INTERVIEW: C. SHIROCK

INTERVIEW:

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniella Midenge

C. SHIROCK

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THANKS to C. SHIROCK for telling me about...

his latest single, Confess Your Love, and the great personal story behind it. I ask him about his start in music and the sounds that influence him; whether he has anything else to give before the end of the year and what comes along next year.

He reveals some rising artists worth a look and albums important to him; if we can see him play anytime soon and whether the Nashville-bases artist gets time to unwind and relax away from music – C. SHIROCK selects a great song to end the interview with.

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Hi, C. SHIROCK. How are you? How has your week been?

I’m doing well! I’m currently in Los Angeles and about to head to Nashville for my birthday and some recording sessions. The last two weeks have been really incredible. Confess Your Love came out; the music video came out a week after. I’ve been in the studio finishing up a few more singles for early next year…and we’re wrapping up the edit for the music video for Stand with Me Tonight, which will be the second single coming out Nov. 30th! So, a lot happening but it’s exciting to finally be sharing all of this new work.

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

My name is Chuck SHIROCK – my artist name is ‘C. SHIROCK’. I am based between Nashville, TN and Los Angeles, CA. My music is Alternative Pop – my favourite comparison’s I’ve read are ‘modern Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins…a little bit of Prince, U2…’ When I read that, I immediately felt like that was something I’d want to hear! I had a band called SHIROCK for a long time before starting the C. SHIROCK solo project. We toured a ton, performed with bands such as Twenty One Pilots, Cage the Elephant; Manchester Orchestra and tons of other inspiring acts. Confess Your Love is the first single off of my upcoming collection of songs, which will continue to come out monthly into 2019.

PHOTO CREDIT: Emilia Paré

Confess Your Love is new. What is the story behind the song?

Confess Your Love was written about meeting my partner for the first time. We met in Tulum, Mexico entirely by chance…

I had bought a one-way ticket to Mexico and she was there with a friend. I was going through a life reset/new beginning of sorts and, the short version is, I was having dinner by myself at Hartwood (incredible restaurant in Tulum) and she was there with a group of friends. I saw her when she walked in and knew I wanted to talk to her. I was immediately drawn to her and I promised myself I would leave without at least telling her I thought she was beautiful. I kept trying to find a way to say something and slowly the entire restaurant cleared out except for me and her group. They got up to leave and I also walked out; she was in a conversation with a guy – I thought I had missed my chance…I was standing on the sidewalk with my bike, looking down at my phone and, all of a sudden, I hear this voice: “Are you okay?” I looked up and it was her. 

I smiled and laughed a little bit and gave her my long-rehearsed monologue about seeing her when she came in and wanting to tell her I thought she was beautiful…she smiled and asked if I wanted to walk her and her friend back to their hotel. I did, and we ended up meeting up the following day and the day after…neither of us thought we’d ever see one another again so we just opened up fully and connected really deeply. She left Mexico and I had another two weeks there. After going back to Nashville, I knew I had to see her again. I flew out to Los Angeles to see her and try to figure out what just had happened. We quickly fell in love, and…here we are today (smiles).

What was it like putting the video together? Was it fun to shoot?

This was a really fun video to shoot – a ton of preparation and work to shoot in a foreign country but, as these things tend to do, it all came together last minute. We shot the majority of the video in a small colonial town called Valladolid, which is about two hours from Tulum. The city was the perfect backdrop to tell the story of a couple meeting and falling in love.

We pulled most of the inspiration from my actual experience - when I met my now fiancé a few years ago. We took some artistic liberty in the re-telling of the story and wanted to play on the idea of those little encounters and moments that, if taken, can change the entire course of our lives. In the video you don’t, at the end, know what transpired actually happened or if it was a what if…

Might we see more material coming? What is next for you?

Yes! The second single, Stand with Me Tonight, comes out November 30th and the music video Dec. 7th. Then, I have a surprise in the works for mid-December (smiles). We’ll have a little break into January, then pick back up with single releases, music video; select shows and a full album early-summer. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniella Midenge

Can you give me a sense of the artists you grew up around? When did music come into your life?

I grew up in a very musical and artistic family. My mom was ballet dancer and my dad is a great Jazz guitarist. My grandfather (Dad’s side) was a professional Jazz pianist and I and my three siblings all started playing piano when we were really young. I actually didn’t grow up listening to too much music – I was in the Philippines until I was eight, then Scotland until about thirteen.

So, I ended up spending a lot of time writing on piano and composing…although I had no idea that’s what I actually was doing. It wasn’t really until I came to the U.S. (Detroit) and started really listening to the radio that I completely fell in love with Pop and Rock music. Into college, I really was introduced to the artists that have shaped my musical understanding…Radiohead, Peter Gabriel; U2, Prince; Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Buckley; Sigur Rós, Bob Dylan; Madonna etc…

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

This is a busy end of the year for me and my team! Before the year is done, I have another single coming out Nov. 30th (Stand with Me Tonight); a music video Dec. 7th and a surprise mid-December…meanwhile; I’m also in the studio finishing up a few other songs for early 2019…and, on a personal side, my birthday is coming up and I’m finishing up a house renovation project! So…a lot’s happening at once (smiles).

PHOTO CREDIT: Allister Ann

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes! I’ve been in the studio writing and recording through most of 2018, so I have a series of singles lined up to continue releasing into 2019. I can’t wait to share this new music – it feels like my producer (Thomas Doeve) and I have been in the studio this past year writing and working, and I can’t wait to share all of this new music. 

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

There have been so many beautiful memories so far. Touring with some of my best friends, performing main stage at festivals for thousands and thousands of people; hearing myself on the radio for the first time…but I think my absolute favourite is when I meet people whose lives have been impacted by the music. I’ve received letters, emails and talked in person with fans who have shared how a song or a lyric helped get them through loss of a loved one, heartbreak or difficult times. Without a doubt, those are the most important memories and what I love most about getting to create music. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Allister Ann

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

Wow – what a great question…

Peter Gabriel - So

I didn’t discover this album until a long time after it was put out…but the sounds, production and sonic landscape of this record brought a new understanding of what Pop music could sound and feel like. 

U2 - The Joshua Tree

This record redefined what Pop/Rock music can be and the emotion that music can carry. The lyric, the delivery; the way the music and vocals combine to form something entirely unique and so compelling was a revolution for me.

Jeff Buckley – Grace

My roommate in college introduced me to Jeff Buckley – and it changed everything for me. It shaped the way I approached singing and what was possible with my voice. It was like, all of a sudden, I had permission to explore and use my voice as an instrument. 

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

Such a tricky question! I would love to tour with a real Popstar. Mostly for selfish reasons! I have so much to learn from someone like George Michael, Michael Jackson; Madonna…I’d love to see them night after night.

PHOTO CREDIT: Emilia Paré

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be courageous in your art. We have enough people chasing what already exists. You have a unique voice and interpretation…chase that. Make music that turns you on and, when you deliver it in the studio or live, give it everything you have. Write music that matters. Too many people chase formulas and don’t have anything to say. Tell the stories that are yours alone to tell. Move us with your music. We’re all waiting to be emotionally moved.

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

I love touring – I can’t wait to be back out performing this new music. I will be touring in 2019 – plans are currently underway for tours in the summer as my album will be released. For the latest info, you can follow me on social media, or on my website.

IN THIS PHOTO: Mikky Ekko

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Being based in Nashville, I have the privilege of being surrounded by so much great music…some incredible artists. Mikky Ekko is amazing; COIN is a great Alt/Pop/Rock band from Nashville also. Daniella Mason is an upcoming pop artist as is Whit. Daniella and Whit both sang vocals on Confess Your Love. Also, my brother is an incredible producer and writer and his project is called Kind. 

IN THIS PHOTO: Daniella Mason

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

I get a little bit of time. I feel very fortunate that my job is something I love so much. Even with it being my profession, I still like to begin each day at the piano before I’ve made my coffee and I often find myself back at the piano at the end of the day! I have a vintage motorcycle I love riding. I also grew up playing soccer and still play often. I love reading – I get so much inspiration from poetry books. A favourite is the late Irish poet, John O’Donohue and another is Pablo Neruda. 

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).

Ha! Okay…not my music – this has been a favourite lately – Reckless Love by Elle King and Bleachers. I love Jack Antonoff’s approach to writing and production. I think he’s a genius

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Follow C. SHIROCK

PHOTO CREDIT: Daniella Midenge

Official:

http://www.cshirock.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/cshirock/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/cshirock/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/cshirock

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6rclmdstz3sdi2HTLzXJwg?si=FhiXsdPQT_qCC6givhVedA

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/cshirock

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/cshirock

FEATURE: Better Living Through Chemistry: World Kindness Day: Bringing Some Positivity Back into Music

FEATURE:

 

 

Better Living Through Chemistry

PHOTO CREDIT: @juanparodriguez/Unsplash 

World Kindness Day: Bringing Some Positivity Back into Music

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MAYBE I am misremembering the past…

PHOTO CREDIT: @seteales/Unsplash

but I swear I lived through a time when there was a lot more positivity in the music industry! Maybe my 1990s-rose-tinted-glasses are getting steamed up in the hot tub of misty nostalgia but, more and more, there is a lot of negative energy swirling around music. That makes me sound like a hippie but I wonder how much of us take the time to contact an artist and tell them their work is great. Not motivated by anything or in exchange for kindness – just for the sake of making them feel better and giving them recognition. I get caught up in the endless blizzard of emails and the rather robotic process of replying to people and stamping out interviews like a machine. It is what needs to be done I guess – cutting back a lot would be great but hard to do – and it can be quite soulless having to go through this daily routine and, at the end, not getting a huge amount of satisfaction. The songs that I consider are great but, when bombarded with dozens each week; they are not staying in the mind and, when I am through with that artist; it is onto the next one and so on and so on! My wish for next year is to transition away from the written interview and start focusing on bigger artists.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash

I will still keep in with the upcoming acts but I have been working tirelessly for seven years and have got as much as I can from what I am doing. One of the worst effects of the daily routine is the time I get to properly appreciate music and acknowledge artists. I think we all get into this trap. It is World Kindness Day and, to many, it might sound like a corny and forced day to, for one day only, be nicer and show a bit more warmth. Rather than being a cynical and Hallmark-inspired day of kindness; it is a chance for us to be more aware of a lack of positivity and togetherness. It seems harder and harder to be kind and communicative at a time when most of us are lost in a sea of work, demands and pressures. It might be impossible to extol the virtues of kindness to random strangers in the street but, in music; I wonder whether more could be done. I hear from artists who are largely ignored and feel buried in a digital world. People might stream their song and there is that lack of communication – what do they think and what do they like about the song. I often review and interview and, after all is done, nothing else is said. Maybe I am doing my fair share but many people feel, as technology rules our tastes and practices, there is less community, feedback and positivity.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Tempest/PHOTO CREDIT: David Levene/eyevine/Redux

Last year, around the time of the Mercury Prize; Kate Tempest was interviewed about music and made a very good point, when interviewed by NME, regarding its (music’s) impact on negative forces:

“As creators of music and literatures, it’s our role to examine even the most confusing moments and try to make sense of how it feels to be a live and in this particular moment,” Tempest told NME. “I think enough has been said about the dystopian nightmare, but in my experience of touring this album, what’s happened is extremely positive actually. What seems to be happening when we talk about some of these things, like ‘Europe Is Lost’ or ‘Tunnel Vision’, there is this flood of positivity that’s been happening.

“That feels like an amazing thing to be contributing right now. To be able to stand in a room full of people and leave them with these words about love. It’s nothing new, it’s been said since the dawn of time. It’s kind of poignant, but right now when I feel like there’s so much panic, [it feels good] to be coming together in big rooms of people and feeling it all”.

We often take music for granted: that commodity that is available on-tap and is this inalienable right. Not only do a lot of us stream music for free – meaning artists do not get money- but we do not post back to that person and express what their music does and how it makes them feel. The more we rely on machines to communicate, the more blasé and entitled we are, I think.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @rawpixel/Unsplash

Maybe sites like Spotify and YouTube should enable some sort of portal/way of better connecting the listeners with the artists. It would be interesting to see the demographic of people streaming a song but, more than that, allow some feedback and kindness, verbal or written, for that artist. I feel a reason why music is becoming more negative, inward and losing its fun is because of how we all go about our way and a rather causal relationship between musician-fan. I often feel bad when I stream a song or listen to and do nothing else. I realise I am entitled to listen to it and do what I want but what of the person/people who created it? Maybe the huge choice and variation means it would be impractical to give opinions and offer some praise and, of course, there are those who will be negative and troll artists. I have been thinking about the nature of positive emotion and kindness in music and can see that vacuum. Social media allows us to connect with an artist and give that opinion but how many of us do that? Maybe it would be ridiculous if we did the same with an actor like Tom Cruise and fans inundated him with Tweets expressing their love of his latest film but so many musicians are putting work out into the world and appreciation comes in the form of ‘likes’, thumbs-up symbols and something that lacks any personalisation.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @joshhild/Unsplash

Perhaps this raises questions around the nature of online comments/sites and whether symbols are a constructive and useful way of providing feedback. Validation and positivity are great ways to promote good music and lead to a more uplifted and inspiring scene. If we have new and established artists getting that reaction and loving buzz then that, in turn, will elevate their creative minds and souls and we might get a more overt and outward music scene – bringing the fun back and leading to something genuinely progressive. As it is; we are in this rather odd state where music lacks a spark and the sort of fun there used to be. There are more compelling reasons behind this change but I wonder whether the lack of connectivity and feedback is leaving them a bit hollow. I would like to see social media become more social. It would not be too hard for someone like me to type a comment or sentiment on a page/site after hearing a song – expressing my love of a track and giving them some lift. Maybe just a comment out of the blue or an unsolicited bit of praise. How often do we think like this and follow through?! I know I like getting this sort of thing and it would benefit music no end were more people to change their mindsets and put some love out there. World Kindness Day will be but a memory this time tomorrow but, if we can learn something from today and translate that into the music world; I feel these small gestures could make...

PHOTO CREDIT: @arstyy/Unsplash

A big difference!   

INTERVIEW: Emily Magpie

INTERVIEW:

Emily Magpie

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MY last interview of the day is with Emily Magpie...

who has been telling about her E.P., Be Your Own Light, and filming the video for the title cut. I was keen to know what sort of music inspires her and when it struck her; if there is a rising artist we need to get behind and what she has planned for next year.

The talented songwriter reveals a few favourite albums and where we can catch her perform; which artist she’d support if she had the chance and whether she gets time to chill away from music – she selects an awesome modern song to end the interview with.

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

Hi, Sam! I’m currently in Belgium, recovering from a couple too many (and too delicious) Belgium beers last night after my gig. I’m out here doing a few shows with Uncle Wellington - beautiful band and country!

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

I loop layers of vocals, ukulele; synth bass and beats to make dreamy Electro-Folk music with some oomph-y bass under it. I’m a singer songwriter and producer- D.I.Y., man!

Be Your Own Light is your new single. What is the inspiration behind the song?

I was exploring my patterns in relationships and looking at my relationship with myself. I wrote it almost as a mantra or magic spell of self-love and wanted to extend that out to other people that might resonate.

The video looks cool! What was it like filming that?!

Nowhere near as glamorous as it look. Haha! It involved a lot of glitter and bike lights...my sister Meghan Spetch is a genius animator and filmmaker (working on Our Planet currently) and she created the whole concept from very little.

Be Your Own Light is from the E.P. of the same name. Were there particular themes and stories that inspired the songs?

Yeah. I don’t tend to write too much about love and relationships as I feel there are so other things to talk about. But, this E.P. has four songs on it - that I wrote this year – and are all about my growth in terms of my relationships and myself...and I wanted to put them all together and have a body of work exploring that.

Can you give me a sense of the artists you grew up around? When did music come into your life?

So many different artists! I think that’s why my stuff is so eclectic...

I grew up being introduced to bands like Modest Mouse, the Pixies and Nirvana by my brother; being a bit of an Emo kid and listening to Brand New, but also loving R&B. And I used to sing in a Jazz band as a teenager and loved all the old Jazz and Soul songs - plus, artists like Fleetwood Mac via my parents.

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

Not got long left. Haha! Something quick. I think just enjoying playing the new E.P. live and continuing writing and developing ideas for an album next.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

The aforementioned album. I’ve written an album of songs which all fit on a concept and I want to develop, record and produce that. 

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

I’m loving being in Belgium at the moment actually; wicked to travel with music. Also, playing support to This Is the Kit this year in a church was beautiful. I love their music.

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

How can I choose?! It’s like picking a favourite child.

Okay; right NOW...

Jai Paul - Jai Paul

Because I actually managed to get my mitts on a copy! A label I’m working with next year managed to grab one of these when it got leaked years ago and passed on a copy to me recently. Jai Paul is a genius. I learn so much from the way he produces and builds songs.

Radiohead - OK Computer

I was obsessed with Radiohead. I can’t listen to it too much now as it makes me sad but this album reminds me of a very introspective time.

Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso

This album is filled with songs that make me feel so much. I’m always playing it.

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

Sylvan Esso! Saw them at SWX (Bristol) and they look like they have such a good time. I’d get a ton of beers so we could get pissed and party after the show. And maybe some Skittles or something.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Make music you believe in; explore and be playful. Release lots, gig lots; be nice.

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

26th Nov - The Louisiana, Bristol (supporting Lydmor)

22nd Dec - Jinglefest at The Exchange, Bristol

 IN THIS PHOTO: Anna Pancaldi

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

My friend Anna Pancaldi just had a release recently too. She makes beautiful music.

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

I’m chilling now(ish)... 

I am a bit obsessed with music and can work too much. I’m trying to keep a balance. I don’t like how obsessed we are with work in U.K. culture. It’s not cool to be busy all the time. I just try and do things I enjoy outside of music every week and make the most of opportunities music provides (to have adventures too). I’m off exploring for the next two days before my gig on Sunday in Gent.

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).

So tempting to choose something ridiculous and you’ll have to play it. But, no...I choose IDLES - Mother. These guys excite me a LOT

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Follow Emily Magpie

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/EmilyMagpie1

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/emilymagpie1/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/emilyspetch

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7pVUDWzKKoTkhBZTB46SyQ

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/emily-magpie

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0brLwFO51jpCnTCW3fZTKA 

INTERVIEW: Miel de Botton

INTERVIEW:

Miel de Botton

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THE fantastic Miel de Botton...

has been talking with me about her upcoming album, Surrender to the Feeling, and her new E.P., I Was Given Nature. The title-track from the E.P. has been used by the WWF so the songwriter discusses that; which albums and artists are important to her – she reveals how important nature and conservation are to her.

I ask de Botton about her training as a clinical psychologist and how that impacts her music; what she has planned going forward and the music she grew up around – she ends the interview by selecting a great song.

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

Hectic! I am alright but lots of exciting things have been flying at me. I have been coordinating a rehearsal schedule for my E.P. launch on 12th November with lots of media invitations. I have been asked to do five or six radio interviews and an interview for London Live (T.V.). This latter slot will be with the Director General of WWF, Marco Lambertini, to discuss my new song, I Was Given Nature, which has been taken up by them for their Connect2Earth education campaign. 

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

Hello! I am a Swiss singer/songwriter. I sing some chansons, some ballads and some more uptempo numbers in French and English. My first album, Magnetic, came out in March 2015. It was produced by Andy Wright, an amazing producer (Simply Red, Eurythmics and Jeff Beck). I have done two U.K. tours with John Barrowman and Rhydian and some festivals - Camp Bestival and CarFest. 

You have an album coming out soon. Can you tell us about that and the sort of themes that inspired it?

My new album, Surrender to the Feeling, is available to pre-order on all platforms on 13th November and will launch on 1st March next year. This time I collaborated with a few different producers, Marc JB, Sam Swallow; James Sanger, Morten Schjolin and, of course, Andy Wright, who is also the album’s Executive Producer. The main theme umbrella is healing, whether through nature or our own natural emotions. My songs are about being contented in the silence and enjoying stillness, but also about dancing in joy and appreciating anything that brings joy. 

You are a prolific art collector and trained as a clinical psychologist. Do you think those passions/experiences influenced your music career/path?

I feel a true work of art is about the beholder experiencing emotion. In the visual arts, I feel that a successful work of art is one that has touched you and moved you and that is what I try to do with my music. Of course, ultimately that is meant to lead you to a path of self-healing - exactly what a clinical psychologist sets out to do; so I do think these passions have influenced my musical career.

Did you get introduced to music at a young age? How important is your family regarding that love?

Yes! My dad was constantly playing Classical music throughout the house. He loved Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. I used to conduct to Mozart and was in the choir and musicals at school. As a family, we loved to listen to Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin and Albert Hammond. I used to sing All the Lonely People to my dad, who loved it. He also used to sing many French chansons to me as a child and I re-worked some of these for my album, Magnetic, as a tribute to him.

Your song, I Was Given Nature, was used by the WWF. How important was that to you? Is nature and conservation really important to you?

I grew up in Switzerland, where people are very ecologically-minded and I was always made very conscious of the beauty of nature by my (now) eighty-eight-year-old nanny, who took my brother and me for lengthy walks. Also, whilst I was at school my best friend’s father was very involved in the WWF; so very early on I was aware of the causes and the panda made its mark on me. I was absolutely thrilled when my song was taken up by WWF. I had written it originally following many tears listening to Michael Jackson’s Earth Song. 

I wanted to write my own Earth Song and move people to action! I was hoping WWF might like the song but, in fact, I was blown away by their reaction. They even asked me to perform the song live for a function in Geneva and I was honoured to do so. I am about to host an event for my E.P. launch where WWF will talk and I have invited all the environmental charities that I am involved with, so that they can contribute to conservation discussions that are going to take place alongside the music.

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

Well. There is not much of it left, but I am happy to have achieved quite a few things at this stage. My year saw the completion of my album and performances at a few concerts plus some environmental charity work. The planning of the new album launch and next phases - for example, touring - are being worked on now and if I have all that in place by the end of the year it will be a great achievement for me. 

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes - the launch. After that; hopefully some touring, but that is all very much in the planning stage right now.

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

What I think of straight away is a gig in Newcastle during the Rhydian tour when there were massive storms; trees on the line and total travel disruption. There was fantastic goodwill and collaboration among the band that were all trying to get there and arriving in the nick of time – missing the soundcheck and just about making the performance.  A wonderful experience of team spirit!

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

Guilty by Barbra Streisand is one. I love her voice and Barry Gibb singing with her. It is just so romantic…

I love all ABBA albums and they never cease to inspire me. 

I also love Leonard Cohen - The Best of Leonard Cohen (1975). His songs are so expressive and moving. They make me laugh and cry every time.

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

Michael Bublé. He just connects with the audience so much. Also; Barbra Streisand. 

My rider would contain 85% Lindt chocolate and almonds.

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

Hopefully! We have something in the pipeline regarding a tour, but nothing confirmed yet. My next gig after the E.P. launch will be the album launch next spring and there will be some tickets on sale for that. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Perseverance...but also take breaks, because this business is tiring!

 IN THIS PHOTO: PURDY at the 606 Club

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Check out my friend, PURDY. She has a gorgeous, mellow voice and sings jazzy songs of her own creation and some classics. She often sings at the 606 Club.

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

I take walks in nature and I have an amazing healer who gives me hand-on healing. I also like to sing and dance around my kitchen!

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 love Andante, Andante by ABBA

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Follow Miel de Botton

Official:

http://mielmusic.co.uk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MielMusicUK/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/miel_music/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Miel_Music

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1upTG9n7VaUQSaVLH0WZZw?si=3CLSDryDTm21z119EEVsWQ

YouTube:

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

INTERVIEW: Captain of the Lost Waves

INTERVIEW:

Captain of the Lost Waves

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IT is time to step into Captain of the Lost Waves’ world...

and get to know the man behind the music. I have been speaking with him about the new album, Synthesis, and the single, Uniforms; whether there is a reason and story behind that moniker and what sort of music is important to him.

Captain of the Lost Waves discusses his upcoming plans and reveals some albums important to him; what he wants to achieve before the end of the year and what advice new artists should take to heart – he selects a great song to end the interview with.

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Hi, Captain of the Lost Waves. How are you? How has your week been?

Currently feeling like a fair to middling supernova on soft ground after embracing the fierce elements of the Felixstowe coastline - where one’s pedalboard ended up with puddles of rain on it, in it and around it!  I’m finally thawing out, as is my pedalboard…

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

I am neither one thing nor the other but all things - in truth we all are. We all decide to represent ourselves via one title, occupation or otherwise. My performance is a marriage; a jigsaw of pieces that really shouldn’t fit together but somehow do. This is music, storytelling and an intuitive connection with my audience. At the heart of it the music is the core ingredient that holds all of the elements in place, the sonic smorgasbord of fluctuating moods and expression.

Is there a reason behind the mysterious moniker? Does anyone know your true identity?!

The lost waves of which I am Captain of are but a nod to many things we choose to neither see nor resonate with; our own innate natures being overwhelmed by global mental noise. The miracle of life in its multitude of expressions are those hidden and consigned to the shadows. Of course, this is my true identity…depends what you call true? Does anyone really know anybody else? As often people don’t even know who they themselves are.

Synthesis is your latest album. What inspired the record and how much of your own experiences go into it?

Life inspires everything I do; amazing stories of life’s ability to weave the most inspiring tales. The album is the story so far with the singles to date and five brand new tracks. Like a Captain’s seesaw, this is the current halfway point.

Uniforms is the latest track from the album. Can you explain the story behind the song?

It’s the power that uniforms hold - of course, everything we wear is a uniform. The largest organ of the human body being the skin is the ultimate uniform, we are covered in it! Within the song itself, I explore the paradoxical nature of the uniform; the post-colonial empirical hangover. I’ll stop there…it’s curious as to why human beings need to quantify or have everything explained to them.

The treasure lies in the questions, not the answers.

Can you recall when you got into music? How have your sounds changed since the early day?

The drumbeat of my mother’s heart…I distinctly recall it. It’s a constant evolution exploring new sounds, mixing Classical and Ambient textures with the tumultuous tremolo of the human voice being fully embraced as the ultimate indigenous instrument of the human experience.

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

That I maintain the instinctive connection to the source of creation. I am merely a conduit, a vessel; a plaything for the gods, if you want to use a metaphor - though I’d not choose it to be any other way. Art, at its purest, is something intangible and unfathomable.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes - to keep sowing the seeds of my vision and not losing sight of my grandest and wildest dreams (not likely to be anything of note in a three-dimensional sense). I may appear abstract or flighty to some of your readers - and that would be correct. Should I elaborate as to what my most pragmatic and logical aim is? To keep connecting with the magicians, the autonomous; the fiercely independent, the individuals; the magnificent outsiders, those so far out of the loop that, like me, they are almost back in.

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

Far, far, far too many but, among them, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Lincoln Drill Hall; Glastonbury Festival and a range of shows over this last two years within the Steampunk community, of which when at its best is inclusive, imaginative; supportive and fun. As my dear friend Professor Elemental once said: “It’s a giant fancy dress party for adults”.

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

This is really difficult. Music, to me, is like food and, on any given day, my appetite yearns for something different. But, you asked for three so here goes! I could have had The Beatles – Revolver; Prince – Sign o’ the Times and Talking Heads – Remain in Light among tons of others!

Once Upon a Time in the West soundtrack - Ennio Morricone. I have a deep affinity to Classical music and soundtracks. This particularly resonates due to watching the film numerous times growing up.

Queen – A Night at the Opera. For its pure theatrical exuberance, wondrous songwriting and evocative atmosphere.

Cat Stevens – Tea for the Tillerman. Inherited from my uncle, a masterpiece of warmhearted vocal delivery; emblazoned across a tapestry of magical songs. He could stop me in my tracks.

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

The Spaghetti Western Orchestra.

Twelve bottles of sparkling courtesy as standard…

Nine trays of affable audio exchange…

Thirteen platters of eye contact, which renders neither who engage uncomfortable…

Forty-hundred-and-forty-four bursts of belly laughter (however, if not available, a harem of hearty cackles or sweeping, sideways mile-wide grins will suffice)...

One audience member willing to explore the art of unlimited, open-ended and non-conclusive possibilities (one is all that’s ever needed in any setting to create a fusion effect…’spark to a flame’ comes to mind).

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

All sorts of places that you can find via the ‘adventures tab’ on the website.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be prepared to go it alone; allow yourself time to discover your most authentic voice. Keep making mistakes: we all make them until we get it right, even when we think we get it right we are still making mistakes! Art is a process of discovery. You’re learning and it’s a lifetime pursuit.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Stjepan Hauser (‘Hauser’)

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

It depends on what you call new: most music I tend to listen to is Classical and Ambient. I adore the cellist Stjepan Hauser and, if you want a night of pure silliness and true connection, my kindred spirit and dear friend Professor Elemental.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Professor Elemental

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

I hear music in everything, my favourite musical sound is that of the ocean…hence, I find solitary endeavours such as walking on the coastline, conscious breathing and drinking Earl Grey tea whilst stroking a myriad of beautiful dogs (or cats; or horses…) are my favourite things to do…I always take time to take time out.

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).

Adam & the Ants – Dog Eat Dog

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Follow Captain of the Lost Waves

Official:

http://captainofthelostwaves.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/captainofthelostwaves

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/captainofthelostwaves/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CaptainOTLW

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2eMXY1pFGHO20S02fCNF5e

YouTube:

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INTERVIEW: The Magic Lantern

INTERVIEW:

The Magic Lantern

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I have been speaking with The Magic Lantern...

about his new album, To the Islands, and what sort of themes/stories inspired it. He tells me about the music he grew up around and when he took up music; the albums that are most important to him and which rising artists we need to get behind.

The Magic Lantern talks about his future and reveals what tour dates are coming; if he gets time to chill away from music and what he wants to achieve next year – he ends the interview by selecting a great track.

__________

Hi, The Magic Lantern. How are you? How has your week been?

I’m pretty good, if a little hectic, and just about to go to a rehearsal. Last week was great, if slightly strange. My new album, To The Islands, has just came out so I’ve been in the Post Office quite a bit sending records to various far flung corners; but I’ve also had a little time on my hands before the majority of the tour starts. It feels weird; I’ve been so focused up to now that having any free time makes me feel like I’ve forgotten something really important!

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

My name is Jamie Doe and I’m an Australian singer-songwriter living in London. I perform under the moniker of the ‘The Magic Lantern’ and To the Islands is my third album. My music doesn’t fit too neatly into any particular genre but reflects my curiosity.

I love the harmonic and textural openness of Jazz and the directness of Folk music and really believe in the power of the song form to convey emotion and ideas. My hope is that if the music works, it both allows me to express myself while allowing the listener to find expression in it for themselves too. To create in some quiet but powerful way, a sense of solidarity - which we could all do with more of right now.

To the Islands is your new album. Are there particular themes that inspired the record?

The album is a lot about memory and hope. About three years ago, I was lost. I went back to Australia for the first time in nearly ten years looking for the foundation myths that I had carried around with me and which I thought had made me who I was. I didn’t find them and, in some cases, I realised that I must have made them up. It was a dislocating experience and coupled with a ridiculously acute heartbreak, I came back to London feeling pretty fragile but with a bunch of ideas for songs and a book - To the Islands by Randolph Stow, given to me as a parting gift.

Around the same time, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, so memory and what it means; how it shapes our sense of self and our hope for the future, naturally evolved into a key theme that I was exploring through these songs.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Kasia Wozniak

How did you get into music? Was there a particular moment you knew it was a path you had to pursue?

We sing as a family whenever we get together. It’s always the same bunch of songs (a mix of workers songs, ’60s classics and the odd hymn) and we still only ever remember a few verses for each one but, ever since I was a kid, we’ve been singing. My mum also used to play the organ as a kid so we got a piano when I was young and I started learning. I remember when I was eleven my mum got me Kind of Blue by Miles Davis and a live record by Keith Jarrett and, right then, I decided that all I wanted to do was play piano like that and play cricket for Australia. It hasn't turned out exactly like that, but that’s where it started.

Can you give me a sense of the artists you grew up around? When did music come into your life?

My sister would make these amazing mix tapes for long car trips. They were mainly my mum’s favourite tunes from the ’60s so lots of Beatles, Neil Sedaka; The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel; Sonny and Cher etc. Still, when I hear anything like that it makes me think of driving along the South Coast near Batemans Bay on a hot day and the fish and chips we’d get when we arrived at the beach.

My dad has always been a big Paul Robson fan so there was a lot of this rich voice blaring out from this study.

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

As many walks with my dad and Mick the dog as possible.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

To get a job (that earns actual money). I had to borrow quite a lot of money to finish the album and, while my kneecaps are safe for now, I can’t pay my debts in critical praise alone.

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

Going to buy my guitar with my dad twelve years ago. I went to the Spanish Guitar Centre in London three or four times and had my heart set on this one guitar. I was just starting out in London trying to get gigs. My dad came to visit me and I told him that this was what I wanted to do. There wasn’t much to go on at that stage, but he said he believed in me and we went back to the shop and got the guitar I’d been eyeing up. It’s still the guitar I play today.

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

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

This record changed my life. It was one of the first Jazz records I got and the sound, the mood; the confidence that comes off it, like they knew that this was important, entranced me. In particular, Bill Evans playing on the track Blue in Green had me listening to it sometimes twenty times in a row on repeat.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kasia Wozniak

Penguin Eggs - Nic Jones

When I was a teenager, I got introduced to the great folk guitarists of the ’60s revival such as Bert Jansch, John Martyn and Davy Graham and I loved them. I loved how they made the accompaniment as important and beautiful as the song. They also made it seem effortless. But, it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I came across Nic Jones and his seminal album, Penguin Eggs. His story is pretty tragic - a motorcycle accident in his thirties really robbed him of his ability to play - but when you listen to him play on those early records, it’s clear that he was the cream of the crop. The absolute best Folk guitarist and an incredible singer. He still sets the standard.

Chet Baker Sings - Chet Baker

I got given this as a present on my fourteenth birthday. Without noticing, I would sing along as I listened and, pretty soon, I could sing the whole album; mimicking his style, word for word and note for note; singing along to the trumpet solos too. Years later, when I started writing my own songs, people would come up and say they thought I sounded a little like Chet Baker and, over the years, I came to see how big an influence he was on my singing. I love this record. It’s a safe place.

As Christmas is coming up; if you had to ask for one present what would it be?

A slot on Jools Holland!

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

I would support Sam Amidon, Sufjan Stevens or Randy Newman - all three are musicians who I really love and admire. I don’t like to eat before I play but, afterwards, a beer, some good fried chicken and a hang listening to records would be a blast.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I watched a documentary about Bill Withers where he urged people to ‘take a look around, as this might be as good as it gets’, which I think it pretty good advice and not at all what it might appear. That’s to say, that while drive and ambition are important and useful motivators, you’ve got to enjoy the process and what you’re doing and making right now, in front of these people, in this room. There is no gig more important than the one you’re actually doing.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kasia Wozniak

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

Yep. I’m on tour in the U.K. right now through to mid-December promoting the album. Come and say hi!

17 November - House Show, Birmingham

18 November - The Bicycle Shop, Norwich

21 November - The Lighthouse, Deal

23 November - Pindrop Sessions, London

24 November - Unamplifire Festival, London

28 November - The Prince Albert, Stroud

11 December - SET, London

12 December - The Tap Social, Oxford

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I’m a big fan of Snowpoet, Dick Wag; PicaPica, Alabaster dePlume and Seamus Fogarty. They’re all good friends making music in London and, between them, the most inspiring musicians I know. While they’re all very different, they are each in their own way doing incredible things. Have a listen.

 IN THIS PHOTO: PicaPica

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

I’m not very good a switching off, but I’m a big cricket fan. I set up a team (Clapton & Oval C.C.) with some friends in East London eight years ago and it’s one of the great joys of my life. We've made the middle of the North East London’s league table our own. What we lack in top order batting we make up for in team spirit and bad puns.

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 Wish I Wish by Sam Amidon

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Follow The Magic Lantern

Official:

https://the-magic-lantern.co.uk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TheMagicLantern/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Magiclanternuk

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2jIhiAEbmLrPj69WLM2R3V?si=a4Us7Y7WTKG6bnFzsFvaYw

FEATURE: California’s Dreamin'? The Chaos and Horror of the Wildfires and Mass Shooting and the Effect on the Californian Music Community

FEATURE:

 

 

California’s Dreamin'?

IN THIS PHOTO: Santa Monica, California/PHOTO CREDIT: @rutgerg_sink_sink_sink_sink_sink  

The Chaos and Horror of the Wildfires and Mass Shooting and the Effect on the Californian Music Community

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NATURAL disasters and climate-related destruction…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Part of a staircase stands amid the remains of a home that was one of thousands destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif., north of Sacramento; 8th Nov., 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

is becoming more common and, as the temperature rises; certain areas of the world are vulnerable to wildfires and needless destruction. You have to wonder whether President Donald Trump will do anything to redress the issues in California and the loss that has been incurred. He seems pretty unmoved when it comes to climate change and is one of those people who assume everything is fine and nothing needs to be done. You can hardly avoid the news and the terrible details we are hearing about California. The BBC has given an update regarding death toll and the latest news:

“The death toll in wildfires sweeping California has risen to 31, with more than 200 people still missing, officials have said.

Six more people were confirmed killed in the Camp Fire in the north of the state, taking the toll there to 29.

That fire now equals the deadliest on record in California - the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles.

In the south, the Woolsey Fire has claimed two lives as it damaged beach resorts including Malibu.

An estimated 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in the state.

With strengthening winds threatening to spread the flames, California Governor Jerry Brown has urged President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster, a move that would harness more federal emergency funds...

 

The appeal came a day after Mr Trump threatened to cut funding for California, blaming the fires on poor forest management.

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, called the president's comments "reckless and insulting".

California is one of the world’s biggest economies – bigger than the U.K. – and to hear about such loss and suffering there is horrible. One can only imagine the distress felt by those seeing their homes go up and losing everything they own. Although a small gesture; Kim Kardashian-West has ‘dedicated’ an award to the brave firefighters:

“Kim Kardashian-West has dedicated an award win to the emergency services dealing with wildfires and a mass shooting in California.

Accepting the award for best reality TV series at the E! People's Choice Awards, she said: "We truly appreciate what you've done for all of us."

She's one of several celebrities who have had to flee their homes as wildfires spread across the state.

A gunman also killed 12 people at a bar in Thousand Oaks on Wednesday.

Speaking at the award ceremony on Sunday, Kim said: "Our country is stronger when we come together and we cannot face devastation alone.

"We must continue to reach out and help each other in these trying times".

There are two California-based ‘events’ I want to look at but the unending and horrific wildfires that are sweeping through the state and destroying homes and lives is something that is affecting the music community. I am sad every time a musician is affected by bad weather here. Whether it is flooding or strong winds; you hear about big bands and artists having their studios destroyed and losing so much. In California, I am reading reports of studios and homes being devastated.

IN THIS PHOTO: Neil Young performs at Festival d'ete de Quebec on 6th July, 2018 in Quebec City, Canada/PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Legato/Getty Images

There are a lot of less-known, local musicians whose homes and studios have been impacted but Neil Young has spoken about his loss. This article looks at the loss incurred and how it is affecting some of the California-based musicians:

“Neil Young has criticised Donald Trump for his reluctance to act on climate change after California wildfires destroyed the songwriter’s home.

In a tweet posted on 10 November, the US president blamed California’s “gross mismanagement of the forests” for the damage caused by the wildfires in northern and southern California. He implied that federal funding would be withdrawn if the situation was not rectified.

In a post on his website, Young responded: “California is vulnerable – not because of poor forest management as DT (our so-called president) would have us think. We are vulnerable because of climate change; the extreme weather events and our extended drought is part of it.”

Young is among a number of stars known to have been affected by the wildfires. David Bowie’s long-term pianist Mike Garson tweeted on Saturdayabout losing his home and studio. Actor Gerard Butler posted a photograph of his charred home and thanked firefighters for their “courage, spirit and sacrifice”. Miley Cyrus said that she lost her home but escaped with her fiancé, the actor Liam Hemsworth, and their animals.

Lady Gaga tweeted that she had been evacuated from her residence. “I’m sitting here with many of you wondering if my home will burst into flames.”

Katy Perry and Rod Stewart also criticised Trump over his tweets. “This is an absolutely heartless response,” Perry tweeted. Stewart said: “California needs words of support & encouragement, not threats or finger pointing & accusations”.

 

I know natural disasters impact all parts of America but the fact California has suffered such loss and houses such a wide and important music community makes me fearful of the future. Trump might be in the White House for another six years – horrifying to think! – and you wonder whether he will ever budge when it comes to climate control. He is in the dark and is blissfully unaware of the realities that face the world. Look at all the important culture that comes from California and realise how vulnerable it is. The full death toll will not be known until the fires are extinguished and one cannot truly say how much physical loss there will be regarding homes and businesses. The fact that some big-name musicians have been impacted is bad enough but there are many more, who will not make the news, who will have to rebuild their studios and homes and start again. Every right-minded person knows about global warming and how climate change is affecting the planet and for a nation to be run by someone so ignorant is terrifying and doing untold damage. Who knows how many other wildfires will ravage California and what damage that will do?! Another horror that has impacted the U.S. state is the gun massacre that occurred recently.  A few days ago, we had to hear the news of yet another mass shooting in America.

The BBC provided news as it unfolded:

“A US Marine Corps veteran with suspected mental health issues killed 12 people in a busy bar in California, including a policeman, officials say.

The shooting began at 23:20 local time on Wednesday in Thousand Oaks about 40 miles (65km) north-west of Los Angeles.

At least 200 people were reportedly inside the Borderline Bar and Grill, which was hosting a student line-dancing night.

Police named the suspect as 28-year-old Ian David Long.

Earlier this year, police mental health professionals cleared him after he was found behaving "irrationally" at his home, said authorities.

One survivor said he and his friends also escaped death last year in the deadliest US mass shooting of modern times, when a gunman killed 58 people at a Las Vegas country music concert.

Nicholas Champion told CBS News: "We're all a big family and unfortunately this family got hit twice."

Popular among students, the bar is close to California Lutheran University, Pepperdine University and Moorpark College”.

Although the shooting happened at a line dancing event; a lot of Country music fans attended the bar and some, as you can see, survived the horrific shooting in Las Vegas. Like climate change and the effect it is having on California/the U.S.; many are calling for stricter gun control and new laws. Whereas there has been a physical loss – property etc. – with regards the wildfires; the killings at Borderline was an attack on music fans in a very popular and populated part of California. I was angered when writing about the murders in Las Vegas last year and felt that, given the loss of life, how can someone like Trump stay still and ignore the massive issue in the country?!

You can guarantee there will be more wildfires and there will be more mass shootings. One suspects we have not, sadly, heard the last of attacks against the music community and the huge loss being suffered by many in California right now. An economy and state as big as California, one would feel, would be more secure than other parts of America. The fact that many could have seen these wildfires coming is a result of a lack of empathy and understanding from the President. The massacre that claimed so many lives a few days ago, again, is a problem that can be traced to Trump and his ineffectiveness. It seems gun laws are stricter and more regulated in other parts of America:

“A California law designed to help police or family members keep guns out of the hands of at-risk individuals might have stopped the shooter who killed 12 people at a country and western bar.

After a mass shooting four years ago, the state passed a new law where courts could be asked to temporarily bar an at-risk person from owning guns.

The massacre in Thousand Oaks, California, has troubling parallels to the 2014 shooting, experts said, highlighting the fact that California’s three-year-old “gun violence restraining order” law is still rarely used.

Passed in the wake of the 2014 Isla Vista shooting, the new law was designed to close gaps in existing laws on mental health and violence – gaps that had allowed the Isla Vista shooter, Elliot Rodger, to legally own guns, despite a history of disturbing behavior that had alarmed his family and prompted a welfare check from law enforcement.

“There are a lot of law enforcement officers in this state who have never heard of the gun violence restraining order,” said Allison Anderman, the managing attorney at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, who is working to improve implementation of the law.

“There’s nothing at the state level that I’m aware of that requires officers to be trained in this law”.

This is an absolutely heartless response. There aren’t even politics involved. Just good American families losing their homes as you tweet, evacuating into shelters. https://t.co/DJ4PN26bLZ

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 10, 2018

Maybe, you say, ordinary folk have suffered more than the music community regarding these two events – and you’d be right in many ways. I am not suggesting the lives of musicians are more important than anyone else’s but I can see how the shootings and wildfires have affected the community; from some world-famous artists to less-known musicians; it has been a hellacious and devastating last week or two. Whilst there has been some very visible and notable damage done to the musical community in California; one wonders what comes next and what the next step is going to be. One suspects there will be a benefit or fundraising concert and I suspect big artists like Neil Young and Katy Perry will contribute. I am sure Neil Young will write a song about the events – when he can get into a new studio/home – and the music community will react with anger. Fundraising and raising awareness is a good step and it will help spread messages to the world. We all know about climate change and gun massacres in the U.S. but recent occurrences, again, have raised calls for greater action regarding climate change laws and stricter gun control. Other parts of America’s music community are affected by climate and gun concerns but California is completely opposed to Trump and what he stands for. If California’s musicians and music locations want to avoid needless loss and devastation then is succeeding the answer?! The New Statesman gives some more details:

“The concept of “Calexit”, or “Wexit” if joined by other progressive western states such as Washington and Oregon, has existed for years, drawing inspiration from fellow independence movements in Scotland and Catalonia. But it was in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as US president that the campaign truly gained traction. On issues such as immigration and free trade, Trump’s politics are diametrically opposed to those of California...

IN THIS PHOTO: Malibu, California/PHOTO CREDIT: @xangriffin

Evans was in Sacramento, the state capital, the day after Trump’s victory in November 2016. “People were just walking around the streets and crying,” he recalled. “It was weird. I’ve never seen that before. People just crying uncontrollably everywhere you went.”

Yes California’s membership increased by 400 per cent after election day. The organisation’s mailing list now has 98,000 subscribers; its Facebook page has 42,000 members, which, Evans pointed out, is only a few thousand less than the page for the California Democratic Party. In January 2017, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed support for state independence had risen from 20 per cent to 32 per cent; a Stanford University poll the same month found that 36 per cent of 18- t0 29-year-old Californians were in favour of secession, with a further 23 per cent undecided.

The notion of an independent California is far from absurd. The state’s Democratic governor Jerry Brown views “the sixth-largest economy of the world as capable of playing more of a nation state-like role”, his biographer, Orville Schell, told Politico last year.

In May, California surpassed the UK to become the world’s fifth-largest economy with a gross state product (the equivalent of GDP) of $2.747trn. Crucially, it is also a net contributor to the US federal budget: it receives considerably less ($356bn) than it pays in ($369bn). The state’s population of 39.54 million makes it larger than Poland”.

The music coming from has always been vital and I fear the long-term effects of Trump’s naivety and ineffectiveness will mean we’ll see more natural disaster, shootings and who knows what. The state is a huge economy and power in its own right but, essentially, still has to live in Trump’s America. You might say that California separating itself from the rest of America is extreme but we can see the devastation unfolding and how recent events have happened so easily. If California could be its own entity then I feel it could mean gun laws coming in and fast and effective climate control regulations. I am not sure what the government there would have in mind but it would mean having some sort of say and independence. Whilst it would be a good and smart move for the citizens; I feel the music community could also benefit. If we could avoid the sort of tragedy felt the last week then that would be a good thing. The state is vulnerable and I feel something needs to be done. As I said; who knows what could happen next regarding another tragedy. There is a fear and sense of unease in California and the fact Trump’s blind consciousness and general buffoonery is leading to needless loss of life is good enough reason to talk about the state becoming independent. I am not sure whether it will ever be realised but many, not only in the music world, would like to see it happen. The Golden State has a glorious music scene and so many artists we all rely on and, under Trump; there is this tarnishing and general unhappiness that need to be combated. If California rebelling against Trump and separating themselves from the U.S. prevents devastation and huge loss of life then I am all for it. The music community is being hit hard and effected in different ways and it is very clear...

IN THIS PHOTO: Flames from a wildfire burn a portion of Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California; 9th November, 2018/PHOTO CREDIT: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

SOMETHING needs to be done!   

FEATURE: Ending the Decade in Style: Part V/V: The Finest Albums of 1969

FEATURE:

 

 

Ending the Decade in Style

PHOTO CREDIT: @trommelkopf/Unsplash  

Part V/V: The Finest Albums of 1969

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THE reason I want to put together a new feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @romankraft/Unsplash

is to shine a light on the albums that end a decade with a huge bang. I feel it is hard to define what a decade is about and how it evolves but the first and last years are crucial. Entering a decade with a big album is a great way to stand out and, similarly, ending it with something stunning is vital. It can be hard leaving a brilliant and bountiful decade of music but I wanted to shine a light on the artists who brought out albums that did justice; gave hope the next decade would be full, exciting and brilliant. I will do a five-part series about albums that opened a decade with panache but, right now, the fifth in a five-part feature that collates the best decade-enders from the 1960s, 1970s; 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s. I am focusing on 1969 and the best ten records from the year. The 1960s was a truly staggering decade and some of the very best records from the decade were released right at the very end. Have a look at these ten 1969-released albums and I am sure you will agree that the 1960s was a pretty....

 PHOTO CREDIT: @priscilladupreez/Unsplash

FANTASTIC decade.

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The Beatles – Abbey Road

Release Date: 26th September, 1969 (U.K.)/1st October, 1969 (U.S.)

Label: Apple

Review:

“Then, just for a moment, we're into Paul's "You Never Give Me Your Money," which seems more a daydream than an actual address to the girl he's thinking about. Allowed to remain pensive only for an instant, we're next transported, via Paul's "Lady Madonna" voice and boogie-woogie piano in the bridge, to this happy thought: "Oh, that magic feelin'/Nowhere to go." Crickets' chirping and a kid's nursery rhyme ("1-2-3-4-5-6-7/All good children go to heaven") lead us from there into a dreamy John number, "Sun King," in which we find him singing for the Italian market, words like amore and felice giving us some clue as to the feel of this reminiscent-of-"In My Room" ballad.

And then, before we know what's happened, we're out in John Lennon's England meeting these two human oddities, Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam. From there it's off to watch a surreal afternoon telly programme, Paul's "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window." Pensive and a touch melancholy again a moment later, we're into "Golden Slumbers," from which we wake to the resounding thousands of voices on "Carry That Weight," a rollicking little commentary of life's labours if ever there was one, and hence to a reprise of the "Money" theme (the most addicting melody and unforgettable words on the album). Finally, a perfect epitaph for our visit to the world of Beatle daydreams: "The love you take is equal to the love you make ..." And, just for the record, Paul's gonna make Her Majesty his.

I'd hesitate to say anything's impossible for him after listening to Abbey Road the first thousand times, and the others aren't far behind. To iy mind, they're equatable, but still unsurpassed” – Rolling Stone

Standout Track: Come Together

 

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II

Release Date: 22nd October, 1969

Label: Atlantic

Review:

“Every track on this record is musically brilliant, and in the span of just a few months it’s amazing how much Page had enriched the band’s sound. Chiming acoustic guitars provide the contrast to the crunch in a whole new way on “Ramble On” and “Thank You”, offering yet another template for mixing folk with proto-metal. “Whole Lotta Love” might have gotten the band sued by Willie Dixon, but there was no sonic precedent for it in rock music—it’s a sound that would have been unimaginable without the rise of drug culture. If you are not a drummer, it’s hard to imagine listening to “Moby Dick” very often, but better evidence of John Bonham’s genius is found elsewhere on the record. Zep’s rhythmic underpinning, especially the locked-in tandem of Jones and Bonham, was always their secret weapon, the thing that divided them from contemporaries like Black Sabbath” – Pitchfork

Standout Track: Moby Dick

The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed

Release Date: 5th December, 1969

Labels: Decca (U.K.); London (U.S.)

Review:

“The Stones were never as consistent on album as their main rivals, the Beatles, and Let It Bleed suffers from some rather perfunctory tracks, like "Monkey Man" and a countrified remake of the classic "Honky Tonk Woman" (here titled "Country Honk"). Yet some of the songs are among their very best, especially "Gimme Shelter," with its shimmering guitar lines and apocalyptic lyrics; the harmonica-driven "Midnight Rambler"; the druggy party ambience of the title track; and the stunning "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which was the Stones' "Hey Jude" of sorts, with its epic structure, horns, philosophical lyrics, and swelling choral vocals. "You Got the Silver" (Keith Richards' first lead vocal) and Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," by contrast, were as close to the roots of acoustic down-home blues as the Stones ever got” – AllMusic   

Standout Track: Gimme Shelter                   

Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left

Release Date: 3rd July, 1969

Label: Island

Review:

“Drake is often painted as a retiring man, yet he was often extremely vocal over his muse. He and Boyd initially fought over Drake's wish for a stripped back approach (which he eventually found on his last masterpiece, Pink Moon). In the end old college friend, Robert Kirby, provided orchestration that beautifully captured the yearning 'autumnal' element in the songs "Way To Blue" and "Day Is Done".

What's more, the string arrangement by Harry Robinson on "River Man" - possibly Drake's finest song - succinctly turned his Delius-meets-folk-jazz opus into something that no one had ever heard before. It's a key text for Drake fans, containing the return to nature matched against the infidelities of city life: A theme he would return to again and again, while the album title's sly reference to smoker's delights (as well as "Thoughts Of Mary Jane") showed that Drake was no stranger to the standard musician's indulgences.

Widely ignored upon its release, with hindsight it's easy to see how such ignorance conspired to make Drake a bitter man. Yet ultimately all we can do is bask in the unique vision captured here and be grateful that, for a short period, Nick Drake was able to share it with us all” – BBC

Standout Track: Way to Blue

Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline

Release Date: 9th April, 1969  

Label: Columbia  

Review:

“John Wesley Harding suggested country with its textures and structures, but Nashville Skyline was a full-fledged country album, complete with steel guitars and brief, direct songs. It's a warm, friendly album, particularly since Bob Dylan is singing in a previously unheard gentle croon -- the sound of his voice is so different it may be disarming upon first listen, but it suits the songs. While there are a handful of lightweight numbers on the record, at its core are several excellent songs -- "Lay Lady Lay," "To Be Alone With You," "I Threw It All Away," "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You," as well as a duet with Johnny Cash on "Girl From the North Country" -- that have become country-rock standards. And there's no discounting that Nashville Skyline, arriving in the spring of 1969, established country-rock as a vital force in pop music, as well as a commercially viable genre” – Allmusic

Standout Track: Lay, Lady, Lay

 

Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis

Release Date: 31st March, 1969

Label: Atlantic

Review:

“Sometimes memories distort or inflate the quality of recordings deemed legendary, but in the case of Dusty in Memphis, the years have only strengthened its reputation. The idea of taking England's reigning female soul queen to the home of the music she had mastered was an inspired one. The Jerry Wexler/Tom Dowd/Arif Mardin production and engineering team picked mostly perfect songs, and those that weren't so great were salvaged by Springfield's marvelous delivery and technique. This set has definitive numbers in "So Much Love," "Son of a Preacher Man," "Breakfast in Bed," "Just One Smile," "I Don't Want to Hear About It Anymore," and "Just a Little Lovin'" and three bonus tracks: an unreleased version of "What Do You Do When Love Dies," "Willie & Laura Mae Jones" and "That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)." It's truly a disc deserving of its classic status” – AllMusic

Standout Track: Son of a Preacher Man

MC5 – Kick Out the Jams

Release Date: February 1969

Label: Elektra

Review:

“Since 1965, singer Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred “Sonic” Smith, bassist Michael Smith and drummer Dennis Thompson had been cutting their teeth in and around the Motor City: gradually evolving from British Invasion and garage rock foundations to incorporate the region’s R&B influences and even the work of free jazz exponents like John Coltrane and space-jazz legend Sun-Ra.

The latter’s unique aesthetic would duly inform Kick Out the Jams’ tripped-out "Starship," while those osmosis-acquired R&B and blues lessons made their presence known in apocalyptic blasts like "Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa)," "‘Motor City is Burning" and "I Want You Right Now." Finally, the young group’s interpretation of rock and roll history resulted in heavy rock and proto-punk slabs such as "Ramblin’ Rose," "Come Together" and "Borderline." Fittingly, the LP stirred public opinion as soon as it hit record store shelves — seemingly because of Tyner’s profane invocation while announcing the title track (later overdubbed with “Kick out the jams, brothers and sisters”), but primarily due to the militant associations spearheaded by band manager John Sinclair.

Much more than a simple manager, Sinclair carefully orchestrated a comprehensive philosophical manifesto for the MC5 — one that went well beyond their music and, although rooted in the same, wide-ranging call for societal reform prevalent throughout the late-‘60s, took things quite a few steps further into fiery activism and included a controversial affiliation with the White Panther Party.

Between these two points of conflict, mainstream retail chains were soon refusing to carry the album (and anything released by Elektra, for that matter), inevitably forcing the record company to censor Tyner’s rallying cry, as explained above (though not before limited quantities landed behind record store counters), and irreparably damaging band/label relations.

Within the year, Sinclair would be incarcerated on trumped-up drugs charges, Elektra would drop the MC5 for fear of further recriminations, and the band would never recover their musical or emotional momentum, thus making Kick Out the Jams an even more historically unique and, ironically, powerful musical statement that still reverberates down the decades” – Ultimate Classic Rock

Standout Track: Kick Out the Jams

 

Scott Walker – Scott 4

Release Date: November 1969

Labels: Phillips; Fontana

Review:

“Walker dropped out of the British Top Ten with his fourth album, but the result was probably his finest '60s LP. While the tension between the bloated production and his introspective, ambitious lyrics remains, much of the over-the-top bombast of the orchestral arrangements has been reined in, leaving a relatively stripped-down approach that complements his songs rather than smothering them. This is the first Walker album to feature entirely original material, and his songwriting is more lucid and cutting. Several of the tracks stand among his finest. "The Seventh Seal," based upon the classic film by Ingmar Bergman, features remarkably ambitious (and relatively successful) lyrics set against a haunting Ennio Morricone-style arrangement. "The Old Man's Back Again" also echoes Morricone, and tackles no less ambitious a lyrical palette; "dedicated to the neo-Stalinist regime," the "old man" of this song was supposedly Josef Stalin. "Hero of the War" is also one of Walker's better vignettes, serenading his war hero with a cryptic mix of tribute and irony. Other songs show engaging folk, country, and soul influences that were largely buried on his previous solo albums” – AllMusic

Standout Track: The Seventh Seal

 

The Stooges – The Stooges

Release Date: 5th August, 1969

Label: Elektra

Review:

“The Stooges were signed to the peace-and-love promoting Elektra Records when A&R man Danny Fields caught them in concert as he was signing the MC5. After being forced by label boss Jac Holzman to write more material, The Stooges was produced by John Cale immediately after leaving the Velvet Underground. Cale’s all-faders-open production is one of the most exciting captured on record. This is rock at its most primordial. Ron Asheton’s guitar solo on “I Wanna Be Your Dog” has absolutely nothing to do with virtuoso grandstanding – it’s played as if his whole life depends on it. “No Fun” dispels any notion that the 60s were all about hippie harmony

The Stooges’ debut album is the original punk rock rush on record, a long-held well-kept secret by those in the know. The influence on John Lydon and Mark E. Smith in particular is immense. Rolling Stone said in 1992 that “there’s a finely honed metal-edge to the Stooges' Motor City psychedelia that keeps it from sounded dated.” This is absolutely true; it sounds like it’s been recorded in a garage this very morning” – BBC

Standout Track: 1969

 

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Willy and the Poor Boys

Release Date: 2nd November, 1969

Label: Fantasy

Review:

“Make no mistake, Willy & the Poor Boys is a fun record, perhaps the breeziest album CCR ever made. Apart from the eerie minor-key closer "Effigy" (one of John Fogerty's most haunting numbers), there is little of the doom that colored Green River. Fogerty's rage remains, blazing to the forefront on "Fortunate Son," a working-class protest song that cuts harder than any of the explicit Vietnam protest songs of the era, which is one of the reasons that it hasn't aged where its peers have. Also, there's that unbridled vocal from Fogerty and the ferocious playing on CCR, which both sound fresh as they did upon release. "Fortunate Son" is one of the greatest, hardest rock & rollers ever cut, so it might seem to be out of step with an album that is pretty laid-back and friendly, but there's that elemental joy that by late '69 was one of CCR's main trademarks. That joy runs throughout the album, from the gleeful single "Down on the Corner" and the lazy jugband blues of "Poorboy Shuffle" through the great slow blues jam "Feelin' Blue" to the great rockabilly spiritual "Don't Look Now," one of Fogerty's overlooked gems. The covers don't feel like throwaways, either, since both "Cotton Fields" and "The Midnight Special" have been overhauled to feel like genuine CCR songs. It all adds up to one of the greatest pure rock & roll records ever cut” – AllMusic  

Standout Track: Down on the Corner

INTERVIEW: Charlie Melrose

INTERVIEW:

Charlie Melrose

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MY final interview today...

is with Brighton-based Charlie Melrose who talks to me about her single, The Original Ghost, and its background. I ask what it is like having famous musicians in the family and what she has planned going forward – Melrose talks about some rising artists we need to get behind.

I was curious to discover what her early life was like in terms of music exposure; whether there are plans in her mind for next year and which musical memory stands in the mind – she ends the interview by selecting a great song (or two)!

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

I’m good! Are you? My week has been manic but good. I’ve been prepping for the upcoming single launch; we’ve got a lot planned for this event!

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

I’m am Artpop/Neo-Soul artist brought up in Scotland/Cornwall and now based in Brighton.

The Original Ghost is your new single. Is there a story behind it?

Yeah, there is…

I suppose perhaps it comes across as a song written by a ghosted lover…but it’s not how it is. The song is about my biological father - he is the ‘original ghost’ in my life story; coming in and out of my life (mostly out) as he pleased and me spending most of my childhood and adult life not knowing his address or where he might be. Maybe some would shun a ‘father’ like that…unfortunately, for me, I just accepted it and got hurt and hurt over and over. It affected my relationships with men and I got into a vicious circle of going out with men who would treat me in a similar way to him; not taking any of my feelings into account. I didn't see myself as worthy deep down because the child in me thought ‘there must be something really bad about me that I’m not worth contacting or caring about’ - so I let it keep happening.

But, one day (about this time last year actually), I stood up to my ghost. Through a lot of hard work, I have convinced myself that I am worthy of better treatment and…love. I agreed to meet him in Brighton (he was on tour with Hazel O’Connor - his sister and my aunt) and I was extremely brave. I stood up to him and told him that what he had done to me was wrong and that I was in charge now - and I told him I was never to hear from him again; he is not allowed to contact me ever again and he shan’t ever hear from me or follow me on social media. I took control of the situation and ghosted him back. Forever, done; capiche.

I walked away crying and laughing at the same time. It was the single most empowering and terrifying thing I have ever done. The Original Ghost embodies some of that empowerment and also tells of some of the story that I have been through with him and relationships.

Might we see some more material coming next year?

Absolutely! This is just the beginning - I’m aiming to release an album; there may be some more singles first.

Hazel O’Connor is your aunt! How influential is she in regards your music?

She is! She’s not been massively influential on purpose. Weirdly, I got told something very strange when I performed in my first band at nineteen. It was a battle of the bands-type thing. The judge said “You probably don’t know who this is but you remind me of Hazel O’Connor”. I was astonished. My response was “Well, I don’t know her personally…but she is my auntie”.

The first time I met her I saw her at a gig and it was very emotional for me. She was fantastic. I felt so sad that I had missed out on having her in my life for my whole childhood. She seemed almost like a myth to me…but we really were related. Maybe she was another sort of ghost; someone I looked up to but never knew...

Did you grow up in a musical family? Which artists did you discover at a young age?

My musical family are my ghosts - Hazel and Neil. My mum and my stepdad are not musical at all: my mum has always been really supportive but admits she didn’t particularly want me to sing because she knew how unreliable of a career path it was. But, it was impossible for me to not pursue music. It feels like it’s a huge part of what makes me who I am.

Artists I loved at a young age weren’t particularly good. Haha. My favourite singer was ‘Sporty Spice’ when I was a kid, no joke! I loved her. I used to dress like her and everything. In my teens I was into Emo and Punk (and Metal apparently but I was massively lying to myself on that one) and, in my late-teens, I loved Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black (and still do); Wallis Bird’s Spoons and Kate Nash’s Made of Bricks.

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

A successful launch of The Original Ghost and some festival slots booked for next year.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Absolutely: write and record the album, tour and play festivals.

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

Yeah. I sure do. I used to front a Punk/Rock band and we opened the Main Stage for the Buzzcocks at Rebellion Festival (2012) to a huge crowd in a big ballroom (Blackpool Winter Gardens). The feeling on that stage was phenomenal.

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

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

So beautifully written; so real, so heartbreaking; just incredible. Amy touches my soul.

For All We Know - Nao

Amazing music with pure passion and GROOVE. My favourite modern artist besides Christine and the Queens.

Spoons - Wallis Bird

Every song means something to me; it’s such a brilliant album. I think songs you really incredibly love as a teenager will always take you back to those moments that you identified so deeply with at the time. It’s very nostalgic for me.

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

Christine and the Queens, please! That would be so sick.

Ooooh; rider. Prosecco, grapes; loads of water (boring but essential. Haha), roasted vegetable wraps; roast potatoes (for afterwards, please); dairy-free chocolate milk and vanilla yoghurts.

Haha. I’m talking to you like you’re booking me.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

If you have a passion, drive and a plan you’re halfway there. Want it. Want it bad. But, don’t want it so much that you forget to enjoy the journey. There will be moments where you’ll tear your hair out and you’ll wonder what the point of it all is - and then you’ll play ‘that gig’ and that’ll remind you exactly why you’re doing it.

IN THIS PHOTO: Yazmyn Hendrix

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Yazmyn Hendrix is epic! Loop artist with all the vocal chops and a fantastic songwriter. Tasha Robertson is wonderful. I sang backing vocals for her for Sofar Sounds Chichester. She has a lovely, sweet voice and folky, poppy tunes. She’s like a sweeter more tuneful Kate Nash.

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

I love yoga and surfing. I love exploring and adventures. I really need an adventure every once in a while to chill my mind out. I’m quite a highly-strung anxious sort of person who needs to be reminded to have a day off. I love countryside missions and riding horses. I also love to DANCE.

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

Christine and the Queens - Girlfriend

OR

Bad Blood - Nao

Both are wonderful

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Follow Charlie Melrose

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/charliemelrosemusic/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/charliemelrose/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0xPg9VQMYIHLCVxB0zHjNS?si=NYSsPxn8TG-JcawljgPbAw

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/charliemelrose

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4ixe4T8aqdjIrt-v7-bJQ

INTERVIEW: Lost Cousins

INTERVIEW:

Lost Cousins

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I have been speaking with Lost Cousins...

about their new single, Stay, and how it came together. I was keen to know how the band found one another and what the story is; if there is going to be more material coming through and whether there are going to be some tour dates approaching.

The guys talks to me about some rising artists to watch and the advice they’d give to approaching musicians; how they chill away from music – they reveal which people they’d like as ‘lost cousins’ if they could choose anyone in the world.

__________

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

Our week’s been great! It’s been a little hectic between preparing for some upcoming shows and being consumed by the process of releasing new music - and a few other cool things we’ve been cooking up - but we’re excited to share our new material.

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

Of course! We’re Lost Cousins; a four-piece Psych-Rock band from Toronto, Canada. People have described our sound as a mix between Tame Impala, Local Natives; Washed Out and My Morning Jacket. Lots of big ambient textures but with a big dynamic range and driving rhythms.

Stay is your new single. Is there a story behind it?

There is a subtle story behind Stay. It’s about moving away from somewhere that you love to a new, unfamiliar place. Our drummer and singer Cam moved across the country when he was a kid and our band moved to a new city right after school, so the song sort of touches on both of those experiences. The lyrics are about sitting in the backseat of a car and staring at the changing scenery that passes while awaiting a new beginning.

Might there be more material coming next year?

We have another new single coming out on November 23rd and our debut album, In Scenery, is scheduled for Feb. 1st release!

I believe there is an interesting story behind the formation of Lost Cousins. Can you elaborate…?

Lost Cousins stemmed originally from the name of one of our songs. The group started as a project that gained and lost members through a ‘friend of a friend’-type system and was gaining new fans solely through playing shows. We had virtually no music online and so the band was facilitated entirely through friend groups. Due to the fact that the group started in university, each one of us had moved from a different city and ended up playing music together in another.

I think, because we all left friends and family in our respective homes, we felt a sense of new community, but also the loss of another. The name ‘Lost Cousins’ came from those feelings. People always say to us “Hey. I have some cousins I haven’t heard from in years” and that sort of explains what the band name means – feeling connected to people outside of your physical environment, who you might not have communicated with in a while. It’s that sense of community (whether near or far) that helped our group form initially.

Do you share similar tastes? Who are you inspired by?

We do have similar tastes; which is helpful when we are arranging our music, but naturally there will always be some differences in what we listen to and draw inspiration from. We tend to be most inspired by experimentation and uniqueness. Bands or artists that create sounds never heard before are huge inspirations for us and have shaped and directed our own ambitions in producing our music. We really admire and strive toward the intersection of enticing melodies or progressions that are supported by creative production ideas and innovative textures and sounds.

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

We hope that our longtime fans can enjoy and resonate with our new music and that we can connect with some new people by the end of 2018. Since our first ‘single’ and E.P. in 2015, we only released one song before Mindmaker came out this year. We’re unbelievably stoked to finally share what we’ve been working on.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

As mentioned, our debut album comes out in February. Other than that; we plan to hit the road, take to the air and never come back.

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

Cam: On a personal level; we played at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa earlier this year and the acoustics blew me away. Everyone was seated listening to us (which is often not the case) and were therefore really attention to what we were playing. The sound could not have been better in that room and I was extremely happy to share our live sound in that setting. I’m also from Ottawa originally so it was a special night for me. I think, as a band, one of our first festival performances sticks out for sure.

Also - we played at the inaugural Wayhome Music and Arts Festival, which has since fizzled out of existence but it was an extremely cool festival north of Toronto run by the same team that puts on Bonnaroo. That show sticks out because we played to about 1000 people and, before that, our biggest audience had probably been about 200.

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

We actually only have singles released before this, so our debut album will and does mean the most to us.

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

I think, if we could support any musician today, it would probably be either M83 or Local Natives – we’ve listened to those bands for ages now and would love the opportunity to play alongside them.

We’re not too picky with riders, but we do have this one thing going on where we ask for a Tide to Go Stick and then purposefully spill on ourselves before the set in order to make good use of it. Rituals.

Given the band’s name; if you each found out you had a long-lost cousin, who would you want that to be and why?

Cam: I would have to say some iconic producer/artist like Brian Eno.

Lloyd: I tried to think of something hypothetical but all I could think of was a real story that just happened - I actually was recently fortunate enough to connect and meet up with a second-cousin who moved to Toronto in September. We had met once when we were five and seven-years-old or so but had never met or even had a conversion prior to a month ago. He also happens to be a great musician and has started his Master’s in Musicology at the very same school in which I’m doing my PhD in Music Education.

Thomas: The music nerd in me wants to say Dave Smith - an early innovator in synthesizer design and manufacturing. I spend a huge chunk of my time obsessing over my synth keyboard possessions, and to meet the man who created them in the first place would be a dream come true. But, if we took that a step further and he was actually my cousin...?! (Smiles).

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

We’re still in the middle of figuring all this stuff out too, but our advice would be to play lots of shows; meet as many new people as you can, and really try to connect with them. If you believe in your music, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and just go for it.

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

Within the next month we’re playing plenty in Canada - specifically in Montreal, Ottawa; Kingston and Toronto. We’ll be doing a lot more playing once the album has been unleashed on the world.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Close Talker/PHOTO CREDIT: Jono Bernstein

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

So many...

Here are a few we came up with:

Close Talker - we’ve toured with these guys and they are an insane live band. Their records are awesome and get better with each listen. Highly recommend this Canadian band!

Adrianne Lenker - not necessarily new because she also happens to be the lead singer of Big Thief but her solo record, abysskiss, is amazing and perfect for fall/winter vibes.

argonaut&wasp - great Dance-Rock duo from Brooklyn we’ve connected with a few times when we’ve been in N.Y.C.

The Brandy Alexanders - smalltown Canadian band with a big-time Psychedelic, Indie-Pop sound.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Adrianna Lenker

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

We do spend a lot of time together, but we all kind of have our own lives and ways to get away from the music outside of the band. We like to play Settlers of Catan a lot and going to see other artists is really cathartic for us. A few of us like to read and write which we find is a great way to remove yourself from the stresses of life.

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).

Cam: Letting Go by Wild Nothing

Lloyd: out of your mind by Adrianne Lenker

Thomas: Only a Shadow by The Cleaners From Venus

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Follow Lost Cousins

Official:

http://www.findlostcousinsband.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LostCousinsBand/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LostCousinsBand

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lostcousinsband/

Spotify:

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

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/lostcousinsband

YouTube:

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

INTERVIEW: Cavey

INTERVIEW:

Cavey

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THANKS to Cavey for kicking this week off...

by telling me about the latest single, About to Start, and how it came together. I discover how the band came together and what is coming up in terms of gigs and material; which musicians and sounds inspire what they do – they recommend a rising artist to look out for.

I ask whether there is a favourite career memory so far and what they want to achieve before the end of this year; the advice approaching songwriters should take to heart – the interview is completed with a rather good song choice.

__________

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

Hello! We've had a busy one preparing for the single launch, celebrating too!

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

We are Cavey; a four-piece Alt-Rock band from London. We try to tastefully combine playing styles into our particular sound; the interplay between Jazz harmony, electric guitar and my songwriting. It’s just Alt-Rock, but that's a pretty broad umbrella. There's something different in us and it comes from the band's technicalities.

What is the tale behind your new single, About to Start? How did it come together?

I haven't asked, but I'm sure most musicians experience a sort of double-reality; one in which they are fulfilled by the joy of playing and connection with bandmates and the audience and another in which nothing they do is ever enough to satisfy the abstract idea of success portrayed in films and the media. One is always in danger of succumbing to the latter, which can include overworking yourself, neglecting others and feeling incomplete. About to Start is about the conflict of love and the belief that the only way to make it is to sacrifice everything. 

Was it cool having Blaenavon’s Frank Wright produce? What was that like?!

Frank and I have been friends for years, so it was very comfortable. Because we know each other so well it makes it easier to communicate musically. I feel like we both know we can criticise each other constructively without negative consequences - which is always good - because then we're serving the song and not somebody's ego. 

Might we see more material from you guys next year?

Absolutely!

How did Cavey get together? Do you all share tastes in the same sort of music?

Cavey formed two years ago after Frank Wright (Blaenavon) introduced me to Adrian (drums) at a show in Kilburn. I had a couple of songs that weren't right for any of my current Country or Hard-Rock bands, because the songwriting was a little gentler and a little bleaker,  so I decided to form a new project. Adrian introduced me to a bunch of Jazz musicians at Guildhall and the songs I had written grew into a more cohesive sound that seemed like a good kind of different.

We played a few shows as a trio, with Alex (keys) doing the bass parts with his left hand, and had great feedback and support from the crowd so we decided to record a few tracks. We tracked them cheaply at a studio beneath Camden Roundhouse and they went on to become our first E.P., Night Time. We had Josh Eggerton of Social Contract play bass for a while, but he got too busy with his band, so Adrian suggested Refa playing double bass. She had all the songs down in like three days and smashed the E.P. launch so she was definitely in! That's still our current line-up.  

Refa, Alex and Adrian all studied Jazz music at Guildhall and they have their idols in that discipline, Sonny Clark, Tony Williams and Charlie Haden, as well as more contemporary Rock and Pop stuff. From Radiohead to ABBA, they really know their stuff! I learnt guitar with Classic-Rock and Blues. Classic stuff like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Sabbath on the Rock end and Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker and Freddie Kind on the Blues end. But, now I tend to gravitate towards the lyrically talented musicians - Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed and Joni Mitchell to name a few. So, we are quite a mixed bag but there are definitely cross over points.

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

Now the single is out, we're gonna spend a while writing songs. I'm gonna try and have an album’s worth by Christmas.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Hopefully, the recording and release of that album!

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

We played a show at Barrel Project in Bermondsey recently, but we weren't playing Cavey songs; it was mainly Jazz and Funk tunes. It was great to see Adrian Alex and Refa in their element and put myself out of my comfort zone too. In the end, we had such a great jam. It's sometimes more pressure playing originals so it was nice to blow off some musical steam like that!

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

Adrian: Life to Everything by Phronesis

Because it’s really good.

Cavey: The Best Air Guitar Album in the World... Ever!

After listening to that a few times, I asked my dad for an electric guitar.

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

I'd support Ryley Walker. I’d ask have the promoters install a nacho cheese pump in the green room and serve us a sh*t-load of crisps and beer...and a million pounds.

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

29th November at The Old Queen's Head. Tickets are £4 here. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Practicing and playing all the time are more important than a social media presence. Get your sh*t together before you start spreading stuff everywhere.

IMAGE CREDIT: Dick Stusso

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I recommend Dick Stusso.

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

Yeah, but I normally feel guilty for not working hard enough, so it can be difficult. If I can remember to tell myself I'm working hard enough, I'll go out and blow off some steam. I like dancing and karaoke is always fun. 

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).

How Do You Think It Feels by Lou Reed

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Follow Cavey

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Caveyband/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/__cavey

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/__cavey/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4SbnovsX1hCqILfAjptxnH?si=oZBVOVuZRxKMoFK4jzN3lQ

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/caveyband

INTERVIEW: Bryony Dunn

INTERVIEW:

Bryony Dunn

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I am ending the weekend by speaking with Bryony Dunn...

about her latest track, I Can’t Look Away. Her E.P., Full Bloom, came out on Friday so it is a busy time for the young songwriter. She tells me about her musical path and the albums that mean the most to her; what she has planned going forward and which rising artists we need to get behind.

I ask Dunn if she has a favourite memory from her time in music and what sort of sounds she grew up around; what she wants to achieve before the end of the year and whether we might see more material coming – she ends the interview by selecting a great track.

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

Hey! It’s not been bad at all, thank you. Started off with a gig at Cardiff University; popped into BBC Introducing Live and then a gig on Saturday at The Gladstone Arms in London – plus, my E.P., Full Bloom, came out. That’s pretty big I guess!

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

My name is Bryony Dunn. I’m a singer-songwriter based in the Surrey Hills and I make Pop music.

I Can’t Look Away is your new track. What is the story behind it?

It’s a song about feeling pretty low in terms of self-esteem and then having someone - a friend, lover or family member - coming and pushing you to accept yourself and be a better person.

Will there be a music video for I Can’t Look Away do you think?

Hopefully, in early-December. My friend Willow and I have been planning but she’s at university at the moment so I intend to film when she gets back, fingers crossed!

Are you looking ahead to future material? Might we see more next year?

I’ve been writing so much over the past few years. I have a bunch of tracks that I absolutely love that aren’t quite ready yet. Depends what happens with the E.P.! 

Can you give me a sense of the artists you grew up around? When did music come into your life?

My parents always played so many different styles of music. The first gig I went to was Madness at the age of six and then the second was a Genesis reunion tour when I was about eleven (?). I also always listened to things like the Spice Girls and Britney Spears as well as Paul Simon and Fleetwood Mac, so it’s pretty eclectic - but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

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

A New Year’s Eve kiss. If you know anyone who’d be interested, direct them towards my D.M.s. Haha. But, if that’s not achievable then a whole bunch of streams on my E.P. would be really nice.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yep. I’m spending the first few months in the French Alps as a resident musician in a bar; then, hopefully, getting some more tunes out and doing some more gigs around the U.K.

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

I did something I’ve always wanted to do in my gig in Cardiff. Half way through my electronic set; I stepped out totally unplugged into the audience with just me and my guitar and everyone sang along! Insane. It’s my new favourite thing.

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

Gosh. This is far too difficult; there’s no way I can pick a top-three but I’ll give you three good albums and why I chose them:

Torches by Foster the People means a lot to me because I listened to it on-repeat age fourteen with my good pal Tilda on a family holiday in Provence. We had an earphone each from my little U.S.B. Sony MP3 player (to which I had downloaded the live versions from YouTube of the album because my parents didn’t want to buy them for me) in our little twin bedroom when we were meant to be sleeping. Listening back to it now it still sounds sick.

Every Coldplay album has so much meaning for me and I adore the way that their albums flow from the first song to the last. But, Mylo Xyloto sticks out because, in our music class, three of my loveliest friends and I were allowed to go in a group for the Pop song project and we covered Paradise. We were then asked to perform it in the school concert which was a real beginning for me on the Pop music side of things.

Retrospectacle - The Supertramp Anthology. I remember singing in the back of the car on many long family journeys to Scotland to visit my grandparents. There was a song for every sort of feeling and they really moved me. I was lucky enough to get to see Roger Hodgson live at the Albert Hall once as well.

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

It would have to be Coldplay. Their show is always incredible and every support act I’ve seen of theirs has subsequently blown up. As for the rider - a nice bunch of flowers, hot water; honey and lemon; tea and all of the food ever would probably do just fine to be honest.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I’m not sure I can really give advice at this stage, but I asked this same question in a Q&A with Christine and the Queens and she said “Only you know best I think. You can ask for advice if you want but only you know best”. I think that’s pretty good advice.

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

On the 25th November, I’m supporting Tom Williams in Guildford and on the 28th November I’ll be at Northern Guitars in Leeds. I’m also planning a bit of a party gig in Dorking on 17th December…so watch this space.

IN THIS PHOTO: Chincilla

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

AMBR. She’s a legend. Bedroom / Boredom are super-cool. FOXE are doing great things and Chinchilla doesn’t have any music out yet but, if you can catch her at a gig, you will not regret it.

IN THIS PHOTO: Bedroom / Boredom/PHOTO CREDIT: Adam Green/PHOTO EDIT: Jack Lynch

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

I think time to chill is so important for staying sane. I go out walking with my dog Jasper and I like to read - but there’s nothing quite like a cup of tea and a movie.

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).

It’s got to be Crying Over You by HONNE. Can’t stop playing that at the minute!

__________

Follow Bryony Dunn

Official:

https://www.bryonydunn.co.uk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bryony.dunn

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/BryonyG_Dunn

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bryonydunn/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7oY4MeaDDCv3FFalNWzUPR?si=N1Ngy73VTnC82GcZBw1NGw 

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Peter Gabriel - So

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

Peter Gabriel - So

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IT would take a patient person…

 IN THIS IMAGE: The cover for Peter Gabriel (1982); the songwriter’s fourth solo album/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

to tolerate an artist who released four eponymous albums in a row – in fact, releasing more than one would test patience! When Peter Gabriel released his fourth eponymous record in 1982; many wondered whether he was going to keep doing it and where it would all end! Think about the difficulty of doing that today. It would be a nightmare when it came to searching and ordering it from a record shop would be a bit of a palaver! 1982’s Peter Gabriel contained some strong songs but was not as well-received as some of his earlier work. A commercial change was needed and the outsider, cooler-than-anyone songwriter needed to take a leap. Although Gabriel claims So is a commercial album and one that he is not completely happy with; many consider it his finest record and it was a huge leap. The use of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer – which would inspire artists like Kate Bush to use it in their work – was still used but phased out to an extent by the time of 1986’s So. Even though there was more accessibility and commercial appeal; Gabriel was mixing genres as far-flung as Soul, World and Art-Rock into this complex and heady brew! The fact that his fifth solo album was the first non-eponymous effort sort signalled a shift to get his music properly marketed.

The album’s lead single, Sledgehammer, signalled what Gabriel was all about and why the album became so popular. The slam and catchiness of the song; the propulsive swagger and physicality of the song has lasted through the decades and is one of Gabriel’s best-loved songs. The trippy, animated video scooped awards and blew plenty of minds. Even by today’s standards, Sledgehammer’s video is groundbreaking and forward-thinking. One reason why So is perfect for a close investigation and should be bought on vinyl is because of the textures and variations on the record. From the chugging Sledgehammer we have the raw emotion and touching Don’t Give Up. A duet with Kate Bush – who was an early collaborator of Gabriel and appeared on Games Without Frontiers (1980) -; it shows Gabriel as a man whose dreams have been lost and his frailty is coming through. There is a gloom and hopelessness but, as Bush comes in, that plea to keep holding on emerges. Bush asks him not to surrender and provides a pillow for his troubles. African and Brazilian beats were coming into his music and, although So is the least experimental album from Gabriel; it is the one that gets into the head quickest and remains the longest. There is that radio-friendly sound to singles like Sledgehammer but the songwriting genius and incredible range from Gabriel means it could never be seen as chart-fodder or anything other than exceptional.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Peter Gabriel recording in 1986/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Before looking at some of the standout tracks; here is a look inside the recording process and how Gabriel attacked his fifth album:

“The studio's basic equipment consisted of "two analog 24-track machines, a Studer A80, and a Studer A80 shell that had been modified by a local electronics wizard, with its own audio cards and transport controls".[nb 2] To record vocals a Neumann U47 tube microphone and a Decca compressor were used without equalization.[8] All of So's songs were made in a similar format. Gabriel would record a piano demo on a modified "B machine" and play this to the band. During rehearsals, the band would listen to the B machine through headphones and record their output onto the "A machine"; parts of Gabriel's demo would also be transferred to the A machine at this stage. Subsequent takes of the song were then put onto the B machine in order for the band to hear what they had played with the demo, as well as the song's new and old takes.[8]

Other equipment included the "groundbreaking" Fairlight CMI synthesizer, which Gabriel said in an interview for Billboard meant "more human imagination is involved". He added, "the creative decision-making process has become more important than technique. You have a wider range of tools, a wider range of decisions".[9][10] Although remaining continually inspired to produce new music, he often struggled to write lyrics and would procrastinate.[11] His proclivity to being dissatisfied with them required Killen to isolate certain vocal performances as the master track, in order to keep other tracks available so new lyrics could be edited in.[8] Lanois took adverse measures to encourage his writing, such as destroying his much-used telephone in the nearby woods and, on one occasion, nailed the studio door shut to lock him inside.[11]

 

Towards the end of recording, Gabriel became "obsessed" with the track listing and created an audio cassette of all the song's beginnings and ends to hear how the sounds blended together.[12] He wanted to have "In Your Eyes" as the final track, but its prominent bassline meant it had to be placed earlier on the vinyl edition as there is more room for the stylus to vibrate. With later CD releases, this restriction was removed and the track was placed at the end of the album.[13] So was completed in February 1986 and cost £200,000 to make”.

Even if Gabriel disliked the idea of titling an album – as it distracted from the cover art and design – there is a slightly nonchalance and shrugging with So (it is almost sarcastic in its brevity). If the master was a bit unsure of his new direction, the songwriting was incredible. In Your Eyes is one of his greatest love songs and, against such diverse and eclectic progeny shows the sheer wonder and scope of So. The track features a pounding heartbeat of a drum and a potent vocal performance from Youssou N’Dour (singing in his native Senegalese). Big Time is one of my favourite songs from the album and has a definite Funk vibe. The lyrics slam the yuppie scene of the 1980s and that gaudy commercialism!

The song helped Gabriel assess his own life and whether he wanted fame at all – lest he turn into the sort of figure he was satirising on Big Time. It is hard to get a grip on all the scenes, stories and sounds inherent in a masterful record! If there were reservations from Gabriel regarding So and a move away from his usual working pattern; critical reviews and awards showed the music he was making could not be faulted. Rolling Stone said this of the record:

“The bravado of “Sledgehammer” is undercut by the solemnity of “Don’t Give Up,” in which Gabriel outlines the despair of “a man whose dreams have all deserted.” In this one, Gabriel is haunted and defeated, acknowledging his frailty. A mournful melody is interrupted when a ray of hope — embodied by Kate Bush — penetrates the gloom. “Don’t give up,” she breathes with the voice of life itself, “‘cos you have friends.” Every time Gabriel proffers a reason for surrender, Bush answers him back with a litany of comfort. “Rest your head,” comes her simple advice, “you worry too much.”

He seems to find what he’s looking for “In Your Eyes,” perhaps the closest thing to a conventional love ballad Gabriel has ever recorded, though what he sees in her eyes is symbolic and Graillike in the extreme: “In your eyes/I see the doorway to a thousand churches/In your eyes/The resolution of all the fruitless searches.” The pomp and pretentiousness of such a sentiment might collapse under its own weight were Gabriel not shrewd enough to underscore the song with a roiling pancultural jamboree of scat featuring guest vocalist Youssou N’dour.

So is a record of considerable emotional complexity and musical sophistication. Beneath its disarming simplicity and accessibility is the voice of an artist who does what his heart tells him to do. That So would finally bring Peter Gabriel commercial success is an extremely positive sign for the acceptability of intelligence on the airwaves and in pop music in general”.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images

So was nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy but lost out to Paul Simon’s Graceland – if you are going to lose to anyone... – and Sledgehammer got five nods in 1986 (including Record of the Year and Song of the Year). The track won for its video at the Brit Awards and there were many more nominations. So is seen as one of the defining statements of the 1980s and one of the greatest albums ever made. It showed an experimental artist could make a move into the mainstream without losing pace and compromising. So does have that experimental side but there are hooks and big anthems; challenges and complex interactions move alongside something free-flowing and easy. It remains one of those immense achievements and constantly features in critics’ all-time finest album rundowns. Gabriel pushed what a Pop number could be. He could have a powerful and quotable chorus but put twisting hooks and nuanced into the blend; little surprises and exciting diversions. Maybe Gabriel was keen to get more commercial success and see his work proffered more but the move proved effective. Those who preferred his eponymous artiness found much to love in So whilst those unaware of his music were provided something fresh and fantastic.

Gabriel spoke to Rolling Stone in 1987 as he was touring the album. He discussed some of the themes and stories that inspired the music:

“The fact that some of those growing pains are reflected on So is one of the reasons Geffen Records is so happy with the album. “Throughout the years, I didn’t really know who the man behind the mask was,” says the label’s Gary Gersh. “With this album, part of the idea behind our whole marketing campaign was letting people know that there really wasn’t a mask anymore, that the man was actually touchable. You can listen to the record and get inside his emotions.”

There’s one subject that touchable man finds himself returning to again and again, and with a little prompting Gabriel locates it. “There is some sense of, uh…,” he says, then pauses for a long time. “Alienation is a common theme, which is the struggle to break out of a sense of separation.”

And has that been a struggle in his own life?

“Yeah, I think so,” he says, and his voice gets even softer than usual. “Definitely.”

“My lifestyle hasn’t really changed,” Gabriel says, shrugging. “I’ve lived comfortably for five to seven years now, but I still look to save a few pennies here and there, because that’s a very hard habit to get out of.” He has no plans, he says, to move out of the quiet English community in the Cotswolds where he lives. Nobody there makes a fuss about the resident pop star unless he’s on Top of the Pops...

 

But he does want new video equipment and an upgraded studio, and he wants the time to experiment by making videos for all the So tunes not yet turned into clips. He would like to mount a performance-art piece and tour smaller halls next summer. And he’s still interested in the idea of an alternative park that would be “a mixture of amusement park, art gallery, university and holiday camp.” It combines many of his current fascinations: high technology, behavioral research, environmental and interactive art. Plus some old-fashioned thrills, courtesy of the author and psychiatrist R.D. Laing, who has talked with Gabriel about a Ride of Fears, in which the most common phobias would be presented with increasing intensity until the rider conquers them all or pushes a panic button”.

So has gone down in legend and is a perfect album to buy on vinyl and relax to. Its details and secrets are unveiled as you listen and it is amazing to hear how much activity and sounds work alongside each other on an album that, on the surface, seems so simple. In 2012; Gabriel spoke to Rolling Stone again and looked back on a remarkable achievement:

“Why do you think So managed to reach a much broader audience than your previous albums? 
There was less sort of esoteric songwriting. I think they were simpler songs in some ways, but I think we caught a wave. They were done with passion and we had a really good team working on them. Then, of course, we had things like the “Sledgehammer” video, which helped enormously. It got us a wider audience. Also, the one concession I agreed to was to place an actual photo of myself on the cover rather than the usual obscured stuff I had been doing....

 

You also gave this one an actual title.
It was named, yeah. That was a reluctant choice. In the old days I would go through my vinyl and identity each record by the picture, not by the title. I always liked that. In some ways, I’m just a visual person. It was the idea to just do away with titles. Give the pictures space to breathe and speak for themselves. But, of course, it caused confusion in the marketplace. The American record company, Geffen, got so fed up with me that they said they weren’t going to release my fourth record unless I gave it some title. So, it was called Security in America and it had no title everywhere else in the world.

The next time out I decided to go for the anti-title. There’s only two letters: So. It can be more a piece of graphic, if you like, as opposed to something with meaning and intention. And that’s what I’ve done ever since...

IN THIS IMAGE: The cover of Peter Gabriel’s 1992 album, As/IMAGE CREDIT: Getty Images 

You didn’t release a follow-up to So for six years. Do you think that was a mistake? You sort of lost some momentum there.
I’m sure commercially it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I’ve never really worried about that. And to be honest, I think one of the reasons I’m still lucky enough to put out records and have audiences come to shows is cause I haven’t played that game very well. I think that consumer culture tends to be very hungry. It can’t get enough of you for a very short time and then your taste gets boring and they spit you out and take the next new thrill. And so, while it was never a predetermined strategy, I would probably recommend it to artists now if they want a long career. If you got something worth saying, if you’ve got something to put out, don’t worry about what the record company tells you. Take your time”.

Gabriel would go on to make other incredible albums but nothing matched the magic and genius of So. The Sledgehammer video alone took his music to new heights and would lead him to experiment with videos and push boundaries – although his later song, Steam, is seen as a second part of Sledgehammer; its visuals are staggering. I love So because you get contrasting songs against one another and there is that fearlessness. Gabriel could have gone in a new direction or faltered but he followed four eponymous records with something blistering and historic. As we look at a modern mainstream with few innovators and wonderful Pop albums; it is worth studying Peter Gabriel’s 1986 masterpiece and taken guidance from it. Your mind explodes and explores as the songs unfold and take you somewhere special. Between 1977-1982, Peter Gabriel released four self-titled albums and took four years to follow that up. Gabriel might have lost his name for his fifth album but he gained so much more! The stunning songwriter abandoned a well-trodden path and, in doing so, brought his incredible music...

TO the wider world.   

FEATURE: Ending the Decade in Style: Part IV/V: The Finest Albums of 1999

FEATURE:

 

 

Ending the Decade in Style

PHOTO CREDIT: @thomholmes/Unsplash 

Part IV/V: The Finest Albums of 1999

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THE reason I want to put together a new feature…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @trommelkopf/Unsplash

is to shine a light on the albums that end a decade with a huge bang. I feel it is hard to define what a decade is about and how it evolves but the first and last years are crucial. Entering a decade with a big album is a great way to stand out and, similarly, ending it with something stunning is vital. It can be hard leaving a brilliant and bountiful decade of music but I wanted to shine a light on the artists who brought out albums that did justice; gave hope the next decade would be full, exciting and brilliant. I will do a five-part series about albums that opened a decade with panache but, right now, the fourth in a five-part feature that collates the best decade-enders from the 1960s, 1970s; 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s. I am focusing on 1999 and the best ten records from the year. The 1990s was a wonderful time for music and produced some truly epic albums. One might assume the final year would not be as explosive and genius as the likes of 1991 and 1994 but, as these ten albums show, there was a pretty wonderful treat that greeted...

 PHOTO CREDIT: @crew/Unsplash

THE end of a brilliant decade.

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Eminem – The Slim Shady LP

Release Date: 23rd February, 1999

Labels: Aftermath; Interscope

Review:

“The production -- masterminded by Dr. Dre but also helmed in large doses by Marky and Jeff Bass, along with Marshall himself -- mirrors his rhymes, with their spare, intricately layered arrangements enhancing his narratives, which are always at the forefront. As well they should be -- there are few rappers as wildly gifted verbally as Eminem. At a time when many rappers were stuck in the stultifying swamp of gangsta clichés, Eminem broke through the hardcore murk by abandoning the genre's familiar themes and flaunting a style with more verbal muscle and imagination than any of his contemporaries. Years later, as the shock has faded, it's those lyrical skills and the subtle mastery of the music that still resonate, and they're what make The Slim Shady LP one of the great debuts in both hip-hop and modern pop music” – AllMusic    

Standout Track: My Name Is

 

The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin

Release Date: 17th May, 1999

Label: Warner Bros.

Review:

“The song alternates between pixie dust and angel dust-- first it flows, then it swaggers with a killer Moog-and-drum battle with the audience going Qui-Gon at the altar of the Bulletin. The following cut, "The Spark That Bled", is even more adventurous. Coyne's little boy vocals take on a philharmonic of yearning, tackling it down with its ambiguous "I stood up and I said 'Yeah'" chorus. 4AD used to be this dreamy-- now they're picking at leftover Red House Painters demos and wondering when people are going to like Kristin Hersh. (Never, by the way.) This is on Warner Brothers?!

Oh, but there's more. So much more. Drummer Steven Drozd gets mad props for his thundering percussion which, for the most part, was recorded on one microphone. Hard to believe during a dense number like my personal favorite track, "The Gash". As much as I giggled over the title, I was bowled over by the song. A gospel choir sings an inspirational (!) song of perseverance over tweaked synth tracks and louder-than-Christ funky drumming. I defy you to listen to it without seeing just how loud your stereo can get.

Drozd also makes quick work of "Waitin' for a Superman", another inspirational piece-- one that was inspired by the death of Coyne's father. The result is this band's "Losing My Religion". Seriously. If Top 40 gets ahold of this song, we're all going to be very, very sick of it. Still, it's an amazing track, a shuffling dirge with a few bells, and two amazingly well-placed trumpet blasts, but mostly just some slightly hungover piano.

Speaking of death, it's a lingering theme on The Soft Bulletin. "Suddenly Everything Has Changed" is a neat, twisty little ditty about how thoughts of mortality can attack you when you least expect it. "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" is a more direct rumination on the subject, a dreamy blast of vacuum cleaner guitar and reverb, reverb, reverb! Again, hardly party music, but remember Dark Side of the Moon? Pass the bong. This is some good shit” – Pitchfork

Standout Track: Waitin’ for a Superman

Beck – Midnite Vultures

Release Date: 23rd November, 1999

Label: DGC

Review:

“'Midnite Vultures' is bound to entrench opinions on both sides of the Beck divide. The doubters will recoil from its myriad layers of self-knowledge and the fact that the author's tongue is almost permanently lodged in one cheek or another. But just because this isn't a conventional dose of 'reality' doesn't mean Beck can't be sincere, and the force of character laid bare here is quite an awesome thing to behold. Narrower in scope than 'Odelay' but more immediate in impact, it's clearly been conceived as an accompaniment to our hedonistic habit of choice, the last great party album of the millennium. And like a certain song says, parties weren't meant to last” – NME  

Standout Track: Sexx Laws                            

TLC – FanMail

Release Date: 23rd February, 1999

Labels: LaFace; Arista

Review:

“Almost ten producers worked on the record, all trying to replicate the easy, appealing sound of Crazysexycool. And "replicate" is the right word, since there are no new innovations on FanMail, apart from a few lifts from the Timbaland book of tricks. Nevertheless, that may be for the best, since TLC and their army of producers have spent time crafting the songs and productions, turning FanMail into a record that almost reaches the peaks of its predecessor. By the end of the record, it appears that they can do it all -- funky, hip-hop-fueled dance-pop, seductive ballads, and mid-tempo jams -- and they can do it all well. Other groups try to reach these heights, but they don't have the skills or the material to pull it off quite so well. True, the five-year wait felt interminable, and they're now standard-bearers instead of pioneers, but if takes TLC as long to make a sequel to FanMail, so be it -- they have one of the best track records in '90s urban soul” – AllMusic

Standout Track: No Scrubs

Basement Jaxx – Remedy

Release Date: 10th May, 1999

Label: XL

Review:

“BASEMENT JAXX Remedy (Astralwerks) British DJs Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton may have sharpened their sample-trigger fingers in the Brixton underground, but this dynamic duo has a knack for leavening deep house grooves with passion and wit. Their debut album, Remedy, shines a thousand points of light down on the dance floor with shimmering jams that connect the dots between Soul II Soul’s elegant hip-hop, Prince’s one-world utopianism, and DJ Armand Van Helden’s relentless thump science. This blissful joy ride is hard to resist and easy to love” – Entertainment Weekly   

Standout Track: Red Alert

 

Mos Def – Black on Both Sides

Release Date: 12th October, 1999

Labels: Rawkus; Priority

Review:

“The main reference points are pretty much the same -- old-school rap, which allows for a sense of playfulness as well as history, and the Native Tongues posse's fascination with jazz, both for its sophistication and cultural heritage. But they're supported by a rich depth that comes from forays into reggae (as well as its aura of spiritual conscience), pop, soul, funk, and even hardcore punk (that on the album's centerpiece, "Rock n Roll," a dissection of white America's history of appropriating black musical innovations). In keeping with his goal of restoring hip-hop's sociopolitical consciousness, Def's lyrics are as intelligent and thoughtfully crafted as one would expect, but he doesn't stop there -- he sings quite passably on several tracks, plays live instruments on others (including bass, drums, congas, vibraphone, and keyboards), and even collaborates on a string arrangement. In short, Black on Both Sides is a tour de force by an artist out to prove he can do it all. Its ambition and execution rank it as one of the best albums of 1999, and it consolidates Mos Def's position as one of hip-hop's brightest hopes entering the 21st century” – AllMusic

Standout Track: Umi Says                      

Moby – Play

Release Date: 17th May, 1999

Labels: Mute; V2; EMI

Review:

“Portions of this techno imp’s best album since 1995’s Everything Is Wrong are built on a simple premise: setting snippets from old blues and gospel recordings to new rhythmic (not always electronic) settings. What could’ve been a condescending gimmick yields some of the year’s most haunting, and haunted, music. Moby’s elegant soundscapes wipe away the mustiness on these decades-old voices and make the singers’ heartache and hope seem fresh again. Although in need of a bit of pruning (notable exception: the gorgeous ”Porcelain,” featuring Moby’s own plaintive vocal), Play is music that truly moves back to the future” – Entertainment Weekly

Standout Track: Natural Blues

 

Rage Against the Machine – The Battle of Los Angeles

Release Date: 2nd November, 1999

Label: Epic

Review:

“Rather than illuminate a political injustice with narrative (a la Dylan’s “Hurricane”), de la Rocha opts to incite with fiery slogans of agitprop. “All hell can’t stop us now” is the conclusion of “Guerrilla Radio”; “My panther, my brother/We are at war until you’re free” is the refrain of “Voice of the Voiceless,” a song about Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther on death row in Philadelphia for a cop murder he says he didn’t commit. Though some may find the lyrics naive and over the top, fans do take them to heart — though not always in context, as can be attested by anyone who saw the marauding teens chanting, “I won’t do what you tell me” as they lit a match to Woodstock ’99. Rage Against the Machine may never ignite the youth war they want to see. But at last, with The Battle of Los Angeles, they’ve managed to win a war within — one in which the band’s notoriously feuding members have come together to produce a sound that’s not quite louder than a bomb but that’s definitely as loud as Led Zeppelin II” – Rolling Stone

Standout Track: Guerrilla Radio     

 

Missy Elliott – Da Real World

Release Date: 22nd June, 1999

Label: EastWest America

Review:

“Thankfully, Da Real World is clearly a Missy Elliott album in most respects, with Timbaland's previously trademarked, futuristic-breakbeat production smarts laced throughout. The churchgoing Elliott has often remarked that she wishes she didn't need profanity to get attention, and the album accordingly includes satirical nods to other clichéd notions of hip-hop -- the single "She's a Bitch" is the best example, wherein Elliott reappropriates the insult to refer to strong females. She also takes on the cartoonish Eminem for "Bus a Rhyme," a track that turns out to be one of the best on the album. Da Brat and Aaliyah make repeat appearances, and Redman and OutKast's Big Boi also contribute to this excellent follow-up” – AllMusic      

Standout Track: She’s a Bitch                                        

 

The Chemical Brothers – Surrender

Release Date: 21st June, 1999

Labels: Freestyle Dust; Virgin; Astralweeks

Review:

“Surrender is both the Chemical Brothers most immediately satisfying work and, perhaps not coincidentally, the most like a rock album of their career. Unlike a fair share of techno, these songs feel like "songs," not a collection of clever samples and a race to the fastest BPM on the planet. Yeah, you can go out and buy your jungle, your trance, your trip-hop and your ambient, but why would you when you'd be sacrificing the greatest gift of all: Surrender's love and understanding” – Pitchfork

Standout Track: Hey Girl Hey Boy         

FEATURE: Joy Division: Is It Time to Look Back and Bring the ‘Pop’ Back into the Mainstream?!

FEATURE:

 

 

Joy Division

PHOTO CREDIT: @wenutius/Unsplash   

Is It Time to Look Back and Bring the ‘Pop’ Back into the Mainstream?!

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I have touched on this subject a few times…

ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Jamie Cullen 

but it warrants a bit of a repeat. One of the reasons I tend to look back when listening to music – rather than looking at the now – is the sense of uplift I get! Maybe it is easy to hark back to the music we grew up around and know we are in for something wonderful. This music is tried and tested and we know, whenever it plays, we will be in a better mood. I will bring in an album that keeps coming back to my mind but I have to ask what is happening in the mainstream. I know it is not the be all and end all of music and the only thing that matters. There are wonderful artists working in every sector of music that does not get the spotlight deserved. I know genres like Soul, Grime and Folk have some mainstream inclusion but not as integrated as they should be. When we see the word ‘mainstream’, our minds look at Pop and maybe Rock. That is fair enough, I guess, as this is what is played on the biggest radio stations and what is hovering around the charts. In terms of the sensation we get from the mainstream artists; can we truly say the music coming through puts us in a better mood?! Most of the songs I hear are either really quite defeatist in terms of their lyrics or, if the words are quite sprite, it is let down by a rather lumpen and unaccomplished compositions.

There are some great Popstars who can bring some genuine fizz and excitement and, more often than not, are genuinely trying to have fun. Fun does not mean compromising substance and projecting something meaningful. It is a hard act to balance but I have noticed, more and more, the mainstream is a lot more resigned, inward-looking and, well...miserable. I was researching for this piece and came across a Pitchfork article that holds the same onions:

“Quick: Name the fun song on the Billboard charts right now—the celebratory one, the one about embracing life, about living like tonight is the last night. Not just the fun song, but the FUN! song, the one accompanied by glitter bombs and T-shirt cannons. Normally there are at least five flouncing around the upper reaches of the Hot 100, impervious to trends: “Uptown Funk” or “Shut Up and Dance”; “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” or “Happy” or “Shake It Off.”

Still looking? Yeah, you won’t find it.

Skip across playlists or tangle with a car radio dial and you will quickly absorb that the world is an awful, squalid place, where emo-rap stars like Juice WRLD take “prescriptions to feel A-OK” and where “Sicko Mode,” a hit song released in the dead of summer, begins with the words “sun is down, freezing cold.” Bebe Rexha, a songwriter whose persona and style switches completely from song to song, is currently at No. 39 with “I’m a Mess,” where the line “It’s gonna be a good, good life” is chased with a bitter “that’s what my therapist say,” and the chorus rewrites Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch” for the age of pure anhedonia: “I’m a mess, I’m a loser, I’m a hater, I’m a user”.

It seems the mainstream market has streamlined and there is a move towards a more ‘realistic’ view of the world. Artists, for some reason, feel the realities of heartache and life kicking you in the scrotum is a much more marketable vibe than promoting the wonders of life. We are told, more and more, that there is a mental-health crisis (and there is) but I wonder whether we are being flooded with this message. It is great we can connect with an artist because they feel the same way as us but, rather than providing inspiring and positive messages, there is this negative and submissive impression that is getting rather heavy. Once was the time when Pop was there to get us all happy and move the body; when artists could be heartbroken but there was this sunshine and chance to get better. When was the last time you checked out what was in the charts or on the radio and heard a song that genuinely, without irony, was talking about moving on up and embracing life?!

“Aren’t pop songs generally meant to lift us up? Or at least make us forget, for a moment, how terrible everything else is? One good working definition of a pop song might be “a three-minute reminder that hedonism exists.” How and when did things turn so morose?

The armchair-cultural-anthropologist answer is the easiest one: Everything is garbage! Who wants to celebrate when the world is crumbling? It’s a seductive explanation. After all, many of us are currently grappling with the reality that the Earth will probably be partially drowned within the next four or five presidential administrations (assuming presidential administrations keep happening)”.

It is not just the Pop genre that is to blame for the funk. I think there has been a move, through the years, away from the mainstream star who was promoting something pumping, energised and catchy to the more private, anxious and ‘aware’ artist. Maybe the state of the world and the feeling of depression a lot of us feel needs to be presented in music and we need to feel musicians understand us. Other genres are less keen to explore this side of life so, as they are the leaders of the mainstream, the Pop elite have to address this. I do wonder whether we need to assimilate other genres into the mix in order to find some more energy and optimism. You can say Hip-Hop and Rap is at its best when not entirely entwined with the mainstream and left to its own devices. Whilst there are powerhouse newcomers like Cardi B, Travis Scott and Anderson .Paak out there at the moment; I tend to find I am rarely uplifted by what they are saying. The energy is there in the music and one can hear some warmth but the lyrics are not the sort that stick in the head and make me smile – maybe they are not supposed to. Is Rap and Hip-Hop in need of a bit of a shake-up?

“Crippling depression amid unspeakable luxury has been a default setting in rap for a long time now, from Kanye to Drake to Future. And the spiritual avatar of this feeling right now, at least on the pop charts, is Travis Scott. Scott has been involved in Kanye’s work for at least five years, dating back to the sessions for Yeezus. Now, he is atop the charts with a massive and sprawling work of his own, ASTROWORLD. The fundamental presumption of Travis Scott music is that nothing feels good, especially not the stuff that’s meant to. “She thought it was the ocean, it’s just a pool,” Scott mutters on “Sicko Mode”—not the mindset of someone particularly enamored with their spoils of success, or impressed with the company it has brought them”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Travis Scott/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

I have mentioned a lot of the classic Rap and Hip-Hop artists like the Beastie Boys and De La Soul and what they were all about. I love the humour and the comedy you can get with Beastie Boys. Think about the way they could splice in cutting jabs and weird sentiments with some brilliant sounds that punched in the heart. Maybe there were a bit of a rarity but the scene around them was not plagued by depression and a lack of hope. In the modern-day lexicon; there is not a sense there is much to shout about and feel happy about. We are seeing artists succumb to addiction and depression and, as such, the music has to reflect that struggle. I am not sure when the emotional decline began and how we got here but, more and more, the quick-listen, playlist-in-the-background culture has seen a move away from the more rousing and fulsome number to the slightly less challenging and more downbeat mood. I said I was going to bring in an album – and I have already mentioned a couple of Hip-Hop artists who are guaranteed to lift my mood. Now That’s What I Call Music! 24 is the first album I ever bought and I remember the sheer delight of hearing it on my cassette player for the first time.

Not only was it thrilling walking into the music shop and finding this shiny cassette on the racks but playing all the music in-full was scintillating. The songs from this period (1993 and the previous year) stay in my mind because of the uplift and cheer. I am not saying music was all happy back then – Grunge was responsible for a lot of gloom and destruction – but these songs were indicative of the spirit of the time. Even when the songs were talking about something more strained and anguished; there was a more melodic note or sentiment that lifted the track up. Maybe The Bluebells’ Young at Heart was a cheesy way to start things but you could not argue against the optimism within. You have Take That’s Could It Be Magic and Informer by Snow. The latter is about the rapper being hassled by the 5-0 (the police) but its sheer energy and fun is hard to escape. Shaggy and The Stereo MC’s keep it going and you have World Party and Paul McCartney retaining that pace and energy. Peter Gabriel brings some Steam to the kitchen and there is a cracking offering from Lenny Kravitz (Are You Gonna Go My Way). It is an album that does not hide heartache more anxious songs but the abiding theme is joy and positive energy. The mainstream back then had to compete with the same issues as today regarding the more gloomy songs/artists but there was plenty of delight and energy to be found. The Dance scene was inspiring a generation and Britpop was around the corner.

Maybe I am idolising past days but I can see how things have changed and, the last few years especially, we are seeing this slide into a funk that will be hard to get ourselves away from. Even when artists try to write happy and gleeful songs – such as Happy by Pharrell Williams – it comes across as more grating than memorable. Pop artists are still capable of getting the heat on and making us move but there are few songs out there I can see lasting through the years. This BBC article looks at modern Pop songs and how they have changed – the use of the first-person narrative is rising:

“A year before that, the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts published a report which looked at how the language of popular song has changed over the last 30 years. Researchers took a sample set of the Top 10 most popular songs in America from 1980 to 2007, and looked at how words are used to try and assess how pop fans used music to soundtrack their emotional state at the time. The report suggests that, "Simply tuning in to the most popular songs on the radio may provide people with increased understanding of their generation's current psychological characteristics."

They found that the use of the first-person singular pronouns (the word 'I') has increased steadily over time, suggesting that fans have become more interested in reflective first-person songs. This matches a decline in words that emphasis community and working together. They also noted a rise in antisocial and angry words, suggesting that pop hits are reflecting a growing sense of personal fury and social unrest. Accusations with which Eminem will be familiar”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: @cbarbalis/Unsplash

Not only has Pop got more personal and first-person; it has, as Pitchfork have laid out, gotten darker and a lot sadder:

“As pop gets softer, sadder, grimmer, darker, more intimate, something else happens—it shrinks. If pop music used to blare at us, it did so out of a certain confidence, a bone-deep certainty that it was one of the most important voices in our lives. We were a captive audience, or at least pop treated us that way. Like many cultural institutions, pop music feels chastened now, in retreat. The ground beneath it is shaky and it finds itself with no mountaintop to scream from. Now pop music lies coiled up inside our phones alongside everything else—the banalities of friends and strangers, the horrors of the news. It’s there if, and only if, we need it”.

Minor keys and slower tempos are becoming more popular and even when an artist is bringing the energy levels to dangerous heights, often their messages are not about togetherness and embracing sheer fun – you find a lot of accusation, bitterness and generic salaciousness coming out. Even though life can be a miserable shell and it can be really crap to get out there; do we necessarily want that reflected back at us through music? The reason music is so potent and inspiring, yes, is because we can relate to it but where does one go for escapism?!

I can hear a lot of 1980s sounds and vintage wisdom coming into modern music but those who are lifting the spirits are few and far between. Is subjectiveness and age playing a role in this grumble and assertion? Are we down on new music because we go back to our childhoods and remember the music we adored? This article explains when our musical tastes are locked-in and how brave we get with our tastes as we get older:

“The New York Times has proof. They recruited author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, whose Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, And What The Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are is a must-read, to discover why so many people still go to Gin Blossoms concerts (besides the fact that they still rule). Spotify provided the data, and Stephens-Davidowitz measured every Billboard chart-topping song released between 1960 and 2000 and the ages of their biggest fans when those songs first came out.

The results are illuminating, if not all that surprising. According to the data, the average man’s musical taste is developed between the ages of 13 and 16, while a woman’s takes shape between the ages of 11 and 14. Data also revealed that the early 20s are “half as influential” in determining adult musical tastes as their early teens. Radiohead’s “Creep,” for example, is the 164th most popular song among 38-year-old men—who would’ve been 13 when the song was released—while it’s not even in the top 300 for those born a decade earlier or later. We twenty- and thirtysomethings will never understand Ed Sheeran, nor will the children of our children, who will roll their eyes every time their parents play “Perfect” for the 30th time”.

PHOTO CREDIT: @hyingchou/Unsplash 

Maybe I am being a bit cranky and nostalgia-drenched but, if the above is true, it means we are breeding a generation whose musical tastes are defined by what is out there now. Given the growing rate of mental illness and issues out there; shouldn’t music act as a contrast and lift the emotions to a special and safe place? If a child now is raised on modern mainstream and absorbs this for the rest of their days; will we have them humming depressive lyrics and gloomy synths instead of the big beats and rousing choruses that was rife in the past. Look at music from the 1950s to the early part of the last decade and there are years filled with joyful music and songs that will last the rest of time. It is counterintuitive writing music in a minor key and being closed-off in a society that is struggling with its mental-health. Music needs to rebel against this ill and is there to lift the spirit! One can write about their own lives and heartache but it is just as easy to throw in some top-notch bangers that grab life by the neck and hug it. I do fear the mainstream has gone too far down the rabbit hole to come back. How do we get to where we are now and have a scene that brings back that optimism and sunny disposition?! Say what you want about the reformation and touring of the Spice Girls but, even though they had their fair share of cheesy moments, the music they were putting out was designed to inspire and lift. Give me the choice of the modern top-forty and one of the finer Spice Girls cuts and that is...

NOT a hard choice to make.   

INTERVIEW: Tez Cadey

INTERVIEW:

Tez Cadey

___________

THANKS to Tez Cadey...

for talking about his start in music and the artists/albums that influence him. I ask about his new album, Lizard Days, and what themes inspire it; whether he has a standout track from the record and what the scene is like in France at the moment.

The Electronic artist tells me about what he hopes to achieve next year and whether there is anything to achieve before the end of this year; if he gets time to chill outside of music; which rising artist we should be aware of and whether there will be gigs coming up.

__________

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

Amazing, thanks! We just released the album last week and so far the feedback has been great. I’m spending a lot of time looking at streaming stats, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, but I can’t help it.

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

I'm a twenty-five-year-old producer from France making Electronic music, Pop and House.

Lizard Days is your new album. Are there particular albums that inspired it? 

I was listening a lot to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band during the making of this album, so it must have crept in somewhere - particularly in the song arrangements. There is actually one break in Your Way were a crescendo of orchestral nonsense takes place that was directly inspired by A Day in the Life. You can also hear it on the last part of the outro, Divine. I just love how the songs evolve on this record (The Beatles' one).

Is there a standout or personal favourite from the record would you say?

It changes from time to time but I'd say Logic is my personal favorite. I still don't get tired of it. I think it has a unique and timeless touch that keeps it fresh and interesting to listen to. And, most of all, it’s at the crossroad of my influences; between Pop, old-school House and Psychedelic-Rock.

Did you grow up around a lot of music? Which artists did you follow at a young age?

I grew up mainly listening to what my parents listened to, like many kids I guess! So, a lot of New Wave, Rock and a some House music; ranging from the Cure to New Order to A Guy Called Gerald. A lot of English music. Haha.

As a French producer; what is the music scene like in the country right now?

The scene here was great a few years back with a lot of newcomers trying out new things and great support from the public. Now, there's still interesting stuff going on but it's harder to break through. I feel there's so much content being released every day. People now have less time to give.

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

Well. It's coming up fast, so I just hope I'll see the album grow a little! 

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes. I've been in the studio since August now working on new material. I'd love to release it before next summer. It's going to be more Dance-oriented for sure; more like my older tracks.

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

There are so many to pick from so it's hard to choose! My best memories from my time in music has been the touring. I love spending time in the studio but it’s a rather lonely process. Going from place to place; discovering new cultures, new people and connecting through the music is, by far, the most gratifying experience.

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

I'd say Tame Impala's Currents, Justice - Cross and Mac DeMarco - Salad Days

I don't really know why I like them that much. One of them I don't even play anymore but they were albums I used to listen to a lot during certain periods of my life. So, they have a strong nostalgic effect on me. Salad Days is also the most laid-back album of all times. I used to put in on a loop when I was living in Mexico. Just thinking of it brings back good memories.

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

You mean for the rider or the musician I would support? For the musician, as long as it’s coherent with my project I’m in. For the rider...surprise me!

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

It’s going to sound generic but don't be too influenced by what is going on: try creating what feels right to you, what your guts want to hear. It can be tempting to make music that sounds like what’s going on right now and it can feel reassuring. But, here’s the thing; it’s already been done and the guys who did it first probably do it better!

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

Not that I'm aware of. I've been limiting the gigs during the winter time to work on the next singles. But, you can expect new tour dates starting next summer!

 IN THIS PHOTO: Yarosslav/PHOTO CREDIT: Jean Marc Eloy 

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

My friends from Yarosslav are putting out some very cool songs at the moment. Check them out!

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

Being full-time in music is a relatively new experience for me. So, I'm still learning on how to take a step back from it from time to time. My best answer to this for now has been finding another hobby. Like painting or reading or programming or anything really! Just to take my mind off the music and off the pressure.

__________

Follow Ted Kazey

Official:

http://www.tezcadey.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tezcadey/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TezCadey

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/tezcadeymusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5cBeFQv3kBVP8o15CmPTKb?si=pasyFh04Rx61kxcLxGshVA

INTERVIEW: Prins Obi

INTERVIEW:

Prins Obi

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IT has been cool finding out about Prins Obi…

and his project/band Prins Obi & the Dream Warriors. The lead talks about the video for Vortex and what we will get from the Prins Obi & the Dream Warriors album; the sort of music that is important to him and what the music scene is like in Greece right now.

Prins Obi reveals how he got started in music and whether there are plans for gigs; which three albums mean the most to him and how he unwinds outside of music; the advice he would give to artists coming through right now – he ends the interview with a great track choice.

__________

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

Hello. I'm fine, thank you. Busy week, but I'm really excited that my album is coming out.

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

The name of the project is Prins Obi & the Dream Warriors. I am the vocalist and keyboardist; Pantelis Karasevdas is the drummer; Sergios Voudris is the bassist and the second vocalist; Kostas Stergiou is the percussionist and Chris Bekiris is the guitarist. We are a Freak-Rock band with pop sensibilities.

The video for Vortex is out. What is the inspiration behind the song and what was it like putting the video together?

I was really stoned in my cottage house one long summer night...I fell asleep and I dreamed of this song. It tells the story of an unfulfilled romance. The video was Vasilis Katsoupis' (A.K.A. ‘dipyadeep’) inspiration, the brilliant director who envisioned the whole thing. I had really great time working with such a talented dude.   

The Prins Obi & the Dream Warriors album is upcoming. Are there particular themes that inspired the record? How does it differ to your previous record?

I wanted to create something more coherent and raw than my previous album; to aim straight at the heart. It is an L.P. of songs and I think it is the first real ‘Rock album’ I've made thus far.

Partying, exorcising demons; recapturing romantic moments, exonerating miserable situations and laying emphasis on live energy were themes and goals that inspired us.

When did you start out in music? Which artists inspired you?

I am a classically trained pianist and I started playing at the age of seven. I was a huge fan of the British Prog-Rock scene when I was in high-school and these bands and artists defined me to some extent.

Is there a big and productive music scene in Greece right now? Is it challenging getting exposure?

Where there is crisis, pain and suffering there is always a huge amount of good music. The problem is that the largest amount of the population is addicted to sub-culture trash.

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

To be healthy and in harmony with the people I love.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

To book some awesome gigs promoting the album and have really great time playing together. I have also formed a Hard-Rock band with my local pub friends (Electric Feat) and hopefully our debut album is coming out in 2019.

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

Recording the first Baby Guru album (my previous band) with my other two childhood friends. So much passion and innocence combined.

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

If I could choose one album right now, it would be Sam Cooke's Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963. This live album is unbelievable...the energy, the songs; the audience, that VOICE.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Be true to yourselves, fu*k trends; think out of the box and speak from the heart.

Do you have tour dates coming up?

Not yet, but we are rehearsing.

Where can we catch you play?

When the gigs are planned, I will let you know.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Oh; the list is countless but, to tell you the truth, I am a little bit of a retrophiliac.

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

Actually, I am pharmacist during daytime. That's my day-job and music is my way of unwinding.

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).

Sam Cooke - Bring It on Home to Me (Live)

__________

Follow Prins Obi

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/prinsobiproject/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/prinsobi/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IzOZjZx9lrkDidj9sHfV7?si=x_-n1ZoJR3eLIbbdGD20SQ

SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/prinsobi

PHOTOS:

Eftychia Vlachou  

INTERVIEW: Abel Miller

INTERVIEW:

Abel Miller

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I have been catching up with Abel Miller…

as he tells me about his track, Feel Good, and his upcoming E.P., Private Island. I ask which artists and albums are important to him and he reveals what is coming up in terms of music and gigs – Miller reveals some rising artists to get involved with.

I ask whether he has a favourite memory from music and what it is like getting support from some big radio stations; the advice he would offer artists coming through and whether he gets much time away from music to relax.

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

Hi. Yes, it’s been a great week. Had a few radio interviews and premiered the new single toom titled Ride for Me, with DJ Ace at BBC 1Xtra.

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

Yes, of course. My name is Abel Miller. I am an R&B artist from London, U.K. I would say I have been putting out music around nine years; however, I have been singing practically all my life. It’s been a grind! But, I love making music and I was featured on one of the early tracks from K Koke entitled Nobody But Us and this brought a buzz as he just signed with Roc Nation at the time. I then went on to putting out E.P.S. The first one was titled Make You Love Me and the track No Gentleman was playlisted on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

What can you tell me about your latest track, Feel Good?

Feel Good’s concept is actually different to the title - when you first see it you would think it’s an uplifting, positive ‘feelgood’ song (laughs). It’s more about a female going through things and not feeling too good and I’m explaining that throughout the verses. The instrumental has a tropical edge but, at the same time, R&B chords.

Private Island is your upcoming E.P. What sort of themes do you explore on it?

Yes. Private Island is the E.P. It’s got a lot of mid/up-tempo songs on there; a bit of Island and also an Afro-Swing feel to it. It’s a six-track E.P. and it starts with Feel Good - which is the slower track on the E.P. - and then picks up into tracks like Chasing Rain (ft. Sona) which is more on the up-tempo end.

Do you have particular music idols or artists you grew up around?

Growing up, I listened to a lot of Gospel in my mum’s home; artists like Fred Hammond and Yolanda Adams and so on...then I would stay at my dad’s and hear the latest tracks. Really, an album I won’t forget is Usher’s 8701. I had that on-repeat back in the day.

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

I just really hope this E.P. gets heard by as many people as I can reach as I believe it’s my best body of work and showcases different sides; so I’d say to get the E.P. buzzing!

Do you already have plans for 2019?

I have a few songs in the pipeline that I am planning on putting out, but I’m just taking it each day with this E.P. Definitely will be a headline show from me at some point too.

What has it been like getting support from the likes of BBC Asian Network?! How much of a boost does that give?

It’s been great as I haven’t really been on BBC Asian Network so it opens me up to a different audience. Also, the track Drop It Down by Nash (ft. myself) has done well there too so that support is good.

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

So far, I would have to say 25th June, 2017. This is when I put on my first show and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I had never done one so I was nervous; the turnout was amazing and the show was a success!

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

Bob Marley – Exodus

This means the most as it’s my go-to-album for encouragement and uplifts people.

Usher – Confessions

To me, it is a solid R&B album so I will have to include this!

Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On

For the live instrumentation, I would say this album is up there.

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

I would definitely need my MacBook and may bring the mic too when I’m on the go. I’m not fussed about the rest. Sweets and drinks of different varieties and I’m good!

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

I’d say try keep that quality control over what you’re putting out try make the music mix-downs sound clean; get visuals looking epic as that counts a lot these days and be consistent also. It’s easier said than done as it costs a bit but, in the end, you have something you’re happy with and that means a lot.

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

Not at present, but I hope to get back to you with dates for 2019 (smiles).

 IN THIS PHOTO: Daniel Caesar/PHOTO CREDIT: Roots Canada

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

You may already know of these two (laughs). I like Daniel Caesar’s album and also Ella Mai.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ella Mai

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

Sometimes (laughs). My relaxation would be either going to an arcade with friends and family or simply looking after my little boy. These things take my mind off music.

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).

Ok. Thanks for having me! Daniel Caesar – Get You

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Follow Abel Miller

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/itsAbelMiller/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AbelMiller

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/abelmillerofficial/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2GGvrkVreV5x8gtTlJcddt?si=CQoPXmfjSLqwQPxM7NjqJA

TRACK REVIEW: Jessie Munro - On My Own

TRACK REVIEW:

 

Jessie Munro

On My Own

9.4/10

The track, On My Own, is available via:

https://soundcloud.com/jessie-leith-munro/04-on-my-own

GENRES:

Electro-Pop; R&B; Soul

ORIGIN:

Los Angeles, U.S.A.

The E.P., On My Own, is available via:

https://open.spotify.com/album/5JPnOkhObOdg84w3WqCBAO?si=VD3Vs6mdRHWKGPpjBqaeBA

RELEASE DATE:

28th September, 2018

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THIS time around…

I will talk about the climate of modern Pop and Electro and look at Jessie Munro in the context of Los Angeles. I will discuss suggestions for her to strengthen her position in the scene and talk about a maturity coming through in music and taking a different angle on a very common subject; those who start with a Classical mindset and can add that into the music; a little about songs that remain in the mind and what 2019 might hold for Munro. I wanted to start off by talking about modern Pop and Electro and a problem that has formed at the moment. Whilst Munro does not fall into this trap – and hope she does not – I am worried there is an environment around her that is not good to see. I will look at this later in more depth but it is not only the mainstream that can accused of a rather sad and fatigued sound. You do not have to strain your ears too much to discover something pretty down and insular. It is happening more and more: artists pouring out a pain and leaving any sort of fun at the door. Music has been turning that way for a while and it is happening a lot in terms of underground artists. I am not sure whether it is a case of people seeing that as a popular and natural sound but I do wonder where the energy and interest has gone. I hear too many artists who tend to pitch their tent on a particular sound and vibe and it is hard to shake that off. I understand the need to document your feelings and truth but that is coming at the expense of any positivity and fun. I am not saying music needs to be a constant carnival but it would be nice to see some more cheer and hope emerging right now. Jessie Munro has to talk about love and breakup, as I shall get onto, but there is something more vibrant and fulsome.

You get a full-bodied and eclectic sound with her and, whilst the themes can be quite challenging at times, the mood is never brought down and you feel like she wants the listener to take something positive away. There are times, naturally, when she has to dip the lights and get a bit emotional but the sensation is never too heavy and moody. Instead, you get an artist who can talk about post-breakup considerations and discuss love without getting into clichés and that rather dour sound. As I said; I will talk about this later in the day but I am concerned by the modern scene. It is not all genres that are culpable: Hip-Hop and Rap are, as always, not interested in wallowing and try and add as much fun and energy into proceedings. One might say there is anger and aggression in a lot of songs but that is part of the culture. The fierceness and confidence of the artists is what makes the music so exciting and compelling. So many new artists are falling into the Pop/Electro mould and, with it, you tend to have this particular sound. The same, to an extent, is true of Folk and Indie. All of the different genres grab more attention (than Hip-Hop) and, as such, there is that samey and rather gloomy outlook. Munro is someone who wants to remain personal and accessible but does not want to get too caught up on being too depressing and revealing. I can appreciate why artists want to pour themselves out on the page but, if you compare the mainstream not to, say, 1993 and you can hear vast emotional and dynamic differences. Time and technology should not have changed the emotional spectrum of modern music as much as it has but, here we are, listening to artists who have forgotten how to look up and get away from the personal. The reason why I wanted to look at Munro’s music is because there is something working away that strikes the mind and lifts the mood. It is the way she injects soulfulness into the mix and brings those interesting compositions together – someone who is showing plenty of spirit and hope.

Los Angeles is an area of California that has experienced bush fires and loss over the past few days. We have all seen the news regarding the devastation and how things have turned there. It is horrifying to think of the loss and destruction – and the man in power who is doing very little to change things. Whilst there is geographical and personal loss in the state; the musicians of Los Angeles are as strong and eclectic as ever. I hope they are not affected too much by recent events because, as I have said time and time again, it is a fantastic area for music. Maybe there is that leaning more towards Electro and Pop whereas, in New York, I tend to find more Rock and Alternative bands; not to mention Hip-Hop and Rap artists. There is a natural sunniness and warmth in L.A. that is going to affect the music. It is one of the downsides, I guess, regarding the warm weather and sunshine – events like the bushfires will happen. In music terms, there is a lot to be recommended right now. Every time I interview an artist from Los Angeles, they say there is that support among musicians and there are great venues to play. Whilst we are suffering losses in the U.K. and many venues are shutting their doors; Los Angeles’ vastness and comparative wealth means a lot of their best venues are remaining open and encouraging musicians. The economy there is better and that is providing hope and comfort for the new breed. In terms of the sound and sensations coming from L.A. and California; I am amazed by the sheer endeavour and ambition of artists. Even when they are in the Pop/Electro headspace, you get this sense of individuality and boldness. A lot of British acts can be quite samey and plain but, in L.A., that extra fizz and layer of brilliance comes through. Maybe it is coincidental but I know there is a community and sense of freedom in L.A. that you do not really get anywhere else.

I have talked about the area many times before so I cannot bring fresh angles to the party. What I will say is that every time I get to assess an artist from the city/state, I am blown away by the sound that comes through. The range and sheer breadth one finds somewhere like Los Angeles is amazing. In a music world where the negative sounds outweigh the positive; it seems like Los Angeles’ artists are trying to do something a bit different and provide some strength. It is interesting see the new generation come through and what they are offering the world. I wonder how this will grow and change in years to come. What I like about Los Angeles artists is their willingness to go off the track and not copy what everyone else is doing. Although Jessie Munro was born in Canada, she is taking to the L.A. way of working and producing something great. I have taken a while to get around to this review – her E.P., On My Own, has been out for a while now – but that sort of works in my favour. In terms of sounds, everything starts to come to the fore and reveal itself after a set amount of time. I am finding new revelations and positives emerge; sounds pop and show themselves that were hidden before. I am not sure whether that is the direct influence of L.A. or it is something Jessie Munro has taken from her own life. Whatever the reason behind the nuance and build, I am glad I got to review Jessie Munro and investigate her current sounds. Before I come to look at her sounds and why she is standing out, there are a few things that could be adapted and added to ensure her music and online profile is spread as far and wide as possible.

I have been getting tough on people requesting interviews because, a lot of the time, the standard of responses is lax and poor; the time taken to get the written responses to me is huge and the images I am being sent are sub-par. What I say to everyone is to look at what they are putting out there and how they approach interviews and ask whether it is the right way of doing things. Most of Munro’s online portfolio is great but, in order to exert even more influence and strength, there are a few points to note. Images and updated shots are always on my mind and it is the biggest flaw for a lot of artists. Some have reacted angrily when I have pointed this out in reviews – which is fair enough – but it is for their good and not a criticism. What I look for when doing pieces like this are sharp images and having a choice when it comes to shots. You will see some good shots in this review but I had to collate quite a few of them from Google – a lot were not included on Facebook and Twitter. Munro is someone who pops on camera and is extremely photogenic and there are so many different possibilities that could be explored regarding photos. She has a few current shots online but a lot of her photos are from a little while back. People like me are going to be drawn to images before the music itself. More will go out of their way to do these big pieces on artists where there are photographic choices. It is not too expensive getting a shoot organised and I wonder whether artists need to address this more. One of the most important things they can do is to get regular images online and make sure they are as sharp and focused as possible. Music is so much about images nowadays and taking care of that visual side. You can have brilliant music but if you do not consider photos and getting a range online then that will have a damaging impact.

Everything about Munro’s music is fine and great but there is that need to know what she is up to and how things are going. I know her E.P. is out and she promoted it when it arrived but there are new fans and followers who can be recruited. Putting out regular updates and sharing tracks from the E.P. would hook new listeners in and encourage her current fans to share the love. I am familiar with her music but there are many out there who have not heard it. Getting in contact with radio stations around the U.K. would give her a good footing here and, whilst she does have a team behind her, the artist needs to take this on board and keep active. Even if it is a case of posting something on Instagram or updating fans regarding tour movements, it is essential to keep busy. Her Twitter feed has not been updated for a little while and, to causal observers, that looks like something is wrong or she is quiet. I am sure there are tour dates and plans coming; there is a great E.P. out there and this music people can hear. You do not need to post something every day but this is a whole world to connect with and modern artists need to be keeping their social media feeds fresh and updated. I will not labour these points too much but they are more constructive than critiques. I know how tough it is in the business and the competition that is out there. The way to keep ahead and not fall behind it to concentrate on all areas and, when it comes to journalists and fans, the more information and options they have in front of them (regarding an artist) the more appealing that is. I shall moves things on and get to talking about Jessie Munro and why her music has a maturity and sense of depth.

I have talked about a certain slump in music and how emotions and negativity seems to be infiltrating every crack and avenue right now. There are exceptions and positives to be heard but, in terms of the mainstream, there is either a vapid air or a sense of depression. Munro could have easily followed that path but, even as she talks about splits and being alone, the music never drags you down. One can attribute this to a maturity and sense of musicianship that allows for an emotional balance and a sense of abiding hope. Maybe she has had her heart broken but the songwriter is looking at better days and aiming for something uplifting. That is rare to see and, whilst I like what she is talking about and how she approaches music, it is the feeling one gets when listening that is most impressive. All of the strongest artists are able to deliver something fresh and familiar at the same time. You can listen to a song like On My Own and, from the title alone, know what it is going to be about. The more the song plays, the more you know you are listening to something new and personal. Munro can present a song that provides that familiar air but she adds in her own blends and touches. She has seduced audiences around the world and one of the reasons for that is because her music has that great balance. One can dive into her songs and find comfort but there are layers and elements that strike you and take you by surprise. I am impressed how she has developed as an artist and how far her music has come on. A lot of the stuff I am hearing right now is somewhat petulant or lacks maturity: Munro is someone who can talk about bitter times and cragged roads and do so with more dignity and intelligence. Many might say a maturity and sense of dignity equates to a boring and rather insipid song. That might be some people’s impression but that is not the case here.

Munro splices together R&B and Soul and there is that integration of Electro and Pop. All these different sounds could easily have been divided and clumsily mixed but, in her hands, they are perfectly blended and you get this rich cocktail. I said I would mention Classic music earlier and it seems like more and more artists start off in that genre. Maybe it is the natural avenue for many children. When you have an interest in music, you will be guided to the piano and instruments like that. A few might know what they want to do in terms of future music endeavours but the piano and the world of Classical is a good way in and gives you that taste. I think, in many ways, a lot of the disciplines and traits required in the Classical world can be translated and brought into other genres. In the case of Jessie Munro; she got into Classical and musical theatre at a young age and even attended Berklee College of Music. All of this experience has gone into her music and why there is such maturity. You listen to her new E.P. and every song has its own skin and voice. One gets a real sense of adventure and complexity in the music and you can trace a line back to her training and education. I think everything she has learned and absorbed since childhood has made her the artist she is now and means her music stands out. There is nothing to suggest Munro cannot go on and be a big name in the mainstream one day. The competition is fierce and never-ending but she has so many assets and positives working in her favour. I feel she avoids easy traps regarding lyrical themes and sounds and can provide this alluring and deep blend that gets into the heart and under the skin. Munro is inspired by a lot of the songwriting greats and you can hear their inspiration working away.

I feel a lot of modern songwriters are following the mainstream too closely and getting hooked on what is happening there. We have this very contemporary and fresh sound in 2018 and, whilst there are some great artists to be found, I wonder how many look back and take guidance from those musical greats? Every artist is inspired by the past and the music they grew up around but very few are wearing that on their sleeves. In terms of influences for Jessie Munro, you get the feeling someone like Carole King made a big impact. The way her music gets into the soul and can talk about love and breakup like nobody else...this is something we do not see enough of in modern music. Munro can take some elements of King and her artistry and splice that with modern R&B and Pop. It is an intoxicating and decades-hopping combination that provides her music that depth and strength. I shall move on to looking at a song I was keen to focus on but, before then, it is worth looking at her locker. I can hear Daniel Caesar and Carole King collide; Charlotte Day Wilson and a bit of Laura Marling; there is a nice unity of the old-school legends and the new breed making their mark. I feel it is always the temptation to ape your icons and follow what they did. It is tempting but, if you are too obvious then that can be a danger. Munro avoids this and, instead, seamlessly creates something new. You get these details and little touches in every line but are never too firmly reminded of anyone else. There are few songwriters who have the attributes and personality traits of Jessie Munro. I hope more learn from her and we can see the scene change a little bit.  

One might expect On My Own to start quite quietly or either race out of the blocks with something quite urgent. Instead, there is a build and tease that takes you by surprise. Rather than do what is expected or what we are guessing; Munro laces in a few gentle electric guitar strums and layers in this rather interesting mood. You get invested and interested and are settled to see what arrives next. The words are delivered with passion and intent and you have this rather soothing sound. Munro’s voice hits you with all its soulful passion and depth. You swim inside the vocal and its beauty. The heroine has faced a lot of heartache and change recently and she is not willing to let all the pain in quite yet. It seems she does not want to forget the good times and the memory of her sweetheart but has to acknowledge things have changed and life is not as she imagined. One might think a rather calm and slow delivery lacks the same impact as a faster and firmer one. The full effect of the emotions come through when things are unveiled with greater care and consideration. You are allowed time to absorb the words and picture the scenes. You get sensations of classic Soul and R&B when hearing the silky and water-flow notes cascade and trickle. I investigate my thoughts and wonder whether the breakup has happened or whether there is still that spark. It seems like Munro still cannot forget the passion and relationship and she might be kidding herself to an extent. Maybe she is unwilling to let it go and fade away. During the day she is pretending but, by midnight, she is letting herself slip. The chorus arrives and you get a rush of vocals and instruments. The composition has that warmth and passion and you get this incredible rush. There is this big declaration from Munro, that she is on her own, but it is never delivered with sadness.

One feels this determination and strength but there is the acceptance things are not as they were. You are involved in the song and get the feeling she has been going back to her sweetheart and trying to rekindle the flame but things are not as they were. I am wondering whether this is a long-term relationship or something that has just started but, whatever the truth, it has made an impact and the heroine is feeling the force. You get this wonderful blast of Soul that makes you shiver and sigh and the firmness and potency of an Electro backbone. It is hard to put into words but the mix of sounds and sensations is brilliant. The heroine gives time for the music to speak and breathe and you get a lot of story and progression through the notes. There is piano/keys and some subtle beats that provides a smoothness and tender touch. The more the song goes on, the more images flood and you start to present your own interpretation. I was backing the heroine and hoping things would work out but it seems things have gone wrong and there is no coming back from it. Munro is being distracted by something/someone and going through the motions. Maybe she is dating others and engaging in something easy and fast in order to compensate for this loss. It is easy to assume there is this rather reckless behaviour but I feel Munro is trying to resist the temptation to come back to her lover. On My Own is a great offering that you will want to listen to again and again. It forms an important part if the On My Own E.P. story but stands up on its own. I have provided my interpretation of events but maybe the truth is somewhat different. However you envisage the story; one cannot deny the strength and beauty of the song.

There are a few update happening here and there on her social media but I feel the next few months will be quiet for Munro. She has been busy working on her E.P. and put that out so, naturally, there will be gigs and she will look ahead to more material. For those outside of L.A., it might be a while before we see her play around our way but keep your eyes focused on social media and let’s hope there is news of international dates. She is cementing her name locally and keen to get the music to the people there. I am excited to see how far she has come and what her music stands for. It is a big blend of the old and new, the emotional and positive – how often do we get to say that?! If you have not heard her sounds then check out the On My Own E.P. and all it is about. There is that story of breakup and the stage of discovering that loss and having to deal with it. It would have been easy to write something bathed in misery and anger but, instead, the natural strength and maturity of Munro means the songs keep their head but do not lose their heart. Her six-track E.P. is crammed with life, possibilities and wonderful takeaways. I am curious where she will step next and whether there will be more touring. The demand is out there and, here in the U.K., her name is not as well-known as in the U.S. I think that could change in 2019 and we will hear more from her. As I said in the opening paragraphs; we need to have that social media updating and keeping fans in the loop. It has been a busy time for her but many will be eager to catch her live and find out where she is heading next year. I have enjoyed listening to Munro and her track, On My Own, and can thoroughly recommend the entire E.P. Make sure you get invested and discover what she is all about. There are many artists out there you can choose from but there are few...

QUITE like Jessie Munro.  

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Follow Jessie Munro

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/jessieleith

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jessieleithmunro/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/21QJrHTnMGTyGZj1Rbm9rW?si=OcPOF8l5SGeTXYcz-WRHtA

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jessieleithmunro/

INTERVIEW: Nick Ellis

INTERVIEW:

Nick Ellis

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IT has been wonderful finding out more about Nick Ellis…

and his new album, Speakers’ Corner. Ellis talks about the album’s themes and I ask what he thinks of our current government and what is happening in the country – he selects some albums that matter most to him and what sort of music he is inspired by.

Ellis reveals whether there will be gigs coming along and what he has planned for next year; what it is like getting plaudits from some big radio names; which rising artists we need to look out for and which musician he’d support live if given the chance – he ends the interview by selecting a great track.

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

I'm fine, thank you. So far, my week has been interesting, to say the least. 

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

Yes, sure. My name is Nick Ellis. I live and work in Liverpool. I am a writer/songwriter who transcends stories, narratives and characterizations through an acoustic guitar, mainly. I use a finger-picking style that incorporates a method of rhythm and melody. 

 

Speakers’ Corner is your new album. What are the themes that inspired it?

Speakers' Corner has three main themes: engagement, communication and expression.

The album's theme and title was inspired by a local writer called Andrew Lucas who introduced me to the work of Liverpool sculptor, Arthur Dooley. Lucas showed me an old picture of an iron 'speakers' corner' that was designed and made by Dooley (and an architect called Jim Hunter), situated in Liverpool's Pier Head area. I'd forgotten all about this red, industrious landmark-esque podium and realised it had been removed without any one really noticing way back in 1993/1994.

Its erection was funded by the Trade and General Workers’ Union, back in 1973, for public use as a place for people to gather and share their thoughts, views and ideals. I was astonished that this 'place of gathering' had not been resurrected by the local council (as it was paid for by people's money, not theirs) after the area’s development - and thought that I’d bring it to people's attention…

So, I made an album about it. 

Do you take a lot of inspiration from modern politics and what is happening now? How do you see the state of politics in this country?!

I take inspiration from the reaction of people to modern politics, rather than the actual political options that are being presented. I find the processes, structures; approaches and choices that we are used to are no longer serving the needs of its people. It has been very inspiring to see the reaction of people, not just in this country but all over the world, to the changing tide of politics. It is no longer about what is blue or red, or right and left: it's about what is right and wrong.

The state of modern politics in this country has gone beyond satire. The people who are in government are extremely evil people, never mind incompetent - the way that the Grenfell Tower disaster was dealt with spelled this government's intentions out very clearly: 'We don't care'. And we are paying these people. It's obscene. But, what is worse is the fact that people vote for this kind of ideology. And that's just plain sadistic. 

Which artists did you grow up listening to? Was there one that compelled you to get into music?

Yes. Buddy Holly, Elvis and Pete Townshend. Their music, presence and energy made me want to do similar. On the writing side of things, I was moved by the work of Alan Bleasdale at a very early age. There was an emotional intensity that was threaded within his work, especially in Boys from the Blackstuff and G.B.H. 

 PHOTO CREDIT: Robin Clewley

You have gained applause from the likes of Bob Harris (BBC Radio 2) and Lauren Laverne (BBC Radio 6 Music). How does that make you feel?!

I appreciate the support from anyone who takes the time out to enlighten people with my music. I certainly don't get any ego boosts from it, though. Radio should be playing grassroots music, more. Otherwise, one day, hey...we might not exist. Bob was really friendly and accessible.

I emailed him various questions about some Folk players, like Nick Drake and Nic Jones - and he took the time out to share his thoughts and memories on those cats and was very articulate and encouraging about what I was doing. As regards to Lauren; I met her years ago and she knew her stuff and was very amiable. I don't know her or anything, though.  

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

I hope to begin recording the next album. 

Do you already have plans for 2019?

Yes. We plan to tour this album throughout spring and release another album in the autumn. 

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

Yes. I was very fortunate to meet and play with Johnny Echols, from the band Love, back in the summer of 2016. Jon was one of the most inspiring, kind and friendly souls I ever met in the music game. He took time out to answer all our questions about Love and shared a few secrets with us - about that band and time - that I swore I'd never share.

They say you should never meet your heroes, but Jon was beyond that. He was the embodiment of 'love' - a beautiful soul, spirit and mind. I always knew that band and its music were special and I was right. 

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

Love - Forever Changes

Because it does. There's nothing I’ve come across that says it all like that album. 

Jim Sullivan - U.F.O.

Because the mystery of that man's life is embedded in those songs. 

Davey Graham - Folk, Blues and Beyond

Because it combines mastery, mystery and folklore. What a combo, eh!  

PHOTO CREDIT: Robin Clewley

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

Bob Dylan. And a rider that consisted of the finest, purest Peruvian flake cocaine. Me and Bob would be whoopin' like Ric Flair well into the night. 

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?​

Get a decent job that pays well and gives you and your family security. There is no money in music...well, for those at the more challenging rung of the ladder, anyway. 

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

Next up is at The Harrison in London on Thursday, 29th November, 2018.  

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Yes. Musicians Luca Nieri, R.W. Hedges and John Stammers from London. Writers Russ Litten (from Hull), Duncan Lyon and a spoken word artist called Roy (both Liverpool).

PHOTO CREDIT: Robin Clewley

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

I go looking for trouble. 

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).

Luca Nieri - Hummingbird and R.W. Hedges - Signalman. Both are excellent.

__________

Follow Nick Ellis

Official:

http://mellowtonerecords.com/artists/nick-ellis

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Nick-Ellis-Music-133381333379089/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nickellis_music

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/nickellismusic/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4YsGMbC6ydAxsi8DKHCaZJ?si=6fiVP4qETVq6ltCxmqpU3g