Wednesday 26 February 2014

Eurasianeyes Q&A

Your name:  
Paul Russell.

Where are you from?
Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.

Name of band:
Eurasianeyes.

Who else is in your band?
Mel Bell (and that’s not a made up name….honest).

How would you describe yourselves?   
We are a duo and the best description of our music is probably synth-pop. We like to try and write tracks with big vocals, lots of arpeggio synths with catchy melodies and huge synth solo’s.

Who are your main influences musically?   
Our main influences are Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Howard Jones. Although we are trying to be original in our music writing you can hear these influences coming through in our music. Mel also liked the music of Ennio Morricone and used to listen to his film scores a lot.

What do you hope to achieve in music?  
We have already achieved far more than we ever thought we would. When we started recording music around 18 months ago it was only ever going to be to upload to YouTube. Since July 2013 we have released two EP’s and a single. Hopefully this is only the start for us but if this is all we achieve we believe we won’t have failed.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?  
For me personally it was probably either having our own music played on FM and internet radio, or doing the live radio interview or selling our first EP. None of these were expected so they are all highlights for me. For Mel the highlight was having one of our tracks recognised by and played by Rusty Egan on his radio show. Mel is a huge fan of Rusty and this meant a lot to him.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?  
Being early on in our career we haven’t really got one yet. We are starting to do live gigs from March 2014 so we may soon get some, haha, hope not though.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?   
I think it would have to be our debut single “Far Off Land”. It has a very memorable melody with the big chorus and a huge synth solo. This was a step up from our debut EP and it defines our style I think.

Where can we listen to it?
You can hear all of our music at eurasianeyes.bandcamp.com/track/far-off-land




Where can we find out more about your music?
You can find out more about us by visiting the following:

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
We are starting to do live gigs from March 2014.
March 15th 2014 – “Beware The Ides of March” – Birmingham
April 5th 2014 – Donkaster Elektronische Freundschaft – Doncaster
Hopefully more live gigs to follow. 

Ian Halsall Q&A

Your name: 
Ian Halsall.

Where are you from? 
Born in North West England but lived in London all my adult life.

Name of band: 
Formerly Keeping The Faith and Musical Science but I recently dropped these names in favour of my real name.

Who else is in your band?
Just my evil twin.

How would you describe yourself? 
Bass music producer from London.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Tomita, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Verve, Radiohead, Andy Weatherall, Derrick May.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
Originality & emotion, sad & happy - that kind of thing - I want to make you dance and cry - at the same time.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Not sure it has happened yet.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
Someone direct messaged me on twitter a few weeks ago - a fairly famous singer (X) asking if I could do a dubstep mix for singer X. I said I didn't know who/what X was - he said - "I am X". I didn't get the remix - haha.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
"Feel It" - it's dark and happy, a struggle between darkness and happiness which leads to a triumphant climax.




Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
I recently created a record label "IDGAF Media Group" which I am releasing other bass music producer's tracks on as well as my own.
I have a release from @2amspecial https://soundcloud.com/2amspecial/sets/spacepornep on 21st Feb and upcoming from @Burning_Forest  too.

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Mikeey Q&A

Your name: 
Michael Fox.

Where are you from? 
Oxford, England.

Name of band: 
Mikeey.

How would you describe yourselves?  
I'd describe myself as a antichrist pop artist (although i'm not against anyone's beliefs) maybe a little grunge pop...I guess it's really hard to fit me into one category or a few as i keep jumping and mixing many genres in music records.

Who are your main influences musically?
I think it's artists and emotions that influence me to write music from the likes of Charli XCX to Marilyn Manson...I tend to find it's not a particular sound which attracts me but the style of vocals, the inner meaning of the lyrics and the stories which they're telling.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
I would love to be able to live off the music which I create and maybe be able to tour many countries and with many amazing artists/bands such as myself or just write an entire album with Lana Del Rey either way I'm happy to release my music for a small fee or for free!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
The highlight of my career would be being told that I'm different in the music scene by many successful artists and to know that Interscope are watching me closely (hopefully they still are).

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
I would love to forget my first record "Sleeping With Your Bestfriend" it was just so cheesy and weren't really my style at all...but there's one or two great tracks on there which I may redo! but ugh so much hype to be brought back right down!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
If I had to choose it'll have to be "Tired Of Singing The Blues" because it's realistic and sounds very different from most tracks i've released and I was really happy with the final version of the song!

Where can we listen to it?




Where can we find out more about your music?
Twitter - @mikeey_fox

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Keep an eye out for my upcoming album "MIKEEY" which should be out in March :)

White Light Spectrum Q&A

Your name:
Shawn Mazzei.

Where are you from?
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Band name: 
We're White Light Spectrum.

Who is in your band:
I am the lead guitarist; Matt Friday is lead vocals/keyboard/the occasional sax; Brian High is playing guitar; Shawn Hickman is bass guitar and, Sebastian Secret on the kit.

How would you describe yourselves?
I would describe us as a classically trained, and by classically trained I mean from the 60s and 70s, rock band. It's a soulful blend of blues, funk, rock n roll, and even some punk elements at times. But if we hear something, we just go for it and don't let "genre" get in the way of it.

Who are your main influences musically?
Our influences are all over the place really. Matt, our vocalist, started  out playing jazz sax and ended up somewhere around this grungy sort of rock singer and covers the ground in between. I'm a die hard blues fan and listen to a lot of 60s music but I listen to everything under the sun. Shawn Hickman has a serious punk rock background but has a very diverse playlist. Brian trains his ear to the classic singer/songwriters from back in the day but also really digs Jack White. Sebas is the biggest extreme going as far back as us but also diving into the dubstep scene. So needless to say, our influences come from anything that catches our attention and has soul. Gotta be able to feel it.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
I hate to give the cliche, broke musician response but honestly I just want to travel and share my music with everyone. It's the universal form of communication. It's something that everyone around the world gets. As far as more specifics though, I'd love to play the Royal Albert Hall in England. Red Rock in Arizona is like my dream venue. That place is gorgeous. More personally I'd like to be able to say I created something completely its own. Just to have a voice in the scene that's unique. Nothing monetary that I can think of. To be honest, I just got off the phone with a music store spending yet another 2k on a guitar and I could care less if I ever get that back lol.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
I remember New Year's Eve when I was 18 I think. I walked into Moondogs, which is a legendary blues club in Pittsburgh who's seen everyone from Buddy Guy to Derek Trucks. This place was packed to the brim. Norman Nardini was playing - he's an old school rock n roller who's been around since the 70s. I've seen him around before but I had not had the chance to meet him yet. Somehow my dad talked him into getting me on stage that night. It seemed like he was semi-interested at best at the idea and didn't give it much thought. I mean he had a crowd to entertain, was probably worried about other things. So I go up there and light that stage on fire (not literally. I'm saving my Hendrix rendition for another day). Knock out a couple blues rock tunes. Crowd's going crazy and I remember Norman's face, jaw dropping to the ground. We've been great friends since and he's continued to be my mentor since and has been one of the most important people in my life.

And the moment you want to forget?
I'll be honest, nothing rings a bell with this one. Maybe I was drunk and already forgot it haha. Maybe that experience is right around the corner. I'll let you know when it happens.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
WLS is still this everchanging thing. We're still so young as a band. I'd say our recording of "Love To Bring" is a good staple. We recorded this tune on the fly about five months in and it got a lot of attention and got us invited to play the biggest radio station in Pittsburgh. 

Where can we listen to it?
You can find it on our ReverbNation page http://www.reverbnation.com/whitelightspectrum
or just "like" our facebook https://www.facebook.com/WhiteLightSpectrum and there will be a link to our ReverbNation page from there.

Where can we find out more about your music?
We also recently showed up on Twitter @wlsbandofficial and we're working on launching a website very soon as well.

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
I'd just like to tell everyone to stay tuned and keep an eye on this band. I've played with a ton of people from all over the place with different styles and I really feel like this band has something. Every practice we keep writing better songs and finding our groove. Be ready for a CD release by the end of the year! We're almost done writing for it now.

Monday 24 February 2014

Wilko Johnson added to Sonisphere line up

PUB rock legend Wilko Johnson has been added to the bill for this year's Sonisphere festival.

The former Dr Feelgood guitarist was diagnosed with terminal cancer a year ago and has declined chemotherapy, but has continued to perform live on a regular basis.

He is one of a number of new acts for the festival at Knebworth Park in July including Electric Wizard, Dog Eat Dog and Anti-Flag.

The Pittsburg punks, who celebrate their 20th anniversary this summer, said: "Anti-Flag is always searching out new places to play. Sonisphere is a new forum for us to discuss that we are a band that stands against racism, sexism, homophobia and cynicism."

Also joining the bill are Black Spiders, Brutality Will Prevail, Emp!re, supergroup Krokodil, the reformed Raging Speedhorn, Reckless Love, Tesseract, The Safety Fire, The Defiled, The Hell and The Hype Theory.

Possibly the best PR quote comes from Stampin Ground, who said: "We're more excited than Kriss Akabusi on a waterslide."

This year's Sonisphere will be headlined by The Prodigy, Iron Maiden and Metallica, with Limp Bizkit and Deftones also appearing.

Visit sonisphere.co.uk for more details.

Villains debut album on the shelves

DRINK up - Essex rockers Villains are releasing their self-titled debut album today and are streaming it exclusively on the Jägermeister website.

Lead single The Fall has already gained extensive airplay including on Radio 1, as well as being the most requested video on Scuzz TV for two weeks running.

The band are also playing a hometown show at The Basement, in Chelmsford, on Friday to celebrate the album's launch.

For more on the band visit www.facebook.com/villainsofficial


Atlum Schema's special gig for Year 0 launch

INDIE artist Atlum Schema will be launching new album Year 0 by broadcasting a gig around world and letting fans ask whatever they want.

Anyone pre-ordering the album from atlumschema.bandcamp.com/album/year-0 will receive an invite to the gig and a downloadable video of the night.

Atlum Schema - aka Andy Mort of Leamington, England - has spent the past two-and-a-half years with a fresh perspective on human existence having helped to care for a friend who was diagnosed with a rapidly debilitating and imprisoning form of Lewy Body Dementia.

He told RealSoundsOK: "The album came together over just two weeks in the summer of 2013. It confronts themes of loss, the frailty of the human body, the potential strength of human spirit and the absurd attention and importance we collectively give to futile things. 

"Initially intended as a stripped back, acoustic record, it grew through the recording process into an ambient spirited, reflective, electronic exploration of the human condition. It is about discovering within the past the inescapable clues to the mysteries of the future, and that every passing moment is a new opportunity to change things."

Year 0 is available to pre-order now and will be released on March 31st, but you can get a taste with Empire of the Soul below.

And for more on the artist visit atlumschema.com


Hate Notes Q&A

Band name:
Hate Notes.

Where are you from?
East Inner London, England.

Who is in your band?
Kevin Deans & Ben Davies.

How would you describe yourselves?
Crunching indie electro.

Who are your main influences musically?
Basically a bit of a collision of indie and electro acts, among them: New Order, Loom, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party, Girls Names, DZ Deathrays, McLusky, Echo & The Bunnymen, Associates, Killing Joke, Toy, Can, Boards of Canada, DOLL, Tiga, Modey Lemon, Pixies, Ultraista, Child of Lov, CSS, Television, Plastikman, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Depeche Mode, That Petrol Emotion, Flying Lotus, Plaid, Death From Above 1979, Shit Robot, Death in Vegas, Kraftwerk.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Our mission statement: “To deliver an electro indie number one to over 1 million fans”. Of course, any chart placing and a reasonable fraction of a million happy fans would make us glad…

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Our kaleidoscopic first 18 months of gigging has had a few highlights, among them:
  • supporting The Horrors DJ Set at their afterparty at The Jamm in Brixton
  • headlining the "Shoreditch Showcase" at Luxe in Spitalfields (owned by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd).
  • releasing 3 singles in 2013. All are available on iTunes, Googleplay, Amazon & Spotify among other outlets.
  • currently we are  enjoying some airplay on independent and internet based radio broadcasts.

Although, a real stand out night was when a crowd of people came in off the street to see us play one night, having heard us form outside and liking the vibe. They introduced themselves after the set, we ended up pushing our guitar amp down a street in a shopping trolley to go partying with them and managed to sell one of them a Hate Notes T-Shirt that I (Kevin) had been wearing (for £5 – a loss, they cost more to make… ).

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
We had a laptop crash at one of our early gigs which took a few minutes to reboot and kind of lost the momentum we had built up during the set. That, or being heckled by some five-year-olds when we were filming a video in a park.  

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
“Elizabeth” – it has quite a marriage of indie and electro elements coupled with rather dark lyrics.

Where can we listen to it?



Where can we find out more about your music?
Some of our web and social media links:

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
2014 will bring more Hate Notes “poison pen” madness to the world.. 

The Suburb Q&A

Your name:
My name is The Suburb, I inherited the body of Raül Bonilla on the doctor's orders.

Where are you from?
Barcelona, Spain.

Name of band:
The Suburb.

Who else is in your band?
I play on my own and/or as a power trio with a couple of mates in live acts.

How would you describe yourselves?
I enjoy an indie rock punk folk pop fun approach to music. Recently, since I decided to make a videosong every week for one year, I've discovered how fun making videos is and I've found I love visual experimentation as much as music...

Who are your main influences musically?
I love Beck, Devendra Banhart and Micachu in their eclectic approach to music and Nirvana and Deerhunter in their blend of noise and straight forward melodies.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
I want to play around, record what I hear in my mind and share it and develope the visual side of myself I've just discovered.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
The Suburb is a new-born baby and since it is growing by the hour every day is a highlight.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Each time someone tells me how I should or shouldn't do things to succeed. 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
By now I'm only making covers, but you could judge yourself if you check what I've done with 'Video killed the radio star' by The Buggles - I think this is my best visual work -  or 'XO' by Beyoncé, both songs suggested by friends through my website (yes, I accept suggestions thorugh my website as a part of my own personal challenge ;)...
Oh....you said just one song? sorry...I'd go for XO then...it was the most difficult to adapt to my style.

Where can we listen to it?
Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
I'm making a new videosong every Friday (youtube) for one year. I'm releasing a covers album on the 23rd of April and starting a crowdfund campaign for it on the 5th of March. 
In May I'll start releasing original songs. 

Sunday 23 February 2014

This might just be the new single from The Diamond Age

DREAM-gaze duo The Diamond Age have released their new single I Might Just Be.

You can view the video above the and the track is available to download from soundcloud.com/the-diamond-age/i-might-just-be

The band from Southampton, England, will be playing The Great Escape Festival in Brighton on May 10th and to find out more about them visit facebook.com/thediamondageuk

You can also read the Q&A the band did with RealSoundsOK last month by clicking here.

Debut solo effort on the way from Alex Danson

UK singer-songwriter Alex Danson will release his debut EP at the end of March.

The four-song Making Tracks is his first release as a solo acoustic performer after appearing in a number of rock and indie bands.

You can buy the EP on iTunes and for more information on Alex visit alexdansonmusic.com or facebook.com/alexdansonmusic

You can also check out his cover of Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing below.


WHOOP-Szo's music from the Canadian Arctic

WHOOP-Szo have released their double album Qallunaat/Odemin - recorded in the Canadian Arctic.

Here at RealSoundsOK we love music made with a story, so we'll let those who made it tell it.

"It's a project that initially started while the members of WHOOP-Szo were running a screen-printing program for Inuit youth. Every record has it's own set of challenges, but this location definitely created a different set of obstacles. 

"When it’s -50 you can’t just go outside to take a break. You can’t run to the nearest music store if your patch chord stops working. Even the swapping of music files can be tedious when an internet connection barely exists. 

"The conditions created a record full of rabbit holes, blasts of noise, and weirdly infectious melodies. The record's strange origins make Qallunaat and Odemin completely unique pieces of music - an album that sounds intermittently like cabin fever."

WHOOP-Szo - who hail from Guelph, Ontario, and Salluit, Quebec - describe the sound as shoegaze plus ambient plus rock n roll all in the same song.

You can have a listen below and download the albums at thenoisymountain.bandcamp.com

For more information on the band visit facebook.com/WHOOPszo or twitter.com/WHOOPszo


New album on the way from Lucy Kitchen

UK folk singer Lucy Kitchen will release her album Waking on March 28th on Bohemia Rose Records, supported by the single Tide.

The songs were recorded as a live performance of guitar and vocals, with flute, glockenspiel and other instruments added later.

Lucy, from Southampton, England, told RealSoundsOK: "I wanted the intimacy of a live performance and to capture the songs as a whole."

The album is available for pre-order now at £10 by visiting www.lucykitchen.com

And you can view the video for her track Blue Eyes below.

NoRey Q&A

Your name:
Mike Swallow

Where are you from?

We are based in Seattle WA, but are originally from Bedford UK, Shrewsbury UK, Bogata Colombia, and Detroit Michigan, USA.

Name of band:

NoRey.

Who is in your band?

Alejandro Garcia - vocals & guitar
Vicky Bowes - vocals & percussion
Nick Nanry - guitar
Dave Swallow - bass
Mike Swallow - drums & vocals

How would you describe yourselves?

Eclectic, energetic, ...... Our sound would be best described as a mix of alternative/acoustic folk-rock/experimental music.

Who are your main influences musically?

We all have such a diverse taste in music and I think some of our influences come through, but for the most part I would say that we don't really relate our music to any specific groups or performers. Bands like The Doors, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Wailers, Tom Waits, Cake, Bjork, Nick Drake are some common favourites.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Happiness, first and foremost. Music is a crucial part of life to so many people and we want to be a part of that, to feel the connection between musician and listener. We want to make the listener feel something for our music whether it is happiness, sadness, excitement or whatever. To have the chance to share music and create what we want to create is important.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

I'm sure it is different for each individual member, but for me it would be headlining The Crocodile in Seattle. The Crocodile is a famous club that was established during the early 90's when Seattle was the epicentre of music, and to play on the same stage as some of my hero's growing up was a big deal.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

None of it. All the memories and events, even the failures are there to teach you. I wouldn't chose to forget anything we've been through.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

That's a tough one, but I would have to say the title track from our new album 'Untie Your Arms'. It's a very difficult thing to write a positive song that has as powerful words as this song does. For me it's a song that begs for love and openness in a positive way. I think everyone excells on
this song, the drums and bass keep the song full and break up the rhythms, whilst Nick really delved into a new style with his slide guitar. I'm really proud of the backing vocals that Vicky and I managed to create, it was the most creative we've been vocally in the studio.

Where can we listen to it?

http://norey.bandcamp.com/




Where can we find out more about your music?

http://www.noreymusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/noreymusic
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/untie-your-arms/id780862389
https://twitter.com/NoReymusic

Idlewood Q&A

Band name:
Idlewood.

Where are you from?
Brighton, England.

Who is in your band?
Homer Kelly Tarrant (Lead Vocals, Bass)
Jack Nolan (Guitar, Vocals)
Bryn Parnell (Guitar)
Loz Hood (Drums)

How would you describe yourselves?
Alt-rock, grunge, pop punk.

Who are your main influences musically?
Smashing Pumpkins, Feeder, Pearl Jam, Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, Weezer... the list could go on..But basically we love the 90's grunge, alt-rock sound and that's what we're trying to bring back!

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Short-term we have an 4/5 Track E.P. coming out later this spring and we hope that it receives well and helps us get out there more. Long term we aim to be playing up and down the country, at festivals in the summers and eventually touring the world!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Putting together the band back in November was great, but playing one of our new songs 'Going Home' at Coalition on Brighton seafront in front of about 400 people for our Uni end of term gig was pretty awesome.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
None as of yet, but it's early days! Still plenty of forgettable moments to come for the band i'm sure!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
'Going Home' is our best yet, it's had the best response for sure and the version that's online is only a demo too! The fully recorded/produced version will be the single of our forthcoming E.P. 

Where can we listen to it?



Where can we find out more about your music? 

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Follow us from the links above and keep your eyes peeled for us in the near future for gigs and releases!