rupertcheek

CheekyPromo

2013-01-28T14:58:00.002+00:00

On the 1st Jan 2013 I set up a new Facebook group
for the purpose of formalising the music
promo I have been doing.

What better name than "Cheeky Promo"?

If you are in the music biz, whatEVER you do,
whether you're a arranger, composer, conductor, engineer, lyricist, orchestrator, performer, pianist, producer, promoter, singer, songwriter, or teacher and would like to be featured on the website, please contact me & tell me
who you are and what you do

info @ cheekypromo.com

Gabriella Rego

2012-12-27T21:07:00.004+00:00

Thinking about entering a Singing Competition?

My experiences as an Up & Coming Singer/Songwriter

by Gabriella Rego

Gabriella Rego is a singer / songwriter from West London.

My music is influenced mainly by Latin Pop and a hint of RnB.

Growing up around my Portuguese family, I absolutely love

Latin music & decided to incorporate it with my love for singing.

I’d have to say the artists who inspire me the most are

JLO, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera and Shakira.

I grew up attending a Saturday Music School in Isleworth where I did

a few grades in Piano and completed my 8 grades in Singing.

After completing my first year of university, I decided it was best

to take a gap year and find my musical ground and decide

exactly where I wanted to take my musical career.

I started by entering a competition called Open Mic UK in Sept 2010

and was successful up until the semi-finals. After it finished, I was

approached by BGM, who offered me a developing programme.

I spent the whole of 2011 songwriting, recording, and attending

seminars with people in the industry. It was a great experience

and to this day I also made a lot of friends who I’m still

in contact with today. I would recommend it.

It’s great to go through an experience and learn from others who are

also going through the same process to get to where they want to be.

By the end of 2011 I knew exactly what sort of artist I wanted to be

and have spent most of the year gigging, filming videos, as well

as attending radio interviews and being blogged about.

I think if I had to give an aspiring artist a good piece of advice

it would have to be to use social networking sites to the maximum,

perform as regularly as possible, and to network with as many

people as you can. 2012 has been a great year for me.

I took to the stage in some of London’s greatest venues
such as ‘The Underbelly’, ‘The Old Queen’s Head’,
‘The Monarch’, ‘Annie’s Bar’ and ‘The Goodship’.

I was proud to release my Debut EP ‘Need to Know’ in June,
which is available on Itunes / Amazon. Hardcopies are available
by emailing me gabriellaregomusic@live.co.uk

I would have to say that my biggest achievement to date
was seeing my EP in my local HMV store in Uxbridge.

There's plenty more to come from me in 2013, so follow me

on all my social networking sites and if you have

any questions, email me and I’ll get back

to you as soon as possible.

Happy New Year!

@gabriellaregouk

www.facebook.com/gabby.rego

www.youtube.com/gabriellaregomusic

the milk bar

2012-12-16T23:49:00.001+00:00

The Milk Bar is on Leon!

No, not the Milkybar, The Milk Bar!

This is (a) conversation(s) I've been having with Leon

"singer, songwriter, guitarist, arranger, manager AND booking agent"
with The Milk Bar on Facebook over the course of the last few months.

Latest sounds by TheMilkBar

Rupert: Hi Leon, how did you find me?

Leon: I seen you via our band page thing. Most of the "randoms"
that friend request me are boring *****. You seemed to be
in to the same stuff as me, as far as FB would have
me believe,) so added you accordingly.

Rupert: Cool. I'll take that as a compliment. How's the music going?

Leon: The music is the easy/fun bit. it's all the other sh*t

that's a dragie Rock N Roll admin

Rupert: gigging a lot?

Leon: Yes - pretty much.

Rupert : Do you have a Facebook page? Ah yes

Leon: Our website has a more comprehensive guide to "us"

Rupert: Can I listen to your music anywhere?

Leon:On soundcloud - our first AA Remix is don't run from Love

Rupert: Is there anything I can do to help you?

I prefer to listen to originals first, but thanks.

Leon: That's a broad question. We need a manager

Remixes aren't my bag, just got some enthusiastic cats on
our team. PR - a tour - just the usual a 6 month old band wants

Rupert: Not managed anyone before. I do some blogging,

Facebook page, twitter. I wouldn't count managing out;
just haven't done it. Ooh this 2nd one sounds like
a Sting/Police song; he bass/drums. Bouncy.

Leon: Yeah any promo stuff would help. I'll have a read through.

Ahh little time to heal, whenever we play that people love it

It's about my Dad who passed on early. Strange how
morbid translates into skanky ska type

Rupert: You do what you have to do, to heal

Leon: Yeah literally

Rupert: Music therapy

Leon: Catharsis in action. We need a bit more strategy
as I can't be singer, songwriter, guitarist, arranger, manager
AND booking agent. It's getting a bit too much of a head****

Rupert: Where are you based?

Leon: Chiswick - West London

Rupert: Cool! I'm in New Malden right now but home in Surbiton.

When's your next gig? How did your gig on Friday go?

Leon: OK www.themilkbar.co.uk/events

(We're playing in Surbiton I think)

Leon: Friday was average. The sound guy took

2 songs to sort out a 3 piece band out.

Rupert: Cool, I should be there. Remind me?

Leon: Yeah no probs, I'll send an invite. It's for Oxjam.
If you are around next Tuesday [23rd Oct], I'll be around all day.

Could do Richmond coffee? Coffee in Richmond

(We're blocked out rehearsal wise this week)

Rupert: I have a gig in Putney come down?

Leon: Where about are you playing?

Rupert: Half Moon; know it? [Since cancelled]

Leon: Ahhhh the Half Moon. We had to pull a gig because
we got a fully paid gig in its place due the 29th November

Rupert: Awesome; wish we had that luxury.

We've got another one on 8th Nov [since cancelled]

Leon: It's took months of one man and his dogs. You know
the score? Some sparse rooms to play loud music in.

Rupert: Yeah. tell me about it. sparse.

We've played to..2..3...4. people before.

Leon: A manager would suggest more strategic gigs.

Advanced planning, marketing. I'm a sucker for impulse,
sometimes to my own/bands detriment, however I'm learning fast

Rupert: Is it better to do every gig you can, or to do
fewer better gigs? Look at Ed Sheeran

Leon: At first I thought the former. For our type of music, I'm thinking
the latter. However a couple of times, the impulsive gig has been
amazing. It's right place, right time.

Leon: I'd actually like to do a solo project. Haven't met
the right people. Something completely leftfield.My (solo) facebook page has had numerous

offers, but I've never sorted it out

Rupert I think of myself as a composer as well
as a rock star. What kind of leftfield?

Leon: Well everyone thinks loud/visceral/raw etc - I'd like to do

acoustic/harmonies stripped. Maybe a splash of keys/synth.

Rupert: really acoustic? If you ever need a keys player..let me know

Leon: Yeah - like acoustic guitar, with pick-up. Piano/Keys (maybe horn too)

Leon: wa gwan as they say in South Acton...brraaapp etc

Rupert: What do they say in London? What does that mean?

Leon: dunno. awright guvnor

Rupert: not too bad. You?

Leon I hate this - "Yeah bruv,, bruv bruv."

No - I'm not your "bruv" guv

Rupert I'm not either

Leon: Any other colloquialisms that you have particular distaste of?

In Scotland, we have ken pal aye?

Rupert: can't think of any

Leon: You know what I'm saying

Rupert: I hate when people wear trousers that fall below their underwear,

and when people smoke in front of (their) children

Leon: Yeah - that's offensive. Yeah - I've got a daughter

and freeze my nuts off on our terrace to preserve her little lungs.
It's not fair, a filthy habit but really good with a pint...outside

Rupert: I've never partaken, though a number of my friends have / do

Leon: We're doing Saturday 27th Oct @ The Enterprise.

We have small guest list allocation - if you'd like to attend,
bring a friend and I'll make sure your entrance involves
no monetary exchange. Afterwards they play real good tunes
(Stax, Motown, Classic Garage etc) @ the club night after

Rupert: I'd love to but I think I have a party to attend / perform at.

Any more London gigs coming up? Got a Facebook Event for the gig yet?

Rupert: I Invited some people who may or not be interested

Leon: I see my band members are now online. We have stopped
inviting people in blocks and have got our lists down geographically.
I've had invites from Detroit punks, it's like "Yeah dude, hold on
whilst I catch a flight to Michigan". Appreciated.

Even if you get one new person to grab hold
of your music; that's an achievement

Rupert: Was it you who had an Event which was
'stop inviting us to gigs we never come to'?

Leon: No my boss. He's ahead of his time and super sensitive

to the fact people have the attention span of a peapod.[...].

Just got some updates; we'll be streaming live on radio
to the world via our good friend from Brighton. He's got
a station (mobile) and we'll be broadcasting. MilkRadio!

Leon: Free gig @ Wed 7 Nov, great line up, wicked people

running it. 3 other boombap bands. There's a question
on the event too. See if you can get the answer?

Rupert: Where is the event?

Leon: Camden Monarch

Rupert: Okie dokie. Ah yes: clever answers.

Leon: Are you able to make the 8th December.

It's quite a small venue and is going to be rammed!!!

Rupert: Where is it? Which city?

Leon: London - SE1

Rupert: OK. Tentatively - yes. remind me?
Nearer the time...

Rupert: How are you?

Leon: Cool, a bit spaced out. Got rehearsal in 5 hours

Rupert: Ouch

Leon: We're off up to Manchester in early January,

hooking up with the Happy Mondays crew.
So [a blog post] prior to that would be most excellent
(That was a bit Bill & Ted)

Rupert: Bodacious!

Leon: *speed tapping ensues on air guitar*

Rupert: haha. *air drumming, Mr bean style*

Leon: Yeah that's a date then. [A blog] any time after the festivities
if you have time. I've been gigging / rehearsal / drinking
since Wednesday. I'm wide awake!!

Rupert: oh. With the band or solo?

Leon: Band all the way. Been rather crazy, started in Shoreditch

finished in SE1 last night/ this morning @ 5am

Rupert: Ah, where in Shoreditch?

Leon: Hoxton Bar Music Hall (facebook)

Top of Curtain Road (with Queen of Hoxton at the other end)

Rupert: I haven't been there. I know The Shoreditch

Leon: It's about 6 mins walk from there. Great venue;
it's the joint we were at. Free entry, free drinks and food
plus expenses. Decent in comparison to

some Promoters idea of expenses.

Rupert: Tell me about it! You're doing well then?

Leon: Better than we started, but a long way to go

until I'd use vernacular like "well"

Rupert: Yeah..I hear you. But you're running at a loss or...?

Leon: About evens. The ratio of sh*t gigs has lessened dramatically
over the last 12 wks. Prior to that (barring our 1st
festival cheque in July) major losses!!!

Rupert: All the gigs, rehearsals, parking and petrol add up.
The band I was playing drums for ran at a major loss. I got
£10 once but had to contribute it towards car hire.
[Bare in mind I wasn't working so wasn't contributing to

the rehearsal costs, I guess that's pretty fair]

Leon: We're lucky in some respects. We use a studio called musicspace

which is used by Bat for Lashes (fronted by Natasha Khan) and Gorillaz

Gigging is all about gaining respect. The last few gigs

have been great with regards to monies/drinks etc..

Rupert: The band wasn't right. Where's the studio?

Leon: I'm no expert. However if you find people on the same page
as you (or singing from the same hymn sheet to use a shite metaphor)
it will work out. Studio is in Latimer Road, West London
(10 mins from Bush / Notting Hill). Directly under the Westway

Rupert: Cool. Good acoustics then?

Leon: Great sound, inclusive backline (brilliant equipment), fit girls.

I mean what more could a moody musician/songwriter ask for

Rupert: Not much. [Only Everything]. A bigger audience.

Leon: You play keys??

Rupert: Yes

Leon: Fancy a jam in the new year?

Rupert: Sounds fun

Leon: How's about this - You do the blog.

We'll get you in for a session (free of charge)

See what happens??

Rupert: So how many of you in the band?

Leon: 3 - guitar, bass & drums

Rupert: I'm committed to accompanying a singer [Nix Nugent]
but if something happens..Cool.

Leon: No harm in a jam. We usually set aside 2 hours for ideas.

Our mate Rodney Culture is a riddim, Jamaican spittin MC;
he guested with us last night. Went down a storm!!

Most recent gig
London last Saturday with our good friends
Hearse Pile-Up (SC, FB) and Jon Zimber (SC, FB, RVBNTN)

Next gigs
19 Jan '13 @ Ruby Lounge Manchester
Post Zero 'The Shallows' Single Launch Party
Pixel Fix (FB, SC, RVBNTN), The Madding Crowd,
The Milk Bar, From Your Influence
Post Zero (FB, YT, ) ft Rowetta (Happy Mondays)

White Noise At The Underbelly

First festival in February.

Recordings
Started; should be dropping early new year

The Milk Bar's 'hymn sheets'
Facebook - @themilkbarLDN

True Warrior Project

2012-12-16T19:20:00.003+00:00

I thought this post would follow on nicely from my post about Dark Beauty,

as Amanda Savory, who is helping with this project, was the one
who sent me the tweet from Dark Beauty. As it happens,

I posted some other blogs in the meantime.

Where do I start? The beginning you say?
But where IS the beginning?

Michael MacKinnon contacted me and complimented
me on my piano playing. 'Compliments will
get you everywhere'. I warned.

Michael told me about a project he was working on.

"Hi Rupert, not sure if Ive told you about the True Warrior Project,

spoken to so many people about it I'm losing track, just in case I haven't
here it is in brief, wrote a song in honour of a woman I met who died
of cancer, getting to the stage where it's about to be put out for sale

and every penny possible will be donated to cancer related causes.

Now my question is this; after hearing the head in the heart I was
moved by your piano playing, so much that I was wondering if you
would play the piano on the song, I can send you the full score
and anything else you need, I know I have only just met you
[but here's my number, so....] and it's not something you ask
a near complete stranger, but your piano skills are just so
perfect for this project, the emotion in that track almost
had me in tears. Of course if this is something you feel
that isn't for you then that's totally understandable.
Let me know Mr Cheek

Oh, and he fell in love with Nix's voice too!

Could YOU say "no"?

I asked him if there were any pianists closer to him.

He said "I don't want anyone else; I want you"
I couldn't really say no!

So he sent me what he had done of the song so far
A score and an audio file. I imported the score
into Sibelius and started to experiment

www.facebook.com/TheTrueWarriorProject

Michael Mackinnon @ musicandfeelings
truewarriorrtg.blogspot.co.uk
@truewarriorrtg

Michael explains the genesis of the project on the blog;

"In 2008 I went to Florida to pursue a possible career as a Songwriter,
packed my bags and left the U.K with £5 in my pocket and a dream
that I would be a successful lyricist, things didn't quite work out
as I had imagined, which I won't go into detail, however what did
happen changed my thinking completely.

While I was there I met the sister of the lady I had gone over to be with,
Cheryl Howell. Her sister, Dawn Reese, was at the time battling cancer,
and to be honest, not doing so well, I was told that Dawn was weak
from the disease and that any exertion should be avoided, so I prepared
myself for what I thought was going to be a sullen experience, on meeting
Dawn, me being me, couldn't help my very dry, very British sense
of humour from escaping, and from that point on Dawn was in
fits of laughter, we laughed so hard at times you could see
members of her family looking concerned that this would cause
more problems for Dawn, but as time passed Dawn became
a little stronger, who knows if it was the laughter, or the fact that
there was a new person that she could interact with, sadly this
only lasted a short time and Dawn passed away, for me
this was a real shock, I had made an amazing friend
and lost one in the blink of an eye, that feeling of the space
she once occupied now being vacant was a strange feeling.
While Dawn was on this earth I started to notice that even
with what she was going through there was an amazing quality
about her, she remained a most remarkable woman;
always pleasant, always serene and always mischievous.

www.facebook.com/TheTrueWarriorProject

Michael Mackinnon @ musicandfeelings
truewarriorrtg.blogspot.co.uk
@truewarriorrtg

One morning I woke up and went onto the patio, sat at the table
that I usually sat at to write lyrics, and without thinking I started to write
the words to a song, and the words literally flowed onto the paper,
within 5 minutes I had completed the whole song,something which
has never happened before or since. I showed it to Cheryl, and
she had tears in her eyes, now only having the lyrics was OK,
but I knew it would need music, so I spoke to a couple of people
on a songwriting site and asked if anyone could compose music
and sing the words, a gentleman volunteered to do what I had asked,
a day later I got an email with the finished version attached, I played
it to Dawn and she stopped the CD and gathered all the family
members around to listen to it. What I remember the most was
the look on Dawn's face, she knew from the words that I understood
what she was going through and that I saw how brave she was
in how she conducted herself, her last wish was that the song be used
to do some good for other people who would have to go through
the same thing. So here we are at this point in 2012, the song has had
a complete overhaul, I actually managed to sit down and write the music
myself so it got me thinking, how could the song be used to help other
people in the same situation, so I came up with the True Warrior Project,
a very simple idea, sell the song and use any money raised from the sale
to help various cancer charities, but instead of handing cash over to them,
the donations would be in the form of equipment and services
and that's what the aim of this project is.

Please support us by buying a copy of the song / CD.
The money from the sale will go to cancer charities.

www.facebook.com/TheTrueWarriorProject

Michael Mackinnon @ musicandfeelings
truewarriorrtg.blogspot.co.uk
@truewarriorrtg

Helen Edwards

2012-12-12T01:15:00.000+00:00

Helen Edwards is a lyricist.

Helen: What sort of things do you like to write about in that blog of yours?

Rupert: I've been mostly doing interviews with musicians

You're a musician?

Helen: Lyricist. I love it. It's my emotional release in dark times
and good times. provides the basic to all songs.

Rupert: Ah OK. A different perspective is good.

Have you worked with musicians?

Helen: I have done one collaboration but that's it. In the middle of
a few collaborations though. I have over 50 songs
and been writing for since I was 11.

Rupert: How you work with different musicians?
Some of the 6 you're working on now...?

Helen: I write lyrics for musicians when they send me their music and melodies.
It's all about networking with others and using others people talent to
create music. There are a lot of songwriting forums and music groups.
People ask for lyrics and they send me the instrumental to produce lyrics.
Sometimes I post asking for vocals and instrumental. So both really.

Rupert: Which do you prefer?

Helen: I definitely prefer lyrics then music because I just find it easier as you
have more control as your starting the music production off. I prefer to write
music about things that inspire me and it's harder to write music.I find about things that inspire me from listening to a track.

Rupert: How do you find working with the musicians?
Do they always agree with what you write?
Do they ever ask you to change anything?

Helen: I like working with them because it's great
being able to see other people talents bounce off others.
Some are professional others are far from it.

Rupert Do you work with some musicians for a long time?
Or is each new song for a different singer?

Helen: Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, I don't mind changing
lyrics because I know it will improve the track and lyrics.

Rupert: Do you have any favourite lyrics you've written?

Helen:My favourite is Perfection.

Rupert: Any favourite singers you've worked with?

Helen: I haven't found a permanent collaborator yet; still looking.
I usually work on one song then start working with someone else.
I have loads of favourite lyrics of mine. I've only got 2 songs done yet
as I'm just starting out but in the middle of lots of songs at the moment.

Rupert: Why did you start doing it? Did you write poetry before?

Helen: When I was 11 years old (19 now). Yeah something like that.
I wrote poems then starting thinking 'you know what; this could easily
be a song'. My quality and standard improves all the time.

Rupert: Who influenced you when you writing poetry?

Helen: It's the passion that drives me. I don't know if it was anyone
in particular but when I was going through a lot of emotions
as a teenager, putting on paper helped. It was my emotional
release then it turned into songs and a love for music.

Rupert: Do you listen to a lot of music?

Helens Oh yeah I can't go a day without it. Literally

Rupert: Who do you listen to?

Helen: Everything. pop/rock, soul, jazz. Where do I start?!

Rupert: Does the music you're listening to influence the lyrics you write?

Helen: Yeah it definitely influences the way I write and the style.
I grew up listening to soul and pop too.

Rupert: What issues do you write about?

Helen: The things I have gone through in my life and the things
I have felt: heart break, love songs, being bullied, people trying to
be perfect, being in love, growing up, feeling confused.

Everything that you have probably felt is probably in my portfolio.

Rupert: When someone sends you music, do they say
'it's a love song' or do they let you figure it out?

Helen: Some do and some don't. Most of the time I ask people
when I get sent a track I ask if they have a mood and theme in mind.

Rupert: Would you like to write music?

Helen: Yes that is my dream for the future vocal training
and to produce my own song to get that cut in music industry
plus that will mean all the royalties will go to me and no one else

Rupert: So you would like to write the words, the music, and sing?

Helen In the future I would like to do all 3. That's for future with lots
of training! I realised from my mentoring that networking is the key.

Great groups for advice, mentoring and answering questions

On the International Songwriting Collaborations group the admin is
Jack Ponti. There are others on there who will explain the industry and
help you with advice on songs and on getting known. Another group

is So you really want to Learn about the Music business.

Rupert: Would you prefer to work with 1 musician for a long time?

Helen: I would prefer to have a permanent collaborator.
I'm working with others in the meantime because it means
I get to bounce off other peoples talents and try new styles.

Rupert: Add you'd like to find someone who lives close to you?

Helen: It would be ideal but a lot of music can be done online.

It would be good to find a musician to work with on a permanent basis.

My dream is to get my music heard. Make a hit song lyrics.

Rupert: What would help you at the moment?

Helen: Getting good feedback and getting songs
done as much as possible so I can get my cut and
write a hit in the music industry! That's my dream

Musicians can message Helen via her songwriting page.

Sophie Hosken-Taylor

2012-12-11T20:49:00.002+00:00

Sophie Hosken Taylor is a singer-songwriter of folk/pop.
She has performed at various venues such as
The Orange Box and The Colston Hall.

She self produced an album and takes influences from various artists
ranging from underground singer-songwriter Jose Vanders (LAYLA)
to old folk classics such as Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell.

It Could Have Been Worse by Sophie Hosken-Taylor

facebook.com/sophiehoskentaylor

soundcloud.com/sjhoskent

Rupert: hello there

Sophie: hey

Rupert: how are you?

Sophie: I'm good thanks, how are you?

Rupert: busy ish. but..well. What are you up to?

Sophie: Ha, good. I'm currently going through my emails
and trying to book up January with gigs. What about you?
Sorting out your blog I suppose, haha.

Rupert: yes. trying to prioritise an order

Sophie: Do it in order of who asked you first, perhaps?

Rupert: And sorting my diary; hospital appoints, job interview, job centre...

Combination of who asked first and when they want it done by

Sophie: Ah I see. Hmm. How long have you been doing your blog for?

Rupert: a few years, with varying frequency, but trying to do more these days

Sophie: Fair enough. I always start blogs but then end up giving up on them.

Rupert: More important to make music than to write about it

Sophie: Oh yeah, definitely.

Rupert: that's for me to do

Sophie: But I've always liked to observe as well as write the music.

Rupert: so..where are your next gigs?

Sophie: I've only got two booked for Jan so far; one's at Ginglik

and I'm waiting for confirmation from New Cross Inn (facebook).

Rupert: How are you getting these gigs?
Contacting the venues directly or through a promoter?

Sophie: Usually I contact the venue. I'm new in London so I'm trying to
break through the local music scene. Before, I knew the promoters
that were putting on shows around me so I knew who to talk to.

Rupert: where were you before then?

Sophie: I was in Somerset before I came here.

Rupert: ah..where?

Sophie: Specifically Yeovil. I'm originally from Bristol though.

Rupert: One of my cousins is around there. My paternal grandparents
had a cottage in Combwich. Heard of it? It's a very small place.

So where in London are you?

Sophie: No, I've not heard of it. I'm in Acton, although I did move to Oakwood
last year for about 9 months for university but it didn't really work out.

Rupert: I used to rehearse in a place in North Acton, called "Panic"

My first attempt at Uni was a Learning Experience

Sophie: Oh right, that's cool. I went to Arch Studios last night to rehearse.
That was pretty cool. Yes, I suppose I could say the same thing.

Rupert: Where is Arch studio?

Sophie: Right by Stamford Brook tube station.

Rupert: I don't know that part really. What's the studio like?

Sophie: It's quite cool actually. It's right under an arch
of a bridge in which the tube goes over. It's got a nice feel to it.
You can feel the rumble of the tube going by which is pretty cool.

Rupert: and it doesn't both you when you're trying to rehearse?
I guess if you're playing loud music, it doesn't matter..

Sophie: Well we were in the top room I suppose. It's different
in the lower ones. But it's not really noticeable. It was late,
so it was quite quiet around the studio anyway.

Rupert: how much do they charge?

Sophie: I'm not sure but I don't think it's that much.
As a student I get to use the studio for free..

Rupert: Ah, how's your course? What do you study there..specifically?

Sophie: It's okay. It's better than the Uni I was at previously.
I'm studying a BA in Songwriting.

Rupert: Learning much?

Sophie: Not particularly. My tutor at college taught me far too much,
When I went to university I knew everything already.
Now I'm studying everything I did in the last 2 years. Haha.
But they make it more interesting here.

Rupert: What about networking? If you're not learning about the songwriting.
Are you meeting people who can help, who you can write with?

Sophie: Oh yeah, that's pretty good. They hold networking nights for us,
which we can talk to each other and what not.

Rupert: cool. It's not just WHAT you know but WHO you know

Sophie: Oh yeah, definitely! But it' always been like that really.
Bit sad really; knowledge should overcome anything.

Rupert: If you could have music, or..people..which would you choose? Friends etc..

Sophie: I think.. Music. I always find a friend within music.
I really couldn't live without it. Although that does make me sound
pretty mean. Haha. At least I could sing about it!

Rupert: I may well feel the same

Sophie: People can be cruel. Music is such a solace for me. I feel like
I've just been interviewed haha! Do you ever review live gigs?

Rupert: funny you should say that (First part). I hope you didn't mind.
I haven't done yet but considering all the possibilities

Sophie: Haha, no I don't mind. I did wonder if you were secretly doing so.

Rupert: sharing peoples music in whichever ways I can. Mua haha!

Sophie: Well you won't hear any complaints from me!~
I appreciate you taking the time to share my music.

Rupert: I haven't yet! But I will. May be in the new year, may be sooner

Sophie: I know you haven't, but I'm just thanking you anyway. In advance!

Rupert: I haven't listened to any of it yet. Where is the most recent stuff?

Sophie: They'll be on soundcloud. My latest tracks are 'Us' and 'Breathe'.

Rupert: [listening to US]. Where do you record? At the Arch?

Sophie: No, I've been recording at Holcote Studio which is in Yeovil.
Not the best studio, but it's okay for demos and stuff. No, it doesn't have
a website. It's just a small studio for local use really.
Part of a college, so it's not a massive studio.

various artists

2012-12-11T19:18:00.002+00:00

I posted a message on a number of Facebook groups asking if anyone wanted to be
featured on my blog and I was somewhat overwhelmed. I wondered about posting
individual blogs for each artist but I think I will include a few in a single post.
But then what should I call it? "Various artists"? I might post expanded blogs
with individual artists. Gotta start somewhere, right?

Simon Whitton - sawsound - Facebook page - @sawsound - youtube
Hey Rupert, we are in a very exciting place at the moment,
with lots of forward momentum about to ignite.
Expect a new single soon.

Millia da Silva - @milliaOz - youtube
Millia: Hey Rupert, how are you doing?

Rupert: hey, I'm OK thanks, how are you?
I'm listening to your SoundCloud now [see/listen below].

Millia: I'm all right. Still recovering from a little "flu attack"
but on my way to be fine. Hope you enjoy my music.
The stuff in Portuguese is old stuff I had with a band, and as a solo artist,
not my actual project I'm starting at the moment, but I hope you enjoy.

Rupert: its just you on guitar and singing (run fire burn); that's current?Millia: Yep. I have no band at the moment, I'm only working on my stuff in an
acoustic versions until I get a proper job that can pay by bills and make me
save up for a studio. The others have 8 years (the F.M. ones) and the
solo one has 3 years already...So yeah...It's been a hell of a year so far.
But I'm working on my music at the same time. And doing the most I can
with what I've got. For now it's just me and my guitarist

Rupert: it works, but you want to have a band?

Millia: Eventually it should work on that direction. I still want something quite
in an acoustic type of sound I think. But a bit more worked on.
I have to get some sleep now, long day tomorrow...

Rupert: OK. I see you have a gig at Rattlesnake. Nice place. Good luck

Millia: Yeah, tomorrow. It was going to be Old Queen's Head,
but there were some issues with the venue and the promoter
apparently. So it's Rattlesnake (facebook) now.
If you have some time, come up. Nice "meeting" you.

Panic Island

Hey Rupert. Cheers. My band Panic Island are looking for a drummer,
can you recommend any dedicated players that might fit what we're doing?

Would appreciate any recommendations. Thanks. Arron

Sophie Hosken-Taylor (facebook - bandcamp)

Hi Rupert, I'm a singer-songwriter of folk/pop and have performed
at various venues such as The Orange Box and The Colston Hall.
I've self produced an album and take influences from various artists
such as underground singer-songwriter Jose Vanders (Now LAYLA)
and old folk classics such as Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell

Veronique Vesper:

www.veronikavesper.com/
www.facebook.com/veronikavesperofficial
I've noticed a few of these "planet Earth" inhabitants on twitter recently!

Send Newsletters to your fans from ReverbNation.com

Stew Simpson @ Hadrians Union

Listen to Hadrian's Union on Spotify

Stew: London and Cumbria. It's a long story

Rupert: Ah. Do you know Langholm?

Stew: Rings a bell. Where is it?

Rupert: Dumfries and Galloway. My mum was born there.

Stew: Well I live 13 miles outside of Carlisle

Rupert: So...What's the story?

Stew: I do extra work in films and TV in London

My band Hadrians Union is based in Carlisle.
We play music all over the UK.

Rupert: Ooh. I have a friend who does that

Stew: When times are quiet I sell my art. Where do they do it?

Rupert: Ming @ facebook. His agents are The Cast Collective

Stew: I work with the Casting Collective and many more.

Rupert: Ming @ castingcollective

Stew: We have a song on our new album about being an extra.
That's funny we are with the same agency. I am actually going to
London tomorrow morning for a job. Check out Extra Extra

Dark Beauty

2012-12-07T21:06:00.000+00:00

Sometimes it's a really small world!

Amanda Savory is a facebook friend.

She is a musician by the name of Mandaress.
We're working on a project together, but I think
that's another story. I mean blog.

Recently Amanda sent me screenshot of a tweet that a band had sent
looking for guest blogger and writers to help them promote their band.

I emailed the band. Liz, the singer replied. Then I replied to her reply...then...etc etc

This is my first guest blog for the band, which is called Dark Beauty.

Then on I added Liz as a friend on facebook and this happened

Lori: Hi Rupert! How are you! So glad you are friends with Liz and vice versa

Rupert: Hi Lori, long time, how are you? You know eachother then...

Lori: I am good Rupert. Yes, I am proud to say that

Liz is a friend and studies singing with me.

Rupert: Ah! Small world...

Liz: Holy Cow...you guys know each other? WOW!!!

This is way too cool! What a small world!

Lori: Rupert was Howard's student at Kingston University.

How do you guys know each other?

Rupert: Yeah! I was at Kingston Uni 2002-03. I met Lori there.

As with Howard [her hiusband]. How long have you 2 known eachother?

Liz: Jeez how crazy is that.

[To Lori] We just connected through twitter and FB
[We're] hoping to work with Rupert on our blog.

[To Rupert] I've been studying with Lori for about 3 years now

Rupert: How's it going (shh..you can be honest...)

Liz: lol...I probably should let Lori answer that,
but I hope to say going well so far

Rupert: What are you studying?

Liz: Bel Canto (Opera). I have to say she is trulythe best teacherI've had so far and has really changed andimproved my voice.

Rupert: and it's helping with Dark Beauty?

Liz: I wanted to be able to sing in a more operatic style

and this is helping greatly with my songs

Rupert: So what style would you say dark beauty is...in 2 ish words?

Liz: Well...we describe ourselves as: Classically Influenced -
Gothic Alternative, Progressive Rock. It's hard to say
what what we're all about into 2 words.

Rupert: I've got an answer...

Liz: Would love to know

Rupert: "awesome music"...or something..

Liz: lol...love it and thank you for that

Rupert: or 1 word; "epic" or "beautiful"

Liz: Thank you and that's the main word I use all the time...EPIC!

So Liz and I were discussing ways to use social media to promote the band.
She showed me some brief video diaries the band has been doing.

She has just written a blog post on the bands website - have a read.

darkbeautymusic.com - Making Social Magic Happen

So, do you agree with Liz' descriptions of the music?
You can connect with Liz and Dark Beauty in a number of places.
Google+ - soundcloud - @DarkBeautyMusic - youtube
They'd love to hear from you!

Jess Goyder

2012-11-24T12:15:00.001+00:00

I met singer songwriter and pianist Jessica Goyder, and her cellist Emma,
at The Bedford (facebook / facebook) in Balham, London on 1st Oct '12
whilst there accompanying singer songwriter Nix Nugent.

The live music starts around 1'17" - with me accompanying Nix.

Jess' first set starts around 1'42"

I just spoke to Jess on the phone about her music. Some exciting projects on the way.
Watch HerSpace. Or, rather, Listen. But in the meantime, have a listen to
her songs on bandcamp. @JessGoyder on twitter.

Jess Goyder by Jess Goyder
Here's Something She Prepared earlier

Lauren Tate; Bankrupt Sessions

2012-11-24T06:45:00.004+00:00

Hey Rupert!! aaah so glad you enjoyed it! Yeah East of the Labyrinth came about hmnnn. Well we where all just jamming about then i just started singing in another language (which I made up) ahah, and then Pete was like.. what the hell is that? DO it again!! haha, but I was actually saying made up words at first, so when it came to recording he just said freestyle. But then I stopped making up so many words as they could've meant something in another language hahaha, didn't want to risk offending people. Thank you for your nice comments man, it sure has been fun making the album.

So it's finally out! Get your hands on a copy now!

Message Lauren via www.facebook.com/LaurenTateBarnsley

or email laurenelizabethtate@hotmail.com

UK £6.95 Europe £8.95 Rest £9.95

(inc post and packaging)

cellomike

2012-11-14T22:43:00.000+00:00

Beautiful, don't you think? Music in unexpected places...

I must admit I haven't really explored the cello repertoire
and don't really appreciate the instrument as much as I might.

My oldest brother studied the instrument when he was younger

but I don't think I existed at the time so didn't hear him play.

Bach's cello suites and Elgar's concerto are about the extent

of my knowledge of the instrument's sonorities. Oh, and Zoe Keating.

Michael Lunapiena is a wandering cellist who seems keen to
break the rules, think outside of the box; or perhaps there IS no box?

Under the cellomike.com guise, he plays in the steampunk scene a lot,

plays in 3 or 4 rock bands, makes up his own music
and plays in the subways in NYC!

Many people think of the cello as a purely classical instrument, but

pop musicians have been incorporating string parts into their songs
for years. Does instrumentation define style these days?

Michael: "It's funny you mention Zoe Keating; she's an influence of mine
and the Bach and Elgar are some of my favourite stuff in the classical world
along with the Kodaly Sonata (which is this pentatonic, post-harmonic,
soulful masterpiece of cello music)."

Well, I definitely would *never* use the phrase "classical" to describe what I do.
I've toyed around with using the phrase "Anti-Classical", because in many ways
what I do is a reaction against the conservative, narrow-mindedness of a lot of the
classical world today. It's turned into this sort of museum culture where everyone is
intent on becoming the best carbon copy, rather than a world where people experiment
and do new things and make up their own rules. My defining musical influences
have always gone back to Heavy Metal/Rock Music, though they've also expanded
over time to include Irish Folk, Industrial, Film Music (which I think is actually the
continuation of the symphonic/orchestral idea)... good music from all around, really.

Rupert: How would you define Steampunk music

Michael:
That's the tricky thousand dollar question; I don't know that there really is
a single definition, because while music is an integral part of Steampunk culture,
it's not the defining characteristic of Steampunk. The great thing about that is
you get a sort of cross-section of every musical style from Punk to Goth/Synthpop
to Folk to Gypsy/Klezmer (wikipedia) influenced music to people playing with
theremins [wikipedia] or instruments they created; it's really all over the place.The best of it is experimental and new, and the worst of it ends up
sounding like something that's been done already.

The bands I play in are all different styles.

Psyche Corporation (facebook, youtube) is sort of a cyberpunk/darkwave band.

The Rose West (bandcamp, facebook, twitter) is epic, narrative-driven rock music
that takes influences from groups like Coheed and Cambria / The Band 3 and
fuses that with the members own eclectic tastes and experimental song writing.

Eli August and The Abandoned Buildings (youtube, thesteampunkempire)
have elements of folk and classical instrumentation with a big historical
element and sort of everyday person perspective.

As far as the solo stuff I do (cellomike), it's sort of just its own beast.
One second I'll play some Irish folk tunes and the next second I'll play
a Metallica cover, or do my standard looping film music cover thing
or play some sort of middle-eastern influenced thing.
Sometimes I have a singer or guitarist join me.

Rupert: How does the venue and the audience affect the musical style?

The venue, audience and style are related in the sense that I've got a
smorgasbord of influences and repertoire to choose from, and I always want to
connect with my audience - whoever they are that given night - but at the same time
I want to challenge them. Also, what I play is really just a reflection of my own
exploration; the things I'm working on, or inspired by at the moment.
Sometimes the inspiration from that comes from other people,
or just browsing on YouTube or realizing I don't know
much about a certain genre or style of music.

Rupert: When you make your own music, as a soloist, how do you write it?

Michael: Writing music for me comes out of jamming & playing around
most of the time, mostly in the subway. When I'm writing at home, sometimes
I'll just open up garage band & record a track & then record something
over it. I'm trying to work more now on incorporating singing
and more rhythmic elements, since most of my stuff tends to be long,
drawn-out ambient kind of stuff

Rupert: does your role in each group differ in terms of the creative side..

How do you find the differences between working
in groups and working solo?

Michael: In some ways my creative role differs & in some ways it's totally the same.
I think the reason I can do what I do is that I'm not the lead creative person
in any of my bands, I'm sort of in more of a support role; like a "let me see
how I can fill in or expand this idea". In the case of Psyche Corp, I'm not really
involved creatively right now. With Eli August & The Abandoned Buildings,
we're all working out parts together that compliment each other. With Rose West,
I tend to see how I can add onto Robare's ideas (he's the primary songwriter)
or help him sort of take them sideways just a little bit. with my solo stuff,
obviously I'm in the lead & it's sort of just like playing around and
experimenting or finding something that motivates me.

Rupert: (How) does the music (your cello playing) in
each band affect what you do in the other bands?

Michael: Well besides the fact that Robare and I play in those 3 bands together
(Eli, Psyche Corp and Rose West) and there's sort of more opportunity
for jamming/camaraderie, I don't think it does really,

Rupert: How did you meet Robare?

Michael: That's a funny story! 4 or 5 years ago I was playing an Open Mic thing
in Yonkers, NY and the downstairs room was DEAD. So afterwards I went up stairs,
because I heard this cool rock band playing; they were called Tryptic.
I talked to them, and they were looking for a keyboard player at the time
but I was already in a band called Soapbox Army & didn't think I had time to do it.
Fast forward to this past April I was setting up a show w/ Psyche Corp.
at Waystation and my friend Babs goes "you should contact The Rose West"
(who I had coincidentally discovered on fb a few months before
and had been looking for); turned out they were the same guys
from that show in Yonkers

I should add that I also play keyboards in Rose West now as well as cello.

Rupert: What are your next gigs?

Michael: Cafe Fulya in Philadelphia Nov. 30th. Not much else until January, really, once the Steampunk Conventions start up again ... Rose West might do some upstate shows, but otherwise, I think we're all focused on writing and recording for a bit (particularly w/ Eli August & The Abandoned Buildings)...I'll be playing lots of open mics in NYC, but hopefully also getting to Philadelphia/Boston/Baltimore/DC areas.

Jazz Morley

2012-11-14T18:45:00.001+00:00

Jonas De Keukelaere recently told me about Jazz Morley, a Dorset (UK) based singer he had written about her at his website music court - jazz-morley, which is about promoting and supporting up-and-coming artists. There is also a facebook page associated with the website. Jonas enjoys listening to and promoting artists and likes watching the livestream of the gigs at The Bedford in Balham, London. Jazz was due to perform there recently but was unable to sing so he looked her up & liked it.

I usually start by listening to the music...

After listening, I can agree with the info on her facebook page;

"She’s a girl you’re more likely to find padding about bare foot on the beach,
walking through puddles in wellies or driving Barry (her battered
but beloved van) to the next gig."

I love her tender voice, the vocal harmonies, the arrangements -
for example how the pizzicato strings and piano are related in Stories.
I wondered how much creative control Jazz has of these songs.

Jazz' manager informed me that Jazz is on tour for the next couple of weeks
so I emailed her to find out more about her and her music.

Rupert: Thank you for taking the time out of your recording schedule
to talk to me. What are you recording at the moment?
Who with? Where?

At the moment I am currently recording a little something for Christmas...
All will be revealed very soon!! I'm working with a wonderful producercalled Kipper, who produced Sting's Brand New Day album!

Kipper and his lovely production assistant Bradley work in a beautiful
converted barn studio in Surrey. So we hang out there, making music
and mischief. I laugh a lot when I'm there!

Rupert: Do you prefer performing live or working in the studio?
How do you see (hear) the relationship between what you
do in the studio and what you do live?

I used to much prefer performing live to being in the studio, but I think
that's because I hadn't yet found the right studio or producer. I feel completely
comfortable recording at the moment; the team around me and the environment
we work in is so relaxed and creatively stimulating - I love it. However, I would
still say my biggest passion is performing live - I love the adrenaline and the
unpredictability of it all. And interacting with new people,
feeding off of their reactions.

With regard to the relationship between my live and studio work - at the moment
we are making sure that the original, acoustic song can still be very strongly heard
in the recordings, as I am alone on stage and want to be able to give a fair
representation of what people are listening to at home.
One day I will have a band (when I can afford one), so the produced work
will be able to get even bigger and more exciting.

Rupert: How do (you) go about putting the arrangements together?

That is a combination of what I can hear and being able to communicate that
with Kipper who is more adept than me at transcribing onto manuscript!
Some of the instrumentation just develops naturally over an amount of time,
through trial and error. Whereas we need to be a little more organised
for the session players (i.e. strings) that come in to record their
parts so that's where the sheet music comes in.

Rupert: I love your tender voice.
Who are your main vocal influences?

When I was a kid I was obsessed with all the power ballad divas; Whitney,
Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey... their voices baffled me! Then I became in total awe
of Eva Cassidy; to me her voice was as close to perfection as is possible.
As I've matured, my influences have become so varied.
I never try to emanate someone else's voice though; I've always felt
like I've had my own, which is so important I think.

Rupert: Do you play any (of the) instruments as well?

I play the piano live. Not always on recordings though, as often the job
needs to be done swiftly and precisely, and I have a bit of a habit
of going into my own world...

Rupert: How / when did you get into music?

It's a cliche, but I've been into music for as long as I can remember. I'm lucky
enough to have a very creative family who have always supported my love
for the arts, without pushing me into it. When I was growing up, my Mum
was a touring musician, and my Dad an actor. Now my Mum is a music
teacher and my Dad is a managing director of the Audio-Visual
side of an entertainments company. So I've had support from all angles.

Rupert:Do you write your songs as well as singing them?
What was the first song you wrote? Which is your favourite?

I do write my own songs yes, but I also enjoy writing with other people too.
I've established some great friendships and working relationships through
co-writing, and it allows me to explore things I would never have discovered
alone. I enjoy writing alone and co-writing equally, as~
they are two completely different experiences.

The first 'proper' song i wrote was called 'Please Let It Go' and it was
about a boy called Matt who broke my heart when I was 14.

Favourite song of mine? Hmmm... that's a hard one. It changes all the time
depending on my mood and how they are going down live.
Also, when I write a new song I often like it that little bit more
than the others for a while because it's all shiny!!

My writing technique isn't the most stable or predicatble. I can sit down
for 3 months and try & write a song and nothing will come out. Then I'll be
somewhere very inconvenient like in the bath, on the tube or in a public toilet
and something just comes to me, from nowhere, and the whole song
will come out in 5 minutes. That's why I carry a dictaphone!

Rupert: What was the first gig you did?
What was the best / worst?

My first public solo performance was when I was 4, singing
Away In A Manger on the end of a pew at the Christmas Concert!

The best gig of this tour so far probably has to be Sheffield!
It was so unexpected, I've never played anywhere near Sheffield before,
but the turn out was fantastic, the venue gorgeous,
the audience amazing and the support acts brilliant too. The perfect night!

My worst gig probably has to be when I fainted coming off stage
as I'd forgotten to eat that day...!

Rupert: Where would you like to perform?

My dream is to sell out the Royal Albert Hall and get a standing ovation.
And an encore. Not asking for much... ;)

Rupert: only everything.....[...]
What would you like to achieve next year?

I'd like to continue what I am currently doing; gigging around the country,
meeting new people, connecting with audiences, building up a solid,
loyal fan base slowly but surely. Making new friends, discovering more
about myself as an artist, doing more recording, having more life
experiences and writing about them... To be honest, it is hard work
doing things the way we are doing them, but I truly believe it is the best
way of a building up a long lasting career as a performing & recording
artist. I'm not in this for the short term, I want to go the distance.
And the deeper the roots, the taller the tree. At the moment
it is a baby tree with teeny roots. But we are making sure we
spend time & effort harvesting the soil and creating the perfect
conditions for it to flourish into a strong and sturdy evergreen. :)

Rupert: How is 'Barry'?

Barry is wonderful thank you. I do love him.
Probably the only man who will ever understand me.

Rupert: Where is your next gig?

The Hare and Hounds in Kingsheath, Birmingham tonight.
Gorgeous venue soaked in musical history. Can't wait!!

Thurs 15th @ Portsmouth @ The cellars at Eastney
Sat 17th @ Penryn, nr Falmouth @ Miss Peapods
Sun 18th @ Plymouth @ The B-Bar
Wed 21st @ London @ 12 Bar Club
Thurs 22nd @ Brighton @ Komedia

www.jazzmorley.co.uk
www.twitter.com/jazzmorley

www.youtube.com/jazzmorley
www.facebook.com/jazzmorley

soundcloud.com/jazzmorley

Charlie Law-n-Order

2012-11-13T15:08:00.000+00:00

Charlie Law is a singer-songwriter-guitarist based in Kingston upon Thames, SW London. I have previously had discussions of whether Kingston counts as London or Surrey, but that's neither here nor there. Charlie is studying music at Kingston University, and I started chatting to him on Facebook. I finally got round to going to hear him perform on 2nd November at The Cricketers in Kingston.

facebook event - facebook - UPSTAGE at THE CRICKETERS

What got you started

Of course, the Classic teenage rock band experience when I was around 14. Check us out, we were utterly ridiculous: http://www.myspace.com/containznutz

Where have you played

Pretty much everywhere in the UK, mostly pubs and high streets
with a few decent venues thrown in such as The Regal Rooms.

How do you write

I stick a banana in my ear and sit on the ceiling
until I think of something that makes us tick

How did the 'Roadrunner' music Video come about..

I threw a bbq at my student house and ended up spending loads on beer so we all got hammered and shot a music video. As you do..

Why guitar (and not another instrument)

I like to play with myself

Why acoustic viz electric

The acoustic guitar is a perfect sound for what I want.

What do you think of the (Kingston) music scene

WHAT DO I THINK? It's amazing. It's been built up organically by pubs and musicians working hand in hand, and the audience here is so appreciative. The Kingston crowd is much nicer than the rest of London somehow. It also has the tendency to be much more interesting, by that I of course mean we're a bunch of weirdos...

What / where next

Ah, the moon of course, in a Camper van, ending up with a band.

How do you get gigs?

Be prepared to play anywhere and make a lot of friends and gigs will start to filter through to you. I got to Kingston two years ago and after doing a myriad of open mic nights these days I can sit around song writing and people offer me gigs all the time. For some of the decent gigs you need to make an effort to get in touch with the right people - maybe this is why I haven't had any decent gigs...

Do you prefer performing solo or with others?

I was a solo man, but now I say group all the way. I'm playing with a guitar player at the moment, I can't wait to get a band together. I want to be able to drop the guitar and just focus on singing for a lot of songs.

Does music run in your family?

My Granddad plays a bit of piano, but no one in my family is a musician by trade.
My dad is tone deaf!

Charlie has an EP coming out over the next few weeks. Follow him on any of the following social networks for updates on it!

facebook - charlielawmusic - youtube- charlielawmusic - @mrcharlielaw

Blackwolf

2012-11-10T03:31:00.002+00:00

I started talking to Scott Sharp, lead singer of Blackwolf (UK) on Facebook
in September. I listened to some of their music on reverbnation & Spotify.
He invited me to a gig they were performing at in London &
I went along to check out their live set.

Image (c) Sarah Maunder 2012

Rupert: When / How did you get all meet / together?

Jason (rhythm guitar) wanted to try and start a proper band because so many times before he would try and join a band but it would just fall through because most of the time another member just wanted to quit and he would jam with other people and nothing came out of it, so he decided to start from scratch and try and find some actual guys who wanted to be in a band. So he searched & searched around the internet each night for hours.

3 years ago Jason eventually found Ben (bass), and a guitarist who didn't want to be there. Jason had checked out a video of John (lead guitar) playing a cover of Sweet Child O'mine and wearing a Back In Black tee. John is not sure whether the song or the top got him the gig. Brad (drums) was a really cool fella, got along well with the band, but was very young (16) & inexperienced (he'd only been playing 6 months). The band wanted him to play some Led Zep which he tried really hard at but just couldn't do it so they came to the decision to part ways. Tom (drums) had moved from Devon to Bristol in May 2009 and after not being in a band for over 3 years he was itching to get back behind the kit. After having a look through some band classifieds wanting a drummer Tom put Scott's ad on joinmyband.co.uk.and went to his first Blackwolf rehearsal (to replace Brad) in August 2009. Tom, Jason and John did a few covers to get in the swing of it. Then in Jan 2012, after 2 years of gigging around Bristol, the band made the decision that they had gone as far as they could with their old singer and picked up Scott (vocal) in Jan 2012 "from eHarmony I think" (Ben). And the band just got tighter & tighter each week they practised. It felt so good finally to meet some guys who seemed to want to actually be in a real band and actually knew how to rock n roll.

Rupert: What are your individual / group inspirations/influences?

Scott: We have a lot of different musical influences really but it's the blues-roots that binds all our tastes together.I'm a big Led Zep fan but I love CCWR, Howlin' Wolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd to Alter Bridge, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and early Shinedown. I've recently really gotten into Rival Sons, Vintage Trouble and Saint Jude
too so there's a lot that goes in the mixing pot.

Tom: I would say I have quite a broad range of influences in terms of the music I listen to; it all comes together to inspire me playing the drums. I would say half and half is the music I listen to and the drummers behind the bands. Depending on the music/drummer I listen to classic rock, hard rock, funk & other genres (Yes, Avenged Sevenfold (R.I.P The Rev), The Darkness, Green Day, Foo Fighters & Led Zeppelin (BONHAM!!) I would say are my favourite bands. I also love Mike Portnoy [Dream Theater], Dave Grohl [Foo Fighters], Matt Cameron [Pearl Jam & Soundgarden], Keith Moon, Chad Smith [Red Hot Chili Peppers], Brann Dailor [mastodon] and Travis Barker.

Scott says: He doesn't mind spinning a bit of Steel Panther whenever he gets the chance.

Jason: My personal main influences are AC/DC, Status Quo, Airbourne and Led Zeppelin. Malcolm Young [AC/DC] and Rick Parfitt [Status Quo] are my 2 main rhythm guitarist influences I always have loved the tightness of Malcolm's playing and the discipline of the man is just outstanding. Rick Parfitt's energy & style of playing is so unique and he has so much energy on stage, just keeps a tempo going for hours it seems.
Scott says; Jason is a huge AC/DC and early Status Quo fan as well as The Answer
which gives us a lot of that jump and boogie feel to our sound.

John: Slash, Metallica, Avenge Sevenfold, Gary Moore, Green Day, Queen, Van Halen
Scott says: John loves his Guns n Roses (including most things by Slash
like his work with Myles Kennedy, especially Slash's earlier Snakepit albums),

other sleaze west-coast stuff as well as Queen and Santo and Johnny.

Ben: Down, Alter Bridge, Clutch, Black Label Society, BRMC, Muse.

Rupert: What was the first song wrote?

Scott: The first song we all wrote together I think was 'Finding Fables' which ended up on the EP 'Taking Root'. We reworked a lot of the older material in our first sessions though and some of those songs we still play live like 'Volcano' and 'Tracing Lines'. In fact we actually first started writing in my audition with the guys so we must have clicked really well pretty quickly.

John: Seeds, Finding Fables & Wayward one from the EP were worked on music wise shortly before
Scott joined the band. We essentially dove into those 3 in the first few sessions, with him bringing lyrics and melodies in
it didn't take too long to get them finished.

Jason: I think the first song I personally wrote was what has become one of the new songs

written by the band called Sleepwalking, it's been changed & altered slightly since
I first wrote it but the basics are there. In the band I'm not sure which one was
written first with Scott, I think Stairway Ticket was the one we wrote with him
the most first as pretty much all of the others had been written before he joined.

Tom: We had music down for a few tracks before Scott joined (Volcano, Finding Fables and
Wayward One spring to mind); and even in his first audition Scott was writing lyrics and melodies to them.
After Scott put some of his ideas in the songs got tweaked a bit
I think Fables was our first song we finished in its entirety.

Ben: The first completed one was either Wayward one, Keep Moving On or Seeds,where we hadn't used them before with our previous singer live.

Rupert: What was the first gig you played?

Scott: The first show we ever played together with me in the band was at Area 81 in Bristol. It was early January I think because our next show was at the Fleece supporting Revoker on their UK head-line tour, again in Bristol.

John: I love Area 81. We rehearse at the owners studios and on the night of the gig,
they put on a huge curry and party food for us.

Jason: Area 81 is a fantastic venue. Main thing I can remember about that gig was Scott though just moaning about not being able to hear himself as we were too loud, now that's Rock n Roll haha.

Tom: Area 81 is a great little venue; they always have some food on &due to the great sound guy it's a blast to play. It's on the way to town so has excellent transport links - there's no reason not to catch the bus & see some great bands. In our old iteration our first gig was at The White Harte; we always had some sweaty gigs there!

Rupert: Scott told me that the crowd in Nottingham at your recent gig were awesome.

What's the best gig you've done so far?

Scott: Again I think we're all going to have our own personal choices but mine has to be the show we did not long ago at Pivo Pivo in Glasgow. It's funny because it was our best show yet at the same time easily our worst. It's only a small club in the centre of Glasgow but the place was really busy. We got up on stage and started doing our thing when the club's fire alarm went off whilst we were playing, cutting out all the power and the whole place had to be evacuated...twice! But regardless of this we did our best to keep giving them every thing we had when we all came back in and the crowd were just amazing. There was so much energy in the room and everyone just really cut-loose. It was just one of those shows we'll remember for a long time I think and we met a lot of brilliant people that night.

John: Pivo was awesome, I've had a blast both times we've played The Snooty Fox in Wakefield too, those guys know how to run a venue. the only shame is that last time we had people wanting to buy t-shirts from us
but we'd sold out the night before.

Jason: That is a difficult one, as so many are good. It would be very close between Pivo Pivo in Glasgow and The Snooty Fox in Wakefield. The Pivo gig was crazy for 2 reasons, the crowd were so up for it but also we had to deal with 2 fire alarms during our set. But even after they were still there rockin' n rolling with us till the end of the night. The Snooty Fox is awesome too however as the crowd get into it really well and the facilities there are fantastic for playing gigs. Oh and also at The Diamond we had a queue for our merchandise after we played haha. There's just too many to choose from to decide.

Tom: The gigs that stick in my mind are Pivo Pivo in Glasgow, The Snooty Fox in Wakefield and most recently the Diamond in Nottingham. The Pivo crowd rocked the hell out even after TWO fire alarms meant the venue had to be evacuated twice, The Snooty Fox always seems to have a brilliant crowd & the Diamond really is a gem (pun intended) of a venue. These guys had never seen us in their lives but after the show we had a queue for our merch! It's those sorts of gigs which really stick in your mind.

Rupert: Who writes the songs? How?

Scott: To be honest we're not very formulaic in our approach to song-writing. Some times we all get in room and do it the old fashion way by jamming out ideas, and then other times John, Jason or Ben will have a riff or a verse idea, they'll dropbox it to the rest of us and we'll chew on it for a while; then we'll take it into the studio and more often than not completely change it. Soon as we all get in a room together and start putting our own stamp on the songs they really start to evolve, and Tom really has a way of completely changing the perspective of a song which is good for us. I write all the lyrics apart from a verse in one of our new songs 'Keep Moving On' which John wrote and I later added to.

John: As Scott said, it just happens as it happens, having all the tech makes it a lot easier.

Tom: As the other guys have already said it's quite a basic approach to song writing. The others will usually bring riff ideas to rehearsal (or over Dropbox etc) and then we'll basically blast out a structure & lyrics. I'll blast out some ideas over it, mull over in my head the week after and then tweak it in the coming rehearsals. One thing on my wish list is an electric kit so I can keep my chops going for the week & blast ideas out as they come in my head; all too often I'll think of something on a Sunday and forget by the time Thursday comes!

Rupert: What's the best song you've written?

Scott: This is a hard one, and we're all obviously going to have our favourites, but I think for me 'Stairway Ticket' is one of our best songs. It just seems to showcase a lot of what we're about really well, all in one song. you have the riffs and that jump as well as that kind of blues-fused swagger in there, but as the song progresses it really brings out that soul side of us before getting really nice and heavy near the end. so for me it has to be 'Stairway Ticket' so far. I'm really liking a lot of the new stuff we're writing at the minute though.

John: I cant really pick a best, but as far as playing live is concerned, Finding Fables,
Keep Moving On and Volcano are really fun for me, I can get really pumped on those tracks.

Jason: Personally I think our best song is Relief. It's not on the EP but there is footage of us playing it live. It's just so much fun to play and perform. It has a riff that grabs you by the balls, a very catchy chorus that you can sing along too, an epic solo section, some crowd participation and a big finish. What else can you ask for?

Tom: For sheer dynamics it has to be Stairway Ticket; it shows pretty much every side of us and it really kicks up a storm live! I also have big love for Relief (meaty & has a fast paced solo section) and also the jumpy songs like Finding Fables & Keep Moving On are hella fun to play! Some of the new stuff we're doing at the moment I'm really excited about too.

Ben:Hmm either Mr Maker or Relief, both are great riffs & meaty, just the way I like them!

Rupert: (How) do you feel your style as a band has changed / is changing?

John: I'm sure each one of us would say something different here. I think the new material we worked on when Scott joined was superior to what we had a year before Scott. We're all becoming more competent at our instruments. The song writing is becoming more like us and less like a mixture of great bands before us.

Scott: We'll I think for all of us things just felt natural when we got together. We started finally playing the music we've always wanted to play, so I guess it was more a case of discovering our sound rather than it changing. With the line-up as it is now BlackWolf and the sound has a lot more focus and a lot more direction for all of us I think.

Jason: I would say since day 1 to now, there is a lot more heavier edge to our sound now, a lot more riffy but we still keep the boogie toe tapping feel at the same time. Like take Seeds for example, that is one hell of a mother chugger, and quite a heavy song, but then we have that jumping boogie feel with the likes of Finding Fables. So I would say there is more variation to our material these days.

Tom: I think from before Scott joined to now I can really tell that our sound has matured quite a lot to the current blues-soaked hard rock we create; Scott joining has really kicked us on in my opinion. He has definitely pushed us all to make better at what we do and we have all benefited from it in terms of our instruments & honing our talents. From a personal perspective I can really notice a difference with my playing; whether I need to keep in the pocket or be bit more extravagant and up the ante with the song.

Ben: I feel we are all learning and growing as musicians and songwriters, so hopefully
it's starting to bring out more of us in our recordings and less of our influences!

Rupert: You said you were hoping to be able to (afford to) record an album.

How have you recorded your music so far? With which producer(s) / studio(s)?

Where would you like to record the album? Who with?

How do you see the similarities / differences of working in a studio and performing?
Do you try to reproduce what you do live or does the studio give you a chance to add elements that are unavailable / impractical during a live performance?

John: With Taking Root it was essentially what we played is what you got, we double tracked the guitars, and the solos were added after but that's it. no extra overdubs. If we were to have more time/money on the next release I'd probably want to experiment a bit more with different tones and textures.

Scott: Yeah, there'll definitely be an album next year, but there are a few options opening up for us at the minute such as a bit of label interest and other investors possibly getting involved, but we're in that space of finalising details at the moment so it's all still hazy on dates. Our recent involvement with Home Grown Rock and Lisa Loczy, who's managing us now, is also a huge boost for us.

We recorded the EP at Junkyard Studio in Newport [South Wales] with [the former Skindred guitarist] Jeff Rose. He's a great guy and an incredible engineer with a great ear. He also used to play guitar for Skindred to so besides his inside view he also had a lot of road stories to help us through the late nights and early mornings. A lot of good bands have recorded there with Jeff like Revoker, Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium so we knew we'd get a nice beefy sound with him, which was something we really wanted for the record. We financed all the recording, pressing and design of 'Taking Root our selves and then self released the record with the help of a few distribution deals with companies such as Xarnia. We chose this route for the EP because our main goal was to record something that would introduce our selves to the music world, industry and listeners alike, as an ambitious band that have got something to say and are going to say it loudly and confidently. So instead of recording a sub-standard demo on the cheap we felt if we were going to do it, we'll do it properly which is how we try to tackle everything we do. If you've got something to say, say it loudly and be proud you said it or don't say it at all. We definitely feel we did this with 'Taking Root' so we're happy with how things are turning out so far.

When it comes to the album next year we've all already said we'd definitely like to work with Jeff Rose again, not only because he's really talented, but also because he get's what we're about and is really passionate about what he does. where we'd record the album is still open for debate & I suppose a lot of factors will come into it depending on how we get to that point.

No matter what though, we will be making another record in 2013.

Performing and recording are similar in the fact that there's always pressure to play at your best, but being on stage is about the show as well as the sound and you can't ever forget that. On record you have to dig really deep to give people something they haven't had before. on stage you have to do that but also make sure you visually represent what you're about along side finding ways to bring the audience into the performance. so for me I guess being on stage can be harder but it's a lot more fun. We're a live band first and foremost and going out and playing shows is what we do. Everything else we do is to make those shows bigger & better.

We've always said we never want to record anything that we couldn't do live, and sometimes this can mean a lot of hard work but it's the only way we'd have it. To be honest we write the best songs we can and we don't pull any punches. We write the songs in a live setting and our practices can easily get just as energetic as our live shows so translating them into a performance is never really an issue. If we want to be able to do something on record

we work out how to do it live first, that's just the way we work.

Jason: Recording the Taking Root EP was so much fun. A fantastic experience. We recorded it with the feel of trying to give you all we got in a recording, 100% rock n roll, so you know what we are about if you came to see us live. Which is how I personally would like to keep it. As I don't wanna feel like we would be lying to the listener if that makes sense. I like to show what we can do without having to use things that we couldn't reproduce live. However views may vary within the band haha.

Tom: We had a great time recording Taking Root; the final product was even better than I anticipated. Jeff has ears like a hawk has eyes and he really helped us create an E.P that really captures the spirit of our music – balls out rock which is what you get at a BlackWolf gig. Personally I would love to work with Jeff at Junkyard again to record an album, as with a bit more time on our hands we really could create something special. In terms of working in the studio we knew we had limited time (5 days to record & master) so we knew we had to be prepared…and prepared we were. All of us had our parts down well in advance which made the process a whole lot smoother. Not stressing about getting the parts right made my recording experience a whole lot more enjoyable. I would say that the drumming on Taking Root is a solid base but live is where it's at; even since the recording I have been adding bits here & there to songs to make it more interesting for the audience. I always enjoy watching a drummer who adds little bits to make that live experience more enjoyable.

Ben: I think we will always try to record what we can do live, the only bit where it wouldn't be is during solo's where John is playing rhythm & lead at the same time. (Something he should work on; dual guitaring!) We may add some sound effects or something if we feel the tracks warrant it, but nothing has even been discussed about that side of things yet!

Rupert: I'm guessing you'd all like to be able to give up your day jobs.

What would you like to accomplish? / Where would you like to perform?

John: I'd like someone at the side or back of the stage to switch channels and delay / reverb on my amp. I'm forever tripping over stuff getting to the foot-switches...and I don't have many.

Scott: Yeah, it will happen soon (because we won't stop until it does!). At the minute we get up in the morning, go to work, travel out & play a show in the evening, get back home for about 3 am & start the whole process again the next day. It's tiring but if you want to get anywhere in this business it's the only way to go. There's a lot of talented bands & performers out there. Often it comes down to who of them wants it more. This year we've accomplished pretty much everything we've aimed to do and next year we want to capitalise on the successes we've had. An album, a few good support tours and possibly starting to tackle Europe is on our list for 2013 but the end game for next year is to get into arenas as often as possible. We want to expose our selves to as many people as we can because at the end of the day the listeners, the tickets buyers, the people who go out and get the records, they're the people with the power in the music world now.

The only way our success and exposure is going to grow is with their help and support so we need to get to know as many of them as possible and bigger shows are a great way to do that. Past 2013 we have big dreams and big hopes and none of us are afraid of hard work so we've got our fingers crossed for the future.

Jason: Oh yes, I am always dreaming of that day where I can quit my job to tour with this band. There's nothing else I want more. If I could just be on the road and play my guitar in front of audiences every day I could die a very happy man. Headlining Download of course would be a dream come true. I just wanna rock my life away; it's my addiction.

Tom: I don’t think I'm alone in saying that Download festival would be a dream come true to play! Going on tour; whether it be in the UK, Europe or the WORLD! Quitting the I.T day job would also be something pretty special, I mean being able to do what I love doing (making music) full time? Awesome!...One last thing; a roadie and a driver!

Ben: The main one on my mind at the minute is Download! Would love to play there,
but also a European Tour with lots of festival dates would be awesome.

Blackwolf's next (London) gig is on 22nd Dec at the Fiddler's Elbow.

www.ukblackwolf.com

www.facebook.com/ukblackwolf

www.twitter.com/ukblackwolf

www.youtube.com/ukblackwolf
ukblackwolf.tumblr.com/

Rattlesnake

2012-10-14T01:39:00.002+01:00

If you read my last post, you'll know I asked Mishkin Fitzgerald of BirdEatsBaby about playing the piano and song writing. The band had another gig tonight and I went along to support them.

First on was Mathew Wolf, a songwriter, pianist and singer. I was about to say "I'm not sure I've ever seen a solo male singer/pianist" but then I remembered Mister Joe Black,(facebook) who although doesn't exactly fit into the same category, does play the keys.

So back to Mathew...

He ended with a song that he said was part of one of his and part of someone else's mashed up. Turned out it was Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. It was pretty cool!

You can check out Mathew on youtube and tweet him @iammatthewwolf

Death in Texas (facebook, twitter) was another 'first hear' for me. Ruth Power lead the trio from the piano and was the main singer. And boy she can sing!

"Death In Texas is a 3-piece progressive pop band, from London, UK. The trio have one release; the 4-song EP ‘We WillImplode’, released independently in July 2011. Fusing epic classically inspired piano, a pounding rock rhythm section, soaring vocal melodies and progressive-leaning song structures, the ‘We Will Implode’ EP explores the darker side of pop and the grandiose side of rock."

We Will Implode EP by Death In Texas

You can also hear these songs on SoundCloud and follow the band on YouTube.

BirdEatsBaby (facebook) played songs from their 2012 album Feast of Hammers. I love the changes of dynamics in their music and the inclusion of an (electric) violin which often takes the role of a lead (electric) guitar, as the bands guitarist doubles on rhythm guitar and bass.

Feast of Hammers by Birdeatsbaby

More female singer songwriter pianists

2012-09-24T14:05:00.002+01:00

What impact/affect being able to play (only) the piano
have on (female) singer songwriters?

Zoe Phillips started on the clarinet at the age of 7, bought a drum kit at the age of 10

and had an (out of tune) piano at home. She does a lot of acoustic covers on YouTube. She tries to "put her own spin on" each song.

Rupert: Do you write at the piano?

Zoe: Yes I write at the piano, or sometimes the guitar, but mainly piano.

I also have a degree in Music Technology so when writing electronic/film type music that is also piano based, because I use keyboard as main compositional instrument but change the sounds through computer software etc.

Rupert: Did you study 'classical' piano?

Zoe: Yes I studied classical piano but always enjoyed playing
more poppy / ballad kind of piano.

Rupert: (How) does the (piano) music you play(ed) influence the music you create / perform

Zoe: I'm not sure how much the classical piano music I played influenced music I write,
I think classical grades are just something you have to learn/journey through
to get better on the piano, so I wouldn't really say that repertoire particularly affects the music that I write but makes me more able technically. Having said that, Einaudi's piano music
has been rather an influence at times. The music I listen to influences the music I create & perform. I sometimes learn songs that I am listening to, also I do a lot of piano/vocal YouTube covers of songs that don't use the piano originally. Otherwise, I listen to singer/songwriters and pianist/singer songwriters that I want to write like, and get influenced like that, rather than specific piano music I've played.

Rupert: Do you play any other instruments?

Zoe: Yes I have grade 8 clarinet and also did Vocal Performance at Uni,
also starting to learn a bit of guitar.

Rupert: Do you find you write different style(s) of music
when you write on guitar than you do when you write on the piano?

Zoe: I try and write differently / in a slightly different style on different instruments

which is why I try writing on different instruments.

Rupert: How do you go about covering songs on the piano that weren't originally for piano?

Zoe: I try and create a pastiche, using the same style and applying it to songs you would never imagine on the piano, such as Labrinth, Coldplay / Rihanna, Redlight, Calvin Harris

Rupert: I enjoyed your cover of Labrinth's song Last Time. Quite refreshing!

What were the main aspects of the Labrinth song that you wanted to bring to the piano?

Zoe: I don't know, something more relaxing but perhaps with a variation of textures, building the song up. I was focusing more on the vocals though so probably just played whatever naturally.

Rupert: I don't play guitar so the intricacies of the instrument are somewhat lost on me but I do love the instrument, both acoustic and electric. So you don't try and work out the actual (positions of the) notes on (guitar) and then play the same notes on the piano, but rather, play the same (chords) in a piano appropriate position?

Zoe: No I don't. I can play most of the usual basic chords but I would try and use other ways of writing to get away from the general chords that everyone uses.

I have played songs on piano that I wrote on guitar, eg Miss A Turn which is acoustically on my current Boat Ep on Bandcamp but I had to work out how to put that on the piano afterwards.

Compare this version of Boat to the one I wrote on the piano.

Boat - original version

Compare her cover of Wheatus' Teenage Dirtbag with the original

Zoe Phillips - zoephillips.bandcamp.com
www.youtube.com/phillytunes @zoephillips18

I (@rupertcheek) asked Mishkin , the lead songwriter, singer, and pianist, of birdeatsbaby (@birdeatsbaby) if she thought her ability to play the piano affected the music she writes.

"Not really as I've dabbled with other instruments and know the theory too, but yes, I suppose everything does revolve around the keys"

This acoustic video displays Mishkin's voice and Chopin-esp piano
as well as violin (inc pizzicato) playing of Keely McDonald

Mishkin went on to explain via email that;

"I first became obsessed with the piano my parents had when I was quite young. After bashing the keys a few times my mum decided to bring in a teacher for me. Unfortunately he was not the world’s best teacher and after about 12 painful lessons I decided this was not the instrument for me. The piano began to gather dust while I picked up my mum’s old guitar and taught myself the basics using an old chord chart. After a while a figured out how to play all the chords on piano too, and then went looking for things to play. My parents had lots of hymn books which I started off with, then they bought me various musicals such as Phantom of the Opera which I learned to pay by using the chords rather than the actual music. I think the chord progression of hymns still feature a lot in my songs as the were the first bits of music I learned how to play.
Since then chords have been the basis of all my songwriting and composition. If I get a tune in my head or some lyrics, I will sit down and build a chord sequence around it. The best kind of songs are the ones that happen all at once. For example, The Trouble (first Birdeatsbaby song) was one of those. I was just sitting in the kitchen and suddenly the tune popped into my head, chords, words, everything. I finished the whole thing in 15 minutes. That has never happened since!

Their 2011 album Feast of Hammers does indeed "revolve around the keys"

Feast of Hammers by Birdeatsbaby

birdeatsbaby.co.uk - facebook - @birdeatsbaby
www.deadroundeyesrecords.co.uk

And one more from Sarah Mclachlan...

female singer songwriter pianists

2012-09-12T05:17:00.001+01:00

Nina Simone, Carole King, Tori Amos, Norah Jones, Raphaella, Lauren Aquilina...

What do they all have in common?

They're all female singer songwriters who play the piano!

On 30th Aug I was out at The Bedford in Balham, London, and Lauren Aquilina was one of the performers. A 17 year old who's sensitivity and talent seems, to me, well beyond her years. For all but one of her songs, she accompanied herself on the piano.

Lauren Aquilina

www.laurenaquilina.co.uk

www.youtube.com/LaurenAquilinaMusic

www.facebook.com/laurenaquilinamusic

twitter.com/laurenaquilina

It was then than the seed of the concept of this blog post germinated.

Raphaella, who was on after Lauren, also plays the piano (although not on 30th Aug; this task was taken on by her long time pianist/keyboardist [insert name]).

Larissa Eddie introduced me to the music of Lucie Silas in an earlier blog post

Did you watch Neighbours about 10 years ago? Remember Nina Tucker? She was played by Australian Delta Goodrem who went on to become a musician, much like Kylile, Jason, and Natalie Imbruglia (played Beth Brennan 1992-93).

Sounds like Delta studied classical piano

Here's some jazzy Norah Jones recorded in 2 days ago

Norah in 2007

Let's go backwards a bit shall we...

Tori Amos from 1991

Her cover of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.
I can't get over how sexual her vocal/performance is!

Carole King

Nina Simone

Can you think of any more?

12years1day

2012-08-21T08:54:00.000+01:00

If you've been paying attention, you'll remember my interview with Bleak
back in March when they celebrated their anniversary.

They've recently produced another video for their song Twelve Years and a Day. Anton, Bleak's lead singer, says "It's for one of the most personal and difficult songs on the album. It's kinda a ghost story". The video is by ThemGuidedMissiles, facilitated by Facsmile Productions and stars poet SP Howarth as the ghost, singer/actress Hannah Bingham (who sings with The Noisy Toyz), Darius McStay and members of Bleak. The director / cinematographer was Nigel Doylerush and the producer was Andrew Hobbs (also a poet). The song is on Bleak's album For The Good of the Nation (LineOut Records).

Bleak performed at the Renaissance Alternative Music Festival on Sunday 19th Aug
and wore 'masks' in support of Pussy Riot, the Russian female band who have just been imprisoned for 2 years.

You can listen to Bleak's music on:
ReverbNation, myspace, hmog and spotify

You can catch Bleak on 31st Oct at the Rhythm Factory
(16-18 Whitechapel Rd, E1, Aldgate East / Whitechapel tube)
£ - free / hat passed round.

Also on the bill;
more beautiful than Mary Kelly: Cat Bear Tree Band
more heroic than the dashing Inspector Abberline: Urchin Child
more demented than Saucy Jack himself: Girl From The Castle

CD acquisitions

2012-08-08T02:09:00.001+01:00

CD's I've acquired recently

Hatty Keane: Best Kept Secret (single) + XVI (mini album)

hattykeane.com - facebook - youtube - @HattyKeane

Will and the People:

willandthepeople.com - facebook - youtube - @watpmusic

Tristan Mackay; Out Along the Wire

tristanmackay.com - facebook - youtube - @TristanMackay

@ leedsmusicscene.net

Ferdinand Maisel; Hidden Voices of the Grand Piano

facebook - bandcamp - youtube - kickstarter

Lauren Tate

2012-07-04T20:57:00.001+01:00

Lauren Tate is a 15 year old who classes herself as "a singer, songwriter and guitarist but saying that is quite messy... I'm an artist. I put all of my skills together to make music and music is my art" She's already got 1500 YouTube subscribers have already racked up 70,000 views and 2000 likes on her Facebook page. What''s all the fuss about?

Rupert:
What got you started in music?

Lauren:
I went to a catholic school where the head teacher would lead us in singing every day in assembly on his guitar, even though I used to try my best to sing out of tune in a silly voice to annoy the crap out of everyone else!! My Mum noticed my talent for singing after other Mums started commenting about my voice following a talent show at school when I was 8. I used to sing in my bedroom and Mum finally persuaded me to start singing lessons when I was about 12 and I suppose that's when I started in music.

Rupert:
What was your first musical memory?

Lauren:
My first musical memory was when we moved to a new house when I was about 7. I remember running from room to room in the new house and singing in all the empty rooms and loving the different acoustics in them. I distinctly remember singing Britney Spears - Stronger!!!

Rupert:
When did you start singing IN tune?

Lauren:
Haha! Well i was a very nervous singer, because everyone knew me as the silly kid I was scared to show them the serious side. I only really showed them the singer Lauren when I was 8, and since then... people said how good of a singer i was! My confidence was still zero though and I guess I didn't start singing properly at school until I was 11! Since then, I've found it a real challenge to sing out of tune... I was a funny kid haha!

Rupert:
I saw your Facebook post about being on the "other side" of the desk. How important is it for you to have control over the production?

Lauren:
I am really very fortunate to be working with a great producer that takes the time to teach me the ropes about both sides in the studio.. It' s important to know about the production side of things, so that you understand why you might have to do several takes, without thinking "well I thought I sung that okay first time?" I haven't the patience to sit through the editing and mixing process though, so I don't think the production side is for me!! Its good to be able to have input though into the end result, it's very much team work getting it right!

Rupert:
How did you meet the producer? ( bankruptbrothers.co.uk / facebook )

Lauren:
I thought you'd eventually ask this! Well, just before my 14th Birthday in March my mum called up the local newspaper to tell them about an early CD I had recorded at various studios in Barnsley. They came up to my house and asked me a couple quick questions, took a picture of me and then not so long after... BOOM! my face is front cover of the newspaper! It was so weird, I felt famous!! People would stop me in the street and say, "Hey are you that girl who's on the front cover of the newspaper". I was like, Hell to the yeah, I love being famous! hahaha! So then not long after that mum gets a call from a producer who wanted to work with me on a little project at his studio. I was crapping myself at first, I never thought the day would come i'd actually be working with someone else. It wasn't like me to jump straight and say yes without thinking of all the possible reasons I should say no. I decided it was my time and that if i wanted to be a singer i had to do things out of my comfort zone. It's weird how life works, how from me winning a singing competition at my schools gala and winning the prize of recording that CD at a studio, to mum calling the newspaper, to me finding the Bankrupt Brothers, the men who made my dreams feel so possible and realistic whereas nobody else really encouraged them. Life is so weird, but at the same time so unpredictable... I love it!

Rupert:
How are the songs for the album created?

Lauren:
Well it happened in different ways. Sometimes it's me who comes up with the idea on my guitar, so i'd write some lyrics down, decide what the songs about and what mood I'm going for then I'll show the Bankrupt Brothers my idea at the studio. Pete (my producer) and Dave (the guitarist) work on my ideas and we work out the other parts to the song together, we record down a rough demo then work on it from there. Or sometimes, it's just a case of me going into the studio.. Idealess, and we just get out the microphone, grab a guitar each and just jam until an idea pops up. More magic happens when we do that, I prefer writing that way, I just let my mind go and sing whatever comes out, sometimes gets a little embarrassing through as.. with a mind as random as mine, I can't really plan what I'm going to say if I'm looking for a word that rhymes. But the Bankrupt Brothers are cool, we have so much fun just writing music, I'd do anything to be able to do that full time.

Rupert:
How did the album project come about?

Lauren:
Well when I first met with the Bankrupt Brothers it was decided that I'd work with them on a music project where we would write music and promote each other through the end result. They would be the song writers and I would be the vocalist and we would work as a team to get our music careers on the road. I was recording the few odd covers just to get comfy with the equipment at first in the studio before I got on to the original music. I had no idea what style of music I wanted to do, I loved rock music but never had I sang rock before, only pop. We decided it'd be best to do a promotional CD with covers to try and get myself a fan base before I put my original CD out because... what if nobody bought it?
So right now in the studio we have been working on this promotional CD, it's taken a while because of people being off ill in the studio and me having to take 6 weeks off bang smack in the middle of it for vocal rest. But the end is near and it's all slowly coming together, I just cannot wait to get this out to everyone so I can get on with my original music. From doing this cover album I have found my style in singing, it obviously will be shown much more in my original stuff than in the covers but a certain song on the album really did influence me!
The plan is when the promotional CD is out & finished, all out attention goes back to the original music. We have obviously still been writing bits for it in-between the recording of the other CD, but soon all our attention will be on it... that's when all the crazy stuff starts!!
We plan to write many songs and pick out a couple of our favourites, complete them fully then send a EP of one of the original songs out to the music industry. Fingers crossed that's when the journey really starts for me.

Rupert:
Who contributes to what?

Lauren:
We all contribute to everything in the studio, that's me, my mum, Pete and Dave. I contribute mainly to the vocals in the studio, that's my main place. But I also as I said write lyrics, vocal melodies, guitar parts, instruct what I want the song to go like and keep everyone laughing in the studio!!
My mum plays a big part in advertising my music, she spends endless hours promoting me to different people and helping boost my youtube views! She helps organise my head most the time, the rest of the time she just makes my eyes dribble out my skull because of how much work I have to do to get where i need to be. But without my mums help I would still be in my bedroom singing in the mirror, so I guess... the eyes dribbling out my skull thing isn't too bad! She also (along with my Nanan) is my photographer, she shoots my videos and also helps me with lyrics. My mums pretty cool!
Pete my producer records the vocals, edits them then does his magic with all the songs! He's a perfectionist with his work and puts hours and hours of his time in the studio, he is in there so much, surprised he's not moulded into a mixing desk himself yet. He also writes music and has SO many ideas on the guitar for songs, he helps me with the melodies for the songs... not that he can sing in tune HAHAH!
Dave is an amazing guitarist! He can just make up a riff on the spot and we all look at each other and say "Yep, that's it". He is expert at reading music also, whereas I... yeah, impossible. He works out the harmonies for songs and learnt me to harmonise also! I just can't wait for people to see how awesome his playing is, he is pretty damn good!!

Rupert:
I'm at Hop Farm today; first time at a festival for me.

Lauren:
It always seems to rain for festivals. I think the rain just makes it feel a hell load better. I saw Bon Jovi in the rain and it made it all so dramatic and better. All the women were complaining about their hair though whereas I was just jumping around like crazy!! For some reason I always cry at gigs because deep down I feel like I'm the only person there and that the artist is singing to me, showing me it's possible to become the person I dream to be.

Rupert:
Was the Bon Jovi gig the best one you've ever been to?

Lauren:
Bon Jovi is more my mum's style of music, I just went because... why miss an opportunity to see him? I only knew a couple of his songs but his 'it's my life' song just touched me! I just felt like everything was possible, and as he sang it I just felt as though he sang it right to me like every word was written to make me believe in myself. I wouldn't say it was my favourite gig though, not loud enough for me to be completely lost in the music... I'd say the My Chemical Romance gig I went to last year was the best, it was in a real small room so i was so close to the stage he didn't look like a blob like Bon Jovi did. The singer Gerard Way made a speech at the gig about believing in yourself and that you can do anything and shouldn't listen to anyone who disbelieves in you. From then on, I just felt in control with my future and stopped depending on other people who couldn't really help me achieve it.

Rupert:
Have you ever been to a classical concert?

Lauren:
By classical do you mean, like Mozart classical? If so, never. Classical music makes me giggle like crazy, I don't think I'd fit in with all the serious people in the audience. I'd probably be the idiot sat there laughing loudly making everyone complain. Classical music is awesome, and I respect anyone who can play a violin with so much energy, but the fast strings and the huge voices just tickle me and I wouldn't want to sit there for a whole show holding my breath.

Rupert:
What music does your family like and where do you get your musical taste from?

Lauren:
My Dad was a real rocker when he was younger. He often tells me that I couldn't name a decent band that he hasn't seen live. He's right, he's seen them all. He liked the bands like Whitesnake (wiki), AC/DC (wiki), Alice Cooper (wiki), Metallica (wiki), Led Zeppelin (wiki) Black Sabbath (wiki); all the cool bands that I listen to now. Dad's probably the reason i listen to rock, thank God he educated me with the real music. My mum just copies me really, I think she's just trying to be cool... hahhaha!
My Dad is the reason I'm NOT a pop star! Although my videos on YouTube are of me singing pop, it's really no longer my thing. I think what the world needs now is more music instead of computerised fake auto-tuned robot voiced stuff they play on the radio 24/7! I can't and won't join the fashion of music today, I'm not a person to follow a crowd and I know eventually people will try change my style and make me join this pop/techno scene, but I do what feels right, I'm good at getting what I want eventually! Just wish people would realise that all the songs on the radio sound the same and it's about time for some change.

Rupert:
What was the last song you recorded?

Lauren:
Well Rupert, I'm keeping that one a secret. Well I'll give you a clue about the last song I recorded... it is the craziest of the album, when you hear the album you'll probably be able to guess! I wanted something different in there to confuse people a bit! I try my best not to be predictable, I guess the fun is in taking risks. My plan with my music career is to be myself all the way and as part of being Lauren Tate you cannot be too predictable, one day weird will be the new cool. I plan to make people see it's just way funner!

Keep your eyes and ears on her YouTube channel for her upcoming upload.
You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter @laurentate97

Different Friends

2012-07-03T04:14:00.001+01:00

Listen to this

On Sunday I went by train to Hop Farm musical festival
in Kent, SE England. It was the first time I'd ever been
to a Festival so I was excited and Nix Nugent joined me.

On the 17th April we took part in a competition run by supajam at Powers Bar
in Kilburn to perform at Hop Farm. These were the 2 songs we entered
to get to the 2nd round. We didn't get through. SupaJam, though, did
enable us to get into the festival for about a fiver each (rather than £60
it would have cost for a day) so that was cool.

Tony Moore (wikipedia) was introducing all of the acts on the Main Stage.
He also compared the Global Angels gig at the Freedom Bar on the

10th July 2011 and had reminded everyone that he'd played
keyboards for the Cutting Crew, a band probably most
famous for ""(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight".

First on were The Sheepdogs' (YouTube, facebook, twitter).
They're a Canadian blues rock band, and as it was Canada Day,
the lead singer said 'Thanks for giving birth to our nation.
We have your queen on our money...'.

Nix and I saw some musicians who I didn't know;
The Tallest Man On Earth (myspace) - very popular with the crowd,
then Benjamin Francis Leftwich (facebook, youtube).
One of the songs he did was "Pictures"

For me, the musical highlight was catching Kool And The Gang (wikipedia)
perform their greatest hits including Jungle Boogie, Get Down On It,
Ladies Night and Celebration.

Robert 'Kool' played a great bass for Jungle Boogie. The trumpet player
played an awesome solo and even managed to do a cartwheel or two!
Nix liked how they were all doing something all the time, whether it was
dancing or playing their instrument and suggested that the way they
all moved together was 'very motown'. A quick browse on YouTube
shows that they've been doing that for years.

If you haven't got 23 mins to spare then listen to this
If you HAVE, then listen to this....

Today Monday, I drove with an old secondary school friend (Ming) from Putney,
SW London, to meet another friend from the same school (Oli) from the place
he'd been living / working in Upminster. Driving round the M25 meant avoiding
the congestion charge. When we'd collected him from Upminster the 3 of us
went into China Town in London to meet ANOTHER friend (Alan) from
the same school as it was his 32nd birthday yesterday. Oli and Alan
hadn't seen each other for something like 3 years. After the Chinese meal,
I dropped Ming back in Putney and Oli at yet ANOTHER friend's place
(Stefan) and then made my way home.

WAKTM Second Life

2012-06-28T15:54:00.000+01:00

In the meantime, have a look at some Second Life images
which are inspired by / inspiring WAKTM, a cross-reality opera.
www.facebook.com/groups/waktm

the WAKTM character kindly created by ixmal supermarine

The Virtual Garden

The (Virtual) Highway

The Internet

Knowledge

Life: Birth, Nature, Planet earth

Science / Religion

Tweeting with Raphaella

2012-05-19T02:46:00.002+01:00

Rupert Cheek is @rupertcheek .... Raphaella is @raphaellamusic

@raphaellamusic speak of the devil,
@Lamajen 's mention of bows and arrows put your song Cupid's Arrow in my head!

Lamajen

@rupertcheek @raphaellamusic when isn't it in our head?!?!!? love, love, love that song!!!!!! :-)

@rupertcheek "Cupid's Arrow" by one of our most faves @raphaellamusic

Raphaella

@Lamajen @rupertcheek aww thank you both!! I wrote [Cupid's Arrow] about 2/3 years ago...
so I do cringe a bit when i hear it now!! hahah =D but yay! x

Rupert

@raphaellamusic @Lamajen don't cringe! It's a great song! :) x

Lamajen

@raphaellamusic @rupertcheek no cringing allowed! by the # of plays it has, many others love, love, love it just as much!!!! #BigHit

Raphaella

@Lamajen @rupertcheek aww yayy.. thank you both =D okay I promise I won't ;) haha xxx

Raphaella / Rupert

Raphaella; Labrinth's 'Vultures' is SUCH a tune. <3

Rupert;

@rupertcheek yess that's the one :)!

@raphaellamusic I hadnt heard it before...but it's growing on me

@rupertcheek it [Labrinth's song Vultures] massively does [grow on you] :) total head bopper! I'm great thank you.. busy week! So just v. ready to sleeep! haha hope ur well :)! x

@raphaellamusic What do you think of the rest of the album @ labrinth ?

@rupertcheek absolutely love 'beneath your beautiful'... I actually really love the album & his production/instrumentals.. so cool :))

@raphaellamusic 'includes elements of Big yellow taxi by Joni Miutchell..."

@rupertcheek yeah.. each track [on Labrinth's album] is just so cool for it's own quirky reason =)

Today & Tomorrow Charity Gig

2012-05-18T00:58:00.000+01:00

I just got back from a charity gig organised by todayandtomorrow.org.uk (facebook). I went along to hear Larissa Eddie (@Eddiemusicuk, facebook) perform with her guitarist Joe Colburn ( @JoeColburn, myspace). Larissa's silky voice and summery dress (by @LoveLauraMoore ) accompanied by Joe's great rhythm guitar was a wonderful start to the evening. She started with "Superstar" and then sang a Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga and Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz / Ludacris.

It turned out that it was wise to suggest parental supervision for under 18 year olds (I spotted at least 1 youngster) as the compare chose to use some colourful language, which I felt was a little unnecessary but it seemed like he was frustrated by the lack of interest in the auction , (they decided to auction most of the items on eBay instead), and having to ask people to stop talking.

Richard James (@richardjames_uk, facebook), a singer, songwriter and guitarist adept at using a loop pedal to layer up elements of a song, performed on his own and finished with a mashup song that he reminded me via twitter included "Modjo, Winehouse, Eurythmics, Justin Timberlake, White Stripes" . His first song was the title track of his album Waiting For The Call, which you can hear on his facebook page. He followed that with Coldplay's Viva La Vida. . I just found a short interview he did yesterday with waterloounsigned.com

Photo by Larissa Eddie used by permission
Concept (facebook), an all male vocal group consisting of five 18 year olds, one of whom played guitar, was unknown to me. 'Concept formed as a 4 piece acoustic boy band in Basingstoke to enter in Xfactor 2011, but after reaching the judges stages, failed to go any further in the competition. Their guitarist friend Ben joined them in August 2011'. Ben informed us that he wrote the first song. I felt that their voices were not that good. What can you expect of 18 year olds? (Don't ask I Am Tich (@Iamtich, youtube) aka Rachel Furner that!). I preferred their sound when they all sang together.

Walking from Green Park towards the 'venue' I walked past Jonathan Ross, who was being interviewed by someone. I've since discovered (via his twitter and facebook feeds) that he'd met the Emperor of Japan. "@wossy; I just left the Japanese Embassy. The Emperor was amazing ["seemed strong and well and very nice"] but I fell in love with the Empress a little bit and sung 'Totoro' to her!"

Family Musical Trees

2012-05-03T16:06:00.003+01:00

This is a survey of my family's musical tastes

What music do you like?

What influences your musical tastes?

How do members of your family influence your musical tastes?

For me, singing with members of my family in local community choirs has been one of the main factors in what music I like; singing music, for example Beethoven's Missa Solemnis or Haydn's Nelson Mass simply introduced me to music I didn't know. Rehearsing and performing something in this way has been a great way to develop a love of music.

Listening to the music that Mum sang / played on guitar when I was younger was (one of) my first musical experience(s). Listening to the radio when dad was listening to it, both at home and in the car has been another way of expanding my musical horizons. Listening to music that my brothers listened to has been another. (check out my Musical Memories post). I asked my uncle Julian about his musical tastes and memories.

"I suppose I’d say that I like some of most types of music (don’t like modern jazz or rap).

The influences were: Family (I was so lucky that my parents exposed me to classical music – most of my school contemporaries just thought it was boring), School (especially being in the choir), Media (Radio Luxembourg, Top of the Pops, etc), Friends (I saw school friends buying stuff that I subsequently liked, such as ‘Green Onions’), My own children (both Kieron and Seth have introduced me to interesting music)"

Then I asked him if he would like modern jazz if e.g. Kieron / Seth had introduced him to it.

"I would certainly listen to it again if they particularly recommended it (or were playing it) but I doubt if that really affects whether or not one likes a type of music. It seems to by-pass the intellect and appeal on an emotional level, doesn't it?"

What music did you hear on the radio? I remember [my grandparents/his parents] Joe and Joan buying me a tape of Tchaikovsky's ballet music (when I was 8; I still have the tape) and that being one of my first loves in (classical) music. What music did you discover through them?

"Joe and Joan bought almost nothing but classical music so I had quite a wide ranging introduction to that from them (though they did have some distinct dislikes – I’ve inherited Joe’s dislike of most of Britten’s work, for example). In our first music lesson at senior school, the teacher got us into small groups and asked us to list all the classical composers we knew. Each group had four or five, except ours, which had over twenty. I couldn’t understand then why I was the only one coming up with names. I think the teacher was quite impressed by Buxtehude. They also liked some modern music – Dave Brubeck still reminds us both of Joan – but I think were heavily influenced by politics. Most popular music from America was probably regarded as trashy if not downright subversive. Paul Robeson was obviously OK, as he was both black and oppressed by the state. Black jazz musicians were probably OK but lightweight."

"We went to a concert on Saturday at the Parish Church, given by the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge. It was a mixture of old and new choral works (e.g. [Arvo] Part, Bach, Tallis, Stucky etc). I admired their vocal precision and dexterity but even some of those pieces, in a genre I generally love, didn’t really appeal."

"I listen to Classic FM quite a lot but Radio 3 almost never. I sometimes tune in to Radio 2 on car journeys, as they sometimes play popular / rock music which I like (and sometimes even Folk)."

When Pete was here recently doing dad's shower room / kitchen he was telling me about some of the music he / you used to like; what do you remember?

"I think the music Pete and I both liked was either folk, our interest in which was stimulated by membership of The Woodcraft Folk, and rock. We were teenagers in the sixties, of course, so we saw the transition from slushy ballads by people like Des O’ Connor to The Beatles, The Stones and The Who"