Lexytron

INTERVIEW:

Lexytron

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THIS interview sees me speak with Lexytron…

as she talks about her debut single, Blackmail. I ask her how she got into music and which artists she grew up around. I was eager to learn where she heads next and whether we can catch her on tour – she highlights a rising band we need to get behind.

Lexytron tells me which musician she’d support given the chance and what her favourite memory from her career so far is; the three albums that mean a lot to her; if she gets time to unwind away from music – she ends the interview by selecting a great song.

__________

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

Hi, Sam. It’s going well. I’ve played a couple of low-key shows in South East London this week with Marco Meloni, who has mixed my album. He had a former career as a recording artist in Italy and now produces, mixes and teaches music. He is so passionate, so versatile and it’s a joy playing with him.

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

Simply put, I am a girl musician who writes songs and sings them. I have recorded an eleven-track album called Something Blue, which I worked on with Mike, the lead guitarist of indie rock band City Reign. The album crosses genres and does not fit neatly into a musical box - I can’t help it. I learned Classical piano and violin from a young age but I have Rock ‘n’ Roll in my blood.  

Blackmail is your debut single. Is there a story behind the song?

The song is open to interpretation. I have described it as the Devil’s take on a love song, which is alluded to in the music video. The overarching theme is unbalanced and unreciprocated lust which borders on obsession.  The music helps lighten the somewhat shady undertones!

It is from your forthcoming album, Something Blue. What sort of themes inspired the music on the record?

Each song has its own theme but broadly - rejection, loneliness; lust, love and female empowerment with a spatter of social commentary. 

How did music come into your life? Did you grow up around a lot of different stuff?

Music has always been around me. My dad used to play Beatles tapes to put me to sleep but I had no idea who they were at the time so I guess I was hypnotised. I remember being really scared of Eleanor Rigby - there’s some really chilling strings on that song – and it’s a wonder I didn’t have nightmares. He also had a lot of different music playing in the house and in the car. He is Greek so it was everything from Savopoulous, who is like the Greek Bob Dylan, to South American panpipe music via more traditional Rock ‘n’ Roll dad-music like Bruce Springsteen and 1960s compilations.

When did you decide to get into music? Was there a moment you knew it was for you?!

My mum sent me to piano lessons aged six as my sister was learning so, in a way, she made that choice for me. Apparently, I used to watch Fiddler on the Roof as a toddler and imitate playing the violin in the mirror, so I started to learn it too. The moment I remember consciously becoming a music ‘fan’ is when I was about seven and my dad put on Sounds of the Sixties on BBC2 on a Friday evening. It was the first time I had seen The Beatles. I think it was a black-and-white performance of She Loves You.

Something connected in my head and heart (perhaps from the earlier hypnosis) and he handed me over his tapes which I started to listen to in my bedroom while playing with my Barbies and Polly Pockets. 

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

The album is finished so, for the rest of the year, I want to get out and play for people and get the word out about ‘Lexytron’. I just want people to hear and enjoy the music!

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

I played The Prince of Greenwich and there were some Ukrainians in town. I have a song called Gypsy Blue which has an Eastern European folkish flavour to it and they lapped it up and started wooping, clapping and joining in. Given that they had never heard it before, it was a nice feeling! Making someone’s night or bringing meaning to a moment in their life, no matter how fleeting, makes it all worthwhile.

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

Rubber Soul by The Beatles

It’s always hard to pick a Beatles album, but this album walks the tightrope between Rock ‘n’ Roll and Folk and is easy on the ear but with a lot of depth. I don’t know how they managed it. Each song has its own personality and emotions. I think that is why I strive to write ‘different’-sounding songs and to not hide my feelings in them.

In My Life is so short but it says so much - it took me a while to learn to play the superfast harpsichord solo myself - and it is so intricate but delightful and poignant. I’d like that song played at my funeral, but I performed it at a friend’s wedding.

Funeral by Arcade Fire

Sonically, this is such a beautiful album. I am a big fan of the band, but this will always be their high-point for me because of where and when it hit me. I am from a small town but I have since lived in many different cities, including two capitals, so perhaps I connect to that feeling of escapism on a deeper level.

Neighborhood #1 in particular is so dramatic and uplifting in the way the music builds up. They are perhaps the best musicians I have seen live. There is so much going on the stage and so many instruments! They may have classical sensibilities, but to me they are Rock ‘n’ Roll.

American Idiot by Green Day

This is the album where I finally understood why all the cool kids at school liked Green Day (I then went all the way back to 39/Smooth and moved forwards) and also introduced me to the world of Punk music which I did not grow up on. My dad was more of an Old Grey Whistle Test kind of guy so it was not something I ever heard in my house and my other source of music was the charts and radio. The songs are ambitious in structure and message.

A song like Homecoming is a gas of Who-like proportions. Billie Joe is a lyricist with no pretension and he writes very autobiographically and without filter. I admire that greatly. I think the reason he is perhaps not given the same kudos as other Rock icons is because he is still alive and kicking and making music in various guises. 

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

Why not aim high? Paul McCartney - just to have an opportunity to meet him and thank him.

I would put my mum’s home cooking on the rider. My mum is Persian and food is a big part of her culture. Her cooking is not just about good food but it represents giving love. That’s why I always have eating marathon when I go home as she goes overboard to compensate for me not being there all the time. If Paul tasted it, he’d definitely want to hang out with me more! Win-win.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I’m a new artist so I could do with all the advice I can get - perhaps to support our fellow artists!

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

Yes. In support of the first single, I’m playing locally:

30th October - The Reliance, Shoreditch

3rd November - The Allsop Arms, Marylebone

7th November - Lyttelton Arms, Camden

11th November - Plough, Bloomsbury

I will be announcing some more shows, hopefully outside of London, once the next song and album comes out! Stay tuned.

How important is it being on stage and performing? Do you love playing your music to the crowds?

Hugely important and I am looking forward to getting to play more and more because I love it. It is great to see the reactions of people to the words you sing and the sounds you make. When the crowd gets that, their positive energy is intoxicating and invigorating! You don’t want it to stop.

 IN THIS PHOTO: False Advertising

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

False Advertising – they rock.

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

I love cooking and eating - food is an event for me. I love exploring the city of London and beyond, given that I am a Northerner.  I love travelling to other countries too. I have been very fortunate that I grew up getting to go to Greece almost every summer but I am making it my mission to see as much as I can while I’m in this world.

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).

Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam - A 1000 Times

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Follow Lexytron

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Lexytronmusic/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LexytronMusic

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTcDgF0GOE8IxYDqhK-fCAQ

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/user-353045116

FEATURE: National Album Day: Why the Album Still Means So Much

FEATURE:

 

 

National Album Day

PHOTO CREDIT: @skylarfaithfilm/Unsplash 

Why the Album Still Means So Much

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SOME have poured scorn over the concept…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @florenciaviadana/Unsplash

of a day that celebrates albums and puts them in the spotlight! Some say it is contrived and a day devoted to a format that is not relevant during these times. One of the biggest debates in music is whether the album is still viable and people actually listen to them. Certainty, musicians do not go into the studio to record a few singles and decide to add a few additional numbers to make up an album. There is that feeling we only go after what is played on the radio and do not have the attention spans to fully commit to an album. Maybe that is down to the way music is promoted nowadays: Spotify streaming and singles played on the radio; those big songs highlighted and the album is sort of out there for people to find. I am not one of those people who likes to listen to one or two songs from an album and then let it go there. Artists put their everything into recording albums and I feel we owe it to them to mark that and listen to their work. I will end this piece by highlighting my favourite six albums (or those that have made a huge impression) – records that need to be heard in their fullest and, to me, should give people good reason to open their eyes and ears and concentrate on what artists put out!

 PHOTO CREDIT: @skylarfaithfilm/Unsplash

If album sales have declined and electronic formats make it easier for us to handpick songs and skim at will; there are those who realise that, seventy years since the creation of the L.P., there are those who want that complete and long-playing format. Before I go on; here is a bit of information regarding National Album Day:

“The British Phonographic Industry and the UK Entertainment Retailers Association have announced the inaugural National Album Day, reports Music Week.

Taking place on the 13th October, with help from the team behind Record Store Day as well as broadcast partner BBC Music, National Album Day will include live events, LP playback sessions and online listening parties.

Participating stores, organisations and individuals will be invited to play their favourite album at 3.33 pm sharp, apparently.

“Individual tracks may have stolen the limelight over the past few years, but British music fans love albums as much as ever,” shares Kim Bayley, Chief Executive of the ERA.

According to the BPI, an estimated five billion albums have been sold since 1948 – when a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in e minorby the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York became the first album pressed to vinyl”.

There is that fear that, now we have Spotify playlists, the album as an artform is being put to pasture. This article from The Guardian (from 2017) looked at playlists and how they have affected albums:

“Artists are even starting to pull apart the album format and create evolving playlists in their place. Drake’s much-vaunted “playlist”, More Life, was essentially an album given a zeitgeisty rebrand, but in 2016, David Gray released a “dynamic” greatest hits on Spotify where tracks were switched around depending on how popular they were, while there were industry rumours, subsequently scotched, that Calvin Harris was going to abandon the album entirely and instead release singles and EPs on a rolling basis. Now London rapper Avelino is planning an eight-track “evolving playlist” for the end of September where it will be added to and subtracted from on a regular basis. Playlisting now means the album no longer has to remain a fixed entity”.

PHOTO CREDIT: @mariahashby/Unsplash 

“But while Spotify may be shaping the way music reaches us, ultimately the listener still has choice – and that power is built into the service’s architecture. Spotify watches which tracks get skipped, and those with high skip rates will be unceremoniously binned for stinking up its playlists. The onus therefore remains mostly on artists and labels to whip up momentum”.

Getting a number-one record is still important and a big achievement but I wonder how many of us look at the charts and what is happening. When I was young, I always loved looking at the album charts and seeing who would be at the very top. Now, I feel we are more compelled by which song is the most streamed or which one is trending. Maybe we are aware of the biggest albums from this year but how many of us have sat down and actually listen to them end-to-end?! I feel we only get a limited impression of an artist if we listen to whatever song of theirs is on a playlist or the singles being promoted.

PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel

In a lot of cases, the singles might be misleading and not your favourite tracks from that album – we might ignore the album thinking it will stink but are judging everything based on what is released into the charts. In other cases, singles might not be indicative of what an album contains and, in many cases, they are part of a whole story. Think about the best albums of this year – everyone from IDLES and Anna Calvi to Christine and the Queens to Arctic Monkeys – and we have all heard the odd single from these artists this year. They are incredible and instant but you need to listen to the records themselves and see why critics are raving. I have heard the albums from each of those artists and can attest to their brilliance. The singles released from the respective records are strong but, in many cases, not the strongest cuts from the album. A lot of times, labels direct what is released and it often revolves around getting out there something direct, catchy and accessible.

IN THIS ILLUSTRATION: Cardi B/ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Clara Bacou

The finest albums from all-time have a range of textures: songs that are complex and nuanced; others that are direct and catch you straight away. I do not buy the assertion artists are recording albums for the sake of it; that it is all about a few songs and the rest is filler. When the C.D. came out, I know a lot of acts felt they had to cover every second and take advantage of the format – that did mean there were weaker tracks and unnecessary inclusions. Now, they do not need to do that and I think albums now are much more streamlined, quality-controlled and personal. Maybe some of us are impatient and we want to hear a range of artists but are you going to remember any of the songs you streamed in the past week?! How about the artists themselves?! I could listen to a Cardi B track and will be taken aback and it would be in my head for a while. Chances are, soon enough, it would go out and with it Cardi B herself. Listen to her album, Invasion of Privacy, and you hear so much at work. It is filled with pleasure, confidence and wonderful songs. I have listened to the album in its entirety and, as such, Cardi B has been rattling around my mind. It is rewarding listening to a complete record, not skipping a track and getting a complete impression of what the artist is trying to say.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @kobuagency/Unsplash

I feel a lot of an album’s appeal lies in its physicality and tangential nature. You can pick up a vinyl and take out the record itself and then read the notes on the sleeve. Digital options mean there is that lack of touch and connection with the physical side. Saying that; albums are about music and I feel we all need to slow down and take more time listening to music. I feel so many of today’s artists are fighting against the consumer culture: investing their all into record albums and telling a story in its ten (or so) tracks. They want people to spend time listening to their records and what they have spent countless hours crafting in studios. A recent article from The Guardian, reacting to the Mercury Prize nominations, explained how there are plenty in record shops flicking through vinyl – the album is living on and needs to be fostered:

“In the first case, this bump is being fed by artists rededicated to the format. The album remains a powerful artistic statement, so much more than 12 songs shoved together.

There was a time when it seemed the forward-thinking move was to ditch albums. In 2007, the band Ash claimed they were done, saying: “The way people listen to music has changed, and with the advent of the download, the emphasis has reverted from albums to single tracks.” They’ve since released two albums (and a best of), admitting: “We’ve noticed just how much vinyl has come back and we thought this would be the best way of getting our music out there again”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @annietheby/Unsplash

The article goes on to look at the disposability we are seeing this decade and how people are rebelling against it:

“In fact, Jon Tolley of independent store, Banquet Records, says: “The increase in demand [for albums] was customer-led, not industry-driven. I’ve always thought the increase in vinyl sales is an immediate reaction to how disposable everything else is in the 2010s.

“As you have the world of music at your fingertips, the stuff you really love, that you want to have to hold forever, you want to have in a physical form. And some of that is outrageously extravagant.

“Vinyl itself is beautifully cumbersome and unnecessary. And that’s the beauty. Your record collection is an art collection, both aurally and physically.”

Stephen Godfroy, co-owner of Rough Trade, has seen a similar fetishisation in his customers: “The LP is the finest, truest aesthetic and informative representation of a recording artist’s work, given the breadth of ‘canvas’”.

I think we all need to celebrate National Album Day and not see it is a one-off thing that is designed to mark seventy years of the album. Instead, we need to recognise it (National Album Day) is recognition people are not letting albums die and there is this resurgence. Most of us are passionate about music because of the albums we were raised on. If we only heard the odd song from big artists I wonder whether we’d bother listening to them today. Most of my most-precious music memories revolve around listening to tapes, C.D.s and vinyl in their full state and unpicking each track. I loved going down to a record shop and buying the latest big release. Maybe there was the odd duff track on albums but that was all part of the pleasure and experience. So many artists today are, without irony, putting out vinyl and connecting with the colour, joy and physicality of an album. They want to be remembered and people to get something from their music. The album can never die but I do feel there is this ignorance that suggests modern music is about playlists, singles and disposability. Think about your early life and how you discovered music – I bet you have visions of albums and vinyl lying around! That is certainly my recollection and, ahead of National Album Day; here are six records that have made a big impression…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @maltewingen/Unsplash

IN my life.

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The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965)

 ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images

Whilst not considered the best album by The Beatles, it was among many of their albums I was raised on. Rubber Soul is not as experimental and bold as later albums like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band but something about the L.P. struck me. Rubber Soul was the moment The Beatles reinvented Pop and pushed it forward; John Lennon and Paul McCartney showing greater confidence as songwriters. I love the rich harmonies on The Word; the playfulness and catchiness of Drive My Car and the revealing, emotional tones of In My Life. Closer Run for Your Life was dismissed by writer John Lennon but it shows, even near their peak, the band were not flawless. I love the simplicity of the recordings and how, even though a lot of the songs are piano/acoustic guitar-led; they are much bolder and developed songs than The Beatles were producing a couple of years previous. Rubber Soul is a complete and astonishing work where The Beatles are pushing their work further than ever and sound completely in-harmony. It is a record I first experienced as a child and has been with me ever since.

Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994)

There is a reason why Grace continues to inspire generations and the new breed of songwriters: every song is a side of Jeff Buckley and is as beautiful as the last. I discovered Buckley as late as 2004 but was struck by his voice and what a compelling songwriter he was. Hallelujah is the song everyone talks about but consider the sweep and heartache of Last Goodbye and the spellbinding Corpus Christi Carol; the attack and power of Grace and the exceptional lyrics of Lover, You Should’ve Come Over. I have watched documentaries of Buckley recording the tracks and how much of himself he put into the sessions. He laboured over songs and never considered Grace would be about a couple of singles and that was it!

Kate Bush – The Kick Inside (1978)

Kate Bush has always been seen as an album artist. She still has so much affection for the album as a format and, right from the off, ensured her albums were chocked with life and quality. The Kick Inside is my favourite album because it is a narrative and exploration of a song artist entering music – full of confidence, ability and that wondrous voice. Singles like Wuthering Heights are stunning but the joy is listening to all of the tracks (on The Kick Inside) and witnessing this fantastic young artist exploring new themes and ideas. No two tracks are alike on The Kick Inside and I love the variation and beauty throughout. Bush was talking about menstruation and incest; discussing love in very mature ways and looking at themes no other artist was talking about. I love all the sounds, lyrics and brilliant moments on The Kick Inside and have to listen to it the whole way through. It is a treasure and masterful record that still brings new revelation to light – despite the fact I have heard it countless times!

The White Stripes – The White Stripes (1999)

The White Stripes would grow more confident as their careers evolved and incorporate more instruments into the mix but the reason I love their debut so much is its rawness and sparse sound. It is a D.I.Y.-sounding record that artists today are inspired by. Most of the songs are quite short and snappy and, because of that, you are more than happy to spend the time listening to the complete album. Like all great records; The White Stripes holds together and tells a story but is broad and varied. Jack and Meg White are completely connected and add so much colour and physicality to each song. It is a wonderful, engrossing album that I have been a huge fan of since 1999. Again, you could not imagine listening to the odd song from the album and leaving things there: such is the power and consistency of the material, you follow it end-to-end and let your senses trip and wander.

Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)

Few albums are more important and loved as Paul Simon’s Graceland. I recall discovering it during the 1990s and connecting with sounds I had never heard before. The African rhythms and voices that came from the speakers brought me into a new world but, oddly, it is the lyrics that stick in the mind! I love how Simon tells tales and the way he employs language. Graceland is filled with lovable characters and personal stories; fascinating visions and unforgettable lines. The record is so full of unbelievable sounds and textures; a rich and endless banquet that needs to be experienced as a whole thing. It is one of my favourite records and I cannot listen to Graceland in pieces: I need to sit there and make sure every track unfolds.

Björk – Debut (1993)

There are few albums, in my mind, that are as diverse and compelling as Debut. It was not the first Björk album I cam across – that would be Post – but it has made the biggest impact. The bellicose and intense opening of Human Behaviour is amazing; the anthemic Venus as a Boy a totally different beast; Big Time Sensuality is a blast of delirium and energy; Violently Happy one of the best things Björk ever recorded. None of the eleven tracks are surplus to requirement and I adore how each song has its place and wrestles for attention. It is another one of those big and busy albums that you need to settle down with and listen to in one go.

INTERVIEW: Stone Jets

INTERVIEW:

Stone Jets

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FROM a trip to Leeds…

it is over to Cape Town, South Africa as I speak with Stone Jets. They have been discussing their current album, Memory, and the stories/themes that go into it. I was eager to learn how their U.K. tour is going (their last date here was on 1st October - they completed the interview during the tour) and how the band found one another.

They tell me about their musical tastes and what they have planned going forward; if there is a strong and interesting scene in Cape Town right now; which approaching artists we need to look out for – they end the interview by selecting some great songs.

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

Hey, Sam. We are great, thanks. The week has been amazing - filled with gigs and sightseeing.

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

We are a three-piece band of Soul musicians from Cape Town, South Africa.

Memory is your latest album. What sort of themes and ideas go into the songs? Do you have favourite cuts from the record?

Yeah. Memory is our latest offering and it mainly deals with the joys and woes of taking time to relive certain memories and pausing the ever demanding ‘now’. The record is so new; we still love them all the same.

How did Stone Jets get together? Do you all share musical tastes?

Given and Manfred met at a studio and Eduan joined the band as the drummer when the decision was made to grow the duo into a band. We have intersecting tastes that make it easy to share a love for the art.

Cape Town is where you are based. Is there a strong musical scene there right now?

Yes. We are currently based in Cape Town. There is a strong wave of musicians in Cape Town and, like many creative city hubs, it - Cape Town - faces challenges that affect the scene.

The band has evolved and changed through the years. Do you think you are at your strongest and most focused right now?!

Yeah, we have grown. Thank you for noting that. I think we are even more determined. I truly believe that our current U.K./Ireland tour is fortifying our motives and focus, personally and musically.

You are in the U.K. touring at the moment. What has the tour been like so far? Do you like it over this way?!

This tour has been everything and more we could have thought of. The reception and feedback has been extremely invaluable. We do like the music scene and music culture here.

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

2018 has dished up amazing challenges and milestones and, if we can complete 2018 having completed all that tours we still have, then that would be a massive achievement.

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

Unanimously, it would be receiving that email and confirmation for our first International tour.

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

Given: Phantom of the Opera - Original London Cast

My mom played this C.D. when I was growing up.

Manfred: Tananas - Time

Steve Newman’s guitar playing on the album inspires me.

Eduan: Alter Bridge – Blackbird

The music and Myles Kennedy’s voice make it so great!

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

Fleetwood Mac. Our rider would have endless pizza, time with the band (Fleetwood Mac) and endless boiled water.

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

Yes, we are. We will be back in South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban and East London by the end of the year.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Just do it and push on through - and only listen to people that want you to be more of yourself.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Lili Caseley

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Yeah. Lili Caseley (U.K.); Olly Flavel (U.K.) and CrossCurrent (Cape Town).

IN THIS PHOTO: CrossCurrent

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

Yeah, we do.

Given: I run and go hiking.

Manfred: I am an amateur luthier.

Eduan: Developing the emerging Whole Foods movement

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).

Given: Aretha Franklin - Tracks of My Tears

Manfred: Läpsley – Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)

Eduan: Vulfpeck - 1612

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Follow Stone Jets

Official:

http://www.stonejets.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/stonejets

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/stonejets

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/stonejets/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/stonejets

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1RqKaZtnoko0n8YpgLNZkx

INTERVIEW: Sunflower Thieves

INTERVIEW:

Sunflower Thieves

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THE superb Sunflower Thieves…

 ARTWORK CREDIT: Adam Illingworth 

have been speaking with me about their new track, Two Halves, and what the reaction has been to it so far. I ask Amy and Lily how they found one another and whether they have shared taste in music; whether there is more material coming along – they select some rising artists that are worth checking out.

Sunflower Thieves tell me about the albums that matter most to them and whether there are any gigs coming up; how they feel being on stage and sharing music with the people – they each select a song to end the interview with.  

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Hi, Sunflower Thieves. How are you? How has your week been?

Hello! We’re great, thank you! You’ve caught us the day after our fabulous gig with Wildwood Kin in Leicester – so, yes, we’ve had a great week!

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

We are Amy and Lily! We are a female-fronted Pop-Folk band originally from the East Midlands and now based in Leeds. We take inspiration from the likes of First Aid Kit, Gabrielle Aplin and Lucy Rose. We combine delicate harmonies, honest lyrics and driving rhythms and, along with our wonderful band, we play all over the country at as many different shows, events and festivals as possible.

I believe Two Halves stems from personal tragedy. Can you explain the story behind the song?

Two Halves is an incredibly personal song, so we don’t go into too much detail regarding the story behind it. The song was inspired by, and a reaction to, a close friend in a vulnerable place. Lyrically, the song portrays the reassurance and care that is necessary in a friendship, without it becoming overwhelming. We have been so touched by some of the messages and responses we’ve had since the release and how people have interpreted it.

Might we see more material next year? How far ahead are you looking?

There will definitely be more music coming out next year. We are writing and starting to demo new work as we speak. Since the single, we have also released a live band performance video, as well as a live acoustic version - so definitely have a look at those if you haven’t already. We have also been performing at a few Sofar Sounds gigs this year, which will produce some live videos on their YouTube channel!

We are super-happy with the reception Two Halves has received and we can’t wait to follow it up with new material. We also have a whole bunch of new merch to be announced soon which we’re pretty excited about, as it’s been a while since we last had some and a lot of it is brand-new.

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

We have always been close friends - from a very young age - and have always shared a passion for music, particularly attending live music events. Through the very creative community we grew up in - and the everlasting support and encouragement from our families - we started playing open mics and local events, before beginning to write our own material.

We became ‘Sunflower Thieves’ about three years ago before releasing our debut E.P., Hold the Storm, in early-2017. There was no funny or particularly memorable moment when we decided on the name; we just liked the contradiction between something beautiful and something negative.

Since then, we have stepped up in both our music and performance; been joined by a drummer and bassist and played all over the U.K. at more and more exciting shows.

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

We have lots of shared musical interests and lots of different ones too. We often share music with each other that we’ve just discovered and we have many albums and songs that remind us of our childhood with strong memories attached to them. We both sang in a local choir, attended piano lessons and joined wind bands/orchestras when we were younger.

Amy: I went to a lot of Country, Singer-Songwriter and Folk gigs with my family - artists whom I still listen to and love…

Lily: KT Tunstall, Joni Mitchell and The Cranberries.

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

We would like to have booked/played a Sofar London show - and have a plan for our next single!

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

Amy: My favourite memory is our debut E.P. launch which took place in February 2017 - the day before my twentieth birthday. We held an intimate gig in a friend’s house (which used to be a bank), decorated the place with fairy lights and bunting; had homemade cakes and invited all of the people who had supported us until that point. It was amazing to play with the band to that special audience for the first time and to have a physical copy of something we were so proud to share and had been working towards for so long.

Lily: The first full-band gig we played in Leeds at Oporto - that was a lovely evening and I remember feeling very happy and proud.

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

Amy: I am most inspired by and absolutely love Carole King’s Tapestry album. My parents introduced her music to me and I find so much emotion and honesty in her writing. Her songwriting career inspires me.

Lily: Like I Used To by Lucy Rose was a big influence for me getting into songwriting properly.

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

Lucy Rose again; she’s an absolute angel.

We would need herbal tea and Oreos; some cute fluffy animals backstage and lots of houseplants onstage!

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

We don’t have a tour planned at the moment but we have a fair amount of gigs coming up! We update all our socials with upcoming gigs when they are announced and in the run up to them so you won’t miss them if you follow us!

6th October: Derby Folk Festival (Fringe Stage)

11th October: No.28, Belper (supporting The Herron Brothers)

28th October: Hockley Hustle, Nottingham

4th November: Lending Rooms, Leeds (supporting Saltwater Sun)

26th November: LS6, Leeds (headline gig).

Is it fun performing? What has it been like getting out there and performing in front of the people?!

Of course! Performing is often the best part of doing this. It depends on what sort of show it is as to how nervous we get. Funnily enough, it’s more nerve wracking performing in front of an audience we know than one we don’t. We love performing with the band as this gives our songs a new life and lifts the atmosphere of our performance.

However, at our recent Sofar Sounds shows we have been performing as the original duo with just an acoustic guitar and this is fun in a different way; giving us more flexibility with our performance and a more intimate atmosphere.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Support others and they will support you. The more work, practice and time you put in, the more you will get out of it. And be true to what you want to do - don’t let anyone tell you that you have to be a certain way or product a certain type of music. Don’t let the passion get lost.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Laurie Illingworth

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Amy: So many! If I had to choose from recent gigs - Cozen (Leeds) and Laurie Illingworth (Nottingham)…

Lily: Sfven and Green Gardens.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sfven

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

Amy: Music isn’t all work, so going to gigs and writing music is relaxing! Other than that, my go-to relaxation is a nice coffee and cake with friends.

Lily: Chamomile tea and fairy lights.

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).

Amy: What Am I Here For - Jade Bird

Lily: Beautifully Unconventional - Wolf Alice

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Follow Sunflower Thieves

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/sunflowerthieves/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/sunthievesmusic

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/user-497232891

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/sunflowerthieves/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC22uxwKH1zMy99L29pmUw4w

FEATURE: With the Beatles: Putting the Fab Four’s Albums in Their Place

FEATURE:

 

 

With the Beatles

IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1967/PHOTO CREDIT: David Magnus

Putting the Fab Four’s Albums in Their Place

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THE reason I am bringing up The Beatles…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1963/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

is the fact their eponymous album – or ‘The White Album’ – turns fifty on 22nd November and I am building up to a big anniversary. We got excited last year when Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band hit fifty and many were talking about its iconic stature and how influential it remains. I feel the boys’ eponymous record is even more important and long-lasting because it is amazing the thing got made at all. It is a rare double-album from The Beatles and is stuffed with gems and songs that reveal their true meanings this long down the line. Four songwriters on different pages – as the band was on the point of self-destruction-; it is a wonderful achievement and, although scattershot and with a few weak moments, remains one of their very best works.

IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1966/PHOTO CREDIT: Robert Whitaker

I will mark the album closer the time but was thinking, when investigating The Beatles’ back catalogue, just how much they put out in a few years! Their albums are not those you idly put into a top-five/ten and leave it at that. There are the lesser-celebrated works and those that get all the girls; the underdogs and the masterpieces (that rank in different orders depending on which fan you ask). I have been looking at a few select Beatles records and putting them into categories. I have been thinking about importance and impact; the record that we need to appreciate more and the one, to me, that marks their true peak. As we loom towards another fiftieth anniversary of a Beatles masterpiece; here are a selection of their albums that, I feel, fit into…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1970/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Press

THEIR own categories!

ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images

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The Influencer: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Background: By August of 1966, the band retired from touring and began a three-month holiday. Once they retuned – on a flight back to London – Paul McCartney had an idea of a song involving an Edwardian military band that formed the core of the Sgt. Pepper concept. Starting studio sessions with two youth-inspired records, Strawberry Fields Forever (John Lennon) and Penny Lane (Paul McCartney) – they were not on the album but released as a double A-side – and the band set to work on their most-celebrated and scrutinised work. The title cut was recorded in February 1967 and, after that, McCartney suggested recording an entire album built around this fictional band – giving the band freedom to run riot creatively… 

Date of Release: 26th May, 1967

Previous Album: A Collection of Beatles Oldies (Compilation - 1966)

Next Album: The Beatles (1968)

Its Influence and Explosion: It is an album that saw the world’s most-famous band retreat from touring – because they couldn’t hear themselves sing and perform - and attack the studio like never before! Pushing machinery and conventions to the limits; they set about creating this multi-coloured, multi-genre masterpiece built around Sgt. Pepper and his ringleader, Billy Shears. It does not contain Penny Lane or Strawberry Fields but there are incredible tracks like She’s Leaving Home and the biblical finale, A Day in the Life. Arriving at a time when the Summer of Love wanted us all to get high and together; it is a record that seems to define the times but has an ageless quality – a band taking a risk and abandoning the stage to create what is seen as one of the best albums ever. It is seen as influencing the ‘Album Era’ – artists more interested in longer forms and taking more risks with their music. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band heralded the legitimisation of the album as a creative format/expression and influenced the development of the counterculture of the 1960s. Alter ego personas, were becoming more common during the 1970s with Glam Rock artists especially inspired.

Choice Cut: She’s Leaving Home

The Underdog: Help!

Background: The fifth studio album from The Beatles; Help! was the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Of the fourteen songs on the album, seven of them appear in the film (including the title number and Ticket to Ride). Follow the success of their previous album, Beatles for Sale; the band was in-demand and becoming ever-more-popular with critics. The boys were not new to film and soundtracks! They had already filmed and released A Hard Day’s Night the year before and there was a definite hunger for Beatles-related flicks. Although Help! is not as lauded as much as A Hard Day’s Night; it is seen as an interesting film that showed the band in a new light.

Date of Release: 6th August, 1965

Previous Album: Beatles for Sale (1964)

Next Album: Rubber Soul (1965)

No Cry for Help, Man: Aside from a couple of cover versions, the band were becoming more confident as songwriters and that was to crystallise on Rubber Soul (1965). Rather than relying on covers and reinterpreting them; John Lennon and Paul McCartney were growing as songwriters. Help! does not get the same fuss and exposure as, say, Revolver, but you can hear two geniuses growing and starting to spread their wings. The much-covered Yesterday is a simple beauty and one of the most instant, memorable songs in their cannon. The title-track is an urgent plea from Lennon and one of the most arresting, revealing songs from the band; Another Girl and It’s Only Love underrated and endlessly pleasurable; I Need You sees George Harrison bring a song to the party and, whilst not the best on the album, shows he was becoming more involved in that aspect.

Choice Cut: Yesterday

The Scattershot Masterpiece: The Beatles

Background: By 1968, the band had achieved commercial and critical success. They had reached a natural peak and they did not need to prove anything to the world. Given the success of their 1967 output; there was that expectation and wonder how they would follow things. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band received enormous kudos and was seen, even at the time, as a cultural touchstone. Rather than sweat blood in the studio and repeat what they already put out, the band wrote most of the songs for The Beatles during a Transcendental Meditation course with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India between February and April 1968. The Beatles needed to get away from everything and the retreat provided new inspiration and meditation. Leaders Lennon and McCartney were re-energised and they would meet in each other’s rooms to review their new work and exchange ideas.

Date of Release: 22nd November, 1968

Previous Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Next Album: Yellow Submarine (1969)

A Messy Delight: Many feel the double-album format is a bit ill-advised and can lead to egotism and wasted songs. Although The Beatles has a few stinkers – Piggies and The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill – there is so much variation and brilliance throughout. Tensions ran high in the studio and, whether caused by the persistent presence of Yoko Ono; it meant the band was recording songs separately and there was a lot of unhappiness (the material does not suffer). You hear the thirty songs and cannot compare two of them – everything has its own skin and, often, the band skip through genres and worlds without taking a breath! From Paul McCartney’s Blackbird and Helter Skelter to John Lennon’s Glass Onion and Happiness Is a Warm Gun – not forgetting George Harrison’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps –; it is a masterful exploration of the band’s minds and creative brilliance!

Choice Cut: Blackbird

My Personal Favourite: Rubber Soul

Background: The majority of the songs for Rubber Soul were composed after The Beatles returned to London after their 1965 U.S. tour. The record, as such, reflects the impact of that month-long tour and new sounds they were picking up. Among the adventures the band had was meeting Bob Dylan and getting to visit Elvis Presley’s home. The popularity was growing, for sure, and the band were becoming more distinct as writers – this was an album with no cover versions and the band, as such, were putting more of themselves onto the page. A lot of African-American sounds made their way into Rubber Soul and, again, America was making more of an impact on their mindset. Harmonies inspired by The Byrds and Stax-tinted songs moved away from the sort of sensation we were hearing on Beatles records.

Date of Release: 3rd December, 1965

Previous Album: Help! (1965)

Next Album: Revolver (1966)

An Awakening and Sonic Shift: I love the album because it is underrated and does not get the credit it warrants. Rubber Soul helped transform music in the 1960s and bring Pop to new realms. The Beatles, in a way, signalled a revolution where albums were bolder and contained no filler tracks – a complete and immersive experience that was not about hit singles and what the radio stations were playing. The popularity and response to Rubber Soul led other artists to do the same and create their own version. Famously, The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson dubbed Rubber Soul as one of his favourite and, in a way, it helped aid and enhance his songwriting. The Beatles were exploring new, less commercial themes in their music and were balancing audience-pleasing songs and revelations learned through literature, art and hallucinogenic drugs.

Choice Cut: The Word

The Most Important: Please Please Me

Background: Following the success of singles like Love Me Do and Please Please Me; there was nationwide interest and people wanted a debut Beatles L.P. Parlophone Records urged The Beatles to get into the studio and capitalise on the success of their singles. The two singles and their B-sides – P.S. I Love You (Love Me Do) and Ask Me Why (Please Please Me) – were included by producer Gorge Martin needed ten more songs. The label wondered what the band could record quickly and Martin knew their stage act was the answer. As such – after establishing the Cavern Club was not a suitable space to record – the boys collated a selection of the songs they were playing live and recorded them in a single day of recording! The original plan was to record a morning and afternoon session but an evening session was added. Song by song, and with varying takes, The Beatles worked their way through and it all ended with the throat-shredding Twist and Shout – left until the end because John Lennon, suffering a heavy cold, was trying to keep his voice intact and could, literally, do nothing more after recording the song.

Date of Release: 22nd March, 1963

Previous Album: N/A

Next Album: With the Beatles (1963)

Where It All Began: Many assume Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the most important work from the band but I feel the debut record is! This is where everything began an a seismic explosion that took the world by storm. Nobody had heard anything as explosive, instant and wonderful as Please Please Me and it announced the arrival of a band that would soon rise to the worldwide stage. Its simplicity and uncomplicated sound would evolve soon enough but listening to it in 2018 and it still sounds immense and otherworldly. Hearing The Beatles capture these songs without too much glitter and technology makes every song seem like you are watching it in the flesh. It is a stunning and crucially important album that started a huge and unstoppable ball rolling!

Choice Cut: Twist and Shout

A Promising-If-Flawed Gem: Magical Mystery Tour

Background: The Beatles completed Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in April 1967 and Paul McCartney, in conceptual mode again, was eager to create a film that captured a psychedelic theme similar to that represented by LSD proponent Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters on the U.S. West Coast. The film itself was intended to be an unscripted adventure where so-called ‘ordinary’ people would travel on a coach and experience ‘magical’ adventures. The boys recorded the song Magical Mystery Tour but the film lay dormant as the band continued to record songs for the animated film, Yellow Submarine.

Date of Release: 27th November, 1967 (U.S. L.P.)/8th December, 1967 (U.K. E.P.)

Previous Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Next Album: The Beatles (1968)

Any Album with Penny Lane DESERVES Big Acclaim: Although the film is seen as a disaster and huge mess; the album is a more successful and cohesive thing. The two masterpieces excluded from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever, are there as is the majestic George Harrison offering, Blue Jay Way. I Am the Walrus is John Lennon embracing the LSD theme and creating something trippy, alien and utterly compelling. Hello Goodbye is a classic Beatles number-one and the closer, All You Need Is Love is seen as a signature Beatles staple. Among the finery and epic songs are a few dogged and less-memorable songs. McCartney’s The Fool on the Hill and Your Mother Should Know are not seen as his best whilst many ignore Flying (the instrumental composed by the whole band). Baby, You’re a Rich Man (Lennon) is okay but not really among the best on there. With a few duffers and plenty of gold, Magical Mystery Tour is a Beatles album that deserves a hell of a lot more praise and investigation.

Choice Cut: Penny Lane

Their Finest Hour: Revolver

Background: In December 1965, Rubber Soul was released to huge acclaim. The Beatles had raised music and challenged artists to up their game. Because of that, the band themselves needed to evolve and show a natural step from Rubber Soul. The band was moving from singles to creating albums of immense quality and completion. The group’s manager, Brian Epstein, pitched the band making a promotional film and accompanying album (as they did with A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965) but the boys vetoed this.  It meant the band had a three-month period free – the longest they had experienced since 1962 – and had time to set to work on Revolver. Having to follow the incredible Rubber Soul; it is the first album where The Beatles properly experimented and spending more time in the studio (as opposed touring and filming).

Date of Release: 5th August, 1966

Previous Album: Yesterday and Today (1966 – North American Release)

Next Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

The ‘Fan Favourite’: U.S. critics were muted when it came to Revolver – due, in no small part, down to controversies that occurred when the band were touring. It gained a hell of a lot of retrospective acclaim there but here, in the U.K., journalists went wild, declaring it inventive, controversial and hugely impressive. Although Lennon was comparing The Beatles to God around that time; perhaps he was not far off of the mark. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is seen as the most important and influential album of The Beatles career but Revolver has overtaken that record in terms of quality perception. Revolver has fewer filler tracks and does not rely on a concept. Most fans consider it the best thing the band ever did and the invention on the record – that mixed Western sounds with the East – was a huge breakthrough in 1966. Maybe Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band got to the top spot in most lists prior to 2000; after that, consciousness shifted to Revolver and, to me, they are all right – it is the finest Beatles record.

Choice Cut: Tomorrow Never Knows

The Heartbreaking Reminder: Abbey Road

Background: After the unpleasant recording sessions for the proposed Get Back album (it would become Let It Be); Paul McCartney suggested the band get together, with George Martin, and produce an album like they used to. He wanted none of the conflict of 1968’s The Beatles and there should be no concepts. Martin wanted the band to let him produce the album like he used to and without argument/interference. Only three weeks after the Get Back sessions ended; the recording for Abbey Road started (beginning 22nd February, 1969). The band, in hindsight, agreed it was them returning to a unit and performing like a real band – the first time they had experienced that since Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Date of Release: 26th September, 1969

Previous Album: Yellow Submarine (1969)

Next Album: Let It Be (1970)

“And, in the end…”: Compare Abbey Road to the chaos, unhappiness and poor results of Let It Be – the album was recorded before Abbey Road but released after – and it is like two different bands. Abbey Road has that iconic cover – better, to me, than the epic cover for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – and boasts that second-side suite of songs. Mainly led by McCartney; a series of short numbers concluded in the brilliant The End (unless you include thehidden track, Her Majesty). It is a contrast to the more conventional first-half and shows The Beatles were in ambitious, playful and brilliant mood! Aside from a couple of indulgent tracks (the maligned McCartney number, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (with its endless takes and hours spent perfecting it) and the throwaway Octopus’s Garden) it is a phenomenal album that has Come Together, I Want You (She’s So Heavy) and the George Harrison masterpiece, Something. Alongside the brilliant 1-2 opening on the second-half, Here Comes the Sun (Harrison) and Because; you get the sense The Beatles were throwing it all into the pot – knowing this was the end of the band and they might as well go for broke. It is sad to think what could have happened were it not for the tensions in 1968 and the disaster of Let It Be. Abbey Road is a heartbreaking vision of a band that created a masterful and brilliant farewell – an album that reminds one of their early works; when they were spirited, together and happy to be in the same studio!

Choice Cut: Come Together

The Letdown: Let It Be

Background: By late-1968 – two years after The Beatles gave up touring – McCartney was keen of the group to return to the stage. Given the stress and fall-outs during The Beatles; the band was more divided than ever and that prospect seemed moot. He pitched the band go rehearse and create an album with no studio artifice and return to their roots – recording some of the album during a one-off live concert. The rest of the band was sceptical and, after completing five months’ work on the previous albums; they were not so keen. They disliked the gruelling media circus and the effort of going on tour. Lennon was keener on a back-to-basics studio approach given his dissatisfaction with the excess and experimentation of Revolver. The greater role Yoko Ono was playing in the band – frequently making suggestions and present at recording sessions – coupled with the infamous Twickenham rehearsals made Let It Be a fiasco. Those rehearsals, filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and his crew, saw the band rehearse and, soon, things descended into hostility and icy tension.

Date of Release: 8th May, 1970

Previous Album: Abbey Road (1969)

Next Album: From Then to You (U.K.)/The Beatles Christmas Album (U.S.)

No Beatles Album Can Ever Truly Be Classed ‘Bad’: Let It Be topped the charts in the U.S. and U.K. and Let It Be and The Long and Winding Road were number-one hits. Even though there was a lot of tension in the camp; songs like Let It Be, Get Back and The Long and Winding Road showed the band could still produce magic when called for. The usual levels of brilliance that we expect of such a legendary group were lacking during Let It Be. The songs I have named are, to be fair, the ones we remember. I Me Mine is a wandering and forgettable George Harrison contribution; Two of Us sees Lennon and McCartney duetting but is a throwaway – Dig a Pony and Dig It songs we rarely remember and stand out. One After 909 is another minor track whilst For You Blue (another Harrison cut) proved he was yet to hit the peak we would see on Abbey Road. Critics were not sympathetic and warm when the album arrived. Many felt, if this was their last album, it was a cheap and insignificant record. Many felt the inclusion of Phil Spector as producer – a move that was unwise and they would rue – was a mistake and The Beatles had sold out. McCartney was assuming the role of leader whilst Lennon was more interested being with Yoko Ono. You can detect that lack of focus from Lennon – his songs are weaker than McCartney’s by a long way – and the band, like they were in 1968, were four individuals rather than a tight unit. Many felt the documentary/film and album was the band breaking up and that was the end of things. Let It Be was re-released by McCartney in 2003 as Let It Be… Naked and it gave him the chance to remix the tracks and remove the orchestral overdubs Spector added for Across the Universe and The Long and Winding Road.

Choice Cut: Let It Be

INTERVIEW: Mr. Koifish

INTERVIEW:

Mr. Koifish

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EVERY interview provides me with a chance…

to investigate an artist more fully and in great depth. I have been chatting with Mr. Koifish about his new single, The End, and how he will follow it. The Danish artist tells me how he moved from the band Turboweekend to his solo work and which artists inspire him.

I ask what whether there are any gigs coming up and which albums are important to him; if he has any special memory from his career so far and whether Denmark is producing lots of great sounds right now.

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Hi, Mr. Koifish. How are you? How has your week been?

Hi there; I’m good. It’s been an interesting week so far. I just played my first show with Mr. Koifish, which was great…and now I’m preparing for my next single, Hang Our Coats; it’s out Oct 12th so all very exciting.

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

My name is Morten Køie and I live in Copenhagen, Denmark. My new project, Mr. Koifish, is a place where I can fit all my big inspirations into one.

Can you reveal what your new single, The End, is about?

The End is about new beginnings but also about saying goodbye to what you thought was safe ground; about taking that leap you need to take to move forward and to believe and stay true to yourself while doing that.   

You have come from the band Turboweekend to step out alone. What was the reason for that?

We tried writing our fifth album in Turboweekend for about two years but had too many differences as to how we could make that work. So, we decided to stop and go and do new music separately. I had been writing songs for Mr. Koifish for some time and had this feeling that now was the time to get it out there and see what could happen - and here I am doing an interview; so far, so good. Ha ha...  

Is there going to be more material from Mr. Koifish in 2019 do you think?

Yes; I know there will be. I will have my second single come out the 12th October and a third one in January. And, if all goes according to the plan, I will release an album in March 2019. I have started my own label with two friends here in Copenhagen called Emailing While Intoxicated Records so we can basically do what we want which is a big difference compared to what I was used to when working with major labels.

As a Danish artist; do you think the country has a strong and interesting scene? What sort of sounds are popular right now?

Lots of stuff is happening here. Many different styles are emerging. Labels to take a look at could be Crunchy Frog, Posh Isolation; No3 - that’s already many hours of listening.

How did you start in music? Were you raised around a lot of music?

I started playing the violin when I was six and moved on to bass and guitar as a teenager. My mom played the piano and my granddad the violin so, yeah, there was music while growing up. But, my own true love for music started when I started composing with my friends at the age of around thirteen or fourteen-years-old in my teenage band. I haven’t really stopped writing and playing ever since and don’t think I ever will.

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

I hope to have a good idea how my album is gonna sound. Fingers crossed.

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

I remember getting the first rehearsal space as a teenager. My friend’s dad gave us half of his own studio and lent us gear for free so that we could practice and then it was just a matter of turning up and playing. Many great times were spent at that place. I’m still very grateful for that.

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

This is always a difficult question. But, these three albums are albums are ones I have been listening to a lot throughout the years. They each have their own interesting sounds and have been a huge inspiration for me. 

Beck - Mellow Gold

Because it’s just a great and honest album filled with great melodies and weird samples. 

D’Angelo – Voodoo

Mind-blowing production and songwriting - and I love his voice.

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

So many great songs and great musicians on this album. 

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

I would love to support The Voids. I’m a big fan. Never cared much about riders - as long as there is a good sound tech and a good crowd I would be happy. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Do as much as you can on your own to begin with. Get help from friends you know; have good taste to choose the right songs to show to people and practice as hard as possible so you know you will blow the crowd when you are on stage.

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

No. Not yet, but gigs will come at some point. Keep an eye on social media for announcements of tour dates.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Liima

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

BLVK IRIS is a new, cool Danish producer I like. He’s put out two tracks. Liima’s new album, 1982, is also great and a great live band as well.

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

Not much but I love what I’m doing so that’s okay. I like to relax making food and hanging with friends and my family. 

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).

Amen Dunes – Song to the Siren

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Follow Mr. Koifish

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/misterkoifish/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/67XNrsEa6gap4IKSaSZKGn

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/mrkoifish

INTERVIEW: Marvin’s Revenge

INTERVIEW:

Marvin’s Revenge

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I have been talking with Marvin’s Revenge…

about their current track, Overlook, and what its background is. The Derbyshire-based band tell me how they all got started and what sort of music they are inspired by; whether there are any gigs coming up – they recommend some rising acts to look out for.

The band tell me about the influence of U.S. music and whether they all share tastes; which albums are most important to them; what they want to accomplish before the end of the year – they provide some useful advice for musicians coming through.

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

Hey. We are great, thanks! It’s been an exciting week.

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

We are a three-piece Grunge band From Wirksworth, Derbyshire - which you’ve definitely never heard of. There’s Luke Eaton, who sings and plays bass; there’s Oliver Sammels-Moore who plays guitar and Job Gregory who plays drums and sings a little.

Overlook is your new single. What is the tale behind the song?

Job used to mess around with the main guitar melody a lot - as just a little riff I’d come up with - but then he built on it a bit and bought it to practice and it kind of evolved into what it is now. The recording of it was a bit of a surprise; we spoke to someone high up at our college and they recommended we get in a studio right away so we ended up recording this in Dubrek Studios in Derby within a month of that conversation.

Might there be more material coming along next year?

As a matter of fact, we are planning out the next single as we speak so you can expect that for January/February time. We think we like this new song more than Overlook, so be excited I guess.

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

We are all into very similar stuff: The Beatles, Radiohead; Q.O.T.S.A. (Queens of the Stone Age), but then also we all have our own things we were raised on like Nirvana, Sabbath; Led Zep - all the good stuff.

It seems like American music is important to you. Would you say the U.S. and its history is important to you?

We love music from anywhere really but I suppose the U.S. just has a thing for producing massively influential artists - and its history is important to anyone who likes music because it started what we listen to today.

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

We want to have another single recorded and ready for the New Year. I think that’s the main goal.

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

Our joint-favourite memory is probably from when we were recording D’EP in Luke’s bedroom just because it was so fun to do and it felt new and we were all chilled out about it.

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

That’s a really tough question...

For Job, it’s Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age because the drums are crazy.

For Ollie, it’s Paranoid by Black Sabbath. It was the first album he bought and he learnt pretty much every part of it on guitar...

And for Luke its Roman Candle by Elliott Smith; he says “Cuz it’s good”.

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

Probably IDLES, because they are growing really quickly and it seems like it’d be hilarious just being around them.

Our rider would just be like twelve cans of San Pellegrino (Blood Orange flavour); loads of Jammy Dodgers and maybe a few beers.

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

Well. With focusing on the single loads, we haven’t booked to many gigs at the minute but we are always playing around Nottingham so you can look out for us there.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I’m not too sure as we are still pretty small and don’t have loads of advice to give, but just make sure you are enjoying it I guess because otherwise it gets pretty boring pretty quickly. Also; play live lots and lots and make sure you’re playing the absolute best you can.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Clonk

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Hell, yeah. There’s a band called Clonk who haven’t got any music out as of yet but you can find them on YouTube and they gig around Nottingham. There’s Youth Hotel too which have some new music out on Spotify and it is awesome so check that out.

IN THIS PHOTO: Youth Hotel

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

We all have our own hobbies but, really, most of what we do every day is something to do with music; whether it’s writing, practicing or just listening. To unwind, we mainly just go out with friends to be honest.

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).

Okey dokey…

Ollie’s choice is Bullet in the Head by Rage Against the Machine

Job’s is Rock me Amadeus by Falco

Luke’s is Stupidity Tries by Elliott Smith

Cheers!

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Follow Marvin’s Revenge

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/marvinsrevenge/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/marvins_revenge

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/44bCHF7imUjwB6XkoDGg0s?si=-f_9o7hNTdCrb44lEnQwvQ

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/marvinsrevenge

INTERVIEW: Eddie Otchere

INTERVIEW:

Eddie Otchere

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I am starting the day by speaking with…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Eddie Otchere

a talented photographer who has gone from the bustle and colour of London to the stillness of the countryside. Eddie Otchere talks to me about that and how he got into photography and what sparked that passion. I have been speaking with him about the much-anticipated Bass in the City weekend (next week) - it is part of London’s City Life Festival; a month-long run of events across October celebrating the unique diversity and vibrancy of the capital. (For full details of events, check-in here).

Otchere tells me why we need to get involved in the events and also gives advice to new photographers coming through; a few albums that have inspired him; what he hopes to achieve by the end of this year – he tells me whether he gets time to unwind away from photography.

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

Not bad! Celebrated the winter equinox by visiting a Neolithic tomb. Good times!

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

I am Eddie Otchere. I live on Planet Earth and I don’t know how it works. I take pictures habitually and also professionally. I like life!

City Life, coming in October, is your (Bass in the City) event that celebrates seminal sounds of London. What made you want to start that event?

London, some time ago, found the cure to racism. It involved all people, all crews; all shades, all creeds; all sexes, all classes under one roof raving. We wanted to shout about that.

Break down the event. Is it going to happen in stages with music and food etc.? What form will it assume?

A linear sequence of conversation, bants and rant coupled with some liquid and solid refreshments plus a bag of tunes.

If you were trying to pitch the event in a single paragraph…why should we all come down and get involved?

Let me save you some space…

When was the last time you had a good boogie? When was the last time you heard a good story? Exactly! See you there.

In terms of a defining London artist, who would you highlight? How do you think the city’s music has changed through the years?

Jimothy Lacoste is my highlight of 2018. And our music in London is taking itself less and less serious.

Tell me how you got started in photography. What was the reason for pursuing it?

I found a camera and I like to see what things look like photographed. It is my obsession. Choice doesn’t fit in.

You are renowned for iconic photos and working alongside artists like Biggie Smalls. Which photos is your proudest moment would you say?

Smoking a blunt with Snoop Dog and his dad and not coughing.

Did you grow up around a lot of Rap and Hip-Hop music before you got into photography? Is there something about those sounds that captivated your imagination?

I grew up during the golden age of Hip Hop and it gave me my swagger, my voice; my sounds and my amazing dance skills.

It seems like you have swapped music and the city for the countryside and animals. Was there a reason for the change? How does snapping animals differ to artists?

I am looking for good air. London has terrible air. Shame because we need it. That said; country animals love having their picture taken although they don’t seem that interested in the picture. 

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

Clear my overdraft, pay all my bills, get rid of my credit cards, bank account and be off grid with a tanked up Monzo card.

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

When I tried to charm Mariah Carey by telling her that, when I get high, I get psychic. Her response taught me, ‘really’, is the most sarcastic word in the English language.

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

Marvin Gaye - I Want You

He preaches the joy of oral sex.

Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing

He preaches the perils of masturbation.

Marvin Gaye - Hear, My Dear

He preaches the tragic consequences of infidelity.

What advice would you give to those who want to follow in your footsteps?

Stay hydrated. Wear good shoes. All film photographers have the most wondrous angels and digital photographers are unpaid workers for Mark Zuckerberg. Poor bastards; they lost their virginities on the way to the bank.

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

I unwind by helping old photographers do their shopping. It gives me perspective and free biscuits.

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).

R. Kelly - A Woman’s Threat

Must add that I recently broke up; still bitter about it so I’ve been adding sugar to my tea. It does not help, but R. Kelly does

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Follow Eddie Otchere

Official:

http://otchere.photos/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/dhagren

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/dhagren/

INTERVIEW: Neuromantics

INTERVIEW:

Neuromantics

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MY last interview of the day…

is with Neuromantics as they tell me about their new single, Solaris, and how its amazing video came together; what the story behind their name is; what they have planned coming up – I ask if the guys each have a favourite album.

The band talk about their musical tastes and their favourite career memories so far; if we can see them on tour soon; how Neuromantics got together and found one another – they end the interview by selecting some great tracks.

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

Hey there! We are doing well, thanks. The week has been busy but fun. We’ve had a couple of rehearsals, played a show and have been promoting the release of our first single Solaris (off our upcoming debut album, Crimes of Passion).

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

We are Neuromantics; a four-piece Alternative-Rock band based in London made up of Daniel Pye (vocals/guitar), Andrew Gambell (guitar); Daniel ‘Dani’ Timóteo (bass/vocals) and Edgars Ozolins (drums).

Can I ask about the name, ‘Neuromantics’? I get impressions of big hair and Spandau Ballet! What is the origin of the name?

Andrew: The name comes from the William Gibson novel, Neuromancer. We played around with using ‘Neuromancers’, ‘The New Romancers’ etc. but ‘Neuromantics’ just seemed to have a certain ring to it.  

As a side-note: for those of you familiar with the novel, we’d like to clarify that no one in the band is associated with hacking or artificial intelligence in a future society!

Daniel T: Interesting that you mention Spandau Ballet...

We recently played in Islington and I believe that’s where they formed. However, the New Romantic Pop culture movement of the '70s is a bit before our time. No one in the band has a quiff, mullet or wedge hairstyle! We did have a big list of potential names, though. There was some funky stuff there. We all seemed to like Neuromantics.

Solaris is your latest track. Is there a story behind the song?

Daniel P: There is indeed. I can confirm from the outset that it is not based on the 1972 Soviet science fiction film or the 2002 film with George Clooney…or the computer operating system that all share the same name. It’s also got nothing to do with the Power Rangers character.

Story-wise; this can be broken down musically and lyrically/thematically. From a musical perspective, I’d been busy at home writing a lot of songs and thinking what combination of these songs would work effectively on our first album. We’d discussed having a good balance between the up-tempo rocky songs and more mellow melodic tracks and needed a few pacier, heavier tracks in the repertoire. After a bit of playing around, the verse riff and chord progression came into being. We then collectively developed the song, building the layers and construct you hear in the final track. We think it’s quite high-energy and reflective of the sound we wanted to illustrate on the album.

I like to leave lyrics relatively open for interpretation to give the listener a chance to formulate their own unique connection to the song. However, on a personal level, the song examines themes of self-doubt; the challenges and fears associated with taking risks, finding who you really are and ultimately playing with the notion that life itself can be interpreted as a ‘show’ - and it really comes down to us as individuals as to how our unique show is going to be performed.

Who came up with the concept behind the video? Do you guys get involved with the storyboards and concepts?

Andrew: We were playing a gig at Soho and one of our friends came to watch the show. After the set, we were telling her of our plans to make a music video for the first single. Coincidentally, she works at a film company and gave us the details of one of her colleagues who had recently left to go freelance. He also happened to be a musician, so we thought this could potentially be a good fit.

By this stage, the band had narrowed down the first single to a selection of three tracks and had some music video ideas. We met with the filmmaker and sort of put him on the spot by showing him the songs and asking what initial thoughts sprang to mind. He reacted with a plethora of ideas and was keen on the project. He showed us some of his other work which was quite impressive, so we decided to go with him. He then went away and listened to the songs in further detail and came back with some specific concepts for the three shortlisted songs. We liked the Solaris idea and the whole band was onboard with Solaris being the first release.

Edgars: We reviewed the script/concept ideas and offered our input, particularly for the vignette scenes where the band members stumble across different people in the forest, which acts as this sort of alternate reality. However, we let Reece (the filmmaker) lead in terms of the direction of the video. He provided the storyboard and schedule in advance of the shoot but was quite adaptive during filming to capture shots/moments on the fly as they came to him.

We had some funny moments shooting the forest scenes. Unfortunately, we don’t have a blooper reel but it could be something worth developing. I think it just took us a bit of warming up to get into character! Reece would reinforce the fact that we have just woken up in tattered clothes; are in a forest with no recollection of how we got there and that there are random people out and about. You’d be a bit freaked out, right?

You guys hail from different parts of the world. How did you find one another?

Daniel P: Years ago, I was backpacking around Europe and ended up in Budapest along the way. I was in this big dorm room in a hostel and noticed a guy in the room with a guitar which proved to be a good catalyst to start a conversation. This person was Andrew and he also happened to be travelling around. We explored the city and became friends, although in the end he returned to London and I returned to Sydney. Unbeknownst to us at the time, this encounter would lay the initial foundation for the future Neuromantics.

A few years later, I was volunteering in a hostel in Latvia. Yes; I know hostels are a recurring theme here! Turns out one of the guys who worked there was big into music and we had a few jam sessions there which were good fun. This happened to be Ed.

Fast-forward another year and I was at a bit of a personal crossroad (no hostels were involved) and was flirting with the idea of moving to London. I reached out to Andrew and Ed and asked if they’d be keen to start a new band if I was in town. They were down. I moved over. We started playing but were missing a key ingredient. Some bass.

Daniel T: This is where I enter the story…

I moved over to London from Portugal and was waiting tables with Andrew. At work, he told me about a new band he was in and that they needed a bassist. I told him that I play bass - not too long after I came along to practice. I got along well with the guys and liked the sound. I always enjoy working on new music and given I’d previously played in a lot of Punk bands back in Portugal, the idea of being in a band of a different style was quite intriguing. Then Neuromantics as it is today was officially born!

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

Andrew: ‘Yes’ and ‘no’. We all have an electric mix of musical interests which we try to filter into our music. I’ve been fortunate to play in bands and make music across a variety of genres including Pop, Indie; Post-Punk and Techno but would say I was raised to whatever was on the radio at the time.

Edgars: I was raised on Smokie as a child but moved on to more heavy stuff like Metal and Alt-Metal when I was younger and then kind of drifted towards more modern Rock like the Foo Fighters and some lyrically heavy Rap music like Spose and some Latvian rappers (I’m Latvian for the record).

Daniel P: My dad played guitar too, so I loved listening to bands like Led Zeppelin and other stuff from that time with him. I played a lot of Jazz when I was learning but then started to get into alternative and indie rock as well experimental rock such as Sigur Rós.

Daniel T: Cat Stevens, Leonard Cohen and some of the '80s pop that was around. As I mentioned, I’ve played in a lot of Punk projects so I got into a lot of Punk bands from around the world. There might be too many to mention though.

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

Edgars: We are currently unsigned, given Solaris marks our first release. Off the back of the single, we’re aiming to generate label interest and get signed. We’ve also got our first album mixed and mastered and ready for release, so we’d ideally like to release the album by the end of the year. We’ll keep gigging around London and, hopefully, be in a position to do a tour next year to support the album release; whether that be in the U.K.-only or also include some other locations in Europe. We’d love the opportunity to play in some new cities and countries. We are also working on a number of new songs which we are excited about. We are continuing to develop these further in preparation for album two.

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

Daniel P: Back in the day, I was in Slovenia and I was trying to hitch a ride to Ljubljana. I made a little sign on an A4 piece of paper and ten minutes later was lucky enough to find a ride. I got talking music with the gracious French driver and it turns out he was a guitarist/singer. We decided to play some tunes in the park back in town and were approached by a local guy asking if we wouldn’t mind jamming with his friend and hanging with their group. We agreed. We met the friend - this tall, physically-imposing guy with a long ponytail and beard.

Suddenly, he asks if we can play Stand by Me. I wasn’t expecting that. He had an amazing voice and the group was super-friendly. This sticks in mind because it really exemplified the fact that music can bring people together in a positive environment, despite any differences people may have.

Andrew: We all know gigging can be tough if there isn’t a crowd. Or even worse – no crowd. I remember playing a gig in a previous band where the only human in attendance besides the band was the sound engineer. He eventually left the room and we were left with one audience member: a three-legged dog. The show must go on, right? We finished the set. Hopefully, the dog enjoyed the show. Also, it did serve as a good opportunity to get some extra practice in with discounted drinks at the bar.

Daniel T: I have so many that it is hard to pick one. However, what comes to mind initially is Avante in 2013. Avante is a big cultural and music festival in Portugal that attracts hundreds of bands that are both local and international acts. I played there with one of my previous bands and there was a huge crowd with everyone singing along. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to hopefully experience that with our band now.

Edgars: Back home in Latvia, I found myself busking at 4 A.M. and gradually people came over to see what was going on. All of a sudden, there were about fifty people jamming out and feeding me alcohol. It was a really fun night, from what I remember. A more recent memory was having our track played on the radio in the Netherlands last week. That was pretty cool.

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

Daniel T: A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide is always on my playlist for every occasion. I connect with the music.

Edgars: System of a Down - Hypnotize. It was the first C.D. that I ever bought.

Andrew: The Velvet Underground & Nico - Velvet Underground; because I never get bored of it.

Daniel P: No Name Face by Lifehouse. I relate a lot to the music and see similarities with our sound to some Lifehouse tracks.

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

Daniel P: We were all talking about Incubus recently so would elect to support them. They have made some amazing records; are actively touring worldwide and their shows seem to really go off. Although there have been a couple of line-up changes, it seems they have been pretty good at maintaining stability in that department which is something we’d like to emulate.

Rider for me would be Vegemite and butter on toast. As a kid, I’d smash that after school like there was no tomorrow. Over here, my work bought Vegemite for the team. The jar did not last long with me around…

Andrew: I’d take the box-set DVD of Sex and the City. Always good to have a bit of pre-show entertainment…

Daniel T: Reese’s Pieces. It’s this peanut butter candy and it is so good. It’s good for the band, too. Sometimes, I bring some snacks for everyone at rehearsal so we get a bit of extra energy.

Edgars: A fridge full of Monster energy drinks (sugar-free). Playing drums is a good workout.

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

Andrew: We are primarily playing around London at the moment as we focus on getting coverage of the single and work on preparing for release of the album. You can catch us at St. Moritz club in Soho on 6th October and at Hope and Anchor in Islington on 9th November. We expect to be playing a few more London shows this year. As mentioned earlier, we’d really like to do a tour following the release of the album that will take us to some new destinations. We’ll make sure to keep everyone posted about these developments.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Edgars: Design a realistic game plan and stick to it as much as possible. When we formed, Daniel said we’d have an album recorded after a year. At first, this might have appeared too ambitious as our first recording project but we set up a plan and timeline, got to work and got it done.

Daniel P: Follow your passions and don’t be afraid to take chances. It’s never too late to do what you love in life. Also, cherish the moments of creativity and fun with your bandmates. They are special.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Edgars: There are so many talented artists and bands around the world to choose from. I came across a local band called Crown Commons not too long ago and they have some cool stuff.

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

Daniel T: We all have full-time jobs too, but I wouldn’t define that as being chill-out time. We all have annual passes to Thorpe Park. They were running a deal promotion and we jumped on it. The Saw and Colossus roller coasters come highly recommended. Besides that, we all have our own outlets.

Daniel likes to play basketball and is a self-proclaimed table tennis pro; Andrew spends time painting (he has a big piece on display in his living-room); Edgars has been getting into cooking and is getting better at that and I enjoy going to concerts with friends and checking out the various arcade centres around London.

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).

Daniel T: Silverchair – Untitled

Andrew: Death Grips – Up My Sleeves

Daniel P: Solkyri – Home

Edgars: Foo Fighters – My Hero

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Follow Neuromantics

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/neuromanticsband/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/neuromanticsofficial/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCARSzQ3Ka5y02gYgQBb54uA

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/neuromantics

INTERVIEW: Evan Petruzzi

INTERVIEW:

Evan Petruzzi

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THE fantastic Evan Petruzzi…

has been telling me about her new single, Breathe, and what she hopes to achieve with it. I ask the Long Island-based artist how her career got started and which artists are important to her; a few albums that are important to her – I ask whether there are any approaching artists we should be keeping an eye out for.

Petruzzi talks about her touring plans and what she hopes to achieve by the end of the year; whether she gets any time to relax away from music; the advice she would give artists coming through – she ends the interview by selecting a fantastic track.

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

Hey, Sam. I’m doing pretty well, thanks! It’s been a good but busy week gearing up for the release of Breathe.

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

Definitely. I’m a singer/songwriter from Long Island, New York. I’ve been playing music all my life and learned many different instruments like piano, trumpet and guitar, to name a few. I write about personal experiences a lot, but I love to write about real world issues because I think one of the best ways to reach a person is through music.

You can be blind to movements like MeToo and Time’s Up, but music always has a way of opening your eyes. My music is influenced by what I listen to so the style of music I write is very hard to define because I like pretty much any genre from any decade. I like to say I have a James Bay vibe with an acoustic guitar.

Breathe is your new single. What inspired the song? Does it come from a personal perspective?

So. I actually wrote this song years ago when my best friend was going through a rough time. I wanted her to know that, no matter what, I’d be there to lessen the burden and ‘breathe’ for her when things got too overwhelming. It's meant to be a feelgood song that inspires people to never give up and to help those who are troubled and can't help themselves. There’s also a surprise meaning to this song which will be shown in the music video which will be released October 8th!

Might there be more material coming next year? Are you working on other stuff?

There’s definitely going to be more material next year and possibly this year, as well. I write every day and some songs I keep to myself but others I share with the world. Writing music has always been an outlet for me and I always say; I’ve yet to write my best song.

Long Island is where you are based. Is there a good and varied music scene there at the moment?

Long Island has a cool music scene. My first gig, not including talent shows, was at this hip little coffee shop. There’s a ton of venues around the island and we pretty much have every genre you can think of. It definitely has a great indie vibe for sure.

In terms of musical influences; which artists are most important to you? How did you get into music?

I was actually born into music. My dad is a professional trumpet player who has his own big band and used to sub on Broadway and my mom has been studying voice since I was in the womb. I’ve grown up listening to some great music ranging from Miles Davis to Carole King. Some of my top favorites are James Bay, Foy Vance; Fleetwood Mac, Amy Winehouse and Lily Kershaw. I could probably go all day naming artists I love but I’ll stick to those.

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

By the end of 2018, I would love for Breathe to have touched and helped one person who has listened to it. Whoever it is, I hope by the end of the year it reaches someone who needs to hear these words; who needed to feel the support and give that person the courage to reach out and ask for help. I hope when people watch the video, it opens their eyes to other issues.

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

I have a few top memories but I think my all-time-favorite was playing at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Just standing inside that place knowing all the incredible legends who’ve played there was incredible - but to be able to say I played my original tunes there is surreal.

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

Ahh…this is always such a hard question for me.

The Wild Swan from Foy Vance

The entire vibe of that album always transports me, but I especially love Fire It Up and She Burns. His writing has always inspired me and I think that album has influenced my music in so many ways.

Lioness: Hidden Treasures or Back to Black from Amy Winehouse

Lioness was released after Amy passed and it is filled with unreleased recordings that always hit me hard such as Our Day Will Come and of course, to no surprise to anyone who knows me, Valerie. However, I will forever be haunted by Back to Black and Love Is a Losing Game.

Rumours from Fleetwood Mac

It’s such a classic and songs like Songbird and Go Your Own Way, I could listen to them forever. I actually covered Go Your Own Way recently and it was such a fun experience arranging it in my own style.

I kind of cheated with this question but these answers probably change every day.

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

I’d want to support James Bay. My ultimate dream is to support him, even for one show.

Everyone knows I love food am a health nut. I’m also a vegetarian so my rider would be some money for food so I can go find a nice Italian place to get eggplant parmigiana from. I’d like to have some comp tickets for my family and friends.

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

Yes, you can! Right now I have two shows coming up and one in the works. October 7th at 7 P.M. I’ll be playing a free show at Rockwood Music Hall in N.Y.C. with my band for the release of Breathe. Then, I’ll be headlining a show November 18th at The Bitter End in N.Y.C. as a ‘What We’re Thankful For’ show for Thanksgiving. That one starts at 7 P.M. and there are some great acts supporting.

Might you come to the U.K. and play soon?

Honestly, one of my goals is to just travel the world with my guitar and play wherever I can. The U.K. would for sure be a goal to play. Maybe sometime in the next year or so.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I feel like I’m a new artist myself but, if I were to talk based on my experience thus far, I’d say never let yourself get discouraged. You have to be willing to put in the work, play any shows you get and, most importantly, you have to be ready for rejection. The music industry is a constant uphill battle but, if you hone your craft, love what you do and never lose sight of yourself and your goal then you’re golden.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Dan Sadin

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I always love digging deep and finding new or unknown artists. I’ve been vibing to Dan Sadin’s E.P. lately. Julia Knight’s new single Like I Used To has also been on-repeat a bunch.

IN THIS PHOTO: Julia Knight/PHOTO CREDIT: Galore

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

It’s funny; music has always been my way of unwinding. When I’m stressed, I find myself making playlists or writing it all out. If that fails, I’ve been training in Krav Maga for years, so that’s one way I let off some steam. Otherwise, I do the classic Netflix binge and hang with my dog. Sometimes, I’ll just plop down on the floor and my dog will curl up next to me (or walk all over me) and I just let myself be and hang with her for a bit.

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).

Hmm; let’s do Valerie ’68 by Amy Winehouse…I know, what a shock

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Follow Evan Petruzzi

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Evan_Petruzzi/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/EvanPetruzziMusic/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/EvanPetruzziMusic/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/evanpetruzzi

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3TScZ6zJkavDy0tqoGqiCf

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/evanpetruzzi

INTERVIEW: Speqtrvm

INTERVIEW:

Speqtrvm

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I have been speaking with the Swedish band Speqtrvm…

about that unique name and what they can reveal about the new song, Too Much. I wanted to know what the music scene is like in Sweden right now; how they got together and what they have coming along in terms of more material and gigs – they recommend some rising names to watch.

The gang pick some albums that mean a lot to them and tell me how they relax away from music; whether they have shared tastes in music and whether they each have a treasured memory from their careers so far.

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

Hello! It has been a tough week: lots of things happening to each one of us and even Sweden (who is currently without a government). Other than that, it’s pretty good; same ol’. How are you?

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

We’re a Swedish band consisting of four diverse individuals who are really into the major seventh chord and artists who are using it. Big love for modern music influenced by retro sounds.

Why ‘Speqtrvm’?

We had our first gig booked and needed an official name A.S.A.P...

After pondering for quite some time, Adam noticed the scattered light from a prism creating a tiny rainbow on the couch right next to me and said “What if we were just called spectrum?!”. And the more we thought about it, the more sense it made since we’re all like on different spectrums, like musically. We seek influence from each of these spectrums and try to add them together.

The name also matches our vision as a band which is to compose colorful music that sort of creates vivid images in your head (the origin of the word spectrum meaning image or apparition). The spelling with a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ was inspired by CHVRCHES - and the ‘q’ is mainly there to mirror the ‘p’ and to keep the spelling as unique as possible. That’s why we spell it ‘Speqtrvm’…

S P E Q T R V M.

Your new single, Too Much, is out. Can you explain the background and what inspired the track?

Mikael: I wrote this song after a deep introspection that changed the way I perceived things, forever. Together, we wanted to recreate the feelings of a retro-futuristic tune.

Is there going to be more material coming down the lines?

Yes! The next songs are in the recording and mixing phases. We have a handful of projects in the bank and about as many in the writing stages. One single left to be released this year!

You are a band based out of Sweden. Is there a good scene there right now?

When hasn’t there been? (Winks).

Sweden has produced several groups who often seem to get a greater appreciation abroad. Especially with bands like Dungen and Goat who dare to experiment outside standard music formats. Not that other countries have more listeners, but it may be less obvious within the Swedish culture because we usually show love to something in a modest and humble way.

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

We all go back since at least high-school and we all went to high school for music. But, we didn’t become a band until a couple of years ago.

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

Adam: Well we all had our phases with heavier music. Lots of Classic-Rock, Indie and Prog music. And, in recent years, more synth-based and Electronic music accompanied by popular music.

Mikael: Personally, most of the music I've heard from my childhood was Latin American music. My dad used to play Bolivian Folk music from groups associated with the traditional Andean dance Caporales. My mother showed me Chilean Neo-Folkloric poets and singer-songwriters Victor Jara and Violetta Parra, who later inspired me by their strong lyrical themes. Nowadays, it can be music from Gypsy-Jazz to Black-Metal and everything in-between.

Josef: I grew up listening to '70s and '80s rock music but nowadays I’ll listen to anything as long as it resonates with me in some way. I think we’re all open-minded but share the love for Electronic music more than anything!

Ande: I grew up with a lot of Hip-Hop and Reggaeton because of my siblings. Then, I started to like Grunge bands like Nirvana and successively started to discover new genres of music. 

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

We will continue finishing more songs; release the last single from our upcoming E.P. and create a better foundation for our sound and musical identity.

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

Adam: In high-school; playing the last gig with my Rage Against the Machine cover band, which both Mikael and Ande were a part of at times. We were just playing like a well-oiled machine and it’s probably the most fun I’ve had on stage so far. One of my favourite memories overall actually.

Mikael: Many memories, but the first thing I can think about is the day I traded my guitar with Axel from Ruby Empress. I've always wanted a great ‘Jazzmaster’ and it felt unreal to make a perfect trade with someone from a band you followed and digged a lot from the start of their carrier.

Josef: Lots of different memories but the most amusing one has to be when I played with a Death-Metal band I was part of at the time at a kindergarten Christmas party. There were kids head-banging like crazy right in front of the stage and their parents were just staring while we just went about with the bizarre situation! We were in our lat-teens and didn’t bother to ask about any details about the live show so it was totally unexpected when we arrived at the venue and saw five-year-old kids in the audience.

Ande: We had a gig at a festival in our hometown Norrköping called Black Christmas Festival which was a great experience. It was me, Mikael and some old acquaintances who played in a Black-Metal band called Eingana. That’s something I will always remember.

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

Every musician need all the support they can get in their musical circuits since they all deliver art to the world in their own creative way, almost for free.

Talking about riders; we would want to include mind-bending images, dreamy lights and things that enhances the visual and auditory atmosphere at our shows.

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

We’re focusing on being in the studio for now but, hopefully, in the next year. You can follow us on our social medias for more updates. Looking forward to play more live gigs.

What advice would you give to new artist coming through?

Patience, dedication and having fun - obvious things with a small balance. There are artist who seeks for confirmation in unnatural ways without putting a value on themselves which results in stress instead of joy.

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

Adam: Probably Pure Heroine by Lorde

I must’ve listened to it just under a thousand times. I’ve always found her voice to be soothing and delectable…and her lyrics simple, but intriguing. It’s probably the album that first got me into Electronic music. I remember when it came out and how I perceived life at that age. Listening to it now makes me very nostalgic and it has gotten me through a lot of low points.

Mikael: Devotion by Beach House

There is no album that can affect and touch my feelings as much as this one. It reminds me of both the toughest and greatest times in my life.

Josef: I don’t really listen to whole albums anymore but Masters of Reality by Black Sabbath is probably the album I’ve listened to the most during my teenage years. I was completely taken away by the album is simple but powerful riffs and malevolent atmosphere.

Ande: That’s a tough question since there is a large variety of albums. But, if I have to choose one, I’d choose If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late by Drake. It gets me every time and I always get chills from the beats.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Adam: Girl in red. I’ve been listening to her a lot lately. She only has five songs so far, yet she’s successfully shifted my friend’s sexuality within an hour of recommending her music. She (my friend) identifies as bi but likes girls even more now. I view that as an accomplishment. Perhaps not my accomplishment, but an accomplishment nonetheless.

Mikael: I would recommend Danish producer and artist Molina. She has the vibes of a modern-day Kate Bush Electronica but with her own touch of innovation. Her latest track, Hey Kids (with Late Verlane), really made me open my eyes for the interesting and fresh direction she's heading for! Curiously; we share the same last name but are not related in a way. At least from what I know...

 IN THIS PHOTO: Molina/PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Liisborg

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

Adam: I quite enjoy cooking and playing with my two kittens. Although, they stress me out more if anything.

Mikael: I have a pretty busy ordinary life. So when I get time chill away, I'll play music.

Josef: Besides Speqtrvm, I’m also employed full-time helping local bands and arranging music events and stuff so I’m always busy with music in one form or another! Unwinding for me is mostly being around my family and our dog but I also try to meditate.

Ande: When I don’t play music, I work both as a barista and with personal assistance. Besides music, I love to work out!

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).

Mikael: Simoon by YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA

Adam: 4am by girl in red

Josef: Acid Rain by Lorn

Ande: Anymore by Surf Rock Is Dead

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Follow Speqtrvm

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Speqtrvm/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/speqtrvm/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/speqtrvm

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dnDqM2Iuen5gcYCBjkQgy?si=XerASB8nTIqS3BaNeYw2yA

INTERVIEW: Pleasure Barge

INTERVIEW:

Pleasure Barge

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THE brilliant Pleasure Barge…

have been chatting with me about their brand-new single, Electric Ride, and what its tale is. I ask the Manchester-based band what the scene is like there and whether there is more material coming along next year – they reveal their tastes and artists that are important to them.

Pleasure Barge highlight some rising artists to watch and talk about tour dates; the albums that have made the biggest impression on them – they end the interview by selecting some rather cool songs.

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

Absolutely bangers and mashing. Our week has been sound as a pound, honestly.

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

We consist of five Doritos aiming to make your existence a little bit closer to that infinite groove of love. Ludo sings those tasty vanilla tones; Cameron riffs that jammy-scratchy scratch; Lawrence slides that slinky fly-flow with his cakey bass and Buddy raps his way to Italian stardom behind the vortex of a light-year (he has a Nord).

And Leon.

Electric Ride is your latest single. Can you reveal the story behind it?

In 2014, Ludo and Cameron went to the East Croydon rave. Life found a way; our generation found a song and we tried to replicate it with this one. The Manchester scene and s*ite British politics have also had a big influence throughout the four years it took to be created and produced. But, ultimately, it’s a song about forgetting yourself, falling in love and escaping reality with someone you think is beautiful.

Might there be more material coming next year? How far ahead are you looking?

Definitely, this century. We are hoping to release our first E.P. this year, along with a second single and two or three music videos to accompany them.

How did Pleasure Barge come together? Is there a story behind the band’s name?

Buddy works and explores a lot of car boot sales. He came across a vintage set of five ‘60s Playboy magazines. Whilst we wrote a list of over one-hundred songs on our wall, we ended up going with our fifth choice, Pleasure Barge, which comes from a line somewhere in one of the Playboys about when your date goes wrong and you ‘find yourself treading water among the shattered remains of a pleasure barge’. Eventually, even as our music drastically changed, it stuck.

Manchester is where you are based. Is it a great city to record and create in?

Sure. The beer is cheap and the tea is strong.

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

Ludo: James Blunt, Nickelback; Busted, Coldplay. That’s it. And Garfunkel without Simon. Also, N-Dubz and Guns N’ Roses.

Cameron: Chopin, Rachmaninoff; Death Grips, Red Hot Chili Peppers; the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma, Robbie Williams, Zeppelin; Elliott Smith and Soft Hair. And, I love The Beatles, man. Tinchy Stryder - Catch 22 was the first album I ever bought on C.D.

Lawrence: George Clinton, Muse; Quincy Jones, Black Eyed Peas and Will Smith’s Greatest Hits.

Buddy: Barry Manilow - Bermuda Triangle and, when I was feeling adventurous, Copacabana and Could It Be Magic.

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

Finding a new drummer - as Leon is going back to his home planet.  

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

Probably selling out Soup Kitchen in Manchester and shooting our first video with Grimshaw Mink. Shout-outs to McConnie Edford Providence for our first gig as well.

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

Ludo: Abbey Road by The Beatles because it's perfect.

Cameron: ‘The White Album’ (The Beatles) by The Beatles. What I listened to when I was young and what I’ll listen to as I check out for sure.

Lawrence: The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) by The Black Eyed Peas because it made me feel real.

Buddy: “The Spaghetti Incident?” by Guns N’ Roses.

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

Probably Kid Cudi or maybe Danny Brown. We always request a copy of Point Break, ideally on DVD, and freshly-pressed ginger is cool. A cowbell and lavishing us with additional garnishments is also always appreciated.

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

We’re coming to London next week for a couple of shows then coming back to Manchester to support our favourite Italian Popstar Colapesce at Eagle Inn on 9th. We’re planning a New Year’s gig and a tour after that and hope to do the festival circuit after.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Have fun and don’t change for your label. Stay unsigned, eat fresh - ’tis better than riches to scratch where it itches; three is company and any amount of alcohol under two pints you feel like a superhero…anything more and you’re in the danger zone (high voltage).

 IN THIS PHOTO: Bin Juice/PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Bauer

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Sylvette and Tugboat Captain we love. FUC*ING BIN JUICE. SERIOUSLY. WHY AREN’T THEY FAMOUS? Ronald Raygun and Porij are Gs. House of Bondage shout-outs. Also, there’s this band we think are gonna blow up called Jimmy Neutron and the Lemon Squeezers. Look out for them.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sylvette

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

We almost always unwind…

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).

Ludo: Get Low - Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz (ft. Busta Rhymes)

Cameron: Bin Juice – Eggs

Lawrence: Run This Town - The Apples

 

Buddy: Barry Manilow - Bermuda Triangle

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Follow Pleasure Barge

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/therealbarge

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/therealbarge/

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/pleasurebarge

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6O5SpUpBhxxCekhFo3qzzw

FEATURE: Their Back Pages: Ten Incredible Music Memoirs

FEATURE:

 

 

Their Back Pages

PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@beccatapert  

Ten Incredible Music Memoirs

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I am immersed in music-based literature right now…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sir Paul McCartney/PHOTO CREDIT: Mary McCartney

and find myself drawn to non-fiction. I am excited by news that Sir Paul McCartney is releasing an illustrated children’s book, Hey Grandude:

“Paul McCartney announced today (Sept. 27) that he has written his first illustrated children’s book, titled Hey Grandude.

The singer shared his news in a short video on Puffin Books’ YouTube account. McCartney co-wrote the 2005 children’s book High in the Clouds with Philip Ardagh, but Hey Grandude will be the musician’s first solo literary venture...”

“Hey Grandude follows the adventures of a magical man named Grandude and his four grandchildren, who he calls “Chillers.” McCartney originally got the idea for the book after one of his eight grandchildren began to refer to him as “Grandude,” and the nickname stuck. “I wanted to write it for grandparents everywhere, so it gives them something to read to the grandkids at bedtime,” McCartney said”.

There have been some rather tragic, misjudged works of fiction by musicians – including novels by Morrissey – but, when it comes to them writing about what they know best, themselves and their music, there have been some revelatory and fine works. I have selected ten music memoirs that are worth reading that, between them, offer explosive revelations, incredible insight and amazing visions. Have a peak through; grab these great memoirs and I am sure you will uncover some wonderful secrets and insights from brilliant musicians! As we turn, more and more, to electronic devices and distract ourselves with inane apps and news; it is good to kick back with a classic piece of literature from some…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash/@eliabevces

ICONIC artists.  

ALL BOOK COVER IMAGES: Getty Images

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Bob Dylan – Chronicles: Volume One

Published: 5th October, 2004

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review:

“Chronicles ends with Dylan on the verge of his breakthrough. But this breakthrough will also - we know from the intervening chapters - be a tragic rupture. The pathos of Dylan is that his self was ripped from his grasp at a time when he had barely begun to know it. It's clear that these wounds still smart, that Dylan still reels from the trauma, and that the memory of those early months in New York, those months of discovery, remains precious. "The folk music scene had been like a paradise that I had to leave."

Perhaps I'm swayed by the fact that this book is so much better than I feared it might be (as a fan since the 60s, I've got used to disappointments). But with this rich, intermittently preposterous, often tender work, Bob Dylan has delivered more than many of us dared hope for” – The Guardian

Order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chronicles-One-Bob-Dylan/dp/0743478649

Mötley Crüe (Mick Mars, Neil Strauss, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and Vince Neil) - The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band

Published: 22nd May, 2001

Publishers: Harper Entertainment (Hardback); ReganBooks (Paperback)

Review:

“The members of Mötley Crüe didn’t invent rock-star decadence, but they perfected it. The Dirt consequently has a vaunted reputation as the gold standard for glitter and jizz-covered super-trashy rock-star tell-alls, the crazed literary orgy to end them all. The swaggering title says it all: This isn’t your typical rock-star book. There would be no valleys, no dips, no dusty middle innings, to borrow Roger Angell’s resonant turn of phrase (via my colleague Scott Tobias). Nope, this will be nothing but the pure, uncut shit. The fucking. The drugs. The booze. The fights. The ego. The money. The good stuff. The dirt. Crüe and Strauss are throwing down the gauntlet with that swaggering title. To its credit and detriment, it lives up to it. But it also tested my tolerance for tales of rock ’n’ roll ribaldry” – The AV Club

Order: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780060989156/the-dirt/

Kim Gordon – Girl in a Band: A Memoir

Published: 24th February, 2015

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review:

“So does the book. It doesn’t have a big final scene, not after the angry and sad explanation of the breakup. It’s about survival, both as a person and as an artist. Gordon starts a new band, Body/Head, with her longtime friend Bill Nace. The overall feeling is one of levelheadedness, a little resignation, lots of anger and a permanent love of the power of art. She stays cool because she is cool, even in those rare moments when she’s not” – The New York Times

Order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Band-Kim-Gordon/dp/0571309356

Keith Richards – Life

Published: 26th October, 2010

Publishers: Weidenfield & Nicolson (U.K.); Little Brown and Company (U.S.)

Review:

“There is also a devastating passage when he describes the cot death of his second son Tara, who died while Richards was on tour. 'It’s as if I deserted my post…it never lets you rest. Tara lives inside me. But I don’t even know where the little bugger is buried, if he’s buried at all.’

It’s a chilling reminder that while Keef survived the ride, there were many others who didn’t. But how good it is that this hugely endearing rock and roll legend, with his wheezing laugh and face like a battered walnut, is still with us, and able to describe his extraordinary life with such honesty and panache” – The Telegraph

Order: https://www.waterstones.com/book/life/keith-richards/9780753826614

Patti Smith – Just Kids

Published: 19th January, 2010

Publisher: Ecco

Review:

“At first, wary of boho chic, I resisted Patti Smith's memoir of her New York years with Robert Mapplethorpe, "the artist of my life". How dumb. For this is a modern classic that generations of readers will cherish as a friend. "Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?" asks the writer-musician as she traces the love that – first physical, then (there is no other word) spiritual – bound the skinny ragamuffin aesthete to the Catholic-raised ex-cadet on their adventures in art.

Many stars swing through this low-rent, high-minded firmament, from Factory to Chelsea to CBGBs: Warhol, Reed, Joplin, Hendrix, Burroughs, Ginsberg... Yet the pair's devotion, until his death in 1989, to each other and to their visions lights up every tender, glowing page” – The Independent

Order: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780066211312/just-kids/

Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run

Published: 27th September, 2016

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review:

“He’s honest about his family life, his relationships with the E Street Band, his music (Wrecking Ball, his charged reply to the excesses of Wall Street in 2008, was met with modest fanfare; “I was sure I still had it. I still think I do and did,” he frets). Poignantly, the late E Street sax player Clarence Clemons is a gentle giant with big fighting fists, fending off parking-lot racist abuse from supposed friends with hurt confusion, a rock removed from Springsteen’s life when he goes. The singer has had a life like no other, but his is a story that – like his music – speaks to us all” – The Independent

Order: https://www.waterstones.com/book/born-to-run/bruce-springsteen/9781471157820

Neil Young – Waging Heavy Peace

Published: 25th September, 2012

Publishers: Blue Rider Press; Penguin Group

Review:

“For all Young's engagement with serious issues, Waging Heavy Peace is not without its reminders that he achieved his celebrity during an easily satirised time of excessive reward and immoderate self-indulgence. When an aide calls to break the news that his beloved customised tour bus, known as Pocahontas, has caught fire and burnt out, he has its remains conveyed to his ranch and buried in a eucalyptus grove” – The Guardian

Order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waging-Heavy-Peace-Hippie-Dream/dp/0241962161

Niles Rodgers – Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco and Destiny

Published: 2011

Publisher: Sphere

Review:

“This is a rich, warm tale of a fascinating life in the golden age of New York – and pop. The only slight detractions are a touch of post-rehab rationalisation, which means episodes of unrivalled debauchery are occasionally relayed with disappointing sobriety. He is also reluctant to dish dirt on his peers, which leaves several protagonists nameless” – The Guardian

Order: http://www.nilerodgers.com/about/projects/le-freak-book

Kristin Hersh – Rat Girl

Published: 31st August, 2010

Publisher: Penguin Books

Review:

“Rat Girl stops just as everything seems to be starting—the album is about to be finished, she gives birth. Hersh will not pander for our sympathy or satisfy our need to hear how things turn out. Her story is about what it’s like to live and to think as a teenage girl, not a book about what happens when she finally grows up” – SLATE

Order: https://www.amazon.com/Rat-Girl-Memoir-Kristin-Hersh/dp/0143117394

Jay-Z – Decoded

Published: 16th November, 2010 (Hardback); 1st November, 2011 (Paperback)

Publisher: Random House

Review:

“Even with large areas of his life roped off, this book is still eye-opening. He does overplay his own cultural significance, but then he’d argue that’s part of a rapper’s job. Both fans and newcomers alike should be left with a deepened appreciation for the verbal dexterity of a conflicted man who knows he’s caused a lot of suffering in his life and is continuing to profit from it…

“There are times,” he says, “when I look around me, at the life I have today, and think I’m getting away with murder” - The Telegraph

Order: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/198655/decoded-by-jay-z/9780812981155/