This week was all about the Vintage fair at The Custard Factory, so not only did we talk about all the great stuff going on around the studio, we also played some scorching choons. New Music FA Cup is back with two fantastic tunes for you to vote for. Get tweeting!

• Hawkwind – Silver Machine
• Hole – Celebrity Skin
• Tin Tin Out – Where the Story Ends
• Band of Skulls
• Stereophonics – Bartender and The Thief
• The Verve – Sonnet
• Sunshine Underground – Commercial Breakdown
• The Travelling Band – Only Waiting
• Talking Heads – Psycho Killer
• Cha Cha – The Fellowship
• We All Need Heros – Devil Roads
• Otis Redding – I Can’t Turn You Loose
• The Buzzcocks – Even Fallen In Love
• Kool and The Gang – Jungle Boogie
• Happy Mondays – Kinky Afro
• The Courteeners – You Overdid It Doll
• Ellie Goulding – Guns and Horses
• Henry’s Children – What’s Wrong With You?
• Two Door Cinema Club – Undercover Martyr
• Morning Runner – Up In Flames
• Bloc Party – Helicopters
• Deep Purple – Hush

This week, Esteban joined us live in the Studio to perform some acoustic tracks (and sample some cupcakes )

You can check out Esteban and their music at their website and check out when they’re playing a gig near you soon.

• Smash Mouth – Padrino
• The Cure – Inbetween Days
• Weezer – If You Want Me To
• Faith No More – Epic
• Madness – One Step Beyond
• Beats International – Dub Be Good To Me
• Prince – When Doves Cry
• Simandi – Bra
• Manchester Orchestra – Brother
• Deee-lite – Groove Is In The Heart
• Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
• OMC – How Bizzare

New Music FA Cup

• Love Lost – Battle Scared
• The Sillohuettes – Paint Me As You See Me

• The White Stripes – Fell In Love With A Girl
• Rainbow – Since You’ve Been Gone

Although they formed in 2007 it’s more recently that they’ve started recording their own original music, after initially forming as a favour to a friend to play a covers set at their wedding.

Their influences include Metallica, Foo Fighters and Alice in Chains and this is reflected in their original style.

The three of them work together to create the classic riffs and powerful lyrics you’ll hear, and after years of playing together in other bands, (and two of them sharing a womb for a few months), the understanding they have with each other allows them to create something that stands out from the rest.

Over the last few months they’ve had success on YouTube with their ‘alternative’ cover of Abba’s Mamma Mia which has had over 14,500 hits and numerous positive comments, they’ve laid down their first two demo tracks, had both of these voted Track of the Day on music website Garageband, and have just started on their second video piece.

This is the journey they take…..and we don’t know where it will end up!

This week we had the legendary Brian Travers in the studio to talk about growing up in Birmingham, being part of the World’s most successful and instantly recognisable Reggae band and their latest album, Labour of Love IV.

Thank you to everyone who listened on the day and submitted questions before we went live. Although we had a few problems on the day, there’s been a huge response on Listen Again already which will hopefully raise the profile of not only The Midsweep, but also Rhubarb Radio as a whole.

Remember to Tweet in your selection for this weeks New Music FA Cup by visiting our Twitter page or tweeting @midsweep. We’ll see you all at 10am next Saturday!

• The Heavy – How You Like Me Now
• Ash – Girl From Mars
• The Kleptones – Welcome Back
• Thin Lizzy – Boys Are Back In Town
• The Smiths – Girlfriend in a Coma
• Huey Lewis and The News – Power of Love
• Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On
• Free – All Right Now
• The Who – Baba O’Reilly

New Music FA Cup

• Sol Pilot – From Seed to Bait
• Gumshen – Since the Sun Shines on Me

Brian Travers in the House

• Junior Mervin – Police and Thieves
• The Allman Brothers – Midnight Rider
• Desmond Decker – It Mek
• UB40 – Close To Me
• Richard Hawley – Open Up
• Sam Cooke – A Change is Gonna Come
• UB40 – Bring It On Home

Each week, we’ll make Tammy’s Film and Arts review available for you after the show, with all the lovely links and phone numbers you need.

The Princess and the Frog

Stars Anika Noni Rose – appeared in Dream Girls, Angela Bassett – played Tina Turner, John Goodman and Oprah Winfrey

Written and directed by: Ron Clements and John Musker

Summary - A prince, transformed by a voodoo magician into a frog, has to get a princess to kiss him to break the spell. He finds one willing to do it, but she’s not a princess

So what’s special: Hand Drawn!! Looks like a classic (surprising considering exec producer John ­Lasseter Pixar’s guiding spirit), successfully competes with the 3D films and first Walt Disney film to star African American heroin and a princess at that!

Awards: 3 Academy Award Nominations

Verdict: Fair

The Wolfman

Stars Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro

Directed by Joe Johnston

Summary – Upon his return to his ancestral homeland – England, an American man (Del Toro) is bitten, and subsequently cursed by a werewolf.

So what’s special: Remake of classic 1941 version. Make up, special effects have moved on a lot from the old days.  Some good cinematography. Made me jump, more than once. Too much given away and a week plot. First two acts very similar to American Werewolf in London, which is also loosely based on 1941 version The Wolfman.  Del Toro isn’t convincing, looked the part but didn’t act the part!

Verdict: Fair

Local film news

Birmingham Library - 2013

Birmingham Library teams up with BFI to provide visitors with free access to its national and rare archive of films, TV shows etc

The collection is said to include more than 1,500 titles, over 85% of which are unavailable to view anywhere else in the world.

Local arts news

Dance Festival

International Dance Festival 19^th April – 15^th May organised by DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrame, will see over 70 performances take place across the city.

Link: www.idfb.co.uk

Return of the Mac

The wait is over. The team at mac arts centre and sampad are delighted to announce that the centre will be opening its doors on 1 May 2010. After two years of hard work, a £15m expansion and refurbishment project the centre will be unveiled over May Bank Holiday Weekend with shows and performances, and plenty of free activities to encourage visitors to explore.

Staffordshire Hoard

Staffordshire hoard back is home. Join the campaign to keep the find in Brum.

Donate, visit: www.bmag.org.uk/support-us/staffordshire-hoard-appeal

Many ways to donate – by post, on-line and by phone. By the book!

Birmingham City of Culture 2013

As part of Birmingham’s application to be the UK’s first ever City of Culture – big canvass want to hear from everyone who lives, works or has a connection to the city. Please share your thoughts and ideas with us. Visit www.canvassbirmingham.com

CSI: The Experience

The experience has been host in Las Vegas Miami and New York and will be right here in to Birmingham from February 26^th – May 31^st this year. You can expect a hands-on, interactive experience that makes you the crime-cracker.

Adult tickets cost £9.75 and family tickets £29.00. For more information click www.csibirmingham.co.uk or ring 0844 338 8000.

You can expect a hands-on, interactive experience that makes you the crime-cracker.

My recommendations this week

Star Wars

Star Wars in concert at the LG arena Friday 2^nd April this year. A unique multi-media event featuring music from all six of John Williams’ epic Star Wars scores and narrated live by Anthony Daniels (the actor who portrayed C-3PO in all six films).

Tickets are available online at www.theticketfactory.comor by calling The Ticket Factory on 0844 338 8000. Other tickets sellers are available

Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland IMAX in 3D release March 5, 2010

Note – The Guardian has reported a dispute with Disney over the release window could see Alice in Wonderland barred from Odeon, Vue and Cineworld screens!

What started off as a conversation with Brian Travers on Twitter has snowballed in to something so exciting it’s left me shaking.

Comments from UB40 fans from all over the world have been left on this here blog and we’ve been scurrying away to pick out the best ones to ask him.

Today’s show will obviously be slightly different to our regular ones. Still playing the very best tunes from the last 40 odd years, in the second hour we’ll be handing over the tuneage to Brian. So expect even more classics!

Tune in from 10am at RhubarbRadio and Twitter us @midsweep or email team at midsweep.com.

In a bit!

• Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
• Kula Shaker – Hush
• Boston – More than a Feeling
• Squeeze – Cool for Cats
• Toto – Africa
• The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony
• Marina and The Diamonds – Mowgli’s Road
• Peter Wolf – Hard Times
• Violent Femes – Blister in the Sun
• Boo Radleys – From The Bench of Belvedere
• Cast – Walkaway
• Sparks – This Town ain’t big enough
• The Trogs – Louie Louie
• Roxy Music – Love is the Drug
• Ben Rusch – Until the Coast is Clear
• The Stones – She’s a Rainbow

Since we mixed up the show a little bit at the start of the year, it’s been really refreshing to be able to play whatever we like and still champion new music by getting bands in to play acoustic sets and talk about their new releases. Add that together with the Music News, Film stuff and our new features and it’s all starting to come in to place.

There’s a lot in the pipeline for Midsweep in the next few months, next week being a big step in getting us, and Rhubarb Radio into the ears of lots and lots of new listeners. You can do you bit, of course – sign up to our Facebook group and help promote the station, follow us on Twitter and start spreading the word about the wide range of shows we’ve got on air and coming up.

Rhubarb is growing, and we’d love you along for the ride.

On the 13th February, Brummie of the Year 2009, and Sax-god Snax-god Brian Travers will be coming in to the Rhubarb Radio studio to discuss UB40’s new album ‘Labour Of Love IV, the ongoing discussion about the future of Digbeth as a live music hub and also the astonishingly poor nominations for the Brits 2010.

We’re all pretty excited that Brian has taken the time to come in and talk to us, and we’re now inviting you, the listening public, to send in your questions for him.

Simply leave a comment below or email phil@midsweep.com and we’ll ask Brian the best ones on the 13th. In the meantime, keep it locked to The Midsweep as we confirm more guests over the coming weeks.

Edit: The comments have now been locked to allow us to collate the best questions ahead of Saturday. Remember to tune in from 10am at http://rhubarbradio.com to hear the whole interview and Brian answer your questions.

Vote now for the winner of this weeks tie by tweeting @midsweep or sending an email to phil [at] midsweep.com. There will be a prize at the end of it all

• The Heavy – No Time
• House of Pain – Jump Around
• David Bowie – Life On Mars?
• White Town – Your Woman
• Monaco – What Do You Want From Me?
• Weezer – My Name Is Jonas
• Groove Armada – Crazy For You
• Kasabian – Where Did All The Love Go?
• Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up
• Iggy Pop – The Passenger
• Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way?
• The xx – Crystalized
• The Amateurs – Homesick
• The Offspring – Want You Bad
• Kasabian – Much Too Young
• Oasis – Up in the sky

• The Knack – My Sharona
• Status Quo – Pictures of Matchstick Men
• The Supernaturals – Smile
• The Shamen – Ebeneezer Goode
• The Kinks – A Well Respected Man
• Marmaduke Duke – Rubber Lover
• The Killers – Mr Brightside
• The Smiths – This Charming Man
• The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
• The Stranglers – Peaches
• Supergrass – Alright
• FA Cup face off
• Esteban – She Goes Out
• Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed
• Brits
• David Bowie – Moon Age Day Dreamer
• Deep Purple – Smoke on The Water
• Various Artists – Everybody Needs Somebody to Love

• Foo Fighters – Everlong
• New Order – Blue Monday
• Republika – Ready To Go
• Iggy and The Stooges – No Fun
• Kasabian – L.S.F
• Primal Scream – Rocks
• Squeeze – Up the Junction
• The Cure – Close to Me
• Aretha – Respect
• The Small Faces – Itchykoo Park
• Ash – Burn Baby Burn
• Stereophonics – Innocent
• Phoenix – 1901
• Delphic – Clarion Call
• Passion Pit – Sleepy Head
• Talking Heads – Same As It Ever Was
• James – Sit Down
• Jimi Hendrix – Foxey Lady
• Blur – Country House
• The Jam – A Town Called Malice

• Stoney – Let it Go
• The Hives – Tick Tick Boom
• The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black
• Reef – Place Your Hands
• The Charlatans – Just When You’re Thinking Things Over
• Ellie Goulding – Under the Sheets
• Marina & The Diamonds – I Am Not a Robot
• Delphic – Counterpoint
• Curve – Coming Up Roses
• Stone Roses – She Bangs The Drums
• 30 Seconds To Mars – Kings and Queens
• The Beatles – Helter Skelter
• Dodgy – Good Enough
• The Clash – Should I Stay Or Should I Go
• Oasis – She’s Electric
• ELO – Mr Blue Sky
• Elvis – Always On My Mind
• Chuck Berry – Jonny B Goode

Loose Fit – Happy Mondays
Common People – William Shatner and Joe Jackson
She Drives Me Crazy – Fine Young Cannibals
1979 – Smashing Pumpkins
This Is How It Feels – Inspiral Carpets
She Sells Sanctuary – The Cult
Choose Yr Side and Shut Up – Johnny Foreigner
Gemma Ray – (You Got Me In A) Death Roll
Cousins – Vampire Weekend
A Flash of Light – Chris Bathgate
Cigarettes in the Theatre – Two Door Cinema Club
Lately – BOAT
Ambling Alp – Yeasayer
Away FRM U – Oberhofer
Bruises (Passion Pit Remix) – Chairlift
Sleepyhead – Ellie Goulding & Starsmith
Beat The House – Pomplamoose
Animals – KiT
Leave Me in Love – The High Wire
By Your Side – My Robot Friend
Spirited – Laura Gibson
Old Big Trees – Taxi Taxi!
Castel – UUVVWWZ
Kill The Director (Acoustic) – The Wombats
Farewell to the Fairground – White Lies
Welcome to the Cheap Seats – The Wonder Stuff
Time to Pretend – MGMT

Join us next week for the last Live show of 2009, hopefully with some musical guests. After that we’re entering the world of pre-records until the second week in January. You can also get in touch with the show by leaving a comment below, or sending email to team at midsweep dot com.

Check both The Amateurs and The Benwahs out at their respective websites and look out for each of the live tracks on our Soundcloud shortly.

Live Rase tracks

Rase @ The Midsweep by midsweep

• Thin Lizzy – Whiskey in the Jar
• Band of Skulls – Death by Diamond and Pearls
• Tammy and Steve discuss being Brummies
• 2012 – Cheese on Toast
• Ladies who don’t shave
• Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition
• Phil arrives!
• Dead Weather – Treat Me Like Your Mother
• Technical problems aghast
• Strange News
• Little Glitches – 28th November
• This Beautiful Thief – No Love Lost
• The Seasame Street number song!
• Cockney rhyming slang
• Rase – Nothing to Lose
• The Benwahs – Keep Me On
• Allison Weiss – Let Me Go
• Chase & Status – End CreditsRase live in the studio
• Rase – Parachute
• Elmor – Little Bit
• Rase – Can’t Stop Now
• Cosmo Jarvis – She’s Got You
• Rase – Nothing to Lose

• Vampire Weekend – White Sky
• The Gaslight Anthem – The ‘59 SoundiPod Shuffle
• Phil’s Tracks – Coldplay and *gasp* Bon Jovi
• Mozza news, effortlessly researched by Mr Steve Thornton
• Stop throwing bottles at the artistes
• Heston making a woodwind instrument out of a pig
• The Who play the Superbowl

This is ahead of perhaps our most daring show next week, featuring The Amateurs and The Benwahs both performing live in the studio.

Things are developing on the show at an alarming pace, and we’ll also be recording each show independently and putting it up on Midsweep.com and SoundCloud, so you won’t miss a thing.

Adam and Jon came in to talk about the album they self released in May and now the time has come for you to download it from their Bandcamp website.

You can find it at their Bandcamp for the princely sum of £5.

As someone who has been heavily involved with them recently, I’d love if you could take a listen and snap up a copy. Currently they’re trying to raise funds to record their second album, so every little helps.

As you may have heard a couple of weeks ago, we’re also looking for people to record sweepers/jingles for us, so you plop them in there too, if you wish. It’s all very exciting round here at the moment, as we’ve just confirmed not one, but two live bands to play for us on the 21st November. All shall be revealed tomorrow, live from 10am on RhubarbRadio.com

After sitting in on a couple of their practice sessions, I was asked to help them “work the desk” for their regular night at the Adam and Eve, Digbeth last Friday. Since the live sessions have started, I’ve found myself having a lot more interest in making sure levels are correct and it all sounds great for you lovely listeners on the interwebs.

It was a long but fantastic night on Friday. HC were supported by Richard Burke and James Summerfield, who incidentally signed to the same label as Simon Fox, who is on this weeks show. Despite a few problems with the sound (not me, I wasn’t “working it” at that point) they both came across very well.

At about 10ish, after being presented with three or four pints, it was time for the band to take to the stage and for my work to begin. Looking in on the practice sessions was great because I remembered who would be singing on which song, who needed to be a little louder etc and I could also rely on feedback from the crowd on who needed to be louder in the front of house. A fantastic night which has hopefully helped the band in the long run.

The next gig I’ll be helping out at is at Flan O’Briens on the 5th November in Walsall. Come down if you can and witness my skills in action.

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In the past few weeks we’ve been steadily getting better and better at getting the bands set up so that the acoustic sound comes out well across the interweb-waves and this week, believe me, was absolutely phenomenal. Of course you may be wondering why I’m referring to the show as if it hadn’t *actually* happened. Well it did, but a server hiccup meant that only the first few minutes were streamed live and consequently the band actually just played a very small, intimate gig for a selection of their family, friends and The Midsweep team.

Technology is a funny old thing. We depend on it to get our messages across about the music we love, the research we do during the week and for each and every one of you to enjoy the result of our hard work. I won’t lie, I actually felt like bursting in to tears after I found out we’d not been on air since 10:05. The emotion in Suzie’s voice on the songs transferred to me and, already feeling a little delicate, it made myself, Steve and Tammy absolutely dejected.

Fingers crossed the show has been recorded somewhere in the ether so we can put it out on listen again as well as get something prepared for next week when we have World of Fox and, possibly, The Benwahs back in again. It’s going to be a good one. Again

I’ve started by getting their first EP, Woodbine Street, submitted to iTunes and Spotify, so you’ll soon be able to sample it all for yourself. You can also go straight to the band and grab a CD for £5 + P&P at their website.

In what could perhaps be called a coincidence, I’ve also been asked by the lovely Suzie from The Benwahs to help out with the regular night at Gosta Green starting on the 29th October. It’s all for free at the moment, but hopefully someone, somewhere might see my talents and throw a stack of money at me. If not, I’m sure I’ll make loads of friends with bands that can then appear on The Midsweep!

As features go, it’s potentially damaging if, for instance, Steve’s hidden cheeky girls fetish is revealed for the whole of Birmingham and beyond. It’s also a chance for listeners to find out exactly what they might find were they to steal or “borrow” one of our iPods for the evening. We’re hoping to have more new features in the coming weeks, with our next “People on the Pavement” debuting (hopefully) on Saturday.

The Benwahs are coming in to the studio next week to perform a specially prepared acoustic set just for us, so be sure to tune in at 10am or listen again whenever you like at http://v2.rhubarbradio.com

Take a look at the playlist below and listen again here

1. Interlooper – This Town 44 (3:17)
2. Rider-Ready To Fly (4:16)
3. The Unknownn – The Inside (4:07)
4. Brendan Benson – A Whole Lot Better (3:23)
5. The Benwahs – The One (2:32)
6. Mute Math – Backfire (3:21)
7. Black Them Boots – Don’t Look Back (4:41)
8. Adam Linder – Sunday Crossword Challenge (4:24)
9. Airborne Toxic Event – Goodbye Horses (6:21)
10. Owen – Ugly On The Inside (2:52)
11. New Generation Superstars – Always Gonna Be (3:00)
12. Red Thursday – Forrest Fire. (4:41)
13. Peter Bjorn and John – It Beats Me Every Time (3:35)
14. Shortwave Fade-Anything To Anyone (free download) (6:17)
15. Edith Frost – Walk on the Fire (4:16)
16. Don’t Throw Your Words Away (4:53)
17. Mr Hudson – White Lies (3:10)
18. Tin Star Orphans – Let You Down (3:36)
19. Good Shoes – The Way My Heart Beats (2:31)
20. Stakeout – Beyond Recognition (3:29)
21. Late of the Pier – Space and the Woods (3:57)
22. My Brightest Diamond – Something Of An End (4:51)
23. AudioFeels – Tragedy (2:06)

Regular features from guest writers will keep you up to date with all your independent music news, while the team will also be chipping in with their thoughts on various music and show related news.

If you’d like to be involved, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below and we’ll be in touch.

Right, I’m off to catch the bus in the freezing cold. The things I do for you lot eh?

Things went much better, with the only challenge we had to overcome being getting an extra mic input for a guitar. Listening back, I can hear that my live mixing skillz are coming on a treat, although this was probably helped by us having a full quota of crew back in for this weeks show.

So now we’re booked up until half way through October, things will kick up in to high gear in terms of promotion, pictures and facebook fan page stuff. If you’re able to help, in any way at all, please get in touch. There are lots of things we’re planning behind the scenes, so extra bodies in the production team are always appreciated.

This week we’ve got Henry’s Children in the studio. You can listen back to their showcase show here or check out their Facebook fanpage here and get ready for another fantastic session.