tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78692259029192596092024-02-18T18:27:48.351-08:00Barney's BlogA blog by Barney Boom, music writer and performer with Sonic Boom Six. Music guidance blogs, interviews, thoughts, discussion and more...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-76852969692700203462014-10-20T04:34:00.000-07:002014-10-20T04:45:59.651-07:00My Reaction to 'Spider-Woman's Big Ass is a Big Deal'I finally got around to reading The Best Page in The Universe's appraisal of the <a href="http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=spiderwomans_ass" target="_blank">Spider-Woman cover</a> controversy, which had been recommended and derided to me in equal measure over the last few weeks. On reading it, I got exactly what I expected. To catch up, if you haven't already, you can read a rather more measured appraisal of the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/aug/22/spider-woman-artwork-marvel-portrayal-women" target="_blank">Spider-Woman butt controversy on The Guardian</a>.<br />
<br />
Parts of it I actually agree with. I definitely concur that once the internet furore among the feminist blogs got blazing, a lot of the criticism of the cover lacked the anchor of the image's context within the rest of comic art. But I consolidated that with the fact that sometimes an issue just needs a 'straw that breaks the camel's back' like this particular cover to bring it to wider attention. At the time, I certainly wasn't ready to take sides and, as with anything on the internet, tried to enjoy and learn from the intelligent debate around the issue, and ignore the ignorance. <br />
<br />
But after reading the Maddox blog, I was left in the odd position of agreeing with him but utterly troubled by his means of making his argument - the shaming, blanket generalisations and attacks against people who object to 'this kind of thing' that I've seen time and again. If anyone vocalising unease with certain aspects of entertainment being too misogynistic, homophobic, racially provocative or whatever is going to be lumped into a group of grey, borderline-fascist do-gooders then I've got a few generalisations of my own about the way that a certain type of men on the internet tend to react to reasonable criticism. I've seen many of these arguments on my own Facebook wall recently when I voiced concern about a misjudged joke on a cartoon or bemoaned the commissioning of a TV show by a comedy actor who uses aggressive, sexualised insults on complete strangers. Frothing-at-the-mouth, PC bastard I am.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i2.cdnds.net/14/31/618x429/showbiz-dapper-laughs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dapper Laughs" border="0" src="http://i2.cdnds.net/14/31/618x429/showbiz-dapper-laughs.jpg" height="222" title="Dapper Laughs" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knock knock. Who's There? Moist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First is that argument about 'don't like it, don't watch it', that simultaneously skirts - and misses - the issue. Just as an American who uses the expression 'Freedom of Speech' to justify deplorable views will quickly be reminded that with that freedom of speech comes our freedom of a suitable response, you don't have to subscribe to a comic or own the DVD box-set to participate in a critical analysis of its content and influence. We have the freedom to watch what we want, just as we have the freedom to respond to it. The irony of the 'don't like it, don't watch it' brigade is that people who use that defence are so often the same ones to argue about how much influence the media - read, too much - has on the West in terms of our outlook, attitudes and lives in general. So why is it so hard to join those dots? If something misogynistic, racist, or homophobic is within our mainstream media, people object to the issue of its influence and effect of 'normalising' certain behaviour. You can minimise it by calling it 'taking offence' or 'being PC' if you must, but it can't be dismissed with 'don't watch it then' because, just like blaming drunk women for their own rapes, the culture it creates affects us all whether we like it or not.<br />
<br />
Secondly, I think the straw man 'initiative' of drawing every image of Spiderman as Spider-Woman is the typical internet hardcore-gamer mentality; dodge the issue, move the
goalposts, jump on the attack and use a technicality to belligerently,
but entertainingly, shame the argument of the opposite party. Instead of
listening to their opponent's points and creating a coherent retort, they frame a nuanced argument as a 'game' in which they can use their Photoshop
prowess to 'win' rather than a debate where you can learn from each
other. Changing Spiderman into Spider-Woman uses a lot of smoke and
mirrors but ultimately proves nothing - whether I agree that the Spider-Woman cover crosses a line or not, I can clearly see the difference
between that and Spiderman in terms of the sexualisation of that image.
I can't believe I'm having to explain it, because we all know it's
there. There's a kinetic dynamism in the Spiderman images. There's a
sexual slither in the Spider-Woman image. It's the work of a great
artist that can bring that out. And I'm not saying I ultimately object
to a sexy female comic character in context... but spare me the bullshit
that it's all the same thing. I've read super hero comics since the age
of four. While you might be able to draw Spider-Woman in a pose that
looks the same as Spiderman, that doesn't make women any more equal or
make you 'right'. Engaging and sharing your views about the issue,
standing by your point while conceding ground, compromising and
teaching... that's what makes you 'right'.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/spiderwomanmilomanaraclick.jpg?w=650&h=471" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Spider Woman's Ass" border="0" src="http://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/spiderwomanmilomanaraclick.jpg?w=650&h=471" title="Spider Woman's Ass" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'image game' can work both ways.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I don't want to tell people how to think. And I don't always agree with the leftist, liberal 'voices' he wildly generalises about in this article - but I'm really fucking glad they're there. And while you're going to get people like Maddox that dig their heels in, if the 'Social Police's influence is a drip-drip-drip of producers thinking twice before going with the lazy over-sexualisation of women in comics, or hiring people like Sam Pepper for TV shows, then I for one applaud them for their vigilance and pressure. Ultimately, the entertainment aspect of mainstream media is more interesting and enjoyable for all of us if women aren't lazily characterised as sex objects or damsels in distress. Paradoxically, Marvel's progressive use of female characters in many of their lines is one of the main reasons why their comics have been consistently kicking DC's arse critically for the past decade. Whether, depending on your perspective, it's a scandal or a non-issue that they chose to run this particular cover, what it has demonstrated, once again, is that a certain section of males are still shamefully unable to deal with valid accusations in a reasonable way.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-46209758118318935432014-10-09T07:46:00.004-07:002014-10-09T10:56:29.001-07:00The Sun Urges Brits of all Faiths That Wear Union Jack Hijabs to Stand up to Extremists.<div class="western" data-mce-style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Sun's cover yesterday saw them rallying their friends in 'all faiths' that wear <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1">hijabs</span></span><span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"> to stand up against ISIS. So, that's erm, Muslims then.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">Tell
you what, if I was a British Muslim, I wouldn't waste time 'uniting
against ISIS' to appease a bunch of blowhards demanding 'whose side are you on?' In
fact, if I was previously planning on publically denouncing Muslim extremists (where and specifically how to do the denouncing, The Sun doesn't explain) I sure wouldn't do it now. The Sun's crass cover
image and self-righteous bullying in the guise of 'friendly urging'
certainly isn't a fair way to encourage anyone. It looks a lot more to me like a fait accompli to <span class="hiddenSuggestion" data-mce-bogus="1">justify</span> the unpleasantness that <span class="hiddenGrammarError" data-mce-bogus="1">will be unleashed</span> upon the brown people of Britain if they don't do as <i>we</i> say. It gives a new meaning to the phrase 'veiled threat'. It's that drunk guy at the pub that asks you why you've got them tunnels through your ears, or starts slavering over your girlfriend, but thinks it's OK because he's smiling when he does it. And after beating someone up he wakes up in the
morning as says 'well, </span><i>I</i><span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"> was just having a laugh, but he had to get <span class="hiddenSpellError" data-mce-bogus="1">lippy</span>'.</span></div>
<div class="western" data-mce-style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" data-mce-style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">If I was a British Muslim, I'd feel pretty unwelcome in my country
over the last few years and damn sick of the white 'silent majority'
going on about me, not quite silently enough that I can't hear. I certainly
wouldn't be waiting for them to tell me what it is they want me to do
for them, in order to disprove my allegiance to a terrorist organisation I never pledged allegiance to. The fact that this is 'expected' of Muslims by The Sun and its
white readers - on their own utterly arbitrary terms - is typically pig-headed of a newspaper whose <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/last-week-the-sun-wanted-to-abolish-the-human-rights-act-this-week-they-want-to-use-it-to-protect-their-journalists-9778190.html" target="_blank">lack of credibility or self-awareness has been exposed time and again</a>... and yet for some reason people still draw comfort from
its bile. These are people who have shown no friendship, empathy or
tolerance of Muslim communities before this and have no real frame of reference for their culture or faith, other than what they contrive and distort. And now it's all 'we're mates right? We've always been mates. Well here's what I need you to do'.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCcpi2kIed0JB6-F-Uq7ACaMC9UzPmatHTt_03bSUjPEUsT7oclPxYXVo4HaodyjjuIB0x-X9LLF1atthKcDdM4eN8SqlnWf3tP5mSHxvu6rrshrfWfWwFpPZG6ukVI8yev-alZB1YW2F/s1600/10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCcpi2kIed0JB6-F-Uq7ACaMC9UzPmatHTt_03bSUjPEUsT7oclPxYXVo4HaodyjjuIB0x-X9LLF1atthKcDdM4eN8SqlnWf3tP5mSHxvu6rrshrfWfWwFpPZG6ukVI8yev-alZB1YW2F/s1600/10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="BOTTOM" alt="A person of all faiths" border="0" data-mce-src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCcpi2kIed0JB6-F-Uq7ACaMC9UzPmatHTt_03bSUjPEUsT7oclPxYXVo4HaodyjjuIB0x-X9LLF1atthKcDdM4eN8SqlnWf3tP5mSHxvu6rrshrfWfWwFpPZG6ukVI8yev-alZB1YW2F/s1600/10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg" height="400" name="graphics1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCcpi2kIed0JB6-F-Uq7ACaMC9UzPmatHTt_03bSUjPEUsT7oclPxYXVo4HaodyjjuIB0x-X9LLF1atthKcDdM4eN8SqlnWf3tP5mSHxvu6rrshrfWfWwFpPZG6ukVI8yev-alZB1YW2F/s1600/10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg" title="" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A British person of all faiths, yesterday.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><br />Tell
you what The Sun, How about we urge Brits of all colours to stand up
to racists? How about ridding ourselves of the 'Britain First' culture that reacts to
abhorrent behaviour from a Muslim with a racial slur, then reacts to the same behaviour from a white person with the word 'chav'? A culture you and the tabloids exacerbate, aggravate
and profit from? <i>Then</i> we can have an adult conversation about Islam, warts and all. Without us having to tolerate these printed hypocrisies day in,
day out, people might be able to distinguish the signal from the noise. The we can begin to talk through the specifics of what place misogynistic, illiberal and violent perversions of Islam have in this country
without tripping over ourselves to keep things tolerable for the
thousands upon thousands that go about their day, run their businesses, eat their tea, and worship Allah. I look forward to that day.</span></div>
<div class="western" data-mce-style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
It goes back to the very simple statement I made to people complaining about the 'kid gloves' approach to Muslims in the Rotherham<span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">
situation; without racism, there is no anti-racism. The reason
legislation and political correctness puts ugly red tape all over this country is basically an attempt to redress the the balance of a system historically rife with prejudice, bigotry and, yes, flat-out racism. And that Catch 22 is significantly perpetuated by tabloids that rake this muck up out of everyday people's bins and
serve it back to them in the morning. This situation is
the utter mess we're left with. <i>This</i> is why we can't have nice things. Not because of Muslims refusing to denounce terrorists we've erroneously and arrogantly assumed stand for 'them' in the first place.</span>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-TF5K_EHGThI%2FVDaUPGaiF0I%2FAAAAAAAABnA%2F9q1nRK5X_6Y%2Fs1600%2F10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCcpi2kIed0JB6-F-Uq7ACaMC9UzPmatHTt_03bSUjPEUsT7oclPxYXVo4HaodyjjuIB0x-X9LLF1atthKcDdM4eN8SqlnWf3tP5mSHxvu6rrshrfWfWwFpPZG6ukVI8yev-alZB1YW2F/s1600/10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCcpi2kIed0JB6-F-Uq7ACaMC9UzPmatHTt_03bSUjPEUsT7oclPxYXVo4HaodyjjuIB0x-X9LLF1atthKcDdM4eN8SqlnWf3tP5mSHxvu6rrshrfWfWwFpPZG6ukVI8yev-alZB1YW2F/s1600/10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCcpi2kIed0JB6-F-Uq7ACaMC9UzPmatHTt_03bSUjPEUsT7oclPxYXVo4HaodyjjuIB0x-X9LLF1atthKcDdM4eN8SqlnWf3tP5mSHxvu6rrshrfWfWwFpPZG6ukVI8yev-alZB1YW2F/s1600/10648341_1006073662752406_9062718657970789423_o.jpg" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-25272653176459823142014-09-09T03:14:00.000-07:002015-09-21T08:04:53.496-07:00Music Guidance. Thinking About... How You Look<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i><i>In this special weekly guidance series we’re going to be exploring three key aspects of your band’s existence and encouraging you to consider these elements of your act with as much thought and deliberation as you write your songs. Simply expecting the inertia of creativity to steer your ship into the right direction is rarely enough; your band’s command of who you are, what you do and how you come across are all hugely important to consider. Across the series, Barney will use some real-world examples to illustrate how important these factors are and help you to apply these concepts to your own band.</i></i><br />
<br />
READ PART 1: THINKING ABOUT… WHO YOU ARE <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/thinking-about-who-you-are/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 2: THINKING ABOUT... WHAT YOU DO <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/thinking-about-what-you-do/" title="Thinking About… What You Do">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES<br /></b><br />
You've identified the original and unique mix of styles with which your band is going to explode onto the musical landscape. You've found every last webzine to pursue, each blog writer to email and sussed out all the happening underground hotspots for your particular style. But what do you look like? And not just what do <i>you</i> look like but what does <i>the band</i> look like? Visually, what does your art evoke? A consistent aesthetic across all your output, from your clothing to your artwork to your interviews is ideal. Your average metalcore band's music is very different from that of an indie-folk act, and so it makes sense that their attire, promotional material and artwork looks different too. If it's representing you visually, it's worth thinking about how it defines and adds to your <i>brand</i>. And there it is, that dreaded marketing speak! But <i>brand</i> is something that all successful acts have a handle on, even if they do their hardest to pretend they've never even considered it. And there's nothing that gets some bands more defensive than talking about that dreaded little word... image.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzfQnLzOUisWeLK_mR1pGk_uNpyXU5eRIF8P69K6yiSG0JNQH7xIzjAjIibvo0M57ehUPsmOCMPCooRw1hhijP0NhTTO_tDG29qVAW4wIiaUg2ZH1tz_yRawn0iOS0MYfsPOdmaBfjZ52/s1600/The+Specials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzfQnLzOUisWeLK_mR1pGk_uNpyXU5eRIF8P69K6yiSG0JNQH7xIzjAjIibvo0M57ehUPsmOCMPCooRw1hhijP0NhTTO_tDG29qVAW4wIiaUg2ZH1tz_yRawn0iOS0MYfsPOdmaBfjZ52/s640/The+Specials.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">The Specials, a band with a strong image, across all their content.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>IMAGE?! WHAT IMAGE?! THIS IS ABOUT MUSIC, MAN!<br /></b><br />
Some bands balk at the very notion of discussing image. Some bands detest the idea of their appearance affecting their art. But a successful band without a decent image is very much the exception to the norm. By image I don't necessarily mean that you need to look ostentatious, showy or even fashionable. And while I understand the sentiment behind the cliché that 'people have paid to see you, so you should make some effort', that's really not always the case. A grunge band might look just great in ripped jeans and second-hand lumberjack shirts. But if three of the band members dress like that and the drummer dresses in sports gear, it's just not going to look right. By image I simply mean a consistent look across your band's appearance that relates to your music. There's no hard and fast rules to this and great band images vary wildly. The Police simply each bleached their hair blonde. Your image could even be that you all look completely different. As long as you've discussed your image and have decided what it is, you're on the right track. Certain members in any band are inevitably going to be more stylish than others, so if you're not one of those, consider swallowing your pride and let them help you dress. Franz Ferdinand and Blur were always bands where it looked somewhat like the singer dressed the drummer, but they were both bands whose image was a great part of their appeal. The really tricky part is making it look effortless. Bands like The Specials and The Ramones are some of the most credible bands around, but they also have two of the most iconic band images in history. It’s hard to imagine those groups of people discussing their wardrobe and haircuts. But the evidence that they <i>must</i> have is there, be it matching leather jackets or pork-pie hats, in every promo shot.<br />
<br />
If image is something you're struggling with, it's worth thinking outside the box. In my band, image was something that we knew we had really lacked in our past attempts at being in bands. We decided that it was hopeless to try to dress the same because there was a range of styles within the band itself (a contrast of styles we actively drew upon in the music). Faced with the impossible task of streamlining our wardrobes, we decided to simply wear whatever we were comfortable in, but match the colours across our outfits. Red, Black and White was the, on reflection slightly unpleasant, combination I chose, but there it was, and we stretched the scheme onto our CDs, website and merch. We knew we were never going to set the world alight in the fashion stakes but we at least we had something that pulled us all together. Over the years, we’ve changed our colour schemes many times but we’ve always stuck to this strategy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjjb7N3_Jz7I6sI7TeOg_MmwDe6nJ6-YuXEljwnx0EyemgRda8GHIll7P8O39RIDk_5jFlDt4iO6jsf_vonzdB5a3KpeBX3N2TWPdNFKeuCk_6VJxF2ZpeayKuIa9YwcVyEfCf5wT-eDr/s1600/The+Ramones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjjb7N3_Jz7I6sI7TeOg_MmwDe6nJ6-YuXEljwnx0EyemgRda8GHIll7P8O39RIDk_5jFlDt4iO6jsf_vonzdB5a3KpeBX3N2TWPdNFKeuCk_6VJxF2ZpeayKuIa9YwcVyEfCf5wT-eDr/s640/The+Ramones.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
The Ramones. Just happened to all dress exactly the same.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>YOUR VISUAL BRAND</b>Think about some adjectives that describe your music. They could be words like abrasive, dark and menacing. Or words like tender, fragile and comforting. Now consider if the visual assets of your act, from band photos, to logo design, to record artwork, express these words too. Pop and rock music are art forms that have a strong visual element. It isn't just your band image, your visual brand is part of everything you do, even your stage show. Fluorescent sticks and ultraviolet lights were staples of the live shows of bands in the new rave scene back in the early noughties, bringing the scene's luminous artwork to life onstage. It's simply worth remembering that how you look, both in person and represented by your assets, has a huge effect on how people perceive your music. If that makes you uncomfortable, instead of thinking of it as having to use your image and assets to lie about your music in a way that's dishonest and showy, it might be more useful to consider how your imagery can <i>support</i> your music and the ideas and emotions that you want it to evoke.<br />
<br />
First and foremost, think about your band photographs. Once you've nailed a consistent look across the band in terms of your clothing, all the style and philosophy of your music may also be expressed elsewhere in these images. While it's an extreme cliché to have an old-school rapper stood in front of graffiti on an urban wall, it's a fairly clear example of this concept. Just as we discussed how important it is that your music represent where you're from in <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/thinking-about-who-you-are/">PART 1</a> of this series, the setting of your photographs can relate this too. Record artwork is another great way to express the character of your band and the ideal place to start in terms of brainstorming approaches to capture the aesthetic of your music in a visual form. Perhaps nailing the right artwork for your band is the jumping-off point you need to then go back and re-assess how you present yourself in terms of image? You can continue this through to your logo design and the way that you present your website. If you're a cool, quirky, tropical indie band, your logo and web presence should look completely different from that of a dark dubstep act. After all, the emotions that your respective music styles evoke when people listen to them are completely different. The key is to consider the characteristics of your music that are evocative and choose imagery that reflects those characteristics.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8V72b2l-i-wUdIpUmYvrQMRK60sSLN_H4K5NGUkq_IwVD2CSaQFsdiyyalvRBZdrWVPF5tkGElwb0RNisHboXO0WtLNu3WJ-X5S9G_rxQBb05BbxcDi6UaoI9pVuPN5-71NYFgHWu1Ec/s1600/Aphex+Twin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8V72b2l-i-wUdIpUmYvrQMRK60sSLN_H4K5NGUkq_IwVD2CSaQFsdiyyalvRBZdrWVPF5tkGElwb0RNisHboXO0WtLNu3WJ-X5S9G_rxQBb05BbxcDi6UaoI9pVuPN5-71NYFgHWu1Ec/s640/Aphex+Twin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Aphex Twin's imagery is cold, unsettling and complex, just like his music, and supports his music across all his platforms.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>A THOUSAND WORDS CAN PAINT A PICTURE</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
How a band looks can even go beyond the visual. Any text related to a band is a great opportunity to push the band's brand and express your philosophy, image and style. If you're a hip-hop act whose lyrics are deep, complex and intellectual, then any text related to your music should have the same attention to detail and character as your lyrics. Use your biographies, social media and blog output to express your character and write with the same tone as the list of adjectives that describe your music. I wrote a blog for our friends at the Unsigned Guide called the <a href="http://members.theunsignedguide.com/blog/510">Top 5 Mistakes That Bands Make on Their Biogs</a> that highlights the perils of going too far with this approach, but as long as you remain aware of the purpose that your writing is for, having some fun with the style of its delivery is a great sizzle on your steak.<br />
<br />
Another tremendous opportunity to put across your philosophy, image and style, are interviews. With the amount of internet blogs being written about bands right now, it's inevitable that you'll be asked to do one sooner or later. Remember, just like when you are <a href="http://members.theunsignedguide.com/blog/510">writing your biography</a>, an interview is a chance for you to put across your band in words and not a dull exercise where you literally answer the questions. If the questions are bad, nix them and answer the interviewer with what you want to say about the band. Steer the questions towards what you want to express that is interesting about your band. I recommend that bands "use the biography to highlight the music’s truth, not relay the literal truth" and I feel the same about interviews. Finally, it doesn't hurt to have stock answers to a range of questions that you, as a band, sit and hash out to keep the whole band 'on message'. As well as meaning that there is a consistency in your story that way, it provides a great opportunity for you as a band to touch base about your philosophy, bounce around ideas about your art, and refresh your memories and vision of where you're at and where you're heading.<br />
<br />
<b>THANKS AND GOODBYE FOR NOW</b>I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I've enjoyed writing it and the ideas presented have enhanced your grasp of who you are, what you do and how you look. To re-iterate my point from the introduction, "these blogs will be most beneficial if used as a jump-off point for discussion between you and your band members. The whole idea is that you, as an emerging band, get on the same page about who you are, what you do and how you look. If you have a unified vision, it's half the battle. Organise a band meeting, hash these things out and I guarantee you'll be making a positive and productive step for your band."<br />
<br />
This is my last guidance blog for Songeist. If you've enjoyed my advice and writing, please keep up with my band <a href="http://www.sonicboomsix.co.uk/" title="Blog">HERE</a>, my blog <a href="http://sonicboomsix.blogspot.co.uk/">HERE</a> and follow me on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/songeistbarney">HERE</a>. Thank you to everyone that's read, commented and shared these blogs and thanks to Songeist for the opportunity to write them.<br />
<h6>
<i>The Specials shot courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="45" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/waltjabsco/" title="Go to Walt Jabsco's photostream">Walt Jabsco</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />The Ramones shot courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="32" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/seandavis/" title="Go to Sean Davis's photostream">Sean Davis</a>‘s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Aphex Twin Logo courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="32" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gentlepurespace/" title="Go to Richard Roche's photostream">Richard Roche'</a>s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-46165247960911387052014-09-04T03:11:00.000-07:002015-09-21T08:11:55.088-07:00Music Guidance. Thinking About... What You Do<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i><i>In this special weekly guidance series we're going to be exploring three key aspects of your band's existence and encouraging you to consider these elements of your act with as much thought and deliberation as you write your songs. Simply expecting the inertia of creativity to steer your ship into the right direction is rarely enough; your band's command of who you are, what you do and how you come across are all hugely important to consider. Across the series, Barney will use some real-world examples to illustrate how important these factors are and help you to apply these concepts to your own band.</i></i><br />
<br />
READ PART 1: THINKING ABOUT... WHO YOU ARE <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/thinking-about-who-you-are/">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>GREAT THINGS GROW UNDERGROUND</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
When many young bands see their idols headlining festivals it's natural to want to emulate them. Many emerging bands see, say, Foo Fighters up there and want to do the same, so they start a band that sounds like Foo Fighters. But it's vital to remember that Dave Grohl started out in a van in a cult hardcore band called Scream and built up his career from there. Queens of The Stone Age didn’t start as Reading-headlining rock titans; the seeds for the band grew from Kyuss and the stoner rock and desert music scenes. For Metallica it was the bay area thrash scene. For Green Day and Blink 182 there were scores of compilation appearances and toilet punk gigs. For every huge indie band like Foals, there are a hundred arty underground gigs played with like minded-bands put on by DIY promoters under their belt. For every 'overnight success' story like Royal Blood, there are always years of van mileage, local line-ups and band names in their wake. You can’t, and shouldn’t want to, skip this essential part of a band’s development.<br />
<br />
For guitar bands, EDM acts, hip-hop artists and practically anyone other than the kids on Pop Idol, throwing yourself into the culture and activity of the underground scene of your chosen genre is <i>essential</i>. Not only does it provide a gigging circuit, an audience and that vital <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/thinking-about-who-you-are/" title="Thinking About… Who You Are.">context</a> for your act, it provides an opportunity to learn from a thriving culture that informs and influences the mainstream. Every successful band that I have ever seen live before they exploded, from the aforementioned Foals, to So Solid Crew, to You Me At Six, to Gallows, I saw in the context of an underground, grassroots show, showcasing similar acts as part of an underground scene. Many more of today's stars, from Dizzee Rascal and Chase and Status to Frank Turner and Enter Shikari began as big fishes in small musical ponds before making that coveted leap to the Main Stage.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ys6jS0Qd1tdxCj_2RF8MLlg5xMxqN4T_TbGVMCJSU5KOl8QFhtQSKc7F8XzJj16XMVJ-Xbu9hGslZS_BO11S35k1bFvSVdoCWCzdLqSUH3jN4UEcgDDlLi3ty1SOvNAqKhr6NuRMDqYV/s1600/QOTSA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ys6jS0Qd1tdxCj_2RF8MLlg5xMxqN4T_TbGVMCJSU5KOl8QFhtQSKc7F8XzJj16XMVJ-Xbu9hGslZS_BO11S35k1bFvSVdoCWCzdLqSUH3jN4UEcgDDlLi3ty1SOvNAqKhr6NuRMDqYV/s640/QOTSA.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
Josh Homme: I Remember When All This Was Just Deserts...</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>GIGS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The wisdom of starting your band at the grassroots of your chosen style is not unique to one band or scene, these ideas can be extrapolated across all styles of music. Take any hugely successful rock or indie or dance act and the majority have a history within an underground gigging circuit. So your approach to gigs should be studied and specific and this is what so many emerging artists playing mixed bills, looking for A&R in their local venues, forget. The lifeblood of any underground scene is the gigs and this cannot be understated. Grassroots music scenes work through friendships, not strength of demos, and the difference between being shunned by a scene and being immersed and accepted into one is often about what you put in. Returning favours and being an active participant at live shows will reap rewards for an emerging band that your songwriting might not. Fundamentally, there is no point playing the kind of gigs where a promoter ropes together miscellaneous local bands with no thought about style or customer, just to open the bar at their venue. Ultimately, the crowds at those gigs are made up of friends and families of the bands, who leave as soon as their artists have finished their show. Even worse are the ghastly ‘pay to play’ shows put on by promoters who ‘showcase’ whomever they know will sell tickets to their circle of friends, at no financial risk to themselves. That’s not a promoter of music, that's a promoter of a bar. Those gigs are pointless and don’t attract A&R. For all the reasons I have already outlined, no matter what the promoter might promise, A&R don't randomly cruise around local shows looking for bands; they wait for bands to begin to make ripples in their own scene before they come to them. At best, local mixed bills are an opportunity to play live, but that can be done D.I.Y with just a little hard work.<br />
<br />
When I started my band, one thing we got right due to previous bad experiences was our resolution to never, ever play a 'pay to play' show, a battle of the bands or a miscellaneous mixed-bill on a local band night. We didn’t look at Manchester any different from any other British city and we were not vaguely interested in being a ‘big’ local band. We decided we would forge the path ourselves to become part of our chosen scene and those other things would come on board as we went along. We identified the touring bands that we wanted to play with that were within our reach and then booked those that were affordable to play the venues ourselves. We then put our band and other like-minded and stylistically appropriate local bands in support. After putting on several gigs, favours were returned and we were invited to other cities to play and that lead to strong relationships with other bands. When the bands came back on tour, I let them stay at my house and we became friends and part of the circuit. Pretty soon, we were getting booked all over the country and once we had a record deal we were seasoned enough at playing live to go on tour. But we’d had to take the risk of putting on our own shows and all those steps to build relationships with our peers to make that happen. It sounds calculated, and it was, but we had great fun doing it and made some wonderful friends and I recommend that hands-on approach to gigs to all emerging acts.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUPY9CYkxueWqUGVlhNG8_BRnKjJAY-uXaOpOMR_06-g7cBwgQJzCrjd5lzNDAybukmoL8jeIltPKmbpTsz8wguvRmjBMpPEqq7qMzEr5mfyY-OQecoLO9tNa2ZRdXzxyqHD1y63BC-cF/s1600/Dizzee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUPY9CYkxueWqUGVlhNG8_BRnKjJAY-uXaOpOMR_06-g7cBwgQJzCrjd5lzNDAybukmoL8jeIltPKmbpTsz8wguvRmjBMpPEqq7qMzEr5mfyY-OQecoLO9tNa2ZRdXzxyqHD1y63BC-cF/s640/Dizzee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Dizzee Rascal. Exploded with his debut album, but began in the grassroots pirate radio grime scene.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>DEMOS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Any scene will have its own webzines, perhaps even print fanzines, and so it shouldn't be at all difficult to identify the other bands, promoters and movers and shakers and jump right in. With the blogosphere and online promotion as huge as it has become, there is an immediate networks of blogs and taste-maker sites for practically all styles that are easy to find if you just put in a little effort. I don't want to make it too easy for you, but the list of links on Andy Von Pip's excellent <a href="http://www.thevpme.com/">blog</a> is a wonderful starting place. <a href="http://hypem.com/">Hype Machine</a> should make short work of figuring out the blogs that relate to your style and the music that's making waves right now. Exciting and thriving though this network is, remember, it's there to help your band along and support good music, not to build your career alone. Only concentrating on your online music listens isn't going to cut it if you can't play live or create a presence in your scene. I've seen bands with quarter of a million online listens that couldn't draw double-figures at gigs. Although MP3 downloads and online plays might have replaced the rigmarole of sending CDs to club nights, the concept of getting to know the people who represent your chosen style at the grassroots remains. So while it's tempting to grab that list of blogs and send your <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/the-five-things-you-need-in-your-epk/">EPK</a> to everyone on there, it's actually better to simply choose a few that you know cover, and have a history of supporting bands that sound like you, and push it to them personally.<br />
<br />
The famous story goes that <a href="http://www.nme.com/artists/bloc-party">Bloc Party were signed after they gave their CD to Steve Lamacq at a Franz Ferdinand</a> gig. That wasn't an accident, it was a result of knowing the players and playing the game correctly. For my own part, on a much smaller scale, my band's initial approach to sending out our recording was the same as it was playing live. We weren’t initially sending our demos out to the big managers, agents and major labels. We made a rough and ready three track demo before we’d even started playing live and sent that out to all the ska fanzines and nascent webzines we could find. Fortuitously, one of the tracks was chosen to appear on a compilation by the UK’s leading fanzine of our style, which got our name out there very early in our existence. At Reading Festival I was handed a flyer with the name of a club night in London which displayed a list of bands that were spun by the DJ that had a great deal of crossover with my band's music. I sent a demo over to the club, addressing it c/o the club night’s name. A few weeks later I got a phone-call from the promoter inviting us to support a US band doing their only UK show in London. The promoter went on to put us in the studio to produce a professional demo (which ultimately got us signed) and subsequently he also went on to manage us for a number of years. These things never would have happened if I hadn’t seized the opportunity to send the CD to that club with a decent covering letter, based on a list of bands and a wing and a prayer. Just like Bloc Party, I had identified where we fitted in and the places that were playing the kind of music we were playing and it all went from there.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftoLS6f3aAhptC3tp-R8K2i3yWJcMTbL20HJ36GXq7BZ8zs1EFnY6MZR_nvWbHB-_e_x_KviYhZoxdBkUtedvadgjefHgnpnhS10IYdyqVBLCCuMw4e98l05YB7Aumk_PvMI92-AulNio/s1600/Reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftoLS6f3aAhptC3tp-R8K2i3yWJcMTbL20HJ36GXq7BZ8zs1EFnY6MZR_nvWbHB-_e_x_KviYhZoxdBkUtedvadgjefHgnpnhS10IYdyqVBLCCuMw4e98l05YB7Aumk_PvMI92-AulNio/s640/Reading.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Bloc Party. Good mates with Steve Lamacq.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>THINKING ABOUT... HOW YOU LOOK</b><br />
Next week, in the last blog of this series 'Thinking About... How You Look', I'll talk about another couple of things that you don't necessarily consider when you're getting your band together and those are image and interviews. For now, don't forget to let me know what you think of the blog and please share it! Thanks for reading.<br />
<h6>
<i>Queens of the Stone Age shot courtesy <span class="attribution"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nrk-p3/" title="NRK P3">NRK P3'</a></span>s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Dizzee Rascal shot courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="31" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ausnahmezustand/" title="Go to michael dornbierer's photostream">michael dornbierer</a>‘s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Reading Festival Bloc Party shot courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="45" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/46357488@N00/" title="Go to Mark Freeman's photostream">Mark Freeman</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-78950953612779113302014-08-29T05:01:00.000-07:002014-10-06T08:57:03.543-07:00Barney Interviews The Talks<i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com<br /><br />At <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist</a> we have no remit for the genre of emerging artists we promote; from classical to hardcore punk, our ears are open. However, we won't pretend we don't have our personal preferences and, for his sins, ska music is something very near and dear to the heart of Barney Songeist, to the point where 'Can't Remember To Forget You' by Shakira can often be heard emanating from our office when everyone else has gone to lunch. And so, it's his pleasure to be able to catch up with Jody, Pat and Iain from one of the great hopes of UK ska music, <a href="http://www.songeist.com/thetalks">The Talks</a>, whose rugged, rough-and-tumble ska and dapper British style has turned heads over the last few years, in both the UK and mainland Europe.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.songeist.com/thetalks"><img alt="" height="480" src="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t31.0-8/1097855_10151825268890309_2083703670_o.jpg" width="640" /></a> The Talks<br />
<b>B. Hey The Talks. Let’s get the formalities out-of-the-way. Can you give everyone The Talks in a nutshell; your style, where you guys met, what you guys have done up to now. Then we can move on and get into the details!</b><br />
<br />
Jody. In a nutshell... The Talks are 4 lads from Hull that all met from playing in different bands together previously or studying music together. So far we have had one album out in 2011 and an E.P called ‘West Sinister’ which we released early last year and we are currently two singles in to our new album which will be released soon.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Cool! Your last two singles ‘Radio’ and ‘Don’t Look Behind You’ are streaming on Songeist now and feature on your forthcoming album ‘Commoners, Peers, Drunks and Thieves’. When did you record the album, who did you record it with and, most importantly, when is it going to drop?</b><br />
<br />
Jody. We started demoing and jamming the album throughout 2013 but didn’t actually properly start tracking the album until early 2014. Luckily myself and Pat (lead singer) run a recording studio in Hull which helps, so this time all the album has been recorded at AOO Studios. Previously with ‘West Sinister’ we tracked the E.P in our studio but sent it out to a producer for mixing which made life easier. But with this album we are doing the lot, as some tracks were written in the recording process. Saying that, it did take a little longer than we'd hoped because at times we did found ourselves a little too close to the project; tracking, producing, arranging, mixing and mastering all takes its toll! So it did become a process of leaving it - to get some head space - before returning back to it, and continuing the session. It's a longer process but a good learning one!<br />
<br />
Hopefully all being well, we should have it out in October.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=15476&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. One of the things that I love - and find very interesting - about you guys is that you’ve managed a nice balancing act between existing in the UK ska scene and getting mainstream attention from BBC Introducing and others. One reason for this is that you manage to achieve the live energy of the US ska-punk bands like Rancid that the underground circuit demands, but you manage to retain the identity of a UK band like The Specials or The Ordinary Boys that more commercial enterprises can get a handle on. In a scene that has often been stifled by the pop-cultural cul-de-sac of UK bands aping US ones, do you see your Britishness as a factor in the band’s character and consciously attempt to retain it? What do you think of UK ska bands that look and sound exactly like US bands?</b><br />
<br />
Jody. I think it’s a case of knowing who and what you are; we are British and it seems that’s what people like about us and what sets us apart when we go over to play Europe. We are blessed that we have been left with a history of amazing music coming from the UK; The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, The Specials... and it seems that other country’s artists are also influenced by the UK, so why would we look to be anything else when we've been left with such a legacy? So I suppose with us loving the British sound, it tends to sound more British naturally. But saying that, it's like you say, influence from the States with the energetic style, or anywhere in the world is always huge too. I guess if it's good and inspiring to us, we tend borrow aspects of it.<br />
<br />
Any band from the UK that is playing ska music, American, European or British style, we support and good on them. It's all good for a possible re-emergence of the musical genre. We would never denounce a band for playing their own music and putting the work in.<br />
<br />
<b>B. It’s not just sounding-American that can hinder the progress of UK ska bands. Stylistically ska music doesn’t have a great representation in the mainstream and has a healthier underground scene in countries like Germany, which you guys tap into. On tracks like ‘Radio’ you have the sound of a fresh and vital band but underneath it all is essentially a ska band that the music industry, ironically radio especially, might perceive as being ‘retro’. Is your game plan to set your stall in the ska scene and hope that your songs, style and talent will bring you to success further afield or do you have an approach to avoid the pitfalls of getting stuck behind the glass ceiling of being labelled a ‘genre band’.</b><br />
<br />
Pat. Yeah, it can be a bit of a drawback being labeled by some radio and media as being retro sometimes, but most people listen on and realise it is progressive as well. Ska is a great style and we love to play it and try to progress it in our own way as much as we can, but there does come a point when it stops being familiar in its feel and then of course it's harder for a lot to identify with. The new digital distribution doesn't allow for crossing genres as much either. The iTunes buttons to identify genre like a nice neat 'Ska' or 'Rock' or 'Indie' or whatever it is. But saying that, no musician or artist wants to be cornered into one style. So we are, and have been, pushing the boundaries when writing. Sometimes it works and sometimes not, or maybe not for now anyways. The hope is once a band is established people are open to hearing what else they have to offer I think. That's certainly how we feel anyway.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://sgcdn-billboard-live2.songeist.com/680_1763252.jpg" height="362" width="640" /> The Talks, pushing things forward.<br />
<br />
<b>B. On the forthcoming album there’s a track that features Itch (ex-The King Blues) which has a strongly anti-war lyrical bent. How did your collab with Itch come about? Do you feel that it is important for bands to express their political opinions through music and which artists inspire you to do so?</b><br />
<br />
Pat. The track 'Ceasefire' was born of just seeing so much mayhem going on in the world. I guess it's always been one of our things to say what we see and hopefully convey a message. Many of our tracks have that kinda of angle. It was a pretty natural thing to ask Itch to get involved as I feel The King Blues had a similar style in speaking out, as do many of the bands in the punk and ska scene. I've always loved Itch's style and the fact that he loved the track enough to do it was brilliant. We've always enjoyed working with people we admire the style of and hopefully there's gonna be more to come.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Across the forthcoming album, and indeed your back catalogue, there are forays into many genres, from new wave pop to dub to tracks with more of an experimental, jungle-influenced sound. I see this as being in the tradition of The Clash, who always attempted to bring other styles into their sound while retaining their own aesthetic. What is your philosophy on bringing other styles into The Talks fold, and how do you retain your own identity while playing music ‘outside’ of your box?</b><br />
<br />
Pat. I absolutely love bands that try diversify their sound and I always felt there is so much greatness in so many musical styles; so much so you feel like a kid in sweet shop when you're jamming out new ideas with the band. I guess it can get a little out of hand and we have to rein it in a bit and keep a sound that doesn't become too unfamiliar. We intend to keep trying new things, there's so much diversity out there, and there are a lot of great bands that have managed it, so that always gives us confidence.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=15475&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. How important is the city of Hull to The Talks? The city has had its share of social and economic adversities and yet manages to win City of Culture and have a tremendously close-knit and thriving music scene. Events like the Songeist-sponsored Humber Street Sesh and the work of Warren Records and venues like the Adelphi, Welly and Fruit give the scene a real sense of community, with bands of all different genres associating together. How do you feel this has happened and why do you think live music is so important in Hull? Other than the awesome Counting Coins, who else should we be checking out in Hull?</b><br />
<br />
Iain: Hull is extremely important to us. Like with most bands, their home town is the place where they met, where they took their experiences and moulded them into songs, where they learned how to perform, the place that gave them life, and this is exactly how we feel about Hull. To be granted City of Culture is a great accolade, something to really work towards and show the rest of the world all that we have to offer. Bands don’t really segregate themselves stylistically here, we all appreciate just how hard each other works and are equally supportive of the scene. I think it works this way partly because of the recent social and economic upheavals; it’s a city on the up with everything to gain. We’ve been hit pretty hard in the past and not too much has been expected, so no one’s really living in anybody’s shadows. There are loads of great bands to check out, just to name a few: EndofLevelBaddie, Life, <a href="http://www.songeist.com/YoungJack">Young Jack</a> and Black Delta Movement.<br />
<br />
<b>B. The video for ‘Radio’ takes place in a record shop and has scenes of people digging through the crates for vinyl. You’ve also released vinyl in Germany yourselves. Do you feel an affinity for the physical product and the album format? How do you think that acts can keep the tradition of the LP and record shop alive in a digital, playlist-orientated world?</b><br />
<br />
Jody. Absolutely, with the vinyl its like it's a real, real product... a real piece of art and that's what I love about vinyl. Also I think by releasing a record it shows that you are investing in your band - as they are not cheap to manufacture - but people who collect vinyl know that and that's why they're still a bit special to this day. The download code does help towards this... but ultimately bands need to release more vinyl and inspire people to hear how it sounds rather than some hacked MP3 that has had the tits compressed out of it through some extra fake bass-boosting earphones that they picked because they were cheaper and more colourful, physically and sonically. Ssshhhh...<br />
<br />
But what I think is paramount to a bands growth, is keeping the album format alive, whether that's digitally or physically. It seems that most bands release single after single to maintain momentum which is fine, but with an album it's more personal, taking the listeners on a journey through your music and the way you agonise over which way to take them through the album and where to break it up with a slight change in style or feel. This, I think, is always gonna bring your crowd closer to you because they have had that journey with you. They know the album tracks that everyone who bought just the singles doesn't, and that can't be a bad thing. Of course this is just our thoughts on the process and I guess time will tell once we have had 'Commoners, Peers, Drunks & Thieves' out for a while.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UcxH4jxgEH8" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. You’ve been playing a great deal of festivals this summer and getting The Talks sound out there across a lot of different countries. How have you found the reaction of fans in Europe? Do they need more time to get engaged than a UK crowd or are they even more up for it?</b><br />
<br />
Iain. The European reaction to the band has been wicked. We’re lucky enough to have entered a lot of territories with good billing on some big festivals, which has really helped boost things. The audiences in Germany, Belgium, Holland and France are equally as up for it as those in the UK, if not at times moreso. They seem to engage instantly and latch on to the vibe. They really seem to get the vibe of the band live. In Germany for instance live music seems to have a heightened level of importance and going to a gig is a real event, not just going to the pub for a pint and as a by-product there’s a band on. Live gigs seem less saturated so they are better organised, promoted and more of an anticipated happening.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Finally, let us know what you guys have coming up and where we can keep in touch with you guys?</b><br />
<br />
We're just finishing up with the festivals and then we release the album in November. We hit the road straight after, with three weeks in Europe and then a few weeks in the UK in November touring to promote the album. After that we will probably hate each other for a while, ha ha.<br />
<br />
Give us a like on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thetalks">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thetalks">Twitter</a> and you can keep up to date with us that way.<br />
<br />
You can stream tracks by The Talks on Songeist <a href="http://www.songeist.com/thetalks" title="Blog">HERE</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-78247090240964557562014-08-27T06:38:00.000-07:002015-09-21T08:09:18.788-07:00Music Guidance. Thinking About... Who You Are<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>In this special weekly guidance series we're going to be exploring three key aspects of your band's existence and encouraging you to consider these elements of your act with as much thought and deliberation as you write your songs. Simply expecting the inertia of creativity to steer your ship into the right direction is rarely enough; your band's command of who you are, what you do and how you come across are all hugely important to consider. Across the series, Barney will use some real-world examples to illustrate how important these factors are and help you to apply these concepts to your own band.</i><br />
<br />
READ PART 2: THINKING ABOUT... WHAT YOU ARE <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/thinking-about-what-you-do/" title="Thinking About… What You Do">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>THINKING ABOUT... AN INTRODUCTION</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Within four months in my current band, we managed to make more headway then we had in four years in our previous band. Within a year we were firmly established in our scene, being regularly played on BBC Radio 1, taken on a package tour with our heroes and signed to one of the biggest independent punk-related labels in the UK.<br />
<br />
<i>While playing the same songs we'd played in our old band</i>.<br />
<br />
I’ll be honest. We didn’t do this by suddenly being the best band around or by having the best songs and the best singing voices. Learning to write good songs and play great live shows and all those other things arguably(!) came later and, like all bands, we’re still learning. In fact, all we did was disband one band and start another with a small shuffle of members six months later. But this time we had a clear, defined, and mutually understood philosophy of who we were, what we did and how we looked.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TIziBUJCC4u6-q-jjLzwiUfpfPQBqPG5LMIME6MyYmz4peM9X4gZ8wuFiiCCOCwwFpWVwTnz8k-qTL0P1sm5YrHlkj33436i8syRsq0LQtCJ3LWGWaFAlxBAvMNGrRU35_F7rovCKx76/s1600/Kurt+Cobain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TIziBUJCC4u6-q-jjLzwiUfpfPQBqPG5LMIME6MyYmz4peM9X4gZ8wuFiiCCOCwwFpWVwTnz8k-qTL0P1sm5YrHlkj33436i8syRsq0LQtCJ3LWGWaFAlxBAvMNGrRU35_F7rovCKx76/s640/Kurt+Cobain.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
Even Kurt Cobain had to think about these things.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>NO CONSIDERABLE MUSICAL CHANGE</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
By considering the factors that I will discuss in these blogs and tweaking your approach accordingly, you too may be able to go from languishing local band to being an established part of the national gigging circuit with <i>no considerable musical change</i>. If my last series <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-1-making-a-splash/">From The Garage To The Stage</a> was about thinking about everything that happens on stage other than the music, this series is about everything that <i>defines</i> a band other than the music. And these factors are actually just as important as the songs you write.<br />
<br />
These blogs will be most beneficial if used as a jump-off point for discussion between you and your band members. The whole idea is that you, as an emerging band, get on the same page about who you are, what you do and how you look. If you have a unified vision, it's half the battle. Organise a band meeting, hash these things out and I guarantee you'll be making a positive and productive step for your band.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitUip6ZFwXzaBXXFRw0iDvDPEmYI2Z8lhodpzDmBnhGMZ0jzAjZVmDx51irYnjjSwYRAYZWlxdl1u0g_8QhTs0Q3A1AyvHAzgKFXRhmaWXM95PXR3df2LTH1qbhQ50k3mT7ePT3T3ejPK/s1600/The+Automatic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgitUip6ZFwXzaBXXFRw0iDvDPEmYI2Z8lhodpzDmBnhGMZ0jzAjZVmDx51irYnjjSwYRAYZWlxdl1u0g_8QhTs0Q3A1AyvHAzgKFXRhmaWXM95PXR3df2LTH1qbhQ50k3mT7ePT3T3ejPK/s640/The+Automatic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">What's that coming over the hill? It's a band that know WHO THEY ARE.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>DEFINE YOURSELF</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
First things first. Who are you? What are you giving to people that they can't already get? They're questions, whether consciously or not, that every successful band can answer. The first, and most important, thing to do is to <i>define yourself</i>. What are you giving to music? Where do you fit into what is going on? In terms of members, each band is as unique as a fingerprint. The make-up of no two bands is exactly the same and the music can reflect the various influences, personalities and talents of the people who make it up. Of course, that doesn’t mean switching genres every single song to account for your different tastes. It means that you figure out what unique sounds this distinct combination of musicians can create together and can slot into what is happening in music now. And then <i>focus</i> on that.<br />
<br />
Sounds obvious right? Well, you'd be surprised how many bands get together based on liking similar music and 'jam' to 'find their sound'. All well and good, but then they forget to sit down and identify what it is. Just one aspect of your act that's unique is enough make you memorable. Even now, speak to anyone about Welsh indie-rockers The Automatic and they'll probably say 'is that the indie band with the screaming guy on keyboards?' Of course, what sets you apart doesn't have to be something as visceral as a screaming keyboard player. It can be anything that makes you a band that are doing something distinctive among the other bands out there that aren't. What is distinctive could be anything from your vocal accent to using a certain instrument or just a new twist on an old idea.<br />
<br />
I can feel some of the purists out there raising their eyebrows... perhaps this feels contrived and gimmicky? Maybe this seems contrary to the creative process? But why is it a gimmick to identify something that came naturally to your group of musicians and set out to explore it in the hope of creating something truly original? The simplest way to look at it is that if you’ve invented yourself, even if people don’t like you, they remember you. You'll always be that band that did <i>that thing</i>. And that thing will work in your advantage as long as there are other bands out there to give a <i>context</i> to what you do.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcyr-FIdZCqEMkzOs3VMRS_aq_NF2TyouyNenD5ufJjaabA5JD-bDJuJDhDAQl79zPy1rsdE_byZ75mK_sRF7oOf11iIjjY6_vLP4hyphenhyphenANpLSOJSkXoO0yUkBm-s1NZQDhvyRLpyxo3I8F/s1600/Radiohead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcyr-FIdZCqEMkzOs3VMRS_aq_NF2TyouyNenD5ufJjaabA5JD-bDJuJDhDAQl79zPy1rsdE_byZ75mK_sRF7oOf11iIjjY6_vLP4hyphenhyphenANpLSOJSkXoO0yUkBm-s1NZQDhvyRLpyxo3I8F/s640/Radiohead.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
Radiohead. Blowing Genres To Smithereens Since Kid A.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>CONTEXT</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
'Inventing yourself' doesn’t mean that you need to concoct a new genre of music from the ground up; as long as you can creatively frame what originality you have with other contemporary music and it makes sense - be it one step more extreme or one step towards a different style - then you are a unique snowflake in the musical sky. Very few artists are as pioneering as say, The Streets, who appeared, apparently cut from whole cloth, with a truly unique sound. But even The Streets' influences rang so loud from every song on ‘Original Pirate Material’ that the context of where he fitted into the pantheon of British dance and pop between The Specials, The Prodigy and everything else was obvious to all. Conceptually, you, me and the majority of bands out there are actually just steps away from another.<br />
<br />
Think about those old Rock Family Tree diagrams. Now, instead of the act's line-ups and histories, think of those Rock Family Trees in terms of genres. Most successful acts in any genre are really only small steps away from each other in style and tone. Consider Muse's chart-friendly pomp-rock distillation of Radiohead's prog excess and back to Imagine Dragons' latter-day facelift of early Muse. Like it or not, pop and rock music exists in a place and time and the zeitgeist is a crucial element of commercial music. Attempts to ignore these road-signs, or even kick down the traffic cones, are ill-advised for an emerging band. Sure, Radiohead now straddle entire genres of music, but it's important to remember that didn't happen overnight. For years they were a British guitar band navigating their way through the alternative rock landscape before blowing everything to smithereens with Kid A. I see emerging bands out there attempting to make their premature version of Kid A, expelling all their influences, talent and passion without a vision or context to hold it all in place.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg-BxqhcmegF7GJ0ImQQ6r6ZNf8M5OKThKVKEJYcGSyB19CSSisXr1PnamC_f5GwIyhhmOiD4aM4so3JiRwTquLcGzLsXcAWDQRUsCtJCbAIBxbmKPzrWzdK3AsZZV371u5Xipwz_Iqbo/s1600/Enter+Shikari.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg-BxqhcmegF7GJ0ImQQ6r6ZNf8M5OKThKVKEJYcGSyB19CSSisXr1PnamC_f5GwIyhhmOiD4aM4so3JiRwTquLcGzLsXcAWDQRUsCtJCbAIBxbmKPzrWzdK3AsZZV371u5Xipwz_Iqbo/s640/Enter+Shikari.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
Enter Shikari. Master of Context.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1374733735_911f124c68_b.jpg"></a><br />
<b>IT'S NOT WHERE YOU'RE AT... IT'S WHERE YOU'RE FROM</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
With bands like Klaxons, Friendly Fires and Enter Shikari actively blurring the lines between what it is to be a guitar act and a dance act, popular music has never been so stylistically open. But while it seems like those acts are just throwing together their record collections and making music, it's crucial to understand that the mechanics of those band's genre-crossovers are deceptively sophisticated. They expertly blend a prescribed mix of styles that make sense for their audience and fit within the lineage of the bands that have come before them and the scene they're in. Even though they flirt with dance music and DJ culture, they utilise these ideas as rock acts that understand their crowd's distinct tastes and frames of reference. If you know, like these bands, that your audience can contextualise, and enjoy, the specific mix of genres that you can uniquely provide, then hey... there's your context. But remember that, by design, these guys make it look easy and one man's record collection is another man's jumble sale.<br />
<br />
As well as the context of the musical landscape, it's vital to think just as deliberately about your cultural context. Successful music generally relays an authentic truth about the culture of the people in the band and the place they're from. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a strong cultural context as tattooed, perma-tanned funk-rockers from Hollywood. It's hard to imagine a band from Grimsby, tattooed and perma-tanned or not, having the same success with the same songs. The cultural context of a band is a part of its strength. Think about bands like Oasis and Pulp and how the identities and cultural context of Manchester and Sheffield are indivisible from their music. Ask yourself, does your music say something about who you are and where you are from?<br />
<br />
<b>THINKING ABOUT... WHAT YOU DO</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Thanks for reading. Next week, in 'Thinking About... What You Do' I'll put across my argument about why success for emerging bands doesn't start by aiming for the stars at all... but by aiming for the roots. For now, don't forget to let me know what you think of the blog and please share it!<br />
<h6>
<i> Playmobil shot courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="32" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/seretuaccidente/" title="Go to Xurxo Martínez's photostream">Xurxo Martínez</a>‘s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />The Automatic shot courtesy <span class="attribution"><a data-rapid_p="112" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/beana_cheese/" title="beana_cheese">beana_cheese</a></span>‘s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Radiohead shot courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="31" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcmortygreen/" title="Go to Taras Khimchak's photostream">Taras Khimchak</a>‘s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Enter Shikari shot courtesy <a class="owner-name truncate" data-rapid_p="55" data-track="attributionNameClick" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/empty_shelves/" title="Go to Natalie Aja's photostream">Natalie Aja's</a> Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-86743657200196733692014-08-25T03:00:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:12:18.916-07:00Barney Interviews Echotape<i><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com</i> </span></span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent">Next Tuesday, September 2nd at the Sebright Arms in London we have three of the best emerging bands in the UK taking the stage; <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=285802964774527" href="http://www.songeist.com/echotape">Echotape</a>, <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=286245454754022" href="http://www.songeist.com/lion_bark">Lion Bark</a> and <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=144225459068653" href="http://www.songeist.com/faromusic">FARO music. </a>Headliners Echotape play a distinctive, impassioned brand of indie-rock that's been electrifying crowds, and online music listeners, over the last year. With the guys dropping new single 'Whiskey Bar' this week, Barney caught up with Mike from the band to fill us in on what's been going on with Echotape and their thoughts and philosophies on their ascent.</span></span><b><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent"><br /></span></span></b></i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.songeist.com/echotape"><img alt="Echotape" class="wp-image-1146 size-full" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Echotape2-e1408913822251.jpeg" height="435" width="640" /></a> Echotape<br />
<br />
<b><span class="userContent"><span class="userContent">B. L</span></span>et’s get the basics out of the way. Give us a potted history of Echotape; previous bands, where you’re from and what you guys have done so far.</b><br />
<br />
M. Well, we’ve all know each other since school and college days and been in bands around the area (yes, they all had dodgy band names, Donny Whistle was one of Dan’s old bands). Marc and I are brothers so we have known each other a bit longer! We all live together in our band flat in the depths of Hampshire. Echotape formed a few years ago and decided we’d just enjoy it and have fun. A couple of highlights have been playing in places like The Viper Room in Hollywood on a US tour, and Moscow Stadium in front of 8,000 people. It’s definitely fun!<br />
<br />
<b>B. ‘We Should Feel Like We Are In Love’ has been an emerging artist success story in terms of its online popularity and has really got a lot of eyes onto Echotape. In order to kick some knowledge down to other Songeist users, was there anything unique about your approach to publicising the track that you think helped with its success or do you feel that it was simply good tune and video = good response?</b><br />
<br />
M. It’s all been completely organic. Obviously we’ve tried to promote it by setting a release and starting a promotion campaign with a tour around the single release but there’s no special technique we’ve used. We knew it was a great song but have been overwhelmed by the support it’s had. It’s easy to pick up the lyrics and relate to so I think that’s definitely helped.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=15421&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. The song also signifies a crystallisation of Echotape’s sound, with you guys bringing a passionate, heart-on-your-sleeve style of indie-rock that’s really unique. Having heard older songs by you guys that were clearly steps on the road to the quintessential Echotape sound, can you speak of this stylistic journey? How did you decide to take your sound the way it went? Was it something completely natural and unspoken or was it something you guys planned and discussed?</b><br />
<br />
M. Thanks for the kind words; glad it comes across that way as that’s what we hoped. It was definitely planned, but it was a natural progression to get there. You have to have a certain sound so people can hear a track for the first time anywhere and be like ‘oh that sounds like Echotape’. Once we found the sound we all knew that was it. 'We Should Feel Like We Are In Love' has become our signature sound and with the success it had its sort of become a yardstick. When we’re writing new songs, if it’s not up to that standard it doesn’t progress. So yeah, it was all planned with how we wanted it to sound! The new single 'Whiskey Bar' is in the same vein as 'We Should Feel Like We Are In Love' so I think we definitely do have a signature sound.<br />
<br />
<b>B. The video for ‘<b>We Should Feel Like We Are In Love</b>’ is remarkable for its incorporation of live audio at the start and the way it viscerally presents the band’s live show. It gives off the DIY spirit and personality of the band the way in which a biography or review never could. Was it your idea to have the live show the theme of the video, or did you simply get the right director, at the right time?</b><br />
<br />
M. We try and keep everything as real and honest as possible so decided just to throw a party, invite all our friends round and just film it. We knew we wanted to showcase the live onstage energy we have, and show everyone having a great time, without it looking staged of course. The best way for that was to just have a party. We had our friend Chris Warsop film it for us, who’s helped out with other projects we’ve done and Dan edited it. We noticed it sounded cool with the live audio at the start so tried to blend that in with the recorded audio. I think the vibe of the party comes across and it makes you want to be a part of it. Which people are more than welcome to be!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/POuEaYD8bNg" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. You guys have covered a whole smorgasbord of classic rock; Springsteen, The Small Faces, George Harrison, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie songs all make appearances. In these days of Live Lounge cover culture - where bands scramble to cover the latest pop tracks in order to get online hits and, the more cynical may say, appear hip - was it a conscious decision on your part to reject this or are you simply rocking the tunes you love? How do you compare classic bands of the 60s, 70s and 80s to current bands?</b><br />
<br />
M. There are a lot of acts on YouTube that cover recent songs, but it seems they do that as it’s the thing to do as it will get them more attention, so I agree totally with what you’re saying. We just wanted to have a bit of fun with it, so picked songs that we think are good and would enjoy playing.<br />
<br />
I think it’s hard to compare bands from certain eras as it’s all subjective. There are so many great bands throughout the years that are all completely unique. Hopefully we can help fly the flag for the new generation of bands coming through.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Sky News did a feature on you guys, focussing on the DIY aspect of Echotape. Is the DIY culture of jump-in-a-van-and-do-it an important part of Echotape’s ethos? With stories of you guys jamming with Carl Barat, one wonders how bands like The Libertines, and the homespun London indie scene of the early noughties, influenced Echotape?</b><br />
<br />
M. We’re always working and trying to do something to help promote the band. There’s so many bands out there to swim up against and if you’re not working hard you’ll just sink. It was nice for Sky News to pick up on the stuff we’re doing ourselves. There’s still a way to go but we know as long as we keep working at it we’ll get there!<br />
<br />
It was a surreal moment playing with Carl. He had a chat to us after and was really complimentary. He’s from Whitchurch which is the town just down the road from us so we had a local connection. He wants to try and help us out too if he can so it’s great to have someone like that on your side. The Libertines are definitely an influence on us. Their shows are always like one big party, which is a vibe we try to create too.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bic3DRFcoCg?list=UUeRYTd9eD60yKhnA5cqrx3Q" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b> B. You’ve got a new single ‘Whiskey Bar’ dropping this October, streaming on Songeist <a href="http://www.songeist.com/echotape">HERE</a>. Can you let us know a little about the new single and your progress in terms of a full-length album? Do you have a producer on board?</b><br />
<br />
M. It was all recorded in our studio here where we live. We have our friend Undy who lives here too and is our resident producer. He’s pretty much the fifth member of the band. He does the sound for all the live acoustic videos we do too. The single is out on 13th October and have been getting some great responses so far from only having it online a few days. At the time of writing it’s currently top of the indie rock chart on SoundCloud and has been trending with thousands of plays flooding in. We’re hopeful it will do well as it’s another feel-good song.<br />
<br />
We’re currently recording and writing our new album with an expected release date early next year so look out for that. We were recording drums last week in a huge wooden shed, which was great fun!<br />
<br />
<b>B. What can we expect from you guys at our Songeist Showcase on September 2nd? Any naked stage invasions planned?</b><br />
<br />
That invasion wasn’t planned but everyone attending is welcome to! It’s our singer Marc’s birthday that night too so we’re making it a big celebration night. We’re planning to perform a brand new track in the set too that we’re all excited about. It will definitely be a great show.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=15509&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. Did you ever find out what happens to moths when it rains?</b><br />
<br />
M. Yes! We got told they have really strong wings and can deal with the rain easily. For anyone reading this, we asked the question at the start of one of the acoustic videos we did! Thanks for taking the time out to ask us some questions Songeist!<br />
<br />
You can stream and purchase tracks by Echotape on Songeist <a href="http://www.songeist.com/echotape">HERE</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-23043064298767865992014-08-08T08:22:00.000-07:002014-10-06T08:58:05.814-07:00Barney Interviews Felix Pallas<i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com</i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>More often than not on <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist</a>, we'll hear the name of our featured acts on the UK live circuit before we ever see their profile on the site. Other times, we'll simply be perusing the list of new, unfamiliar acts that have recently joined and be blown away by the sound that comes out of the speakers. This was the case with <a href="http://www.songeist.com/felixpallas" title="Blog">Felix Pallas</a>'s 'Too Sad For Tea', a massive track that recalls the epic indie-rock of Coldplay and Keane. We found out that this Belgian band have been working on their debut album with renowned producer James Sanger (Keane, Dido) in the Normandy countryside so we caught up with bass-player PJ who gave us the low down.</i><br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://sgcdn-billboard-live2.songeist.com/680_1631346.jpg" height="362" width="640" /> Felix Pallas<br />
<br />
<b>B. It’s tradition on my Songeist interviews to start with the obvious question. Who are Felix Pallas? Please give us a bit of background on the history of the band, how you met and what you’ve done over the past year and a half?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. There's a little bit of history behind Felix Pallas. Basically, at the core of the band there is Simon and I. We are brothers and have been making music together at home with a piano and an acoustic guitar, for a very long time. Simon wanted to start a band at the end of high school and found it necessary to put his 'team' together because he entered a music competition starting the next week. That's where Xavier (Guitarist) and I came in. We called ourselves Breathe The Sound and composed three songs. We quickly learned our voices blended together smoothly and our musical compositions could mean something. A month later we won the competition and had to play in Sweden. After a couple of years of moulding our own sound, we decided to add a drummer, Ziggy, to the band. The configuration of the band still hasn't altered, however we changed the name of the band. That's where the story of Felix Pallas started at the beginning of 2013.<br />
<br />
We decided to take our music to a higher level and looked for a producer, Belgian or foreign, it didn't matter, who'd shape our music into a more polished sound. We found the brilliant James Sanger and stayed at his Vibey Studio's for three months. Located in the beautiful countryside of Normandy, this was a place where nobody could distract us from doing the one thing we were there for; creating music, day in, day out. After our French adventure we tried to find a way to perform our songs live. That took us a long time, but it gained the interest of our fans in the meantime. We started off live with a UK tour in different pubs and clubs in London, Brighton, Manchester, Worthing and more.<br />
<br />
Right now we're finishing the last bits of an upcoming EP, which we'll be releasing in September.<br />
<br />
<b>B. At the moment, you’ve only got a few - admittedly amazing sounding - songs out there including ‘Break The Silence’ and ‘Too Sad For Tea’ on Songeist. How has the reaction been to the material so far?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. It's different for the both songs you mentioned. 'Break The Silence' is a song full of energy and happiness, therefore widely appreciated by many fans. But with Too Sad For Tea, frequently written as 2S4T, there was an instant impact on earlier fans and close friends. While writing it in Normandy, with every step the song evolved, we knew this was a new sound and atmosphere we were really liking. 2S4T, therefore, is a perfect example of what we want our songs to be: mysterious yet melodious, dark yet sweet.<br />
<br />
The great part of sharing the new songs with people is not only putting them online, but performing them live. People clearly like the way we sound live, especially because they didn't expect us to play the new songs that way - loyal to the original, yet with more guts.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=14772&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. While retaining your own Belgian identity, your sound recalls the indie rock of UK bands such as The Verve and Coldplay. Are you influenced by bands from the UK and if so, which ones? How do you manage to maintain your Belgian individuality while taking influence from bands from different parts of the globe?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. We believe most pop or indie music nowadays doesn't have to be limited by where it comes from. Everybody's making music and in every country there are great bands, singers and instrumentalists. Western music is getting so polished - that's also what we wanted to sound like - and is influenced by so many pioneers of different styles of music, that music is breaking the boundaries of countries and styles. It makes it more difficult to stand out, but the bands who do are 'hot' and 'authentic'.<br />
<br />
If our music recalls the great British indie rock, we can only be grateful, because you've really got many talented musicians. I think it's because James Sanger warned us about sounding too American, when it comes to singing. We really tried to sound distinct, whereas other bands who aren't native English speakers all sound similar. That's one way of trying to stand out. At least you've noticed!<br />
<br />
Sounding Belgian isn't a real label, I guess. We're just sounding the way we do, because every individual of the band has a different background, varying ideas and distinct tastes. We just didn't want to 'sound' Belgian, because then we'd be limited.<br />
<br />
<b>B. In the video for ‘Break The Silence’ you’re seen playing live in London and you’ve also completed a UK tour and been back several times. You guys sing in English and are getting support from Amazing Radio among others. Do you see the UK as a big potential market for Felix Pallas? How was the reaction at the Islington 02 Academy show you played?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. The UK scene was a real eye-opener for us. We've never anything like that before. You guys are spoiled when it comes to venues and opportunities fornew bands to play. Also the vibe in those venues, pubs and clubs is very positive as if everybody in London, for instance, is looking for new talent and enjoying live music. It's different than in Belgium. So yes, the UK obviously is a big potential market. But we don't think it's any easier for the fact that there are more opportunities. However, it keeps the good vibes up.<br />
<br />
The show in the O2 Academy was booked slightly after our first UK tour. We had a blast. We came over from Belgium in the afternoon, so we didn't have to find a sleeping spot the night before. Xavier and I drove together, but we were delayed. It was a race against time: we just parked our car somewhere outdoors, rushed in, tuned our gear and started the set exactly on time, without sound-checking. Luckily the rest of the band and had set up all our gear and instruments. It was an amazing evening and we established some good local contacts.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://sgcdn-billboard-live2.songeist.com/680_2344789.jpg" height="362" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<b>B. In the same video, you’re heard doing a stunning live acoustic take of the track. You also mix acoustic sets in with full-band sets across your live outings. Do you feel that playing stripped-down is a good proving ground for the quality of musicians and vocalists, especially in these days of backing tracks and pop miming?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. Generally, we love playing with a backing track. Not because it's safe and keeps you in time - which is an advantage for sure - but because the sound we want to deliver to the audience has to be the full sound that we believe the songs should consist of. Otherwise it's like playing a Brian May solo on a glockenspiel. Then again, we loved busking on the streets of Notting Hill and Guildford. We just want to play our songs to as many people as possible. We want to be heard. I think that's the best possible answer to your question.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/f8xJgrRuovY" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. How has the port city of Antwerp shaped the sound and ethos of Felix Pallas? Does the city’s melting pot of Dutch, Belgian and French influences make its way into the sound of the band?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. As mentioned above, we don't think the location nor the melting pot of languages has a direct influence on the music we make. Of course, we can't deny that living in the beautiful city of Antwerp - with it's typical habits, language, food, people, industries, atmosphere etc. - must have had some underlying affect on the music we create. We really like to see ourselves as a band from Antwerp. We all live and create here and went to school in the suburbs. Antwerpians tend to have a really close bond with the city. If there's one city we would make a song about, it would be Antwerp, definitely.<br />
<br />
But more than Antwerp, Normandy's countryside and it’s wet and ice-cold winter days, has given us the atmosphere in which the songs are drenched.<br />
<br />
<b>B. We’ve heard about a forthcoming EP from Felix Pallas. Who have you recorded it with, how is it sounding and when is it coming out?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. It's coming out very soon. We recorded it at James Sanger's Vibey Studios, apart from for some extra stems we did at home. Colm Ennis, who was an assistant in Normandy, and thus lived with us for three months, did the final mixes. We are mastering it at Metropolis Studios, where we know Alex Robinson, another assistant who worked for three months with us in Normandy. We felt that they understood how we wanted the music to sound.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=14786&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. Are there any other great Belgian or mainland European bands we’re missing out on in the UK that you think are worth us checking out?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. I think the biggest revelation this year must be Stromae, the bilingual producer / artist / dancer from Brussels. He is probably the most authentic musician we've seen growing in Belgium and beyond and is a sort of a modern version of Jacques Brel. We are also liking Balthazar and Netsky.<br />
<br />
<b>B. What’s coming up over the next year for Felix Pallas?</b><br />
<br />
PJ. Only time will tell. We hope that we can convince many people of our sound and songs. Hopefully Songeist will give the first kick-start. We are grateful to anyone who's putting in effort - no matter how small it might be - to believe in our music. Thank you so much for featuring us!<br />
<br />
You can stream and purchase tracks by Felix Pallas on Songeist <a href="http://www.songeist.com/felixpallas">HERE</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-46866990942179237762014-07-18T04:11:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:15:16.979-07:00I Know You Got Red Soul<i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.<br /><br />Here at Songeist we've all been huge fans of the Brighton-based <a href="http://www.songeist.com/redsoul">Red Soul </a>since hearing their spine-tingling debut track 'Dreams Are High'. The duo combine Mike's production, which leans heavily on soul samples and classic hip-hop beats, with Stephanie's gorgeous, honey-dipped jazz-pop vocals and it's a potent mix. This week, Red Soul have dropped their full five-track EP, which you can grab on <a href="http://www.songeist.com/redsoul">Songeist </a>now, so it's a great time for Barney to catch up with Mike and Stephanie to get us up to speed with the story so far and learn a little more about the alchemy of their winning formula.</i><br />
<br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiJDelw4xZE6AgFuHi6QFZYdpgRM03Q7SRsiO68co6p-lH1fKtYb6f0cuBwz4mna9hoSTETT0IBbKxKkXYTMipoHjv4WQeevI4olJZrz_tHQEKsigrYinGhsc0mb0hAhKucY1IUUfb64zYxw08Xr-XnzA0KfE1FCMNh3ZOogtq72wA=" /> Red Red Soul. Mike and Stephanie.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Hello Mike! Sorry to start with the obvious question but you guys are fresh as they come so we'd love to get a bit of background. Can you give us a brief history of Red Soul? How did you guys meet?</b><br />
<br />
M. Hey man, yeah sure, Steph and I met in the Summer of 2012 when we both worked at a restaurant in Brighton. I came down from London to spend my summer holiday there and my brother gave me a job at the restaurant he was managing at the time. Steph worked there already and my brother told me she was a sick singer. We became friends but it wasn’t until I was back at uni working on a jazz project that we thought to work together. Steph vocal’d the track for me and it was then that we started to think about putting together a project of our own as we liked each other's styles. Over the next few months we started sending each other demos and ideas for the EP started coming together.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Hi Steph. Your debut, the Red Soul EP, has just dropped. People who want to grab it can head to your Songeist profile right now. Is it part of your plan to produce an EP to get the word about Red Soul out and build popularity before dropping an album or is it simply a case of getting what you've recorded up to now out there and lets-see-what-happens?</b><br />
<br />
S. We actually didn't really know when we set out where we would end up in terms of an EP or album but we've just started writing some new stuff we're really excited about! We are working on writing and recording an album because we may as well now we've had so much fun getting here already! Plus the feedback we've had has been really encouraging.<br />
<br />
<b>B. I described 'Untrue' as "a sound that bridges the gap between Dilla’s Philly hip-hop and contemporary post-Winehouse pop". Was it your intention to mix underground hip-hop with a radio-ready vocal or is this a happy accident? Do you see yourselves as a hip-hop act or a pop act?</b><br />
<br />
S. I think it was sort of a happy accident! Traditionally I am quite a commercial singer and I take massive influence in my writing and vocal style from artists like Amy Winehouse, where as Mike has always been far more underground in terms of what he creates musically, probably a reflection on what he listens to as well! I think its cool we've both stayed quite true to what we love but mixed it into something a bit different. I think our style will keep evolving too. <br />
<br />
<b>B. The EP's production is heavily sample-based, and even makes reference to this in the introduction 'Is It Art?'. The sped-up soul samples on 'You're My Hope' recall classic Kanye and Just Blaze, while there's a heavy J Dilla and DJ Premier vibe to the whole EP. Are the production techniques of golden age hip-hop something you prefer over the synths and sampled beats of contemporary trap and chart hip-hop and can you express why?</b><br />
<br />
M. I think there is certainly a place for more synth-heavy production in hip-hop as well as other genres, but I love everything about sampling. The idea of finding a piece of music that most people have forgotten about and paying respect to it by breathing new life into it is really appealing to me. I love capturing the real emotion in the instruments of the original tracks and trying to bring that to my beats; most of the samples I used for the EP are from some of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard.<br />
<br />
<img height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg1QcB5FmkBTeW1ugVXK6ltKVzShaDzyVvs0nAzPi96kxfNro2kE2VLAqxO1orhmKOXJfXFrI-l5WgvLJ5b76ALXDWYhMdvqbMDhIJPEOx0qQf1au0GWXunzuD4FtCNN2g-GjXW0UH7bHVRP0y-FITh30yiHCbyzIt4=" width="640" /> A classic Akai MPC sampler and Brighton beach; both Red Soul essentials.<br />
<br />
<b>B. As well as your guise as Red Soul, a hip-hop duo consisting of you and Stephanie, there's also the Soul Purpose crew. Can you outline the differences and specifics of these different identities? Do you have to wear a different 'hat' in your participation in either party?</b><br />
<br />
M. Soul Purpose is what we call our collective of musicians and visual artists. It’s a pretty tight-knit crew of people who just respect each other’s music and want to push ourselves to make better and better material. We all help each other out with videos, music and mixes as much as possible and different combinations of us make up different artist guises. We’re putting together a Soul Purpose mixtape at the moment and have been working on a few nice videos for that so expect to see those dropping in the coming weeks. In terms of working with the other guys, for me, it’s not a hard adjustment to make as I love making more traditional rap-based hip-hop too. I started out making beats for rappers, so its always fun to get back to that. I think Steph enjoys working on some different styles too.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Both the videos for 'Untrue' and 'Dreams Are High' feature a great deal of footage of the beach, streets and haunts of your native Brighton. Do you feel that your Brighton location is a strong part of your identity as an act?</b><br />
<br />
S. I think because it's where we met it will always be relevant to us, and the writing of most of the tracks was over summer when Mike was spending lots of time in Brighton. I feel like the people and the place really influenced what I wrote about lyrically. We are both living in London now so maybe that will evoke a change in stuff but I spent three years studying music in Brighton and meeting amazing people and that's really shaped me as an artist.<br />
<br />
<b>B. How do you guys write? Is it literally a case of Mike producing the beats and Stephanie writing over that? Or do you work on the beats and vocals together?</b><br />
<br />
S. Mostly Mike will send me a beat he's been working on and I'll play it a couple of times and record demos of anything hooky I come up with vocally and send it over to him. If he likes it I work on lyrics, decide what I feel inspired to write about, figure out where the track should go and listen to the sounds I want to take influence from a lot for a week or two while I write. We almost always scrap stuff and rewrite in the studio and wrote 'Is This Art?' in Mike's house in London over a bottle of wine, suddenly panicking that we had to record it the next day so it definitely varies a little bit.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Just to return to the blend of pop and hip-hop that Red Soul purvey, I'm wondering about how this affects your plot in building your act? Most hip-hop acts will grow their following through underground club nights and culture. Many pop acts will create demos and look for management before doing live shows. Are you approaching the act as part of an underground scene or simply pushing the music to anyone and everyone who will listen?</b><br />
<br />
M. As we started out just doing the music cos we loved it, we hadn’t really thought too much about releasing and promotion strategies whilst we were working on the EP. At the moment we’re working on getting a live show together and are talking to a few people about the next steps in terms of getting our name out there. Most of our views and likes have just been down to word of mouth and people showing us love by spreading our music which we really appreciate!<br />
<br />
<b>B. You're giving the EP away for free. What is the reasoning behind this? Do you think the way that the internet has affected our consumption of, and economic relationship with, music over the last 15 years is a good thing for an emerging act like Red Soul? And can we expect any Red Soul on vinyl? Because it would sure sound good!</b><br />
<br />
S. I definitely think that the way we have to approach the industry now is entirely different to what it would have been 15 years ago! The thing is, rightly or wrongly, a lot of people simply aren't prepared to pay for downloads any more by artists they love, so we certainly didn't expect them to spend money on our music cause people don't really know it yet. We do make reference in our music to samples and the idea of art vs stealing. It's an interesting debate. We just want our music to be enjoyed and listened to by as many people as possible! We have also discussed pressing to vinyl and its something we'd absolutely love to do in the future!<br />
<br />
<b>B. Finally, let us know what you guys have got coming up and how we can follow you guys!</b><br />
<br />
M. Cool man, we are working on a couple of tracks at the moment which we are really excited about finishing. We’re planning on dropping them as soon as they're ready, hopefully this summer, whilst starting to gig and working on our album. Follow and like us on all the usual social media sites as well as our new website.<br />
<br />
Visit Red Soul Music <a href="http://redsoulmusic.co.uk/">HERE</a>.<br />
Follow Red Soul on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/redsoulmusic">HERE</a>.<br />
Follow Red Soul on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/redsoulmusic">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
You can listen and download the Red Soul EP by Red Soul on Songeist <a href="http://www.songeist.com/redsoul">HERE</a>.
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsgcdn-billboard-live2.songeist.com%2F680_2669027.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg1QcB5FmkBTeW1ugVXK6ltKVzShaDzyVvs0nAzPi96kxfNro2kE2VLAqxO1orhmKOXJfXFrI-l5WgvLJ5b76ALXDWYhMdvqbMDhIJPEOx0qQf1au0GWXunzuD4FtCNN2g-GjXW0UH7bHVRP0y-FITh30yiHCbyzIt4=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg1QcB5FmkBTeW1ugVXK6ltKVzShaDzyVvs0nAzPi96kxfNro2kE2VLAqxO1orhmKOXJfXFrI-l5WgvLJ5b76ALXDWYhMdvqbMDhIJPEOx0qQf1au0GWXunzuD4FtCNN2g-GjXW0UH7bHVRP0y-FITh30yiHCbyzIt4=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg1QcB5FmkBTeW1ugVXK6ltKVzShaDzyVvs0nAzPi96kxfNro2kE2VLAqxO1orhmKOXJfXFrI-l5WgvLJ5b76ALXDWYhMdvqbMDhIJPEOx0qQf1au0GWXunzuD4FtCNN2g-GjXW0UH7bHVRP0y-FITh30yiHCbyzIt4=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.nu-soulmag.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F07%2Fredsoul.png&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiJDelw4xZE6AgFuHi6QFZYdpgRM03Q7SRsiO68co6p-lH1fKtYb6f0cuBwz4mna9hoSTETT0IBbKxKkXYTMipoHjv4WQeevI4olJZrz_tHQEKsigrYinGhsc0mb0hAhKucY1IUUfb64zYxw08Xr-XnzA0KfE1FCMNh3ZOogtq72wA=" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiJDelw4xZE6AgFuHi6QFZYdpgRM03Q7SRsiO68co6p-lH1fKtYb6f0cuBwz4mna9hoSTETT0IBbKxKkXYTMipoHjv4WQeevI4olJZrz_tHQEKsigrYinGhsc0mb0hAhKucY1IUUfb64zYxw08Xr-XnzA0KfE1FCMNh3ZOogtq72wA=" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiJDelw4xZE6AgFuHi6QFZYdpgRM03Q7SRsiO68co6p-lH1fKtYb6f0cuBwz4mna9hoSTETT0IBbKxKkXYTMipoHjv4WQeevI4olJZrz_tHQEKsigrYinGhsc0mb0hAhKucY1IUUfb64zYxw08Xr-XnzA0KfE1FCMNh3ZOogtq72wA=" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-57151928353157838502014-07-09T08:40:00.000-07:002014-10-06T08:55:03.097-07:00The Five Things You Need In Your EPK<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>This week, I’m going to get into answering a question I’ve received from <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist</a> member Jim Bridgeman from punk n' rollers <a href="http://www.songeist.com/fishhook">Fish Hook</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<i>JB. "Hi Barney. Have really enjoyed reading the blog! I have a question about press / promo packs. Would you say there are any rules to using these? What should / shouldn’t be in there, who should / shouldn’t they be sent to. I’ve often tinkered with the idea but never really done this properly. Thanks</i>."<br />
<br />
<b>THE FIVE THINGS YOU NEED IN YOUR EPK</b><br />
Be they Zipped-up as part of an EPK, or simply presented on a band's sites and social media, there are several key elements that make up any band’s complete electronic press / promo pack. EPK, or electronic press kit, is a term coined by the inventor of online music sales certifications Andre Gray, and popularised by sites like <a href="http://www.sonicbids.com/">Sonicbids </a>and <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/">Reverbnation,</a> to denote a complete, one-stop resource for a band to present its assets to a promoter or press. Although there is a lot of crossover between the two, for the sake of clarity and the limitations of this blog, I’m going to concentrate on a general EPK rather than a press release to go with a record release. For an emerging artist, an EPK is a great way to ‘introduce’ yourself to a promoter or press in an easily digestible, but comprehensive, package.<br />
<b><i><br /></i>THE EPK IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE EPK</b><br />
Think of your press pack, or EPK, as the digital equivalent of what sending a CD in the post with your biography and contact details folded around it used to be. However, with the help of the internet, we can painlessly use this package to include a few more things to help in our promotion, such as high-quality photographs and logos, videos and MP3s, and other assets. It's very important to remember that we’re entering an age when downloading content itself is going the way of the floppy disk. Now that people are switching to simply using streaming content and their Skydrives and iClouds for storage, even downloading the EPK content alone might be undesirable to the other party.<br />
<br />
That’s not to say that just because downloading ZIP files is dying out, EPKs are. Everything in the EPK is vital to have at your disposal. Completing your EPK then uploading it to your various sites, as both a ZIP and the separate audio and visual assets is going to mean that you have everything accessible and up-to-date. Even if the way that the content is disseminated isn't always going to be via the ZIP download, your EPK is still essentially presented piecemeal across your sites. So devising and collating it as one 'project' makes complete sense to ensure your content and copy is synchronised.<br />
<br />
<img alt="The Circle of Life" class="size-large wp-image-901" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Vinyl-830x553.jpg" height="426" width="640" /> The circle of life<br />
<br />
<b>1) YOUR MUSIC</b><br />
When it comes to EPKs, which include large music files as well as other assets, keeping the file size to a minimum is key. You might get that one promoter that enjoys the efficiency of an EPK and refuses to jump around your sites for your assets, but also doesn’t want to wait an hour for your five-song WAV opus to download either.<br />
<br />
A maximum of three MP3s at 256kps bit rate is sensible. Make sure that the MP3s are correctly ID3 tagged. Correctly tagged MP3s mean less hassle for the user, it ensures the tracks are named and ordered correctly and they look professional and organised. Fill in the track name, artist, album ("Your band name EPK" is fine for an album name in lieu of anything else), genre and, importantly, track number. This will ensure that when the files are dragged or copied into an MP3 player, they will appear in the order that you want them in. As a fail safe to make sure that the tracks are in the right order (often MP3 players are set to use alphabetical order to denote track order) it’s fine to put the track number at the start of the song name on a promo release. Also recommended is attaching the MP3 artwork directly to the MP3 file.<br />
<br />
For creating and editing MP3s and their tags, I recommend <a href="https://musicbrainz.org/doc/MusicBrainz_Picard">MusicBrainz</a> for editing and <a href="http://lame.sourceforge.net/links.php">LAME Front End</a> for encoding but of course, Windows Media Player and iTunes are both more than capable of doing all these tasks. Any music that’s going in your EPK you should have uploaded, tagged and ordered in an online streaming playlist on a site such as <a href="http://www.songeist.com/" title="Closing in For The KillBillies">Songeist </a>as an alternative to these MP3 files and include the live link to this playlist in the covering email.<br />
<br />
<b>2) YOUR BIOGRAPHY</b><br />
A biography is a must in your EPK and is an incredibly valuable asset to your band. It’s standard to format the biog (as well as additional text like gigs, links and contacts) as a Microsoft Word DOC file, which can be read by practically any system. A PDF is acceptable and has more scope for fancy imagery, but PDFs can be very large and are a pain for a journalist or promoter to cut and paste text from. A TXT or RTF file is fine to read, but is less functional in terms of images, customisation and links than a DOC. A DOC represents the best mix of functionality and size; the file is small and easy for a writer to work from but you are free to include hyperlinks from the document as well as a small logo and photo at the top of page one.<br />
<br />
I’d keep your biog to the point, between 200 and 500 words. Three paragraphs of three long sentences will do the trick. The way I structure biogs is to have the opening paragraph an overview of the bands location, style and influences. The second paragraph will deal the band’s most recent record and activity and the third paragraph will be an overview of history in terms of live shows and records released. That way you can periodically go back and tweak paragraphs two and three to reflect recent developments or things you want to highlight, but the first paragraph stays largely the same, and is the paragraph most likely to be quoted on blogs and gig promo.<br />
<br />
If you want greater detail on my views of how to write biogs, my <a href="http://members.theunsignedguide.com/blog/510">Top 5 Mistakes That Bands Make In Their Biogs</a> blog was recently featured on the <a href="http://theunsignedguide.com/">Unsigned Guide</a>. As Marcus Reeves kindly commented in response, it’s also very important to get someone to proofread your biog. Like a folder of badly tagged MP3s, there’s nothing that screams 'amateur' more than a biog riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Spelling Mistakes. Setting You Apart From The Compitition Since Day One." class="size-large wp-image-902" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Spelling-830x622.jpg" height="479" width="640" /> Spelling mistakes. Setting you apart from the compitition since day one.<br />
<br />
<b>3) PHOTOS AND LOGOS</b><br />
Do not underestimate how important visuals are to press and promoters. Ultimately, while the success of your band is probably not going to hinge on one photo, it has far more influence than you might imagine. Don't get your mate to photograph you in the garden and do a logo on MS Paint. If money's an issues, just like we've all done gigs for exposure at the start, there are hundreds of band photographers in college that will do you a shoot for peanuts, as well as decent logo designers who will do the same. For the sake of an afternoon's research, you can massively enhance your band's appeal with good images. Two large, print-quality JPEGs at least 1500 x 1500 pixels in size is enough. One live shot and one studio shot, or one portrait and one landscape, will provide versatility. Resist the urge to submit every single one of your studio shots 'just in case' as it will just increase the file size.<br />
<br />
Providing a graphic file of your logo is also very useful. I'd go with a PDF of the vector art over a JPEG. There is a school of thought that says a large JPEG is preferable, and maybe it was in the past, but in my mind, anyone currently designing a poster or putting together an article for a magazine is going to have the capabilities to deal with a vector PDF. This means that you can attach the file as a smaller size and the image will not degrade when it's manipulated. The designer will have the ability to change the colours and style of the logo to suit their art if they have a vector. There's nothing more cool to see than a nice festival poster where your logo is stylised along with the rest of the artwork and a PDF or EPS will make the designer's job that much easier to make that happen. The format it comes in might be the difference between him or her bothering or not.<br />
<br />
If the EPK is accompanying a specific release, by all means include a large JPEG of the album or single cover at least 1000 x 1000 pixels in size.<br />
<br />
<b>4) PRESS QUOTES, LIVE DATES, CONTACTS AND LINKS</b><br />
Rather than having these details as a separate document, it’s absolutely fine to include the press quotes, live dates, contacts and links in the same DOC file as the biog, making a neat, two-page document. It’s also acceptable to have these as separate documents if you need to split things up a little (having a separate file for a full UK tour might be necessary for example) but always aim to keep the document as compact and clutter-free as possible. Again, be sure to format and proofread correctly and bear in mind that we don’t want a breakdown of everything you’ve ever done, just a digestible, well-presented summation of it.<br />
<br />
It’s tempting to include every great press quote you’ve ever had but, as with all these things, efficiency is key. Three short quotes that you present in a way that grabs attention is better than three paragraphs that describe the minutia of how great you are but don't fit on a flyer.<br />
<br />
Your list of contacts needs to include at least one email for the band or management, and that goes for your social media and websites too. I can’t imagine how many promoters or blogs have just given up on bands because they don’t have emails displayed on their Facebook or rely on Contact Forms on their site. I know I have. Sorry to burst your bubble, emerging artists, but you don't need to avoid stalkers just yet. Soundcloud messaging might be easy for you, but it isn’t easy for someone who works in the industry and needs to save, organise and cc their correspondence in the way that email allows.<br />
<br />
Don't go overboard with the links. You should definitely include your official site, Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud and could include preferred music vendors such as Bandcamp or Songeist but every last social site isn't necessary. One link that’s becoming an increasingly vital is your band’s YouTube page. Make sure your YouTube Page has its best foot forward. If you're busy on YouTube and your homepage is constantly rotating through content for hardcore fans, create a playlist of a few of your select promo or live videos and link to this playlist through the hyperlink in the text.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.songeist.com/fishhook"><img alt="" src="http://sgcdn-billboard-live2.songeist.com/680_6072399.jpg" height="385" width="680" /></a> Fish Hook's Rachael. Expect her EPK on its way!<br />
<br />
<b>5) OPTIONAL EXTRAS</b><br />
If you're sending out promotion for your latest single, or the whole appeal the band hinges on your visuals, you might want to consider including a promo video as a small MPEG in the EPK. Everyone has access and familiarity with YouTube now, so I would generally advise against sending videos in EPKs, specifically because of the increase in the file size. That being said, it’s certainly been something that I’ve done, and been encouraged to, do in the past.<br />
<br />
Another thing that’s a standard in an EPK is a stage plan. If the main purpose for your EPK is to send out to live venues, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with including this. However, I would certainly confirm that it’s been read and acknowledged before turning up to a gig and expecting a full rider and saxophone stand based on the fact it demands one on your stage plan in your EPK. There’s a handy stage plan creator <a href="http://www.30daysout.com/band-stage-plan/stage-plan.htm">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
Finally, it's important to note that this blog is my breakdown of a small, efficient, multipurpose EPK that's easy to download, touches all the bases and is my personal preference. Bands can make a wonderful impression by presenting all of the above in a huge, multimedia PDF file with interactive menus and videos if they so desire, especially if they're targeting to specific press and promoters who have a vested interest, patience, and ultra-fast broadband. Whether having an esoteric, resource-heavy EPK is something you want to utilise over the small, humble, 'does what it says on the tin' EPK I've described is something you need to decide for yourself.<br />
<br />
<b>SENDING IT OUT THERE</b><br />
With the separate assets complete, remember to take this opportunity go back over all your sites and refresh your tracks, photos and copy to correspond with the material in your EPK. Then select the place where you're going to store the EPK, such as <a href="http://www.dropbox.com/">Dropbox </a>or <a href="http://www.onedrive.com/">OneDrive.</a> It's a good idea to upload the assets separately in two separate folders so you can give people who, say, just want the tracks, the option to grab them. That means first Zipping up your MP3s into one folder, then Zipping up the photos, logos and DOC file(s) in another folder and uploading them separately. Then take both the original folders and plonk them in another folder called 'Your Bandname EPK'. Zip that up, upload it, and you’re done.<br />
<br />
Last but not least is your covering email. It’s important to take the same care and attention to detail in writing this email as you did in making your EPK. I'd use your email’s HTML editor to link using words like <a href="http://www.songeist.com/tw/4V5a9em">HERE</a> rather than having long, ugly URLs all over the place like this… <a href="http://www.songeist.com/tw/4V5a9em">http://www.songeist.com/tw/4V5a9em</a><br />
<br />
Laying your links out like this would be perfect.<br />
<br />
Listen to 'Your Band Name' EP <a href="http://www.songeist.com/fishhook">HERE</a> (link to your streaming site).<br />
Download Full 'Your Band Name' EPK <a href="http://www.songeist.com/fishhook">HERE</a> (link to the EPK file).<br />
<br />
Good luck!<br />
<br />
Barney<br />
<br />
<i>I’d really love to hear any more questions you guys have about music and promotion as it pertains to emerging artists. Please email me your thoughts, suggestions and queries to <a href="mailto:%20barney@songeist.com" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man">barney@songeist.com</a></i><br />
<h6>
<i>Vinyl photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/acidpix/">Acid Pix</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Sign Spelling photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/25080113@N06/">John Lillis</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-67701983625621791962014-07-04T03:42:00.000-07:002014-10-06T08:54:34.416-07:00Closing in For The KillBillies<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>Killbillies are Ben Childs, Micah Scott and Zak Mahoney. This brutally hardworking three piece can be found playing their jammed-out mix of impassioned originals with classic bluegrass, country and folk, somewhere in a bar in Miami, Florida on every night of every weekend. As the band drop their second album, Transplant Life - which you can hear and buy on <a href="http://www.songeist.com/killbillies">Songeist</a> now - Barney catches up with his ex-bandmate and British ex-pat Ben Childs to fill us in on everything we could ever want to know about mashing together British folk and Americana but were afraid to ask.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.songeist.com/killbillies"><img alt="Killbillies" class="wp-image-890 size-full" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Killbillies.jpg" height="362" width="640" /></a> The Killbillies (from left) Micah, Ben, Zak.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Hello Ben! How the devil are you? For those of us that don’t know, can you give us a brief introduction to Killbillies? How did you guys get together and how would you describe your style?</b><br />
<br />
BC. Hi Barney! Well thank you. Long time, no see, Old Bean! In answer to your question, the style of music we play is very influenced by the instruments we play. We have feet drums, a standup bass, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and accordion. This gives us a palette through most kinds of European folk music to bluegrass, country and Americana. It's a rough and ready folky sound that draws from a lot of influences. Although we take stylistic conventions seriously we also enjoy a lot of different types of music and this is evident in the noises we make. We go where the songs and instruments take us and the last thing you could accuse us of is purism!<br />
<b><br />B. The album Transplant Life has dropped recently and the tracks are available on Songeist now. It’s the strongest and most coherent statement that Killbillies have made to date. Transplant Life presumably refers to your moving from the UK to Florida. Do you actually see the album as a concept album around that theme or is it just a cool title?</b><br />
BC. I agree it is our best one so far although our début self-titled record can hold its own! We have been writing for a while and quite a few songs didn't make it. The creativity that we have found however bodes well for the imminence of the next album. The name of the album speaks of the unifying factor between the members of the band. None of us are original Floridians. All of us have moved here in our early adulthood. The songs speak of where we have come from, where we are and where we are going. We all have songs on the album and they describe our loves and losses, mistakes we have made, successes achieved, the oddities of our new surroundings and some social commentary on both Florida and where we hail from. It isn't a concept album as it has no unifying narrative but as a collection of songs it describes our lives as transplants. It's also a cool title.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=14944&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. One thing that interested me is the ties, and differences, between British folk traditions and Americana stylings that you manage to combine on the record. Across the album, I think you do a wonderful job of mixing the sounds and it feels like, from song to song, the styles often lean one way or the other. I hear the British pastoral echoes of Nick Drake on 'Invocation' and straight-up US bluegrass on 'Bring The Light' and 'Alligator Smile'. Are these slight shifts in style the result of having different song-writers in the group? Do you discuss and plan out the balance between British folk and US Country and Western or is it something you just go with as it comes?</b><br />
<br />
BC. This is a good question! It's not planned out but rather the end result of having both European and American songwriters. Micah and I have been developing a sound since the conception of the band and we have always had different ideas of where songs should go, how they should move and what we are trying to say through the music. We have found that with this record, songwriting took precedence over stylistic concerns. Micah wrote 'Bring the Light' and Zak and I wrote 'Alligator Smile'. Both songs were written very much in the American tradition. Zak wrote 'Long Way Down', the most Irish sounding song and he is American. <br />
<br />
With 'Alligator Smile', Zak brought a riff and I wrote the words and chords very quickly upon hearing it as I had been ruminating over something like this for a while. Then we jammed it as a band and played it live a few times to get the structure right. <br />
<br />
Micah's favorite music is blues and old time Americana and this has had a huge effect on our writing and playing. His song, 'Bring the Light', that you mentioned displays this prominently. In direct contrast to this is his waltz 'Quarries of Pawlet' which sounds very European and almost Beatles-ish at times.<br />
<br />
<b>B. The album has a live sound, with all the instruments arranged and played in one take as they would be at a concert, with very little post-production, which sounds like a very conscious choice on your part. Was this something you considered? Is it making a statement about current production values or did you simply feel that this production style would showcase your talents in a more natural, and therefore more exciting, way? Or was it simply a financial decision to cut down on hours in the studio?</b><br />
<br />
BC. Yes we did think about it. We recorded many of the songs prior to our recording at Blackwood Studios in Lake Worth with Chad Palmer. Previously I had recorded them and we were all unhappy with how regimented the sound became. I have, through living in Manchester for many years and playing in Sonic Boom Six, a dance and rock/punk background where you want the music to hit as hard as possible and be right. Not always with punk but certainly with dance music.<br />
<br />
What we found is that the way we were recording was drying up the spontaneity of the music and we were left with a collection of songs that sounded nothing like each other. I, and I'm sure Micah would agree, wanted the music to sound like it does when we play it. Many of the takes are first takes. It isn't necessarily about making a statement about modern production values, it is about making music that you like the sound of. Music is a subjective medium!<br />
<br />
In answer to the last part of your question, we could have pored over the album in post production and weeded out imperfections and we spoke at length about this but my personal feeling is "on to the next one!"<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://sgcdn-billboard-live2.songeist.com/680_1025757.jpg" height="362" width="640" /> Killbillies love it live.<br />
<b><br />B. When the band started out, there were just three members, and you were using quite novel approaches to the rhythm section between the members. How has the band developed in terms of members and instrumentation and why have you made the choice to expand? Do you feel you’ve lost any of the novel nature of the act by expanding it or is it freeing not to have to consider playing drums with your feet any more?</b><br />
BC. Killbillies was started by Micah and I in 2011. The current nuts and bolts version of the band is still just a three piece- Zak, Micah and I. We still use the feet drums. It has proven an excellent guerrilla approach to the Palm Beaches! However, we have had many other people play with us over the 3 or so years. The most recent and integral to to the band is Virgil Price. He supplies the accordion parts that drive much of this album, co-wrote the last track 'Paper Aeroplane' and was playing with us for a good long time. Another great musician, Neel Shukla, provided the drums for the album and played with us for the release party. Neel is a beast of a drummer and a very nice man!<br />
<br />
<b>B. 'Cradle To The Grave' is the song you chose to go with a video with. Can you speak on the style and lyrics of the song? What prompted you to choose this song as the song to represent the band in video? And is that your motorbike?!</b><br />
<br />
BC. It wasn't really a video choice but more of a promotional thing. We had a bunch of footage from the album launch show that Patty Shukla (Neel's wife) recorded and I was trying to keep busy and get it out there. When I was piecing it together on my computer I thought "well hell, I'll have a stab at a video!" As it so happened, my brother-in-law, PJ, was wheeling his bike in while I was editing and I thought "It's now or never!" This is my effort at pushing the songs a little. We are going to release some official videos in the near future so keep your peepers open.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MWt2X5TcYT4" width="640"></iframe><br />
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">
<br />
<b>B. My personal favourite on the album is 'Long Way Down'. Across the song it relays different situations in your life and relates them to a central concept. It’s definitely a song I think could be interpreted in different ways by the listener. Can you give some background on the ideas being explored in the song? I don’t want to look behind the wizard’s curtain too much but I’d love to know a little more about where you’re coming from.</b><br />
<br />
BC. Zak came to me with this song and said "Oh my god this a banger!" I quickly agreed. Zak and I worked on the lyrics together and then we jammed it into the song that it is on the album by further working on it at shows and practices. Zak says that his eight-year-old idealistic and eager self would be pissed off with the man he is today. He is a man who has felt the heavy tides of lost love, tasted addiction and grappled with the vacuum of irretrievable innocence. But when you part with your childhood frivolity you do gain the ability to see a little more beauty.<br />
<br />
<b>B. How did your time spent in the UK and worldwide punk scene over the years influence your approach to being in The Killbillies? Which part of the DIY philosophy have you applied to your band?</b><br />
<br />
BC. My time spent in the UK punk scene made me feel like a rockstar and I enjoyed it!<br />
<br />
I was scared when I moved to Florida because I didn't know how to make money. I spoke to Micah. He was a few years ahead of me in terms of migration. He knew how and we started a band. That is the root of all of this music.<br />
<br />
Everything I did with <a href="http://www.songeist.com/sonicboomsix">Sonic Boom Six</a> enriched me. You remain my deepest, firmest go-to's for knowledge and insight and love. DIY means do it yourself. We are. For a long time we have paid our way playing our music in different towns every weekend. Being a working musician is a dying breed and not to be sniffed at. We work hard at keeping that concept alive.<br />
<br />
Speak to Micah Scott about DIY. He is without doubt the leader of that side of the band and achieves it with style and grace. <br />
<br />
To quote Jimmy Cliff.... "You can get it if you really want".</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=15029&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.666666984558105px;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>B. On a more general note, how does the US live music scene differ from the UK live scene? Pros and Cons? From here it looks like you’re playing live lots, in venues that look like American bars, very different from the live venues of British cities. Can you speak on that?</b><br />
<br />
BC. I find that in this area it is easy to get a gig... but a certain type of gig. We own our PA. We play 3-4 hours at most gigs and play 3-5 times a weekend. The main places we play currently are bars but also, concert halls and festivals.<br />
<br />
It is hard to say how it compares because West Palm Beach is not a good cross section of America. We have been out on the road, up the east coast and found ourselves in similar venues to that of the UK. There is more similarity among cities in different countries than there is between city and suburbia in the same country.<br />
<br />
My answer is that to become a festival level band is just as hard to attain here as it is in Europe.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Final questions, let us know what you guys have got coming up? Any plans to tour the UK?</b><br />
<br />
BC. We are coming over soon. We have been figuring out the touring unit. Finally I'll persuade Zak to put oars through his double bass and you won't be able to get rid of us!<br />
<br />
The future holds many possibilities and our UK trip is LONG overdue.<br />
<br />
You can listen and purchase Transplant Life by Killbillies on Songeist <a href="http://www.songeist.com/killbillies">HERE</a>.
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-12793450868628170782014-06-20T04:29:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:14:01.247-07:00If a Lion Barks in a Forest, Everyone Will Hear it<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>It's been just twelve months since the release of their début song 'Two Prongs,' and in that short time Brighton's <a href="http://www.songeist.com/lion_bark">Lion Bark</a>, true to their namesake, have been making a lot of noise. There's been gushing write-ups in blogs like When The Gramophone Rings and Indie Shuffle, features in the NME Radar, Clash Magazine and The 405, not to mention sessions for BBC Introducing and even Burburry. As the band get ready for the release of their next single 'Come Into My Arms', Barney caught up with Ozzy and the guys to give us the skinny on the recording of their hotly-anticipated debut album, frontman Guy's distinctive voice and what it's like to play a session on a boat.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/LION-BARK1.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignnone wp-image-833 size-large" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/LION-BARK1-830x505.jpg" height="389" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>B. Sorry about the predictability of this question but let’s get it out of the way like pulling off a plaster! You guys are a new band so please give us a brief history of Lion Bark; where you met, who are your influences, what you’ve done until now…</b><br />
<br />
LB. We all have quite different musical histories. Each interesting individually, but they're long tales for other times. These stories merged 3 years ago when we all moved to Brighton and began writing together. We were at music school, being taught how to murder our imaginations when we birthed the band. Shortly after, we left the institute, for obvious reasons. Our career history consists of a lot of writing, a handful of gigs, and half a tea spoon of song releases. As i write this, we're about to release our next song, Come Into My Arms, which we had a great time recording. And, in terms of influences, it's a never ending list, which i shan't bore you with.<br />
<br />
<b>B. You don't need me to tell you that you guys have been getting an amazing response to the small amount of material you have out there. There's been a huge amount of plays and views of your 'Longhorn' video and blogs are really building you up. Has the weight of the hype added any pressure or are you taking it all in your stride?</b><br />
LB. Thank you. It's certainly been enjoyable to watch the materials reception. We've received a few emails from people that the music has really touched and lifted. That's such a joy. I see uploading and sharing a song as akin to smiling at someone in the street. It's a little thing, what with all the music out there, but it can brighten someone's day. If they smile back it just makes us smile more. I'm sure that individually, we feel different levels of "pressure" though. We've said things like, "sounds Two Prongsy. That's good." or "let's just write a happy one.", when we're wondering about how a song will be received. But we've learned so much over these few years that it's hard not to apply it to our music, and so that natural progression or deviation from the old happens by accident. The thought that occurred a few seconds after Two Prongs release, "Oh man, now all our songs have to sound like this or people will hate us." has been well and truly shattered. Our new singles, to us, feel like a whole different ball park and we're excited to share them. So, to answer your question, we're taking it in our stride now. Pressure becomes excitement when you're proud of your work.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=13399&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<b>B. The most immediate thing about 'Lion Bark' is Guy's vocal style. The way I described it to a mate was ‘grown man’ vocals. Has the croon quality of it been something you’ve attempted to feature in the songwriting or has it just come through naturally? It's distinctive and unique and that takes a real maturity and confidence to put out there. Has there been any vocalist that has particularly influenced the Guy style?</b><br />
<br />
LB. Haha, yeah. I remember when i first heard Guy sing, i thought it was strange but had a lovely tone. It's just one of those "that's how it is" things. It's how he's always sung, and he wasn't going to change that to be in this band. It's probably been the easiest part of our songwriting, it's the constant. We can throw whatever sounds we want underneath it, but that's how Guy sounds so ... that'll be there no matter what.<br />
<br />
<b>B. The video for ‘Longhorns’ is remarkable, almost a horror. Ben Pender, the director had a very in-depth explanation for the way it interprets the lyrics. Was this something you collaborated on or was it a case of leaving him to interpret the lyrics as he saw fit and present the resulting idea to you?</b><br />
<br />
LB. Yes, Ben is a friend of ours and he had offered to make the video for us. I was readying ideas for collaboration, we had some storyboards flying around, when all of a sudden this finished idea of his was on the table. He had the know-how, the equipment and the passion - so it sort of steam-rolled from then on. And from "then on", to it being finished, was a very short space of time. The idea accurately represents the lyrics for the most part, as he did converse with Guy on the subject matter. But yeah, we were all proud of the result. Ben and his team did a great job.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AZj83v5ZShE" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. You played on BBC Introducing live session in the library with a stunning arrangement of 'Longhorns'. The live vocal harmonies really jump out. Did you have to think a lot about the stripped-down arrangement or did you essentially just play the live version without drums? What was the experience of the BBC Introducing session like?</b><br />
<br />
LB. We just played the song in a really simple format! That was it really. Same song, just with less going on. The experience of being in the studio was a fun one, and hopefully not the last.<br />
<br />
<b>B. There's a wonderful video of you guys playing 'Two Prong' in a boat on YouTube. You're all very professional and earnest looking in the vid but that must have been an absolute hoot to do right? Was it a memorable experience and is it any harder to play intricate folk guitar on a rocking boat than it is on dry land?</b><br />
<br />
Ha ha. The thing that made playing guitar hard in that boat, was trying to hold the one mic we were recording the sound with, between my knees as i played. Other than that, I'd say it's similar to playing on dry land. I suppose our next challenge would be to do an acoustic session, but just be swimming as we play. That might prove harder. But yeah it was great fun.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Lion-Bark-2.jpg"><img alt="Lion Bark 2" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-834" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Lion-Bark-2-830x464.jpg" height="357" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>B, Brighton is a city known for its music scene, especially the more arty and (does inverted commas sign in the air) hipster indie bands. Have you found being in Brighton a help to your progress or is it harder to stand out with so many other bands vying for attention?</b><br />
<br />
LB. Brighton has a strange and wonderful music scene. The list of inspiring musicians and creative persons here just goes on and on. I would say that being here has helped us, partly because - we wouldn't have met otherwise, and because all the other bands here already sound so good. If it doesn't inspire you and make you up your game then you're at the wrong gigs. The thing that makes a band stand out the most in Brighton, for me, is the level of maturity they have. With so many musicians around, you can tell when a band don't really know what they're doing. I mean that creatively, and technically. It's natural to be at the starting line at some point, we've all been there, but a lot of the acts in Brighton have been going for a long time. And they sound great because of it. As for ourselves, we're one leaf on the musical tree that is Brighton, we're not trying to stand out per se, but we're involved and we're having fun.<br />
<br />
<b>B. I've seen the studio photos on your sites and can't wait to hear the result. Let us know where you are with new material. Are you working with the same producer as last time? What can we expect in terms of new material?</b><br />
<div style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin: 6px 0px;">
LB. The line up of people we're working with has changed around a bit. We had the pleasure of working with Tarek Musa, musician/producer extraordinaire for the first two singles, and since then we've been invited up to work with Barny Barnicott. Last time we were in the studio, taking those pictures you've seen, we were on a confidence high and were just experimenting as much as we could. So, don't expect these next few releases to be tame.</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=13400&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<b>B. Your new year’s resolutions were posted on your Facebook. Nearly halfway through 2014 it’s time to take a look back. Did you…<br />Learn a new chord? If so, which one?<br />(Tasteful) Fill a song with cowbell?<br />Release and sell your own brand of cereal?</b><br />
<br />
LB. Ha ha. I haven't learnt any chords actually, but i've invented a few. "The Glory Chord" has made it's way into our live set. ( But no, we have learnt some chords, some named ones. We're just not sure on their names )<br />
<br />
The cowbell waits in the shadows.<br />
<br />
The cereal is ready, but we're not sure the public are.<br />
<br />
<b>B. What’s the rest of the year got in store for Lion Bark? Throw us your social networks and site and any final info so we can keep up with your ascendancy.</b><br />
<br />
LB. The year has excitement in store. We've got our happy faces on and we're eager to share our creations with you. Best place to check for these, and other updates, would be at <a href="http://www.lionbark.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.lionbark.co.uk.</a> From there you can reach our Facebook and other social media where it all goes on.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-4211179188320673762014-06-12T03:59:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:10:11.135-07:00Let’s Get Engaged (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Book) <i>This is the original version of a music guidance blog that I wrote for US site Music Clout <a href="http://www.musicclout.com/contents/article-426-lets-get-engaged-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-book.aspx">HERE</a> and the UK version for Fresh on The Net <a href="http://freshonthenet.co.uk/facebook/">HERE</a>. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Facebook Pages. For a musician, they are an increasingly frustrating proposition. Their functionality, features and business model are still developing while over forty-two million users can only observe and react to the changes taking place. Month after month, it seems that your Page’s non-paid reach is less and less. The platform has simply become another advertising avenue for acts and businesses with deep pockets to use. It’s easy to become despondent. Complain about this on Facebook and some bright spark on your timeline will quickly point out you’re moaning about the free resource you’re currently using. But while the platform is free, it seems only fair that fans that have taken the time to 'like' you on Facebook should receive your updates and not have the site’s content generator getting between you. So what can we do about it? The truth of the matter is, and I hate to say it, that your annoying Facebook-defending buddy is actually right; complaining about a free site performs isn't going to get anything changed. At the Music Biz 2014 conference this week in Los Angeles, Facebook representatives were <a href="http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2014/05/08/artistasksfacebookwhydoihavetopay">less than forthcoming</a> with answers for an angry artist asking them why he has to pay to reach his fans. With no indication that this trend is going to reverse it means that our perspective, techniques and understanding of Facebook Pages needs to change along with the technology. We might not like this fact but unless we’re going to pay for the service, we have to face it.<br />
<br />
I manage a Facebook band <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sonicboomsix">Page</a> with nearly 24,000 fans. That may sound like a lot, but between albums and promotional pushes, the Facebook Page can actually be a profoundly lonely place. Photographs struggle to get in double-figures of 'likes'. Unanswered questions bounce around the wall like echoes down a ravine. Every now and then, we'll have an unpredictably viral post, be it a photograph of Flea with his bass guitar unplugged or a funny-looking shot of Beyoncé, heavily shared and seeded from our photo upload. While the reach these successes gave our profile was welcome, they were not without their drawbacks. Many strangers to our band met the posts with direct hostility, often engaging with the content but not bothering to read the neutral accompanying messages and assuming we were attacking the artist. Some of our established fans actually 'unliked' us, accusing us of gossip-mongering. While proving that engagement in a hot topic is a route to Facebook Page traffic, unless I was going to change the site to a Superbowl half-time gossip column, these excursions into hundreds of shares weren't adding much to the page’s overall purpose.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/c4b0KAhyEYVvekil82l7K4gkwBWwC9EwqeEqCDmNkpzOw8o7J9ulm01vAkh4hMI0GtvcRMpPoJFaflzCIJKkLSmY5cpD93Sng1J7E9EK2l0DvVOJc-9PfBcMTi8YGk5v7G8TXle2txk" /><br />
BEYONCE. POST WITH CAUTION.<br />
<br />
<b>FED UP WITH FACEBOOK</b><br />
In the face of such emasculation and loneliness I went on the offensive. These are our fans, god-dammit! Why should we have to pay to speak to them Facebook?! As have many bands before me, I sent an image in our mailout asking that fans actively add themselves into the ‘Get Notification’ category for the page. Rather pathetically I also did it on our Facebook and asked fans to share it. It never really occurred to me that for this to have any tangible effect, I’d have to do it at least once a week, cluttering up my feed with more requests for attention and taking up a precious post that could be used for some engaging, original content. I was fed up with Facebook.<br />
<br />
It was while I was writing a blog detailing some mistakes that bands make when addressing crowds at gigs (which you can check out on Songeist.com <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-3-segues-and-speeches/">HERE</a>) that it struck me. There I was in my blog, complaining about the bands that stand onstage and tell their fans that they've ‘driven here for hours’ and ‘have no money’ so ‘please buy our CD.’ And yet, there I was doing the same thing on our Facebook page. I was practically telling our fans, ‘you like us’ so please ‘go out of your way to complete this convoluted process’ because ‘Facebook isn’t fair’. I sounded just like one of those whiney bands that always irritated me with their demands on their audience. Looking back, I should think myself lucky that nobody posted a ‘Call the Wambulance’ meme.<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4UIIEaUrPx5fJVYYG4eM3vUCIOrnWG0w-QgDkyJg9HB_Vw7VfFumm6tTWXRt5qvl_eMbBpSGaX1aSys2RFPafiRJ6ZcX0YjYDLAwuolp5c7S-g79xP-1DqPcvHXUSHBiK0RyaeN8fz8" /><br />
PLEASE BUY OUR CD!<br />
<br />
<b>A DIFFERENT APPROACH</b><br />
We can't change what Facebook’s algorithms are doing to our non-paid reach, but we can change our approach. If we want to use our Facebook Page to boost our exposure, and not simply respond to it, it is no longer viable to simply use the page to pass on information and expect a result. We must actively engage and then use the fallout from the engagement to pass information on. For emerging artists and businesses in quiet periods we need to assert ourselves and deliberately stoke the coals of our user’s reactions. With this home-truth realised, I became inspired to see if I could make something happen on Facebook by grabbing some impressions and extending our reach. I came up with a small branded promotional image to test the theory. Just over a week later, the image has had nearly half a million impressions and is still going strong with no boosting and just a small push from me. It truly is just a case of putting a little thought, creativity and work into our Pages and reaping the rewards.<br />
<br />
The idea came to me one afternoon when I happened upon a ‘What’s Your MC Name?’ Facebook post from a radio station and saw the colossal amount of shares it had accrued. It was a simple variant on the old ‘first letter of first name / first letter of last name to denote a new name’ gimmick. It wasn’t anything mind-blowing but here it was with millions of impressions. I considered the post’s success and I realised that this worked on a similar principle to another viral post I’d shared days before. A video which promised that 95% of people, after completing a maths problem, think of ‘red hammer’ when asked to think of a colour and a tool had duped me into sharing it. The amount of people who answer ‘red hammer’ is actually significantly lower than 95%, but it's enough that people like me, who did think of ‘red hammer’, are amazed by the video’s ability to read their minds. And so they share it. The penny dropped that a key to engaging people is providing the user with a post experience where they feel their own result is worthy of discussion. A list of rappers is mundane until you include the user's own name in the process. When the image reveals the distinctive MC name it seems unique, original and worth a share, even when, in reality, the same names come up again and again.<br />
<br />
<img height="479" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/AgIZz2-nuhxYFcAu6GthUJZ6WDyDe5P3C6JO6ZCyo4SnMseyQ098yb-Hnjjh4Onj-cH5lylh22GZieksh7L-cBFMIQtNB7HtNxXiz3xA2QFNkwJ5GkSrE8DxliSWY182srTWhL5pqjc" width="640" /><br />
What’s Your MC Name? MINE’S DEADLY MONEY. So is many other people’s.<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT’S YOUR SKA NAME?</b><br />
I went home that night and did a Sonic Boom Six variant on the name generator. After making sure that the idea was original by doing a quick Google search, I threw together my own ska name generator. I added a small band logo and hashtag at the bottom of the image, careful that the branding wouldn't get in the way of the content. The process of devising it was simple enough. I broke down around forty-eight names of old ska singers, making sure to never include a first name and surname that could together result in an actual ska act’s name, i.e. for ‘Prince Buster’ I would only use either Prince or Buster, ultimately meaning that every name was original. I added a few vector graphics of dancing ska men, neatly processed the image using Adobe Illustrator and posted the image on our Facebook. I then messaged a handful of the ska sites around the world just to get the ball rolling. While I did post it on Twitter and Tumblr pages, I was careful to prioritise the Facebook post in my efforts. The image was conceived to promote the Facebook Page and there would be no point cannibalising my audience. After two days the sharing really began to take off exponentially across other act's and promotion's pages.<br />
<br />
One thing to remember is that it’s important to stay on top of the shares and track the places where your viral image appears. With any successful image, it is inevitable that some people will re-upload it without sharing it directly from your site but you don’t have to stand by and do nothing. The SB6 Page was deprived of impressions when one of the leading ska bands in the world innocently re-uploaded the image and posted it. Rather than ignore this, I messaged them and politely pointed out what had happened and they were good enough to re-share it direct from the Sonic Boom Six Facebook Page. By the end of the week, in a large part due to the band re-posting it, my page’s reach was over 800% further than the week before with hundreds of thousands of users 'talking about' the band. For days afterwards, my new photos were hitting double the 'likes' than they had previously. My little experiment proved that we don’t have to pay to get our Facebook posts out there, but we do have to work.<br />
<br />
<img height="640" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/GJrHO1XlAjdS37R0SJmMJipcX91rALucx870c8Zti5e3uxIwLQqozsBwNqjX48VXXQCH5VMxfFusRbBi5m8lGvt_fjrpkwZyY-yS80wojkmhCjh772Wh5Exc1KdnvUnw6iF46xLLd6k" width="640" /><br />
What’s Your Ska Name? Daft but half a million people have seen the name of our new album.<br />
<br />
It is now over a week ago that I posted the image. Slowly but surely the engagement is creeping back down to the level it was at before posting it. Am I upset about that? Whether I am or not, there doesn’t seem to be a lot I can do about it. This blog isn’t an attempt to justify Facebook’s commercial decisions; it’s an attempt to face up to them. Ultimately, I would never advise that a band puts all its eggs in the basket of another site. I’ve seen bands spend years concentrating solely on building up their Myspace, Facebooks and now Tumblrs only to lose all that equity once those sites outstay their moment of popularity. It’s a hare and the tortoise analogy; bands should maintain their own website and mailing list to have an independent platform protected from the whims and decisions of the ‘hot’ sites of the day. What this exercise did prove is that if you need a boost from your Facebook page you can realise that challenge with a touch of creativity and a little hard work. Every day I’m thinking of different ways to engage and it’s had a knock-on effect on my attention to detail on our own <a href="http://www.sonicboomsix.co.uk/">website</a>, improving interaction between us and our fans beyond Facebook. If the silver lining of their campaign to monetise our interaction is that we all have to reconsider how we communicate with fans and give them a better user-experience across the net, that’s something. I’ve proven that something as simple as an engaging image can extend our reach. Now I just have to come up with the next one.<br />
<br />
Think of a colour, and a tool…<br />
<br />
BarneyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-89381450964124722912014-05-28T06:20:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:10:35.079-07:00From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man<i>If you're just starting out as an artist, there are many hard lessons to be learned onstage that don't necessarily appear in the 'how to play' manuals or educational music books. To help you along, we've enlisted our very own Barney to impart his hard-earned gigging wisdom in this ongoing series of weekly blogs. If you're recently started playing live or even if you haven't yet done a gig yet, we at <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist </a>believe that these blogs will be a great asset to help you to consider all the aspects of your live show. We'll be posting a new entry every Wednesday around midday for the coming weeks so don't forget to visit!</i><br />
<br />
READ PART 1: MAKING A SPLASH <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-1-making-a-splash/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 2: STRUCTURING YOUR SET <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-2-structuring-your-set/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 3: SEGUES AND SPEECHES <a href="https://www.blogger.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-3-segues-and-speeches">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 4: CONFIDENCE AND CONNECTION <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-4-confidence-and-connection/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 4: Confidence and Connection">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 5: CAMARADERIE AND CONTROL <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-5-camaraderie-and-control/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 5: Camaraderie and Control">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Remember to comment and let us know any live tips and tricks you have...</i><br />
<br />
<b>FROM THE GARAGE TO THE STAGE PART 6: SET TIMES AND THE SOUND MAN</b><br />
<br />
Over the past five weeks we have talked about everything that goes into the conceptual side of planning a set. We've discussed tricks and tips to deal with stage-fright, the right way to address the crowd and even strategies to relate to your other band members. I hope that I’ve imparted at least a little hard-earned wisdom! But for the last piece of the puzzle I’m going to extend some advice about dealing with the people outside your band and crowd that are nonetheless essential participants to make sure that your gig goes well. The sound engineers, crew and tour managers.<br />
<br />
<b>YOUR CONDUCT IS MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN YOUR SONGS</b><br />
A crucial thing to understand about live music is that the majority of crew, sound engineers and tour managers don’t really care about your music. They've heard quite enough music, thank you very much. They simply care that you don’t make their life any harder than it already is. Yet crucially, they are very the people who often hold the key to that sweet support slot you want to grab. It isn’t always writing the killer tune that gets you the tour. It’s getting on and offstage quickly and efficiently, acting courteously and professionally to crew and being friendly and respectful to the headline band. As with each of these blogs, there are exceptions to the rule. I’ve certainly met massively popular bands out there that act like a bunch of school kids (and, appropriately, they often are the ones who achieve fame just out of school). But if you follow the guidelines below you shouldn’t go far wrong.<br />
<br />
<img alt="How much tech would a drum tech tech, if a drum tech could tech drums?" class="wp-image-766 size-large" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Drum-Tech-830x553.jpg" height="426" width="640" /> How much tech would a drum tech tech, if a drum tech could tech drums?<br />
<b>THE SOUND ENGINEER IS YOUR FRIEND, WHETHER YOU LIKE HIM OR NOT</b><br />
Let’s get this out of the way. Being a local band isn’t fair. Often the venue will promise you a soundcheck and you get bumped because time is running late. Often there are sound issues onstage. Often you get no dressing room at all and have to pile your gear in a tiny, spider-infested corner. But these are simply things you need to <i>accept</i> and attempt to overcome. The first thing to relate this week is that it’s always advantageous to show courtesy and respect to all the crew, from the roadies to the tour manager to the promoter but especially to the sound engineer. He or she has the power to make or break your set. Learn their name, be polite, and be considerate of what they need.<br />
<br />
The first place to get this right is during soundcheck. If the crew are setting up the stage, be aware of this and try not to get in their way too much. You’d be amazed at the bands I’ve seen jamming, blissfully ignorant, at full blast as a visibly seething sound engineer changes drum mics. Drummers are often the worst, thrashing the hell out of their kits or tuning their snare while the sound man changes the kick drum mic at a distance that makes it tantamount to assault. Until you have your own crew and plenty of allotted time, this really isn’t the time to jam that tune from rehearsal while everyone else waits around because you read that U2 wrote 'One' during a soundcheck. Listen to the sound engineer when he asks you to play and be reasonable and intelligent with what you do play. Drummers, play a repeated groove that covers the full kit, guitarists and bassists play a riff that's a solid loop and covers a reasonable range. Granted, no matter how well-behaved you are, some sound engineers will inevitably treat you like an irritating nuisance. Some will be nice and laugh along with your japes and learn your name. You never know. Just be aware that whatever their demeanor, their experience with you is naturally likely to affect the work they do for you when you’re up on stage.<br />
<br />
<img alt="The sound engineer is your friend." class="wp-image-765 size-full" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Sound-Engineer1.jpg" height="370" width="640" /> The sound engineer is your friend, whether he likes it or not.<br />
<br />
<b>SPEAKING TO THE SOUND ENGINEERS DURING THE SET</b><br />
Every now and then, dealing with sound issues while onstage during the set will be necessary, but remember, just as we covered last week, nine times out of ten the crowd aren't hearing that squeal that comes from your monitor every time you lean over, so don't draw attention to it. If you look like things are falling apart just because there's a hum coming from a guitar amp then, even if they can't hear the difference, people are going to assume that things are falling apart. If you need to communicate monitor directions by using hand signals (pointing at your guitar, then to the monitor, and then up in the air to denote that you need more in the monitor for instance) remember to be as calm and clear as you can and stay in control. Don't even bother mouthing words as it will draw the crowd's attention to the issue. I’ve watched sets where the drummer has spent over half his time on stage scowling and pointing in different directions at the hapless monitor engineer and, although I as a musician feel his pain, I also realize he’s oblivious to the energy of his screwed-up face and attitude spilling all over the stage. If the sound is that bad, it's better to stop the set between songs, get it sorted and then move on than be in a constant gushing leak of panic and anger, letting the crowd that there was <i>something</i> wrong during the set, though they had no idea what it was.<br />
<br />
If hand signals aren’t going to cut it, there is an art to speaking to the sound engineer between songs. Never start making demands through the mic the very second that a song finishes and the crowd is still clapping. This will confuse the audience and kill the appreciative energy in the room dead. Instead, being sure to indicate to the rest of the band that you want them to wait, calmly thank the crowd as normal, maybe even add a little comment about how the gig is going, and <i>then</i> address the sound engineer with a polite ‘Mr Soundman, I need a little more of me in my monitor’. Thank the crowd, let the mood settle, then put your demands out there in a clear and friendly tone, owning the moment.<br />
<br />
<img alt="That's the face you get when you mouth 'I CAN'T HEAR ME!'" class="wp-image-768 size-large" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Sound-Engineer-2-830x555.jpg" height="427" width="640" /> That's the face you get when you start copping a 'tude at a sound engineer.<br />
<br />
<b>GET ONSTAGE ON TIME</b><br />
It seems strange to me that I even have to make a point of this, but I still go to gigs and at the stage time the support band are due onstage, someone from the venue is running around trying to find the band. That scenario is simply unacceptable to anyone involved in live music and, believe me, it’s absolutely abhorrent to the tour manager of the headline band. Unless otherwise clearly stated by the headline band’s TM or the promoter, the stage times are NOT a rough guideline of how they want the night to go. They are strict, absolute orders about where your slot is in the running of the night. Feckless local bands often break this rule because no one has ever really sat them down and pointed this out. It simply goes unspoken. You see it so often in live music, as a band or tour manager you sometimes can’t even be bothered saying anything until the band runs over by ten minutes. But here’s the rub, this isn’t school, you don’t get detention. YOU SIMPLY DON’T GET BOOKED AGAIN TO SUPPORT THE BAND. That ten minutes was ten minutes less time at the end of the night where the headline band could have sold their merch. You mess with their bottom line, and things get personal!<br />
<br />
If you’re opening, you will have the luxury of leaving your gear set up, so in that instance there’s even less of a reason for lateness. Getting onstage when you're the second band on, with just a quarter-of-an-hour slot to do it in, is stressful so it’s absolutely essential you’ve planned in advance. Have your cables and gear ready and accessible so you can get straight on and give the band that preceded you space and time to get off. It’s totally acceptable to help them get their stuff off. Not only does it make things quicker, it asserts the point that you want them to move off the stage ASAP. There will be times when, through no fault of your own, the changeover overruns. Nine out of ten times in this situation, as long as the overrun wasn’t your fault, the tour manager or sound engineer will reimburse you an extra five minutes at the end of your set to compensate, especially at festivals. If this isn't forthcoming, there’s nothing wrong with asking if this is possible, but never assume. Overrunning is a bigger sin even than getting on late. In fact, it’s the most sure-fire way for you to never get booked as support to a professional band again.<br />
<br />
<img alt="There may be only two fans watching, but remember, the TM is ALWAYS WATCHING." class="size-large wp-image-770" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/TOur-Manager-830x622.jpg" height="479" width="640" /> There may be only two fans watching, but remember, the TM is ALWAYS WATCHING.<br />
<br />
<b>GETTING OFFSTAGE</b>.<br />
This is the most important rule in this whole series of blogs. If you follow every other point to a tee, but overrun your set by seven minutes at every show you’re going to be the greatest band in your local toilet venue for the next four decades. Get off on time. No ifs ands or buts. Drop a song if you need to. GET OFF ON TIME.<br />
<br />
When you do get off, get off as quickly as possible. After the intensity of the set, you'll feel the world slow down. It's natural that getting off stage feels like it should be a stress-free, peaceful affair done with your face flushed with happiness, basking in the glory of your wonderful concert. But there's another band to get on! Getting offstage is a hurried, stressful and almost always slightly unpleasant chore and you must hustle as quickly as possible. Feel free to walk off stage to underline the end of your performance but then get straight back up there and work to get your gear off efficiently and into the designated zone. Help each other and be aware of the crew, who will almost always give you a hand. Get this job done, <i>then</i> go and chill. You've earned it!<br />
<br />
The first time SB6 really experienced a hard lesson in getting offstage was touring with The Levellers in 2009. The Levellers are a big, cult band and their crew are professionals with no time for holding the hands of some punk band just because they can’t afford a crew. The change-over time was forty-five minutes, plenty of time we thought, seeing as though The Levellers were already set up. So on the first night we got off stage and afterwards we relaxed for a moment together, drinking water behind the curtains, ready to go back on and grab our gear. The crew proceeded to storm the stage, and, faced with our gear set-up, tore our guitar pedals off the floor and pretty much threw them at us. Suffice to say, we didn’t hang about after the set the next night and the lesson that we learned that day was a good one. There is simply no excuse. Get off stage on time and get off as quickly as humanly possible.<br />
<br />
And, if you hadn’t already figured this out, if you are not the headlining band, never, ever, ever do an encore!<br />
<br />
<img alt="Follow all the rules, and this is how you'll feel." class="size-large wp-image-767" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Performance-830x552.jpg" height="425" width="640" /> Follow all the rules, and this is how you'll feel.<br />
<br />
<b>FINAL THOUGHTS</b><br />
There are ‘local band’ nights all over the country where venues simply want the friends and family of bands to come and drink at the bar to keep the business running. The venue and 'promoters' don't care about the bands, they care about the drinks being bought, and often the rules I've outlined above are not enforced or even laid out. At these nights, bands pick up bad habits. But you try pulling out those habits supporting a touring band with a tour manager and you simply aren’t going to get tours. And don't expect them to tell you why, because they don't have to.<br />
<br />
At the beginning, being in a band is very tough. In the UK, at local gigs, you get treated as the lowest of the low, often not getting a dressing room, food or drinks. You see the headline band swanning about with their grub and lager and passes in their dressing room, not watching the local bands, and tend to think they’re stuck-up idiots. But what you need to remember is that they have all been in the same place as you have. And you’ll find that when you’ve not been home for three weeks and have driven for 7 hours previously, a beer and a sit down without having music blaring in your face is not that much to ask. By all means, politely introduce yourselves and ask them to watch you, but be prepared for the fact that they might choose not to, and that's their prerogative.<br />
<br />
Finally, remember that at this stage, for you, watching the other bands is important. Grassroots music scenes work through friendships, not strength of demos, and the difference between being shunned by a scene and being immersed and accepted into it really is about what you put in. People can smell a band that are only out for themselves, so returning favours and being an active participant at live shows at this point will reap rewards that your songwriting might not.<br />
<br />
And that's that. It's time to get out there and rock.<br />
<br />
Barney<br />
<br />
<i>Thanks for reading this blog series and all your support and feedback. I have a special case study blog coming up where I impart some more general rules and philosophies to being in a band but what I’d really love right now is to hear any questions you guys have about music as it pertains to emerging artists.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Please email me your thoughts, suggestions and questions to <a href="mailto:%20barney@songeist.com" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man">barney@songeist.com</a></i><br />
<h6>
<i>Drum Tech photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/trenchfoot/">Gareth Harfoot</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Sound Engineer photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbury/">Howard Stanbury</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Sound Engineer 2 photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/beatfactor/">Andrei Rusu's</a> Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Tour Manager Photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgjones/">David Jones</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Onstage photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/annais/">Annais Ferreira</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-27549052198912293402014-05-21T05:48:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:10:35.056-07:00From The Garage to The Stage Part 5: Camaraderie and Control<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>If you're just starting out as an artist, there are many hard lessons to be learned onstage that don't necessarily appear in the 'how to play' manuals or educational music books. To help you along, we've enlisted our very own Barney to impart his hard-earned gigging wisdom in this ongoing series of weekly blogs. If you're recently started playing live or even if you haven't yet done a gig yet, we at <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist </a>believe that these blogs will be a great asset to help you to consider all the aspects of your live show. We'll be posting a new entry every Wednesday around midday for the coming weeks so don't forget to visit!</i><br />
<br />
READ PART 1: MAKING A SPLASH <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-1-making-a-splash/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 2: STRUCTURING YOUR SET <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-2-structuring-your-set/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 3: SEGUES AND SPEECHES <a href="https://www.blogger.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-3-segues-and-speeches">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 4: CONFIDENCE AND CONNECTION <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-4-confidence-and-connection/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 4: Confidence and Connection">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 6: SET TIMES AND THE SOUND MAN <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-6-set-times-and-the-sound-man/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Remember to comment and let us know any live tips and tricks you have...</i><br />
<br />
<b>FROM THE GARAGE TO THE STAGE PART 5: CAMARADERIE AND CONTROL</b><br />
<br />
So far, we’ve covered how to write a setlist, how to structure your set, how to segue your songs and how to connect with a crowd. But what about the other connection that is happening onstage, the connection that many musicians don’t immediately consider but is the connection that is, above all, the most important part of being in a band? What about the connection with <i>each other</i>? You may have spent more hours in a garage and more miles on the road with these human beings than anyone else on earth but put you on stage together and you either pretend they don't exist or throw dirty looks at them every time they even <i>look</i> like they might mess up. Dealing with on-stage stress is a part of being in a band, especially for an emerging band, and the most natural thing in the world to do is to lean on your friends; your band-mates. One thing that you’ll have to accept as a band starting out and using in-house sound engineers is that sometimes, even often, onstage sound will be awful. That causes stress. The very task of performing in front of strangers causes stress. And these band-mates you call friends are going to make some musical mistakes that will cause you stress. Being onstage magnifies all these feelings of stress but, just as with last week’s <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-4-confidence-and-connection/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 4: Confidence and Connection">blog</a>, you need to focus those emotions to compose yourself and not sell an iota of that stress, let alone take it out on each other. We know we have to emote confidence, but we also need to emote a sense of <i>camaraderie</i> and <i>control.</i><br />
<br />
<img alt="Horrors" class="wp-image-741 size-full" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Horrors.jpg" height="640" width="640" /> The Horrors, emerging from their spaceship, full of camaraderie yesterday.<br />
<b>CONTROL YOURSELF</b><br />
Following on from last week’s talk of confidence and connection-building, nothing relaxes a crowd more than a band that appears at ease and in control of their environment. If you look like you know what you’re doing, they will believe you do. Nothing belies a band’s nervousness and sense of being at ill-at-ease more than negative body language towards each other. A band that appears united as a team and comfortable on stage with each other evokes that same energy to the crowd. That sense of camaraderie is key to a band and should be part of your overall philosophy and approach beyond the stage. Some of the best bands, think The Ramones, The Specials, The Horrors, actually look like they've emerged from a spaceship together to take over our world. A band that look uncomfortable with each other or even worse, visibly hostile, tutting and scowling at mistakes, are facing a huge uphill battle in winning over fans. Just as I relayed last week, the crowd WANTS to like you, just don’t give them reason not to. You might be the kind of player (I know I am) that can’t tune out the other band member’s performances and picks up on every fluffed note, every scuffed fill and every flat harmony. The vital thing to remember is that 99% of mistakes, no matter how bad they seem to you, the audience will either not pick up on, or not care about. A rock gig isn’t a piano recital. No rock gig has ever been ruined, or even badly affected, by a few rogue mistakes in a set. But you can ruin a gig by creating a tense, awkward atmosphere onstage between band members. A dirty look early in the set can have its negative energy increase exponentially across the performance, as the band member's become more reactive and angry at one another. No matter how well they think they're hiding it, this will sink the connection at a show even if the crowd can’t quite put their finger on what the problem is. You can feel a bad atmosphere, and <i>feeling</i> is more important at a gig than simply <i>hearing</i>.<br />
<br />
Don’t get me wrong. Mistakes count. The fact that Steve went into the wrong part for the tenth gig on the row does matter, especially after you brought it up in rehearsal twenty times. It matters to you and so, ultimately, it matters to the performance and the band. But you’re kidding yourself if you think that if you turn around and shake your head at him onstage, anyone in the crowd is going to sympathise with your exasperation. You just look like a mean so-and-so and you’ve created a negative onstage vibe, all over a bass mistake in a room where the sound is so boomy not one single person noticed. To physically register it onstage does nothing but bring attention to it, increasing the tension and making the gig worse for everyone. Again, it’s a case of implosion, not explosion, and even thought that messed-up fill daftpot on the drum's has done for the <i>whole tour </i>feels like nails down your back, it’s <i>your</i> mistake if you let it throw your own performance off track.<br />
<br />
<img alt="I fully endorse the positive eye contact, if not the shorts, of this band." class="wp-image-740 size-full" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Eye-Contact.jpg" height="640" width="480" /><br />
I fully endorse the loving, positive, fully-in-control eye contact, if not the shorts, of this band.<br />
<br />
<b>CAMARADERIE</b><br />
Being onstage is stressful and in stressful situations, friends are mean to each other, and that doesn’t always stop between songs. One faux pas I’ve seen many times – and have been guilty of - is taking the mickey out of other members of the band over the mic between songs. We’ve all seen this, if judged correctly, be a fun addition to a live set but, just like erupting into synchronised head-banging from the second you get on stage, more often than not it only serves to highlight how vulnerable the musician feels at that point. What you imagine in your head is charming repartee between two band members, lifting the curtain into the group's lovable real-life personalities, is actually just two incoherent human beings, tuning guitars and mumbling 'dick head' at each other, like a pair of three-year-old siblings lashing out at each other because they're tired after a day out at the zoo. Of course, the crowd may smile. They may even laugh. Just like the raising a fist on stage is often mirrored in a crowd, the audience will attempt to follow suit at the pantomime of witty conversation that they perceive to <i>probably</i> be happening before them. But that doesn't mean it's anything but slightly embarrassing for all involved.<br />
<br />
Speaking of addressing the room, sometimes the crowd will speak back. As we outlined last week, standing and conversing with mates does nothing but create a cliquey atmosphere. But if you play enough gigs, someone in the crowd, at some point, is going to say something bad about you. Just like reacting to a fluffed note from a band member, you do not sell it because <i>you</i> are in control of the stage, not the crowd. Follow the same rules as you would someone posting comments on YouTube; <i>do not feed the troll</i>. Granted, if someone is heckling to the extent it’s affecting the rest of the crowd’s enjoyment of the show, then perhaps, being as assertive and emphatic as you can, you need to face that. The crowd will thank you for it and facing down an idiot spoiling other people's fun can really bond a band and crowd. But if there’s one guy shouting abuse and giving you the V-sign in a crowd of hundreds, do not give him the satisfaction of knowing you have even seen him, even worse he's got you rattled. Ignore him completely. Focus your energy to keep in control of your own performance and don’t let him gain any influence over you. Just think; if a human being is so odious and has a life so bereft of happiness that he or she must stand in front of a stage and make gestures to bands they don’t like, they really do not deserve any validation for their actions, let alone the attention they crave. Ignore these sadsacks. They will get bored and, quietly and sullenly, wait for the headliner they came to see. They don't get out much, to be fair.<br />
<br />
<img alt="You might not manage it, but this is the post-gig atmosphere to aim for." class="size-large wp-image-744" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Backstage-830x817.jpg" height="629" width="640" /> You might not quite manage it, but this is the post-gig atmosphere to aim for.<br />
<br />
<b>WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW</b><br />
The discipline of control and camaraderie should not stop the second you get off stage, you need to remain focused for at least a few hours afterwards. This is difficult because you've been affected emotionally and the music means a lot to you and once you come off stage, there's a temptation to let it all spill out. After internalising your chagrin towards the guitarist’s multiple musical indiscretions for half an hour, there's the desire to come off stage and immediately start rattling off a laundry list of his mistakes. But it's a bad idea. Emotions are so high that a post-gig conversation will be ferocious, overblown and erupt into something far more intense than is constructive when discussing specific drum fills or vocal harmonies. Not only will you be angry, the other band member will be defensive, especially after a disappointing performance, so a fight will inevitably erupt and, essentially, what you are saying and asking of them gets buried under a landslide of emo, feels and mardy-bum melodrama. Save it for the bedroom.<b><br /></b><br />
With great diplomacy and experience, it's possible to get your band's communication developed enough that you can manage to talk about the set quite sensibly within an hour or two after the show. It's not always mistakes that you want to discuss and important things do get forgotten if you set a cast-iron fatwa on talking in the dressing room about what went on on the stage for the last half an hour. But as a rule of thumb it’s generally better to simply wait until the next day. If the mistake or observation is important enough to comment on, it’s important enough for you to make it your responsibility to remember it for the following morning. You could even write it down or pop it in your phone notes, as I do. If you calmly and clearly express the problem the next day and the band member is still being a tart about it… well, that's their problem, not yours. But that’s the thing with band members, they’re human beings and part of being in a band is learning one-another’s limits, abilities and even short-comings and having the wisdom and will to work with them and around them.<br />
<br />
Next week in From The Garage to The Stage we'll discuss the final details of being onstage, beyond the band and crowd. We'll explore speaking to sound engineers, the logistics of working with crews, getting on and offstage and all the subtle, unspoken stuff that's expected of you as a band at a gig that no one tells you beforehand.<br />
<br />
Until next time...<br />
<br />
Barne<i>y</i><br />
<h6>
<i>Horrors photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/neilkrug/">Neil Klug</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Lucacookus photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/elchupacabra">Mark Scott Austin TX's</a> Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Backstage photo courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chillhiro">Chillhiro's</a> Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-2268460487045522932014-05-17T01:00:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:11:59.929-07:00I Should Cocoa (Futures)<i>As part of our Songeist Showcase at The Great Escape last Saturday, <a href="http://www.songeist.com/cocoafutures">COCOA FUTURES</a> rocked The Mucky Duck alongside <a href="http://www.songeist.com/hazehazemusic">Haze</a>, <a href="http://www.songeist.com/masagua">Mas Agua</a> and <a href="http://www.songeist.com/Swell">Swell</a>. The buzz around this new band from Tottenham (via Scotland) has all been generated by ‘Do Something’, a summery slice of politicised funk-pop that’s been played on Amazing Radio. As <a href="http://killing-moon.com/">Killing Moon</a> attests, ‘huge things are expected from this four piece’ and after the show Barney caught up with Greg for an interview where he lifted the lid on the past and present of Cocoa Futures.</i><br />
<br />
<b>B. I saw you live for the first time tonight. You were great! Did you enjoy the show? How did it go for you guys?</b>G. Thanks Barney! Yeah, the gig was loads of the fun - apart from the power cutting out to half the stage in the first song. All the bands were really good, so thanks loads for having us. I think it was our eighth gig and our first in a festival setting. So it was great to come down to Brighton and be part of The Great Escape, and to meet the Songeist team. Very windy though, isn’t it?<br />
<br />
<b>B. That it is! And those damn seagulls! For those who haven't heard you, give us a brief rundown of Cocoa Futures history and your involvement, if any, in previous bands.</b>G. Well, Dave the drummer and I moved down from Scotland a while back and started writing songs together last year. After a while, we met Zoe (Synth) and Jack (Guitar) through mutual friends. They’re both great musicians who whipped us into shape and moved us on a lot. It’s a good team. We’ve all played in bands before which has really helped in having an idea of what to do. With Cocoa Futures, we were really clear that wanted to have fun and play music we really enjoyed. Hopefully that comes across when you see us live.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" src="http://sgcdn-billboard-live2.songeist.com/680_7398396.jpg" height="362" width="640" /> Cocoa Futures. They don't give a solitary sh*t about hayfever.<br />
<br />
<b>B. It definitely came across. So, what bands have been an influence on Cocoa Futures?</b>We’re into bands/artists like Talk Talk, Tom Tom Club, Tina Turner, Talking Heads and The Invisible.<br />
<br />
<b>B. You have a thing for bands with two Ts in their names. But no Tanita Tikaram. You call your style Yumcore? How did that intriguing little name come about?</b>G. I just made it up. Are you allowed to make genres up?<b><br />B. I don't believe so.</b>G. Probably not. Sorry. We’re pretty indie to be honest! (laughs)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=13632&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. Well, one thing that was distinctive to me about Cocoa Futures was Greg's bass guitar playing. A lot of the bottom end was handled by the synths and Greg played funky bass with a pick in the middle of the sonic spectrum. It worked really well. Was this a conscious decision for the band or just something that evolved from your playing style?</b>G. It definitely wasn’t a conscious decision. I used to play guitar, and I love getting fruity with the pick, so it just kinda happened. Someone did come up to me after our Notting Hill Arts Club gig and say ‘you need a proper bassist mate’ though, so I’m glad it works for you. Thanks Barney!<br />
<br />
<b>B. You're welcome. It worked for me, and it was unique. Tell us the details about your next single 'Do Something'.</b>G<b>. </b>It comes out May 30<sup>th</sup> and you can have a listen on <a href="http://www.songeist.com/cocoafutures">Songeist. </a>We’ve got a lovely launch show at the <a href="http://www.thefinsbury.co.uk/">Finsbury</a> in Manor House. Forget the fact it’s at a tube station you’ve probably not been to, it’s a great venue so come along. There's a Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/701125903262903/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming">EVENT</a> for it. A band called <a href="http://www.blackforestghetto.com/">Black Forest Ghetto</a> are playing too. They’ll make you dance.<br />
<br />
The single is backed up with a rework from a great young artist called <a href="https://twitter.com/cobysey">Coby Sey</a>. He’s taken the song to a very, very different and incredible place. We’d love to work with him again in the future. The rework is up on Songeist too, so check it out.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="100" scrolling="no" src="https://www.songeist.com/embed/embeded.php?Audio=14504&player=2" width="408"> </iframe><br />
<br />
<b>B. The lyrics of 'Do Something' discuss contemporary UK politics quite candidly. Not many pop bands dare touch these kind of topics. What is your perspective on this and what would be your respond to anyone suggesting that politics in music is commercially a bad idea?</b>G. I’m pretty sure it’s a horrible idea commercially. I think quite a few people who are into pop would be uneasy with the subject matter. A song referencing Gordon Brown and Alan Greenspan is unlikely to get the fists pumping at V festival(!) But talking about corruption in politics was something that we wanted to talk about and get off our chests. And that’s what music is for, right? From the other perspective, people interested in the subject matter probably aren’t drawn to these issues being talked about in the context of a two minute pop song. So yeah, possibly a terrible idea all round. It’s bloody fun to play though.<br />
<br />
<b>B. I applaud you for it. And I think people will be into the honesty. I was struck by the contrast between 'Do Something' and some of the other songs in the set. It sounds like the album will be a darker affair and you've put your most poppy foot forward to make a first impression. Is this an accurate appraisal?</b><br />
G. Yeah, spot on. There wasn’t a huge amount of thought behind it. We recorded three tunes and ‘Do Something’ turned out best. The other stuff is definitely a bit darker. I’m really looking forward to recording it and putting it out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/photo1.jpg"><img alt="Greg's unique playing style is not apparent in this photo I took. You'll just have to check it out at a gig." class="size-large wp-image-729" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/photo1-830x622.jpg" height="479" width="640" /></a> Greg's unique playing style is not apparent in this photo I took. You'll just have to check it out at a gig.<br />
<br />
<b>B. Where can we follow Cocoa Futures and keep up to date with you and your releases?</b>G. Come along to a show. Let Jack the guitarist buy you a rum. He’ll tell you about his Saab and probably rope you into doing some DIY. After the single launch, we’ve got Camden Crawl on June 21<sup>st </sup>which we’re all looking forward to. Oh and follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/cocoafuture">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cocoafutures">Facebook</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>You heard the man! Go follow Cocoa Futures and check them out on Songeist <a href="http://www.songeist.com/cocoafutures">HERE</a>. Their show at The Finsbury Pub on 30th May has limited free tickets so go and grab your now from the Facebook event <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/701125903262903/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming">HERE</a>.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-12482657575309853202014-05-14T11:28:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:11:12.131-07:00From The Garage to The Stage Part 4: Confidence and Connection<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>If you're just starting out as an artist, there are many hard lessons to be learned onstage that don't necessarily appear in the 'how to play' manuals or educational music books. To help you along, we've enlisted our very own Barney to impart his hard-earned gigging wisdom in this ongoing series of weekly blogs. If you're recently started playing live or even if you haven't yet done a gig yet, we at <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist </a>believe that these blogs will be a great asset to help you to consider all the aspects of your live show. We'll be posting a new entry every Wednesday around midday for the coming weeks so don't forget to visit!</i><br />
<br />
READ PART 1: MAKING A SPLASH <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-1-making-a-splash/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 2: STRUCTURING YOUR SET <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-2-structuring-your-set/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 3: SEGUES AND SPEECHES <a href="https://www.blogger.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-3-segues-and-speeches">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 5: CAMARADERIE AND CONTROL <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-5-camaraderie-and-control/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 6: SET TIMES AND THE SOUND MAN <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-6-set-times-and-the-sound-man/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Remember to comment and let us know any live tips and tricks you have...</i><br />
<br />
<b>FROM THE GARAGE TO THE STAGE PART 4: CONFIDENCE AND CONNECTION</b><br />
<br />
During a live gig, especially a club show, the dynamic between the crowd and act is very different from one of simply Performer and Audience. The relationship is probably more analogous to that of a stand-up comedy show than to a classical pianist and a hall full of patrons, or a crowd watching a game at a sports event. There is very little separation between the parties and a huge deal of direct interaction, both explicit and subliminal. Emotions are high and the audience and band feed and react to them. Sometimes the crowd speaks back. Bluff and self-assurance are essential and, like with so much in life, confidence is the key.<br />
<br />
<b>PEOPLE LIKE CONFIDENCE</b><br />
Consider this. A stand-up comedian can perform to a room with great material but if he stutters nervously through his set, avoids eye-contact with the room, or acts hostile and complains about the crowd’s sense of humour he will leave the stage to silence or boos. A comedian with poor material who projects confidence and a sense of ease, or simply a likeable presence, can create a bond with the crowd and leave the stage with polite applause or even cheers. It’s exactly the same with a band, especially in a support slot. A band's music is a smaller part of a live show than most music journalists get paid to tell you it is and certainly far less than most punters consciously realise when they watch a live show. The crowd <i>wants</i> to like you so don't give them a reason not to. If a band looks as if they’re enjoying their music and come across as confident and cocksure, that will convince a crowd as much as the songs. Conversely, bands that look shy and embarrassed will make the crowd feel awkward and that negative emotion becomes associated with their music. With this in mind, if, like me, you don’t have the kind of natural boundless confidence that lights up the room every time you walk in it, it could be time to put some strategies and concepts into action.<br />
<br />
Matt Reynolds, ex-guitarist and singer of rock band Howard’s Alias and now fronting folk act <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bigfinbigfin">Big Fin</a>, played guitar for Sonic Boom Six for a few tours at the end of 2009. A veteran of live gigs, Matt conveyed a striking live music philosophy to me on stage in Europe that stopped me in my tracks. Its simplicity was its genius. He said ‘every second that you look away from the crowd during a live show is a moment that you are cheating from them’. Over time it's become clear to me that as a general mantra to follow, it's a tremendously effective motivator. Of course, it’s not advised to stand on the edge of the stage and stare dementedly at the crowd for the entirety of the set. And as musicians, it’s great to share eye-contact and moments with your fellow musicians during the performance. But it’s also important to bear in mind that if you look at each other for the whole set, you are depriving your attention from the very place it needs to go… into the audience. Matt’s philosophy is the perfect concept to keep pushing you to do that. And looking at the crowd and conveying your energy, passion and belief in your music is what creates <i>connection</i>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Thinkpol.jpg"><img alt="Mat Reynolds, looking AT a crowd." class="size-large wp-image-710" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Thinkpol-830x722.jpg" height="556" width="640" /></a> Matt Reynolds, looking AT a crowd and not cheating them.<br />
<br />
<b>CREATING THE CONNECTION</b><br />
The idea of connection is a great way to conceptualise it. We've all been to sold-out arena gigs where there is a lack of a bond between the band and the audience, yet we've seen half-empty club shows where every single thing the band does has an effect on the mood and causes a reaction in the crowd. Equally we've watched festival headliners electrify thousands but stood through bands in tiny venues getting no reaction in a cold room. It's not the size of the show, it's the connection that creates a truly exhilarating live performance. For those of us petrified of performing that find ourselves looking down and smiling nervously throughout a live set, we need to put some thought into ways of avoiding this behaviour because it inhibits our connection. A good trick to start with can simply be looking over the audience, choosing a spot on the back wall of the venue just above the crowd's eye line and literally performing to that. Initially, your main goal is simply to get the energy <i>out there</i> and not elsewhere on the stage and to get comfortable doing it.<br />
<br />
Eye contact is difficult for many people and feeling exposed on stage can increase one's self-consciousness. You may have heard how, to keep eye contact in police interviews, hardened criminals look between the eyes or at the eyebrows of those giving them a grilling. Start by using this technique. Smile at people. Connect with people. You don’t want to give all your attention to the same group of people through the entire set; look to the spot in the back of the room, then to the mass of people in the centre of the room, then give some time to those at the front. There have been times on stage where I have consciously tested this, observing the visceral difference in the body language of the people before me when I look and emote to them as opposed to looking elsewhere. You really do have the power in your body language to convey the energy of your music and to <i>will</i> people to enjoy it the way that you enjoy it. But you have to work at it.<br />
<br />
<img alt="962259711_c5516d10cf_b" class="wp-image-711 size-large" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/962259711_c5516d10cf_b-830x444.jpg" height="342" width="640" /> Look, a lovely bunch of foreheads to connect with.<br />
<br />
<b>CONTROLLING THE CONNECTION</b><br />
The paradox of creating connection, is that it's an exercise in <i>controlling </i>energy rather than unleashing it. We've all seen bands that think the key to a great live performance is to leap around the stage and thrash about like maniacs. Rather than encouraging the crowd to get involved, this can have the opposite effect, serving only to underline the lack of excitement in the rest of the room. The contrast between the energy of an act trying so hard and the ambivalent atmosphere in a venue can seem absurd, pathetic even, and this breaks the connection. Onstage, you may feel like you want to leap out of your skin but you need to harness that nervousness and adrenaline and focus your energy to <i>coax</i> the crowd to get involved, not to <i>compel</i> them to.<br />
<br />
At the risk of sounding a little 'New Age', the best live acts can adapt to the vibrations in a room, focus them and then amplify them. This goes right back to the 'turning of the screw' through the first part of the setlist that we discussed in <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-2-structuring-your-set/">Part 2</a>. When you hit the right vibration and take a cold, still room to a heaving mass of sweaty bodies in the space of three songs, it's the greatest feeling in the world. The gigs we all live for are those when the crowd erupts and you no longer need to worry about any of these blog subjects and you can lose yourself completely. But it's important to remember that you and the crowd go through the process together, not separately. Physical reaction and dancing from the crowd is a goal that inexperienced bands often pursue above all else, yet movement is not always the indicator of the best show. A gig's overall connection can even be broken by over-enthusiastic pockets of fans being super-served, moshing violently or chanting louder than the rest of the crowd. The most powerful, memorable and life-affirming gigs are those where the connection across the room between crowd and band is strongest. And the trick to connecting is more often implosion than explosion. It's reaction rather than action.<br />
<br />
<img alt="A mic, between songs. Remember, you don't HAVE to use it." class="size-large wp-image-712" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/6057801887_7c05089032_b-830x553.jpg" height="553" width="830" /> A mic, between songs. Remember, you don't HAVE to use it.<br />
<br />
<b>KEEPING THE CONNECTION</b><br />
If there's one place where even the best bands lose their confidence, let their guard down and break the spell of the connection, it's between songs. There’s always a certain amount of discomfort in the act of being on stage with a mic and talking to a crowd and it’s only natural that it feels odd. I don’t want to belabour the point, but to emote clearly and briefly is far preferable than mumbling. If what you do and say between songs is affecting the connection between you and the crowd, then just say very little. There's no rule saying you have to say anything. Don't ruin the mood with stupid jokes if you're not a natural comedian, or, as we covered in <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-3-segues-and-speeches/">Part 3,</a> don't say the same thing again and again for the sake of it. Don't create a cliquey atmosphere by sharing private conversations between you and your friends in the crowd. It's a tempting crutch to lean on but the people in the audience that aren't in your close circle of friends will not know about that mad thing that happened to Batshit Barry at Reading 2007, and frankly won't care, so don't bring it up.<br />
<br />
A good way to look at it is that if you get the feeling that you might possibly, maybe, perhaps, just a little bit, be mumbling rubbish into a mic between songs then you <i>definitely</i> are. Next week we'll continue these ideas about projecting a good positive atmosphere onstage and communicating with each other, and others, with efficiency and wisdom before, during and after the show.<br />
<br />
Until next time...<br />
<br />
Barne<i>y</i><br />
<h6>
<i>Crowd shot courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecabaretvoltaire/">Cabaret Voltaire's</a> Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.<br />Mic shot courtesty <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ashley-collins/">Ashley Collins</a>' Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-60737077892100427862014-05-07T05:18:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:10:35.068-07:00From The Garage to the Stage Part 3: Segues and Speeches<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>If you're just starting out as an artist, there are many hard lessons to be learned onstage that don't necessarily appear in the 'how to play' manuals or educational music books. To help you along, we've enlisted our very own Barney to impart his hard-earned gigging wisdom in this ongoing series of weekly blogs. If you're recently started playing live or even if you haven't yet done a gig yet, we at <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist </a>believe that these blogs will be a great asset to help you to consider all the aspects of your live show. We'll be posting a new entry every Wednesday around midday for the coming weeks so don't forget to visit!</i><br />
<br />
READ PART 1: MAKING A SPLASH <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-1-making-a-splash/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 2: STRUCTURING YOUR SET <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-2-structuring-your-set/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 4: CONFIDENCE AND CONNECTION <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-4-confidence-and-connection/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 5: CAMARADERIE AND CONTROL <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-5-camaraderie-and-control/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 6: SET TIMES AND THE SOUND MAN <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-6-set-times-and-the-sound-man/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Remember to comment and let us know any live tips and tricks you have...</i><br />
<br />
<b>FROM THE GARAGE TO THE STAGE PART 3: SEGUES AND SPEECHES</b><br />
<br />
Last week we discussed the concept of writing a killer setlist and my advice was to break the set into three sections. While this is a technique that works perfectly just to get the songs down into an effective order on paper, this structure can exist within the show itself, creating a set that comes across as a half-hour performance rather than a 'stop-start' affair.<br />
<br />
<b>STICK WITH THE SECTIONS</b><br />
You only have a limited amount of time in the set so stopping for a chat and a tune-up after every song is not an efficient use of anyone's time. Without planning beforehand, bands tend to meander between songs. It’s not engaging as an audience member to look at a group of musicians whose heads are scanning each other from left to right with the singer mouthing ‘are you ready?’ This doesn’t have the same sense of performance as you can achieve if you have your transitions organised. In my experience, a crowd can enjoy two or three songs played back-to-back quite comfortably so the perfect time for a chat or a breather is between the setlist sections outlined last week. So, for that half-an-hour-length, seven-song support set, leaving a gap between songs three and four, then between five and six, and finally saying a goodbye during a breakdown in the last song is a great way to lay the set out in terms of 'breaks' (you can revise your understanding of this standard support-set structure in my last blog <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-2-structuring-your-set/">HERE</a>).<br />
<br />
On SB6 setlists, our we denote the section breaks by drawing a line between the songs. Between the songs that have no line on the setlist, there is no break in the set. We may drag out the last note of the song before and start the next song immediately. We may have a backing track bubbling underneath and just say a few words over that to introduce the next song. The important thing is that the flow keeps going until we see the line on the setlist. Only where there is a line do we know that we’re free to relax, have a drink of water and address the crowd in a free-form way. It’s worth noting that having these gaps after playing three songs or so back-to-back is as important for the crowd as it is for the band. They need to catch their breath too and it’s amazing how the atmosphere of the room can change from exhausted to expectant in something as small as a thirty-second breather.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.microcuts.net/gallery/photo-muse-misc-2-setlists,-autographs...-19-setlist-lyon---22.11.2009-17432.html"><img alt="" src="http://www.microcuts.net/gallery/data/media/19/Set_list_signe_MUSE.jpg" height="640" width="465" /></a><br />
See how Muse structure their sets with sections divided by breaks.<br />
<br />
<b>BANTER IN THE BREAKS</b><br />
Some bands are natural comedians and turn their bluff and banter between songs into a charming feature of the set. Most of us aren’t, or at least have to work very hard at it, so it’s great to have some tricks up our sleeves. If you’re a little shy with the crowd, that’s a perfect reason to define where in the set you are going to chat and what your subject is. It's a good idea to write a subject down next to the section-break line on your setlist to denote what to speak about. The main thing that this avoids (and I see it all the time) is bands repeating themselves. A way you could do it could be cheat-sheet style notes such as ‘thank previous band’, ‘chat to crowd’ or ‘mention merch / website’. You could even leave the notes as just a word to inspire or remind you of your subject and let yourself wax lyrical from there. This might feel contrived to some but I’m not suggesting you script anything, in fact it's best to avoid over-scripting. Not only does scripting sound unnatural in execution, but scripted setlists grabbed by members of the crowd may end up the source of much amusement and ridicule if the fan posts them on the internet, which genuinely happened to some friends in a leading UK punk band some years ago (but, to be fair, even for a control freak like me, having 'spray beer' on the setlist was too much information!)<br />
<br />
When playing a support slot, as a rule of thumb, the less breaks the better, but remember that every break doesn't need to taken after three songs or more, particularly on a longer set. You can see on the example below that SB6 choose to break after song six, then again after song seven. The point is that we all know where we are going to break, and Laila has a subject to chat about, because it's laid out for her on the setlist.<br />
<br />
<img alt="SETLIST" class="wp-image-684 size-full" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/SETLIST.jpg" height="640" width="358" /><br />
Laila's SB6 setlist, complete with break lines and banter notes.<br />
<br />
<b>HAPPY TALK</b><br />
There are several common errors to avoid when talking to crowds. Saying the exact same thing after every other song is the most usual mistake that inexperienced bands make. It conveys nerves and a lack of sincerity. The most glaring example I can give that many support bands fall back on (I’m sure we all have) is to continuously thank the main band. During the breakdown of the last song is a great place to thank or ‘big up’ the main act. It’s so tempting to do it throughout, because the fans are waiting for them and you’ll get a cheap cheer, but to most people in the room it comes across as fawning and amateurish, almost as if you can barely believe you’re getting to play with your heroes. That’s not how your potential fans want to see you. Once, or twice at most, (once at the start, once at the end if you absolutely must) is more than enough.<br />
<br />
Much more of a cardinal sin of onstage banter is the behaviour of bands who attempt to scold the crowd for not reacting to them the way that they want them to. I’ve seen support bands call crowds ‘lazy’ for not dancing to them, I’ve seen hardcore bands call crowds ‘p*****s’ for not moshing. This is not the way to deal with these situations. As far as playing a support set goes, you really are on an emotional knife-edge with a room full of strangers; they want to like you, but you shouldn’t give them reason not to.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10330066024_a56c8665f3_b.jpg"><img alt="Hands up who is ready to see the MAIN BAND! WOOOOO!" class="size-large wp-image-672" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/10330066024_a56c8665f3_b-830x553.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a> Hands up who is ready to see the MAIN BAND! WOOOOO!<br />
<br />
<b>EXPECTING TOO MUCH</b><br />
Also in the ‘expecting too much from a support crowd' category is a peculiar no-no I used to see a lot, especially among punk bands. Bands would attempt to guilt-trip the audience into buying their CD based on the simple fact that they had made the effort to play a gig. Politely suggesting that the crowd might want to buy a CD or support the scene is one thing but saying ‘we’ve driven 500 miles to get here and we have no money and the only way that bands like us and the ones you will see later tonight can keep going is for you to buy our merch’ is just a downer. No one twisted your arm to join a band. We paid our money to get in. Entertain us! There is a more positive way to get that notion across than to come out and say it in those terms. Rock the crowd as hard as you can, come across as affable and positive, tell them about your merch and let them work it out for themselves.<br />
<br />
If the room does turn against you, it’s far better to come across as blissfully ignorant of a contemptuous venue, lost in the joy of your own music, than it is to discuss that elephant in the room. Those fans paid for their ticket. It’s not the crowd’s duty to dance to you, to shout your name, or to like you. This isn’t just a one way conversation. Often the crowd will answer back… but that’s a story for next week where we will discuss the subliminal discourse that goes on between crowd and audience at every gig. That might sound a little like psychobabble but I'm simply talking about the unspoken contract between performer and onlooker that goes on in <i>every</i> kind of performance.<br />
<br />
Until next time…<br />
<br />
Barne<i>y</i><br />
<h6>
<i>Cheers to Theo Araby Kirkpatrick for the SB6 setlist shot.</i><br /><i> Crowd shot courtesy <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chadcooperphotos/">Chad Cooper</a>'s Flickr used under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons </a>License.</i></h6>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-6654421818962830772014-04-30T04:49:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:10:35.073-07:00From The Garage to The Stage Part 2: Structuring Your Set<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>If you're just starting out as an artist, there are many hard lessons to be learned onstage that don't necessarily appear in the 'how to play' manuals or educational music books. To help you along, we've enlisted our very own Barney to impart his hard-earned gigging wisdom in this ongoing series of weekly blogs. If you're recently started playing live or even if you haven't yet done a gig yet, we at <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist </a>believe that these blogs will be a great asset to help you to consider all the aspects of your live show. We'll be posting a new entry every Wednesday around midday for the coming weeks so don't forget to visit!</i><br />
<br />
READ PART 1: MAKING A SPLASH <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-1-making-a-splash/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 3: SEGUES AND SPEECHES <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-3-segues-and-speeches/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 4: CONFIDENCE AND CONNECTION <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-4-confidence-and-connection/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 5: CAMARADERIE AND CONTROL <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-5-camaraderie-and-control/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 6: SET TIMES AND THE SOUND MAN <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-6-set-times-and-the-sound-man/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Remember to comment and let us know any live tips and tricks you have...</i><br />
<br />
<b>FROM THE GARAGE TO THE STAGE PART 2: STRUCTURING YOUR SET<i><br /></i></b><br />
<br />
Your songs are ready to go. You have rehearsed every detail of each composition so many times you’ve lost count. You’re absolutely confident that you won’t miss that cheeky bar of 2/4 or that weird bridge part that Bob made up when he was high. All that remains is to put your seven or eight songs down on a list and to play them from beginning to end, tuning up, drinking beer and thanking the crowd in between them, right?<br />
<br />
Not really. You need to put a great deal of thought into the order of your tracks. This could be the difference between a good set and a great set. When you put together an album, you think of the entirety of the recording and structure the songs accordingly, right? Why should a live set be any different?<br />
<br />
<b>A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END</b><br />
As we’ve already discussed, we must give a great deal of consideration to the opening of the set but we should approach all of the set with that same attention to detail. Of course, as with all of my blogs, there are exceptions to the rule. There are bands that can go on with no planning at all and stumble through a set and blow the room away. But for the vast majority of us, it benefits to use some strategy. The way I approach a set is like a good book or film; with a beginning, a middle and an end. For a thirty-minute set I think of three sets of ten minutes. For a forty-five minute set, I break it down into three sets of fifteen minutes. Of course, this isn’t an exact science. It won’t necessarily be the same amount of songs per section but the concept remains, even if the section lengths vary.<br />
<br />
To illustrate, I will use a thirty-minute, seven-song support set as the example. This set-length will probably be where you start and gradually your sets will get longer as you get bigger as a band. We can extrapolate these concepts across longer sets, simply by extending the sections by adding songs into them. Once you get towards an hour, you might want to actually repeat a full middle section or two, creating different waves of energy moving up and down through songs during the middle section of the set.<br />
<br />
<img alt="A vintage SB6 support set, circa 2005, that follows all the rules outlined below." class="size-large wp-image-627" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/photo-e1398775337378-830x1106.jpg" height="640" width="480" /><br />
A vintage SB6 support set that follows all the rules outlined in the blog. A 3-2-2 section structure, most abrasive track third, reggae track fifth and fan favourites to close.<br />
<br />
<b>DON'T PEAK TOO EARLY</b><br />
The first section of the set, from your moment coming onstage to impact of song three, should build. While you should hit the stage with purpose and focus (as we discussed on the last <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-1-making-a-splash/">blog)</a> you don’t want to peak too early in terms of impact. People may still be shuffling in from the bar at the point you go on. Opening the set at full-blast in terms of attack and energy is tempting because it <i>seems</i> logical and the nervous energy is easy to get swept away in, but it can actually create a disconnect between the band and the crowd. If you’re supporting a bigger band and you're new to a crowd, the floor often needs easing into a set as opposed to dragging into it. The people in the crowd are jostling and jockeying for their positions during the start of a set. Open with a song that’s secure and solid to play, so that you can iron out any potential sound issues and get comfortable in the room. You don’t even need to necessarily play a full tune, maybe up to the middle 8 is enough. The first three songs are not the time for extended breakdowns or banter. These songs need to gain, not grab, the crowd's attention and ‘turn the screw’ on the room’s atmosphere. For song two, up the ante, turn the screw, move that energy forward but keep in mind that song two is not your destination. You and the crowd should feel locked-in by this point so that when you drop song three the set <i>ignites</i>. When you get this right and the cork on the bottle of the room's energy pops, it's one of the most exhilarating feelings a musician can have.<br />
<br />
Our old booking agent Ian Armstrong of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hiddentalentbooking">Hidden Talent Booking </a>imparted to me long ago that you should always play your best song third. Over the years, I’ve seen the wisdom in this. If you’re strangers to an audience, it will take a couple of songs for people to make up their mind about you. The difference between someone leaping into the pit and cheering at the top of their lungs as opposed to standing at the back and politely applauding could be to deploy a killer third tune. Even for a big band with an established crowd, the third song is a sweet spot to really ignite the party. Just ask AC/DC.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="wp-image-625 size-large" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ACdc-Setlist-830x1142.jpg" height="640" width="465" /><br />
AC/DC, dropping the big gun 'Back in Black' third. (Photo courtesy of The Revenge of Riff-Raff)<br />
<br />
<b>THE CREAMY MIDDLE</b><br />
Next up is the middle section. You have their attention, now you have to do something with it. Choose something solid for song four that 'turns the gas down' slightly and can surf on the inertia of energy that song three has created in the room. In a thirty-minute set, it’s probably a bad idea to go <i>too</i> far off into experimental territory but if you want to do something left-of-centre during the set then choose song five to do it. If you have a ballad or some excursion into a different tempo, such a reggae tune, then this part of the set is ideal. If your material is all the same pace and style, you could still use track five to extend a middle eight and get the crowd clapping. Just adding something into the set at this point that’s a little out of the box can work really well to piqué the crowd's interest beyond the first few songs.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Track 5. Made for clapping along to." class="size-large wp-image-626" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Track-5-830x622.jpg" height="479" width="640" /> Track 5. Made for clapping along to.<br />
<br />
<b>THE TRIUMPHANT ENDING</b><br />
The last section is the right place for another couple of your best songs or fan favourites. You’d hope that across the set you’ve built up some momentum and established a rapport with the crowd. By this point they understand what the band is all about and are ready for you to make your final impression. The very last song is another great one to stretch out. Maybe settle on the middle-eight groove of the song and get the crowd involved again, whether it’s getting them to clap or to repeat a word or lyric you shout out. You could even try some more creative crowd interaction. The old Iron Maiden ‘Scream for me London!’ always works wonders but there are lots of ways that you can get people involved. You could part the crowd down the middle and get them to sing alternate lines. You could get them to sit down (or maybe set up a wall of death or circle pit if you're a heavier act) as you vamp on a breakdown and then jump up when you drop the big riff. Push yourself to try something interesting and memorable and use your imagination to relate whatever it is you do back to the music. People remember a band that does something original with the crowd, and the last song is the time to do it.<br />
<br />
Finally, always remember to end the set on a bang, not a whimper. The rock n roll clichés are clichés because they work. It isn't rocket science to do the old ‘crescendo drum roll with guitar noise followed by synchronised stabs’ routine but it <i>works</i>. If you raise your guitars slowly together as you strum those discordant chords and the drummer thrashes about on the cymbals like Animal behind you, the crowd is naturally, inexplicably compelled to cheer and holler and clap louder, no matter what has preceded it. No one knows exactly why this is, but it would be unwise to blow against the wind of this piece of tried and tested musical science. Rock n Roll clichés are your friend. As Keith Richards said, Rock n Roll is music for the neck down.<br />
<br />
To end this blog, a very simple lesson. When writing that setlist, don’t be tempted to squeeze in an extra song just because you <i>might</i> be able to manage it. It will stress out the band having to watch the clock and it will cause you to rush. Running over set time during a support slot is NOT an option (gig etiquette is another blog for the coming weeks). Instead, simply use the remaining minutes to stretch out your last song and communicate with the crowd. You want to leave them wanting more, not wanting you to get off stage, and even a support band that’s being received very well shouldn’t push their luck when the crowd’s favourite band are coming on in half an hour.<br />
<br />
Now we've got our setlist written, next week in 'From The Garage to the Stage' we'll deal with applying the structure of your set into your performance, dealing with the gaps between songs and when, and when not, to chat to the crowd.<br />
<br />
Until next time…<br />
<br />
Barney<br />
<h5>
<i>Credit to <a href="http://the-revenge-of-riff-raff.blogspot.co.uk/">Revenge of Riff Raff </a>for the AC/DC Setlist.</i></h5>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-47897936652376878242014-04-23T05:46:00.000-07:002014-10-06T09:10:35.062-07:00From The Garage to The Stage Part 1: Making a Splash<i><i><i><i><i>This article originally appeared on the blog at Songeist.com.</i></i></i></i></i><br />
<br />
<i>If you're just starting out as an artist, there are many hard lessons to be learned onstage that don't necessarily appear in the 'how to play' manuals or educational music books. To help you along, we've enlisted our very own Barney to impart his hard-earned gigging wisdom in this ongoing series of weekly blogs. If you're recently started playing live or even if you haven't yet done a gig yet, we at <a href="http://www.songeist.com/">Songeist </a>believe that these blogs will be a great asset to help you to consider all the aspects of your live show. We'll be posting a new entry every Wednesday around midday for the coming months so don't forget to visit!</i><br />
<br />
READ PART 2: STRUCTURING YOUR SET <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-2-structuring-your-set/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 3: SEGUES AND SPEECHES <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-3-segues-and-speeches/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 4: CONFIDENCE AND CONNECTION <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-4-confidence-and-connection/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 5: CAMARADERIE AND CONTROL <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-5-camaraderie-and-control/">HERE</a>.<br />
READ PART 6: SET TIMES AND THE SOUND MAN <a href="http://blog.songeist.com/from-the-garage-to-the-stage-part-6-set-times-and-the-sound-man/" title="From The Garage to The Stage Part 6: Set Times and the Sound Man">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Remember to comment and let us know any live tips and tricks you have...</i><br />
<br />
<b>FROM THE GARAGE TO THE STAGE PART 1: MAKING A SPLASH</b><br />
<br />
You’ve got your songs written. You’ve memorised your lyrics. You’ve rehearsed every verse, chorus and bridge so many times that you’ve got blisters on your fingertips. You’ve got your guitar, leads, spare strings and you’ve borrowed Uncle Barry’s van.<br />
<br />
You’re ready to do a gig.<br />
<br />
For the purposes of getting better as a band, there is no alternative to doing gigs. As soon as you are able, get out there and do it. Chances are, you’ll learn more in one gig than ten rehearsals. But the lessons learned during a live performance are subtle. Many of them are personal. You won’t find these lessons in a ‘100 Hot Guitar Licks’ book but they are just as important as nailing that gnarly bend during your extended solo. There are no hard-and-fast-rules to playing live, but across this series of blogs I’m going to attempt to impart some live music advice that I have picked up which, if nothing else, should stimulate a few thoughts about your approach to your live show.<br />
<br />
<b>OPENING THE SHOW</b><br />
What better place to start than… the start! I can’t tell you the amount of times that I’ve witnessed this scene. The crowd stands in the venue, waiting for the next band to play after the opener has finished. The band is busy swapping around their equipment, tuning up, testing mics. The guitarist idly plays the riff from ‘Layla’. The drummer sits behind the kit and last-minute tunes his toms. BONG, BONG, PLOP. The crowd is murmuring, some watching this going on, some not watching. The band gradually settles into their places, still nervously playing little riffs and tapping away. At some point the singer mouths ‘you guys ready?’ to the rest of the band. They nod and the singer shuffles to the front and says ‘hello, er, we are The Ferrets and we hope you like us’. 1, 2, 3, 4 and it’s into the set. Half the crowd aren’t even watching. The performance fizzles into existence, rather than explodes.<br />
<br />
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of amazing bands that, without even thinking about it, can storm the stage and say ‘hello, we are The Ferrets’ and kick into a deafening roar of rock that can knock the socks off everyone in the venue. But for most of us, we need to put a little thought behind how we can start the set with a bang.<br />
<br />
<img alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" class="wp-image-556" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Drummer.jpg" height="480" width="640" /> "BONG, BONG, PLOP."<br />
<br />
<b>DEALING WITH DRUMMERS (AND NOODLERS)</b><br />
Once the preceding band’s gear is off the stage and your amp or drums are line-tested and set up and you have a few minutes to spare there is NO REASON to stay on the stage. Granted, in small venues there are times that a drummer may have a difficult route to negotiate so may need to stay on the stage. But there is no excuse for sitting there tuning drums and tapping unless absolutely necessary. A drummer will not understand why this is, so we may have to explain this to them. It is a truth of live music that the atmosphere of anticipation of a good, hard rocking is much more palpable and dramatic without the backdrop of BONG, BONG, PLOP reverberating across the venue.<br />
<br />
Once your gear is set-up, get off the stage. Get into a group. Maybe even a little football-team huddle. Focus on what you’re about to do. When the time is right, storm the stage, with purpose, wave to the crowd, together. Would you believe that an experienced band can get a round of cheers to a room of complete strangers by doing this before even playing a note? They can, we can and YOU CAN just by looking the part and acting the part. Even if the venue is so small it has no backstage, or even stage, to speak of, a band can still get to the side and then, at the right time, descend on their gear together. This will still get a reaction.<br />
<br />
Simply put, an empty stage is a metaphor. It symbolises the potential of the new band about to fill it. Stormed by a band with purpose and swagger at the right moment it fills with excitement. Then ‘Hello, we are The Ferret’s’ is <i>performed</i>, rather than just <i>happening</i>.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Wave" class="wp-image-602 size-large" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Wave-830x553.jpg" height="426" width="640" /> Wave your hands in the air like you mean it... and they will too. It's science.<br />
<br />
<b>CREATE SOME IMPACT</b><br />
<br />
Another question is, is the ‘Hello, we are The Ferret’s’ really what you want to do? As I said, many bands can pull this generic entrance off but there are so many alternatives to this that are way more effective. A great trick to grab the crowd's attention is to simply crash down as loud and hard as you can together on crash cymbals and open strings repeatedly to really create some impact before kicking into the first song. Another way to approach it is opening with a short instrumental piece, perhaps simply an extended intro of your first song. I enjoy an instrumental set-opener because it allows you to get used to the sound of the room and the feel of your instrument before starting to sing or go into a song for real. The right piece of music can really build up an atmosphere before the songs start. A way that we will often approach an intro is to come on stage together, without the vocalist, and play a short instrumental before pausing and letting the vocalist walk on, which really ramps up the drama and aura around the singer.<br />
<br />
A final option you might well want to think about is if your intro could be complimented by theme music? The intro music of a good TV show, film or such can work wonders to set the scene for the carnage you are about to unleash. Most sound guys will be totally happy to whack a CD on for you if you sort it in advance.<br />
<br />
<img alt="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" class="wp-image-603 size-large" src="http://blog.songeist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/file000771829793-830x622.jpg" height="479" width="640" /> The right theme music can get them moving before you even come on...<br />
<br />
So there we are. Remember, it’s not my intention to say one way is right and one is wrong. It’s my intention to get you asking yourself which of these options is right for <i>you</i>, rather than not thinking about it until you’ve already started the gig.<br />
<br />
Next week in 'From The Garage to the Stage' we'll deal with the dark art of writing a setlist. Not just throwing a few songs on a list, but putting together a flow of music that will maximise the impact and impression you make with that thirty minutes you have up there. See you next Wednesday!<br />
<br />
Until then...<br />
<br />
Barney<br />
<br />
<i>Barney is a founder member of Manchester’s <a href="http://www.sonicboomsix.co.uk/">Sonic Boom Six</a>. Sonic Boom Six has released 4 studio albums and two full-length compilations with countless singles, EPs and compilation appearances. 'The Boom' has performed headline tours of Europe, America and Japan as well as slots at festivals including Glastonbury, Download, Sonisphere and the main stage at Reading and Leeds Festival. SB6 has written and performed songs that have appeared on BBC Radio 1, Channel 4, BBC 2 (TV), Rock Band and Sims 3 video games.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-20636912563521486322014-03-24T03:11:00.000-07:002014-10-06T08:24:06.199-07:00<div class="post-326 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-top-5 tag-90s-hip-hop tag-bass-2 tag-sonic-boom-six tag-top5" id="post">
<div class="main">
<div class="entry-content">
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>BARNEY BOOM’s TOP 5 90′S HIP HOP TUNES (THAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW)</b></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b><br /></b><i>This is a repost of my original blog from the BANDSXBASS blog. You can read the blog <a href="http://bandsxbass.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</i></span><br />
<i><br />We asked our pal Barney from the mighty <a href="http://bandsxbass.com/www.sonicboomsix.co.uk">Sonic Boom Six</a> to give us a rundown of his favourite 90s Hip Hop tunes. Boom!</i><br />
<br />
Everyone knows that early 90s hip-hop was the best music ever. By the
venerated period of 1991-1996, rap music had evolved from its early
80’s roots in party electro into a an altogether more serious
proposition, galvanised through the militant politicisation of Public
Enemy, the street-level parables of Kool G Rap and the poetic, mercurial
lyricism of Rakim. By 1991 hip-hop was ready to mature into its finest
vintage on both coasts, with the East Coast project-street rhymes of
Nas, Biggie, Gang Starr and Mobb Deep complementing the G-Funk,
sun-drenched gangsta and smoked-out Soul Assassin rollers of the West
Coast. By the time Jay-z dropped his debut classic ‘Reasonable Doubt’,
Mafioso pretensions, a pre-occupation with ‘Benjamins’ and having Puff
Daddy dancing in every video had pulled the music away from its natural
street-corner setting. The rest of the decade was spent dancing to
synthesised typewriter beats in front of light bulbs in Hype Williams
videos or rapping on self-consciously low-fidelity production about
kung-fu and chess. And I love a Wu-Tang spin-off project or Timbo beats
as much as the next man, especially when you consider it next to most of
what constitutes mainstream rap today, but it’s during 1991-1996 that
hip-hop was at its most prolific, creative and pure.<br />
The dearth of incredible material that dropped between 91 and 96 is
such that there are likely to be some undiscovered gems in there for
those that occupy the vast expanse between being ‘into rap’ and the bona
fide ‘crate-digging hip-hop heads’, as the parlance goes. So strap on
your Timberlands and your red and black lumberjack (with the hat to
match) because here’s a few of my favourites you might have missed.<br />
I’ll only include songs with videos, with this being the internet and all.<br />
<br />
<b>SHOWBIZ & A.G – SOUL CLAP</b><br />
I chose this one to start with for a few reasons. Firstly, it might
well be one of those tunes that you have heard at a club night and you
dance to it, then shout at your mate with a finger in your ear ‘who is
this’? To which they shrug and shout ‘I don’t know!’ Well, it’s none
other than the right talented due of Showbiz and A.G! Secondly, I chose
it because it’s a tune that pretty much lays out the blueprint of
exactly what early 90s hip-hop consists of. Sampled Boom-Bap Drum Loop?
Check. Prominent funk bass guitar line? Present. Call and response
chorus shouts from the homies on the block? Right here. The sound of an
old-school whistling kettle every four bars? Can do. It’s all there.
Also worthy of comment is that it does that weird thing that only
hip-hop videos do. Seeing as they are going to all that trouble of
making a new video that people are going to watch and stuff, they put 30
seconds of another song of theirs at the start of the video. For no
good reason at all. It’s a tradition that continues to this day (watch
Azealia Banks’ new video for an unexpected reprise of ‘212’ at the
start) and this particular one is remarkable for showcasing 30 seconds
of a perky little beat with an alto sax as its main component. What with
Macklemore’s recent success with sampling the very same instrument,
I’ll leave you to watch the video on that thought, as if it was some
kind of legitimate segue.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6P38MLq53JM?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />
<b><br />MILKBONE – KEEP IT REAL</b><br />
<br />
If any of you have heard of Milkbone, it’s as likely as not to be
from Eminem’s fleeting mention of him as he runs through the litany of
every white rapper in history, before dissing them on his twisted anthem
‘I Just Don’t Give A Fuck’. While I don’t have any beef with dear old
Slim taking issue with Vanilla Ice, and I’m not sure who Silicone is, or
if that’s even a rapper, his knocking of Milkbone causes me more
unease. And that’s because Milkbone is the white rapper behind this
wonderfully chill slice of hip-hop, with a piano loop beat that you may
have heard before on various freestyles and radio sessions by more
famous rappers. So, even if his slightly over-enthusiastic dancing and
ratty pencil moustache somewhat lend credence to the concept of
completely burying evidence of the white race’s participation in early
rap history, the strength of this tune and the perfect rhymes he spits
are proof enough to ensure that Milkbone should be celebrated and not
consigned to a footnote in a verse from his melanin-challenged
successor.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Wi7CAs4c2xU?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />
<b><br />GROUP HOME - LIVIN’ PROOF</b><br />
<br />
Right, let’s get serious. Group Home is one of the best acts that no
one outside circles of dedicated hip-hop heads has ever heard of. As
with the fate of poor old Milkbone, a fleeting mention of them in Nas’s
‘Hip-Hop is Dead’ might be the nearest any casual listener might have
got. Starting out as protégé’s of the greatest hip-hop producer who ever
lived, DJ Premier, Group Home’s limitations as lyricists and emcees saw
them overshadowed by their New York contemporaries. And while Group
Home might lack the charisma of Guru, the distinctive character of Jeru
The Damaja and the evocative street-poetry of Prodigy on early Mobb
Deep, what they do have is a uniquely subterranean seriousness that
pervades every inch of their LPs. For me, without a doubt their best
moment is the stunning ‘Sacrifice’, in which each member earnestly
pledges to dedicate their lives and souls hip-hop. Close second is
‘Livin Proof’, the title-cut from their debut album with an accompanying
video every bit as sober and thugged-out as the tune. If you dig it,
check out ‘Sacrifice’ next and take if from there.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ju69PwaGZfM?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe>
<b><br />THE WHOOLIGANZ – PUT YOUR HANDS UP</b><br />
<br />
As with The Red Hot Chili Peppers appearance on BBC2’s Rapido, (which
I caught when I must have been all of 5 years old) and seeing wrestler
Kerry Von Erich remonstrating with a some fat baddie over the honour of a
fan (on a TV in a cafe bar in Tenerife, no less), the next entry is
something I accidentally saw on telly that left an deep-seated
impression on my young mind. I saw a portion of this video, along with
clips of Onyx and other hip-hop acts, on a Channel 4 TV series about US
TV, which just happened to be reporting the influence of gangsta rap on
suburban white kids. I guess it was supposed to be a cautionary tale,
but I taped the damn thing and pretty much wore the VHS out to watch
this video and Onyx’s ‘BacDaFucUp’ as much as my young mind would take.
The Whooliganz were actually a teenage version of the hip-hop producer
The Alchemist and his mate Scott (actor James Caan’s son) who were
brought into the Soul Assassins fold alongside Cypress Hill and House of
Pain. These guys were young white kids, doing the whole “teenage
suburban rebel skater punk rapper” thing years and years before that
yawnsome movie ‘Kids’. Because I was just about ready to do the whole
“teenage suburban rebel skater punk rapper” thing, it provided a
blueprint of sorts. ‘Put Your Hands Up’ showed me not only what clothes
to wear and how to move my hands when I pretended to rap but it also
provided explicit instructions of how to (hypothetically) behave towards
the police and stagedive into another group of “teenage suburban rebel
skater punk rappers”. I have no way to be even vaguely objective about
this song; it’s such a part of my psyche that I’d be as at a loss to
adjudicate the danceability of my own pulse. I still fucking love it. I
hope you enjoy it, and failing that, I hope you can see why this looked a
whole lot better to me than Cast and Man United at the time.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9GF6JpFgXlg?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe><br />
<b><br />REDMAN – WHATEVA MAN</b><br />
<br />
Even the most casual of hip-hop heads know who Redman is. And you
very probably don’t need me to tell you how great Eric Sermon’s
production is. But here we are at the end of the list and, while I had a
list of other tunes as long as my arm, I feel it would be somehow
untoward of me not to put Reggie in the list. Because while Big L,
Wu-Tang, Big Pun and the rest of the East Coast masters get all the
props and plaudits they deserve, I sometimes think that Redman gets
forgotten from the Mount Rushmore of East Coast Hip-Hop. I was going to
go for the phenomenal ‘Rated R’ off Redman’s stunning debut but there’s
no video for that so you’re going to have to Spotify it. Instead, here’s
‘Whateva Man’, a complete and utter bona fide banger some casual rap
fans might have missed. If you never missed this, and you full well know
what a banger this is, here’s an excuse to rock it again. Turn the bass
up a bit before you do.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tdx6Z7qujIA?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-83713764605608557112013-12-07T12:22:00.003-08:002014-10-06T08:23:01.399-07:00A great read about Nelson Mandela on ThinkProgress.orgThe subtle media whitewash of Nelson Mandela from political firebrand to cuddly, smiling Uncle happened well before his death. I remember a few years back (maybe it was his 90th birthday) watching a show with celebrities offering trite, gushing tributes to Mandela. I particularly recall David Beckham appearing and rattling on about Mandela's strength and how he was an inspiration to us all in utterly vague terms. I don't mean to rag on Beckham in particular, but I expressed interest at the time if he knew the first thing about the politics of Mandela, because he, or the show, certainly didn't relay anything of substance in that regard. The media's cultural inertia just told the UK that he was an innocent man who got put away for ages and was dead stoic and old and grinned a lot on telly. And that's about it. And while we've got the Tories and right wing media championing him along with the rest, it's good to remind ourselves of the opinions he did have that challenged the right. And if we consolidate them alongside the image of the smiley, benevolent elder statesman we were presented it might help us understand the importance of his contemporary political observations...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/home/2013/12/06/3030781/nelson-mandela-believed-people-wont-talk/">Six Things Nelson Mandela Believed That Most People Won’t Talk About</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-67172870821378943682013-12-02T14:28:00.003-08:002014-10-06T08:21:46.256-07:00The Daley Dozen.It's been another one of those days on Facebook and Twitter. It might appear like my psyche is currently entirely reserved for disdain towards the everyday trends that pop up on our social networks, but if you'll just indulge me this one more then I promise I'll leave it alone for a few weeks. <br />
<br />
As far as Facebook goes, today's treatment of the news about Tom Daley coming out has been great as far as I can see it. There have been a lot of sarcastic tweets with people spelling out how his sexuality is of no consequence to them and quite a few congratulatory tweets lauding Tom for leading the way for other sports personalities. Of course, converse to the observations on my last blog (which I won't mention again today...) that's exactly what you'd expect of the circle of friends of the faux-punk, lily-livered liberal that I've been repeatedly assured I am over the last few days. If someone posts homophobic, or indeed overtly racist or misogynistic things, I'll generally just un-friend them. But of course, I know this behaviour exists. I see and hear it across the internet and across real life. <br />
<br />
We all know it's there. <br />
<br />
Do we really need 'best of's?'<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNgTZlKkoW-ouI33yxifsRXzdn03EUmcJrRODlEfvSCVOv0xI-gHeMcHcHe4NP9c6BsbZZxAsLPzFaITQsw2d-53Qg3si2OGtOedQBvfvM-LRCifYmu9bTWIjot5dF7wpRLGM3S1nGEFb/s1600/tom-daley1_2308057b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNgTZlKkoW-ouI33yxifsRXzdn03EUmcJrRODlEfvSCVOv0xI-gHeMcHcHe4NP9c6BsbZZxAsLPzFaITQsw2d-53Qg3si2OGtOedQBvfvM-LRCifYmu9bTWIjot5dF7wpRLGM3S1nGEFb/s320/tom-daley1_2308057b.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Daley, winner of today's internet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Is it just me that is getting suspicious of these blogs that make compilations of the 20 worst tweets then post them to Tumblr as an example of all the bad things that are being said? I'm sure this phenomenon started well-meaning enough. First time I was really aware of it was the litany of disgusting tweets supporting the boys in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steubenville_High_School_rape_case" target="_blank">Steubenville High School rape case</a> showcased on a webpage. The tweets were truly disturbing and a worthwhile window into a culture that castigates victims of rape if the social circumstances are convenient enough. It was eye-opening. But from there these tweet compilations moved into other territory such as sexist responses to Miley twerking to teenage idiot girls tweeting how they'd still like to shag Chris Brown after all the bad things he did. I clicked through one today, offering to lift the lid on all the awful things the UK public had to say about Tom Daley and was left feeling slightly confused about the practicalities of a list that basically comprised of a Twitter search for the words 'Daley' and 'fag'. And I was also left feeling slightly had.<br />
<br />
Because you click and look at them don't you? It's a bit like rubbernecking at a car crash. If a car crash was a faceless pillock using text speak to present their bigoted worldview on their phone while they wait for a bus. But these aren't the kind of people who are going to be overly concerned about appearing on a Tumblr list of this sort. Quite the contrary. If someone's throwing the word 'fag' about on Twitter, chances are they're only going to be too happy to appear on that kind of a wall of shame. And I know, because I've just ten minutes looking at people attacking them on Twitter and they're just laughing at then AND getting retweeted by other bigots to boot. Whatever we're doing, it isn't working. <br />
<br />
Maybe I'm getting cynical in my old age but now I can't work out
whether the people who make these lists are genuine... or just going for clicks, publicity and the chance of some filthy lucre for their own website in the name of social consciousness. Maybe a bit of both? I think we're just sharing them on our Facebooks without even wondering about the motives of those who have compiled them. And even if the motives are sound, I think they are, judging by today's response, misguided.<br />
<br />
All those saying homophobic things on social media about Tom
Daley deserve to be called out. The culture of Facebook
and Twitter and other sites should be muscular in its disapproval and
express outrage and anger at these outmoded schools of thought. I absolutely
support the idea that this behaviour should be challenged and social
media is a place where that's not only appropriate, it's the right thing
to do. But whereas a criticism or challenge from someone you know, follow or speak to online might make you change your mind, a mass social attack from a faceless group of vengeful strangers who have seen your post displayed on another stranger's blog is likely to be much less persuasive. Frankly, they'll probably just tell you to fuck off.<br />
<br />
We
don't need webpages re-presenting this dirge on a list to know it
goes on, furthering the oxygen of publicity and attention these
daftpots crave. And so, I'm not clicking any of these bloody 'look at all the shit things they said on Twitter' lists any more. <br />
<br />
Until The Sunlight Comes...<br />
<br />
Barney x<br />
<br />
p.s. Don't ask for a link to the list. For obvious reasons!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-15502101750129421532013-11-28T02:52:00.001-08:002014-10-06T08:21:08.778-07:00...And Justice For All!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">With the verdict of the Ian
Watkins of Lost Prophets trial causing waves across cyberspace over the last couple of
days, social media has put me in mind of an upturned rock unleashing an army of
angry, confused ants. On her Facebook, Laila K described the day as
'intolerable' and I felt much the same. Yesterday, I was moved to have a
mini-rant about the concept of 'prison justice' and was alerted to Enter
Shikari Rou's <a href="http://roureynoldsofficial.tumblr.com/post/68175529978/death-heads-in-sand" target="_blank">BLOG</a>, appealing for calm and the refreshingly sensible suggestion that this could be a chance
to understand the pathology of the criminal rather than spilling his blood in a public execution.
While I can empathise with the social media outpourings of anger and vengeance,
Rou’s angle on the situation is one that I lean towards. <br />
<br />
What really started chapping my arse across the day (and the topic of this
short blog) was the proliferation of those 'prison justice' Tweets and Facebook
posts. You know the ones. They move from the speculative; 'ah well, he'll get
raped up the arse in jail', to the hopeful; 'I hope he gets raped up the arse
in jail' to the downright jubilant; 'FUCK HIM! DIRTY PERV! He's gonna get cut
into pieces then raped up the arse in jail'.<br />
<br />
I've just logged in this morning and, for my sins, read a thread on the profile
of a Facebook 'friend' (note, someone I don't really 'know') and seen more air
fist-pumping with an arbitrary, and frankly terrifying, confidence that
Watkin's <i>will </i>get his just deserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And those
desserts will not be served to him through a hatch on a plastic tray. Those deserts will not be delivered by a trial of his peers. They will not be reached
through measured, supervised reflection on his crimes, using cutting-edge psychoanalysis
and rehabilitation techniques. Oh no. Deserts will be provided by the lumpen
fists of a hero from Salford serving twenty-five years for violent criminal
affray. Let joy be unconfined! <br />
<br />
The comfort that so many people clearly have with this scenario bothers me.
There seems to be an accepted consensus that there are these terrific
people in jail that are put there for no other reason than to punish wrongdoers
for the good of society. It's a fine concept until you consider that someone
has to do the abusing. Far be it from me to split hairs about the relative
evils between child abuse and blind, ugly, violence involving strangers and the
elderly but, by golly, someone has to. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Don't get me wrong, I'm sure
there are loads of great blokes in jail. Top dudes you’d well have a pint with.
Benefit cheats, weed dealers, chainstore shoplifters, the Irish, that kind of
thing. But, and this is just a hunch, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
reckon the ones given nonce-bashing duty tend to be the ones that are a bit
handy with their fists, like. The kind of blokes that beat a stranger into a vegetative
state because they looked at their girlfriend sideways in some bar called Rios
in a seaside town. I have about as much faith in these men administering
society’s justice as I do in Boris Johnson re-distributing the nation’s wealth. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">To me, whilst not as taboo within our Sarah’s Law Society, beating a man's
brains into the ground is just as perverse as urinating on a girl. And, yes,
the details of what went on in those infamous videos with Watkins go far beyond
the pale. But nothing can be bad enough that it's going to make me sleep any
easier knowing that Big Barry from Bournemouth’s got it covered. I don't want to give anyone the idea that I'm lying awake at night wringing my hands over the injustice of Jeffrey
Dahmer’s prison decimation at the hands of some Peckerwood with facial tattoos. But
neither am I looking on that as any real kind of justice and I’m certainly not foaming
at the mouth and cheering the idea on, slapping my hands together shouting “and
that's the end of that chapta!"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5jBwWiniC1OZ8YAFYbMdUuaR9t3uQoepQLVGLwjR2MHn9AZaR9aeO6gbd0SpZz06nAJHRrI6N_-BsBN1srddFLBEI1oUlxTCfoWAvPrZ0YKkk9we5v4MkQB9z5DyuqnPQbVgILWQyjgT/s1600/ian-watkins-6343692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5jBwWiniC1OZ8YAFYbMdUuaR9t3uQoepQLVGLwjR2MHn9AZaR9aeO6gbd0SpZz06nAJHRrI6N_-BsBN1srddFLBEI1oUlxTCfoWAvPrZ0YKkk9we5v4MkQB9z5DyuqnPQbVgILWQyjgT/s1600/ian-watkins-6343692.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It'll be rate. Let Barry deal with it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The violent criminal that kills a paedophile does it behind the same
cowardly smokescreen of self-righteousness and self-loathing that castigates ‘grasses’
and ‘rats’ within that culture. It’s not justice. It’s a self-serving excuse
for more violence and sociopathic behaviour that put them there in the first
place. To cheer it on is ugly, pig-headed and, yes, <i>perverse </i>and it demonstrates an elementary
misunderstanding on the nature, and proliferation, of violence within our
society. You’re cheering fighting fire with fire. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If someone in jail for something as nefarious
as beating a stranger to death kills a paedophile, that's simply not something
a healthy society celebrates. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>End of. <br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">
<br />
So please stop it, internet.<br />
<br />
Yours<br />
<br />
Barney x</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7869225902919259609.post-56495144918206359012013-08-30T12:28:00.000-07:002014-10-06T08:20:20.522-07:00Syria Hysteria or How Gary Got His Gun and Learned To Stop Worrying About Miley Cyrus.<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">For the last few days I've been
somewhat-guiltily avoiding the coverage of the Syria situation, making do with
stolen earfuls from Radio 4 in the morning before switching over to something
less weighty. After the nuclear weekend of Reading and Leeds, it’s taken this
old dog a few days to get back into the swing of things so I've been
distracting myself with my newly-acquired Netflix and being earth-shatteringly
un-fussed about Miley Cyrus looking a bit daft on the telly. But last night's
defeat of David Cameron in the House of Commons, and today's fallout from that,
has shaken me out of my Twerk-induced reverie and I've spent the past couple of
hours catching up on the details. I wouldn't feel comfortable waxing lyrical on
the specifics of global military responsibility in this particular fray, but I
can certainly say that I was as pleased as punch to see the House of Commons
voting against our involvement in it. </span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">From what I've seen, the focus of the media
analysis tends to be on the back-bench discord rather than the global ramifications
of the decision. Today I've heard more talk of the 'high emotions' and
red-faces in Parliament and the subsequent implications for the Labour vs Tory
punch-up than of high-tech military conflict and the potential deaths of
thousands of human beings. Cameron's half-salesman-like, half-pouty synopsis
that 'it is clear to me that the British parliament, reflecting the views
of the British people, does not want to see British military action' comes
across as oddly like that thing shamed celebrities do when they say 'I apologise
to those who were offended'. International War's place in this domestic game
of political one-upsmanship is almost farcical, like some dream you’d have on Christmas evening after
watching The Thick of it followed by Dr Strangelove then falling into a
deep pudding-fueled sleep.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://images.christianpost.com/full/63517/david-cameron-british-parliament.jpg" height="186" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="ecxmsonormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
But, for a lot of us, this is a big day. One doesn't want to overstate the
magnitude of it, but last time the British people didn't want to go to war, at
all, we did anyway. We remember the protests on telly, the statistics against
the war, the 'sexing up' of documents. Hell, many of us remember marching
against our military involvement in America's Crusade ourselves and it didn't
change a thing. The worst feeling at that time was the sense of hopelessness,
the loss of democracy. If the nation would have been all for it, while you
personally against it, it would have been one thing but it was quite another
when the Government openly ignored the will of the people and plunged our money
and soldiers into a warzone. <br />
<br />
Today, not so. Even if the result of the vote was more the positive outcome of a decidedly political spat than a true manifestation of the 'will of the people', today brings a sense of hope. But hope for what? Hopefully it’s that after the lessons of the past decade, our leaders are going
to think twice about running our young men and women on global military errands
that the populous is against. This brings me nicely to answering a question
that I've avoided answering for some time. I could never quite find the words.
I could never quite establish a way to write what the song is about without
potentially offending people. Without potentially offending soldiers. Which is
perhaps why 'Gary Got a Gun' is a song, not a blog, in the first place.<br />
<br />
Some of our fans in the armed forces have been irked by the song. Some of them
have alluded to it in Facbeook posts, others have written candid and
interesting arguments and accounts of their military experience. Ex-sqaddie
Philip Mudhir sent me a very convincing litany of why soldiers <i>are </i>heroes.
So, even if I can't please everyone with this blog, I can at least offer a
response to those asking for clarity. <br />
<br />
First things first, and sorry to be a pretentious artist, but ultimately the
lyrics mean what you take from them. The song is the song and is going to be
there a lot longer than this blog. If someone hears 'Gary' as a song that
laments the hopelessness and injustice of our government sending young men out
to die in wars that the country is against because they don't have that much to
do with us, you're probably on the right lines. If you hear it as a pointed
finger and a shrug of the shoulders towards the newspapers and TV stations that
oppose our country's military actions while glorifying our army you're even nearer
where I was coming from. But if you hear it as a direct criticism to those who
choose to join the ranks of an army knowing that they will have to obey orders
that do not stand up to the scrutiny of their own morals then that's how
you hear it. I don't know that I ever meant to say that a soldier isn't a
'hero' but rhyming it with 'amount to zero' on the next line certainly
presents that implication. Lyrics, by their nature, are open to interpretation.
I only hope that our government's refusal to be drawn into another war last
night can put the context of the song somewhat into the past tense and even lend a little credence to the intention behind the song. Hopefully, now I can explain the song's genesis without being perceived as someone who, and I quote,
‘hates soldiers'.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/bDOD5t73aWM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
<br />
Of course, when writing it, I knew the song would be contentious. It's such a
massively contentious subject. But the only part of it that I can say has been
actually misconstrued from my original intentions is that 'you amount to zero'
line. I'm not saying that <i>I </i>think they amount to zero. I'm saying that
with the flimsy justification we went following America into military action
over the last dozen years, it's questionable that the lives of soldiers are
worth very much more than that to those that are sending them into war. </span><br />
</div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">And that song's been done a million times, many times much more articulately than I
could ever hope to achieve. </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">But that's not where the idea of the song came from.
</span>The impetus behind this song was an article in a
certain Red Top newspaper that distinguished itself from the other Red Tops
post-2001 by centralising itself politically and making its views against the
military action in Afghanistan and Iraq clear. While the other tabloids
were remaining obsequious to our colonial overlords and contrite in their 'support
for our boys', would moving into an anti-war editorial for this newspaper
provoke a shift in perspective towards our soldiers? The answer was, of course, no. Far from avoiding the issue, their tone remained at the least, supportive
and encouraging, and at the most, celebratory, lionising and downright
patronising. And when presented with an interview with the grieving mother of
another brave and valiant 19-year-old soldier, decrying his pointless loss of
life in a war we didn't even need to be in, I was wary of the editorial
tight-rope the paper was balanced upon. We hate the war. We love the soldiers.<br />
<br />
This point of view is commonly expressed as 'against the war, for the troops'.
I understand that stance. I understand where it comes from. Joining the army
shouldn't have to mean that you're sent to do stuff that you are inherently
against. Those decisions are not a soldier’s job. But, taken literally, can it
be anything other than lip service? I've got to say it... if you're against
what the military have been asked to do for the last 12 years, how can you in
good conscience encourage someone to join the army? The fact remains that to
implicate soldiers as having any responsibility for choosing a line of work
where they will have to unquestioningly follow the questionable orders of their
superiors is still terribly taboo.</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00799/British-Soldier_799595c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00799/British-Soldier_799595c.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our brave and heroic boy, whose actions we don't agree with.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="ecxmsonormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">
Policemen were open to scrutiny. Teachers were, NHS staff were. We all know
that priests were. But in the mid-noughties soldiers, as a whole, were still
treated in even anti-war papers with a kind of detached reverence. Just like
'the gun thing' in America, people were afraid to go there. If it's Emperor’s
New Clothes, I just wanted to be that kid and point at it. I'm not saying that
the papers should be attacking and criticising soldiers every single day. I'm
saying if they were openly critical of the way our country was using
our military, it was somewhat duplicitous to have anti-war editorials on one page
then advertisements for 'Be The Best' and talk of being a hero on the next. The
caricature of a soldier as an unthinking heroic drone, ready to deploy his
orders for a government he devotedly loves, is as insulting to the soldiers
themselves as it is to the reader. If discussion about the
responsibilities, duties and opinions of soldiers </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">was less controversial, would there be
more pressure on the people making the decisions using them as collateral
in the courtship of our Special Relationship with the US in situations like
Afghanistan? I wasn't talking about soldiers questioning orders; I was talking
about bursting the subservient media bubble that existed around the discussion of soldiers. And I was questioning the strong influence that subservience can have on the decisions of young men and women thinking about starting
a career in the very organisation the newspaper purported to oppose the behaviour of.<br />
<br />
So, hopefully I’ve explained where I was coming from and maybe we can put this
to bed. Perhaps, if only for today, our army is once again <i>our</i> army. And
hopefully last night signifies a sea-change in the UK, and our spiritual, and literal, compasses can re-align towards endeavours that are less morally
suspect or at least more democratic in their scope. Of course soldiers can be
heroes, and I believe that the vast majority of them join the army to be heroes, to protect
and serve their country. I respect them. I just don't think that a lot of what
they've been sent to do over the last 13 years has been, in a moral sense, very
heroic and I think as much as anything, that's an injustice to them.<br /><br />Until The Sunlight Comes...<br /><br />Barney x</span><b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Gary Got a Gun</b> (P.Barnes)<br />
<br />
Gary got a gun, a camouflage uniform and a journey to a strange land,<br />
Never even saw the eyes of the man whose shot left him bleeding into the sand<br />
Out in the headlines they call him ‘hero’<br />
But if they can send you to war just to settle a score then I’m sorry my friend you amount to zero<br />
<br />
It was his life-long dream<br />
Wanted to “Be the Best” like it said on the screen<br />
So it’s straight into the infantry age of 18<br />
6 months later takes a bullet for the team<br />
Shot him down<br />
Insurgent with a gun in an occupied town <br />
Shot him down<br />
And he’s hit in the side hour later he died and he’s homebound<br />
<br />
All he ever knew<br />
Was to follow through<br />
Any order they would ask for him to do<br />
Any place that they would choose to send him into.<br />
<br />
Gary got a gun, a camouflage uniform and a journey to a strange land,<br />
Never even saw the eyes of the man whose shot left him bleeding into the sand<br />
Out in the headlines they call him ‘hero’<br />
But if they can send you to war just to settle a score then I’m sorry my friend you amount to zero<br />
<br />
And so the story goes<br />
The photos of the troops and our super heroes<br />
But every tribute to the boys it just propagate the lie<br />
Of course he’s fucking brave if you’re sending him to die<br />
Shot him down<br />
A nineteen year old kid with an average background<br />
Shot him down<br />
The story should be “why the hell was he there in the first place?” <br />
<br />
All he ever knew<br />
Was to follow through<br />
Any order they would ask for him to do<br />
Anywhere that they would choose to send him into.<br />
<br />
Gary got a gun, a camouflage uniform and a journey to a strange land,<br />
Never even saw the eyes of the man whose shot left him bleeding into the sand<br />
Out in the headlines they call him ‘hero’<br />
But if they can send you to war just to settle a score then I’m sorry my friend you amount to zero<br />
<br />
And poor old mum<br />
Hangs his photo in the hall<br />
And all the words they printed<br />
They do not help at all<br />
<br />
Gary got a gun, a camouflage uniform and a journey to a strange land,<br />
Never even saw the eyes of the man whose shot left him bleeding into the sand<br />
Out in the headlines they call him ‘hero’<br />
But if they can send you to war just to settle a score then I’m sorry my friend you amount to zero<br />
<br />
The worth that they gave to your premature grave was zero<br />
If they can send you to war just to settle a score you amount to zero<br />
If they can send you to war just to settle a score you amount to zero<br />
If they can send you to war does it mean any more now they call you hero?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]--></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04741617202148613388noreply@blogger.com1