If you click this blog title, you'll be taken to a brilliant instrumental demo from Saosin from their most recent album: In Search Of Solid Ground. When Saosin released their debut album in 2006, every song was woven brilliantly. The album was on constantly in my car on the way to work and back. Those were the days of a suitably long journey from Banbury to Kenilworth, long enough time in the car to listen to a full album, the perfect journey length.
However, those songs were sculpted and crafted over a long period of time. Saosin didn't just hit the mainstream and provide. Prior to that awesome self-titled debut LP in 2006, they'd released an EP called Translating The Name some three years earlier, an instant success on MySpace (back in the day!) and reaped good sales. Three years is a long time to develop an album's worth of tunes, tour, try things out, promote and essentially hone their craft... so when the CD hit the fan, the shit was good.
Imagine that prior to Translating The Name, the band had spent years gigging together and circulating their local music scenes (I'm assuming they did). That's a long development process, which is absolutely essential.
That's rock music, on the other side of the coin I've just watched this short documentary about Laura Marling, whose acoustic folk I've recently taken a love to (live in York Minster is sensational).
The honesty in her music is beautiful. I've always liked what she's been about...dressing 'down' for her Brits appearance a few years ago, bare footed on stage etc. I like the little effort, it puts more emphasis on the music rather than a glittering image distracting from your flat vocals (applicable to most contestants on The Voice, especially the ones with backing dancers). Having said that I hadn't give her music much of a chance before, now however, I'm all over it like a cheap suit.
It's 11 well-spent minutes learning about how Laura came to be so popular. For me, her appeal comes from how raw and gritty her stripped-back, pure, folk songs are. She describes that when she was growing up, her pals and her would put on local gigs because there was nothing else to do! It was their passion so they created a community that enveloped the music. As the hype spreads, the community grows... to such an extent, that by the time she's playing gigs in concert halls and on the streets in India, her unique musical community is strong, true and still growing. That to me is the perfect progression because everything has been nurtured over time in an organic way. Laura will have made her fair share of mistakes along the way, but who cares?!..she has deservedly developed a loyal community of followers who take the time to share her passion.
In all walks of life, mistakes are the cornerstone of a career, without them, how can you learn. In the early stages of a musician's career, those first few EPs, gigging etc.. it's all mental prep as well. If you make it big, you want to make sure you've got the mental strength to survive! It's not an easy lifestyle! Saosin will have learnt their share of lessons along the way, and rather like Marling, those mistakes (whatever they may be) won't be so detrimental as, say, they would be for an artist fresh off the blocks like Lana Del Rey, an artist who is so fresh, I had to google her history to see if she even had one!
I've been avidly listening to Lana Del Rey over the last few weeks. Her debut album is astonishingly good considering it's her first real foray into the cut-throat world of pop music. I've discovered, in 2008, 'Elizabeth Grant' was snapped up by a label and coined her first work two years later and released it on iTunes before buying back the rights, starting over and returning in 2011 under the stage name Lana Del Rey with a simply amazing true debut album called Born To Die. The first single Video Games, a sombre tale of love and it was released in October 2011, with the video receiving widespread adoration on the Internet. She claimed a string of accolades and television appearances in the run-up to the worldwide release of the album on January 31st 2012. In the space of 3 months, Lana Del Rey went from being a relatively unknown US entity to a worldwide smash hit. It took Saosin 3 years to release their debut album to widespread acclaim. It's baffling.
Lana Del Rey will surely have gigged plenty in New York where she grew up, but that natural progression of a few EPs, the breakthrough debut album, tireless gigging, fearless promotion before relishing that hard-earned recognition is not a process Lana seems to have experienced.
Is that a problem?
It depends how you look at it, I'm not complaining because her album sounds amazing. Melodically, each song is captivating. Lyrically, some songs lack maturity, others delve into emotional territories I never know could be captured in pop music. Put together, the work is brilliant though and I rate it highly. Unfortunately, without chatting to her, I can only speculate at her limited opportunity make mistakes and develop her community.
Lana is in that position now where if she goes on Saturday Night Live and puts one foot out of line, spews out a dud note, the world is watching and that is costly. In fact, that very thing did happen.
It's not often you see over 11,000 dislikes on a video... it was proclaimed to be the worst SNL performance ever! She has gone from a relatively unknown lifestyle, to having the potential for hundreds of thousands of tweets of criticism coming through. I personally don't know how she is coping with her newfound success.
Maybe... maybe it has something to do with geographical positioning. Lana grew up in New York, I read that Laura grew up in a village in Hampshire. I have experienced first hand that living in the depths of the countryside, music is the centre of the community. It's a feat of entertainment and tradition. Every pub in our parts continually showcase organic folk, acoustic and indie musicians and they're all relatively well-known names because the community is small, yet strong.
Small in comparison to where I am now, Manchester, where there is a lot more choice for which gig to go to, so many that one small band/musician is diluted by the rest!
But then again I've now just read that at 16, Laura moved to London. So who knows?! All I know for sure is that Lana has set the bar for her forthcoming projects and the pressure to deliver will be astronomical. I'm sure she'll cope just fine, she's leapt of the line on the starting whistle and sprinted to a crazy level of success, without stopping much on the way to enjoy the journey..so she must be talented and capable...but I thought all the fun was in the chase?...
Sunday 29 April 2012
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Little Comets - Manchester Academy
A promising gig, and one I was really excited about. Looking at the state of the chart at the moment we're blessed with infectious, processed and highly manufactured musicians dominating the Top 40, so presumably avid fans of purer guitar-based bands would be despairing. Not if any of them had gone down to Academy2 last night for a class showcase of the freshest and more promising indie rock talent in the UK though. I was certainly present.
I was set to interview Little Comets in the early evening. It has to be said, I did wander down to the Academy mulling over what was a truly lovely evening in Manchester. I've never seen Oxford Road, usually rife with student life, so quiet. A balmy sun setting over the 'promised land'.
Lead singer Rob then humbly retired to his book, the band dispersed to sample Oxford Road's cuisine, and anticipation grew for their eagerly-awaited Manchester concert.
In the meantime, I hung around in their dressing room (not like a weirdo) and caught some time with one of the support bands Bwani Junction. I was keen to chat to The 1975, considering they'd played at AKA in Banbury, my hometown, a couple of weeks previous. Alas, the 70s boys never showed up, and Bwani Junction were kind enough to donate 5 minutes to tell me about their incredible triumphs at the Scottish Music Awards - a kin to our Mercury's. The boys have infact been nominated for Album of the Year and they can proudly boast themselves Best Newcomer. They're a band to watch for sure.
I retreated from the luxurious top-floor dressing room, overlooking the many referb works on Manchester Uni, descended the most ridiculous, Hogwarts-esque spiral staircase and let the evening roll on.
I love Academy2 as a venue, it's the best of the 3 in my opinion. Somehow they've just got the whole ambience spot on. There is always space to stand and enjoy the music. It's never cramped, and they seem to book a really wholesome list of artists. Because of the tall ceiling and the square shaped aesthetics of the room, the sound really has a chance to spread its wings and engulf the crowd. Upstairs in Academy3, the sound doesn't have a chance to breath. The room is too small for any atmosphere to build.
Bwani Junction took to the stage. At this point, I still wasn't aware of their music. Sure I'd interviewed them shortly before, but it was a spur of the moment thing where I was being enlightened about their history and projects just as much as anybody else listening. Fortunately, the band blew me away! Would have been very embarrassing if they were dire... Their riffs had power and pace, their melodies intriguing and catchy. Overall, I loved the sound, particularly a song called My Body, My Mind. Really sweet tune. I have to recommend this outfit really highly, was so impressed by their performance!
The 1975 strutted on to the stage with an obvious allure, mystery and attitude. Immediately their music caught my attention. It builds with complexity throughout. Each song slightly different but just as interesting as the last. I was hooked...and in no small part down to the character of the lead singer. It was his flat peak and hood that caused a slight stir in my head. Initially I took a distaste to his over-confident self-assurance, but as the gig went on, I decided he was actually a brilliant front man. His attitude made it almost impossible for your concentration to waiver. His confidence was more selfless than I originally thought, it's infectious, and it makes the audience trust what the band are doing. There's no unnecessary drama here, just in-your-grill down-right sweet indie tunes. They're a band that grow on you in this respect, they'll hook you from the start then have you begging for more by the end. They're hard to track down though, going through their band life with a few different names, 'The 1975' is one that has now stuck and they're signed to Dirty Hit Records - same as Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Little Comets. They're the label to watch, they're bringing the heat this year!
Impressed by The 1975, I was eagerly awaiting Little Comets... So when they burst onto stage with Worry, easily the most contagious and riff-heavy tune I hold dear in my iTunes catalogue, they'd captured the crowd in one fell swoop. Starting strong, then progressing to lesser known, equally appreciated, but slower indie songs... the gig for me went slightly by the wayside a few songs in. I could feel attention drifting. Yet, the clawed it back with a whole host of melodies, driven by pacey guitars, deep bass and energetic drum patterns. By the time the incendiary of Jennifer, Isles, Adultery, One Night In October and Dancing Song had resonated in the Academy2, the floor was shaking and the crowd were pumped.
They dispatched a range of songs from their latest Worry EP, the forthcoming Jennifer And Other Stories work and their acclaimed album In Search Of The Elusive Little Comets. It's pretty hard to pick any faults in their live performance. The ultimate test for a band is how to replicate the accuracy and clarity of studio work in a gig environment, whilst delivering it with the intensity a live audience craves, but these guys had no trouble in this department. Vocally sound and instrumentally tight, they have earned their reputation as one of the hottest guitar based indie bands tearing up the circuit in the UK.
I was set to interview Little Comets in the early evening. It has to be said, I did wander down to the Academy mulling over what was a truly lovely evening in Manchester. I've never seen Oxford Road, usually rife with student life, so quiet. A balmy sun setting over the 'promised land'.
Little Comets are great bunch of amiable lads from Newcastle. Kind of them to offer a brew in a plastic Klix water fountain cup > PG Tips with a sugar cube. The best combination, which went down very smoothly whilst the next 10 minutes unravelled. They discussed their retro influences, how they stand out the from the saturated indie market where theres's so many generic bands who hold their guitars horizontally rather than rock-sound diagonally, also how the remainder of 2012 is going to play out and their hopes and dreams for new single Jennifer- the soundtrack to my day today, with that single being an example: their licks are contagious, watch out.
Lead singer Rob then humbly retired to his book, the band dispersed to sample Oxford Road's cuisine, and anticipation grew for their eagerly-awaited Manchester concert.
In the meantime, I hung around in their dressing room (not like a weirdo) and caught some time with one of the support bands Bwani Junction. I was keen to chat to The 1975, considering they'd played at AKA in Banbury, my hometown, a couple of weeks previous. Alas, the 70s boys never showed up, and Bwani Junction were kind enough to donate 5 minutes to tell me about their incredible triumphs at the Scottish Music Awards - a kin to our Mercury's. The boys have infact been nominated for Album of the Year and they can proudly boast themselves Best Newcomer. They're a band to watch for sure.
I retreated from the luxurious top-floor dressing room, overlooking the many referb works on Manchester Uni, descended the most ridiculous, Hogwarts-esque spiral staircase and let the evening roll on.
I love Academy2 as a venue, it's the best of the 3 in my opinion. Somehow they've just got the whole ambience spot on. There is always space to stand and enjoy the music. It's never cramped, and they seem to book a really wholesome list of artists. Because of the tall ceiling and the square shaped aesthetics of the room, the sound really has a chance to spread its wings and engulf the crowd. Upstairs in Academy3, the sound doesn't have a chance to breath. The room is too small for any atmosphere to build.
Bwani Junction took to the stage. At this point, I still wasn't aware of their music. Sure I'd interviewed them shortly before, but it was a spur of the moment thing where I was being enlightened about their history and projects just as much as anybody else listening. Fortunately, the band blew me away! Would have been very embarrassing if they were dire... Their riffs had power and pace, their melodies intriguing and catchy. Overall, I loved the sound, particularly a song called My Body, My Mind. Really sweet tune. I have to recommend this outfit really highly, was so impressed by their performance!
You can hear both Bwani Junction and Little Comets on upcoming Source podcasts from Shock Radio. Both interviews will be out soon, very excited to spread this music far and wide.
Before we move on to The 1975, Bwani have a new music video out- it's actually really annoyed Network Rail because the film was set near a famous railway bridge, which NR had just painted red... the video clearly shows the lads painting it blue! The riffs in this tune are incredible though. Enjoy and share.
The 1975 strutted on to the stage with an obvious allure, mystery and attitude. Immediately their music caught my attention. It builds with complexity throughout. Each song slightly different but just as interesting as the last. I was hooked...and in no small part down to the character of the lead singer. It was his flat peak and hood that caused a slight stir in my head. Initially I took a distaste to his over-confident self-assurance, but as the gig went on, I decided he was actually a brilliant front man. His attitude made it almost impossible for your concentration to waiver. His confidence was more selfless than I originally thought, it's infectious, and it makes the audience trust what the band are doing. There's no unnecessary drama here, just in-your-grill down-right sweet indie tunes. They're a band that grow on you in this respect, they'll hook you from the start then have you begging for more by the end. They're hard to track down though, going through their band life with a few different names, 'The 1975' is one that has now stuck and they're signed to Dirty Hit Records - same as Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Little Comets. They're the label to watch, they're bringing the heat this year!
Impressed by The 1975, I was eagerly awaiting Little Comets... So when they burst onto stage with Worry, easily the most contagious and riff-heavy tune I hold dear in my iTunes catalogue, they'd captured the crowd in one fell swoop. Starting strong, then progressing to lesser known, equally appreciated, but slower indie songs... the gig for me went slightly by the wayside a few songs in. I could feel attention drifting. Yet, the clawed it back with a whole host of melodies, driven by pacey guitars, deep bass and energetic drum patterns. By the time the incendiary of Jennifer, Isles, Adultery, One Night In October and Dancing Song had resonated in the Academy2, the floor was shaking and the crowd were pumped.
They dispatched a range of songs from their latest Worry EP, the forthcoming Jennifer And Other Stories work and their acclaimed album In Search Of The Elusive Little Comets. It's pretty hard to pick any faults in their live performance. The ultimate test for a band is how to replicate the accuracy and clarity of studio work in a gig environment, whilst delivering it with the intensity a live audience craves, but these guys had no trouble in this department. Vocally sound and instrumentally tight, they have earned their reputation as one of the hottest guitar based indie bands tearing up the circuit in the UK.
Cheers to the Bwani Junction / Little Comets for their time. Great gig, and soon to be featured on The Source on Shock Radio. Podcast is currently available to download with a new one out next week!
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Grass Roots
I've been back in the Chadwick household this weekend, enjoying Oxfordshire's home comforts. It is a fantastic place, rich with true countryside, rural winding roads, great people and a sense of distinction. But there must be other places like Banbury, surely?
We have the mighty Fairport festival in one of our dear local villages of Cropredy. In their 45th anniversary year, Fairport have turned their Cropredy reunion into the weekend of my year and the highlight of many others' calendar too.
With a stand-out folk music scene living strong in Oxfordshire today, new guitar-led bands and acoustic musicians are thriving as a result of organic musical roots engrained in the people. Local venues and pubs are constantly showcasing raw, beautiful and pure music that has no hint of fake production about it. The unwritten ethos seeming to be that if you don't have a guitar in your band, there really is no point.
A plethora of bona fide pubs reside in the many villages that bask in Oxfordshire's life. Each with their own unique heritage and each with their own bespoke and authentic food, real ales and rums (yes please). The pubs being the the identifying factor for the villages of these parts.
One of the most incredible features of the Banbury area of Oxfordshire is how well connected networks of people are. Nobody is solely tied to their own collage-based friendship circle for example. With healthy rivalry between collages but welcome camaraderie between friends: everybody seems to know everybody here. Whether you bump into an old mate in town whilst enjoying the limited but cherished nightlife, whether it be on the football pitch playing your rival team or whether it be in the Fairport field... either way, it's almost impossible not to bump into somebody you know.
I could go on listing the many factors of my home county of Oxfordshire (or more specifically, the town of Banbury) that make me miss it so much but make it so bloody good. It can't be the sole countryside gem in the UK. There must be other places to settle down with a similar music scene, traditional pubs, a busy nightlife and inter-village community, but how do you go about finding them?
Most people will grow up and appreciate their 'home', and many people will then continue to reside or revisit this place throughout their life, without much deviation in geography. It's quite a daunting prospect to move somewhere completely fresh, with it's unknowns, differences and ideals.
My passion in life is music, so I'm trying to get my head around what else is out there. For example, over the Easter weekend, I brought my girlfriend down to my beloved hometown to introduce her to the family for the first time and spend some time soaking up what Banbury has to offer. On Sunday we were in A.K.A. for a drink or 5 and saw some outstanding local talent. Firstly Nijinxky and Frances Mitson, who we'd seen the day before recording a live music video in a local church.
We have the mighty Fairport festival in one of our dear local villages of Cropredy. In their 45th anniversary year, Fairport have turned their Cropredy reunion into the weekend of my year and the highlight of many others' calendar too.
With a stand-out folk music scene living strong in Oxfordshire today, new guitar-led bands and acoustic musicians are thriving as a result of organic musical roots engrained in the people. Local venues and pubs are constantly showcasing raw, beautiful and pure music that has no hint of fake production about it. The unwritten ethos seeming to be that if you don't have a guitar in your band, there really is no point.
A plethora of bona fide pubs reside in the many villages that bask in Oxfordshire's life. Each with their own unique heritage and each with their own bespoke and authentic food, real ales and rums (yes please). The pubs being the the identifying factor for the villages of these parts.
One of the most incredible features of the Banbury area of Oxfordshire is how well connected networks of people are. Nobody is solely tied to their own collage-based friendship circle for example. With healthy rivalry between collages but welcome camaraderie between friends: everybody seems to know everybody here. Whether you bump into an old mate in town whilst enjoying the limited but cherished nightlife, whether it be on the football pitch playing your rival team or whether it be in the Fairport field... either way, it's almost impossible not to bump into somebody you know.
 |
| The Brasenose Arms on Fairport weekend |
I could go on listing the many factors of my home county of Oxfordshire (or more specifically, the town of Banbury) that make me miss it so much but make it so bloody good. It can't be the sole countryside gem in the UK. There must be other places to settle down with a similar music scene, traditional pubs, a busy nightlife and inter-village community, but how do you go about finding them?
Most people will grow up and appreciate their 'home', and many people will then continue to reside or revisit this place throughout their life, without much deviation in geography. It's quite a daunting prospect to move somewhere completely fresh, with it's unknowns, differences and ideals.
My passion in life is music, so I'm trying to get my head around what else is out there. For example, over the Easter weekend, I brought my girlfriend down to my beloved hometown to introduce her to the family for the first time and spend some time soaking up what Banbury has to offer. On Sunday we were in A.K.A. for a drink or 5 and saw some outstanding local talent. Firstly Nijinxky and Frances Mitson, who we'd seen the day before recording a live music video in a local church.
Being shot by my mate Connor, that finished film looks set to be quite a breath-taking watch. The fresh sound of Nijinxky's new music is very welcome too, Frances is a brilliant influence on his music. You can have a listen to their new tune on the fifth Source podcast here....
Then when those two had finished, an old pal of mine Luke May took to the stage to blow my girlfriend's socks off and perform a sweet 30minute set of folk-infused acoustic magic. The guy is so talented, and his new band Highway Alaska (also Banbury based) are sounding incredibly natural and promising. Either way you look at a small cross-section of Banbury bands, there is such talent that I relish.
But Banbury isn't the only town in the UK and presumably there are hundreds... thousands of equally talented musicians who are only being recognised locally? Surely. That's both very exciting but gut-wrenchingly sad and daunting. I want that music in my life, but where do you start looking?! I said at the weekend some pals of mine should do a musical tour of the UK, a road-trip cum holiday if you like. I've always been under the impression York has a phenomenal acoustic scene.
Trouble is, I can talk freely, for hours, with passion about Banbury's musical offerings because they've been a part of my life for the last 19 years. So perhaps the only way to truly appreciate a whole array of fabulous, organic UK musicians who are hidden away in their respective counties is to make that daunting jump out of your home territory to live and breath the new battleground, rather than digest a nugget of the musical wonders via a slap-dash 'holiday'.
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