A Legend. Stew Clayton has been recording music with Sunshine Records since 1974. He will always be known as the “The Yodeling Cowboy.” Stew Clayton sings old-time country reminiscent of the greats Wilf Carter and Montana Slim. He also plays and sings similarly to my Dad, and some songs had me singing along like he was in the room with me. I couldn’t find much information about Stew Clayton, but I know he is an Eleven-time World Championship Yodeller.
This video gives a lot of insight into his life and just about every small town across Canada, and it certainly brought back memories for me and the stories my Dad told of his youth. A good example is a story of riding a horse to school and back; I have photos of my Dad on his horse.
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Stew tells of being spell-hearing Wilf Carter on the radio and how that radio played such a large part of life back then. Television wasn’t as prevalent when I was growing up, I remember riding the train from Hinton to Vancouver to visit my cousin Wayne, and I discovered Saturday morning cartoons. I was glued to the television, much to the chagrin of Wayne.
We listened to the radio frequently. I can remember listening to hockey night in Canada on the radio. Family and social outings often had musicians playing, but I was not one of them, I have pictures of playing guitar with my Dad, but he was the musician. I often played my solid body with the amp turned off so I could play along but not sound out of place.
Radio was also where we heard music from people like Wilf Carter and The Carter Family. CFCW became Canada’s first full-time country music station in October 1960, when Curley Gurlock, Mr. D.J. USA of 1957, started on CFCW. 1961 saw the frequency change to the one on every farmer and rancher truck radio, 790 CFCW.
Playing these records by Stew Clayton was a nice walk down memory lane. I was humming and occasionally singing along and playing each record twice for good measure.
A Legend. Stew has been recording music with Sunshine Records since 1974. Stew is most well known for his ground breaking albums the “The Farmer Volume 1” and “The Farmer Volume 2”.
Stew has recorded over 16 albums with Sunshine Records. He will always be known as the “The Yodeling Cowboy”
Stew Clayton sings old tyme country in the style of the greats, Wilf Carter and Hank Williams.
The Isle of Barra isn’t far from Tarbert on the Isle of Lewis and Harris, where my paternal great-grandfather was born. Andrew J. Newall finds inspiration when he spends time there. Andy is a talented musician that has released his third full-length album, Resilience.
My talent lies in listening to music. In my experience with playing music, I have found that no matter how many guitars, amps or effects pedals I buy, I still can’t play music. Apparently, I need to practice, which, alas, is my downfall.
It is readily apparent that Andy does practice; he makes music that is smooth as silk and lyrics that pull the listener into the song. Once again, I have the privilege of listening to an artist who tells stories through the medium of music.
The opening track, James and the Lost Ticket, sounds happy and has the line “dreams often can come true”; however, a note of sadness is riding along. The song tells the story of two chance encounters on a railway train. The first instance is the storyteller, James, sitting with Andy on a train, and “without much prompt,” James told his story to Andy. James road the trains each day, hoping to find a train passenger he had met, she had written her name and number on a train ticket that James secreted away in his shirt pocket. Alas, he had lost the ticket and now rode the trains each day, hoping to find her again. This song is an excellent introduction to the album and beautiful stories of Resilience and Andrew J Newall. Andy says this song deals “with the realization that opportunity only knocks once.”
For track three, The Waiting Room, I recommend having a box of tissue paper handy. Any song with the word cancer is bound to be emotional, and The Waiting Room is no exception. Despite the dread of cancer, one line caused me to break into a smile. Read the signs on the Dr.s door. Look around the room, count the tiles on the floor. Trepidation etched on each face.” I have been in more doctors waiting rooms than I care to count, and this line struck my funny bone, so bored that I count the tiles on the floor. Andy says, “dealing with the death of a significant person in your life. Again, the music is bright and lively, not giving in to the solemn nature of the critical topic of “support to a relative with cancer.” I am particularly attracted to Andy’s cadence; good stuff folks
The song “Never Free” tackles the topic of racism, and it does so in a perfect manner through this brave and honest song. This song challenges us to look at the people around us differently. Never Free. Never Free. Never Free.
Following on its heals is “And I Smile,” which caused me to smile. “And I Smile” is a top-of-the-charts song, that has stayed at number one for 7 days. Andy can honestly say that he has a top ten hit. Good stuff, I love it.
“The People I Meet Are So Beautifully Strange,” That line alone should vault Andrew J Newall into the waiting room for a Nobel Prize for literature. That fantastic line is from the song My Friends, a beautiful story.
I would recommend the title song just for the music. Some good-sounding licks are going on in the track. The lyrics are equally good, but I am drawn to the poems on the strength of the instruments. Percussion starts the song, and when the lyrics arrive, some tasty guitar licks propel the music forward. “When things get on top of you, you feel that you can’t take much more pressure from every side. Step inside another room, find some quiet space to sit, calm down, and give yourself a break.” Inside the quote above is my reinterpretation of Andy’s words.
There are more great tracks on this album, and you should treat yourself to a musical present this week for the excellent work you have done at home and in the office. The light and breezy lyrics that Andy lays down and then envelopes in catchy tunes that aren’t aren’t just about being in love or falling out of love. There is a level of intimacy that challenges us, the listeners, to move beyond the Billboard top of the charts and listen to some intelligent lyrics enveloped in gorgeous music. I would love to spend an evening with Andy. Listening to his songs and the slice of life stories he builds into these fantastic songs. To steal a snippet of music from Kris Kristofferson. Andrew J. Newall is a poet, and he’s a picker who tells excellent stories through the medium of music.
Emily Magpie’s a somewhat unconventional name. I’ve never had the privilege of meeting anyone with the surname Magpie. I did a short search on the world wide web and found that it is a very, very scarce name. Perhaps Magpie is a stage name; that seems more likely to me. I welcome Emily Magpie to correct me if I am wrong.
Moving right along then for a bit of focus on the tunes. After all, I am not a linguist. The music is beautiful, much like the plumage of a magpie. Take the time to stop and see the iridescence of the Magpie’s feathers; they take my breath away. Emily Magpies’ music has some sonic crossover from a bird to a piece of music. Her music is iridescent because it sounds different every listen. It shimmers and invites us to take a closer look/listen.
I wasn’t able to find much information about Emily Magpie. That can be good because I don’t approach her music with expectations. I can sit back and let the music flow around me. I let my breathing get into a rhythm with the song, and just as I get comfortable, the music jumps out of the speakers and jars me into a new flow.
All of the tracks on this EP have the prefix Re. Now, what’s a prefix? It’s a string of letters or words added at the front of root words to change their meaning; the English prefix Re means occurring again or repeating. On this EP, we have ReFlow, ReForward, ReFocus and ReBend. Emily Magpie has her music flowing again, which tells us that it was flowing at one point in time, then stopped and is now flowing again. I wonder if this alludes to her music. She felt in the groove, flowing wherever the music was taking her. And then it stopped, Covid perhaps? But now it is ReFlowing, post-Covid.
ReFocus
ReForward, moving forward again. ReFocus, being in focus again. And ReBend, bending again?
So here is my theory on the state of the music that Emily Magpie is presenting to us, the listeners. Her music was flowing, and life was good. She was moving in a good direction, forward. She was focused and flowing forward. Now, this is the tricky part, ReBending. I suppose it could indicate a certain amount of flexibility, being able to bend without being broken. Yeah, I’ll go with that wild guess.
The music is as eclectic as the names. Emily Magpie uses a lot of tech toys in her music, drum beats, synths, Musique Concrète and sampling, to name a few. I have dabbled in creating music with digital toys, and it isn’t easy to be as good as Emily Magpie. On ReFlow, she builds layers and layers of music that climb to a crescendo and then descends graciously to allow the next track to come at us.
That track is ReForward, and it confuses me. It has drumming and chanting that sounds like the First Nations music I heard playing at a park just a few days ago. The track allows that sampling to drift in and out of the tune as it continues to move forward. Forward again. ReForward.
ReFocus is a mix of protest chants, jazz, electronica and raw energy. I don’t necessarily get what the track is ReFocused on, but I enjoy focusing my attention on the tune and listening to it several times to feel the depth of the track. Wonderful music, simply wonderful. ReBend is more chilled and laid back. It lets us settle down, ReBend from the dynamic sounds that precede it. A friendly, gentle closer to the EP.
Bottom line, it took me several listens to get into the groove with this EP, but when I did, it was magical. Totally worth the time and energy to get there. I don’t know if I grasp what Emily Magpie is telling us through the medium of music, but I had a good time listening to the music. I recommend this EP and give it a 5-star rating.
My summer listening has been eclectic and an exciting mix of old and new recordings. Some of the music was mesmerizing and played over and over. Some albums barely made it through the first listen. Some music was part of my project of listening to my record collection front to back, every record, even the not-so-good ones. Many events in my life also impaired my writing. Some were good. Some not so good. Some were a little in column A and a little in column B. Sometimes, I visited a dry well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaVQUbiQbEY As of today, August 16, I am so far behind I think I’m winning.
As a consolation for the music that I have intended to write about but never got around to, I will give a short, hopefully sweet, compilation of what I have been spending my summer listening to. I’ll start with the vinyl slabs.
Over the time span of about two weeks, I listened to my collection of The Clash on vinyl. They released six studio albums over the tumultuous six years they were a band. In chronological order, I listened to these.
The Clash (1977)
Give ‘Em Enough Rope (1978)
London Calling (1979)
Sandinista! (1980)
Combat Rock (1982)
Cut the Crap (1985)
The Clash is a band that I have been listening to consistently since the early 80s and still enjoy throwing on the platter these days. Their self-titled first release, The Clash, has a fascinating history. This is a copy and paste from Wikipedia: “The album was not released in the US until 1979, making it their second US release. The US version also included a significantly different track listing, changing the track order and swapping out several songs for non-album tracks recorded in the interim.”
This release mish-mash is why I own multiple copies of this album, and it makes listening to all the variants necessary due to the different tracks. I prefer the original UK release, but they are all good.
November 1978 saw the release of the second album from The Clash, Give ‘Em Enough Rope, their first release in the good ol’ US or A. Their second album, Give ‘Em Enough Rope, is interesting because it feels crushed between the two heavy albums sandwiching it, The Clash and London Calling. I liked this album, and it received good press and many accolades. It has held up well over the years and can still hold its own. It maintains the punk ethos that The Clash were initially identified as a part of, especially in their live shows where they were in-your-face punk all the way.
Joe Strummer
The album marked the first album appearance of drummer Topper Headon, who joined the band shortly after the recording of their first album. Most of the tracks, as with the prior album, were written by guitarists Joe Strummer and Mick Joneswith the exception of English Civil War is a traditional song derived from an American Civil War song, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” written by Irish-born Massachusetts Unionist Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore. It was popular on both sides of the conflict.
Mick Jones
“Julie’s Been Working for the Drug Squad” (known as “Julie’s in the Drug Squad” on the original American release). I can put this song on repeat on Apple Music and listen to it a dozen times without getting tired of it.
“All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)” (known as “That’s No Way to Spend Your Youth” on original American release). Every time I hear this song, I hear a nod to David Bowie and Mott The Hoople with their song All the Young Dudes. It also makes a synapse connection to New Boots and Panties by Ian Dury, another good album you should give a listen to.
Moving along, we come to the album that most people would associate with The Clash, London Calling. I even heard the song London Calling on Muzak, for Pete’s sake. Is nothing sacred? I think this is the album that got me listening to The Clash. A band that I was a minor member of played our interpretation of the song London Calling. I am still trying to nail down the lead guitar parts. London Calling is a double album that gave The Clash plenty of room to develop their music in new and exciting ways. They moved away from the Punk movement they most strongly identified with in their first two albums and their live music. In London Calling, we can hear the band playing around with rockabilly, pop, reggae, and hard rock. With Mick Jones composing and arranging much of the music and Joe Strummer writing most of the lyrics, they started addressing social issues, including racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood, such as having steady employment and paying the bills. The more I listen to London Calling, the more I appreciate the artistry of this recording.
If a double record release wasn’t enough, the next album from The Clash is the triple album Sandinista! This album took The Clash and their fans in a whole new direction. Sandinista! is not a punk rock album. It has funk, reggae, jazz, gospel, rockabilly, folk, dub, rhythm and blues, calypso, disco, rap and even punk. Your favourite genre doesn’t matter; it will get some air time on Sandinista!
Topper Headon
It gave artistic freedom to all the band members. A generic credit for The Clash replaced the band’s traditional songwriting credits of Strummer and Jones for the first time. Sandinista! is the only Clash album on which all four members have a lead vocal. Drummer Topper Headon made a unique lead vocal contribution on the song “Ivan Meets G.I. Joe,” and Paul Simonon sings lead on “The Crooked Beat.”
Sandinista! is an album that never gets old for me. Mick Jones said, “I always saw it as a record for people who were on oil rigs. Or Arctic stations. People that weren’t able to get to the record shops regularly.” I can get to the record shops, but I can’t afford to buy records anymore, so I listen to the ones I have, and Sandinista! is a deserted island album.
It is always difficult to follow a fantastic recording with another equally amazing. Very few bands or artists can pull that feat off. Pink Floyd did it more than once. They moved from their breakthrough album, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), to Wish You Were Here (1975), followed by Animals (1977) and closing with The Wall (1979). The Clash did it with Sandinista! Following on the heels of London Calling and leading us into Combat Rock. That’s ten sides of vinyl that nail it. Nineteen songs that give us 1 hour and five minutes on London Calling. Sandinista! gives us 36 songs and 2 hours and 25 minutes of listening time. Hot on their heels, we have a third stellar album, Combat Rock. The Clash are clocking in at 46 minutes over an additional 12 songs. If my math is correct, they give us three outstanding albums containing 67 songs and 4 hours and 16 minutes of listening time. That’s a pretty solid lineup.
Paul Simonon
And then the wheels fall off. The train derails. The shit hits the fan. Cut The Crap is the dying gasp of what remained of The Clash. Cut the Crap did not receive an excellent reception, with most reviews being in the lacklustre 2 out of 5 on the charts. I think Mike Laye sums up the consensus—a writer, photographer and Clash insider—said the band should “just drop the ‘Cut’ from the title because to me this [is] Crap. iWow! That was a lot of music and time well spent; for the most part, even Cut the Crap had its moments. Onward to some more of my summer listening with bands that I got to listen to through some wonderful folks who sent their music to me.
BIG STIR RECORDS and NICK FRATER invite you to check in to AERODROME MOTEL, the new album from the acclaimed Croydon, England-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. The record, featuring the lead single/focus track “Dancing With A Gertrude”, sees release August 19 on record store shelves (as a CD) and streaming platforms worldwide, and is available for pre-order at www.bigstirrecords.com and other online outlets now. Frater‘s tenth album overall and his third with Big Stir, AERODROME MOTEL builds on the success of last year’s acclaimed Earworms and marks yet another stride forward for the ever-creatively-restless, always-impeccably-tuneful Renaissance man.
Nick Frater stands out on a modern pop landscape populated by innumerable prolific self-professed polymaths by virtue of not having to profess anything about himself at all. The critics and tastemakers of the indie-pop world are more than happy to do it for him: Earworms was 2021’s Album of the Year at Powerpopaholic. The previous year’s Fast & Loose won Frater a five-star review, and a citation as a “pop tunesmith par excellence,” in Britain’s revered Shindig! Magazine. And 2019’s Full Fathom Freight-Trainearned the Album of The Year honor from International Pop Overthrow, with all three adorning countless other Year’s Best lists worldwide: Earworms alone ranked in the Top 20 with pop scene influencers in the US, UK, Canada, Italy, Sweden and Argentina.
That acknowledged consistency of sheer quality is why a new Nick Frater album is always something special, but each record is also unique… he simply doesn’t repeat himself. Frater’s songwriting has drawn frequent comparisons to Bacharach, and Aerodrome Motel sees him continuing his quest for new catchy hooks and melodies. But he’s also chosen to take a few risks on this album and explore some broader subject matter too. We’re treated the usual rock song territory of love and loss, but also endangered baby names (on the undeniably catchy single “Dancing With A Gertrude”), wave machines (on the title track with its mutual echoes of Elliot Smith and the Fab Four) and even the graffiti from a toilet door set to music (the horn-driven, Elton John-inflected “Rough & Tumble”)!
Frater tells us: “The last few albums have felt like some big steps forward for my songwriting. More and more I’ve enjoyed writing purely from the voice. Frequently you’ll find me being that person singing at the bus stop or while walking around the supermarket, recording ideas in to my phone. I get a few funny looks, but I’m convinced this technique is helping capture some catchy tunes. Having started songwriting by trying to find surprising and complicated chords – and I still love those songs! – I also love the idea that a pop song could translate to a Salvation Army band, or panpipe trio, or 8bit chip tune. Could this song survive being played by kids with a recorder? I never ever want to hear the answer to that question, but I find it helps focus my melody writing!”
By the time those supermarket melodies have been refined, paired with dollops of a trademark lyrical wit, immaculately produced and performed by Nick and a sterling guest cast, they’ve become irresistible earworms that anyone might catch themselves humming in public. Frater lives in a land of 60s/70s sophisticated-pop, a self-confessed obsession with vintage recording techniques, and a ‘more is more’ approach to production. AERODROME MOTEL, named for the long-abandoned London airport near Frater‘s home, hits the tarmac in exactly that mode, with “The Pleasure Is Mine” bringing to mind Steely Dan. It then dives into a pair of rockers – “Love Heist” and “Stuck In My Ways” – sporting the kinds of radio-perfect choruses and soaring harmonies that have made Frater so beloved among power pop aficionados worldwide.
Those hooks are all over the record, of course – it is a Nick Frater album, after all! – but there’s texture aplenty, and wry observations and introspection alike informing the lyrics. “Dear Modern Times” is a scathing look at the death of nuance in today’s social discourse, in a musical setting Frater calls “The Zombies meet Billy Joel.” Elsewhere, “American Expressways” brings Brian Wilson-style studio savvy to an examination of the befuddled ambivalence of a soldier returning from the front. There’s also the character-study ballad “No Hard Feelings,” which brings together haunting mellotron strings, a Twin Peaks baritone guitar, backwards tape, and harmonium against sparse drums, creating an almost cinematic scale to the song balanced against an intimate and heartfelt vocal.
The album closes with another character study, “White Courtesy Phone,” a blissed-out psychedelic country-waltz with haunting pedal steel and French horn framing a portrait of a traveler who never seems to arrive anywhere. It hearkens back to the title track, inspired by the artwork of the 1960s motel matchboxes gorgeously echoed on the album artwork by frequent collaborator Adam Mallett. And that’s the framework of the record’s traveling themes, with Frater bringing his love of West Coast American mythology and his very British sensibilities together… with side trips exploring adult male mental health, finding oneself gagged and bound in the back of a getaway car, and just plain rude-sounding but intoxicating glam rock stomp.
AERODROME MOTEL is far more than a simple layover or road stop on Nick Frater‘s ever-ascending career path, and it’s thrilling to hear his melodic and lyrical inventions continue to take flight. Open yourself to Nick‘s way of blending wit and melody and you’ll likely laugh, cry, and pause to see the world around you in a new light… often in the space of the same song. Check in on August 19 and stay as long as you like… just leave the wave machine where you found it, for the next guests.
Small Wonders, album was an enjoyable listen to from front to back, top to bottom, left to right, and start to finish. Are there any other ways to listen to the album that I missed? I was tempted to say that I listened to the vinyl record from the first groove to the last, but then I woke up, had a cup of joe, put my brain in gear and avoided that mistake. You may be asking yourself why that was a mistake. You will need to read through this blog to find the answer to that question.
I was also tempted to say that I liked this album very much with a half dozen very’s. I also avoided that blunder and can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this recording. So, why did I find this album such a good listening experience? The answer to that question has more than one answer, but I will try to explain it as concisely as possible.
Small Wonders
Right off the start, I like the album cover. It is minimalist and conveys the information we need to know in a pleasantly neat package but remains artistic and lovely to peruse. Art is often challenging to put into words, and that applies to this album cover. I like it just because I like it.
The music? Yeah, I like it as much, if not more than I like the album cover. The reason I like it is equally difficult to explain as the cover art was. The musicianship is top-notch and flows from soft folk-influenced music, as heard on the opening track, Smile Through The Dark, to in-your-face rock, as heard on I Don’t Want To Be That Kind Of Guy.
Starry Skies display their mastery over their musical instruments without being ostentatious. Warren McIntyre plays guitar, sings lead vocals, writes lyrics and answers emails from people like me. Johnny Rooney is on lead guitar, and Jenny Lunan is on Cello/Vocals. Heather Phillips on violin adds her vocals to the wonder of Small Wonders. Sophie Pragnell is on viola/vocals/percussion, Adam Scott on bass, and Mike Harrison plays drums. Mike is also the head of sound for Snarky Puppy.
Heather and Warren
I found the lyrics right up my alley; they tell short stories, and I like that. My favourite book is a collection of short stories, and Starry Skies tell short stories with aplomb. A great example of their storytelling is Spitfire Susie, a song about Warren’s neighbour Miss Susie Ross who died in 2021, aged 99. They became friends when she offered her empty garage to park his 1967 Vauxhall Victor. He started to drive her to visit her best friend in a care home and do her daily shopping. The song, Spitfire Susie, was released on what would have been her 100th birthday, and it was played at her funeral. That, my friends, is a great story song.
One more example of lyrics that jumped out at me. I Don’t Wanna Be That Kinda Guy is the song.
“Played the drums in a rock n roll band Shy boy trying not to reveal All the weakness and fear inside And I learned how to never feel
I don’t wanna be that kinda guy…”
Songs that speak to our souls are special. Songs that speak to my soul get my attention and this one sure did.
Warren McIntyre comments on the lyrics. “This record is intended to celebrate the small wonders that are all around us if we open our eyes to see them. The songs were written during 2021, when we were all really grateful for small things like being able to go for a walk with a friend. But, as a collection, they ended up a bit of a mish-mash of lyrical-led protest songs, some folk-pop with cello, viola and violin, a beautiful, sparse piano ballad and even a couple of punky indie dance floor fillers,”.
I could go on and on about the lyrics and the music accompanying those words, but I want to encourage you to listen and discover the stories yourself. I have a saying for listening closely to music, listening intentionally. It is listening to hear what each instrument adds to the final mix. Listening to vocal inflections, does it go up as an indication of interest or hope? Or do they go down to imply seriousness, hopelessness or sorrow? Yeah, that’s what I do; I listen intently. Small Wonders is an excellent album to mine for the details.
The Small Wonders album is currently available for pre-order. As of August 12, it will be available everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp, and on CD and sky-blue vinyl. It can be ordered from record shops or purchased directly from Last Night From Glasgow. The album is distributed through Proper Distribution in the UK and Redeye in the USA.
You go boom. I go boom. We Go Boom. It is inevitable, so don’t fight it; Groove With It. Grab your Spacebox and the mix tapes. Put on your Combat camo jacket. We are not in the old armageddon. We are in the NuEnd Of The World, and it is a Strange Noise, but I like it. So I will take my Protein pill, put my helmet on a let the Dirty Secret out of the Spacebox. So everyone can Groove With It.
The bit of fun above is the set list of the new album, All Welcome On Planet Ree-Vo, from Ree-Vo, theelectro-dub duo Andy Spaceland (AKA Andy Jenks) and T. Relly. ALBUM TRACKLIST 1) We Go 2) Boom 3) Groove With It 4) Spacebox 5) Combat 6) Nu 7) End Of The World 8) Strange Noise 9) Protein 10) Dirty Secret
I confess that I don’t listen to a great deal of rap or hip-hop so it has to be something special for me to not only listen to the album start to finish, but to listen to the whole album more than once. All Welcome On Planet Ree-Vo is special. I appreciate the amount of work that goes into making a piece of art such as this, kudos to Andy Spaceland and T. Relly. This album is not only listenable but also contains relevant lyrics, it’s more than just throwing together a bunch of words that rhyme.
Recorded, produced and mixed by Andy at Bristol’s Christchurch Studios, known as the home of ‘Mezzanine’-era Massive Attack, this album was tweaked and fine-tuned during the summer of 2020.
Ree-Vo adds more fun through the video for ‘Spacebox,’ a hook-laden track that will keep your party rocking.
“Liftoff, blast off, shirt off, dance off! Naked in the dancehall SPACE BOX!” is the beamed mantra, Relly transmitting to all occupants of the galaxy. We wanted to make a hedonistic and colourful dancehall track, a bold response to the suppressive circumstances of the last two years,” says Andy Spaceland
This project could only have formed in one city, steeped as it is in Bristol‘s decades of hip hop and bass music. This music project, All Welcome To Planet Ree-Vo, was influenced by the local scene and artists synonymous with hip-hop and reggae’s cultural and social commentary, such as the Bug and Flowdan, Nas, Kojey Radical, Rob Smith, Massive Attack, Big Cat Burns and Mantronix.
Andy Spaceland got involved in bass music after art school (where Brian Eno was his examiner). Bristol’s Static Sound System and a collaborative 12″ with Rudy Tambala (AR Kane) as Sugarboat Vs Sufi was accomplished before Andy Spaceland’s band Alpha signed to Massive Attack’s Melankolic label. He became their tour DJ. He has collaborated with Smith and Mighty, Horace Andy,Elizabeth Fraser, and Madonna, and Andy has released music on Dj Die‘s label Gutterfunk as White Bully. Andy is also part of 5 Billion in Diamonds with LA producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage). To keep his calendar full, Andy is working on new material with Mark Stewart (The Pop Group) and Adrian Sherwood.
T. Relly is Bristol hip-hop royalty – known in the community variously for his links to all of the city’s major club nights, his passion and support for the most disadvantaged (through his work with the youth and prison leavers), through to compering stages at St Paul’s Carnival and his seminal 2018 album with DJ Rogue ‘Let Them Know. He collaborates with many crews, including Innalife and Killer Crab Men.
“Our sound has the lifeblood of sound-system bass culture carried through veins of hip-hop and rave. I describe it like that BCuz it’s a live and living thing, not just a sound, though essentially it is Bristol Dirt. Both me and Andy, as individuals, have very different sounds, but as a duo, the sound for me is totally of one, which is rare throughout collaborations. The sound just fits. It’s edgy, consciously upbeat and fun yet seriousness throughout – such as life,” says T. Relly
“This release has been a long time coming. Me and Andy met through a mutual friend and instantly became friends; when that shit happens, the universe has already decided on something great happening. With that, we never gave up on Ree-Vo throughout multiple frustrations, let downs and genre life getting in the way.”
On July 29th, the album was released on turquoise-blue gatefold vinyl, CD and digitally via Dell’Orso Records and Southern Record Distributors (SRD). Upon purchasing the album, folks will receive the orange vinyl 10″ (in limited quantity) featuring four remixes and collaborations involving The Bug, Object, NØISE and Dälek. All Welcome On Planet Ree-Vo can be purchased at https://lnk.to/Ree-VoEDDA52
“Love and Addiction is a powerful representation of love in all forms and across all genres. It’s an intense journey bridging unruly passion and the yearning for clarity and stability,” says Grace Solero.
“When I came up with the first few lines of the melody and a few lyrics of the verse it was clear enough that a dark broody Pandora’s box had been opened. I felt like a surge of thick honey was running through my throat.”
High energy and highly dynamic, Solero’s mercurial voice is of astounding range and a powerful stage presence. Conveying deep emotions with alternating darkness and light, her songwriting shies away from the ordinary. Sonically, apart from their guitar-based sound, the band uses less conventional instruments, such as the cello, Hammond B3 organ, psaltery and even singing bowls.
Mixed by Chris Brown(Radiohead, Muse, Ride, INXS, Gary Moore, The Waterboys) and, this 9-track offering was mastered byAndy ‘Hippy’ Baldwin (The Who, Interpol, Oasis, Blur, UB40, Stormzy) at London’s Metropolis Studio.
Recorded and engineered by Jon Clayton (The Monochrome Set, Vic Godard And Subway Sect) at One Cat Studio in London, the band members themselves arranged and produced this collection. Solero is accompanied by Californian lead guitarist / vocalist Dan Beaulaurier, Swedish bassist Bjorn Zetterlund and Welsh multi-instrumentalist Dave Guy on drums and percussion.
Not long ago, the band previewed the title track ‘Metamorphosis’ on the trail of super-charged melodic singles‘Orange Sky’,‘Awake’and‘Lucid Dream’, the latter of which has recently gained support via BBC 6 Music.
“This album represents a turning point, the need to break free from things that kept us stuck in the past. It’s a deep journey through the transformative power of love leading to emotional freedom. Each song’s emotion feeds the next song and creates a beautiful soundscape. From yearning to change, from unhealthy passion to mystical love, from emotional apocalypse to taking risks, from melancholy to healing and being reborn,” says Grace Solero.
The ‘Metamorphosis’ LP is out now and is available on CD from the artist’s store or digitally via Bandcamp, Spotify and Apple Music.
Izzy S.O. came charging out of my computer speakers, aimed directly at the part of my brain that stores sticky music, conveniently located next door to my auditory cortex, the place that holds musical memory. Izzy S.O. makes music that is very listener-friendly, memorable and guaranteed to generate Involuntary Musical Imagery.
West Midlands native singer-songwriter Izzy S.O. delivers music with a style that one would expect from a recording veteran, this is her debut, and it is a keeper. Captivating listeners with her anthemic tone and lyrical originality, the London-based artist is building a reputation for her signature poetic lyricism. With a voice loaded with emotion and power, Izzy S.O. plays on heavy guitar rhythms and soft melodies that will fill you to your core. She has released her debut single, Flirting With Strangers, accompanied by live performances at some of London’s staple venues. Izzy S.O.’s debut EP ‘Can You Hear Me’ comes out on 29th June 2022 via Silent Kid Records, accompanied by a launch party at Strongroom Studios in Shoreditch on 28th June.
Izzy S.O. delivers emotionally drenched lyrics that feel so very real. They are relatable and honest, sometimes hard to hear but so relevant that I can’t stop listening. It is a bit deceptive to hear her singing a pop-oriented song until you realize that the message is more profound than the sound would suggest. It takes repeated listens to get where the music is taking the lyrics.
Speaking of the music, it is good, VG+. Piano threads its way through guitar and dances with sublime percussion. The percussion is so good it can often get lost in the mix, which it does excellently. BTW, I think Flirting With Strangers is the best track. The lyrics are deep, and the music moves the lyrics forward and drives the song home with a punch.
The up-and-coming artist sheds light on mental health issues and the complex emotions attached to growing up while moving listeners through heartfelt tunes that give off a comforting sense of familiarity and warmth. Izzy S.O. explains creating her debut EP: “It started with me and [my producer] Dustin Doole talking at a party and promising to have a session together. I was apprehensive as although I’d left school to do music when I was young, the pressure of it had gotten too much, and I ended up backing off from it and focusing on acting.
In our first session, we worked on Lost The Feeling, and I came away re-energized and excited with a new belief that I could bring something unique to the table. The idea for Can You Hear Me came to me the night after working with Dustin on that first song, and I remember the first verse being in my head as I reached the end of a lockdown walk. We sat down for about three hours, talking about inspirations and creating a playlist which included artists such as the Pixies, Hole, Nirvana, Bush and Radiohead. I’d also made a Pinterest board, and by the end of it, we felt like it all made sense. We then restarted Can You Hear Me, and that really led the way for the rest of the EP.
In between these sessions, I had written Laughing in my Sleep – I had been having a tough time with my OCD with the January/February Lockdown, and I remember making porridge one morning and feeling so overwhelmed. The energy was weird in the house I was living in because mine and my housemates’ individual anxieties were triggering each other – she had just left the house, and I sat at the table and sang Laughing in My Sleep into a voice note. By the time we had finished re-working on Can you Hear Me, we had gotten quite drunk, and Dustin started playing a guitar riff – I started singing Laughing In My Sleep to fit what he was playing, and within an hour, we had the full demo.
Again Flirting with Strangers started as a voice note; I brought in the first verse to Tadhg Daly one evening, and we sat outside at Strongroom in Shoreditch discussing what the song was about and when we got back inside, we wrote the rest of the song within forty minutes, a few lines flew into my brain from old poems of mine, and it all just fell together in one quick lyrical mess that somehow made sense.”
Good job, Izzy S.O., a great EP. I look forward to more music from you. I heard Can You Hear Me loud and clear and want to hear more.
Izzy S.O.’s debut EP ‘Can You Hear Me’ comes out on 29th June 2022 via Silent Kid Records, accompanied by a launch party at Strongroom Studios in Shoreditch on 28th June.
From the first notes of 99 MPH, the lead track from the debut EP of The Austin-based Americana-rock duo The Caughtery, I thought I had some excellent listening coming my way. Those tempting notes came from the talented David Gayler, multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter and studio owner based in Spicewood, Texas. And the vocals were supplied by Lisa Tingle. Her resume is impressive, to say the least, http://www.lisatingle.com/about-lisa-tingle/
These two talented people came from the east and the west, David in New York and Lisa in California, to meet in Austin, Texas and test the musical atmosphere in that city. Hailing from opposite coasts, Tingle and Gayler grew up in musical families. Lisa and David’s shared diverse musical loves (rock, indie, fusion, jazz, blues and R&B) sparked a creative connection that led to the creation of this most excellent EP of original music.
This EP features contributions by Ricky Phillips (of Styx and previously with Coverdale/Page, Bad English, The Babys, Angel), bassist Brian Lippman and drummer Tom Brechtlein, who has performed with Chick Corea, Kenny Loggins, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Al DiMeola, Jean-Luc Ponty and Rickie Lee Jones.
“After two years of being sequestered, we are finally able to release our 5-song EP to the world. With a common thread throughout the EP and the support from our fellow musicians, each song has its own musical place and we hope you enjoy listening to them,” says David Gayler.
Ahead of their new Americana-rock focus track ’99MPH’, the duo teased two powerhouse singles – ‘Fragile’ and ‘The Uninvited.’
“The song 99MPH is about how you can control love just about as well as you can control the weather… YOU CAN’T! And how the one you fall in love with can affect you in a multitude of unexpected ways… Often times you are like a ship tossed about on the ocean, in a hurricane,” says Lisa Tingle.
Two musical soul-searchers originally hailing from opposite coasts, Tingle and Gayler both grew up in musical families. Lisa and David’s shared diverse musical loves (rock, indie, fusion, jazz, blues and R&B) sparked a genuine connection, their mutual addiction for creating unique music ultimately moving their storytelling note by note.
The duo originated in 2020 when David called Lisa to record a song that fit her vibe. What started as a one-off collaboration ultimately became this full EP of material under The Caughtery. On this debut EP, Lisa’s lyrics explore such themes as relationships, new and old, the passing of friends and the state of our world today.
Described as a mix of Robert Plant, Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin, Tingle has received multiple honours at the Austin Music Awards (Female Vocalist of the Year, Band of the Year, Best Song, Musician of the Year, Album of the Year0. She’s also toured and performed with many legends, including Etta James, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, Eric Johnson, Stephen Bruton, Monte Montgomery and Marcia Ball.
Check them out. The Caughtery make music that is easy on the ears. They do not make cut and paste music; they are treading new musical paths worth taking the time to get to know.
Weathered Music 