Emmas Imagination/Dee/CAAPS & Suspire

First off can I just say thank you to everyone who's helped get this blog to 23000 views in just under 4 months. It's good to know that people read what I do.

Every so often I get the chance to check out a new venue, and when I'm at that venue chances are I get to listen some superb music. Admittedly not all music is brilliant, but when you immerse yourself in the music scene around Scotland 90% of what you hear is worth listening to again. Tonight I got myself along to the "Suspire" single launch at the "Art School Union" in Glasgow. A venue which I hope is utilized more often, the sound seems to be spot on, of course that is always helped my a good sound technician.

For the past year, there has been act who I've been dying to see perform. Ever since a friend introduced me to her music "Emma's Imagination" has been the top of my "Must See List" and tonight I finally got the chance. For those of you who don't know, Emma won Sky 1's "Must be the music" in 2010, and although I never actually saw the show I can see exactly why she won. When Emma took to the stage I was so full of anticipation, here it was........a year of waiting and finally the moment had come. Here I was standing in such an intimate venue with her standing feet away and I was waiting.........then she started. Wow........any expectations I had about what I was in for were blown away. When recorded, Emmas voice is astonishing but live it truly gives you goosebumps. Her voice is so gentle yet so powerful with a range that most vocalists would envy, the way she can reach such a high pitch and instantly bring it back down is nothing short of wonderful. I was looking forward to the whole set but when you hear "Focus" live it is nothing short of amazing and really is a stand out song. Hearing Emma stripped back without a band or any sort of accompaniment really shows the talent that got her the winners title of "Must be the music" If I could go back and change my "Top 10" blog then Emma would be right up near the top.

Next up was "Dee" an act who I'm ashamed to say I had never heard of before tonight. Dee has a voice that is so well controlled and so passionate that it resonates through every lyric that she sings. As I'm writing this I've sourced out her Soundcloud page and am currently listening to "Beautiful Thief" which is a very well constructed piece of music. Her backing band are a group of musicians obviously well versed in technique and perform well together, throughout the set there was not one bum note or hiccup that I could notice. My favourite song from her set was a song called "Love Glow" (at least I think that's what's it called) and it was so reminiscent of a late 90's rock track. When the song actually started, for the first few bars I just had this image of it belonging in an "American Pie" soundtrack. Dee is definitely an act that I will be looking out for in the future and I will definitely try and see her perform again.

I need to take a moment at this point to mention the buffet. It's not often I get to write about what I do now (Music) and my previous career (Chef) in the same blog, but I do tonight. I have never witnessed a buffet at a gig, and I have never witnessed a buffet as good as what I saw (and tasted tonight) I think I ate three full chickens and  so much Pizza Bread. I think even if the music was bad, then I would have enjoyed being there just for the food.

Up next was "CAAPS"................I've been trying to figure out what to say about CAAPS. So much overdrive on the guitar, no frontman, a bass player who insisted on doing "Gary Tank Commander" Impressions throughout the set. Basically, music wise I wouldn't have these guys at the top of my list, or even in the middle of the list. However, saying that............."CAAPS" are a thoroughly entertaining band with a hell of a lot of energy.

The final act of the night was the act we had all came to see......"Suspire" a band who I've heard a lot about, watched a lot of videos on "YouTube" listened to a lot of their songs but I had never witnessed them live. They opened the night with "Salvation Sister" a song which, being familiar with, I thoroughly enjoyed. Following that was "Get Yourself Together" not one of my favourite "Suspire" tracks but still worth a listen. With "Compromise" and "Hold On" I really felt the band were getting into their stride. There's something strangely captivating about these guys on stage, they don't have a tremendous stage presence but watching them do what they do is riveting. From guitar chords that really pack a punch, to the subtle tones of the keyboard and right through to some great drum timings, watching this band is enough to make anyone want more. By the time "Catalyst" came around I was dying for the band to keep playing, for them to keep belting out tracks that really make you tap your feet. I don't know what it is, but there's a slight tinge of "Muse" behind what they do, and at this point in time I think most people will agree that Muse are possibly the hottest band in the world right now. Suspire then announced that they were about to play their last song, and I couldn't help but feel a strain of sadness. I could have watched this band for hours on end and not became bored. They ended with "Dodos" the new single, a track which I only heard for the first time yesterday morning and instantly fell in love with. There's so much creativity that goes into making "Suspire" what they are, the entire mix is a mix that needs to remain untouched. I think they are one band who I can definitely say need to keep doing what they're doing and don't change anything because they have a winning formula.

Check them out

www.facebook.com/Suspire

Mumford and Sons - "Babel"

Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall, and Ted Dwane are four men with some huge artistic flair. When "Sigh No More" was first released I was instantly taken by what the band produced, there was very little in the way of a "bad track" and the album instantly became a hit with me.
Now almost three years on we have "Babel" an eagerly anticipated album that, quite frankly, I wasn't sure was going to come. It felt like Mumford and Sons were dragging there heels over this one. But a few months when it was announced that a second album was on it's way I was excited."Babel" is an album that remains true to who Mumford and Sons are, the quality of the tracks are there. It seems to take all the good points of "Sigh No More" and weave them together with new material to create a clean and crisps sound. 

For most people "Babel" is an album which remains very similar in feel to "Sigh No More" and that can only be a good thing. Being too far removed from "Sigh No More" could only have been a bad move considering the popularity and critical acclaim that the album received. The use of instrumental crescendo on the album gets the music across so powerfully and really stands out. When you hear the mixture of violin, guitar, trumpet, trombone, fiddle and vocals you really get to feel what you're listening to and every track on "Babel" makes for a truly great listening experience.

The debut single from the album "I will wait" is a track that I'm pretty sure everyone has heard by now, but surprisingly it's not the best track on the album. The title track "Babel" is a song that in my opinion should have been the debut single.
My stand out track on the album is "Lovers Eyes" one of the only tracks on the album which is really heavy on vocals. It has a slower tempo that every other track but when you get to around 2 minutes you hear the tempo pick up. You can hear all the elements that make Mumford and Sons great but just at a slower pace. 

I can't believe that I'm only just getting around to listening to this album, it really was worth the 3 year wait. "Babel" will be one album that will keep coming out of my collection and into my Sound System for a good few years.

Looking back

Sometimes looking back through Facebook pictures can make you laugh so much. I was just sitting having a look and realised that some of the stuff I've gotten up to and some of the stuff I've found are moments in my history that I'm glad I caught on camera. So I decided to show some of them here, just because a) I can't sleep and b) I thought it'd be interesting.

At Rockfest in 2010 myself and Smee discovered the Vagina tree, if you look closely it resembles upside down legs and a big hairy muff..........interesting eh?

A few years ago I was obsessed with For Sale signs, one morning I woke up with one in my bath tub with no recollection of how it got there. I'm not sure if this is the same one, but I really did have a weird obsession.

You know that group of Friends you have when you're a teenager and you think it's uber cool to act as if you're gay? No? Just us then......

All I'm saying is........apparently I have a reputation................I had never even been in the place before this

My first ever MSN conversation with my beautiful daughter, I don't remember being allowed near a computer at that age........but they didn't even have internet when I was that age.

I would have fitted in so well back in the 60's 

My romantic meal for one......rustlers burger and a carton of wine. Doesn't get any classier than that!!

Never let your friends near paintbrushes or paint when they're at your house! It's not good for the walls

My Top Ten Best of 2012

It appears to be getting to that time of year again, when Facebook becomes a daily update of how many "sleeps" there are until Christmas, or as I like to call it - Doctor Who Day. Some people call me a Grinch, others just say I need to get in the spirit of Christmas. If I'm honest, I always get in the festive spirit.......at Christmas time. Effectively Christmas is a day to celebrate the birth of a wee man born in a stable in front of some horses and a big star in the sky. It's a birthday celebration! Could you imagine if 2 months before your birthday you starting putting up banners and balloons? You would be slapped about the chops and told to simmer down............that's all I'm saying about Christmas.............get in the Christmas spirit, at Christmas time, not a few days after you dress up like a Donkey and beg for sweeties!

Anyway moving on...........

Last night I had a productive night, apart from watching another episode of "Arrow" and feeling that this show is now 4 episodes in and is lacking any real character, I listened to some great music. It got me thinking about the past year and the acts I've been to see live, have sent me an EP to review or have just posted a video on YouTube. I started thinking about whether I could pick a top ten "Best" acts of 2012! I then realised..............damn right I can!!

So here we go, lets start with the "Top Ten Best Acts of 2012"

10. Athos - I've really grown to love Athos since I interviewed them for KA Radio back in January, their music sits just on the Edge and has a level of production that most bands on the Mainstream circuit would be enviable of.

9. Shannon Slawta - I managed to get Shannon a slot at Cider fest back in August and she put on a hell of a performance, a voice that's definitely one to watch out for.

8. Kenneth Bowman - A true master of music, one of the best Singer/Songwriters around but severely underrated for the talent that he has.

7. Jiezuberband - My Boys (and Girl) one of the best bands around at the moment, Weird, Wacky and Talented.

6. Minor Delilah - I was sent their stuff when I was at KA Radio and eventually got to see them live at The Flask a couple of months later, a true band of performers with some great music to go along with it.

5.Dougie Greig - Dougie came along and played at the MESi Radio launch event, and is truly something to behold. His use of a loop pedal on his vocals is still my favourite moment from any gig I've been to this year.

4. Stonehouse Violets - A relatively new band on the circuit, but a band who are making massive waves. One of the most talented bands on the list. Their EP is definitely in my favourite 3 CD's of this year.

3. Anna Sweeney - What can I say about Anna? She's gone from strength to strength since the beginning of 2012 and is my favourite Singer/Songwriter of the year, and one of my favourite Singer/Songwriters of all time.

2. Brown Bear and the Bandits - Anyone who hasn't heard Brown Bear and the Bandits needs to take a long hard look at their music collection. Their most recent CD is my favourite CD of the year, not a single track I would change on it.

1. The Detours - The Detours!!! Need I say more? One of the most energetic bands I've ever had the privilege of seeing, not just this year, but in my life. The presence of the band when performing combined with their skillful musical craftsmanship is unbeaten. "One Last Chance" is my song of the year. The Detours could possibly be right up there with my favourite acts of all time.


So there you have it. Don't take everything I say as gospel, make up your own minds about musicians. Everyone has different taste, for example this tiny island got a Kids TV Builder to number one in the charts, do you really think that listening to anyone else give their evaluations and opinions should tell you what's right or wrong? Have a listen to everyone and decide for yourself.

And now for something completely different

I'm partial to a bit of metal, not many people are these days but I like to get the auld head bouncing around like a vibrator in a washing machine. Good metal bands are hard to come by, at the moment most of the bands that get together to create the stuff just put out a track that is heavy on the over drive and light on actual music so it's refreshing to come across a band that I actually like.

Chaos are a new Ayrshire metal band fronted by Anna Carina Mcvicar who's vocals would not be misplaced on any other style of music, her tones could quite easily be transferred over to melodic acoustic music but they also fit perfectly with what "Chaos" are trying to achieve.

I was sent over two tracks the first being "Running Away" and if truth be told, the track is well constructed with some good riffs but I feel that there is something lacking. I don't think that "Running Away" is quite the finished article yet, but never the less it is still a reasonably good song and definitely worth listening to.

Second was "Let Me Go" and this is where I got my fix. The song begins with a drum introduction that wouldn't be out of place on a "Veil of Maya" track. From there the song progresses with some strong guitar riffs courtesy of Michael Drysdale. When Anna's vocals kick in the whole piece just fits perfectly into place. A very strong debut outing from the new band, everything from the percussion, through the vocals right down to the trills are well crafted and structurally the song couldn't be any better. I have a feeling that witnessing this track live could make it one of the tracks to make the most impact during a "Chaos" set.

When it comes to Metal, it's not my first choice of listening but I do enjoy it. "Chaos" are now in my "ones to watch" for 2013 and I'm looking forward to hearing what they'll come out with next.

www.facebook.com/chaosofficialmusic

Anna Sweeney - "Don't Look Down"

Sometimes I'm like a big kid......I get really excited and start clapping my hands like a seal when I get something really good, or something that I expect to be really good. 

Looking back on some of my previous blogs you'll probably see that I've spoken about Anna Sweeney a few times and always with high praise. So when I saw a facebook status from her asking for people to review her new track I just had to get in there and get the track. For me a new Anna Sweeney song is as exciting as it gets when it comes to local music.

"Don't look down" didn't disappoint.

When I think of Anna and her music I always imagine heartfelt, touching music played with grace and power but "Don't look down" was a step away from that. With the opening few bars you suddenly realise that this is an upbeat tempo with a bounce to it.

Guitar wise, the song seems to have the echo of a mixture of "Sweet Japonic" (check them out) and "The Scene Aesthetic" The arrangement is beautifully crafted, from the introduction right through the verses, every strum and note rings perfectly. Although truth be told I don't think that's hard for Anna to accomplish.

Vocal wise, Anna seems to be coming on with leaps and bounds with every track she releases. Listening back to "Some Say" and you can hear a difference in the control of her voice. Her voice is becoming more powerful and steady and the way she crafts various singing styles into this song is nothing short of spectacular.

All in all "Don't look down" is one of my new favourite tracks, and if it's anything to go by then when the EP comes around next year it will be amazing.

www.http://soundcloud.com/annasweeney

A crazy art form

Ridiculousness is an art form isn't it? If it's not then it should be. The world today is full of absurd beings and items that cover every artistic field. So taking that into account you would be forgiven for thinking that Scottish band Jiezuberband fit right in. For starters, anyone who has witnessed the band live will have been privy to a look that (along with their music) appears to be from both the past and the future.

I recently sat down with John and Mikey, the men behind the vocals and ivory's respectively. Armed with cups of tea and school boy laughter, you wouldn't believe that this band have the potential to be Rock Gods. I myself struggle sometimes to find the words to describe some acts, but Jiezuberband can sum themselves up perfectly. "Hallucination and Genre-less  are Johns first words, he then follows it up with "Imbibed" to which Mikey asks what it means and gets a one word answer "Drunk" Johns list continues with Tepid and Pyromaniacs although he did ask for the latter to be left out. Mikeys words started off a bit more sensible with "Energetic and Evolving" before changing the tone with "Free, Carpet Fitters and Ambidextrous" It's fair to say that these aren't words normally used to describe musicians, but then this is no normal band. At the start of the interview there was a period of nonsensical chat and the band trying to arrange some rehersal time (a matter very frustrating to John)

2012 saw the release of the bands debut studio album "Sound of the Sun" a true musical masterpiece (available at www.jiezuberband.com) but is there anything the band would change about the album?

John - "No" 

Mikey - "In a nutshell - we've been recording EPs for 5 years and eventually we realised that we had to get our fingers out before the material got lost to ether. This album gave us a foundation to build on and now we know we can do it. We can now concentrate on the next album and make it more about what we're doing at the time, more about the current band. With "Sound of the Sun" there were tracks from years ago on that album. Some people expect an album to break you but it didn't with us"

So with plans in the pipeline and the new material starting to flow, it's easy to get excited at the prospect of a new Jiezuberband album. Most bands follow up albums are usually very different to the debut, so what about Jiezuberband? How different is their new material compared to the old?

John - "Very different, it's less Rock and Prog based and moving more towards Dance and Celtic territory. A lot of it is more melodic with more focus on the vocal rather that a barrage of instruments"

Mikey - "I think if you put yourself in our shoes two years ago we would say we were Psychedelic and Prog but we're more Celtic and Dance. On the album, Fields of Love was very vocal based with the 3 part harmonies. The thing is with new material we can get halfway through and realise it's either going to be good or Bollocks"

At this point John received a reply from Kenny regarding the rehearsal times they were trying to sort out, but with Kenny comes frustration, instead of confirming times for rehearsal he instead proceeded to have a rant about how cold the rehearsal room was last week. At this point in time I would like to refrain from using the language that was used by John and Mikey, however the main point was that they had branded Kenny a "Clown"

Over the years Jiezuberband, like most bands, have seen band members come and go and the line change. If you ask anyone who's witnessed the band recently then the chances are that they'll say it's the strongest line up so far, but is this the final line up, is this the line up that's here to stay? 

John - "It will be.............................once Scott's been sacked"

Mikey - " I think that as long as 1 person from this band has the passion to keep making music then the band will exist, basically whoever lives the longest will decide, but I hope this is the line up we go forward with, it is the best line up we've had"

At this point a lot of words were used to describe some past members and that ended with "It's not really for us to slag previous members" Sitting with Jiezuberband you realise just how much fun the band has and how much they love what they do, even when slagging previous members you can feel the love.

You can't listen to a Jiezuberband track or see them live without hearing the powerful and wonderous vocals of Claire, but in a band that has 5 male members it must change the dynamic of the band when playing away from home.

John - " We have to be less crude and sleeping arrangements are a nightmare. All I'm saying is she needs help with her tent, it takes 5 of us to build her tent, and it's so big, and the only reason it's so big is so she can stand. So really it's a pain in the arse having a female member, although if we're staying in nice accommodation then it's great. I mean the rest of the band would sleep in a bag with dog shit with minimum hygiene. 

Mikey - "Apparently having a female member means we're not allowed to wipe our arses with our toothbrush and then brush our teeth"

John - "Remember that time you (Mikey) were at the bar after a gig in Wales and the barmaid said "what? no tip" and you said "Brush your hair and comb your teeth" *laughter erupts*

Mikey - "Did I say comb your teeth?"

Once again Johns phone went with another band member in reply to his question about rehearsal times, this time it was Gibby but yet again there was no answer, just that he could do Mondays

John - "Is it me? this is what I need to put with from these clowns"

2013 is going to be the year of Jiezuberband, all you need to do is look at what's in the pipeline. They seem to be a band that progress so much more every year. From a band who came from what appeared to be nowhere to a moment in history that will take place next year. The band will be the first unsigned band to headline Glasgow's o2 ABC1. So what are the band looking forward to about 2013

John - "It has to be the big one, the o2. It's the best venue I've played at and now we get the chance to headline. I'm looking forward to the competition to find the support act as well and then there's the tour straight after the o2 when we'll be showcasing our new show. Of course there's also the writing of the new tracks for the new album "The Five of Pentacles"

Mikey - "The Festivals, I love them. Also there's the possibility of a foreign tour, which would be great getting to take the music to other countries. Our main thing is to play bigger and better gigs. I don't think we can get any better at playing but we want to put on such an energetic show so we need to do as many gigs as possible so we develop a level of...erm..goodness to take to as many people as possible"

A lot of bands over the years have been known to have a great recording sound but when you see them live it's nowhere near as good. Jiezuberband have turned that on it's head, and if you ask most people they'll tell you that Jiezuberband are a much better live band, but why is that?

John - "It's possibly due to the energy on stage. Once you get into a recording studio and start being produced you start to lose the live elements and then there's over dubs. When we're on stage we capture energy. We could go on stage with just a washing machine and we would still put on an energetic show. I think when people see us they realise just how much we enjoy what we're doing and they enjoy it"

Mikey - "We're about visual perception, to look at us we look like mis-matched clowns. We basically don't know the rules"

John - "We did know the rules but then we got drunk"

Mikey - "John's mad on stage, in fact John's mad off stage. I've seen him go mad at audience members, but it's all in good fun. We give the whole package. We look different with our lack of fashion sense and that just removes our coolness and makes us cool. The way we perform as well adds such a different dynamic to what you can get on a studio recording"

Sitting down with Jiezuberband you start to realise just what makes them tick, exactly why they make the music they make. As a band they're tremendous and as people to interview you start hurting your jaw with laughter. Sitting reading through the notes to type this up I had to lose a lot of what was said, mainly because some of it was too crude and then there was stuff that could be taken out of context and might not go down well. For example at one point Mikey said "Why don't we just write for X-Factor" I'm not telling you what context it was in, you can use your imagination and make up your own story. We finished on what I thought would be an easy enough question, all I wanted to know was what actors would play each member if there was a movie made about their life. This question quickly got changed into what the movie was called with such answers as "Broke Backside" and "Lord of your Ring" starring Dildo T-Baggings it then went on to become what TV or film Character the members were like and the following was decided:

Scott - Dick Dastardly

Kenny - Any Black guy (because he keeps saying he's 20% black)

Claire - Muttley

Mikey - Supergran

John - The evil eye from LOTR or Gollum

Then when it came to Gibby it changed again, originally he was a Snake on a Plane and then the film name changed to "Wheelbarrows on a Truck" then "Dicks on a bus" eventually ending up with "C***s in Spain"

After this they then decided to see what Star Wars Characters they would be.

Kenny - Chewwie

Gibby - JarJar Binkzz

Mikey - C3PO

Of course they had to change it again, so it then became what porn Star Wars character they would be

Claire - Anal Invader

Scott - Hand (solo) Shandy

then god knows what it changed to next, all I know is that John was called "BobbaFettaCheese"

An insight into the minds of the men behind the music can sometimes be dull and monotonous, but with this band it only adds another dimension of ridiculousness. The album "Sound of the Sun" can be found on www.jiezuberband.com and you can follow the band at www.facebook.com/jiezuberband 

As for me, I have to go and see my therapist about what I had to endure trying to get an interview out of two men who's passion for music is unmatched, who are some of the nicest people you could meet but also who sometimes revert to an age where eating crayons is a favourite past time.

Number of Cups of tea drunk - 6

Number of "F" bombs - 74

Number of times John recieved an answer that wasn't an answer - 4