Burn the Maps

I love listening to new music and it's even better when that music makes me have a wee dance to myself. Tonight is one of those nights, I'm currently sitting making my upper body listening to "Burn the Maps" a band who until about half an hour ago, I had never heard of. After 2 songs I had made up my mind that this is a band worth writing about and it will just be a short write up, because I really don't have to breathe these days. Also before you all start to say something about my dancing just remember what Friedrich Nietzsche said “Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.” and I have no doubt that as soon as you hear this, you too will be moving.

"Lose Myself" is the first track I listened to and even though the recordings aren't fully produced studio album tracks the music is just fantastic. The song itself is such a simple piece of music but the way it's performed is nothing short of outstanding. I've been sitting trying to work out who "Burn the Maps" remind me of and I've came to the conclussion that it's a cross of early Biffy Clyro and Brown Bear and the Bandits. Which as you can imagine makes for pretty amazing music. 

I will get a proper review done of this band, and I hope that I can make it to a show in the near future but for now I recommend that you go and check them out.

http://www.reverbnation.com/burnthemapsband/songs

What a start to the year

Sometimes I feel like I don't get time to breathe. I've been so busy with organising the final 6 acts to play at the Showcase in Stereo on February 24th, we had between 150-200 acts enter and 90% of them were outstanding (granted there were a few who sounded like a queef) but we've managed now to get it down to the final 6 who now get a chance to go forward and have a chance to perform at the O2 ABC1 on April 27th supporting Jiezuberband and Preacher.The final 6 are Jay Ingram, The Detours, Suspire, Sonic Templars, Jesus Trip and Dee, and they are outstanding acts, it's going to be a tough call. Myself and Mikey from Jiezuberband announced the acts on Ronnie McGhies show on 3TFM yesterday and it was a great wee show. It was so odd being on the other end of a Radio Interview but I managed to behave myself which I'm pretty proud of.

I'm going to just run through the acts and give you an idea of what they're like:

Jay Ingram is an act who has supported Jiezuberband in the past, this was before I started managing the nutters but having listened to Jay's music I have to say I'm extremely impressed. For a solo performer his music has so much life and soul to it and it has been on my speakers quite often in the last couple of weeks.

The Detours are a band who I have been a big supporter of over the last year both as recording artists and live performers, they can bring such energy to every show.

Suspire are a great band who have had quite a bit of success in recent years. They are another band who have been on my speakers quite often since they applied, definitely a band worth checking out.

Sonic Templars have been a favourite of mine for quite a while now. "Human Connection" is one of my favourite tracks from the last year and so I'm so happy that they made it into the final 6.

Jesus Trip are a band who sound very Psychedelic and I'm really excited to actually see them perform live at the Showcase. They are actually playing as I type this and I can imagine them as being a brilliant set of live performers.

Dee is an act who has really stood out for me recently her music just grabs my attention and pulls me in, and if you read one of my blogs from a few months ago you can find out exactly why.

On top of all of this I've started marketing Tini Designs a local arts company who do Body Painting, Face Painting, Tattoo Designs, Murals, Artwork for Cd's and Books and so much more. So search them on Facebook if you need anything done.


It has been an insane start to the year. Tomorrow is actually my first day where I think I'm going to be able to relax and chill the hell out, although I say that but I know for a fact that I'll be running about like a headless chicken once the phone calls start coming in. I actually told a friend the other day that I "don't have time to shite" and I'm starting to feel that this might actually happen one day, I'll just explode from the inside. However this isn't a complaint, I absolutely love what I do and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Reliving my childhood

First off I would like to say congratulations to Brown Bear and the Bandits and The Imagineers for getting into the suns "top tips for 2013" although anyone with any sense would have known that anyway. Both bands just go from strength to strength and it's always a pleasure watching them and listening to their music. 2013 holds big things for both bands, it's now just a formality.

Anyway moving on.

This weekend is the weekend that most of us adults have been looking forward to - "CITV goes Old Skool" two full days of classic television shows from our childhood back to back.

It started off with Mike and Angelo at 9.25 and I have never been so excited to see a childrens tv show in all my life. For me Mike and Angelo was my childhood show. I loved it when it aired and I loved it today, the memories just came flooding back. For those of you who don't know (and if you don't I'm disgusted) the show's about a boy and an alien who lives with him. Angelo being the Alien and Mike being the boy, not hard to deduce but sometimes our brains don't function. There's no story arc as such and most of what happens on screen is a load of nonsense but by god I can't stop loving that show.

Throughout the course of the marathon so far we've been treated to "Knightmare" "Raggy Dolls" "Super Gran" and even good old "Sooty"

Facebook and Twitter have exploded with people talking about their favourite shows and their favourite episodes. As I type "The Worst Witch" is currently gracing my screen and granted I was never a fan of that show, but I know that my sister loved it. Infact I think most of the girls in my class also loved it.

We've had so many great television shows over the years that when I look at what's on tv now it's so disappointing. I remember when they relaunched "Pinky and Perky" I was so excited and then when I saw it they had turned into a CGI adventure show, gone were the silly puppets and it just made me sad.

We live in a world now where Children watch shows like "Hannah Montana" and "Zoey 101" so I'm hoping that many a parent has sat their child down in front of CITV today and shown them what real childrens television is.

I hope that BBC follow suit someday and do an "Old School" marathon because personally........I'm a playdays kid at heart

Lets get to the other side

When I first started writing a blog (and that seems like light years ago) I never really thought that anyone would read it. For a number of reasons really, the main one being that I always felt nobody thought what I had to say was worth reading. Now I sit here, with 30000+ page views (not counting the old blog site) and I am now having my work published in a newspaper.

It has been without a doubt one hell of a roller coaster of a year.

If you want to read my first "Article" or "Column" whichever you want to call it, you can buy the Irvine Herald this Thursday. I will be, mainly because I just want to see it's real. 

It's a weird feeling, not many people would figure it would mean so much to someone but when you've had a year like 2012, ending it on a high like this is just brilliant. My views on the world in a newspaper? It's mental isn't it!

I'm sitting listening to "Barcelona - Get Up" a song that I haven't listened to in years, well it's not that I haven't wanted to. I heard this song in 2010 and for some reason the name just escaped me and I could not find it anywhere I looked, then I sat yesterday for an hour hunting the internet for it and eventually I found it. It's always great when that happens. 

Tonight is New Years eve, and rather than have a repeat of last year when I woke up on a staircase at 7am with a man wearing a thong and a furry hat wishing me a "Happy New Year" and then disappearing into the night, I'm going to celebrate it with some close friends.

Every year people say that they're going to make changes for the new year. Whether it's giving up smoking or losing weight there's always a plethora of resolutions fly about. I'm not going to make any resolutions this year. I'm going to just make a promise to myself to stay focused on what I have at this moment in time and not let it slip away from me. 

Whatever you end up doing tonight, whether you sit at home with Whisky and Madeira Cake or whether you are in a club bouncing around downing JagerBombs I truly hope you have a great night and I will see you on the other side. May 2013 hold something special in store for you. 

Happy New Year

It's Chriiiiiiiiiiiistmas (eve)

As I sit here, thinking about what joys tomorrow will bring (Doctor Who) I've got the Detours blaring on the blowers and a playlist to follow that is most triumphant.

It's odd, the last couple of years I really haven't been in the festive spirit, but this year I feel really festive. Maybe it's down to the fact that I'm a stage in my life where I feel truly content. I'm not trying to reach for a star that is unattainable.

Anyway, there is no real point to this blog apart from to say Merry Christmas and if your playlist is as good as mine, then you have had a truly Magical Musical Year :)



Playlist

The Detours
Anna Sweeney
Jiezuberband
The Colour of Logic
Stonehouse Violets
The Filthy Blues
Chaos
Brown Bear and the Bandits
Confusion
Little Fire
Johnny Graham
A Band Called Cadence
Emma McNeil
Carly Connor
Sonic Templars
The Banana Sessions
Dear Stars
Jaego
Jay Ingram
Pendulum

Christmas Pimping

It's that time of year where you get two types of songs released. The first is the traditional Christmas Cover, where some musician(s) re-record a famous Christmas Track and are satisfied that they are now in the Christmas Spirit. I myself recorded a version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" last year. The other type, is the new and original Christmas Song. Where someone actually takes time to write and put together a track for the festive period. These are the one's I look forward to. However it's very rare that one of these tracks will get more than one play on my speakers, this year though, I've found a track that has had it's fair share of playing through the old blowers.

Chances are if you're anyone who knows anyone then you'll have been attacked with posts for the video of "Christmas Pimping, Everybody's Gimping" and my hope, is that you have taken the time to watch it.

"Christmas Pimping, Everybody's Gimping" is not your usual Christmas Song and yet at the same time encompasses everything you could want from a Christmas Song. It has the bells jingling in the background, a few "Tra La La's" and copious amounts of references to Santa along the way. Musical wise the song is very simple, there's no over the top instrumentation and the beat is very simple. Lyrical wise, this song is  Christmas Gold. I would however state, that no one listens to this track without opening up your mind to the world of what I now refer to as "Giro Humour" and as you can probably guess from that, the Girobabies do make an appearance. The track features Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5, The Girobabies and The Plimptons.

As much as I had slightly gone off the Girobabies (and someone may need to slap me for that) my faith has been restored. Mainly because they have the best lines of the track. "The police are scum, locked up my" and "stick on a Pogues song and lets get.....single fished" are just a few of my favourites. 

The whole track is a track that is 100% worth listening to and purchasing. Not only is it a great piece of Christmas, but it's also for Charity and if it wasn't worth buying before it definitely is now. 

Christmas is gonna pimp your ass! and it starts here.

Or be a really really nice chap, and buy it here https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/christmas-pimping-everybodys/id584451456?i=584451536&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

X-Factor 2012

Just as shite as it was last year.................




Just saying