Special of the Day

One of the most fun things about going out to a gig is finding new music that you didn't know existed that you really like. Today's recommendation comes from one of the last gigs I went to back at the end of May where I discovered James McKenzie and The Aquascene (see my previous blog entry for more detail).

Anyhow, James and the band have recently released a new 4-track EP which I was rather lucky to get my hands on. So what can I tell you? I'm a sucker for strings and guitars together, a real sucker - there's something deeply entrancing about the two sounds together and on this little collection, there's plenty of that mix.

The EP shows a band still very young in its development with much progress to make but with a clearly defined musical statement of intent. The concept of the band definitely works, not just because I say so, but because the music is in its own right pretty interesting. Align with that some very well written lyrics and you get a potentially winning formula.


Each of the songs on the EP stands up to the next very well and for me the band hit the absolute head of the nail with Boat Song, the last track on the EP. Occasionally something musical leaves me silenced by it's brilliance and this track is one of those. I think it's the strings that make the song really leap out but it messed my thought processes around so much that I had to listen to it a couple more times when I first heard it.

The EP is well worth a punt. Accept it for what it is and you'll be pleasantly amazed. Bear in mind this is a band still clearly quite green, in need of a bit of fine tuning (both in terms of instrumentation and vocals) and a good producer and you won't be let down. Look at the EP more as a concept for the future, I suspect the next instalment might be quite brilliant.

I'd strongly recommend you check it out! Oh and I almost forgot, it comes in CD format in a paper bag CD case. I can't describe it any better than that, buy one and you'll probably think it's cool like I do!

By the way I can't find a link to buy the EP but once I post this, I'm sure James will either give me a URL or post a reply with a link!

Double entry...Part 2!

We're just sliding in two tonight...

Ok that's starting to sound sexual! Moving on...

Personal musical hero Jay Nash has FINALLY launched his 4-track ditty with the brilliant Caitlin Crosby under their quite clever Crosby, Skills and Nash ident. The EP which is available on iTunes now is simply incredible.

Their voices pair up perfectly, contrasting yet perfectly suited, on 4 reasonably simplistic songs. But that's the brilliance of it, no gimmicks or over-complications, just great arrangements and harmonies forming four totally incredible songs.


I need say no more, I think I've sold it enough. Go on, go buy it. You know you want to and I know you should!

Double entry...Part 1!

Ok no this hasn't become some strange sex blog (although it'd probably get more views). Tonight you're going to get two blog posts...why, because I can!

First up, lets wind the clock back to the end of May and Greg Holden's launch gig at The Bedford in South London. Admittedly I was there to see Greg but actually (and it pains me to say it and he'll probably not thank me for saying it) it turned out that even his rounded performance was upstaged by the two acts that preceeded him.

First up was James MacKenzie and the Aquascene. Usually a Scottish 6 piece band, James travelled down with just a violinist but the two of them put on an incredible set. You all know I've got a thing for strings, there's something uniquely brilliant about a violin or cello accompanying a guitar.


There's some tracks here and if I were you I'd take a listen. They're still quite green as a band in many senses but you get the feeling there's a bag of talent which will only mature and get a lot better over the next year or so.

Next up and the real show stealer was Brighton-based Fellow Stranger a Folky/Rock band comprising former singer/songwriter Luke Sital Singh. These guys were a real showstopper. Incredibly emotive vocals (some of the best I've heard in years), brilliantly crafted songs, amazing 3-part harmonies and an array of instruments and sounds that combine to form a brilliant sound. There's nothing original about the band but yet they stand out...because they're that bloody good.


Even the girlfriend enjoyed the set so much that she bought a copy of the CD for herself...and one for me for my birthday. The CD is a 5-track live EP and it shows the band at their very best. I don't know if you can buy the CD or the EP online and quite frankly I'm not going to do all the work for you.

But...what I will do is give you the videos from the gig that night, I'd suggest you invest your time and watch the whole thing...you'll see where I'm coming from on both those recommendations. Make sure you watch both parts!


Watch live video from The Bedford Live on Justin.tv

I Don't Believe You....need to read this to buy it!

Greg Holden....new album....immense....go buy it online NOW!

No really, I don't even need to say much here!

OK still not convinced?!? well then you're just being a bit slow on the uptake so here's a brief summary about the album.

It's an album part funded by a kickstarter campaign Greg ran last year which raised him $30,001 (some $10,001 more than he hoped to get). In total over 300 fans, friends and family members (including me) pledged money to help make this album a reality and to enable Greg to work with the team he wanted including the incredible Tony Berg (who produced the album).



This 10 song affair is one of utter brilliance mixing well crafted songs with sensationally catchy music and innovative mixes. It's the fact that it sounds so much bigger, bolder and experimental than any previous Greg Holden that makes it almost unrecognisable...apart from the fact that it is Greg's unmistakable voice booming out across the record.

There's some truly remarkable tracks. From a song writing perspective, The American Dream (which makes me think Johnny Cash a little for some reason) and Following Footsteps stand out a mile and from a musical perspective, Coney Island is just incredible (with the most mindblowing solo from Jessica Hoop).

I'm quite sure this album will prove a massive success for Greg and if he chooses to release To Hell and Back as a single, then it might just send him stellar such is the brilliance of the song and its suitability for radio play.

The one thing I hope this album isn't remember as is "that one with Bar On A on it". This album is so much more than that one song which truth be told, even I'm sick to the back teeth of hearing and playing (on my guitar)...and I mean it in the nicest possible way.

In my opinion, it's undoubtedly one of THE albums of the year and I'd strongly suggest you go and buy it rather than do something naughty because remember folks, supporting independent musicians is vital and them records you love...well the money for them it don't grow on trees!

Go buy it!

Stardom beckons

When you have friends, you want to see them do well. When you love music, you want everyone else to love it too, so tonight's blog post is nothing but an absolute pleasure to take the time to sit down and write since it merges the two streams together beautifully.

Back in the days when I used to blog regularly and got out to lots of live gigs, I stumbled across two bands in one called at that time, Strange Folks and Roy Rieck and The Medley Band. It was the same brilliant seven musicians but playing two different sets of tracks and splitting setlists.

After two years of trials, setbacks (thanks to a certain UK Border Agent) and hard work, these seven brilliantly talented men have finally released their debut album under the now final adopted name of joined band...Acollective.


As a huge fan and friend, I've seen and heard the guys in every formation playing music from the very beginning of their evolution (Idan Rabinovici's Bedroom Folk, through to Roy Rieck's Never Trust The Holy Gracious Medley Band, the Strange Folks - EP plus much more) right through to this latest offering which I cannot evangelise about enough.

Onwards, the 13 track beauty was recorded late last year in their native Israel and produced by the quite brilliant Chris Shaw (yes, he of Leonard Cohen, Super Furry Animals, Guillemots, Bob Dylan and Weezer amongst many others fame). What's magnificent about the album and what's been produced is that whilst being true to the roots of the band's humble musical beginnings, this is a totally different sound to anything they've produced before. If you listen closely you can still hear the screaming harmonica solos of Rieck, the mesmeric keys from Rabinovici, the brilliant Sax bursts from Roy Rabinovici, the guitar and bass solos from Shoham, E-Shine and Slonim and the downright intense drumming from Luzia but this somehow feels bigger, bolder, rockier, edgier, louder and prouder. For the first time in a recording, as a group and with Chris's help, they've managed to almost capture that breathtaking "wow factor" that you get from seeing them live.

The arrangements throughout just work in every way. A lot of people don't understand how complex that is but when you've got so many different sounds to contend with there's often a fine line between nailing a song and totally destroying it. In the up-tempo songs like Whisky Eyes and the very commercially pleasing Better Man everything jumps out so vibrantly not over-powering any other part of it's make-up, just working perfectly in tandem. In the more laid-back songs such as Lewknor Arch and Working Title the sounds blend to form a hazy warm fuzzy glow rather than a clash and even in Home Office, a song I was initially skeptical about when I first heard it live a year ago the arrangement makes sense and lifts a good song to greatness.


On top of brilliant arrangements there's also really nice pull-backs to the music that drew me in to the guys nearly two years ago. Turn To Cry is a wonderful Middle-Eastern sounding track which would've sat as a headline track on a second Medley album had it happened and there's even a complete and quite astonishing re-mix of Stolen Goods, the lead track from the Strange Folks EP.

I just cannot recommend this album to you highly enough. I know I like to hype the music I like up a bit but quite honestly, I believe this album will project the boys to massive stardom. They've managed to craft an album which is so uniquely and distinctively them into a commercial footing which will serve them well, not just in Israel but to the wider world.

This is a band about to enter a whole different orbit. On March 10th, you'll be able to get your hands on physical or electronic copies. You'd be mad not to get hold of it and spread the word.

Here's the full album for you to listen... http://acollective.bandcamp.com/

Best musical find in over a year!!!

NOTE: THIS BLOG HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN 2 PARTS, THE FIRST HALF FEBRUARY 21ST, THE SECOND HALF MARCH 7TH.

Wasn't I only supposed to blog once a month? Actually no, I was supposed to be giving you more free music. Instead though you'll have to excuse this most welcome of distractions. I might be bore you with the back story but I like to set the scene.

Last night I was having a little nosey at a number of upcoming gigs I might go to just to find out who was playing with the artist. I started by looking at who the lovely Ragz was playing with when she next hits London on 7th March. I found a guy called Jack Omer who really impressed me with his Ryan Adams-esque vocals. I went to search for his music, drew a blank so thought I'd check out what other gigs he was playing. His MySpace gave few clues and a Google search came up with I think an old gig but which showed who Jack was playing with. So what did I do, went and did another search to see who these musicians were.

The first I came across was a guy called Antonio Lulić musically as close to perfection for me as it gets. A quick scan of his Myspace page identified he had a new album just out. So I hit the Soundcloud player on his page and was initially impressed enough to keep listening. I flipped back to the original page I found and down the page and found a biog which I think sums it up perfectly...especially the influences.


"Antonio Jorge Lulic has been singing and playing guitar at the same time for about a decade, having cut his teeth in blues and folk jam sessions in the back rooms of bars all over the North. More recently, though, he has been sighted further afield; regularly gigging across London (or busking underneath it), and on stages as far as Europe and the US. Drawing on influences like Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco and Counting Crows, Antonio delivers a torrent of soulful and energetic electroacoustic anthems."

Note Springsteen and Counting Crows - it doesn't get much better does it?

SECOND HALF OF BLOG...

So I headed off on a rapid fire search and ended up spending an iTunes voucher I was given for Christmas on Antonio's debut EP Becomes Unstoppable and his recently released album Never or Tonight. It was quite late at night but I sat up listening to both. When they both finished, I listened all the way through again and then over the course of a week I must've listened to them both once a day at least.



Becomes Unstoppable is a majestic EP. Sometimes with EP's you get two good tracks and two bum tracks, not with this little gem, all 4 tracks are just brilliant. The songwriting and storytelling in each song is absolutely top notch, well thought through and mixed with some truly brilliantly constructed music blending together acoustic guitar, the occasional electric guitar, drums and harp. It's a simple sound yet brilliantly effective and really allows Antonio's gravelly non-British sounding voice to shine over the top of the music. The Girl Next Door and Pretty Soon Now are truly brilliant songs.

Never or Tonight is a gem of an album too, even though most of it deals with relationship break-ups. It's more a continuation of a theme than a new direction by a musician who's clearly developed a lot musically in an 18 month period since Becomes Unstoppable was released. The lyrics throughout are just absolutely brilliant and I find segments in every song relating to feelings I've experienced.

Never or Tonight is a great bridging track between the two releases and is swiftly followed by Now It's Cold, which is a real favourite. I could imagine so many more famous singer/songwriters writing and playing this song - Newton Faulkner springs most prominently to mind and that's a credit to how highly I regard Antonio. A Lost Dog and Made of Stone are really good songs too laced with more great sounds and lyrics.

Track 5 is a beautifully constructed vocal-less folky intermission. The folky theme follows on into What I Need which I just adore. It's a ridiculously good sound, mixing harmonica's, strings together, in fact the first time I heard it I thought it was an early Acollective track. Halfway through the song it changes pace and style in a way that musicians like Jason Mraz manage to do so to great effect, before finishing with that rousing bluesy/folk sound.

Tip Toe is a pretty deep song that leads into Hey It's Okay, an apology song that resonated with me deeply when I heard it, so much so I picked up my guitar and figured out the chords in about 20 minutes and sat playing along with it. The album concludes with When I Can't, another slightly sombre and deep track. It leaves you wanting more or a brighter note to finish on which is actually a really good way to leave an album, it's a musical cliffhanger.

I cannot recommend both releases enough to you, seriously, you'd be mad not to buy them and as they're on iTunes you really have no excuse!

www.antoniolulic.com
www.myspace.com/antoniolulic
www.twitter.com/antoniojl

Free Music?!?!

OK tonight's musical voyage is the first of a double header of FREE music? Holy eff...FREE music Rich, wow that's a revelation, it's called torrents, filesharing and ripping...get with the programme man!

No, no, no this genuinely is FREE music, legally free, not stealing it free, not doing it to make a statement to big record labels free, not denying a musician the right to earn a living free...just plain old FREE music from musicians wanting to share their art with the world.

So the first offering is from the incredible Joey Ryan. Joey recently announced his semi-retirement from music...well as a soloist and has decided to play exclusively with the equally brilliant Kenneth Pattengale. They sound incredible together see below for proof.

Anyways, Joey has decided that to celebrate his retirement, he's made all his music from the past two years FREE...yes FREE. You can download his last EP and full album from www.joeyryan.net There's the option to donate some money should you choose to...I think you should personally, put a value on your appreciation of what you're listening to, even in these difficult times! If you don't want to do that, at least add your email address to the mailing list.

You'll also see a link to buy/donate towards the live album with Joey and Kenneth, so just to whet your appetite for that one...



What about the preacher, did he download it for free? No kids, not only did I buy both the albums but they were hand-signed by Joey in London last June.

Go forth, do the right thing and in the process get some bloody amazing music!

Attracting Attention

Hello and welcome to my rapidly declining non-updated blog updates.

No excuses, no idle chit-chat on with what we're all here for...it's music review time...cue the band!

Ok so about a year ago I unearthed a little known Irish Singer/Songwriter kicking around the London music scene by absolute chance. Over the course of the year I've seen this man perform a few times and now he's all systems go, go, go or so it seems and has a brand new EP out too called Attracting Attention, I am of course talking about Patrick Plunkett.



The new EP is a collection of 4 tracks kicking off with Hooked On Desire, a track you'd have got for free if you signed up to his mailing list (yes FREE!). It's a really nice start although I have to say I still kind of prefer the original recorded version of it.

Then however we hit the ground running with the very cool title track, Attracting Attention. It's just supremely produced; ever so, ever so slightly quicker in terms of playing speed than I recalled it being and possesses a mindblowingly good guitar solo in the middle of the song from Patrick's lead guitarist Ronan McCullough. It's seriously, seriously good!

Next up we hit Millionaire, a track which until I heard it recorded I was really impartial to but it really does work and the arrangement works well. The final track "Come Home Tonight" is a slow, very laid back rock ballad which again works amazingly well with Patrick's rounded and well polished vocals.

All in all it's a very strong release, not as daring as he might have been tempted to take it, not mindblowingly incredible but a really big stride forward from New Beginnings and another mighty fine and strong release.

The bonus for all you music lovers out there though is that unlike New Beginnings, this new EP is available seemingly everywhere. I got mine through iTunes but I've found it on CDBaby and Amazon as well.



I'd strongly suggest you grab a copy, you'll not be disappointed...trust me!

Be good peoples x

Sometimes you can over-egg a pudding!

Happy New Year! Happy 2011!

There's so much exciting stuff and this year actually promises to be a really exciting one on the music front. 2010 truth be told was a bit of a let down after 2009 but this year, this promises to be pretty darn good.

So since I promised to unleash a whole raft of posts, we'll start the new year with a strange one of sorts. A few months back I was ask to review an album, which at first I'll be honest made me think something was amiss but alas not. I'm always dubious about doing things like that because there's always the fear of not liking what you're listening to and then feeling obligated to either write something that's not truthful or writing something negative which perhaps wasn't the expectation of the person asking you to review it in the first place.

So this one's been a bit of a tricky one because I've really struggled to connect with it and like it but then I'd struggled to figure out why until a 5am journey home on New Years Day in a slightly tired state so until I got my head into the right place, didn't want to review it.

So the album is question is "Trust" by LA-based Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Gary Melvin. The interesting thing about Gary is unlike most singer/songwriters, he appears to be a guitarist first and foremost with years of experience rather than a songwriter. In fact amongst his credits lies a stint working with Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (that's the type of pedigree we're talking about here with the guitar).



So with that pedigree in mind it's no wonder Trust is filled with catchy guitar riffs, great electric solos and clever arrangements. It's an interesting album of Pop/Rock tunes and some of it by definition I should really love but and here's the big but, for me personally it's a bit forgettable. That sounds harsh and it's not meant to be and it was only driving home at 5am on New Years Day I finally figured out why, I had the "lightbulb" moment.

See Gary has a very "sweet" (not in that sense!) rounded voice (parts of Gary's voice remind me of Dan Wilson of Semisonic and Trip Shakespeare fame), it's soft and a little understated. Here's the thing though, being a great guitarist, he knows how to craft a great song, play some downright incredible solos and fire out a catchy tune BUT it's all just a bit too much for such a delicate voice. I found that my ear spent more time turned towards the guitars instead of the vocals which means the songs themselves or rather the lyrics pretty much get lost so it's really hard to connect that link to them.

Where you really get to see Gary's talent laid very bare is in two or three songs where the heavy guitars are throttled back a bit and the ear focuses on the vocals and the lyrics a bit more easily. "Bring Love Alive" and "Angel Moon" work really well and the final track on the album "Who's Gonna Save You" just about hits the mark perfectly between that polar mix I've been writing about between guitars and vocals.

All in all it's an interesting album by a musician clearly developing his talent and refining what he wants to do with his immense talent. It's not one of those I could definitely say go and buy it, it's not one of those I'd say don't buy...it's one of those to take a listen to and make your own opinion on.

In fact having checked Gary's website you can actually download both his albums for any price (even free) at his Bandcamp page. But if you like what you hear you'd surely pay something towards it wouldn't you? Seriously, I know times are still a bit tough but don't be an a-hole ok?!?!

Regardless of anything though that is one amazing guitarist and I am slightly (no, no, more more than slightly) envious of such a talent!

Peace xxx

If the best way to find good music...

...is to go out and see it first hand, then that's probably the single most important lesson I've learnt from this year.

It's odd how 12 months has rolled on by and in truth it's been a pretty ordinary year. Let's put it into perspective, particularly in terms of music...2009 was an immense year, probably the best of my life and in terms of my life as a whole it was right up there as a vintage year. I lost count how many gigs I went to, how many musical friends I made, how much great music I bought. This year was always going to fail to live up to the expectation. But then having said that I didn't help myself a lot. This year I went to a fraction of the gigs I did last year, partly because some of my favourite venues died a sad death (Monkey Chews in Camden and pretty soon The Luminaire in Kilburn), partly because the time just didn't seem to be there and partly because most of the acts I'd been so excited about in 2009 were all overseas "doing there thing" and making their dream come true.

That being said there have been some real highlights and where the quantity has been low, the quality has remained for the most part tip-top high. So to make up for a lack of activity for most of the year I've written (well am about to, a series of blogs which I'll release over the next week covering some of the music I've been introduced to this year).

Starting off tonight is a guy I saw about 6 weeks ago at The Old Queens Head in Islington who was so mindblowingly good, so incredibly talented that it took me such a long time to share it with the word...because I'm lazy, no other reason!

I'd actually been at the venue that night to see and support Patrick Plunkett and once Pat had finished his set and another act had played, on stage walked a man who had a strange aura, a real stage presence without appearing 100% comfortable about being there. The rest as they say is history, within a few seconds of bursting into life there stood before a decent sized crowd one of the finest raw Folk/Blues/Rock singer-songwriters I've ever seen in Samuel Brookes. Note the word EVER in that sentence, I'm setting the bar very high here. Now to set a benchmark here when I say how good he is, because my word doesn't count for much really, he recently supported Ray Davies (lead singer of the Kinks) around the UK on tour. That's a pretty darn good sign of talent?


Samuel's at times mesmeric guitar playing added the most rich depth to a set of songs which drew you in so close to the music you wanted to sit in silence yet all the while still wanting to tap your feet and pass "wow's" with fellow listeners. To top it off lies a seriously big, powerful, rounded yet controlled voice.



After the set, I popped over and in my usual manner parted with a bit of money for a CD, an EP (Helium) if you will of just two songs which in the space of 8 minutes defines just how good a talent he is. "Breathe Me In" is a pretty rounded rock song with some very catchy riffs without being too heavy, it just works. "In Weeks" the second song tells a really great story about a friend who disappears out of your life from time to time popping up and then vanishing again without any reason. I totally relate to it and I'm sure we all have a friend who does that, right?

The only real disappointment with the EP is the lack of songs, I got to the end and wanted more but as a first pass and a tempter, it certainly did that!

Samuel's signed to the reasonably small independent label Helium and I believe his debut album is being worked on in the studio at the moment so hopefully it won't be too long before we get more great music from him.



Right then, I now need to go and think of some other blogs to write.

Peace xx

Au revoir Limewire!

So this week, a court in the US ruled in favour of a number of large record labels and ordered Limewire to cease providing their software and take down the Gnutella server which has for over a decade been one of the most popular methods for people wishing to illegally file share music.

Now I'm not going to ever pretend that at some point somewhere in the past, many years ago I didn't use Limewire, because I hold my hands up, I did. But the dawn of iTunes along with things like Pandora, last.fm and Spotify gsve the consumer a legal means of listening to music and then purchasing it...if they liked what they heard. It's the route I took.

Only in the past couple of years have I become so acutely aware of how badly illegal file sharing hurts independent artists in fact I have a number of friends who are musicians and the thought of people stealing from them and preventing them earning a living from their talent really sickens me.

Let's also be very clear, just because an artist is signed to a major record label, it doesn't mean they earn a huge amount of money from each record...if you don't believe me, go and have a search online for recording contracts and the percentages artists receive for Recording Royalties and Mechanical Royalties and the Deductions records labels make.

So in my view, Limewire's demise is a truly great day for music but I'm not naive enough to believe that people won't find another way to share music, I just hope it gets the same injunction slapped upon it, the future of music and talented artists depends upon it.

Right place, right time...

So recently I've been out to quite a few smallish gigs after a little break from the musical adventures. The first of which was an invite only industry-showcase event at the Regal Rooms in Hammersmith about 10 days ago. The premis of the event was 4 or 5 acts all playing just 3 songs. I went along to see the brilliant Alex Berger play and to do a "little bit of business" and I arrived too late to see the first act.

But I did walk in right in the middle of the second act who quite literally slammed me face first to the floor. See some of these showcase events can at times be pretty shabby if they're not organised very well and the quality can be sometimes somewhat lacking, not in this case.

If you scroll through to about 42 minutes, you'll see what I walked in on. The guy on stage in question is Rich Thomas of Brother & Bones a band who I can't actually tell you much about because there just isn't a lot available...except they're based in the South West of England (Cornwall area) and the eponomous debut album was released back in June this year.


Watch live video from The Regal Room Live on Justin.tv

If you've watched the video then right now I'm hoping you're going...WOW, what an incredible voice, if you're not then there's something majorly wrong with you.

Anyways, after the set I had to go and buy a CD so made a beeline for Rich. We chatted for a brief moment, I bought the CD and on the way home in the car I put it on. I had just enough time to listen to the whole thing and was a little confused, I guess it wasn't quite what I expected, although I don't know how I decided that based on having listened to an acoustic set of 3 songs, still...I popped it straight on my iPod the next morning and gave it a few more blasts and from a cautiously confused start, I eventually got it.

What the album is, is a big, huge, bold, loud and beautifully crafted and produced mix of mainstream anthemic rock songs with influences and styling from a number of other genres all centred around strong, soulful, soaring and intensely brilliant vocals. From No Soul right through to Stand Alone, you can't find a bad song amongst them and I defy you to not be drawn into even the smallest amount of foot-tapping or head-shaking. The album finishes with the beautifully laid back The Sun Must Always Go Down which I guess was the best connection between the three live songs I saw Rich perform and the rest of the album.


At the moment, you can't buy the album online, I'm sure it won't be too long before you can and I'll also be brave enough to stick my neck out a bit and say that Rich and the band could potentially be big...very, very big such is the quality. You heard it here, maybe not first, but you heard it here.

Shake it, shake it, shake it like a....Snow Globe?

Two blogs in a few days? Immense effort...not! If I'm being totally honest coming up with an intelligently witty title is pretty difficult when really tired so I promise not to quote the Black Eyed Peas in any way again...ever!

Anyways, tonight is really a blog two and a half months in the making. Remember the other night I touched on a lot of good music I was listening to? Well, back in June (the 23rd to be precise) I was fortunate enough to finally see one of my favourite musicians, Jay Nash play in London. That night he played with the equally brilliant Joey Ryan, who I wrote a blog all about back in June but they were accompanied by another musician, a man who I must confess I knew little about (apart from his friendship with Greg Holden and that he's based between London and New York), Alex Berger.


Now then imagine the scenario if you can. It was very hot and humid in London, I'd had a whole day of alcoholic refreshment (not drunk, just socially enjoying the cool offerings), my mind had been split wide open by Joey Ryan and then blown into little pieces by Jay Nash that by the time Alex hit the stage at about 10:30pm I was pretty much in mental meltdown. Anyways, Alex played a set which, if I'm honest I paid attention to at a slightly more than peripheral level not really capable of comprehending much more around me. I did grab a couple of videos, did a bit of research over the next month and fell totally in love with his song Your Last Night in Queens (which I will openly admit is one of the most beautifully constructed songs my ears have heard in years).

So fast forward to the start of August, the 6th to be precise. Greg Holden's back in London for the first time in 11 months, tickets are purchased, Alex is on the bill and I resolve to pay the utmost of attention and absorb what's going on around me. The room is hotter than the sun and I'm sweating like a geordie in a maths test (sorry, only the Brits are going to get that reference). Nonetheless sat on the floor like an old assembly at school with well over 100 people around me, I listened and was totally swept away by Alex's brilliance.

A sublime pianist, competent guitarist, outstanding songwriter, great storyteller, Alex ripped into a set consisting of Pop/Folk (Polk...as in...Poke!) songs pretty much all from his debut album, Snow Globe and a couple of new songs he'd written since the album. In fact I was so utterly blown away that as soon as the gig finished I made a rapid beeline to go and buy a copy of the album and we chatted for seemingly ages.

The next day mooching around in the car spending some time with someone extremely special to me (you know who you are!), we agreed to put Alex's CD Snow Globe on. The album, produced by the incredible Alex Wong (of numerous projects including The Paper Raincoat with the the equally outstanding AmbeR Rubarth) left us both sat pretty much mesmerised throughout only breaking silence to raise a smile at some of the more light-hearted lyrics in some of his songs including the French lyrics in Portia (a girl who Alex once dated) or to discuss the brilliance of what we were listening to. I instantly fell in love even further with Your Last Night in Queens (a song which has subsequently been listened so much it might even be in the 3 figures by now), Snow Globe, Where I Left You Last and Magic.


Alex recently played a gig at the brilliant Bedford in South London which sadly I couldn't make it to but watched it online. The show is still available, (just scroll it through till about 36:30).


Watch live video from The Bedford Live on Justin.tv

Go check him out, the album is still getting serious play time on my iPod and he's around on the London music circuit for a few more months yet, you won't be disappointed trust me!

A call to arms...give a great musician a kick start!

Ok I've given up promising to write blogs and then not delivering so I'm just going to say I'm really slack, I'm listening to a lot of good music at the moment which I will soon review, I am busy with music-related activities and I am totally useless at writing most of it down.

But tonight I wanted to write an impromptu blog to really hammer home or at least hopefully open your eyes to the world of the independent musician.

So then, why tonight of all nights? Well my friend and superb musician Greg Holden today launched an audacious fan-led initiative to fund his next record. It seems that these fan-led sponsorship deals seem to be the way forward for independent artists, but why?.


The truth is the record industry as it was, is in tatters for obvious reasons. The big labels are now finding it harder and harder to post profits, less and less large record deals are being handed to musicians and more and more are being dropped by record labels who are now more than ever 100% focused upon making each release as commercially viable and profitable as possible. Last year EMI posted an annual pre-tax loss $1.75 billion yes ok there was a huge chunk of that in write-offs but the label was forced to drop a lot of artists and I seem to recall somewhere that the company made job losses in the thousands.

On the flip side, the music industry has and is becoming more and more accessible for independent musicians. It's actually pretty easy now to record and album in your own bedroom with a few bits of decent software and some cheapish equipment, chuck it all over the internet, promote it everywhere and hopefully make a decent return, spend a little make a bit more. Not that I am for one instance suggesting you even think about doing it unless you genuinely believe you have the talent because you could always crash and burn and make a loss.

But what happens when an independent musician like Greg wants to record a proper album? There are so many costs that have to be considered, costs that in the old days, a record label would cover. I'm talking about the cost of studio time, session musicians, engineers, producers, artwork designers, CD replication and production, PR and promotion, distribution, lawyers, royalty collection services, etc, etc...all things that don't come cheap and all things that the independent musician now has to pay up front just to put a proper album out to the world...and with no guarantee of success or even a single sale. And just to put it into perspective, it probably takes somewhere in the region of $10,000 to $30,000 to produce a top notch album, you can then pretty much double the cost to add on the production, distribution, legal and promotional costs. How daunting and terrifying must that be as a musician to take that gamble? I don't think I'd sleep at night if someone asked me to lay out that kind of money of a whim. The problem is that the only tangible goods a musician has to sell is their music so they are by definition compelled to create music for sale (or give up on music and get a 9-5 job) so it's a risk that has to be taken.

So then, with a record deal either not on the table or turned down by a musician who wants to retain artistic control over their works how else do they get funding? Turn to the banks for a loan...well with the world economy in the mess it is, imagine trying to justify a bank loan of say $20,000 just for a album. Most banks...even the worst ones would probably laugh you off the premises, in fact most banks are ever reluctant at the moment to loan money to anything based in the music industry because of the transitional phase it's going through and if they do, it's small amounts, with high interest rates and ultra short terms and the banks are even demanding collateral be put up against these loans to secure them...it's madness!

Ok, so the bank is out of the question and I'm not even thinking about loan sharks or other sordid money lending services. What about parents/family? Hey Mum and Dad, I know you've supported me all my life but...can I borrow $20,000 to make a record? Unless you come from a rich family or have the most incredible parents...I think that's always going to be a struggle particularly when the majority of people around the world who earn a living are still rather tentative about their job security.

You might fancy selling stuff to fund it...but then who actually has $20,000 worth of "stuff" they can sell on ebay? Chances are if you have that much stuff, somewhere you probably have the capacity to fund a record from your own bank account.

So where else is left to turn. The most logical place is to the wider circle of people who care enough about your music who can hopefully all help in a small way...the fans.

These fan-led initatives seem to be springing up all over the place and each time I find myself feeling obligated (in the best possible way) to put my hand in my pocket and donate as generously as I can. Recently one of my other favourite singer/songwriters Jay Nash did exactly the same thing to fund his next album (which I of course felt totally compelled to support) and only last week another musician Kevin Montgomery did the same. Each of these (including Greg's) offers the fan the chance to, I guess, advance purchase the album (which offsets some of the financial risk of producing the album provided enough people advance purchase) and then going further if the finances permit to make a heartfelt donation to a great cause if they see fit in return for rewards which might include a name added to the album sleeve, hand written lyrics, phone calls, private gigs, even guitars etc, etc. It is in effect a unique offering, something you couldn't or wouldn't ordinarily get from a record label and certainly not a major one. It gives you, the fan the chance to own a piece of the record, to support a cause you believe in. I just read a comment by someone describing it as a social investment...i like that term, it sums it up beautifully, because you see, without the commitment from the fans the musician can ill-afford to take the gamble of producing a high quality album these days, so now more than ever before the musicians you know, respect and love need you!

Of course many of you might not have the cash to be able to chuck huge amounts behind an artist's project...but even the smallest amount goes a long way to helping. As much as anything it shows your commitment to that musician and you know if you can't commit financially at that time, spread the word and when the album comes out buy it, don't illegally download it.

These fan-led initiatives offer I believe a beautiful opportunity for music lovers to engage with their favourite musicians on a totally new level, to shape the music they'll listen to in the future, the music they'll hopefully tell their family and friends about, the music they'll pass on to their kids and future generations all in the knowledge that the musician has produced the album he/she/they wanted to without the creative and commercial constraints of a record label. Don't you think that's actually a really incredible thing to say you were a part of?

Times are tough I grant you, money isn't quite as free flowing as it was a few years back, the world is changing rapidly, people's attitude towards music has changed for the worse but when I look at Greg's kickstarter page and I see that in 10 hours since launching his initiative he has nearly $5,500 pledged from his family, friends and fans, it restores my faith that there are genuine music lovers still in the world who care enough to want to help and to make that difference - and if it makes me happy imagine what it does for the musician?!?!

Please go and support Greg - click here, if you haven't pledged yet.

Night all xxx

Summer's moving on...

Bizarrely I find this time of year a pretty reflective one. Over half a year gone, summer over half way done and yet so much time to still make an impact. It'd be fair to say thus far this year I've been down on gigs (number) and definitely down on good new music which means 2010 looks at the moment not to be a vintage like 2009 was but there's still plenty of time and that's got to be the source of optimism.

So on a bright note, last night I went to see Patrick Plunkett play at the Troubadour in West London with his new band. It was a tricky setting with a difficult Friday night loud drinking crowd rather than a music crowd but nonetheless Patrick and the guys put on a good show. The set was as usual highly accomplished and there was already a really good chemistry with the band so all bodes very well there although he has loads of exciting challenges now writing songs for a band rather than just a singer/songwriter and adapting his current songs for a bigger sound. Still I know it's a challenge he'll easily master, I don't for one second doubt it.

After Patrick's set another singer/songwriter came on with his band, a South African guy called Roland Albertson. His set was a much more up tempo affair and commanded that little extra attention from the crowd. There were some pretty sparkling moments mainly from Roland's electric guitarist who had some brilliant mesmerising solo's, although the whole thing was a bit tricky to gauge because the sound system wasn't quite right and it was an extremely noisy crowd.



Still after the set I grabbed a CD and whacked it on in the car coming home. Roland's 6 track Legends Of The Sun EP is an interesting mix of songs blending a lot of different sounds it doesn't settle on a particular genre which makes it ever so slightly difficult to connect with it. Don't get me wrong the songs are good, very polished and produced really well but there's an element of "I've heard this before" about a few of the tracks for instance "Picking Up The Pieces" sounds like it's come off the back catalogue of Coldplay maybes. I'm also struggling to pick the emotive element of the songs which I guess probably accounts for my lack of connection to the music.

BUT where the CD actually comes in to it's own is in the very last track Broken which finally lays bare a bit of emotion and is a truly beautiful song which you'd expect from a singer/songwriter. Again it's a totally different sound, back to an acoustic route and it really does showcase a very crafted and talented voice which finally gets exposed to its fullest.

If I had to surmise the CD I'd probably say that as a commercially viable exercise it ticks all the boxes. The tracks feel aimed at appealing to a mainstream musical audience whilst showcasing a number of different styles so if that was the intention then it achieved it definitely. That sounds harsh, don't get me wrong, it's a nice collection of songs and I got to the end of the CD wanting more which is a good sign but nice isn't always memorable.

Still I'd check him out, when Roland refines where he's aiming his music, he could build a pretty good fan-base very quickly and sell a decent amount of records.

Maybe if I wasn't such a music ponce...I'd have picked up on Joey Ryan a while back!

So then tonight from a hot and sweaty London comes the confession of a man who has been proven truly wrong. Let's be really clear, musically, I know what I like. I'm the first to admit it's pretty niche with a few exceptions but I know what I like. So when I find that I have somehow mistakenly made a big error or rather an oversight, I'll hold my hands up and go "you know what, I was wrong".

So tonight...you know what...I was horribly wrong.

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of seeing and meeting for the first time one of my absolutely favourite musicians in the world...the brilliant Jay Nash. It was an absolute delight having waited some 18 months for Jay to return (since I missed his last tour). But Jay didn't come to the UK alone...oh no, no, no!

Jay came with fellow US singer/songwriter Joey Ryan who is another member of what I call "The extended Californian music scene of brilliant artists".



So here's where the confession starts. Now I knew of Joey before he arrived here, I'd heard some of his tracks before on TV (in adverts and programmes), I'd even seen him in a video with my friend and brilliant musician Greg Holden but for some reason (and I genuinely couldn't tell you why), I had formed a rather, ill-founded and wholly incorrect view that Joey was a rather boring musician. I genuinely don't know why or how I'd formed that opinion having never really looked properly into his music so I guess the best thing I can tell you is that my opinion has been totally changed and I now see the error of my ways.

Joey (who physically really reminds me of a younger, taller and slimmer James May, of Top Gear fame...I think it's the hair) played the most brilliantly absorbing set which had the entire crowd gripped from start to finish (videos of the whole set on my youtube channel). Needless to say that alone changed my opinion and was further enhanced with the two CDs I purchased which have been pretty much played constantly for the past few days.




The first CD, Joey's latest offering of Kenter Canyon features 5 songs which are both wonderfully engaging and full of warmth and sincerity. It's a great example of an extremely intelligent, thoughtful and clever songwriter. From the absorbing Broken Headlights which deals with the weather and releasing pent up feelings for someone, through to Permanent a song which as Joey explains talks about the perils of retail therapy and also the trevails of being a musician, the EP is packed full of beautiful heart-felt lyrics and music.

The second CD, one of Joey's albums with the imaginatively and cleverly titled "With Its Roots Above and Its Branches Below" is jam packed full of brilliant tunes. From the opening We Shall Arrive which resonates with me immensely through to the incredibly intimate and personal Like A Cloak all the way through to the fondest of ode's to Joey's homestate of California the album is bristling full of maginificent songs which'll have you hooked and more than keep your attention.



So to the world, I made a mistake, to Joey you're far from mundane, you're outstanding and the lesson to learn is as follows...don't make an assumption, get off your backside and do the research...then make a call.

Right now Joey and Jay are headed round Europe on an all too brief whistlestop tour (if you ask me) before heading back to the US. Go check him out, he really is THAT good! Oh and whilst you're at it, if you're in any doubt, for goodness sake check Jay Nash out!



Peace reigns over a stifling, muggy and still London (and this blog I believe has taken 4 hours with distractions to write!)

Night all xxx

Shooting the moon...thanks Andy!

So I was preparing the write a blog and then I noticed a comment pop up in my mailbox and it rather changed the subject area somewhat. I had intended to talk a bit about a great week or so I had accompanying Israeli Band (and friends) Acollective (who you must check out if you haven't before) around the UK on their recent tour which took in Sound City in Liverpool as well as other destinations including Oxford and London but that'll have to wait for another day.

See when someone sends me a link, I feel compelled to check it out and I've now been introduced to The Moonband, a German-based Alternative Folk band very much in the same mould as one of my other favourite bands of that genre, Blind Pilot.



Now the odd and slightly annoying thing is I can't tell you much if anything about them apart from I think I can safely say they are based in Germany, there are 5 of them and they play a nice array of instruments...but more than that...I'm just as much in the know now as I was about an hour ago. I can't give you a back story, musical history, previously toured with list...absolutely nothing, in a way its a bit frustrating but at the same time it's quite cool because it means that the music itself is the bit that takes centre stage.

So what can I base the music on...well...a few youtube videos AND the songs on their myspace player. And from what I see and hear I like very much. I'd say it's more of an acoustic laid-back style of folk which has a fuzzy, warm and intimate feel to it, by that I mean it feels like it could almost be being played in your front room.



So that's pretty much all I can give you on this one, I like it, I don't know much about them and you can buy their album here.

We only stay in orbit, for a moment of time...

Oh so you thought I'd vanished off the face of the earth did you? Well I kind of did...only kind of. Truth is the last couple of months have been pretty hectic one way and another and well on top of that I've actually not found much new music to genuinely excite me enough to want to blog. I know I haven't reached a natural end of quality music I just haven't had time to search out much.

Rest assured folks now things are quietening down slightly I will be back to some sort of regular posting, I have much to jot down and over the next 2 or 3 months on various musical related subjects, many shows I intend to get to and one very exciting revelation which will come to fruition hopefully in the next 6 weeks or so.

So stay tuned folks...that's all I'm saying...stay...tuned :-)

I'm almost anonymous and it's a dangerous road...

At the moment, days turn to nights turn to days turn to nights and my feet barely touch the floor. It's been a manic first few months of the year, some of it great, some of it distinctly average but all in all pretty cool. The problem is that I just seem not to have time to blog that often...which hopefully will change over the summer months.

So as a short, hello world, tonight's effort comes from only the second gig I've been to since the start of December and this one actually turns out to be a matter of co-incidence find.

Back in October last year I travelled to the Bedford in South London to see the Strange Folks boys play a set. Before they played, I was stunned into bewilderment by the beautiful Ragz Nordset, so when I found out Ragz was due down in London again I was rather happy. Except circumstances between the both of us meant that we were both ill over the two London dates, meaning it didn't in the end happen. That being said, one of the gigs Ragz was due to play had a publicised list of artists. Being nosey as I tend to be about these music related things, I searched against the artists and unearthed an absolute gem of a musician, truly a complete gem...in Patrick Plunkett.



A pretty unassuming and down to earth guy, Patrick originally hails from Dublin and has been chasing his musical dream in London for the past three years. His music evokes memories of all the great male singer/songwriters of the past 10 years, people like Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne and some of the more mainstream successes like Paulo Nutini, Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson, only with a harder rock/americana edge. So having found him on myspace it was a true pleasure to see him play an acoustic set the other night at one of my favourite intimate venues in London, The Slaughtered Lamb.

Patrick's set covered a mix of tracks, some from his "New Beginnings", three track EP and a mix of tracks that will hopefully form part of a full blown album at some point in the not too distant future.

Here's a track that's not on the EP, called Come Home Tonight. It's a really great song and I cannot wait to hear what it sounds like with a full band behind it.



The EP has been on continual play on my iPod for three days...watch this space...this man is going places...FACT!!!!

Ok, it's not ok to forget about stuff...

So it seems I haven't vanished off the face of the earth, I'm still very much alive and well despite various rumours circulating the media of alien abductions, kidnappings and sexual predators....ok I joke, it's just been a totally hectic month and I've been pretty in the clouds with my thoughts.

What's new? I went to see the brilliant David Ford and Low Anthem at the Shepherd's Bush Empire about 10 days ago which was awesome, a beautiful gig...which I stupidly forgot to take my camera too, so no videos....doh!

Someone else thankfully caught some of it, so here's someone elses video of David Ford. This is State of the Union which is a real performance of incredible musicianship - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT5qWsG21F4 - take a look, you'll see what I mean!

Low Anthem were a total unknown quantity to me, but I was seriously impressed with them. In particular something which I would say was the most industriously brilliant and creative use of day to day technology to create the most mesmeric sound. The song in question is This God Damn House and the premise was that the crowd were asked to call the person sitting next to them, turn each phone so that the speaker of one was next to the microphone of the other and the reverb effect was....mesmeric. Sadly there's no video of Shepherd's Bush but there are other videos. This was in Dublin a few days earlier (stick with it all the way through) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSHVkaN5FLo and this was just a short clip I found from their Manchester gig which actually picks up the sound even better. It's totally mindblowing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvCNpJDMfo

Ok so now you know I'm safe and still living just another tidbit of news...if you're wondering why I've gone quiet...well I'm in the throws of something pretty exciting right now which requires a lot of attention. Needless to say it won;t be long before it gets announced to the world...wahoo!

Anyways it's late in London...nearly 2am.

Night peoples xxx