"86"

They say that patience is a virtue and I suppose in some cases that could be true, however in the music world patience doesn't exist. It seems like forever and a day since I reviewed the last Stonehouse Violets release and as anyone who had a swatch at that review will know I was fairly impressed with it. I've been aching to get my hands on some new material from the guys for months so when it finally arrived I couldn't wait to get the speakers cracked up and the sub-woofer as high as I could (who gives a fuck about neighbours eh?)

The new EP from SHV "86" takes a slightly different direction from previous material, it's more hard hitting and has more of a "finished" feel. That's not to say that what the band were producing earlier felt in any way weaker, not at all. It's quite clear that the band are progressing at a rate of knots and instead of taking those tentative baby steps that most musicians take Stonehouse Violets are approaching music as if they're the first people to land on the moon. They're oozing this "Look at us, we're doing it and fuck you" mentality and it works so well for them. Albert Schweitzer once said "The only escape from the miseries of life are music and cats"  I'm pretty sure if he were around right now that could possibly read "The only escape from the miseries of life are Stonehouse Violets and cats"

The new four track EP is crafted in such a way, that for me, each track builds on the last."Saviour" opens up the EP and it's a nice simple but pleasant introduction to the band. There's nothing particularly special about this track and there doesn't need to be, it does it's job. It's an opener and it's an opener which leads into three other tracks that are masterfully crafted together. 

"SOS" "Empty Spaces" and "Leaves will Fall" all bring their own thing to an EP that is a strong outing from the word go. There's hints of 'The Dismemberment Plan' and 'Clap your hands say yeah' coming through at certain points but I think it's safe to say that it's all Stonehouse Violets. The band have no doubt found a sound that really works for them and it's just brilliant to sit and listen to the hard work that's gone into the music. The music isn't over labyrinthine, there's nothing overly complex because they don't need it. Personally I can't get enough of "Empty Spaces" it's so powerful and leaves a wondrous after taste in your ears. 

Art has Picasso, Movies have Stanley Kubrick and Music has Stonehouse Violets.

You can grab a copy of the EP "86" for the bargain of £4 just head over to http://stonehouseviolets.bandcamp.com/album/86

Feuding Music

Someone once told me "In music, if you can make one new fan a year then you can class it as a success" frankly I thought it was a load of bullshit. You work hard day in and day out and all you get is one fan a year? I think to an extent that that could be true but ideally you want to be making new fans as often as possible. Anyway, I don't know where that came from, sometimes I like to just spout shite as you're probably aware of by now.

Psychedelic band "The Feuds" sent over a track to review, so I thought I might as well get a review done instead of sending it to one of the other numpties. Plus Kenny is currently liking to pretend that if he only does a review once a month it will make his reviews that bit more special.

'I just need your love' by The Feuds starts of with that annoyance that is distorted bass, I always feel that sometimes distorted bass can work if it's done properly, sadly though The Feuds don't pull it off. It's too 'fart through a distortion pedal' -esque for me. Aside from that, there's nothing special about the bass line. It's simple, not attention grabbing and pretty much a generic 3 note bass movement.

You do hold out hope though, song intro's can be deceiving, sometimes the best intro can lead into the worst song and vice versa, so there's always a small hope that the song will develop into something great. Alas that is not the case. The guitar is similar to the bass, for the first few bars it has a three note structure which does nothing for the music. Imagine if you will being 14 years old and picking up your first guitar, you have no idea how to play it but you know that those first three notes you played sound like they kind of make some sort of tune so you play it over and over again, however everyone else around you realises that those three notes are flat and dull. Although to give them their due, I think that halfway through the track The Feuds realised this and decided to add a bit off feedback to the guitar to make it sound more interesting, it really doesn't though.

The drums are pretty much as bland as the rest of the track, there's a lot of over play on the snare. No decent fills and no real change to the way the drums progress through the track. I'm trying to find something good about this track but I really can't and as much as I want to I'm finding it pretty much impossible. The vocals could be the only saving grace about the track. They have a slight huskiness to them which make for good listening however the rest of the track pulls it all back down.

I don't think it's fair to judge a band on one track and I think sometimes that can happen when doing reviews, I think that this band could pull something out of the bag a few months/years down the line but right now it's just not for me. The track is dull, repetitive and doesn't strike any emotion into the listener.

Right now however I think The Feuds need to lock themselves away in a room, pull up the YouTube tutorials and buy "The Idiots Guide to Songwriting" then perhaps my views will change.

Craig Sheridan – Nitewish by Stevey Murray

Originally from Wales, Craig, who taught himself to play guitar after a life changing experience and personal trauma, had spent the 2 years writing material for his well received debut album “Red on Maroon” which was recorded in a self built studio at his home in Kent. He is said to take inspiration from personal experiences both “triumphant and tragic” and this single seems to draw from both.

The Welshman has certainly managed to deliver onto us a highly emotional, passionate and beautiful single with “Nitewish”. Something about it seems to sound like Joshua Radin and Alter Bridge had a sensual and special 5 way and then 9 months later gifted us with this stunning piece of work. Now of course it isn’t the kind of song you would find yourself walking down the street humming to yourself or looking for on a pub jukebox, unless you are the main character in some dross romantic movie, but that necessarily isn’t a bad thing. This seems to be more of a piece of background music for a long walk, a bath or maybe even a mood setter, if you know what I mean. I am pretty sure that at a live performance of this song Craig, Who is a fire fighter by day, would have a few fires to extinguish in the hearts of any female fans who attend.

The song is one that sounds like it is deeply personal yet something that most of us can relate to and although the song doesn’t have too much to it lyrically it still drags you in and makes you listen to and feel what is being projected towards you. This can’t be put down to solely his voice or the music but both in equal measures instead. He has a voice that just makes you listen and melt simultaneously and along with the music, which is basically a simple chord progression, could be blamed for making you sway from side to side in a trance like state. To put it simply the song as a whole is a hypnotic and emotional helter skelter which tugs at the heart strings and, although you will be listening intently to the song, helps you drift away and think of that special someone. The song is definitely one that will be placed on my “rainy day” or “chill out” play lists and will hold a place there for the foreseeable future.

My plan for now will be to have an extensive listen to some of Craig's other material and judging by “Nitewish” I will be in for an absolute treat. Mind you listening to a song like this first means the bar is sent quite high but I have faith that I am not going to be disappointed.

o2 abc1

I've been so busy recently that sometimes I forget to sit down and make time for myself, which is weird in itself because I've always been someone who likes to take an hour to themselves every night and chill out, more often than not with a Doctor Who DVD. This morning however I finally remembered, part of that's down to the after effects of many cans lager consumed last night and part of it was because I just needed that short amount of time to get into a zone where I could relax and take my mind off of things for a moment. I ended up watching a movie I haven't watched in a couple of years 'Zack and Miri' or to give it it's full name 'Zack and Miri make a porno' it's a film that for me will never get old, Kevin Smith is one of my favourite writers in the comedy genre and each one of his films have a special place in my collection.

Last Sunday the UUC Showcase was held at Stereo in Glasgow. Six of the best Scottish artists took to the stage to fight it out for the chance to play on the stage at the o2 abc1 on April 27th. Every band and performer dreams about playing that stage and so when it came to finding a support act to open the show for Ayrshire's Jiezuberband and Preacher (they also become the first unsigned bands to headline the stage on the night) the idea for a Showcase was born. Around 200 acts applied and it was taken down to six. Last Sunday all six performed and Irvine's own Sonic Templars managed to get the spot. It's well deserved for the band, they work so hard and this is a great opportunity for them.

Of course it's a great opportunity for everyone involved, especially when you consider that just a couple of years ago Jiezuberband played to six people in a pub and now they're expected to sell out the 1300 capacity venue. The last year alone has been a great year for the band, releasing their debut album 'Sound of the Sun' which was met with great critical acclaim and hitting many of the great UK Festivals in 2012, then of course they made the best decision they could make and take me on as Manager (OK maybe a bit ahead of myself, I swear they're formulating a plan to bump me off) all in all it's been a fairly successful year for the band.

I've only really mentioned two bands here but the truth is that music is thriving right now possibly more than it ever has. I watched a documentary the other week (I can't remember what it was) and someone said "Music's a dying game, nobody's interested anymore" and that's just simply not true. Music is one of the fundamentals of life in my opinion.

I was on Ronnie McGhee's radio show a few weeks ago and it was great to sit with someone else as like minded. We spoke about the likes of Sean Kennedy and Scott Nicol to name a few, both very talented musicians and both destined for some great things. Sean especially, his music is inspirational at some points, and for a lad from Irvine that's something special.

I don't think music will ever "die" it just keeps evolving and growing. I'm a big fan of most music, dating right back to the Sixties, some even from the Fifties. I'm open to all genres and welcome all new styles of music that evolve. It's a passion, it's a love, it's what the world needs.

Jiezuberband, Preacher and Sonic Templars are three bands from Ayrshire who take to the stage of one of Glasgow's biggest and best venues on April 27th. A great achievement for any band but for three bands from Ayrshire to do so is outstanding. Back when I was still performing I always dreamed about taking to that stage, it was one of the only stages in Glasgow I never made it onto (The SECC and the Barrowlands are the only other two) and on April 27th the closest I'll get is carrying Amps and cables around it to set up. I'm not bitter, not in the slightest, I'm proud of what these guys are achieving and I know for a fact that it will be the show of a lifetime.

Life on Standby

The other night I was at King Tuts for the Mechanical Smile show which saw them launch their tour, while I was there I discovered a new band for my playlist "Life on Standby" you can read the review of the show by CLICKING HERE. However I felt the need to hunt down every "Life On Standby" track that I could find, as you do when you find an artist who sticks in your mind. Thankfully the wonder that is "Soundcloud" was full of them. I didn't manage to pick up a CD on Wednesday but I know Mikey did, so I'll need to raid his CD collection at some point or get to a 'Life on Standby' show soon and pick up my own copy. 

Anyway, Soundcloud gave me enough music to fill my day and my ears. 

The standard of excellence in music is well documented on recordings. Wherever you may be, you must aspire to that standard and it's safe to say that "Life on Standby" do, after listening to their tracks (or as many as I can find) it's clear to see that this is a band who have as much raw passion and energy when recording as they do when performing live.

The band know exactly how to write a song, take 'Junkie' for example, the track hasn't been off of my speakers for two days straight. The guitar parts are integral to the track, they aren't over the top in your face but neither are the subtle, they stand out and smack your ears right where they need to be smacked. 

Being a drummer is a skill which I envy, but by fuck this band have a drummer who knows how to play. Everything from the simple beats through to the fills is spot on and the same with the bass.

On the vocal front, I don't think I've ever heard a more powerful voice from such a short person (that sounds sizest but it's really not) as the great Frank Zappa said "Great googly moogly" the range and power in the vocals really hit you where they should. 

Obviously the band is still in its infancy and so they will evolve and develop and progress, to say that the band are the finished article would be a bit irresponsible. However I don't think it will be long until they are the finished article. When they are I think the music world better be on high alert.

NOW.................time for coffee and cake

Sherry Counsellors - by Sam Adgo

Martin - There's a back log of tracks that have been sent through the UUC website that I'm now having to call on live reviewers to help clear a path. So taking centre stage for this one is Sam.

I’m going to step out of my normal frame for a second and talk about a song by ‘Sherry Counsellors’ called ‘This Could be It’. 

The band itself have been supporting and headlining acts since 2010 where they’ve played alongside bands such as The Hoosiers. The bands musical background is well built. They have performed in venues across London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

‘This Could Be It’ starts off as a typical build of enthusiasm, the bass drum pumps through your mind as you anticipate the song to come. I particularly like the way the bass drum slithers its way into the back of your mind and completes the atmosphere of the track. It has a very indie feel to it and at some points I can associate it with ‘The Bicycle Thief’ or ‘Minutemen’.

When the chorus breaks down it reminds me of a dance track or something with a slight sidechain effect in it, the drums move to an almost fanfare rhythm and it feels rather cheeky; it really shows the power of this band and the song makes you want to get up and dance. The vocals are very well done at this point and the lyrics are very much something you can relate to.

Another point that took me back to an old dance tune was the fact that they had only a few lines of vocals apart from the chorus where they repeated the name of the track a couple times. One thing I will say about this song is when the drums dissipate the vocal harmonies come out, slightly out of tune causing a slight clash in notes, but that is quickly reclaimed by the chorus breaking out again.

All in all I quite like this song, not my first choice of a track to listen to all day. Typical song structure that makes for a good start built to a slightly less known chord structure.