Want to work in The Music Industry as a Promoter, Producer, Publicist, Executive, DJ, or Tour Manager? Industry Insider gives Music Vice readers an exclusive insight from inside the industry as we talk to music professionals. We find out the specifics of their position and how you can grab their attention. In the latest installment of Industry Insider, we speak to Dan Hand.

Dan Hand is an A&R Representative [Artists and repertoire]* with both Universal Music Canada, and Underground Operations. “Artists and Repertoire” is the division of a record label that is responsible for finding and signing new talent, and for overseeing the artistic development of the label’s recording artists. A&R Representatives also act as a bridge or liaison between artists and the record label.

As a true “Industry Insider”, Dan has played a major role in the promotion and commercial propulsion of many well known Canadian artists such as: Abandon All Ships, Protest The Hero, Stereos,  Arkells, Silverstein and in the early days, Lights.

Ngawara Madison caught up with the busy man responsible for so many of those bands we see on Much Music; to ask him how he rose to his current position, and get his advice for bands seeking commercial success!

Hi Dan!  Great to have a few minutes of your time! I read in a press release last Spring that you had been appointed the role of A&R Representative for Universal Music Canada. Previous to this appointment you were working for another leading Canadian label, Underground Operations, in their A&R Department. Have you moved completely from one to the other or are you still involved with U.O?

I am lucky enough to work as A&R Representative for both; working at Universal to help find and develop acts that are ready for the mainstream, while with UO, I focus on helping develop, build and nurture younger independent artists, sometimes with the end goal to getting them to a a level where a major label makes sense. In others just to work with music we love and support. All in all doing the same thing, just on different levels at different times, providing each artist the right tools and opportunities for their unique specific career.

How did you come to work as a Music Executive?  

I started as being a Durham College MBM [Masters in Business and Management postgraduate degree] student looking for an internship. I was introduced to Mark Spicoluk and essentially worked my way up from there. I went from being an Intern to working in Marketing; then to A&R [with Underground Operations]; and from there I landed my current position with Universal. There was even a brief period of tour management in there as well.

A&R reps are the musicians’ point of contact at the label during contract negotiations, but there are a lot of different facets to your position. How important do you feel a formal education is, such as a College degree; in the pursuit of a career in A&R?  

I do feel I was lucky – in a “right time and right place” scenario, but college definitely helped. Music Business School helps grasp a lot of things that outsiders to the industry might not pick up on right away, and over all gave me a huge advantage over a lot of people looking to work in this industry… but I also don’t believe that you absolutely NEED a  College degree in Music Business to succeed.

How can a band get onto your radar? What are the different ways that Record Labels scout their acts?

Honestly, hard work and a great song. You can always easily email/Facebook anyone, but the way to get on someones radar is to really make a noise! The only way to do that is hard work and great songs! Whether it’s a sold out live show in your home town or a Youtube vid that goes viral; that stuff doesn’t happen until there’s a solid song behind it to help fuel it.

What are the biggest mistakes you think bands make, that see them being side stepped by record labels ie. demo prep, image..?

I think the biggest mistake bands/artists make, is losing focus on what is important. So many people focus on image, touring, association, social media stats and “making it” when the only thing you should be focusing on in the beginning is your song writing. A quote I’ll steal from Mark Spicoluk is, “You’ll only go as far as your best song takes you”. That being said, its got to be the best it can be before you start pushing it. Yes, Identity is important, but that will come later once you have the song that will make people want to know who you are. Once you have a great song, you’ll (hopefully) only keep writing them, and then you can work on your image & getting out there.

Universal Records has set up a new talent scouting initiative over Facebook, called UMC Talent Scouts;  Can you explain how this initiative works?

Basically, its a portal via Facebook where anyone can submit a link to a demo, on either behalf of themselves as a scout or the artists. Its a direct line directly to us, that puts the music directly in our ears.

-fin-

(Edited with additions Friday 10 February 2.23pm)

So there you have it Music Vice Readers! Get the material together, practice hard, and make a noise. But remember – you only get ONE chance at a first impression, so be sure its a good one!

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Internet links:
Universal Music Canada
Underground Operations 

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

Want to work in The Music Industry as a Promoter, Producer, Publicist, Executive, DJ, or Tour Manager? Industry Insider gives Music Vice readers an exclusive insight from inside the industry as we talk to music professionals. We find out the specifics of their position and how you can grab their attention. In the latest installment of Industry Insider, we speak to Steve Harris.

Steve Harris is a DJ with Xfm Radio in London, UK. Steve hosts a show every day on weekday afternoons, together with a weekend slot, which is broadcast on 104.9 FM throughout London, on digital radio across the UK and to the world via mobile phone apps and the internet.

How many years have you been involved with radio; and how long have you been with Xfm in particular?

I’ve been with Xfm for 5 years now; and Ive been in radio since the beginning really, I haven’t really done anything else. That’s both good and bad I suppose.

How did you get involved in Radio to begin with then? Where did you start?

Well, from out of school really; I went the good old fashioned route of helping out at the local radio station. The first one I was with was a South East London station called Millenium FM,  a tiny station and they usually are [for most presenters]… I didn’t go the Hospital radio route. Hospital radio* can be a good way in to the industry, but you can get stuck in that world I think.. Still, it’s a notable way of getting a start though, I guess.

*Hospital radio is a form of audio broadcasting produced specifically for the in-patients of hospitals. It is primarily found in the United Kingdom but also in the United States, Japan and the Netherlands. Some professional radio presenters volunteer for hospital radio in their early career, as it provides a training ground for budding broadcasters. Such broadcasters include:  Andrew Edwards, now of BBC Radio Leeds; Daniel Fox, now of  Heart Northants;  Paul Moseley, now of BBC Radio Norfolk; and  James Dundon, now of Pirate FM.

What were those first days like? How did you get your first break?

Well, since I was 16. Initially you’re working for free, doing whatever it is you have to do – making the tea, and odd jobs. I worked at loads of different radio stations in the beginning. When I was 16 I loved laying in bed late at night listening to Talk Radio. In Canada and America, Talk Radio is a lot more popular; but here in the UK there is only one big station really – well one or two – talkSPORT and LBC 97.3 ['London's Biggest Conversation']. There was this late night show called ‘Ian Collins and The Creatures of the Night’ and I used to just absolutely love it. The guy who presented it was my hero. Bizarrely he is now working in the same building as me [in Leicester Square]!

Well anyway, so I pestered Ian Collins with faxes and emails to let me just come in…

So you’re saying that kids out there looking to get a foot in, need to be persistent and not just expect to knock once and get an instant invitation..?

Oh yeah! Pester, pester, pester! A MILLION times! And then I finally got in there for ONE night and I’ve never been – in all these years in radio – as excited as I was that night! I was just SO excited to be there and meet Ian [Collins], to be in the studio…

Anyway, so one week turned into a lot longer. I was 16 and just doing my GCSE exams at the time. One night turned into a week, which turned in to a month. And I stayed there for 2 years, and ended up producing it! The first year I worked completely for FREE and in the second year I started getting paid.

I think that is something a lot of people need to realise: whether you work in Promotions, as a Writer, as a Radio host, as a Performer; There is a huge amount of ‘dog-body’ work you have to do and free jobs. It’s almost like you’re someone playing the lottery, badly! Get someone who buys a scratch ticket for 5 years and never wins anything, and then wins twenty bucks and they’re like ‘Yay! I won!’ ; thing is they’ve spent a lot more than that scratching away all these years! But, that ‘win’ still tastes sweet as ever when it finally comes!

How do you feel about Internships as a way to get a start in Radio?

There are so many people coming in to radio now, as keen as I at 16. The difference for me, as opposed to the kids today, is that I knew that there was a strong chance of a job at the end of the tunnel. I knew I would be working for free for a long time but I was confident that there was a paid job at the end of all that time invested. Now as the media industry shrinks and the money in the pot diminishes, you get these kids all coming in to the station and working really hard, becoming part of the station; but when the year is up there is no job at the end of it! I don’t want to tell them: “You’re wasting your time!”; because that is exactly the same position I was in at their age and there MIGHT be an opportunity; but there are certainly much less jobs going on now. In the late nineties there were more jobs and a LOT more money. It was a very different world back then. Today is MUCH harder. And ironically ‘Media’ is more popular than ever as a dream occupation these days! Everyone wants to work in media – it’s like this all encompassing word!

So you were one of the stations youngest DJs when you first started out – did you have a particular genre or style you focused on?

I am primarily into indie guitar/rock music just because that’s what I like; but to a certain extent you need to keep an open mind in order to go where the work is. I have worked for rock, dance, and pop stations… But if I had a choice; Id be doing what I am doing now with Xfm. There are not that many stations around that play ‘guitar music’ though; there’s Xfm, there’s [BBC Radio] 6 Music; and there’s Kerrang in the Midlands… that’s about it really! So unless you endlessly stay in those three with little career progression, you don’t get on to Radio One just doing rock music stations. Sometimes there are international career moves you can make as a presenter too though which can be cool.

Recently it seems as though the 90s guitar band sounds are coming back on to the underground and live circuit.. Will guitar bands and ‘Brit Pop’ bands come back in to the mainstream again?

Well yeah its the “all things come around” pattern; the Libertines are out of fashion now but they’ll be back! In five years time they will be back in fashion.

Yeah, its like Doc Martens – they go in and out of fashion but they always come back!
Could you explain the reality of your job? What does your job as DJ entail?

It varies from show to show. Different shows have different functions and that is why different personalities host different sections of the day. I used to do The Evening Show;  which is more of a ‘breaking new bands’ kind of show. A lot more active listeners so there would be more interviews and breaking new bands. There is quite a lot of pre-recording for an evening show.

Team Xfm - Steve Harris second on right

Now I am on lunchtimes which has a bigger audience, but it is what we call a ‘passive listen’. The audience at lunchtime are using it more as background music. As a ‘Jock’ that sounds a bit depressing – like you are simply wallpaper! But to a certain extent its true – you are providing a soundtrack to their day and you are not there to be ‘in your face’. Lunchtime is a lot more mainstream, a lot less ‘extra’ stuff around the music. My job is to go in; have a bit of a chat; talk about lifestyle stuff; big up the music; and keep the music flowing. Post 7pm perhaps you’ll go more specialist again and that is where you can break new bands.

What about mornings? What is the function of a morning show?

The morning show is the number one slot. Everyone wants to host a breakfast show. I always cover breakfasts for Xfm and I really want to do a Breakfast Show.  It is the most important by a mile and that is why breakfast show hosts get paid ten times as much as anyone else! You live or die by your breakfast show because that is when people tune in! Mornings are ‘the bread and butter’ of a station. The London market is so competitive that unless you are ‘high profile’ – unless you’re on Telly or you’re semi famous – its hard to get a full time breakfast slot.

It always strikes me as ironic that there are a tonne of people out there listening to one voice and feeling like this presenter is such a social personality.. but all the while [you're] sitting in a small room, basically talking to yourself! It is a bit like being in a Big Brother house where everyone is listening to you but you are not aware of the numbers of people you’re connecting with… How do you deal with the solitary nature of your position?

Yeah, even after 15 years it is a weird thing! You do go in to a room, for three hours a day, and talk to yourself! And especially when you’re not doing loads of competitions and having listeners call in… like the show I’m doing now where there’s not a load of interaction… you have to remember that you are talking to people! I hate it when a mate comes in to see me because it can spoil the glamorous illusion of the job. They think its the most exciting thing in the world – and I love it – but they come in and watch me sitting there for ten minutes talking for twenty seconds and touching buttons and are like ‘what now?’. Then I have to make small talk!

Well maybe that is a good thing to tell people about the job! If you don’t like your own company then don’t be a DJ – because you’re going to be on your own for a lot of your time!

Yeah well most DJs are weirdos! Its quite an odd occupation! Quite an odd thing to do for a living… You need to almost come across like a friend to the listener. Its one thing to sell music and say “Hi this is Xfm and here’s a great song from Oasis!” – a lot of people can do that – its another thing completely when you speak out and really give them something to think about, in a way they can really ‘get’. The secret is,  if they feel like they’d want to go for a drink with you! Its as simple as that! The public needs to like you, and if that is an act or not, its a craft either way… without sounding too pretentious or getting too geeky – there are a hundred ways of ‘selling’ a song to make it sound big and exciting! There is an art to it. And this art is especially important when you’re playing the same songs, every day! Even Xfm plays a lot of the same stuff each day because thats what the public wants to hear. You have to come in each day and sell those songs in a different way. Its not always as easy as it sounds, but it does have to sound easy.

Xfm is a major station for rock bands trying to get themselves into the big time. It is a station that holds quite a position of influence in this country. How can a band get onto the stations radar? What is the process?

Well like I said, each program fulfills a different purpose so you wont be breaking new bands in the daytime. You have the specialist shows at night which feed new music through to the stations main playlist… so if you’re asking from a bands point of view, how to get onto the radio? They need to find out who is hosting those specialist shows.

Bands need to do a little bit of research and find out which jocks would be into their sound. We have egos too! Make sure you know their names – the amount of demos I got when I was hosting the evening show, saying ‘Dear Sir/Madam’  with a generic message attached! Its like – why am I going to bother listening to this? At least have the decency to find out a bit about me too! Its such an arrogant attitude some of these bands have! Listen to the station and at least pretend you know what you’re talking about, and who you are talking to. So from our end there are two specialist shows – Mary Anne Hobbs from 8, and John Kennedy at 11pm. They are the ones breaking new music and feeding it through to the mornings. I’m out of that world now but that used to be my scene and I received tonnes of demos.

Tins On Toast pub nights in Camden, London with Steve Harris

In the mornings you will not get DJs breaking new music. That is like your advert. People do not want to hear new music in the mornings, they want to hear familiar music and a familiar voice. Breakfast time is not the time or place to be breaking new music – even the most specialist of stations wouldn’t do that! You want to be starting with student radio and specialist stations. Do some research and find the right DJs! If you want to go the Plugger route you need some history behind you and you need money as well. A Radio Plugger is an odd job – all they are paid to do is be a middle man, a ‘postman’. Its like selling cars, they come in and sell bands to us!

The problem with demos is this: you get SO many of them coming in. 5% of them are great and you get really excited; and 5% the other side are so bad they are pure comedy. And then there’s 90% which are pretty good, but are we going to put it on daytimes? Probably not! Its not bad enough to take the mick out of it, its pretty good but it doesn’t ‘jump out’ and that’s nine out of ten demos. It is hard to say to bands. I guess that is where all the other things like performance, gigs and charisma come in to a bands success.

Your personal taste in music – who are your current favourites?

Well I like a band called Tribes very much, and I am in fact launching a new pub nights in Camden; and they are playing the first one for me [Facebook event page]. Its at the newly re-branded and reopened Purple Turtle, next to Koko. Its no longer a metal club, its a cool place to hang out! As of now that Ive started this club night. It’ll be a weekly thing, first one is Monday 6th of February.

Tribes – “We Were Children”

Also The Lines from Wolverhampton are pretty good. [Recent interview with The Lines on Music Vice] I’m too old to be breaking new music but one of the buzz artists for the station at the moment is Willy Moon, who does electro rockabilly! He looks like Eddie Cochran… he’s fantastic! He has some really good songs and he’s going to be big! What else… All the Young, a laddish band. They’re probably going to be pretty big too… and Spector I love too. Everyone’s buzzing about Spector.

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Internet links: XFM Radio – Steve Harris
Steve Harris on Twitter

Spector – “Chevy Thunder”:

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

Mark Rheaume is head of CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] Radio’s Music Resources department. CBC Radio refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Operation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches; these channels are CBC Radio One, CBC Radio 2, and CBC Radio 3*.

Mark profiles new music from Ontario artists on the first Sunday of every month, and presents his monthly picks on Fresh Air. In some sense you could almost call him an ‘Executive Plugger’! Mark has reported on music for many CBC shows, including  Definitely Not the Opera and Ontario Morning. His syndicated music review column is carried on CBC stations across the country and he has served as a juror for the Polaris Prize and the Juno Awards.

With so many bands out there looking to get their music on the CBC network, Music Vice thought it would be a great idea to catch up with Mark at CBC and pick his brain! Mark spoke with Ngawara Madison about the process of getting airplay and employment with CBC Radio.

* NB: The inconsistency of branding between “One”, “2″ and “3″ was a deliberate design choice on CBC’s part and is not an error!

Mark Rheaume – CBC Radio’s Head of Resources – the man you need to impress to get airplay!

A big part of this interview series is to tell our readers about the many positions that exist within the music and media industries. Could you explain in brief, what your position exactly entails, and run us through your average day as Head of Resources for CBC Radio?

I guess you could say I’m the gatekeeper or conduit between musicians – and that’s everyone from indie artists making their first record to established artists signed to major labels – and the shows that play music on CBC Radio. Especially outside the major markets like Toronto, our morning and afternoon drive shows don’t have staffers to help them wade through the vast pile of releases and pick out the stuff that’s worth putting on the air. Every day, in addition to auditing CD submissions, I listen to the albums I’ve approved for airplay, identify the most spin-worthy tracks, and provide a write-up for the hosts so they can introduce the tunes with some authority. In effect, I pre-listen or check out the recordings for the hosts and producers. My parents would never have believed it, but I’m paid to listen to records!

How did you come to work for CBC? Did you set out with that occupation in mind, or what were your initial aspirations? A lot of people seem to ‘stumble’ upon their career path. What is your story?

Well, besides loving music and being an album collector all my life, I’d graduated from college in both TV & Radio Broadcasting and Archival Practices. Then I heard in 1998 that CBC Radio had acquired the complete LP/CD and script collection of the recently deceased Clyde Gilmour, who’d hosted his own music show on the network for over 40 years. Thinking the CBC would need an intern to work on archiving these materials, I cold-called the Music Library offering my services. Instead, they gave me a job! That lasted about two years and then the job I’m doing now came open, so of course I went for that! Though it was definitely a logical thing for me to be doing since I love music and media, I definitely “stumbled” onto this career path!

What advice would you give to students coming out of highschool who know they want to be involved with the Radio Industry but dont know which avenue to take. Do you recommend going to college, university, getting a part-job and an internship at a station?

I’d say:
1. Definitely study Radio at college or university. Or if you can’t do that – or maybe in combination with that -

2. See if there’s an opening on college or university radio and take ANY shift they give you!

3. See if you can intern at something like CBC, the BBC, or NPR. Do it!

Don’t worry about not being paid at first. Do the work, impress the hell out of them, and when there’s an opening, you’re in!

What is the ‘ladder’ in your part of the Radio industry? Is there a hierachy around your position? What are the possible career climbs for someone working in Music Resources?

Well, I really gotta say that with a job is as good as mine – and it never, ever feels like work – there’s nothing else I ever want to do here. I’ve never once checked our job board for new opportunities. I mean, you can’t improve on the ideal situation! But having said that, there are opportunities to move on and grow at CBC. Just as one example, both hosts and producers and technicians have gone on to management roles, leaving on-air work behind them!

What kind of personality suits your position? What character traits do you think are a positive fit for the job? What kind of person would excel in your occupation?

Well, first of all, you have to love music – and have a really open mind. My job is to figure out if a particular artist or album is suitable for our programs. It doesn’t matter if I personally like the music or not. I’ve gotta think of the person listening at home in their kitchen or in their car or wherever. I’ve had to listen to thousands of albums in those jobs over the past ten-plus years, and believe me, not all of them are ones I’ve kept a copy of for myself! Second, you have to really want to help the artists. If you find, in dealing with them, that they’re obnoxious or overbearing, you have to put those feelings aside and, again, think of the listener first and foremost and whether they would like to hear this person’s music. Third, you have to be able to write well. We’re communicating to our producers WHY these records should be played and we have to do it in terms that make sense!

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Internet links: CBC Radio

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Want to work in The Music Industry as a Promoter, Producer, Publicist, Executive, DJ, or Tour Manager? Industry Insider gives Music Vice readers an exclusive insight from inside the industry as we talk to music professionals. We find out the specifics of their position and how you can grab their attention. In the latest installment of Industry Insider, we speak to Steve Stumble.

Steve Stumble performing with The Lucky Ones

Steve ‘Stumble’ Levitt  owns and operates punk label Stumble Records (which has distribution through Universal Music Canada). He also fronts punk band The Lucky Ones, and is the founder of the annual one-day SCENE Music Festival, held in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The festival features mostly alternative music and attracts increasing thousands of music fans to the city each year. Scene has hosted such groups such as Alexisonfire, Cancer Bats, Billy Talent, City and Colour, The New Cities, Cute is What We Aim For, Lights, The Johnstones, Down With Webster, The Trews, and The Black Lungs.

Music Vice’s Ngawara Madison recently caught up with Steve to pick his brain about the music industry and get his advice for bands wanting to hit the big time…

You own punk label, Stumble Records; sing in The Lucky Ones, as well as running the annual ‘SCENE’ Music Festival in St Catharines, Ontario! At what age did you get involved with the music industry and what was your first band or business role? How did you get your first ‘step in the door’?

I got involved in the Music Industry when I was 16 years old. I guess my first involvement was in my original punk band Sick Boys. I did a lot of local concert booking while I was in that band, and that got me rolling!

How many people do you work with as regards running your record label, and how did you source those people to make sure you have the right team of people around you to ensure the smooth running of your company?

Well its pretty much always just been me here! We’re now in our 15th year as Stumble Records so we’ve seen lots of things change over the years! If we do have anybody else involved in a project, they come as an outside, third party contractor. For example; we use Kerry Goulding at Rebel Music in Toronto for a lot of publicity campaigns.

You are the name behind the extremely successful and popular SCENE Music Festival. How important is it for a band these days to have a strong presence on the festival circuit?

Scene Music Fest

I’m not really sure how important it is to be on “the festival circuit” but festivals are usually great to play, because you’re usually stacked with a pile of different bands and get to play to a larger, and much more diverse audience that the norm. You wouldn’t get that same crowd in a typical, indoor, club style environment.

What are some of the biggest bands that have performed at SCENE, and what is the arrangement process for a band wishing to perform at your festival?

As for artists that have played S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival… Man there’s been tonnes over the past 17 years! Alexisonfire, City 7 Colour, Bedouin Soundclash, Billy Talent, Del the Funky Homosapien, Down With Webster, Lights, etc. Bands interested in playing can apply through our website www.scenemusicfestival.com or if you are booked by an agent and we’re interested in you, we’ll come looking for you!

What does it take for a band to get picked for the Main Stage at Scene as opposed to a smaller side show?

Well it really depends on the hype of your band! Some spots are reserved for agents and some are for contest winners such as the HTZ FM Rock Search winner; but we mainly put in who we feel would be appropriate for the festival, and that day, and year. There really are no rules!

It seems that with the rise of the Internet Generation, we have a lot of bands that are gathering fan bases abroad that perhaps would not have had that opportunity in earlier years. Through the spreading of viral videos and social media links bands are able to reach out to would-be fans in countries all over the world. Do you use Social Media to promote your events? How important are Facebook and Twitter in the promotion of a band these days?

Social is very important these days, and I wish we were better at it… I’m pretty much a “computer retard”, haha! We do use them to promote events, etc. Actually right now I’m setting up a bunch of stuff on Reverbnation. But yeah… look at the band “Walk Off The Earth” for example. Two weeks ago nobody cared about a band from Burlington, Ontario and then suddenly 2 weeks later and 27 million views later of their Gotye cover – they’re flying out to LA and are on the Ellen show! All due to good old Youtube!

Illegal Downloads: Inevitable in this day and age? How can a band still make money when the number of people actually buying records lessens everyday?

Illegal downloading sucks! If you like a band you should support them… but really it is no different than it used to be making mixed tapes for people in the 80′s! I always tell bands: “If you’re not out playing and selling T-Shirts, CDs and binyl off stage – then you’re not selling anything at all!” People aren’t likely to go buy your music on the internet and record stores are disappearing faster than ever!

Steve and Ngawara

On top of all your work as a label head honcho and event producer, you also sing in the punk band The Lucky Ones. What were the highlights for the band last year and what are your recording and performance plans for 2012? What are your objectives with your music? What do you sing about?

2011 was pretty awesome for The Lucky Ones! We got to play on a bunch of great Festivals in Canada including Rock Fest in Montebello, QC…SCENE Fest, obviously… Burly Calling, Rebel fest.  But the biggest highlight for myself had to be opening for Stiff Little Fingers on their only Canadian date! I’m a huge fan of theirs and it was amazing to meet Jake Burns because he is one of my biggest influences! We also got to record a new record with producer Steve Rizun which was awesome too! As for 2012 – our new record Heartbreak, Hangovers & Punk Rock comes out Feb 8th in Canada and we’re doing some dates around that, including Canadian Music Week.

We’re in talks to license our record to a label in Europe and try to make it over there in late summer/fall! The objective is to get out there, support our two releases, and play as much, and to as many people as possible!

There is a lot of organisation needed in the production and promotion of a music festival. What is your schedule like in the weeks running up to SCENE? What is the reality of your position for someone looking to do what you do?

Its pretty crazy! Our festival team is usually running around like chickens with their heads cut off! But we always get it all together and pull it off. We’ve been working with the same team of people for years now so everybody knows their roles and what needs to be done in order to pull it off in time for the day of the festival.

What was the musical highlight of 2011 for you and who should we look out for in 2012. Who are the ones to watch, in your opinion?

Well the musical highlight for me was definitely the Stiff Little fingers show! But seeing The Specials again was pretty awesome too. Also hanging out with Lars Frederickson of Rancid again and checking out his new band The Old Firm Casuals was awesome. Check em out!

Hmmm bands to look out for???…The Lucky Ones of course silly! You can check out our drummers other band, USS – they’re really popular these days. Apparently Jay from USS is gonna remix one of our songs so that should be interesting to hear.

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Internet links:

SCENE Music Festival
StumbleRecords.com
The Lucky Ones
Stiff Little Fingers

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

Want to work in The Music Industry as a Promoter, Producer, Publicist, Executive, DJ, or Tour Manager? Industry Insider gives Music Vice readers an exclusive insight from inside the industry as we talk to music professionals. We find out the specifics of their position and how you can grab their attention. In the latest installment of Industry Insider, we speak to Tim Atherton.

Tim Atherton is a Senior Account Executive for Ontario based Astral Media and is responsible for sales on their three radio stations. He is a strong supporter of Canadian music and a regular face at concerts in the Niagara region. Ngawara Madison interviews.

Hi Tim, thanks for chatting with Music Vice! How long have you been with Astral Media for now, and what does your job involve? I know there are a number of stations in that group and you have your fingers in “a number of pies”.

I have been with the radio stations for 22 years as an Account Executive. Due to media convergence in Canada I have worked for a number of companies both public and private including Standard Radio, Redmond Broadcasting, Telemedia Radio, Affinity Radio, Coultis Broadcasting which all eventually were bought out by Astral Media. As a Senior Account Executive I am responsible for Sales on our three stations EZ Rock 105.7 FM, CKTB 610AM and 97.7 HTZ-FM.  I am also responsible for sales on our three web sites including Video Pre rolls, leaderboard ads and big box ads. Just recently, we will also be in charge of selling barter deals on Astral Radio Deals which is similar to Groupon where we trade products for advertising. I deal with local business owners and with ad agencies for major cross-Canada retailers.

A lot of people are quite ignorant of the job specifics for media positions that are not in the main light of the press. What are your responsibilities and what kind of personality is best suited for a job similar to yours?

In my job you have to be very self motivated. The job is 100% commission with very minimal supervision. Because of the intangible nature of radio, you have to have a passion for radio so you can convey marketing ideas and concepts to clients and get them excited. Another key point is you have to be very organized. I deal with over 100 accounts on 3 stations over the year, so you can have a lot of plates in the air at any given time, especially during holiday seasons.

A lot of people out there dream of working for a major radio station. You work for plural that! How did you personally get your ‘foot in the door’, and what advice would you give for others looking to get their own kick start?

I did my BA in Mass Communications with a concentration in Mass media/Advertising from McGill University (Montreal) and the University of Ottawa. My initial job out of University was an Ad Agency but my wife ended up getting a good job in the Niagara Region and I was hired at the local country station in Welland, Ontario  (CHOW).  I only stayed there for a short time as I was quickly offered a job with the top stations in the Niagara Market, CHRE and CHSC 1220 (CHSC is now unfortunately off the air).

The biggest advice I would give people wanting to get into radio is to understand it is a business. I know there is a large entertainment component to it but you will learn very quickly everything is about ratings and ratings translate in to advertising dollars and that is how a radio station survives.

What was your musical education and background growing up? Did you always want to work in the Radio Industry?

I have always loved radio being a musician. I played professionally full time for a few years after highschool and always played during University for extra money. I still do over 80-100 shows a year…part time to this day!!!! My original intent was to get my Recording Engineering Degree from Mc Gill University, but I went to an advertising symposium at the University of Ottawa and decided to switch to Mass Media which also gave me an outlet for my musical endeavours.

Can you run us through a day in the life of Tim? What is the reality of your job? What are some of the challenges you face on a day to day level?

My job is pretty much never ending… you are always thinking about it. When you work on 100% commission you are always looking for opportunities. The biggest challenge I face on a day to day level is dealing in a high paced environment. Because I administer a million dollar account list, I also administer a lot of client issues and you have to deal with things quickly to keep people happy.

The music industry is rife with parties and social events. A big part is often ‘who you know’ and not just ‘what you know’. How  important is networking to you and your industry?

Networking is the most important thing in both my radio career and my music career. They have actually worked hand in hand as a lot of my contacts for radio also book live entertainment and I have been able to get my band to play some great gigs. It also puts you in touch with a lot of club owners, which in turn helps you book shows.

How can a band get onto the stations radar? What is the process?

A lot of people approach me and I always tell them I am on the business side. You need to talk to the Music Director and/or the Program Director. These are the people who decide what goes on air. The biggest thing I have noticed over the years is bands neglect the quality of their demos. Don’t bring us an unmastered, badly produced demo you did in your basement. If you want us to play  it on the radio it has to stand up to Metallica, Nickelback, Led Zeppelin, Katie Perry, Lady Gaga…etc.  Like it or not, this is your competition and you better provide a product of equal production and quality. It doesn’t have to sound like these bands but the quality of your recording better stand up to their standards.

What were the musical highlights of 2011 for you and which bands do you have on your radar for 2012?

My musical highlights this year were getting to meet Adam from Three Days Grace, one of my favourite hard rock songwriters.  It was also great to finally see Sloan live after all these years and I was really impressed by The Sheepdogs; they are on my radar for 2012. I guess they have just finished up their new album in Nashville, TN. A local band I would like to see do well in 2012  is Street Pharmacy and my friend Ryan Guay, check out their new album Divorce. Also keep your eye out for Danny Lamb and Mrs Johnston, they have a new album coming out as well.

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Internet links:
Astral Media

Music mentioned in this article:
The Sheepdogs
Street Pharmacy  SP on Youtube
Mrs Johnston

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

Want to work in The Music Industry as a Promoter, Producer, Publicist, Executive, DJ, or Tour Manager? Industry Insider gives Music Vice readers an exclusive insight from inside the industry as we talk to music professionals. We find out the specifics of their position and how you can grab their attention. In the first installment of Industry Insider, we speak to Tony Moore.

He was an original member of Iron Maiden and Cutting Crew; has won awards and accolation for his work in promoting emerging British Talent, and his live music venue was described by The Evening Standard as “The Best Acoustic Venue in London”!

Music Vice’s Ngawara Madison recently sat down with Tony Moore to talk about the music game, and what it takes to stand out from the crowd…

As the Musical Director of The Bedford in London, England you have played a key role in the promotion of some phenomenal artists over the years. The venue has become somewhat of an institution over the past few years, and you in your role as Director have helped as a springboard of promotion for some of the UK’s top emerging talent. Artists such as Ed Sheeran, Paulo Nutini, Lucie Silvas, Daniel Bedingfield, and many more, have passed through the venues doors. How do you find these artists and what does a musician or band need to do in order to get your attention and support?

There are generally 4 routes to getting a gig with us.
1. Past artists that have already played with us, that we know suit the spirit of our events and who we love to welcome back.

2. Acts who come recommended by industry professionals whose judgement we value.

3. Performers that me and my team see at other events who impress us and inspire us to want to book them.

4. “Cold Calling” acts who send us an email to introduce themselves with links to music and video etc. We get between 100 and 150 EVERY week, so you can imagine how inundated we are with enquiries.

Tony Moore in Iron Maiden

A few years ago, The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and  Authors [BASCA] presented you with a Gold Badge Award for your work in  promoting talent. You started off in the industry as a performer, playing in bands like Iron Maiden and The Cutting Crew before moving into Talent Promotion and Event Production. How did you come to make that transition and when did you realise that your career mainstay was going to be as a producer and promoter?

I have always had an eclectic background in entertainment that stretched further than just music. When I was a teenager my income came from being a “close up” magician and working everywhere from Blackpool to Toronto! I understood early on in my career about the importance of winning an audience over and I developed the fundamental skills for understanding event production and management.

However, it was in the 90′s when I felt there were no venues for singer/songwriters to play very acoustic sets that I launched a weekly  show called The Kashmir Klub. It eventually ended up operating 6 nights a week and ran for 6 years. I employed all the things I had learnt through my career to create a hosted event, that  was both loved by artists and audiences alike, a true win win situation.

Through that experience I developed a vision for how I wished to see shows put together, run and developed… I wanted to be able to help artists to be seen and heard at their best whilst encouraging and motivating them to deliver at the top of their game and grow artistically…  This is something I then brought to The Bedford in Balham and The Regal Room in Hammersmith where I have been lucky enough to build an even bigger foundation for artists to have opportunities to be discovered.

What advice would you give to young people out there looking to get  involved in event promotion and booking? What is the best way to get involved and get a ‘foot in the door’ at a venue like The Bedford, working behind the scenes?

There are some very basic things you need to understand, my promoters mantra is “book a draw or be a draw but never lose money”.

This means that the only things that sell tickets are acts that people wish to see (the draw) or you create an event (like Cirque du Soleil) where the event itself is the draw and people come because of the reputation you have created.

Don’t worry if you don’t make a profit, but NEVER lose money if you can help it.

Tony Moore with Paulo Nutini

PROMOTE PROMOTE PROMOTE! That’s the name of the game after all…

All big promoters commit a large percentage of tickets sales to marketing – if no one knows that Robbie Williams is doing a gig you won’t sell any tickets, even if he is world famous and has millions of fans. You have to tell the WORLD what you are doing and excite them to buy a ticket and come to see it!

Contacts, Relationships and Reputation are your threee secret weapons and you can only get that with experience so do all you can – work experience, internships, volunteering – work long hours, be dependable, loyal and enthusiastic. Be pro-active and learn to take the initiative and who ever you work for will spot your qualities and may well offer you a full time job… that’s how I find most of my staff.

The Music Industry is changing at the moment; Due to the rise of The internet Generation it seems to be ever increasingly important for bands and artists to have a social media presence. How important is it for a band to have a good website, twitter, facebook, etc? At what point should bands move from practicing, to performing?

Social media and public profile is essential, but it has to be done with imagination, taste, honesty and passion. The public can tell when acts are being genuine or something is being over hyped.

I say the most important thing is to practice ALL the time! NON STOP! I still play at least an hour of guitar every day. Also – get as many gigs as you can – play anywhere and everywhere at the start to build your experience and to win an audience. Be the best you can be and make sure EVERY gig is treated with the same enthusiasm as you would have if you played Wembley, because you never know WHO may be watching!

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Tony Moore with Ngawara Madison.

You can follow Tony on Twitter (@tonymoore1) or find him on the net at: www.thebedford.com, www.theregalroom.com and www.tonymooremusic.com

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

 Jimmy Gnecco: future frontman of Velvet Revolver?

Throughout the month of December, Jimmy Gnecco was in Los Angeles writing with Slash and Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver. The supergroup have been on hiatus since singer Scott Weiland left the band on 1 April 2008. Last week on 12 January 2012, Scott Weiland returned to Velvet Revolver for a one-off benefit concert. Rumours persist about who will be the new permanent lead singer of the band.

Jimmy Gnecco released on 8 November, 2011 The Heart – X Edition, the full-band version of his solo album. Gnecco brought in his Ours’ bandmates to help rework nine songs from the original acoustic-based record and add one new tune. Back on 11 November 2011, Music Vice writer Laura Antonelli caught up with him again over the phone. They discussed the similarities and differences of the two albums, whether Gnecco will ever record under the name of Ours again, and the rumours of him being Velvet Revolver’s new lead singer.

Why did you want to revisit The Heart and re-record select songs with a full band?

Jimmy Gnecco – When I started to do the record the first time, the original intent was that it was not supposed to be a laboured process. It was supposed to be just my voice, my guitar, and these songs. I tried to pick songs that would sound best like that. But as I started to record the album, all these other songs started to present themselves. I was wondering if I should hold off on them and maybe do them on either a different solo album or the next Ours record. They just seemed to fit the mood of the album so I made a decision really early on. I was looking down the road a bit saying, “You know what? I can hear a few of these with a lot more than just my acoustic guitar, so I’ll record them this way and then down the line, I want to redo them.” It just turned out that it seemed like the best time to do that was sooner than later. It was a really quick process the second time around.

And did you actually re-work every song? Because some of these songs like “Mystery”, “Gravity”, “Darling” – they sound the same to me as the original recording, and maybe I’m just not musically inclined enough to hear the differences. But then I was like, ‘Oh, maybe he just didn’t touch those songs.’

Right. We added bass and remixed “Mystery”. I changed “Gravity” a bit. It’s weird. Unless you listen to them side by side you might not be able to tell, but I redid a bunch of vocals. I added more harmonies on it and I added that spacey-sounding guitar. We basically put Static on that one. Then we remixed it entirely as well. It’s not as drastically different as say “[These Are My] Hands” or “The Heart”. That was the tricky thing. I didn’t want them to lose the original spirit from those recordings. I just wanted to enhance them a bit. Some of them are more subtle than others. Like “Darling” is the same. I just did a different ending on it. I just faded it out. We added some reverb as well. So, yeah, some songs are more subtle.

Were you worried that fans would be upset that you were re-releasing this album instead of releasing new music? Because you have a lot of unreleased songs that haven’t made it to albums yet.

Yeah. Not entirely because [long pause] it was important to me to at least put a new song on it, to put “Bells” on it. And they are – if you listen to them side by side, they really are – it’s a completely different spirit about them now. Like I said, it’s kind of tricky. The reason why they might sound so similar is because most of the vocal performances haven’t really changed too much, so it’s still that same original feeling if you’re attached to the vocals. Also, I was thinking that maybe for people who didn’t get the first round just because they may not have been interested in an acoustic record, that maybe this would appeal more to them. The original The Heart wasn’t done from a standpoint of “let’s sell a ton of records” from me. It was more about the artistic choices. But they’re not all so drastically different, like one is on one version a ballad and not on the next version. When we were re-mastering this record and went back to listen to the old ones, I thought, “Wow, this is really a completely different record.” The whole feeling and the sequence of it, that’s another thing as well, just having it sequenced differently from the start to finish. It feels like a different ride.

Why did you bring in a band for this version instead of playing all the instruments yourself like you did on the original?

We had been playing these songs this way out on the road together. I just wanted to bring in some of that energy. As we played them live, I started to feel everybody else’s energy on them and I wanted that to be captured on the recording. With the exceptions of the drums, I probably could have done everything myself. I still did the bass on a couple tracks, but it’s mainly the drums I couldn’t do. I can’t really play drums in the way that Charlie did on say the “Bells”. He did a fantastic job and I couldn’t have done it. I’ve often played things myself out of necessity and this time I didn’t need to. I had everybody around, and I really enjoyed having them be a part of it.

Tell me about the tune “Bells”. It’s new that’s not on the original that you played live while touring The Heart. What’s the story of that song?

[Long pause] “Bells” seems like it’s a song I’ve been writing my entire life. There’s something about it when we play it live, it does a really, really strange thing to me. It gives me these weird flashbacks to when I was five years old of these dreams that I would have that used to actually haunt me all the time. It wasn’t a specific thing happening in these dreams, it was just a feeling. I always had awful nightmares growing up and I’d wake up in a panic with this feeling. I’ve been trying to put that feeling into a song for as long as I can remember. So that’s why it has that haunting kind of feel to it.

To tell you the full story, I’ll step back for a second, in order to make this make perfect sense for you with why “Bells” is on this record. We had never released an album in Europe. Our past three Ours records were never released overseas. Only on imports could people get them. So the idea that the first thing people were starting to hear from me was an acoustic record was a little strange to me. I didn’t really want that to be the first impression because it’s not what I normally do. And to make these acoustic albums is not something I really desired to do record after record. It was just a one-off thing.

We were talking about our European campaign and thought it would be great if people had more of a well-rounded impression of the music I normally make. I’m really grateful for The Heart coming out in Europe, but it just didn’t sit well with me or anyone else on the team that that was gonna be their first impression. That’s why it came up sooner than later. So I decided to revisit these songs because I believe in the songs. But the album still didn’t have that “Fallen Souls” or that “Miseryhead” or “Here is the Light” or “Red Colored Stars”, it didn’t have that kind of song. We had done “Bells” and I was really proud of it. So I said, “Let’s put ‘Bells’ on that record” and I’ll feel better about that being peoples first impression of what we do. That paved a path as to why we’re doing the whole thing. If there’s gonna be one song that covers the whole feeling of most of our work, I think “Bells” does that. Does that make sense?

Yeah, it does make sense, actually. The first time I heard it, I thought, “This is classic Gnecco” like it should be on Distorted Lullabies, so you saying that completely makes sense.

That was the thing, that’s why for our first impression to Europe I really wanted to put “Bells” out. Because I felt like this would really bring people up to speed in one record. I’m really aware of the kind of album I made with Distorted Lullabies. People would always say, “We love Distorted Lullabies. You should do that again.” The whole thing was that I already made that album. I know how I made Distorted Lullabies and I can make that record again if I wanted to, but why would we want to do that? That’s really boring as an artist if you’re not taking people to new places. In fact, I never even liked putting the same kind of song on the same album. But I wanted to show people that I still have that in me with “Bells”. So, yeah, good ear, good ear.

Thank you. I think the new version of “These Are My Hands” really stands out on this album, and your daughter sings backing vocals on it. Tell me about the evolution of that song.

Well, the quick story of that song is I dreamt it one night when I was in Windsor. We were in town playing a show there at the college. When I woke up that morning I had the whole song in my head. I actually originally had heard it as it is on this new record. I heard it sounding like this war song. Groups and choruses of people were singing this war song almost the sense of, “Let’s end this. Let’s bring our people home and stop fighting.” I heard it in more of a big group vocal, it’s just that I stuck to my original principles of how I was gonna make the first record which was not to put too much on it. So when I went back to do it, it made sense to me to have people singing that with me. So during the sing along section, my daughter’s singing with me and April is singing as well.

Do you like or prefer a version more of The Heart?

[Long pause] If I was out driving, or running, or more in a place where I really wanted to crank it up, I would probably play the new record. I think every album we’ve made was made to be played loud and to be an exciting experience for people. So I would probably gravitate more toward this one. [Pause] Here’s how I feel about it. Here’s the short of it [laughs] as I’m going on about it.

[Laughs]

When I put the first version of The Heart on over and over again when I was making the sequence on it, by the time I got to “Mystery” [the third song], I was in tears every time. I just found myself so overwhelmed with emotion. It was just an emotional record for me to write and to create, and then listen back. Sometimes you don’t even know what you’re going through until after you listen back to it all. Sometimes it’s not for months or years after you’ve written something and recorded it. When you listen back you feel exactly what you were going through. So the original album was always such an emotional ride for me. Because it was such a personal experience, it was something I liked to put on and go on that ride all by myself.

Do you think that where you are in your life now personally and on an emotional level has changed since you recorded the original; ultimately, resulting in these new energetic versions of these songs?

Yeah, because we found a spirit that was very much alive in these songs when we went out to play them. When I was recording them, I was feeling nothing but death, to tell you the truth. I was overcome with the emotion of death, so that weighed heavy on those recordings. When we went out on the road, we started to find real life in these songs, and I think we brought more of that out in the new version.

The Deluxe edition on iTunes includes five videos from your concert for a Bright Antenna Sessions at FM Recorders. Tell me about this performance. Will the whole concert be released on DVD?

I’m not sure. I hope so. We have a lot of footage from it. We even have an extended version about the process of making it which was a lot of fun. I hope we get more of it out to people. Those were the videos that right away I felt the best about from the whole experience. I haven’t looked at it all but I think I feel pretty good about the rest of it, so I think eventually that will see the light of day. If not, we have a lot more of that on its way.

The future is gonna be a bit different now because I’m a free agent. I’m not sure if I’ll make records with a label, if I’ll sign another deal. Being on Bright Antenna was just for The Heart, so we’ll see. I’m gonna start looking at different ways to release music and see what is the best way. I’m not sure if being on a label is the best route for me or maybe it’s just about finding the right home, but I have too much music that I need to release. My real hope when I found Bright Antenna was to get a facility and just knock out a lot of music in a short period of time. It was just taking too long again. It’s been three years since Mercy came out and I’d like to just release more music more frequently.

One of the videos is your cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying”, and the last time we spoke you said you were going to record it. I don’t think that ended up happening though, did it?

It did. I have a recorded version of it.

But you didn’t release it?

I don’t know. We were supposed to release that. I thought that we would be releasing that with this record. It’s what we were talking about, but I don’t know. But I do have it recorded. [laughs]

Read on – story continued on page 2

Ottawa, Ontario based metal band Slyde first came to our attention when they played Indie Week music festival back in October last year. With their flying V’s, windmills and ridiculous arpeggios, the band made a big first impression. Three months later, and with half the band now relocated to Toronto, Music Vice caught up with Slyde during their January mini-tour of southern Ontario. Taking their musical inspirations from European melodic metal bands such as Soilwork, prog rock and video game music of 80s and 90s, while throwing political lyrics and ridiculous arpeggios, Slyde offer something a bit different to the current rock scene in Canada.

My first thought of Slyde was that they seemed to me to be straight out of Wayne’s World. With some geekish qualities that other rock bands may hide behind their Ray Bans or cigarettes, Slyde are a fun band to watch and provide a breathe of fresh air to a typically broody metal scene. The fun side of Slyde was reconfirmed when I met the band again earlier this month, with Nicholas Favretto warming up for the show by doing various stretches on the dance floor… Stretches that are much needed given the amount of time that Slyde spend spinning their long-haired heads in windmills on stage.

Nathan Da Silva (guitar/vocals), Sarah Westbrook (keyboards) and bassist Nicholas Favretto spoke to me about their influences, politics, social consciousness, conspiracy theories and their ambitions as a band, including taking on Europe. The full video interview is below, together with live footage from the band’s tour earlier this month.

© Brian Banks, Editor, Music Vice

Internet links: Visit Slyde at Slyde.ca for links to their music and find them on Facebook

Big thanks to Slyde for lending us their own video camera for this interview – that’s indie community spirit!

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

Lee MacDougall – photo credit Lisa Serrano

Music Vice first came across Lee MacDougall last summer, when it was announced that he would be supporting ex-Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock, at London’s famed 100 Club. Less than two weeks after that performance, Lee was opening for Bon Jovi at Hard Rock Calling in London’s Hyde Park! Talk about a fast track break into the mainstream! A cross country tour of The United States ensued soon after, as well as stream of opening spots with Atlantic Music songstress Rumer [who Lee describes as “the most grounded and down to earth person I've ever met in the music industry”].

Every artist has a story to tell and Lee Macdougall’s biography reads almost like a Brothers Grimm tale! Growing up in the seaport village of Grimsby, Lee MacDougall seemed destined like most of his school friends for a small town life, working in the towns fish processing plants. However, Lee took off to the big smoke of London soon after University and worked hard at ‘lucking out’.
Wih his raw lyrics and charismatic personality, it didnt take Lee long to link up with a number of Londons top live promoters, and the twenty-something year old was soon playing the capitols live circuit. It seems that despite the inevitable ups and downs of the industry, Lee has managed to find his own niche, and if 2011 is anything to go by then 2012 looks to be an exciting year for the would-be factory worker from Grimsby.

Sounds Like: a cuppa with Tom Petty and Rod Stewart! Lee takes his inspiration from classic acts, The Beatles and The Kinks; but shows his age in musical moments that draw more from the Nirvana and Oasis sets.

INTERVIEW: Music Vice’s Ngawara caught up with Lee in London recently to discuss New Years Resolutions…

So! 2012! Happy New Year! How are you Lee? Any New Years Resolutions? What are the main things youre focusing on as an artist as you get the ball rolling with twenty twelve?

Lee: Happy New Year to you too! I asked my friend about resolutions the other day and she said “to drink less”, and I like to be different so I guess mine would be to drink more [laughs] Let’s not mess about! I don’t know, I always feel really positive with a new year, it always feels like a new beginning or a second chance… The first half of the year I will be constantly on tour in Europe and the USA, and then with the second half of the year ideally I am hoping to finish writing and recording a new record.

A lot ahead of you then! Sounds very productive. One thing that stood out to us at Music Vice about you as an artist, is the fact that for an English singer/songwriter, you have a suprisingly strong American fanbase. You have been on two tours there so far. Can you tell us a little bit about where youve been and how that situation came to be?

Lee: I just think that people in the US and Canada are intrigued a little by us Brits, just in the same way we are intrigued by them. Music is always a little more exotic when it has traveled 4000 miles to be heard and it is sung with a funny accent. I did two 35-date tours of the US and Canada last year and I’m about to start a third tour in March. Basically playing in everywhere. New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Vancouver… all the major cities. It all came about through the Internet and my online fan base who are absolutely amazing. Things can spread pretty fast these days and fortunately for me things seemed to spread really quickly online enabling me to jump on a plane and start touring.

…but you are also quite busy with your trips over to Germany and other places in the EU. Where would you say your strongest fanbase is thesedays?

Lee: Yeah the people in Germany have been really supportive too. I love playing out there, it’s a really great place. Though funnily enough i get tonnes of letters from Australia and Brazil. I definitely need to get out and visit those countries in the near future

The “singer/songwriter” niche is a heavily contested spot and there is quite a bit of competition in your field thesedays…

Lee: I don’t think being a singer songwriter is anymore contested than anything else to be honest. There are always going to be lots of singers and lots of bands, but it’s not a competition. There’s always room for a good song.

Do you have a thing that sets you apart from the regular crowd? A ‘thing’ as it were?

Lee: Well I’m not really into gimmicks and all that. I just sing the songs that I write, and don’t really pay much attention to what other people are doing. I’m from Grimsby: I don’t think that anyone from Grimsby has had a record out before, maybe that could be my thing!

You recently supported songstress Rumer on tour for her Northern English dates, how did those shows go?

Lee: Yeah those shows with Rumer were incredible, the best I’ve ever played. It’s a funny feeling walking out on your own each night to sing to 2,000 people in a huge concert hall. The venues were really beautiful and the acoustics in those places were awesome. I started unplugging my guitar after a while and singing without the mic, I don’t know if anyone has ever done that in venues that big before but it seemed to work really well. You could hear a pin drop.

Will you be doing any more with her and her camp this year?

Lee: Yes, well hopefully I can do some more shows with her this year, either in the UK or the US. She has a phenomenal voice and is probably the most grounded and down to earth person I’ve ever met in the music industry.

What other artists have you played alongside?
Lee: I’ve played alongside some really great artists in the last couple of years; Train, Paolo Nutini. I opened at the Hyde Park Calling Festival in London where Bon Jovi was headlining, and Glenn Matlock from the Sex Pistols asked me to open for him recently at the 100 Club in London, that was a really cool show.

Those are some pretty big names! Grimsby must seem very far away at times. Okay, so something i always like to ask, because it says a lot about an artist an their musical personality; if we were musically introducing somebody to ‘Lee Macdougall’, which song of yours should be played first?

Lee: I’d go with a song of mine called “She”.

When are your next shows coming up? Touring or showcase plans?

Lee: I start a 5 week tour of Germany and Austria on January 19th, and then it’s back to the USA for SXSW and a 2 month tour in March.

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Lee MacDougall – “She”:

Internet links:
LeeMacDougallmusic.com You can also find Lee on Twitter @LeeMacDougall and on Facebook.

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie!

One particularly cold and Christmassy night last week in the village of Highgate in North London, Gerry O’Boyle’s famed public house, “The Boogaloo”, had a queue that went out the door and all the way down the otherwise empty street. There was a buzz of excitement in the air and if you peered through the misted up windows you would have seen a gathering crowd of dapper looking young men forming a swift pile up around the bar. Every table and chair in the venue was occupied and they were turning people away at the door. What was the cause for all the excitement you ask? Well, it was a Christmas Party… hosted by The Rifles.

We first introduced you to The Rifles on Music Vice in 2009.

The Highgate party has become an annual event for the band and it is a massive highlight of the year for their legion of adoring fans. The band were back in town following an extensive tour in promotion of their [long awaited] new album Freedom Run; one which was received to mixed reviews by the UK press but high praise from indie concert-goers. One twenty-something footballer from Kent was heard declaring: “This is the best moment of my life!” only changing it to “second best..” [to the birth of his new son]… and then “tied second” [to his wedding day] when his wife glared back at him!

This is a band who are growing up and bringing their music with them. Frontmen Joel and Lucas are more “men” than “boys” these days – all grown up with kids of their own; plucking their artistic inspiration from the romance of their everyday lives.

When I arrived at the Boogaloo to interview ‘The Rifles’ the place was already packed out. Someone led me upstairs to a lounge where they were sitting. The room was decked almost like a museum – mounted and signed photographs of rock and roll greats adorned the walls, and there was a large golden sculpture of an elephant staring right at me as I took my seat… very swank! I looked around in impressed amusement before shaking hands and introducing myself. Outside a police car sped past wailing its siren in hot pursuit.

Ngawara Madison, MusicVice.com – So, how does it feel to be back (playing) in a local pub? (I attended their album launch party for in Shoreditch a few months back, and I remember it being absolutely rammed full of people.)

“Ah MJ’s thing!” [Mike Johns], Joel smiles, “Yeah.. the promoter is a friend of ours. We went to school together. We’re playing the New Years Eve show [for “This Feeling”] too..”

There’s one of those XFM Djs who does it [“This Feeling”] too – Steve Harris right? He’s a character…

Lucas grins at the mention of the DJ’s name – He’s a good lad! Have you met him?

I have. I ran into Steve Harris backstage at Brixton Academy when I was interviewing a band earlier this year. Steve was hanging out with some of the same people and had come to check out The Lines and Peter Doherty

Lucas – Yeah, yeah, he’s a good lad, Steve.

Who inspired you to get into music? Do they cite Oasis as influential? [Everyone in this country seems to answer 'Oasis' when I ask that question...]

Lucas ponders -  “Yeah. I suppose there wasnt as much competition back then [when Oasis were ruling the scene].. Not like these days where bands are a dime a dozen almost. But perhaps now its quantity more than quality.

Joel – Back then when we were growing up it was a dance scene… and then Oasis turned up and changed the whole fad. They brought the attention back to live bands again, and were a huge influence at the time.

Do The Rifles have a similar appeal?”

Lucas – There’s an element of the Oasis crowd that are definitely our crowd as well, yeah.

What has the band been up to since the album was launched?

Joel – We did a live tour and then a couple of gigs and press junkets here and there.  It’s been pretty cool.

Lucas – Pretty much as soon as you’ve got the album out you’ve got to go on tour and play it out. its been really good actually! It is nice to be here though. This is kinda a regular thing we do . Every Christmas we come and play here [at The Boogaloo]. It’s a friend of ours’ who owns it, a guy called Gerry. Hes got this amazing place though look – here’s Johnny Cash!

Lucas points over to a large framed portrait of Johnny Cash pulling the middle finger at the camera. He picks it up and shows me the back of the frame which reads: “May the wind be always at your back and the road rise to meet you” and signed by Johnny and June Carter Cash.

Lucas – That’s a bit of history innit! He’s a bit of  a character Old Gerry.

Joel – He’s a lovely guy and hes got an old school way of working. You know what I mean.

Yeah, I know. The ‘lifers’ aren’t as common thesedays. People aren’t in it for the long haul so much anymore. So many bands and promoters give up when the going gets tough. “The online thing seems so important these days” I sigh.

….What are their feelings on the Youtube generation?

Lucas – Eventually everyone has to prove themselves the old fashioned way and only those with talent will hopefully make a career of it.

How apt that tonight we are having this conversation upstairs room in an indpendant pub. There’s no pretension here at all.

Joel – We’ve built our fan base up on playing live though really. Forever playing gigs.

Lucas – I think that that’s going to be the rarer thing, like, as time moves on; to have bands that have like six or seven albums. I see the Black Keys are just starting to break through now and they’re on their seventh album you know.

Joel – An album that’s going to end up being something that’s solid, and something people will respect in the long run because there is so much there to follow..”

 It takes a lifetime of hard work to become an overnight success they say.

Joel – Yeah its getting rarer innit, bands that have a long career? Think what it’ll be like in ten years!

We laugh, but there’s a genuine feeling of almost disappointment at the artistic bleed that has resulted from the technological advancement of our generation. What do they think of the rise of the ‘Youtube star’ phenomenon, and the over-use of auto tune?

Lucas – Kinda goes against creativity doesn’t it?

Yeah or speeds it up, I don’t know…

Joel – It is exciting, I mean like, instruments.. Like when you get live instruments together. A live band, a live show is the ONLY thing, the only experience you can not get over the internet these days. It’s true innit!

Despite its downpoints though, its undeniable that Twitter can be very helpful for bands when it comes to keeping their fans up to date with their shows and music. Do The Rifles tweet?

Joel – Yeah I sort of do the tweeting but I’m not really precious about it. I think its nice for the fans to know and keep up with what you’re doing.

Like what kind of coffee you drink?

Joel – Yeah I don’t go into it like that! Im not weird, you know what I mean?! I just try to let them know what’s going on. I don’t understand like, if you’re just, like a normal person – you’re tweeting about what you had for breakfast and what you’ve been doing.

Yeah. Your bowel movements!

Joel – Yeah its very weird. I cant imagine being that fascinated by someone else to need to know their every single movement. Every second of every day. Its that whole thing. We’re losing the dance, the whole romantic thing… People used to do things in a certain way, and thats dying. Now its all like, we all tweet each other and the world will know about it and there’s no romance there. Nothing is private anymore…I mean I can understand people wanting to know about their favourite bands or fucking idols or whatever people they admire but to a point. It can be crazy yeah. There’s such a thing as too much!

Have you played outside the UK?

Joel – We’ve done quite a lot in Germany and Holland. We’ve got a pretty good following in Germany. It’s always been that way, it sort of our second watering hole really yeah?”.

Lucas – Yeah its like a second home isn’t it? We’ve been to America too. East Coast..We haven’t been to California and that, but we’ve been to New York and Chicago, and that way. East Coast.

 The Rifles have been together for almost a decade now and that’s like 50 years in “band years” [they're like cat years]; how do you continue to find new things to write about?”

Joel – Things in life inspire you. If you’re alive theres going to be things that happen to you and things around you that pop up and grab your attention. I think its pretty much impossible to not have things around you that inspire you, daily, but it doesn’t have to be music [inspiration sources] basically.

I guess not, I suppose its like maturity in general. The subjects that you’re interested in at say 16 are going to be different to the things that are relevant to you as a thirty something year old…

Joel – Yeah thats very apparent. Our lives from the first album to the third, things have changed a lot for us. They’re not similar at all.

Are you guys settled down? Is that where the change extends from?

Joel – Yeah, we’ve both got kids.

Are they little rocker babies? (I always envy those kids at music festivals – the cool babies with a peace signs painted on their cheeks, tie dyed nappies…)

Joel – Kid with a Slash hat! Yeah he quite likes dancing but no I don’t think he’s ready for a festivals yet – don’t think a festivals ready for him!

Lucas – He’s really into trains innit!

Joel – Hey, if you’ve got a train in your hand then you’re alright!”

There’s this old guy down the road from where I live who has taken over a garage; he has this massive train set and there’s this club of old men, about twelve of them who play trains there in the weekend…

Joel – Haha, my kid would love that!

Maybe if you guys are still playing together when you’re sixty you can write songs about trains?

Lucas – Yeah!

Joel – Don’t know, don’t know.. if we could possibly get that boring! Please don’t say we’re going to get that boring!

As the rowdy crowd below starts chanting for their heroes to take the stage; I sense that train sets are no where in the immediate future for Joel, Lucas and the rest of the band… they’ve got some music left in them yet before that!

 © Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

The Rifles will play a headline set at the This Feeling NYE bash this Saturday 31 December at Vibe Bar, Brick Lane, London. Advance tickets are sold-out but 200 tickets will be available on the night at the door for £25 each. DJ’s Steve Harris and Mike Johns are also part of the line-up.

The Rifles – “Tangled Up In Love”

Ngawara with Joel and Lucas

Find The Rifles online at TheRifles.net

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

Gianni Luminati, the music impresario best known for fronting reggae/ska band Walk Off The Earth recently caught up with Music Vice for a chat about the year so far. We spoke about his creative collaborations; and the “online game” that is such a vital piece of the music industry these days. Gianni has had a busy year recording with his band, maintaining a strong online and festival presence, and has also been working on a new project with Sarah Blackwood of The Creepshow fame.

The duO have racked up hundreds of thousands of views on their Youtube videos, including an Adele cover with over 300,000 views,  and are set to release their first full record in the new year entitled Gianni and Sarah. Multitasking so many projects would be overwhelming for some, but we’re not talking about your average reggae stoner musician here: this guy may lay around in hammocks but you can bet he’s working on some kind of crazy, elaborate composition rather than taking some shut eye as he does it! It is not hard to see why Gianni and his friends are so popular and well liked – characteristically oozing enthusiasm, creativity, and charisma from his pores, Gianni presents his intricate arrangements with the ease of a seasoned entertainer, and a great sense of humour. Gianni has featured in a steady and well received stream of ‘trending’ Youtube videos that you can check out on the popular video website, from the links below. But first of all I’ll let you in on our conversation…

Christmas Interview with Gianni Luminati (Walk Off The Earth):

Ngawara Madison, MusicVice.com: Hi Gianni! Thanks so much for taking the time to catch up with us here at Music Vice. I’ve been enjoying checking out your Youtube channel… you have quite an online presence it seems! A lot of the videos are very tongue in cheek, colourful and fun. I especially like your videos that youve made with Sarah Blackwood. You two recently recorded a cover of the Pogues classic ‘Christmas in New York’. Was the video actually shot in New York?

Gianni: Yes The Pogues song we did was actually shot in New York City. My nephew Myles scored the lead roll in the Broadway Musical Billy Elliot. Sarah and I decided to go and visit him. We both really love that song, so we thought it would be fitting to perform it sitting on a roof top in Times Square…

Wow that’s awesome about your nephew, you must be really proud of him! I actually think i saw a video you shot with him. You were singing a cover of “Blackbird”.  But back to Sarah and you; where are you usually based? And could you just briefly explain, how this duo came together?  Because I know you’re quite busy already with your band [Walk Off The Earth]…

Gianni:  We are based out of Burlington, Ontario.  So I guess we are very much a Canadian duo, although we have plans to make videos in random city’s around the world. Sarah and I first started working together about 3 years ago although we did know each other a bit longer than that.  I recorded and co-produced her second solo album with her at BTown Sound Recording Studio. During that time,  Marshall [from WOTE] and I were writing this song called “Joan and Bobby” and we were looking for a female singer to fit the part. I knew Sarah was perfect for it.  I’ve never meet someone who is just as obsessed with making music as I am. So when she was free from touring with The Creepshow and I wasn’t busy with Walk Off The Earth stuff, we would always find ourselves working on songs together.  Since then we have slightly incorporated her in our live WOTE show and she has incorporated us in her solo project live show… it works out quite well!

Sarah and I have also written a bunch of cool original songs for our side project entitled “Gianni and Sarah”.
We will be releasing an EP sometime in mid 2012.

I didn’t realise this had been going for such a long time. But it makes sense upon hearing how comfortably you niche together. Would you say that the music with Sarah is kind of taking over from the band [WOTE] or are you just a great multi-tasker?

Gianni: Not taking over from the band, but going hand in hand i guess. Sarah has actually been helping me out with some of the many tasks that arise in the Walk Off The Earth project. She has sort of taken on a manager/booking agent roll for us.  So I would not say working with her has taken any time away from the band at all, no… in fact it has done the opposite.  Also, Marshall has been quite busy the last year with the birth of his baby.  So other than writing and recording the new WOTE album there hasn’t been much time for me to work on videos with him. This leaves me time to work on stuff with Sarah in the Walk Off The Earth downtime.

I know I said earlier that I was quite new to your stuff with Sarah; but I have certainly seen you perform with “Walk Off The Earth” a number of times.. at Warped, and I think at a Johnstones concert also. You and your band seem to be quite the social butterflies. You’ve toured and played shows with a stack of different bands over the past few years and then there are a load of people within the music scene that speak highly of you. Is it true that youre friends with Ryan Long and Jarek and the Johnstones boys? I saw you did a collaboration with Ryan Guay from Street Pharmacy too who are from a similar touring circuit… any other bands you’re good friends with?

Gianni: Yes,  those boys are all stand up dudes and we love playing shows and drinking beers with them!  We are also very good friends with Saint Alvia, The Organ Thieves and probably a few other outfits that have slipped my mind right now.

There seems to be a great comradery between Ontario ska bands I’ve noticed…

Gianni: Well you know, there are thousands of bands out there to compete against; so I’ve never understood why bands try to compete with bands that they know and play with.  It’s much better to stick together and share your fans and help
promote each other as much as possible, especially when you actually like their music.

For sure, I totally agree with that. The more the merrier, I guess as long as youre comfortable and confident in the originality of your sound then other bands are not competition anyway. Talking of other bands and appreciating other bands’ music… you do a lot of videos where you take a song we’re familiar with and do your own personal take or cover of it. What are your influences? Because some of your versions are really quite different to the original song you’re covering..

Gianni: Well I guess my influence would be my brain!! [laughs] Sometimes when I hear a song, I just hear it performed in a different way in my head.  I’m a strong believer that if you are going to cover a song, you must change it enough from the original so that it has a new feel. I don’t understand why people cover songs exactly the same as the original. As for  influences… I am not strongly influenced by any particular band or artist. I like keep to my music listening to a broad spectrum so I don’t get bogged down into a particular sound.

That’s probably why its hard to place some of your bands music into a particular niche or genre boundary. So here’s a question.. if someone had never heard any of your music before, which song or video would be the one you would like them to see first? Which tune do you think gives the best and most reliable first impression of what you’re about?

Gianni: As for our music, I would want them to listen to any of the new songs off our new album due for release early 2012. We’ve been working super super hard on these songs over the past year and I think they are our best stuff to date.

As for the cover videos, some of our fan favourites are: “Roll Up”, “Someone Like You” or “Karma Police”. Our original song “Corner of Queen” is also a good video that would represent Walk Off The Earth to a new fan.

Brilliant I’ll be sure to have a perusal of those ones then! Just one more question before we tie it up. You have an impressive number of videos online and seem to be collaborating left, right and centre! What are your main goals and projects as we venture towards the New Year?

Gianni: New Years Resolutions? Okay well our main goal for 2012 is to keep working our asses off on music and to increase our YouTube followers from 30,000 subscribers to at least 100,000 subscribers.  We’re also going to release our third album and have plans to tour the hell out of it.  We really want to get over to Europe and mainly UK due to the fact that a HUGE part of our online followers are from there and we have a lot of people asking us to come there as of late. We are also hoping to get on another leg of Warped Tour this summer so we can get back to the US.  Other than that, you can expect to see us doing some one-offs around the Greater Toronto Area.

 © Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Walk Off The Earth are playing alongside Disband favourites Street Pharmacy for Boxing Day in Niagara.

Internet links: You can stay up to date with The WOTE project on their Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/walkofftheearth and check out their videos at www.youtube.com/walkofftheearth.

Share and discuss using the links below. Follow Music Vice on Twitter at @MusicVice. Long Live Indie.

The Special Ks have featured a number of times on the soundtrack to UK soap Made in Chelsea and have gigged heavily over the summer circuits this year.  Music Vice reporter Ngawara Madison recently caught up with the boys at their London launch party at The Bowery for their new single, “Crystal Fields”.

The Special Ks with Caggie Dunlop

The Special Ks first caught my ear, and eye a few months ago when I was forwarded a link to a music video called “BOA”. I wrongly expected some kind of euro-dance, strobe-light infused number; but was instead presented with a lurid [albeit distressingly catchy] musical tale of a beautiful girl controlled by her obsessive lover. The video was a dark, mature filmic debut for the band; shot in Birmingham by an independent production company who have also worked with indie favourites Mamas Gun. Never before have I been so pleased to replace an initial misconception! This is a band that can do pop but can also act their own age, so do not make the misstep of disowning them as a generic, irrelevant, or over-commercialised outlet.

So where did Howard and his band of merry men start out? The story goes that they were discovered out of music college back in 2008 by the same team responsible for the development of the Kooks! Mat, Gan, Howard, Ryan, and Darren, have worked painstakingly hard over the past few years to obtain a strong fanbase, both in their hometown, and across the UK. The band are massive on the Brighton scene and hold somewhat of a local celebrity status; however something tells me that this social popularity would exist somewhat regardless of their commercial success as the guys are all naturally charismatic and endearing.

Read on for my interview with The Special Ks…

Ngawara: Hello guys! Thanks for chatting with Music Vice. Big congrats on the new single,  “Crystal Fields”! It must feel great to see such an awesome turnout at The Bowery, here in London for the release. I really do think that this song is one of your strongest tunes Ive heard yet! What is this tune about?  

Howard:  The song is actually about my spider bite! I was bitten by a ‘White Tail’ spider out in Australia a few years ago and I now have a reoccurring wound on my left wrist!  The bite occasionally opens up, and it is extremely painful. It can happen whenever, and when it does, it takes over my whole body and mind. “Crystal Fields” is about when the bite opened up in the middle of the night. My girlfriend was with me and tried to talk me into a more peaceful state, this is where the image of “Crystal Fields” came: it’s about the battle to forget pain, whether it’s from a poisonous spider or a broken heart.

That’s very gory and a unique inspiration for a song! So this new single is based on a personal experience of yours, Howard… who is the main songwriter in the band?

Howard:  As far as songwriting goes, there is not one ‘main songwriter’ in the band. A song can come from anywhere with us, a keyboard line, a guitar/bass riff, a vocal melody, even an iPhone app. As soon as there is some sort of rough idea all five of us will get into a room and mould it into a song…

Very cool. You guys seem really well balanced as a band. There must be a lot that goes on behind the scenes to prepare for a night like tonight, and there certainly is a great turnout for the launch tonight. I was chatting to a number of people earlier, and some have really travelled quite a distance to be here tonight in London.

Matt: Yeah, over the last couple of months we’ve been selling out our shows in London and Brighton, it’s been great and we thank everyone for making the effort to come. We’ll be on tour next year from late Jan 2012 so people won’t have to travel to come and see us – we’re coming to them. It’ll be great to check out all the different places.

You’ve worked really hard at this for the past few years, gigging extensively all over the country. How long have The Special Ks been together and where did you meet?

Darren: I met Howard on my first day of moving to study music in Brighton actually. So a few years ago.  From there it wasn’t long before we had met the other members either through friends or at house parties etc.  Brighton’s music scene is such a close-knit community where everyone knows each other so it doesn’t take long to meet other musicians! From there we rehearsed and wrote a LOT, quickly getting a set of songs together which we gigged with all over the country.  I think we played over 100 shows within our first year of forming!

A hundred shows! No wonder you guys have such a tight setup now! People say that you learn a lot from living with friends, and I guess its probably similar when you’re touring in a band. Living in each other pockets. Nice to see you’re still as enthusiastic and close. In that note, you guys seem to be really great friends as well as band mates. Is the lineup today the same as it has always been, Tom?

Tom: It definitely helps being friends with the band as we spend so much time together. The line-up has had a few minor adjustments since we started the band but the important thing is that I’m still here, as the key to a successful band is continuity in the bass player department!!!

Brilliant. Well don’t go anywhere Tom! You’d be like Geri Halliwell leaving the Spice Girls – they were never the same after that!! Now the name… “The Special Ks”.. What does this name mean? Ive heard many different ideas but I don’t know if any of them are correct. Your name is like the number seven on a bottle of Jack Daniels, whats the story? Has it got ANYTHING to do with the breakfast cereal?

Howard:  No the name has nothing to do with the cereal! I don’t really even LIKE the cereal! The names actually from Facebook of all places! My last name is ‘Kaye’, when I moved to Brighton one of my cousins created a Facebook group called ‘The Special Ks’, it was for all the ‘Kaye’s’ in the world to join. I thought it sounded quite cool and so it stuck. Hopefully it will soon get to the point when people just associate the name to the music rather than the cereal.
When you think of ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ you instantly think band. We’ll see!

That said… perhaps it could be a great marketing ploy slash product/music collaboration? You guys would be great as a backdrop to a cereal commercial, no?

Matt: Bring it on! We don’t have any affiliation with Kellogs though!

If I bump into anyone from Kelloggs Ill have to mention it and tell them you’re grrrrrreat.

Have you guys played abroad yet? Do you feel like its a fashionable thing to be British these days?  

Darren: We have played abroad actually; we were actually lucky enough to play a huge festival out in the Maldives. We spent nine days on our own private beach resort, played a gig to thousands of people, and had one of the best holidays of our lives!

I think British music is definitely fashionable abroad, especially in Europe where touring British bands seem to receive a lot of good attention. We would love to take The Special Ks music to Europe and across the water to America and Canada.  Definitely something we’d like to achieve in the future.

One of the starlets from the E4 ‘reality drama’ Made In Chelsea, Caggie Dunlop, turned up to support you guys at the launch.  hear the show is set to  be broadcast in American soon.. any word on whether they would be using the same soundtrack?

Tom:  I’m not too sure. American shows do seem to have a lot of British music on them so if pushed for an answer I would say “erm… yeah, probably”.

Ok just before we round up, Christmas is coming!! What are your guys’ plans for the holidays? Any shows? Who is spending the holidays where and what are your plans for New Years Eve? Are you playing or partying, or both?

Howard: I am looking forward to just getting home for Christmas, spending a bit of time in London and really resting for the manic next year..

Gan: I intend on fattening myself up over Christmas and I predict I will suddenly get quite thirsty on New Year’s Eve.

 We must use the same palm reader because I was predicted something similar for New Years eve! How about you Darren, what are your plans?

Darren:  I will be back in Essex with my family at Christmas, raiding the cupboards and fridge for all the extra food which is in the house during this time! I haven’t settled on plans for New Years Eve just yet, but I’m thinking I’ll be back home for a night out with friends in Brighton.

Ngawara: Excellent. Well thanks ever so much for  catching up with MUSIC VICE! Good luck with the single, good luck with the impending new year and looking forward to seeing a lot from you guys in the future!

Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Internet links: The Special Ks

The Special Ks – “Crystal Fields”:

Say Hello To is a shiny new ‘Introducing’ series on Music Vice, spotlighting upcoming independent artists who we feel you should know about. As ever, we’ll be sticking to the editor’s mandate of “quality, not quantity”. To kick off, we invite you to say hello to London, UK band Dirty Hands…

Christmas is just around the corner, the cold weather is upon us and there seems to be a stream of party invites rolling in the door! If you’re anything like me then you’re itching for some high energy party tunes to get you in the mood for hitting the town and getting your dance on! If Justin Bieber’s auto-tuned Christmas Carol is NOT your cup of tea and you’re seeking something with a bit more bite; then good news – I have a great new band to tell you about that is fresh on the London live scene: Dirty Hands.

Dirty Hands are a London based three piece, formed only this year, who play a flawless and exuberant blend of Punk and 1950′s style rock and roll. They are causing quite a stir about town and are leaving a very favourable impression on this side of the pond. The abundance of reviews and tweets about this band reads like a bed post covered in notches of satisfaction! I recently caught up with my friend Rob to check this band out in North London and had so much fun that I lost track of time and had to run in order to catch the last train home!

To quote The Independant:
“[They're like] The Strokes meets tough fifties rock and roll. As angsty and heartfelt as a James Dean movie”, and when I went to check a show out for myself I had a blast. I was blown away by their exciting stage presence, infectious energy, and not mention undeniably catchy tunes.

This band gives you a taste of perhaps what our parents go on about when they look back with rose tinted glasses on the pop culture and bands of their youth. Dirty Hands play like a band from the days of Cheers, Black and White photographs, Teddy Boys, Danny Zuko, and Drive in movies. This is what rock and roll was all about – before the days of studio effects and product placement; before the days of tween-age Disney pop, The X Factor and Simon Cowell. This band are not influenced by modern bands, but rather by the classics of their parents. Back in the Fifties the bands were in it for the sex, drugs and rock and roll. Now I’m not saying that the boys are debaucherous pirates; in fact they came across extremely pleasant and meticulous; but this is a band that are in it for the music and were certainly not afraid to sweat on stage.

So put away the powder and stress less as we approach the festive season. And put this bands music on to warm you for a good night out. You can check out Dirty Hands on the web at www.dirtyhandsforever.com for upcoming details of gigs [UK readers]. The boys are looking ahead to the future with an open attitude and said they would be very interested in ‘crossing the pond’ to Canada if the opportunity so arises. The band have posted their track “Baby Lifes too Short” on their website, accompanied by a slideshow of some of the photos that inspired their sound. With a string of dates booked for the new year, watch out for this name. This is one band you’ll be happy to introduce your friends to!

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Ngawara and friend with Johnny and Jack from Dirty Hands

Toronto based band Rebel Emergency have come a long way since being declared Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge’s ‘Next Big Thing’ back in 2008. Skip forward to 2011, as this year saw the band release their third studio album Aphrodisiology,  support Snoop Dogg, and tour across the country to glowing reviews. Ngawara Madison for Music Vice catches up with singer Roddy Colmer for a chat about the new record and touring.

Roddy! So happy to be catching up with you because I know how busy you guys have been. How was your summer? Let me in on some of your highlights.

Roddy: Yeah it’s been a few years for sure… Man, I remember our first show ever was at the Horseshoe in Toronto and we were inviting out labels, thinking we were gonna get signed that night! Haha. Thanks for the nice words, we had a great year, it was really fun writing and recording that album and we are all really happy with how it came out. We got to play in Western Canada for the first time which was also really great. Makes you appreciate the country more being in British Columbia and seeing how beautiful it is. We got to meet and make a lot of new fans out west which was marvellous, its always cool to check out the music scene in different cities and even to see how crowds react differently in certain places. I think we took some big steps this year and now we are ready to open our Christmas presents, play with them, and then get ready to rock out harder in 2012.

I’m pleased you were able to catch up because its always a pleasure to hear from you and hear about the band. I was talking to some friends the other day and it seems that you’ve really charmed a good chunk out there…

Honestly as a band we don’t try to act in any certain way or search out compliments, we just write and play our music and hope that people like it. And if they don’t I hope they find other cool music that inspires them or makes them happy. Each fan we meet or talk to online is very important to us and we really try to make an effort to make them feel good about investing their time and energy into our band.

It’s nice to see you hold such appreciation for, and consideration towards your fans. Relating to the subject of fan bases; I just wanted to speak about genres and style. Rebel Emergency are described as being “a blend of Rock, Reggae and Ska”. Certainly in Canada I find that there’s a saturation of Rock and Ska music.

One thing I like about our band is that you can’t really place the sound. There are obvious influences but it’s an interesting mix and nothing is forced. I think on Aphrodisiology we are closer to defining our sound but we are still growing as musicians and trying to reach our potential together. We learned a lot recording our first two albums with Commissioner Gordon, who did Lauryn Hill’s  Miseducation album and worked with Amy Winehouse and Damian Marley and a ton of wicked artists. We were kind of thrown into the fire with him, he just put us in a room and said “show me what you got” and he liked what we had and we learned a lot from him in a short amount of time; mostly about letting the music breathe, letting mistakes happen. It was really an organic process of making music which we have kept ever since. We don’t try to distinguish ourselves, the music we make is just what happens when us four guys get in a room and start making noise.

Organic approach, I like it. You know what I was meaning to tell you, but I cant get that “Lion in a Cage” song of yours out of my head! The one with KO on it. That song puts me in such a good mood!

Yeah KO is great. That song was really fun to put together.

Who are you writing for when you write music? Are the songs personal or about general ideas and issues?

There is no target with these songs, musically or lyrically. Music is for everyone and musicians are just vessels for it. It sometimes feels like the song is already in the air or in the room and it is given to you and your job as a musician is to make it as good as it can be so that people can enjoy it. Even if a song is personal to me I will try to write it in a sense that someone can relate to it or hopefully be inspired or feel something from it.  I get upset when I see some bands who have been around for awhile playing their better known songs half-assed. I think you owe it to the song and to the people who love the song and take meaning from it, to play it your best every time forever, even if you have played it 5000 times. There will always be someone there who is hearing it for the first time so you owe it to them to have it live up to their love for it.

Can you tell me about the creative process for making the new record?

Writing lyrics for Aphrodisiology was a challenge and I got some inspiration from interesting places…”Picture this” was written after I saw a video of the flooding in Japan. “Waves come crashing down but theres no drowning hope”…It’s always kind of fascinating to see how people come together after disasters to rebuild, it can be pretty inspiring.  Same thing with ‘Lion in a Cage”. I was watching the Libyan uprising and the lyrics came out pretty quickly “You can’t keep this crowd controlled, unified by common goals…”. There’s  a lot of change going on in the world – it’s been a pretty crazy year.

It sure has been! So was the whole of the new album inspired by current events, or is it a mixture? Were there any other interesting inspirations or subjects that you dove into when writing these tunes?

Ah no, not everything was based on recent events. One I liked writing was the last song on the album “Letters” which was taken from 8 or 9 love letters from the Civil War and WW1. I took a line or two from each letter and put them together to make a song. There were so many beautiful letters from these young soldiers to their girls back home, it was pretty amazing how eloquent these young kids were back then.  I guess writing was the only way they communicated so words were used more thoughtfully back then.

There’s certainly a decline in literary eloquence and letter writing these days. It is all they had. Yeah thats it. Makes me feel almost romantically short changed to exist in the ‘noughties’ rather than back in the olden days of love letter and black and white photography! What a beautiful inspiration to draw upon for a song.

It’s a cliche that we hear a lot in this biz is that you are only as good as your last show. How was the tour this summer, and what were your favourite or most memorable gigs?

Touring was great. The highlight was a tour we did Across Canada with 2 really great Canadian artists, KO and Daniel Wesley. We are all great friends and every show was a party. We each jumped up for parts of each others sets which made it really fun. There was definitely a family vibe on the tour, but we also challenged each other every night and I think it made us all better. The coolest show we played this summer was in Toronto at The Guvernment. Snoop Dogg had heard some of our tracks and likes our band so he called a mutual friend and asked if we would open for him. He’s a very cool dude, exactly how you would want him to be. I’m hoping we get to play with him more next year.

Snoop’s like a living legend these days that must have been a lot of fun!

How do you feel his album differs from your previous recordings as a band?

We had a new producer for this album which made it a different vibe right away. With our first two in New York, we would be set up in a small room together and Commissioner would give us a pep talk and get the best performances out of us… the whole process was really organic. Matthew Von Wagner, who produced Aphrodisiology, was more of a mad scientist in the studio, experimenting with sounds and instruments, he would add some electronic loops or sounds here and there. It was a really different experience but I think it let us stretch out the sonic potential of the songs more. The basic elements of our band are still there, everything is played live to the floor, but there was definitely more time spent on everything surrounding the guitars, bass, drums and vocals.

Wicked.. so almost up with time, but tell me briefly what are the plans for the winter time? Are you playing any more shows? Writing?

We have some shows around Toronto in November and December including a New Years show at The Hard Rock which should be pretty cool. We will be playing a bunch more in December and January close to home and then will probably hit the road come Springtime. We’re hoping to dip into the USA next year and maybe Australia. Always writing, hoping to do another album next year.

Awesome! Sounds like a lot to look forward to. Great catching up Roddy. Thanks for chatting with Music Vice..

Thank you for having me!

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

TWITTER CONTEST! Rebel Emergency have kindly given us 3 copies of their new album to win. To enter, get on Twitter and Tweet or Re-tweet @MusicVice with the following status, including the URL: #Contest Hey @MusicVice, give me swag! I want to win the new @RebelEmergency album Aphrodisiology! http://bit.ly/Reb3l

Make sure you follow us @MusicVice, and send some Twitter love to @RebelEmergency too!

The contest is open until midnight on Wednesday 9 November. Three winners will be drawn at random and contacted by Thursday morning for their mailing address.

Rebel Emergency play tonight, Thursday 3 November, at Tattoo Rock Parlour in Toronto with Hello Beautiful, Bootleg Glory and Courtney Taylor. Doors are at 8.30pm, cover is $10.

Rebel Emergency feat. KO – “Lion In A Cage”

Internet links: Rebel Emergency, RE Facebook

Midlands, UK band The Lines hit the headlines after Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant was quoted as saying “There aren’t many good bands coming out of Wolverhampton, just one great band called The Lines”. The Lines recently finished a touring stint with the notorious Pete Doherty and are gearing up for what looks to be a sold out show at Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton. The Lines caught up with Music Vice on the last night of their tour with Pete Doherty. Ngawara Madison sat with the boys backstage at London’s Brixton Academy to talk about their busy year of touring and whether they would eat more vegetables if Robert Plant told them they should!

MV: Hi everybody this is Music Vice sitting backstage at the 02 Academy in Brixton, London with ‘The Lines’! Okay so can you guys introduce yourselves?

Paddy: Im Paddy and Im the drummer.
Alex: Im Alex and Im front.. guy!
Dean: Im Dean and Im the guitarist..

And he looks like a ‘Dean’ too!
{Laughter}
Danny: Im Danny and I play Bass guitar..

The band just got off stage and you were absolutely fantastic! I really enjoyed a moment where all of a sudden there was this very ‘special’ drum playing going on. You’re from Wolverhampton. Where is Wolverhampton? Can you explain in basic terms...

Alex: It’s the heart of England!

I was reading an article in the Metro [UK Newspaper] the other day that was talking about how theres different musical scenes that trace their origins back to different geographical areas. You could say for example New Orleans has the jazz and the soul kinda side of things; obviously Nashvilles going to have country music… and then it came up and they said that they reckon the Midlands is one of the main areas where you can trace back Rock… especially the harder side of British rock…

Alex: Sabbath…
Dean: Slade.

… And it all comes from that area of England. So that does lead me to what I was going to mention. Obviously it comes up quite a lot that you have a particular ‘celebrity’ fan.. Robert Plant. Hes been known to say some rather nice things about you guys.

Alex: He said [Dean] he looks like a Dean

{Laughter}

Its the best compliment you can give someone! … So Robert Plant! You cant argue with him. That guy has a certain stature. Hes probably one of the most, if not THE most influential rock artists there is.

Paddy: Well I won’t talk to people who don’t like Zeppelin

Well he certainly stands by the fact that you guys know what you’re doing and he likes the way you sound. How do you feel about that kind of pressure upon you though? Are you okay with being ‘the band that Robert Plant made this comment* about’? Do you find that puts extra pressure on to you?

Alex: We’re all pretty okay with it!
Danny: Its quite a nice thing to say really…
Dean: Its good to have that pressure on you so you don’t sorta just sit back and..

Get lazy?

Dean: Yeah, get a bit lazy. We’re constantly sorta working at it. Its good.
Paddy: I suppose when you’re writing new music, you want each song to be better than the last one; so having that sort of extra pressure is only a good thing.

I suppose its kinda like being a child and you’re at school and your parents expect you to be a high achiever..

Alex: Hes not a pushy parent [laughs]

He’s not a pushy parent – he’s not ringing you up being like -

Dean: “Oy have you learned that riff yet?”
Alex: Yeah sending us to bed early…
Paddy: You cant have your supper till you’ve done your practice – and finish your greens!
Alex: Brain Food!

At the same point though, if Robert Plant did ring you up and say that you should probably eat more vegetables do you think you would?

{laughter}
Paddy: Yeah
Dean: Yeah probably

I find him very interesting because obviously hes got Zeppelin, the band that is ridiculously huge; but he has also gone off and done solo work at this later part of his life. He did a couple of collaborations with one of my favourite singers, a bluegrass singer called Alison Krauss…

Band: Yeah.

Do you remember hearing that?

Paddy: That must have been the album before he done Big Easy.
Danny: The Band of Joy… Apparently The Band of Joy is one of the first musical things he ever did. So he has actually gone back.

So what would you say as far as collaborating? You get these bands these days that are more known for their collaborations than they are for their actual music. Would you collaborate with another band or do you find that your style or your sound doesn’t allow this?

Dean: Yeah we’d be open to it. Yeah definitely open to it.. always open to working with somebody else.

What about genre-wise? Have you got a safe zone?

Paddy: I really enjoy some of the dance remixes that people have done for us. And because we’re all quite into our dance music as well so..

Oh really? Cool…

Alex: Yeah we’re all into different genres and some of the dance remixes that have been done they sound really really good. So Id be open to trying to do more stuff like that.

That’s actually quite a big scene at the moment, no? Taking that raw band sound, but then combining it with the electronic music.. and I suppose once you play a song loads its a nice change. What would be the song that you would say you’ve played the highest number of times out of your repertoire?

Alex: Possibly ”Domino Effect”…

That was one of the singles wasn’t it? When did you guys release that?

Dean: Yeah, we released that song through Robert Plants studio label on like a 10 inch vinyl. We’re going back a few years.
Danny: That’s the main acoustic one… but I think recently, we’ve been doing a lot more dance music.
Alex: Not necessarily dance, but more upbeat. We’ve got a load more songs that are just as good [as "Domino Effect"] now.

Yeah that’s good otherwise people would be coming along to the same gig a hundred times…

Paddy: Even when we’re on tour we’ll often only decide the songs we’re performing as we go on stage.

Really? Okay I haven’t heard of that done before. Who’s scribbling out the set list and stapling it to the floor?

Danny: We don’t. I think we just play it.

What you turn around and there’s a particular ‘wink’ that means a particular song is next?

{Laughs}
Danny: Yeah I guess we just see how its going..

Feeling the crowd?

Dean: Yeah. Sometimes it’ll be dance-y, some times itll be kinda like drum and base, sometimes itll be acoustic funk-y. So its good we’ve got a bunch of different genres in there..

So do you say you have a particular group of people that are mainly attracted to your music? Like do you have a niche as far as you are concerned?

Paddy: No not really I think its very broad based. I mean we’ve got people who are properly properly into metal who have gone to our gigs and theyd usually slate any ‘indie’ band under the sun just ’cause they’re indie…

Those are the best characters to convert!

Danny: Itll be like an accomplishment!
Alex: Its always nice if they go “Its not my sort of thing but it was good!”

Just respect I suppose?

Alex: Yeah yeah I suppose. I think we’re trying to do our own sound anyway so it doesnt matter. Theres not a lot of bands out that do it these days, yeah theyre all sort of..

Copycats…

Dean: Yeah Im thinking and I can only think of bands that have been out and done it in the nineties that are especially unique.

A lot of our readers, the ones who subscribe to blogs, twitter and stuff like that; are Canadian but we have people in Australia and England and all over the place. Thats the joys of the world wide web I suppose! I know that you guys… went over to Canada earlier this year and that you played the Canadian Music Week this year, and also South By South West. Have you gone over to the States much as well? You did some business… It was in New York wasnt it?

Paddy: Yeah we did Canadian Music Week, and then travelled down to New York… did two days there and then travelled down to Austin for South by South West and then back up to New York, rounding off the trip with one or two gigs in New York..

Which got pretty good reviews I must add… I was reading a couple. People were quite upbeat about you.

Dean: Yeah it was really nice actually. We got in some well thought of reviews there.
Paddy: And what we were talking about earlier, the difference when we play over there. It went really well. Somtimes you can play in England, in London; and its just, pah…

Bland? There’s something about London; theres such an overflow of bands. I think it takes a lot to get people excited.

Paddy: I think that in America the fact that we’ve got a bit of an “accent” just adds…

It does help doesnt it?

Paddy: Just a little bit, theres that “newness” to it..

Well maybe you’re one of the leading ones as I was saying to the “next British invasion”, cos it does seem to be a trend that happens. Every now and then North America seems to get really into the British “image and illusion”, and the accents are going to go far I think…

Alex: I don’t know about the Midlands accent!
Dean: Yeah you always get it when you go to different countries where you talk and people go “Ah your accents brilliant!”

So you’re saying the difference between American and the UK. You get more enthusiasm on the American edge because you guys are new or foreign?

Dean: Yeah, well a bit; maybe because as you say, in England we’re a British band, in Britain; so there’s so many bands; but when you go abroad it means more.

How do people compare? Did you get some groupies there or any kind of ‘hanger on-ers’ over that side of the pond?

Dean: We’ve got James and Libby
Paddy: We got Texas Pete!

Texas Pete?

Danny: When we turned up at South by South West we had to go the hard way. One guitar amp and some bits and bobs of the drum kit so that Al could do the drum off at the end of the set and we got chatting to a couple of people in the queue who were with us – and it was a massive queue; it took us about three hours.
Alex: Five hours.
Dean: Stupid!
Paddy: We just kept going over the road to get more beers and just left James, our manager, in the queue. But we got chatting to quite a few of the people around us and they came to the show and the gig, the first one… and the second one… and the third. They came to as many as they could. And it was this one chap, Pete; he drove to the house we were staying at on his way back, like as he was leaving Texas; he drove by the house we were staying at just to say goodbye and everything. It was quite sweet.
Danny: Yeah and also there was a band that were in Texas and we all stuck together. After we did our set in Austin we went back to the gig in New York and they came to see us and stayed with us our last night in America.

Proper camaraderie. That’s cool.

Dean: Yeah, so it was cool.

So you’ll stay in touch with them?

Dean: Actually Gus the guitarist from that band just messaged me on facebook today to say hi

Aww… Facebook buddies thats nice!

Alex; We’ve got friends we made our first time in New York who we saw when we were last back.

Dean: It’s quite sereal really to say ’cause New York is such a big place but when we’re playing its like we’ve already got a bit of a following there… following/friends there.
Danny: Yeah and everyone was kinda jumping up and down. We spoke to a lot of people round there and I said ‘that never happens in England’ , like new bands getting that response. But we had people jumping around and dancing.

Sounds rawcous! So you guys are now with Amboy Road records now. Congratulations on that. You’ve supported bands like The Killers, Maccabees, Charletans, and a whole load of different other ones… and tonight at Brixton your supporting Pete Doherty.
You’ve managed to support bands from different genres and styles. When you think about your memories, what’s the lineup that you really just prize?

Dean: Thats a tricky one.. I mean in terms of venues and stuff um the venue we played when we were supporting Ash. In terms of a night that was a big one. Walking out on that stage was amazing.
Alex: We also supported Iain Browning that was a good one. That was a place called The Paradiso.

Huge floor that one.

Dean: Yeah absolutely huge. I think that was one of mine..

Thats your choice?

Dean: Yeah my fondest…

Ngawara: Okay gosh I feel like we could talk music for hours but we are going to have to wrap this one up now! Thanks so much for chatting with Music Vice and all the best for the year ahead and your home show in December. Keep us posted when you hop back over the pond to Canada!

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

For those living in the UK and interested in catching the bands homeground show; be sure to book tickets before they sell out!  The Lines play Wulfrun Hall, Saturday 3 December 2011. Tickets priced £9.50 are  available from Midland Box Office, on 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk.

Exclusive photos of The Lines at 02 Academy, Brixton courtesy of Farid Singh (iSnap by Farid):

The Lines – “Glorious Aftermath” music video:

Internet links:
The Lines

Music Vice recently caught up Ontario Punk Band The Flatliners during their busy European Tour. MV reporter Ngawara caught a show in London and then chatted to singer Chris Cresswell when the guys were in Russia. The bands had a whirlwind of a summer, with shows across Europe and North America. Formed over 10 years ago this is a band that is still kicking, sweating and making damn good music! The Flatliners are currently on tour in the US – find the full dates below the interview.

Interview with singer Chris Cresswell :

N: Hi Chris thanks for taking the time to catch up with Music Vice. Saw you at The London show a few weeks ago and Ive heard from Dorian [Flatliners Tour manager] that the tours been a pretty crazy one all round! Awesome show in London it was.. wicked atmosphere and nice and  loud and sweaty!     

You have some pretty devoted fans who have been supporting the band from the early days. I met a few of them at the bar.  Then the other day I was on twitter and  I saw a tweet that read: “If I woke up tomorrow with a voice like Chris cresswell I could die a happy man.” We thought that was pretty cute!  How do you stay grounded when you are looked up to by so many?  Do you feel pressurised to live up to others standards or do you block it out?

Chris: That is a very flattering sentiment indeed. No pressure though, I’d say. I’m glad folks enjoy the music we write and am honoured that what we do can reside within a strong feeling like that in someone.

N: Yeah it must be a cool feeling. Certainly only positive… So the band has been around for a while now; and in a scene where so many groups come and go in a pretty short space of time. How have The Flatiners managed to survive then?  Does it have anything to do with the strong personal relationships between you guys? Any challenges you guys experience, spending so much time together on a professional and personal level?

Chris: The four of us have known each other almost our entire lives. We’re all childhood friends that wanted to play music, so the history between us all certainly does make traveling as much as we do and spending much time together much easier…

I think that’s a true testament as to how we’ve been able to accomplish all that we have, thus far with the band. It’s all the four of us want to do, and doing it together is really important to each of us.

N: Awesome. So there are a load of fans who have followed you guys from the start; but for those who are newer fans of your music over here in Europe, can you briefly explain how the band came to be? Like, have there been any changes in lineup over the years?

Chris: Well Scott and I met in kindergarten! Basically the first friends each other made in school! It took us years to realize that we both wanted to play guitar, but before that we would hang out and do five-year-old stuff. Those were the days. [smiles] Then Jon and I grew up on the same street and became friends around age seven. Scott, Jon and I went to school together, and one summer Scott and I went to camp and met Paul… The rest is an awkward pre-teen beginning to a band, like any other. Luckily we’re still kicking. This band has always been the same four members, and that makes me happy.

N: And us here at Music Vice too! It was nice to to see you guys in London cos the last time we caught up was in Canada at shows in Welland and um.. at a couple of other Ontario shows. This isnt the first time you have toured Europe and the UK though is it… How do the shows compare between Europe, the UK, and North America? Where would you say your strongest pull is? 

Chris: This past tour in Europe and the UK was our fifth time through! The shows get better and better every time, and the hospitality on that side of the Atlantic is unreal! Touring bands are treated so well over there. It’s really great to see.
The language barrier can be exciting, and more often than not we’ll just look around and see the amazing European landscape and can’t believe we’re here all because we wrote some songs together. I think the craziest shows on this past tour were the ones in Russia. There was SO much energy. We were shown so much love and support while being so far from home. That’s something we’ll never forget.

N: Wicked. So… I had the pleasure of meeting your friends The Arteries who have been supporting you on a stack of your shows here. Theyre Welsh which is a bit different from the norm! And I hear youre bringing them over to support you guys on your North American dates! How did this communion happen and how do you think your US and Canadian fans will react to them?

Chris: The Arteries are a great, great band. Awesome guys too. Just a lot of fun to spend time with. They’ve been killing it so far in Canada, and America will surely show them some love too. We met them a few years ago at a show we played together in London and hit it off instantly. We ended up at a pub nearby Underworld in Camden after a London show and had a drunken dance party.

N: After show drinks and dancing in Camden. Love that part of London. Ok one last question: Fave tour moment so far for each of the band- could be the crudest/lewdest/ randomist thing. I just want the location and the story.

Chris: Ok so the Crudest would be Jon throwing up in the van years ago from smelling Scott’s hangover fart! The most random was meeting Mick Jones from The Clash in Austin, TX!

N: Both memorable in different ways [laughs] Cool well thanks for chatting with Music Vice Chris. Awesome catching up with you guys. I almost felt like i was back in Canada for a bit at the London show! Awesome  

Chris: Yeah! Hey Thanks a lot for the opportunity!

© Ngawara Madison, Music Vice

Check out the band at www.theflatliners.com or on Facebook here.

The Flatliners are currently touring The United States. The dates are below:

————————————–
Tue Oct 18, 2011 – Rockville Centre, NY @ The Vibe Lounge
Above Date w/Broadway Calls & The Arteries

Wed Oct 19, 2011 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East (Upstairs)
Thu Oct 20, 2011 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
Fri Oct 21, 2011 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
Sat Oct 22, 2011 – Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head Club
Mon Oct 24, 2011 – Richmond, VA @ Warehouse
Tue Oct 25, 2011 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Wed Oct 26, 2011 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
Thu Oct 27, 2011 – Tampa, FL @ TBA
Above Dates w/The Menzingers, Broadway Calls, The Arteries &
With The Exception Of CMJ Showcase

Sun Oct 30, 2011 – Gainesville, FL @ The Venue
Tue Nov 01, 2011 – Marietta, GA @ Swayze’s
Wed Nov 02, 2011 – Nashville, TN @ The Muse
Thu Nov 03, 2011 – Louisville, KY @ TBA
Fri Nov 04, 2011 – Buffalo, NY @ Club W
—————————————

Paper Lions; Rob McPhee, David MacDonald, John McPhee and Colin Buchanan

PEI, Canada’s Paper Lions embark on their Fall 2011 tour tonight, starting out in Fredericton, NB. We spoke to the band a few weeks back at the end of their September residency at The Supermarket in Toronto; where there were probably more arm-crossers than the band will see tonight in New Brunswick.

2: Bearded fella, 1: Clean shaven fella. MV: your jovial indie music blog.

MV: So you guys have had a pretty busy month with the Supermarket residency and your Ontario tour. When I heard about this stay in Toronto that you guys were doing, I didn’t realize it would be a full Ontario tour. What places have you guys visited?

2: We’ve been all over- Kingston, Windsor, London a couple times, Sarnia, St. Catherines, Sudbury, Peterborough.
1: Some real off the beaten trail places as far as suburbs of Toronto go- Would you call them suburbs?
2: Peterborough I’d kind of consider like a sub-suburb. I don’t know if Torontonians would consider it that.
2: A massive stone’s throw.

MV: What’s the turn out been for some of those places?

2: Some have been great. Some not so great which is generally the case when you’re playing smaller towns. Toronto is predictably more reliable because there’s just more people.
1: Passionate, passionate response though. Small but mighty crowds across the board you might say.

MV: Probably no arm-crossers.
2: People outside of Toronto  really like to dance. It’s interesting playing shows here (where) if people are really into a show here arms are crossed, but you know- heads are nodding, they’re bopping. If they’re really into it they’ll set their drink down or pinch it between their arm and clap after a song. And that’s when you know that things are really going well. But in places like Peterborough people are dancing and singing and laughing and crying.

MV: They’re just probably excited to see live music.
1: Yeah, I guess it’s not really the hotbed of entertainment to pull from night-after-night, weekend-after-weekend. Much like PEI.

MV: How many days did you guys actually have off while you were here?

2: We had 9 days when there weren’t shows.
1: When we arrived it was nice and sunny and we kind of kicked back and wrote a lot of songs too. We hooked up with some of the bands that have been sharing the bill with us for the residency- we were sharing a practice space with them for the month as well.
2: There weren’t really any days off per say. But it’s been good. It’s been nice for the 4 of us to live together and have that intensity for 31 days.

MV: Who are some of the bands you’ve been jamming with and playing with at the residency?

2: It’s been great. We feel like the Toronto scene has collectively opened their arms and welcomed us warmly.
1: It’s been diverse week-to-week.
2: Allie Hughes played with us the first week.
1: We did a few shows with her at NXNE. Also Nick Rowes played that show from Sweet Thing- another fantastic band we met at the Hillside festival in Guelph. We’ve had Dwayne Gretzsky, Gavin Slade and Green Go- an electric project we’ve been sharing a practice space with. They were on a hiatus for a while, but they got together to do a show with us. Petty Victories as well. This week we’ve got Loom.
1: We’ve been keeping it fresh too as far as our sets go. We’ve been working on a lot of new songs, so each week has been different.

MV: I was able to catch some of those songs that you guys have been putting out each week on Exclaim! Are all of those new songs going onto the LP?

Paper Lions demos by Young Lions Music Club

1: It just depends. Right now we’re in the writing process. Ideally we will have songs to spare. We’re aiming to have 9-11 songs on the new record, so it would be comforting for us to come into those sessions with 15-20 songs we felt good about.
2: Can’t count the chickens before they hatch.

MV: And is it going to be all new material, or are you going to reuse some of the stuff from Trophies?

1: It will most likely be all fresh.
2: It’s not to say that we don’t like Trophies, we’re very happy with the album but you always want to evolve and keep moving forward and we’ve been writing enough to keep triumphantly marching forward towards the future.
1: That would be a great headline- “Paper Lions Triumphantly March Forward Into The Future!”

MV: You guys would need a photo of you done up as spacemen.
MV: Do you all still live in PEI?

2: That is home, yeah.

MV: Do you feel that in the future you may have to relocate to a larger city like Halifax or Montreal or Toronto to continue doing what you’re doing?

1: As long as we’re able to do things like we’re doing right now- which is move to Toronto for a month, I don’t foresee any need to move. Logistically it’s only 18 hours to drive to Toronto or 16 hours to drive to New York. And also it’s a really exciting time in the music scene on PEI- I can’t say I would want to leave it.
MV: Tell me a bit about the scene in PEI? I’m pretty ignorant to it.

2: It’s really blossomed over the last 5-6 years. It’s a small place, but the caliber of bands is pretty high. It’s not competitive, but everyone is going out to each others’ shows. It forces you to get your shit together and outdo each other in a comfortable, non-competitive (way). There’s lots of diversity as well. There’s lots of rock bands, indie rock bands. There’s still a really vibrant folk scene. Both scenes have been doing really well and mixing a lot too.

MV: Do you think that the place that you come from has any influence on the music you write?

1: I think we used to think it would musically, but it doesn’t in the obvious sense. What I mean by that is that we’re not putting fiddles into our music and all that kind of stuff. We can enjoy and appreciate the East Coast music we grew up with, but it doesn’t necessarily shape the music that we’re writing. That being said, I think there’s an atmosphere of musicality that- from a young age everyone picks up a musical instrument- whether it’s a fiddle, a piano, or a guitar. Everyone sings in choir. I think that general east coast sense of music lovers definitely has a large impact on the way we view music.
2: Also too with our new material- lyrically things are really being influenced from where we grew up. We’re drawing a lot from childhood stories and nostalgia from the 4 of us growing up together since we were born basically. So we’ve been reaching back to our home in that way, and it’s been a natural fit for us.

MV: You guys have played with some really cool bands in the past like Rheostatics and Cake. If there was a wishlist of bands you could play with in the future, who would it be?

2: I was a huge Cake fan growing up. Whenever we got asked to do that tour it was a dream come true. And we were actually hand-picked by them which was even more flattering- that it wasn’t political, or about selling tickets. They liked the band and they wanted to give us the chance to go on the road with them. Any band that we have respect for- especially in the Canadian music scene from Arcade Fire to New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara, all these great bands have been putting out quality records for numbers of years. To be able to play with them and pick their brains on what it does take to make it and the comraderie of being a Canadian band on that level would be really fun for a band at our stage.
1: Honestly, we could probably list 50-100 bands that we would be happy to tour with.
2: The list is never-ending basically. It’s always enjoyable meeting bands that share a similar experience and it’s comforting to know that there’s other people that have gone through what you’ve gone through what you’ve gone through (because) there’s a lot of road blocks along the way of trying to make a career out of this in Canada- living in PEI. Having anyone to look up to is comforting.

© Natascha Malta, Music Vice

Paper Lions ‘The Rolling Oyster Revue’:

Internet links: Paper Lions

New Found Glory drummer Cyrus Bolooki (second from right) spoke to us about new album Radiosurgery, out today

Today, Tuesday 4 October, Los Angeles punk rock band New Found Glory released their new album Radiosurgery. NFG drummer Cyrus Bolooki spoke to Music Vice about the new record, explaining how it was inspired by the classic Green Day albums Dookie and Kerplunk while also trying to bridge the gap between old and new pop punk…

The full transcript is below, but as a bonus you can also listen here to the recording of the phone conversation (use your headphones to make it easier to hear…):

Jackee Pollard, Music Vice: I’ve heard the new album – it sounds really good, and more heavier and upbeat compared to your previous albums – so I wanted to know what you thought of the new record?

Cyrus: I think it’s some of our best work, I know that sounds rather cliche but I do think it’s some of our best work. First off, we worked with Neal Avron again who we’ve worked with in the past on some of our records and it was really fun to be in the studio with him again. We call him the unofficial sixth member of New Found Glory. He has great ideas when it comes to mixing and things like that. Neal really pushed us this time around to just bring the best out of ourselves, so even before we got in the recording process Neal was there and he wasn’t afraid to tell us that maybe we can try something different. Even when we gave him the first demos he was like “this is great but I think you can maybe write even better songs”. He was pushing us from day one and I think this helped to make this record a great record.

On top of that, as with a lot of NFG records, we’ve managed to make this record it’s own thing, a unique thing. I think it’s going to really stand the test of time when people look back at it. I think on this record we give a little nod to some of our past influences, some of the bands that got us started, the record’s that we grew up on like Green Day’s Dookie or Kerplunk, or the Descendents, and even the Ramones. These are the bands that started pop punk, and what you hear nowadays, with the modern pop punk sound, we are able to bridge that gap sonically on this record.

I love the new album, I was dancing to it in my room. It’s more upbeat compared to the old stuff and I guess it’s a lot more energetic, you could say.

It’s music that will make you move, and it’s true like you said, it’ll get you dancing right away. It’s lyric that are very identifiable to a lot people because that’s what we go through and we’re not trying to talk about something that we don’t know about.

How are things going with Epitaph?

This is our second release with them. Everything is going great with Epitaph, even from day one and we have been on other labels for a long time, we have been on major labels for a long time. Even though we did go away and look at other options, we came back to Epitaph because they understand it and they are a real record label. They are not worried about the bottom line. I mean of course, they are going to try and make money but they just know that when you’re a record label you put out a band’s record and help them promote it and in turn they sell some records. You release records, you go on tour, and that’s how you make money. Epitaph gets that. And they approached us in that sense. It’s not about “oh let’s sign this crazy contract and we’re going to give you a bunch of money and take a percentage of everything” it was just, “hey, we’ll put out your record, and we’ll put out a record after that and we’ll just do it record by record.” So in that sense Epitaph is being a classic record label and we really needed that and we didn’t see enough of that when we were with the other labels.

Those are the kind of labels you want…

We’ve done this stuff for too long to just go for a record label because of some gimmick or because of who they are, like a name or something. Epitaph is an amazing example of a record label that can continue to thrive regardless of what’s going on in the music world or economy that surrounds it.

We grew up listening to a lot of bands that were released by Epitaph. They’ve released so many historic records in the rock world. Some of us we’re wishing or dreaming that one day we would have an Epitaph release, well now we’re on their label so it’s pretty awesome.

So we touched a little bit on Neal. Is the relationship still the same as where you left off before?

Yeah, for sure. I think all of us are definitely older and Neal’s kids aren’t kids any more, they are all in college. But the same old jokes are still funny and in a lot of ways that’s what made it even better for us on this record because we didn’t have to sit their for a couple of weeks and figure out who this producer is and what kind of person they were going to be. We were able to just get in there and focus on what is important, which is the music and the songs. We were very happy to work with Neal again and in someways we’ve been wanting to for a while, almost ever since we had stopped working too. Looking back, we just needed to do a couple of records on our own and figure out what’s good for us, what’s not good for us. I think Neal, like I said before, is the unofficial 6th member and he really does bring a great mindset to our band which nobody else could.

So you needed the time without him to grow?

Yeah in some ways. You know, you always don’t know what you had until you don’t have it. It was good for us to not do the same thing over and over but on the same token it’s great to be back with him. We had him mix our last record Not Without A Fight which was awesome. He didn’t produce it or anything but I think we were just looking forward to him being in the studio again for the entire process, being involved with every little thing from turning a knob on a guitar all the way up to song structure and stuff like that. And we were so comfortable going to him for those ideas.

So are there touring plans for the new album?

We kick off on the Pop Punk’s Not Dead tour in two days, literally two days after Radiosurgery drops, so that starts on Thursday 6 October. It’s a US tour. Unfortunately there are no plans right now for that exact tour to go all over the world. We’re bring along a lot of bands who are doing really well in our genre of pop punk, and a lot of newer bands too. We’re bringing out Set Your Goals, The Wonder Years, Man Overboard and This Time Next Year. Specifically for this tour, we’re tying to show that this style of music pop punk is not dead. Here’s a whole bubble group of bands who are doing well, some of them are younger, some of them have been around for a few years, but all of them represent our style of music. They all rally behind what they do and we all rally behind each other. We’re going out to have a good time, play shows, and bring a positive message and a positive vibe all over the world. Then on top of that, touring plans never stop, so we already have some international plans for next year.

We don’t have specific touring plans for Canada at this moment but you know we plan to go everywhere so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s on the near horizon. We have international touring plans starting early next year and that will probably go easily into next Fall.

Do you have a favourite song from the new album?

Can I pick two?

Yes, you can pick two!

I’m still kind of new to the new record but it would be a toss-up between “Drill It in My Brain”

Ah yes! “Drill It In My Brain”, I love that song!

That song is fun to play.

I almost know it word for word now, so.

Well it kind of goes along with what you we’re saying, the new record is fun and makes you dance and whatever. Playing that song “Drill It My Brain” is a lot of fun. The other song is called “I’m Not The One” – that song we’ve had for a little while but for me that song I will go down and say it’s classic New Found Glory. I feel a lot of people will identify with that song immediately. They may go and find other songs they like on the record but that song for me is the one that people are going to be drawn to right away.

Why did you name the album Radiosurgery?

That came about as we were finishing writing the album. We had most of the songs almost done, or at least lyrically, they were getting done. Chad was on the internet and he found the term Radiosurgery online and put that definition around. The procedure is to get something out of your head, like memories or thoughts of somebody, so it worked as a good word to some up this record. If you listen to the songs on this record, they are about break-ups and whatever and it kind of takes you through this journey, the stages that you go through when you have a break-up… everything from anger to revenge, to kind of dealing with it but still not getting out of your head. There is song on the record, the final track “Map Of The Body” that deals with the thing that it sort of will never go away. “Radiosurgery” is what you’ve got to do to get rid of it, and where you literally need a procedure to remove somebody from your head… obviously it’s not realistic but that’s a good summary of what’s going on with record and how you deal with relationships.

Can we expect to see any more from the NFG side project International Super Heroes of Hardcore? Are there any more assignments going on for that?

Well I don’t have any plans that I can talk about or know of. As of last I heard, and I could have the story wrong, there may have been a death in the Super Heroes. They may not be around any more… um, and I don’t want to say that in the sense that the band has gone but literally in the comic book sense there may have been a tragedy on that side. So you’ll just have to stay tuned to see what happens…

Finally, this is a standard Music Vice question; other than music, do you have any vices that you would like to admit to?

Vices, yeah! I definitely have one habit that I’d like to ditch and that’s soda pop. Back in the day it used to be regular Coca-Cola or something like that but I’ve since switched to Diet so at least I’m not getting all of the sugar but even anything like that without a ton of moderation is not good. So I think that’s something I maybe need to stop or substitute.

© Jackee Pollard, Music Vice

Links: New Found Glory

Rizzle Kicks is a duo comprised of Jordan ‘Rizzle’ Stephens and Harley ‘Kicks’ Alexander-Sule. They mix indie music with hip hop beats and are one of the biggest new acts in the UK right now. Hailing originally from the seaside town of Brighton and just out of the prestigious Brit School they are taking over the charts and rumour has it have recently signed with the UK’s largest label… Island Records. Last week they were number one on the UK singles chart, featuring in the Olly Murs track “Heart Skips A Beat”. You might also know them for their hit “Down With The Trumpets”.

Despite the big success the boys have been experiencing they are fun loving, humble and extremely exciting about where their career is headed. Ngawara Madison for Music Vice, recently sat down with the boys at Strawberry Fields Festival in the UK for an exclusive chat.

Listen here to the full interview, with the full transcription below:

Ngawara: Hey I’m backstage at Strawberry fields festival in Leicester in a very very muddy patch! Reporting for Music Vice over in Canada.

RK: Canada?

Ngawara: Yes, but standing here with one of the most fantastic acts… the band that is on the tip of everybody’s tongue at the Strawberry fields festival. I have been walking around trying to work out who everyone is talking about right now. I have been asking about Kelis, Ive been asking about a bunch of the people in the dance tent and the two that are on the tip of everyone’s tongue… Rizzle Kicks.

RK: Hello!

Ngawara: Can you introduce yourselves guys?

RK:
“Hello we’re Rizzle Kicks. My names Harley”
“Hi my name is Jordan and I like distracting people [laughs]”

Ngawara: He’s very very good at it. He is a very distracting character. Very energetic performance. Had the crowd going like no-one has ever seen in a very long time! And I’ve been to a bunch of these festivals since I’ve been over from Toronto…

So guys, what are the plans for the moment. So tonight you’re here, tomorrow you are off at…?

RK [Harley]: Reading Festival.

Ngawara: Fantastic. So are you staying around for a bit or are you heading off straight to go to Reading?

Harley rocks out with Music Vice reporter Ngawara

RK [Jordan]: Yeah we’re going to have a few drinks, like, party in the fields, and that. Like, insult some farmers its all good [laughs]..

RK [Harley]: Pick some strawberries…

Ngawara: Maybe tip over some cows boys? [laughs]

RK [Jordan]: It’s not picking season! And I told Harley this already mate! You’re gonna be picking like literally just small green plants [laughs]..

Ngawara: So if we were to listen to one Rizzle Kicks song right now that would sum you guys up in a heartbeat, which song is the one that we should shove on replay constantly?

RK[ Harley]: Its a song on the album that you havent heard yet called “Dreamers”.

RK [Jordan]: You have to wait for it to come out.

RK[Harley]: No.. “My dreams”

Ngawara: “My Dreams”? When is the album coming out boys?

RK [Jordan]: <in a creepy voice> Halloween…

Ngawara: Halloween? Seriously? Like October 31st?..

RK [Harley]: Its not a scary album though really!

Ngawara: If you could see Jordan right now hes got his eyes wide open trying to look as scary as he possibly can [laughs]

RK: [laughing and smiling]

Ngawara: So at the moment I did hear that you have a song out. You’re mixing your music with a lot of different artists at the moment and you have a song out right now with one of the X Factor boys, Olly Murs? Whats the name of that song?

RK [Harley]: “Heart Skips a Beat”

RK: [Jordan]: It’s currently Number One!

Ngawara: Currently Number One! Featuring Rizzle Kicks. Fantastic! So how did that kind of grouping come about?
How did you manage to hook up with Olly and get that going? Its very different styles no?

RK[Harley]: We just like him; ever since he was in X Factor. Like, we’re not closed to collaborating with anyone as long as we, as long as we think that we like the music.

Ngawara: So as long as they’re talented?

RK [Jordan]: Well yeah, we’re not going to be close minded about these kind of things and ah we just spit over a hip hop break as well so no one can say anything… [pulls another halloween face and laughs]

Ngawara: So you’re not adverse to mixing your genres around and stuff like that?

RK [Jordan]: Not at all.

Ngawara: So we might be looking forward to seeing a lot of different collaborations with you guys with different artists in the future?

RK[Jordan]: Well very yeah; we’ve collaborated with all sorts. I mean we’ve got a remix with Ed Sheeran we put up the other day and..

Ngawara: Okay cool, that’s different. Eds ah… I caught Ed at The Bedford a couple of times… at a venue in the south of London. He’s a very talented artist.

RK [Harley]: I know, he’s awesome.

Ngawara: Ed Sheeran with Rizzle Kicks! Thats something! Fantastic, yeah hes very good.

RK [Jordan]: And this year we’ve worked with Jamie Cullum as well whos like a classical..

Ngawara: Jamie Cullum’s wicked

RK [Jordan]: Hes amazing yeah.. so anyone, we dont care.

Ngawara: Fantastic! Well I am very much looking forward to hearing these collaborations

RK [Harley]: These ry-dyms

Ngawara: … yeah these Rhythms. I thought you guys were fantastic. Thank you very much for chatting with Music Vice and we are looking forward to hearing about all the exciting events coming in your future. Thank you very much.

RK [both]: Bye

© Ngawara Highet, Music Vice

Rizzle Kicks debut album Stereo Typical is out 31 October, 2011 on Island Records.

Visit their website at RizzleKicks.com.

Thanks to Farid Singh for the excellent photos. Find more of his shots from SFF at the iSnap by Farid Facebook page.

MUSIC VICE interview with beat box extraordinaire, Beardyman, at Strawberry Fields Festival 2011, Cattows Farm, England.

Darren Foreman (born 14 May 1982) also known as Beardyman is a musician from London renowned for his beatboxing skills and use of live looping technology, and according to the BBC “King of Sound and Ruler of Beats”. Music Vice caught up with him for an exclusive interview at this years Strawberry Fields Festival in the UK where he was performing alongside a number of unsigned independent bands from the area.

Beardyman is coming to the US and Canada for seven dates this September, including gigs in Vancouver on 13 September and Austin City Limits festival in Texas on 16 September.

The full interview transcript is below, but for the full effect – and mad sound FX’s – listen to the iPhone recording of Beardyman’s interview:

Ngawara: Hi. I’m at the strawberry fields festival in Leicester.. with one of the most talked about beat boxers in the whole of the UK right now. His name, as he is well known as; is Beardyman. So I’m here with Beardyman right now.. Did you want to say hello to Canada right now?

Beardyman: <makes a barking noise like a dog and then meows. Very convincingly>

Ngawara: [taken aback and laughing] So that is, ah , actually a human being making those amazing noises!
He did a fantastic set tonight. As I walked around the festival this evening talking to festival goers… everyone was talking about this guy. It seems there is no noise that this man cannot make! Its quite phenomenal and I have yet to hear anyone close to his skill!

Just a couple of very quick questions before Beardyman has to leave to drive off to Reading..

Ngawara:
What are your plans for the next, say two to three weeks? Whats next after this particular festival?

Beardyman:
I’m doing some shows in America, at American Music festivals… I’m going to be in LA doing meetings, doing interesting things and… and other things that I cant remember! Probably lots of festivals and the like..

Ngawara: So you’re a hundred percent going to North America though? Have you been moving over to that part of the world for a while now or have you mainly been focused on the UK?

Beardyman: Ahem.. im just trying to see if I can break America by, you know playing.. I did Conan [O'Brian show].. that was good. Ive done lots of nice big stages in some American music festivals and theyve all gone really well but I dont expect the American market to get me instantly. BUT.. they have warmed to me very very quickly, and theres more bookings coming in than I want to accept! Its cos I could go out to America and play loads and loads of gigs but I actually want to do it more tactically. Thing is, to actually break America you have to move over there; and theres a lot of commitments that I’ve got in Europe as well.

Ngawara: Well in the UK you’ve got a lot of people that are very attached to you..especially in areas of London, Brighton, and music communities Ive been hanging out with recently. You do come up a lot in conversation I have noticed.. You have always been upon peoples conversations. I suppose its a common issue with artists who have a strong home following.
Would you agree that, as a British artist, if you move to another country then you want to make sure you keep the people that supported you from the very beginning?

And also in that same vein, where is your home ground? Where would you say your loyalty lays?

Beardyman: I’m a world child. I have no particular [base]… I mean I dont like England!

Ngawara: You’re English? How can you not like England!

Beardyman: Because I think that patriotism is for idiots and I dont see why anyone should feel culturally attached to any one place when we’re all the same person really… I mean Englands better than the Congo! But I mean, you know, theres good people and bad people and interesting people and boring people all over the world.. and you know, theres places with lower taxes and theres places where theres a much smaller wealth gap.

Ngawara: Yes, for sure.

Beardyman: I mean, you know.. Englands nicely racially integrated which is a good thing. But its still quite kinda segragated in some ways. Not kinda actively, but just in terms of the way people are kind of placed around. Its really just the wealth gap thing that gets to me

Ngawara: Different to say Canada? Its quite different…

Beardyman: Yes. But I actually love Canada and Id like to live there. Yeah..

Ngawara: Awesome.

Beardyman: But I mean, I dont know.. I say I dont like England but..

Ngawara: would you be interested in coming and doing some shows in Canada at some point?

Beardyman: Yeah Im actually playing in Vancouver. I played in Toronto last year.

Ngawara: When is the Vancouver date do you remember?

Beardyman: Oh god..cant remember.

Ngawara: Can I look it up? Ill look it up and attach it to this at the end then cool?*

Beardyman: Cool.

Ngawara: So there you have it. Hes fantastically talented. Thankyou very much Beardyman for speaking tonight and best of luck for the rest of this seasons festivals.

Beardyman: Thankyou very mu-uuuuuuch! Cheers .

*Beardyman will be performing on the 13th of September in VANCOUVER. Fortune Sound Club: 13 September at 21:30 – 14 September at 00:30. Details are on his website and Facebook or alternatively you can call Fortune Sound Club on 604-569-1758 www.fortunesoundclub.com/

So there you have it! It is an exciting time for British Music right now! Seems like there is a bit of a British Invasion going on. UK acts both on major labels, and independent artists are really making their presence felt over the other side of the pond and that seems to be nothing but a good thing!

For those interested in seeing the man in action at this years Montreal Comedy Festival head over to his Youtube or www.beardyman.co.uk.

© Ngawara Highet, Music Vice