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Monday 10 February 2014

Tradconnect Voting Poll Open For "Album of Traditional Song" 2013

You can listen to previews of short listed albums and vote here:- http://www.tradconnect.com/profiles/blogs/traditional-album-of-song-2013-vote?xg_source=facebook check it out and if you like one of the shortlisted then VOTE and support local artists!

I've been in search of a tool like this for a while! Good find!

Songkick is a nice site that lets you track your favourite artists, local location, nearby locations or your favourite locations and when this is done it keeps you updated and lets you know about upcoming gigs, from big acts to local acts it lets you know when and where they are playing and who is playing! Pretty handy for the avid gig-goer and even for the hermit, who's fancy is tickled when the moon is blue for an auld head-bang in the town!

It's also a great tool for artists though. Firstly enter the name of your band and click the correct thumbnail that is your band. Here's an example of how to set up an artist page:-

Find your artist page and start managing your tour dates

 


Classic Example Band live Classic Example Band

Once that is done follow the next steps:-


  1. Fans can now see your tour dates on your SoundCloud profile. Add or update events through Tourbox and they’ll update on SoundCloud as well.
    Here’s what it looks like:
  2. Add upcoming events to your SoundCloud profile

    Paste the link into the Songkick box in your SoundCloud settings.
    SoundCloud settings



















 




     
Great! You’re now managing tour dates for Classic Example Band.

Tourbox will automatically update your tour dates on all of your websites.

Where do you want to list your tour dates?

  • Your website (Tour dates widget)
  • Facebook
  • Bandcamp
 Then:-

 That's it, pretty simple and completely FREE. It's even easier to sign up as a fan rather than an artist. Brilliant! 10/10 tool! Check it out here:- https://www.songkick.com/home

Sunday 9 February 2014

I love a wee bitta Buzzfeed! I got Joe Strummer from The Clash... Have a go and if you feel like it share and post who you get in the comments!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/which-punk-icon-are-you

 

Mark Baker/Sony Music Archive / Getty Images

 

"You have a cynical view of the world, but you’re nevertheless very earnest and truly believe that people have the power to bring about positive change. You’re very curious and creative, and are very active in seeking out inspiration in unlikely places."

 I'd say that's a pretty accurate description! Can't beat a bitta the Clash either!

                                       


Kanye West put on the spot attempts a freestyle and fails!



This is pure gold! Kanye who claims, quote, "I feel like I am too busy writing history to read it" and "I don't even listen to rap. My apartment is too nice to listen to rap in" has definitely made history with this hilarity and should maybe consider listening to more rap in that nice apartment before his next interview. I think it's great that either in his delusion or embarrassment he tries to make it seem that he is sounding bad on purpose as if it is a revolutionary step for hip-hop. Rhymes that don't rhyme, ON PURPOSE! Brilliant!

To quote a youtube commenter, "Dis nigga on drugs!" Says it all...

Thursday 6 February 2014

A Plastic Rose - This Side Of Winter


APR's current single 'This Side Of Winter' is gaining prime time airplay on BBC Radio 1 by Huw Stephen's, Phil Taggart and Fearne Cotton and plays by a host of other DJ's from around the UK and Ireland on Amazing Radio, Absolute Radio and Today FM (IRl).

I was in work the other day and it came on the radio, sweet tune, another classic anthem from the lads! No surprises there! Check it out!

Wednesday 5 February 2014

A Plastic Rose's debut album Camera. Shutter. Life.


From the opening song "Build From The Ground Up" on this Alternative Rock beaut you are met with orchestral strings, the thunder of a floor tom, dirty rhythm guitar and raw vocals! It's a ballsy emotion stirrer! LIKE! "Build From The Ground Up" is an anthem tune outright, you can visualise it playing over the marching of hundreds of angry civil rights protesters or riots due to unhappy citizens! This is one tune I'd love to hear and see them play live, just listen and feel the energy that it throws at you through the studio recording alone!

 
Build From The Ground Up Official Music Video
"Kids Don't Behave Like This" is another track that really sticks out for me... Again, another fantastic anthem tune but this one has more of a post-grunge, undergrad student feel about it! This track is definitely worth a listen! Proof is in the pudding as they say and it has gained support from Channel 4 (Hollyoaks), BBC Radio 1, XFM, Amazing and Absolute Radio. Doing something right there lads!

                    Kids Don't Behave Like This Official Music Video

To sum up the album Camera. Shutter. Life, I would say, "fucking buy it!", it's a stunning, raw, magical and real album with passion following from their hearts and souls, spilling out into our blessed ears. Without a doubt an album that should be in every music lovers collection.

Having shared a stage with artists such as, Explosions In The Sky, Fightstar, Frank Turner, And So I Watch You From Afar and Maybeshewill and appearing at major festivals such as Reading and Leeds and T Vital and after being spotted by Gary Lightbody who expressed his love for the band in Q Magazine and then proceeded to invite them to tour UK and Ireland with Snow Patrol and Everything Everything including a night in London's O2 Arena, which holds 20,000, shows that A Plastic Rose are a band serious about their music and are a force to be reckoned with!

A Plastic Rose - Camera. Shutter. Life is available for download from the iTunes store for a very reasonable price of £7.99! Considering this bands, ever growing popularity and fan base I can see album prices rising and of course more cracker tunes to boot. I look forward to hearing more of these guys and what they will bring to the table!

















Check their website out here http://www.aplasticrose.co.uk/ for more info!

Gormacha's debut album Libation...

I am sure you are questioning the name as I did and I'll answer that question now, the name of the band is taken from the Irish language "Na Gormacha" which essentially translates as "The Blues". The name of the album "Libation" can mean "to pour out as an offering", perhaps this is an offering poured from the hearts and minds of the artists to the past. An offering to the Traditional/Blues/Irish/Folk legends and inspirations. Maybe even, for the spiritualist folk, an offering to the Gods of said genres. An emotional and creative "thank you" perhaps. Question answered? Read more about this work of art... In fact, buy the album and listen while you read!

From the moment track one, "Pastures Of Plenty" began, my ears were filled with early 20th century antiquity, re-emerging from the dusty back room, polished up, slightly modernised and put back in the display window for all to see it's beauty. A true hidden gem with ideas plucked from the historical archives of early folk and blues and reanimated with a surprising yet delightful Celtic touch added. The bodhrán, (an Irish tunable frame drum) comes in at track two driving "Out On The Western Plains" fiercely forward while the slide guitar falls beautifully and purposely lackadaisically behind. Then come the warm, emotional and deep female vocals... I'm reminded of many female vocalists but for me Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch merged into one comes to mind. Listen to their performance of "Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby" and you will see what I mean. Gormahca's performance of "Out On The Western Plains" would do both Lead Belly and Rory Gallagher proud!

Gormacha play more original compositions and their own distinctive arrangements of early folk and blues classics on this album.  I've only described tracks one and two in some detail, please be the judge of the whole album yourselves. You won't be disappointed as there are ten more tracks of beautiful arrangement and composition with David Preston of the acoustic folk rocker band "Scorpion Jack" making a vocal appearance on track twelve "Hoodoo Snake Doctor Blues".

There was a range and a complexity to much of the early blues music.  At its best it seemed almost to issue forth from musicians; more something they were, rather than something they did. Gormacha most definitely ARE Na Gormacha! 

With songs that should be in the O' Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack and many more, this is definitely an album to add to the collection people... In fact an album you'd be mad not to have in your collection, especially for it's modest £7.99 price on iTunes.