Introducing… Adam Barnes
It’s a great moment when you go to see a band play, and discover an amazing support act. Adam Barnes was just that, and I am not being over zealous when I tell you that I have been listening to his music incessantly since seeing him perform.
Previously a member of acoustic folk act Motion In Colour, and hailing from Oxford, Adam creates a joyous blend of American Style Nu Folk, but all the while retaining a beautiful innocence in his music. Poignant melodies and affecting vocals will have you absolutely mesmerised: trust me, I have experienced it. Influenced by such artists as Bon Iver, William Fitzsimmons and Joe Purdy, Adam infuses light-hearted melodies with rather bleak subject matters to great effect.
Adam has recently released an EP entitled ‘Blisters’, a six song delight that is enchanting and endearing in equal measure. With beautiful and breathtaking moments such as ‘Lighthouse’ that with its powerful a cappella intro, will send shivers down your spine. The electric filled ‘Procession’ shows a more bluesy influence to Adam’s music. My personal favourite has to be ‘Come Undone’, which, with just a simple guitar melody and Adam’s deeply moving voice, you can’t help but get completely wrapped up in what the man has to offer.
‘Blisters’ is out now and you can find it HERE we all strongly recommend you listen to it.
To find out more information on Adam, you can check out his MySpace or visit his Soundcloud site and stream the entire EP.
An introduction to Florence Joelle
Florence Joelle, the songstress with a style all her own, and a subconscious colonised by vintage American tunes, sings of things that go bump in the night. While her inspiration draws from the past, she and her marvellous band have carved out a sound that lives in the present, bringing their own slant to Chick Webb’s ‘40s reefer blues ‘When I Get Low I Get High’, and the ‘50s R&B staple ‘Unchain My Heart’. Of Florence’s own compositions, ‘Stardust Merchant’ echoes early jazz standards and the melodrama of the post-war French songbook, whilst her ‘Watermelon Gin’ is a wistful, calypso-tinged serenade to love lost…
1. Tell Us About Your Upbringing, specifically with regard to how you developed your love of music.
Paris-born, to a jazz-loving father and a classical mother, I was blown away when I first saw and heard Elvis in King Creole at a friend’s house. I was ten years old and didn’t even know he existed! Elvis changed everything, very quickly I started listening to Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and Chuck Berry, and by the time I was 13, I was trailing the flea markets collecting rhythm and blues and rockabilly singles. The world was filled with records I didn’t yet know and needed to have! During my later teens I discovered the melodrama of French chanson, accordions and the music of Django Reinhardt, the North African rai from the street, and spent much time watching black and white American gangster films with jazz soundtracks where great Latin sounds were being played in louche bars. Later I discovered country, soul, folk and everything else, but it is the music of my early years that shaped my songwriting.
2. Define suave sophistication.
Suave, my favourite word… Not a question I have been asked before, would you believe. Suave sophistication has nothing to do with how rich or attractive you are, it is about how you choose to live: be true to yourself at least, know not to follow conventional thoughts, fashions and crazes as you have your very own, behave at all times as if you were walking on flower petals and existing on the best cocktails, live like a king even if you are a pauper. The following people are, or have been suave: Robert Mitchum, Miles Davis, Oscar Wilde, Orson Wells, Juliette Greco and obviously the lady in the song ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’, who is archetypically suave.
3. Complete the sentence: Elvis is…
The beginning of popular music as we know it. There is something beautifully tragic in the way he led his life, a beautiful, golden-voiced semi-god, glowing with oomph and cool, who grew into a man gone so early… The first of his kind, he didn’t have much control of his career, creatively especially.
4. London, Paris, New York… Your thoughts please.
Vital locations on the ley line of suave… London is still the world’s capital of music, and its energy and vitality are intoxicating in many ways. Paris is elegant and beautiful, and full of lovely sounds when you get past the surface, Django’s music can still be heard on the street, as well as African sounds (from north and south of the Sahara) old and new, and so much more… New York, now there’s the place… Sitting on a subway platform you realise that only there could bebop and modern jazz have taken shape, just hear these old trains passing along, sounding like avant-garde rhythm sections. Boogaloo (one of my favourite things) can still be heard, and beautiful folk music still being played. It’s as if the street is a giant magnet, and you might miss something if you don’t come out. Add to it dilapidated art deco everywhere, and the fact you can buy flowers from corner shops at 4am, my favourite playground!
5. What is the greatest song ever written, and why?
This is such a hard choice, there are so many… W.C. Handy’s ‘St Louis Blues’ comes to mind, if I try and make a rational decision. It has a beautiful melody that fits its story of love and deception, going from a standard 12 bar blues to a haunting minor tango, and back. The lyrics have emotional depth and tragic acceptance: her man has gone off with the St Louis woman, but she still loves him ‘like a schoolboy loves his pie’. It is so well crafted that people like Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and even the Flamin’ Groovies could make it their own.
Florence’s new EP Kiss Of Fire is out now.
Introducing… Night Of Sevens
Night Of Sevens are a five piece hailing from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. They describe themselves as an “autonomous, lyrical, garage rock ‘n’ roll movement upholding the age old fight between good and evil”. Add to this a healthy belief in the D.I.Y ethos and you get the picture. A band with a lot to say and a ‘fuck off we’re going it alone’ attitude.
After forming in February 2007, Night Of Sevens set about honing their sound and developing a tight set before cutting their live teeth in July 2007. Since then they remained active on the North of England live scene and have built up a loyal local following.
In early 2008, after recording and releasing several ‘live’ demos and extended improvised jams, Night Of Sevens set about building their own studio in the derelict old Tyne Tees Television Studios and in the Autumn of that year their task was complete.
For those that don’t know, Tyne Tees Television Studios was a huge, (and now demolished) space with a rich musical history. The building once hosted 80′s seminal music television show The Tube, presented by Jools Holland and Paula Yates showcasing many influential bands of the era. Artists to have graced the Tube stages include such legends as; Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, Killing Joke, Iggy Pop, The Fall, The Jam, The Pogues and Tom Waits to name a few.
With their spiritual home now complete the boys started working on new material and quickly recorded and mixed a number of tracks for release. With growing interest now from outside the camp the band turned down ‘singles’ deals from two independent labels and decided to self-release on their own label, Ragtag Records.
The first of these releases was entitled, Wait For The Red Tape/Murder Kiss and was released as a Ltd. Edition 7” and download in February 2009. The single was launched at a now legendary free gig at The Ouseburn Boathouse on the Tyne River in Newcastle. The band toured the single throughout the spring and summer and were even chosen to represent the North East’s burgeoning underground scene at the exclusive Evolution Festival.
After a short break the boys headed back to their recording space to work on new tracks. Inspired by the hushed atmosphere and cultural heritage of the building, the band embarked upon a journey of experimentation, recording huge amounts of material over a 10 month period until their studio flooded, miraculously leaving all their equipment undamaged. Subsequently the band got moved into one of the huge film studios in the building and took advantage of this by feverishly recording for another two solid months, capturing the sound of the building with organic recording techniques. These recordings would eventually get released in August as a double gatefold CD, aptly titled, The Flood Sessions.
On weekend downtime between mixing the Flood Sessions the band took time out to record, mix, master and sneak out a 3-track digital EP entitled ‘Anaesthetised’. Its release in May won many plaudits and picked up plays on BBC 6 Music and BBC Newcastle Introducing, as well as features on BBC Tyne Introducing and Drowned In Sound.
The band are currently amassing a collection of new songs for their debut album to be released in summer 2011 and a documentary of the recording of The Flood Sessions will be available before Christmas 2010 in homage to the building and everyone who shared this experience.
Catch The Nights Of Sevens at the WESTWAY ROUND THE UK TOUR 15th October.
Introducing… Roxanne De Bastion
Sweetness in song with an angelic voice that would make the harshest of hearts swoon in her presence… I give to you the wonderful Roxanne De Bastion.
Raised in Berlin, this endearing songstress has been honing her craft since the tender age of 10. Creating beautiful melodies entwined with dreamy imagery and touching balladry that allow the listener to become lost in her world.
Roxanne recently released her single, ‘One Morning’ which captures both subtlety and innocence within its story-telling. Add in the mix, her sultry and awe-inspiring voice, with its underlying tenderness and you find yourself surrendering totally to De Bastions charm.
Since moving to London, Roxanne has played up and down the country at many famous venues, including the Cavern Club, Barfly and the 100 Club and more recently, on tour with Nik Kershaw. I had the opportunity to catch Roxanne at the 12 Bar on Denmark Street performing to a small but totally captivated audience. Playing tracks from her recently released ep Mono, she effortlessly grabbed everyone with her enchanting approach and audience participation. One of the highlights was her track, Indie Electro Pop. It’s an ode to all the uber cool London bands, with a few bars of MGMT at the end to boot.
Comparisons to Regina Spektor and early Kate Nash are evident in her performance, which for me means Roxanne De Bastion is something special. On top of all that she is one of the loveliest people you will ever meet, fact!
You can hear tracks from her EP on her MySpace page and download it at iTunes Here
