James Moore's Blog, page 97

Independent Music Industry Figures: James Dempsey

Independent Industry Figures is a weekly column at IMP where we do a feature on a different music industry figure every week and try to better understand what they’re all about. With each installment we try and get a better sense of what it means to make a living in the music industry and how people can get involved. After all – what can we do but work hard and try to help each other live the dream?

James Dempsey was not my first guitar teacher but he was my best. The man to whom I owe much of my work as a musician, Dempsey taught me guitar for two and a half years when I lived in Paris. Thus it seemed appropriate to me to choose him as the next subject of our “Independent Industry Figures” series. Always friendly and hugely inspirational, we get to dig in to what defines his work and what concepts he uses to guide his life.

The fact of the matter is that Dempsey stands out, not just because of his passion for the music but also his depth as a human being. As a high schooler in France I remember consistently being impressed in his choice of books and talking to him about all manner of subjects from philosophy and literature to why Yngwie Malmsteen sucks. It led to perhaps the greatest teaching experience of my life and opened my eyes to an enlightening way of living.

Beyond that, Dempsey is a great performer, having played gigs around the world and with all sorts of musicians. A truly talented artist I happen to know that he is in the last phases of wrapping up a rather exciting new jazz-pop project. Endlessly charming and always friendly I will never forget the hours spent with him bent over our guitars talking about music theory and realizing that Dempsey is the kind of person who lives for this. As I always have said, I taught myself how to play guitar, but James taught me how to play music.

Could you first clarify what exactly you do in general?

I consider myself a guitarist. I teach in certain schools around the city. I do gigs, jazz, pop, rock whatever I need to do. I sing for some of those gigs as well. I do studio work when it comes up as well.

What organizations are you teaching with? How does that manifest itself in your day to day?

It takes up a lot of my time. I’m essentially self employed. I work in a school called Ecole Koenig as well as the American School of Paris and the International School of Paris. Asides from that I just do private tuition around the city. It’s fantastic. Teaching is a wonderful thing because you’re always learning through your own faults and defects even through lessons through students. It’s rewarding people growing their own individual journeys and seeing what different people get out of different tactics. It’s a really fulfilling thing to do with your time.

What did you have to do to make this your full time thing?

When I left university I knew I wanted to see somewhere else. I was born in London and I studied in London. I came to Paris because I knew one guy here and he wasn’t even living here at the time. I thought I would try it for a year or two. My job is very centered around word of mouth and people skills and building up a reputation which obviously takes time. With the first year I basically broke even in terms of money. But the longer I was in Paris the more connections I got and now I am able to live very comfortably and have been since the end of my second year.

Is there a goal you’re trying to build towards with all of this?

I would like to perform more high profile gigs. The goal really is to be creative and have things that I am proud of that I wouldn’t be ashamed to show people. That’s difficult because if you’re any good you are your own biggest critic. I suppose the goal is to find satisfaction in your creation.

How do you do that? That’s something I struggle with.

It’s difficult. Somebody gave me some advice once “Try everything!” Everyone has different methods of being creative and you just have to try it all. Sometimes one method will work for one song and another method will work for another song. Sometimes collaborations work sometimes they don’t. It can be difficult to finish a project and say “Okay this is as good as it will get” You can very easily fall into the trap of never finishing a thing and instead reworking it and then ten years later you have one song that’s changed a thousand times. Projects should be looked at as era’s in your life.

Life works in cycles and we work in creative cycles. There’s the type of songs you write when you’re 16 but they are nothing like the songs you write when you’re 21. That continues throughout your life. You just need to be happy at the end and say “This describes a period of my life” and then move on and describe a different period of your life in a different project.

So art reflects life essentially?

I think art is an outlet for me. I think it represents eras in my life but I think that essentially it’s an outlet or a form of meditation. It’s a little bit like sport. Over the years I’ve become more obsessed with sport and how I treat my body. Those two things are my outlets. I have to create and I have to work out.

Do you have plans to build on your music teaching?

I’m happy with the amount of teaching I do, my students and the variety of stuff I do. I enjoy giving group classes and I hope to do that more but in terms of my teaching I’m happy where I am with it. Going into the studio and building your own studio is obviously expensive but the amount of teaching I do allows me to pursue that lifestyle and have the time to do recordings. It also gives me time off in the mornings to go to the gym, read and evolve as a human being and not just be stuck as who I am.

I think it’s important to become a well rounded cultured individual. Some people don’t understand that and that’s a shame because you’re missing out on life. The teaching that I do gives me a lot of time off and allows me to improve myself as a person. I never want to stop learning. I’ve started taking German lessons too. My French is great now but I need the next project. It’s the same as what I said before about era’s in your life. Learning French was one era in my life and now learning German is me moving on to the next project.

So you’re emphasizing the importance of remaining hungry?

Absolutely! It’s the most important thing in the world. If I had all the money in the world and all the time in the world I would spend all my time at university learning things. I try to surround myself with people who have skills that I don’t have so I can keep learning things. I feel like the thirst for knowledge is the most important thing in a human being. If I meet someone who is just stale and doesn’t want to improve themselves I have no interest in hanging around with them because there is no evolution there.

So you’re saying you have to curate your friends?

Absolutely! It goes for everything. People think that their significant other is a choice they can make and their other friends they just happen upon. I think that’s rubbish. The older you get, in my experience, the less time you have for the friends that you’ve got and the less friends you end up having. The friends that I’ve kept are the most interesting people they love broadening their horizons and learning things. You have to have passion otherwise you’re dead! You need to choose who you hang around with otherwise you end up hanging around whoever and they can just be stale people and I have no interest in spending my time with people like that.

What other attitudes would you recommend to people who want to be professional musicians?

Like I said before, anyone who is any good is their own biggest critic. I think you need to admit when things are good but you also need to admit when things are bad and look at things objectively. You can’t have an ego about your art. You will never please everyone and who cares if you do? You need to be proud of it and need to have a huge work ethic because everyone else in the industry does too and if you want to be anywhere near them you just have to work, work, work. I also think social skills are key. I would much rather work with people that I get on with than someone who is just a guitar wizard. In those people you find the real soul to their music. If you have a connection you find a real soul in what they are playing. If it’s just some wizard then who cares? It’s just notes.

One thing I’ve been trying to communicate with the articles I write is that you need to be hungrier than anyone else you know. How did you foster the desire to be the best at what you do?

I think it’s a myriad of things. When I was a kid… about 15 there was another kid in my class who was better than me at guitar and that drove me crazy and I had to work harder to get better. I also lost my dad when I was 16 and I just threw myself into music because it was the only thing I had… It was like meditation to me. If you sit down and practice for two hours you come out and feel like a different person. I think emotional pain can lead to great artistic strides. So many great albums are written when people are coming off drugs or feeling terrible or really suffering because they’ve lost people. It’s sort of a good thing because every cloud has a silver lining. If I hadn’t lost my dad I never would have had this drive. I know people who are just lazy and they will happily stay in bed all day. I’ve never been like that. I don’t know what it is… I’ve never had that problem. If I don’t get up and do all my creative stuff I get to the end of the day and it feels like I’ve wasted time. I’m ever aware of the fact that we have such a limited time on this planet. We’re going to die and that’s it. To waste that time in bed is a cardinal sin! You need to use that time, this is it!

Does that mean you’ve gotten to the point where you curate your students?

If I’ve got a kid that doesn’t want to learn then absolutely. But it’s not like school where kids are forced to take music class because you’d have kids who didn’t care. 99% of the kids who come to me want to get better. The pleasure in teaching is finding the way into that person and finding out about how great it can be and watching them blossom. It’s not for everyone and that’s fine. Some people just want to learn a bit of guitar and that’s cool too, they’ve got other passions. They are just trying to be a more well rounded individual. That’s the great thing about teaching though, trying to take the best out of the student and trying to find what works.

I want you to finish this sentence for me “I’ve never told this story before and probably shouldn’t but…”

I don’t really have any secrets for you! But I will say this, when I was growing up I was a very closed off person and I think that’s part of why I threw myself into music because I found solace in it. I realized growing older that it’s so much better to share stuff with your family and friends. I used to never tell my family anything but now I tell them everything because if they don’t like it, oh well! I think it’s important to be open and to share your experiences and life with your friends! There’s nothing I haven’t told someone.

We skirted around this earlier but what do you love so much about music?

It’s an outlet. Beyond that it’s the satisfaction of listening to something you created and being proud of it. If I don’t create I become this frustrated pent up person. The outlet for me is sport and creation. If I do that I feel like a worthwhile individual but if I don’t do either of those things I feel like a terrible human being, so I just have to do it!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Independent Music Industry Figures: James Dempsey appeared first on Independent Music Promotions - Guaranteed PR for Music With Depth Worldwide.

On Subgenres

I’ve been interviewing bands pretty much constantly since I was about 15. One question I quickly learned not to ask was “What genre do you consider your band to be?” because I was almost invariably told “Oh we don’t really like any subgenre tags, they’re just too constricting.” Now – this led me as a young rock critic to examining the problem of subgenres, on the one hand, how else are you supposed to differentiate between fundamentally different bands? At the same time – do you really want to use a few tags on some blog to limit a bands ability to create art? Given my position as a writer for Independent Music Promotions I started to think about this in terms of what it means for promoting your band.

One thing that I think bothers a lot of us “Music people” is folks who when asked what kind of music they like respond with “Oh I like pretty much everything” Or “I like pretty much everything except (Insert genre here, usually country or rap)” To which I am always tempted to respond “Oh you like everything? Who’s your favorite brutal death metal band?” The thing is, most people don’t know how to identify their tastes and end up falling in love with predictably bland indie clap trap or blithering pop music and thinking that’s the only music that’s really out there. So on this side of things it would seem that subgenre tags are important. If people were more aware than it would be easier to market them music that they would actually like.

The issue though is if you take this to the logical extreme things get shitty fast. You end up with neckbearded internet metal nerds living in their parents basements referring to things like “Post-vest metal” or “Revivalist pagan black metal” convinced that they can make a living in the music industry despite literally no qualifications beyond their ability to dork out over subgenres. I mean – I was getting there at a point, I’ve since moved away from that ethos, but the appeal is apparent. If girls won’t pay attention to you then why not just say “fuck it” and go balls deep into finding precisely the kind of music you love? The issue with this of course is that it fucks you up in a wholly new way, it means that you instead choose to listen to nothing beyond your very closed off tastes and cut you off as an appreciator of art. Now a lot of people in that scenario would claim “Oh but I have broader tastes than that, I have an open mind!” But in all honesty, you don’t, when did you last listen too top 40 music? That’s fine, but you need to admit that you can end up more closed off than you think you are.

Now you might be saying “Well some people have limited taste, why is that my problem?” Well the issue is that the suffocating choice that the internet has offered to us has led to people cutting themselves off and being afraid to really go out and delve into all of the really cool things happening in music right now. This idea of choice paralysis kept me hung up for YEARS and prevented me from discovering a lot of really cool pop punk music. It has kept friends of mine from discovering badass metal bands I love too. It’s an issue we all need to overcome. The fact of the matter is that our shitty ancient brains aren’t ready for the new state of the music industry and all of the opportunities that it offers to music lovers like you and me.

It seems then that this problem has causes on both sides of the spectrum though. I know a lot of band who only seek to market to one particular demographic and, as an independent artist that isn’t really an option. You can create very iconoclastic and distinctive art, but why intentionally try to cut other people off from it, unless that’s the entire point? I interview bands professionally and I have definitely come across more than a few artists who seem insistent that people who aren’t depressed or who haven’t done this, that or the other won’t be able to understand what their music is all about. Asides from being needlessly elitist that also makes fewer people want to listen to your music, and by putting your music out there at all you’re implying you want people to listen to it and unless you put out a survey or something to limit who gets at it, you’re also implying that you want as many people as possible to listen to it. So by confining yourself to an intentionally closeminded subgenre, say, “Church burning black metal” for example, you are damaging your ability to get to the people.

I understand that black metal is a little different because of all the different ideologies therein but I feel that the point still stands. You can’t just close yourself off to a certain group of fans because you don’t like them. If anything you should try to be using your music as away to help persuade them to want to appreciate your viewpoints. Music has transformative power, by denying a certain potential fanbase your attentions you are thus denying one of the things that we all love so much about music. Overly romantic? Probably. But the fact remains I’m not sure why we don’t allow ourselves to break out of our own boxes and let our music speak to the masses.

As an extension of this comes something that I personally have always been guilty of, the use of the appellation “Poser”. What I’ve come to realize is that the fringe bands who do best are those who view the term ‘poser’ as a funny thing. Hell, one of Philadelphia’s best up and coming punk bands bears the name as a mark of pride. By calling someone a poser you are excluding them from your bands potential fanbase. The thing is, though you may say “We totally schooled that fucking poser” wouldn’t it be so much cooler to say “That kid was a poser but we talked to him and how he’s our biggest fan”? By investing a part of yourself in your fanbase you are able to help build towards something grander and by generating stories of your kindness you are more likely to get fans in the local scene. This may sound stupid but what I’ve found is that in local scene’s it’s the nicest guys who have the biggest draw.

I realize I may have veered a bit from our original topic but the fact remains: as a fan don’t limit your tastes to any specific subgenre or group of subgenres, Meanwhile as a musician, by trying to cut off your potential fanbase you are only damning yourself. The fact of the matter I that music fans simply want to be treated well by the bands they love. Part of the challenge of being in a touring band is that you need to be friends with everyone in the venue every night because that’s how you pay to get to the next show.

Now that I’ve sufficiently rambled and made an ass of myself I will simply leave you with this dear reader: Glenn Tipton, guitarist of the legendary Judas Priest once said to me “There are certain forms of music I’m not that keen on but I still try to and understand them.” Bring them into your music and you can get something like the Judas Priest classic Grinder which the band says has a reggae influence to it. Beyond that, broadening your horizons and refusing to close yourself off allows your art to have more power for more people, and if that isn’t your goal starting out, then I have no idea why you’re reading an article on a music promotion website!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post On Subgenres appeared first on Independent Music Promotions - Guaranteed PR for Music With Depth Worldwide.

Numb Bats Play through the Heatwave on “Bees & Trees”

The music of Numb Bats is a little like surf rock, one could say, if the waves that were being surfed upon were made of grease and glue. It’s punk rock dumped in a Gatorade cooler of molasses.

Numb Bats is a three-piece all-girl group from Phoenix, Arizona where the sun shines harshly seven days a week. Mo Neuharth whacks on the kit, Sophie Opich makes the bass tremble and Emily Hobeheidar croons in the dark. All their voices are heard, though, piping up in the background.

On July 14, on their Bandcamp page, Numb Bats self-released their new 6-track EP, Bees & Trees. The collection opens with “Runnin,” a side-winding slog of sleepy-eyed punk with reverb that washes through the sewers and drains. The second song, “Rainbow,” begins with dreamy arousal then wades into an ascending drum punch.

Bees & Trees, their second EP, is the follow-up to last year’s full-length album, Gentle Horror. It’s hot and it’s humid. The structure of these songs is very disorderly, thrown-against-the-wall and unpredictable. They fill in the spaces where the song loses steam with a heavy fog of languorous drone. This is what it feels like to live and breathe in hundred-plus degree heat.

And the temperature continues to rise with “Then I Went To The Refrigerator.” The strands of feedback come together slowly. It’s the score to a house without air conditioning, the sound of your heavy eyelids deflecting the sun. It picks up, rupturing into Ren & Stimpy punk, before falling under again.

Hobeheidar snarls and barks from the quicksand on “U R A WINNER.” “I feel so weird inside,” she intones again and again against a fire-pit pounding drum cycle. She sounds fed-up and bleary, caught in a downturn. But, all ends in fairness with a cheeky shout-out from all the girls singing and laughing, “You are a winner!”

The most distinguished song here is the longest. “Dog Poncho,” over five minutes, opens with voices in motion like a mirage on the distant highway. Steady thread of junkie guitar and effects that move from ear to ear like a wasp move the track along. It waltzes and loops through shifting bridges before crumbling into something that sounds like the B-52’s after huffing a fair amount of rubber cement.

Easy comparisons would be Dum Dum Girls or a less buzzy and distorted Raveonettes. But there is definitely a heavier DIY appeal and a bouncier bubblegum attitude. They’re definitely sculpting their own post-rock sound.

The looseness and fragility on Bees & Trees is part of its charm, but is also a reminder that Numb Bats’ best work could be stuck up in the pipes somewhere, ready to spill out. The group are currently skinning the west half of the country on tour. Find them.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Numb Bats Play through the Heatwave on “Bees & Trees” appeared first on Independent Music Promotions - Guaranteed PR for Music With Depth Worldwide.

Wilco Casually Drops New Album, “Star Wars,” into the Web (Lucky Us)

 

They’ve been celebrating twenty years of making music this summer with deluxe releases and discography-browsing setlists during a special anniversary tour. New music from Wilco felt somewhere close, not quite in reach, but somewhere on the distant horizon. Then, by way of Internet surprise, the Chicago band released Star Wars, their ninth album, for free.

Eh, here you go.

Main songwriter Jeff Tweedy and crew give us something to remember the summer by.

Stars Wars opens with a pile of rusty strings on the very loose, very cross-eyed, “EKG.” The album quickly warps into “More…” a folk funk jam with oceans of noise settling onto the shore. By the third song, “Random Name Generator,” a heel-hammering nugget of rock, it’s clear that Wilco are back in the front seat as one of America’s greatest bands. Ain’t no foolin’.

In fact, Star Wars might join Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Sky Blue Sky as some of the most perfectly sculpted albums in rock and roll. For now, maybe, too soon to tell, but it feels right.

Nearly every song lasts right around the average length of the classic pop song–some two minutes and thirty seconds. Within the short time span the songs are just as evolutionary, tightly-wound and gusto-filled as Wilco’s greatest tracks. The held-back restriction of Sky Blue Sky mixes with the full-range expansion of A Ghost Is Born.

Slip into the casual breeze of “You Satellite” as it rises to a rushing wind. Ride the range on wisps of steel guitar during “Taste the Ceiling.” Get your shoulders up and shimmy along to the egged-on guitar of “Cold Slope.” “I know, I know and you know that I know / It’s a powerplay,” Tweedy sings in perfect gyration with the notes.

Tweedy’s streaming sense of lyrical weirdness is fully intact on “The Joke Explained.” “I stare at the eyes staring at my face / It always ends in a tie / There is no meeting the divine / I cry at the joke explained,” he sings over the whirling electric guitar.

“Pickled Ginger” charges forward in electric calm like a palm-muted version of Wire with sudden groove outbreaks and keyboard fallout. Tweedy warns in a low mumble, “No one tells me how to behave.” Star Wars is wrapped up neatly with a sweet, straight-forward love song that slips around. “Magnetized,” is an ode to the realization of the love that stands before you.

Since releasing their debut album, A.M., in 1995 this band has gone through one of the most exciting transformations in music, shedding old sounds, embracing new tones, letting the old sounds resurface in another genre, but always finding a way to make it sound cohesive, intentional. Star Wars continues the trend with a large arched step forward.

As Wilco continues to tackle these new songs on tour through the fall, it ought to bring them even further out of whatever comfort zone they thought they had. Star Wars gets the physical CD release August 21 with a vinyl release on November 27 from Wilco’s own label, dBpm.

 

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Wilco Casually Drops New Album, “Star Wars,” into the Web (Lucky Us) appeared first on Independent Music Promotions - Guaranteed PR for Music With Depth Worldwide.

Neil Young Feeding on Corporate America with “The Monsanto Years”

Neil Young has kept himself busy in this post-divorce era of his career. In 2014 he released two albums, A Letter Home, a lo-fi selection of covers, and Storytone, a solo album with an extra orchestral version attached.

For Young’s thirty-sixth (gasp) album, The Monsanto Years, he aims his guitar and pen at Monsanto, the company genetically engineering seeds (or GMOs) that are found in plenty of American products. But that’s not the only major company caught in his flame. He chips away at the facades of Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Safeway and Chevron, a list that reads like most teenagers’ first places of employment.

Unlike Young’s more recent statement of protest albums–Greendale, Fork in the Road and Living With War–this one sounds more put together, less slapdash and hurried than the others. In Young’s last five-year or so late career dash, it’s his best album.

California band, Promise of the Real, were enlisted as Young’s backing band for the album after the two played at last year’s Farm Aid. The group features Willie Nelson’s boys, Lukas and Micah. They bring a wall of rumbling sound, not too dissimilar from Young’s main band of grizzled beasts in Crazy Horse.

The Monsanto Years opens on a hopeful note with the revitalizing “The New Day.” Young comes right out proclaiming, “It’s a bad day to do nothing,” setting the progressive tone of the album. A beer mug-swinging chorus follows with everybody’s arms around one another, swaying to and fro. Young closes with a stunted guitar solo that fades out with the song.

“Wolf Moon” is a sweet serenade pulled from Young’s classic Harvest–Harvest Moon era. He sings with a vulnerable quiver to our tortured atmosphere over an acoustic strum that moves along calmly like dripping rain.

“Big Box” rolls in like a hurricane with mists of Crazy Horse feedback. In the fog are Young’s red eyes as he spews down on corporate America and its unjust strangulation of the American worker. “From the capital to the boarded-up main streets / Big Business is there at every turn,” he sings, painting a gloomy vision of impossible odds. The rhythm feels like being chased through streets that never cease.

Young doesn’t mince his words. The lyrics could be the frustrated screed of a part-time worker written on a napkin during a fifteen-minute break. “People working part-time at Walmart / Never get the benefits for sure / Why not make it to full-time at Walmart? / Still standing by for the call to work,” sung as matter-of-factly as can be.

On “Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop” Young pierces Monsanto all the way through and pokes into Starbucks with the spearhead on the other side. He uses straight-speak lyrics to discuss the intertangling of the two companies sounding as though he’s singing words from a pamphlet handed out at a rally.

Surely, the jumble of “preachy” words will turn off a lot of casual fans, but the song still has a pulse. It’s a whistle-while-you-work jingle that rails against the mislabeling practices of Monsanto. The chorus is a heartbreaking helpless plea to the GMO giant. Young ends the song with two simple lines that cut out all political pretense. “Mothers want to know what they feed their children,” he implores. “Let our farmers grow what they want to grow.”

Neil Young continues to be the amplified bullhorn for the people, using his artistic merit to sing songs about the many discouragements of modern life. Long may he run.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Neil Young Feeding on Corporate America with “The Monsanto Years” appeared first on Independent Music Promotions - Guaranteed PR for Music With Depth Worldwide.

7 of 2015’s best LPs

2015 has been a blast for music thus far, with some iconic moments and performances, here’s some of the year’s choice LP’s thus far…

Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar might be dangerously close to becoming hip-hop’s next global superstar. His third LP, To Pimp A Butterfly goes above and beyond what was expected of the West Coast rapper, with certainly some avant-garde sentiments thrown in with some dark lyrics and then the delights of motown, for good measure. It culminates into an animated, feature-length record that really needs to be heard to be believed.

The record is about as ambitious as it comes for a third record, although if it was going to be anyone challenging the general ebb and flow of the business, then it was always going to be Kendrick. From the initial releases of i and The Blacker the Berry, it was not at all obvious in which direction this exciting introvert was going to go next. The former’s use of The Isley Brothers as a sample opened up his music to a whole new audience, and also hinted at a future as a nasal-voiced crooner. The latter is a dark, yet rousing anthem, almost churchlike with its beats and vicious lyrics.

It’s a varied, manic ride that is a difficult one to nail down and track, such is its eclectic, funky flavours. If it was a food, it’d be a packet of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans from Harry Potter, each song is a different unique take, and while it might not be an entirely progressive, album, as a group of individual tunes it signifies the coronation of Kendrick…all rise.

Public Service Broadcasting: The Race for Space

Taking a slightly sideways step into something a little bit different now, with British band Public Service Broadcasting’s release, The Race for Space. It followed 2013’s Inform. Educate. Entertain and continued the band’s intriguing concept; instrumental tunes, with utilised vocals from old war-based footage, for the first album, and for the second, excerpts from the entitled space race. For me, the first album had some gems, and having caught the live show, which focuses on displaying video clips on screens behind the band’s two main stars, J. Willgoose Esq. and Wrigglesworth, who don’t speak directly to the audience, but use a comedic laptop to do it for them, I thought they had potential, for a second album to hone their techniques and deliver a product worthy of their talents.

And deliver they did! With the space race concept, it left the door open for fresh electronic influences and that mantle has been taken on. It adds a totally new dynamic to the songs put out by PSB, and with songs like Gagarin and Go! there’s something a newbie can pick up, listen to and fall in love with right away.

Wolf Alice: My Love is Cool

The debut album, which has seemingly been in gestation for a year and a half, was certainly worth the wait from the North Londoners. Leader singer Ellie Roswell is electric, conveying so many emotions through her wayside singing style and the instrumentation is fantastic. It starts out slowly, but steadily gathers pace and ratchets up the quality the deeper you sink into it. It’s telling crowd favourites Fluffy and Bros are still the standout tracks, but it’s indicative of the time that has been put into developing the LP, that you don’t feel the rest of the album is of a lesser quality of any sort.

It’s a fun, indie-rock ride that promises to culminate in a promising headline autumn tour, with mates Drenge joining them. I know I’ve got my ticket!

Jamie xx: In Colour

One third of the xx, Jamie xx has delivered an album that perhaps rivals fellow DJ Mark Ronson for the title of ‘song of the year’. In Loud Places he has created one of those feel-good songs that feels like it should be listened to while bathed in sunshine only in a similar vein to Ronson’s Uptown Funk and even Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. But In Colour is by no means a one-trick pony. No, what has been produced here is in some ways similar to the xx’s minimal style of artistry, especially on opener Gosh, the one-two beat switching constantly, but all the way on the other side of the xx is I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times), a bustling, brashly confident summer song yet again.

Sure, there’s a lot here that’s not the most original, recycled beats and samples do become a problem at times, but the wonderful thing about In Colour is that it totally lives up to the name, it’s got a whole lot going on, all at once and is drenched in a variety of sound. What comes next will be very interesting to see, for sure.

Slaves: Are You Satisfied?

Slaves have really come out of nowhere to become the band of 2015, from supporting Jamie T on his comeback tour last year, the duo have toured the country up and down, a couple of times, released a new album and made several waves, both controversial and positive critique. They’re also at almost every single summer festival going this year, which helps. This LP then, is a enjoyable, if not rocky ride, with song titles like Cheer up London, Where’s Your Car Debbie? and Feed the Mantaray, the level of humour and lack of seriousness is extremely apparent throughout this record.

Parts of the record are slightly one-not though, but what is going to need to change for the duo to expand in the future is some sort of epiphany, electro maybe? For now, though, they are revelling in their new found love from fans and some critics, and who can blame the two lads from Tunbridge Wells?

Alabama Shakes: Sound & Colour

With the Alabama ensemble never really troubling UK shores during their first breakout run, it was in grave danger that Sound & Color might too be missed out on by the majority of the UK public. Whether that’s truly the case or not is questionable, they’ve featured at Glastonbury and on BBC TV, but no matter what I’m exceptionally happy I have experienced this exceptional piece of work. Brittany Howard’s powerful voice can surely never be quite the same as it was the first time around, that much is for certain, so rather than trying to massively change that, the band have smartly just changed around their music.

It’s still familiar, but with a bit of extra psychedelia influences on some tracks, or an updated slice of RnB on others, and most importantly it works. Howard’s voice undoubtedly leads the way with its tender, howling qualities, that much will always remain aslong as the band continue to run and run and run- which you can  bet they will.

Leon Bridges: Coming Home

Last but certainly not least, Leon Bridges is single-handedly dragging soul music into the 21st century kicking and screaming. His debut release builds upon the hype whipped up by the storm of lead single Coming Home, the beautiful love-lorn song that put Bridges on the map. The album was recorded on vintage equipment and the rustic qualities of this record, unbelievably released in 2015 rather than 1965, are there for all to see. Shine and Smooth Sailin’ are indicators Bridges is here for the long run, too, as they show he can be quietly tender, aswell as a boisterous crooner.

Having seen his fresh live show, I’d say it’s even better on a live platform, the band are on fire, with a saxophonist, awesome backing vocalist and some tight drumming. Long live the reign of Leon Bridges, is what I have to say.

Agree or disagree? Sound off below…

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LA rockers Secondborn hit the heights with ambitious new EP

American rock has been in a state of flux for a while, but with the likes of Rise Against, Thrice and Saosin come with it a banner and mark of excellence, could LA band Secondborn be the next big American band? With group members made up of experienced musicians, the newly-formed collective have just put out new release, ‘Symbols’, as they hope to escape the rigors of the music industry that all of the members pushed to escape.

Interestingly enough, the band themselves have self-funded their entire new start as a band, from production costs to the marketing that’s been put out. A focus on honing their sound and high production values over excessive hours spent touring indicates that they’re first looking to grab attention with a crisp sounding first record.

Recorded exclusively at the Lafayette in Los Angeles, the six-song EP gets off to raucous beginning with opener ‘Say Love’, the heavy drums and guitar complimenting lead singer Daniel Pinner’s vocals perfectly. It’s a bouncy post-hardcore rock tune that doesn’t let up for its duration, and is full of raw emotion, Pinner’s voice rarely letting up throughout. The chorus is a little weak in comparison to the rest of the song, but it gets pulled back around by the song’s conclusion to ensure it remains  a strong start to the EP.

Second tune, and ‘Secrets’, is a different beast altogether, a much come complex and darker beast at that. Pinner’s vocals go through the entire range of emotions here, as they appear strained yet ultimately dominant as usual, despite the electronic instrumentation that accompanies the drum’n’riff combo that signifies the genre. Lyrically it is an interesting ride too, it shows that the band aren’t afraid to mix it up a bit, and on only the second song of the release too.

Third down is ‘When Lions Dream’, a lighter turn that has indie-rock vibes as opposed to some of the heavier tunes on this record. Tim Benson’s backing vocals are impressive here and give some solace to Pinner, who at this stage has done a good job leading the charge forward. It’s an altogether slower track that aims to give the listener a chance to take it all in, the journey thus far being a rocky, but fun ride. As a result, it feels more of a respite than any momentum being lost, although you do get the feeling that the conclusion could offer more in terms of a definitive ending.

‘Wolves and Hounds’, has a catchy refrain ‘your time has come, your time has come’, and a catchy riff to match, with some exceptional drumming providing a solid backbone at the song’s core. The breakdown that comes along just before the mid-point is nice and pushes the song to the next level, musically it might just be the most complete track on the record, thus far anyway.

Penultimate song, ‘In Winter’, is the closest the band comes to a conventional ballad, the heavy piano kicking proceedings off, and never really going away, amidst a cacophony of sound, the slow guitar drifting in and out, and Pinner’s strained vocals again taking centre stage eventually, the production on this track is heavy and pretty crisp too. I’m not a huge fan of the effect put over Pinner’s singing though, as I felt it stripped away his powerful quality, whether or not that was to go with the song’s vulnerable sound or not, is another discussion. Again, the climax saves the song, and sets us up for a powerful ending.

And finally, closing this expressive release, ‘Kings Blood’, is the perfect way to finish off your first record. Beginning like the opening scene of a horror movie, I can seriously imagine this soundtracking a 80’s misty graveyard scene, maybe that’s a wacky idea for the band to explore should a music video arise! It’s a slow, but steady start that eventually breaks through to a progressive, bouncy tune that doesn’t quite reach the benchmark of songs gone before, but honestly reminds you of what there is to enjoy about this record and band. From the top-notch drums, expressive guitar riffs, almost thoughtful rather than forceful, all the way to Pinner’s vocals, that have proven to be more than just a one-note howl.

They’re a collective trying to tackle the music business in the right way and in their own unique way, and ‘Symbols’ is definitely the start Secondborn would have wanted, keep an eye out for these Cali rockers.

 

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Tramlines Festival Preview 2015

Say the word ‘festival’ and you might think of vast green fields with a clump of stages, crumpled cans of apple cider and a pulsating, never-ending soundtrack for a weekend of fun. Well one of a new wave of festivals, city festivals to be precise, is upcoming, from July 24th-26th Tramlines Festival in Sheffield, UK. But what’s so special about Tramlines; what does it offer that others of its kind don’t?

Eclectic Music Taste

Public Enemy and Sister Sledge were the big draws for the festival last year, and this year is no exception for alternative heavyweights. Okay, so Basement Jaxx and the Charlatans are rocking up at quite a few UK festivals this year, which nulls their impact, but Wu-Tang Clan continue the off-the-cuff, unexpected announcements. Rising stars Slaves, Kate Tempest and Ghostpoet provide a youthful kick of energy and panache, while bringing the soul to the party will be Martha Reeves and the Sugarhill Gang.

Legendary band Buzzcocks and Billy Bragg will supply memories of days gone by for certain members of the festival crowd, with their punk influences clear to see. You can bet And So I Watch You From Afar will bring the roof down at City Hall, while Mike Skinner and Giles Peterson bring their excellent music tastes to the front with their repsective late-night DJ slots. Aquilo is another dance act garnering attention at the moment, and Sheffield favourites Rolo Tomassi will again be at the festival. And honestly, that’s just for starters, the beauty of Tramlines is stumbling into a venue, maybe just to escape the sun, go to the toilet or to have a drink, and finding a band or an act that you truly fall in love with.

Northern Beauty

It’s often said that the warm heart of the UK is up north, and of course the perennial debate between northerners and southerners will continue to rage on. But, one look at last year’s Tour de France Grand Depart shows you just how beautiful the region is, and Sheffield is no exception. The city has industrial roots at its centre, but is a picturesque city in its own right, with the weekend a perfect reminder of all Sheffield has to offer. For this reason, the area becomes a gigantic party for the three days, welcoming in visitors from all around and with some exceptional eateries and bars on offer around all venues, you can be sure to find something to suit your taste. Watch out for the street performers inbetween venues, too, a highlight was a crew of trolley wielding ‘grannies’ (well men dressed as grandmas), a surreal, yet notable little quirk bound to put a smile on even the most grumpy of festivalgoers.

Variety of Stages

There are EIGHTEEN (yes 18) different stages at Tramlines dedicated to providing musical delights for three straight days. Venues like City Hall aim to provide a basement area for rockers to get their own head-banging fix, while former Main Stage site, Devonshire Green is in a lush, inner-city park, that should provide a nice space for those wanting to chill out in the Yorkshire sun (fingers crossed on that last part!), as well as catch a slice of music. However, the new Main Stage, at Ponderosa Park is an impressive new venue, at a space much bigger than Devonshire Green, so the queuing that arose for headliner Public Enemy’s set last year should be a thing of the past.

There’s more traditional venues like the Leadmill, the Harley and O2 Academy for indie-rock fans, while clubs Fusion, Code and DQ offer a variety of DJ’s for those staying up into the night. Sheffield Cathedral and freebie the Folk Forest will provide a more relaxing time for families. Throw in the double figure numbers of fringe venues too, putting on mostly free shows that non-ticket holders can also attend, and the sheer amount of talent on show just got a little bit higher.

Cheap Tickets

With weekend tickets to Tramlines toting up to £30, that’s outrageous value for money, and yet another reason for it to be right at the top of your ‘to-do’ lists this summer. With Glastonbury the benchmark for all, but coming in at an excess of £200 nowadays, these cheaper, smaller options are becoming viable options for many. Bands like Slaves and artists like Kate Tempest are on offer and will be considerably bigger names the next time they appear at a festival, so to be able to catch them ahead of their inevitable rise, for a tenner a day is exceptional value for money. Weekend tickets for this year’s edition are now sold out, but Saturday tickets can still be purchased for £23 (plus booking fee).

As mentioned above weekend tickets maybe sold out, but head over to http://www.tramlines.org.uk/ for Saturday tickets!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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On Discipline

I was taken with inspiration to write this particular article due to some ideas I think I’ve hinted at in other pieces I’ve written in recent months. One thing that I think I’ve already beaten this blogs readership over the head with is the importance of discipline if you wish to make it in the music industry. What I haven’t really discussed though is how people can teach themselves self discipline. It’s a skill I didn’t originally have either, but learning it has made me a far more productive and confident individual.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that the best way to get good at something is to do it over and over and over again. I mean – how else do you think I became a professional writer with no degree? I wrote metal reviews every day for years. And in the end it taught me a valuable skill and one that is still paying off in a big bad way. Other people who want to become great songwriters try to record a single a day, or at least once a week or month. (In my opinion a song a week or a song a month is a little more realistic – but then again – I’m not a professional songwriter!) Why do they do this? Because they realize that through repetition they’ll start to become truly talented songwriter.

What you may have noticed in both of those examples is that I implied a degree of regularity, or rather some form of schedule in the content creation. This too is vital because it helps to make sure you do it rain or shine. Now I’m personally not a Nazi about it, but I do my darnedest to produce three pieces of content a day, be this three articles, reviews, interviews, or even a song. I’m not afraid to give myself a sick day or a travel day if things genuinely aren’t working out but I find that the more sick days you give yourself the more likely you are to fall out of the routine and the more likely you are then to stop it all together.

I think the point I’m trying to get across is that discipline is in fact a pretty easy thing to instill – you just need to want it. Teachers would beat children back in the day in large part because it helped them to want it, of course, this was done in a terrible way that traumatized kids, so perhaps we should take a different route. All that aside, a lot of people who are filled with self loathing are such because they feel like they have no impact on the world – well, I was there, and I found that by working to produce content I suddenly had a platform that people cared about and it set me on a path towards (relative) peace. That’s part of why I create so much content on a day to day basis too, it helps me to stay sane and point at something I did and say “Hey look – I accomplished something today”

Now don’t think that you need to have this sort of breakneck pace, I realize that other people have jobs that don’t involve writing about music, but do realize if you want people to take you seriously in the music industry then having some sort of self imposed regimen like that can be extremely helpful. Of course, getting there can be difficult. In fact, that’s the reason why it’s so god damn hard to really get a place in the industry, getting the discipline is a constant struggle. Establishing a schedule is only one part of the equation. Beyond that there are several other little keys that can guide you forward in imposing self discipline and being able to have absolute control over your life and your path to music industry success.

One thing that I’ve found that really works is giving yourself a small reward every time you complete your content creation goal, be it writing a song, sending out a certain number of promotional emails, or whatever else. In my case this usually means having a little bit of candy or watching a TV show and practicing guitar, because yes, I’m kind of a dork. You need to reward moments of productivity with a counterbalance of relaxation – but always be aware of how long you’re spending relaxing. As Athon of Black Tusk (RIP) once said to me “Idle hands are the devils plaything”. If you’re not being productive then you might want to worry… have you fallen into a pit of laziness and desperation? The further you fall from your walk in discipline then the longer it will take to get back on the horse. No one said it was an easy path and you gotta just put your head down and go if you want to get anywhere.

Another thing that I’ve found really helps is being even more regular than just saying “I’m going to write a song a week” Instead it helps to say something like: “Alright I’m going to write a song a week. In order to do this Monday through Friday I’m going to work on riff ideas from 6 to 6:30, Saturday I’m going to figure out the structure and lyrics from 3 to 5 and Sunday afternoon I will record it and post it to Bandcamp/Youtube/Relevant Streaming Service” This helps you to figure out how to structure your day around your newfound regimen. Beyond that though if you budget a specific block of time for writing riffs don’t exceed that block of time. I mean if the ideas are really popping, be my guest, but sometimes it’s better to let it sit and allow the ideas to ferment in your brain. Then the next day you can take those same ideas and build them into something even more exciting and profound. It also helps to keep the work fresh and prevents you from slacking off on another day because “Oh hey man, well did two hours that one day so it’s cool if I skip today”. If you can do extra time on one day and then not slack off others, be my guest, but that’s a very tough thing to master.

Don’t think though that I’ve somehow hacked the music industry or that I’ve managed to become some sort of robot. I’m still just as bad at this whole self discipline thing as you are and every day I strive to get better. The thing is, discipline isn’t something you suddenly have, rather, it’s a crucial skill that you need to maintain and cultivate if you wish to really allow yourself to grow Every day you need to wake up and remind yourself “I want this” whatever “This” is and so – if you want it enough you will be able to find the time and drive forward to do it, I know you can.

Here’s the beautiful part – after a while this whole thing becomes automatic, and despite occasional setbacks the usual maintenance is actually surprisingly easy to keep up. Sure – it can be a brutal and unforgiving world and sure, it takes a while to get there, but I know people who used similar techniques and can now book a whole US tour in an evening. That’s no mean feat, but again, these people realized that they really wanted it. They looked at themselves and realized they basically needed to thrive in the music industry and were able to build it into something great. Like I’ve always said – it’s a lot of work and you’ll probably be left standing out in the rain for hours at a time, but fuck it, you’re the one who said you wanted it right?

Remember, no matter what others might tell you, and as corny as it might sound nothing separates you from them, and everything you think might is just your own damn insecurity holding you back. We live in a society that constantly tears you down, because people are scared of the disciplined person, even if they don’t want to admit it. They’re scared because they know that the disciplined person will always figure out a way forward and find a strange sort of victory in the desolate and ungodly pain this industry can create. Being disciplined is rare and it will make people want to hire you, even people outside of the music industry in case you ever choose to make the mistake of growing up. Reach out and cut the cord to Earthly fears so that you can truly and fully immerse yourself in the world of self discipline and determination. Trust me, it’s always worth it, even if you fuck it all up, at least you’ve got a hell of a story for the grandkids.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Deciphering The Live Greatness of Conan

Conan – now there’s a band name that inspires a a wealth of emotion in fans across the world. Having only just completed their first US trek (On which I saw them twice) I still haven’t entirely recovered from the experience the band provides. Given that I also them twice when I was living in Europe I feel like I can speak with some measure of authority on a band who are among the best of the best heavy acts coming out right now. What I want to do is pick apart what makes this band so mesmerizing and perhaps understand the true might of Conans so called “caveman battle doom”.

One of the things that first struck me about the Conan live experience is that even though they aren’t the heaviest band in the world (Nor are they trying to be) when they play live it certainly feels like it. Whilst I watch the band play I can think of other shows I’ve been too that were heavier (Like Indian, which remains the heaviest show of my life) but there is something utterly visceral and sublimely physical about them which pushes the music forward and gives us all a chance to fall deeper in love with what the band do. What I’m trying to say is that Conan are loud as fuck

I think a large part of what makes this band such a crucial live act has to do with the almost grungy power that it can have. Jon, the bands frontman uses drop tunings and that certainly helps to add almost a touch of the Seattle Sound to the music. In some ways you could even compare a track like Crown of Talons with its Celtic Frost-like assault to the soul wrenching heaviness found on Nirvana’s Bleach. That being said – don’t read that sentence and take Conan as a sort of “my first doom band,” the grunge elements, while present, certainly require a few listens to pluck out.

As arrogant as that may sound I feel like the guys in Conan would agree with me. This is not immediately decipherable music, nor is it really meant to be. Their is a depth to the emotion here that many might not initially ‘get’ and that’s totally okay. I mean – how many other bands regularly employ twin vocalists, doubling lines to get an octavided sound? That’s a crucial part of the Conan live experience that I would be remiss in ignoring. The beautiful contrast of Jon’s crushing bellows as compared to Chris’s higher pitched shouts helps to add a lot of flavor to Conans live rituals. It makes songs where Jon handles the vocals on his own special, but it also creates a sense of overwhelming sonic oblivion. The wary listener will immediately take note of how both vocalists seem to feel the lyrics with an incredible passion leading to emotionally draining live experiences that leave you wiping tears from your eyes.

It’s strange that the band can provoke this kind of emotion too – given that there lyrics tend to focus on fantastical subjects. If you just look at song titles off of their latest record Blood Eagle you see names like Gravity Chasm and Horns For Teeth. Yet within these high falutin’ concepts Jon has been able to couch a depth of fascinating ideas that – while they might not resonate on first listen, certainly seem to come back around and strengthen the listener to wipe the dirt from their face and live to fight another day. Sure it may not be the psycho-spiritual wizardry of Cynic nor the horrified oblivion of Black Sabbath, but it works for Conan, and as long as that’s the case no one will be able to challenge them.

You’d think that with me waxing poetic like this I’d also be able to say that Conan have a spectacular stage presence. But that’s not especially the case. I mean sure – they do the usual headbanging and all that – but it was only really on this US tour (As far as I know) that Jon even started throwing the horns and embracing his place as a doom metal god in the making. Pigeon toed and very humble, he leads the band forward with punishing riffs but never seems to overwhelm the listener or force them into hiding. Instead the bands straightforward stage presence makes them strangely welcoming – an empowering experience for all who are ready to lay their souls bare before a trio of English men who are slaves to the groove.

And what a groove. I think that this – beyond anything else – is what makes Conan special. Their trademark trudge gives depth and breadth to their songs and makes for some surprisingly reassuring listening. There is something vaguely ommic about what they do too – when they exploit their most potent drones live you find yourself droning along – you have no choice, the music is simply that all-encompassing. The thing is, Conan are unlike anyone else in the genre in that regard – possibly because they come from England whereas the vast majority of their peers are American. The way that they come out and unleash a sludgy assault that gets heavier than even Crowbar could ever have imagined is stunning and forces you to scrape your jaw up off the floor. It’s strange that they’ve been able to take such a simple idea and make it so distinctively their own, but with Conan it just feels right. They have managed to figure out what makes their band well… Conan… and they have distilled it into crushing riffs that roll over the listener like so many demented bulldozers, meant to drive the listener to the brink of extinction and then somehow pull them back.

Every element of the bands live experience is natural and powerful. It would feel absurd if they threw poses and goaded on the crowd too much, just as it would be dull if they didn’t move at all. Instead they have found balance, balance which guides them ever forward. I feel kind of silly writing about this as in the four times I’ve seen Conan they’ve had three different lineups – but sometimes that’s just the way it goes – and I think it actually speaks more as to what the bands been able to accomplish that I’m still in love with them regardless of that fact. Their live experience rings forth unbowed, unbroken and perpetually unchecked. They have a new album on the way and now that they have conquered the States once they seem ready to ride forth once again. Conan are the arbiters of their own reality and craftsmen of one of the most entrancing live shows you will ever see – go fucking check it.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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