Ted Kelly and John Dowling found Paris Hilton as a judge at The Miss Turkey Contest. Borught on stage to learn how to Belly Dance..We thought it was night vision goggles that made it appear she couldn't move. but we were wrong
American Political Music Videos
First we had the Barrack girl (below) now this Hillary Video......... Now W.T.F.....means...WOW That's Funny!
Yael Naim Interview with Ted Kelly Parts 1 & 2
She is one of the biggest stars on earth and it all came from her song being featured in the new MacBook Air commercial. Ted Kelly talks to the first Israeli solo artist to chart in the top 10 in America about her global fame and shares some big news with her and her producer David Donatien. Listen to the interview and watch her cover Britney Spears' Toxic andthe video for her global hit "New Soul"
The WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road 2008
Since the creation of The WorldSpace Sessions at Abbey Road in 2006 over 100 bands have stepped into the legendary Studio 2 (The Beatles Studio) to perform for a global audience listening on WorldSpace's UPop 29 which is heard in America and Canada on XM, on-line via AOL and in 10,000,000+ homes via DirecTV Channel 824.
Here is the class of '08 from the WorldSPace Sessions @ Abbey Road. Four Days...over 30 bands! Check out each day and Click on the band name to get a feel of their once in a lifetime performance and moments in Studio 2 and listen all month on UPop 29 as Ted Kelly, Mark Daley, Tamara Taylor, Tania Shillam and Joe Bonadonna Jr. present the 2008 WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road.
DAY 1-
PHIL MARSHALL
FAT SUE
NEIMO
PETE DU PON
DON LETTS
PUBLIC SYMPHONY
DAY 2 -
ROSS COPPERMAN
ELECTRIC SIX
JIM BOGGIA
SHANE HINES & THE TRANCE
DAN MacKENZIE
DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIOUS PIP
THE DUKE SPIRIT
ELIZA LYNN
LOS DESTERRADOS
DAY 3
GAVIN THORPE
BRIGADE
THE HOURS
THE SPILL CANVAS
VAN CLEEF FOUR
THE FURIES
GLASS SHARK
DAY 4
BRICE WOODALL & THE POSITRONS
THE WRENS
SCARLATTO
SLASHED SEAT AFFAIR
LAUREL COLLECTIVE
PISTOL VALVE
SEAMUS McLOUGHLIN
PROXY
Full Lisitng of 2008 WorldSpace Sessions Bands
BRICE WOODALL & THE POSITRONS
BRIGADE
DAN LE SAC SCROOBIOUS PIP
DAN MacKENZIE
DON LETTS
ELECTRIC SIX
ELIZA LYNN
FAT SUE
GARY NOCK
GAVIN THORPE
GLASS SHARK
JIM BOGGIA
JOHN DOMINGUES
LAUREL COLLECTIVE
LOS DESTERRADOS
MATTAFIX
NEIMO
PAMA INTERNATIONAL
PETE DU PON
PISTOL VALVE
PHIL MARSHALL
PROXY
PUBLIC SYMPHONY
ROSS COPPERMAN
SCARLATTO
SEAMUS McLOUGHLIN
SHANE HINES & THE TRANCE
SLASHED SEAT AFFAIR
THE DUKE SPIRIT
THE FURIES
THE HOURS
THE SPILL CANVAS
THE WRENS
VAN CLEEF FOUR
Brigade at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Our good friend and Satellite Radio Subscriber Andy Halford told Ted Kelly about a brilliant band from his family's home town. (Andy took all the photos for the 2008 WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road including those of Brigade...above!) During their performance in Studio 2, the band lived up to their European acclaim. Read what the biggest names in Brit Rock say about Brigade:
'...they're all about the songs. And the songs are uniformly good, shading to fucking great. Tonight they sound absolutely huge, the slivers of Placebo-esque pop genius still shining through but threatening to be over-whelmed by the sheer scale of the glacial riffs and devastatingly pinpoint rhythmic thrust. For an outfit still in its relative infancy they have an astounding grasp of dynamics - of what to put where for maximum effect. The result is a band who can rock like megalithic motherfuckers when called for but who also understand the concepts of taste and restraint...' KERRANG!
'...a towering beast of a rock band!' NME 8/10
'...'Lights' is simply a muscular, dynamic and genre-defying modern rock record, bristling with its own ideas and a strong sense of self.' KERRANG! 4/5
'...they're sure to accomplish truly great things. This is guitar music at its most pure and vital...If we had more bands like Brigade to reinforce the strength of our homegrown music scene, who knows what heights it could reach.' ROCKSOUND 8/10
'Brigade may become what has been needed for so long, a British band that appreciate, create, and are loyal to rock music in it's purest form.' TUNED 9/10
Brice Woodall & The Positrons at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Brice Woodall joined with his longtime stage and recording companions to perform a memorable set that Iinluded some of his latest works and a brilliant cover of Day in The Life. Brice and the positrons became a You Tube phenom recently with a "lo-fi" cover of Rihanna. During his tour of the U.K. Brice and The Positrons also stopped by another legendary stop made famous by the Beatles. The Cavern Club in Liverpool for a special on stage performance...
DanLeSac VS.ScroobiousPip at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Dan Le Sac and Scroobious Pip describe themselves as a lil 2 piece band...They walked into Abbey road not with two turnatables and microphone...just one Apple Macbook.. that's it... and that computer under the skillfull hands of Dan with some of the most compelling lyrics, rhymes and raps from Scroobious make this dynamic duo one of the bands to watch in 2008. Currently opening for multiple Grammy and Brit winner Mark Ronson, The due have the unique distinction of creating and performing one of the most viewed videos in the history of You Tube! Dan and Pip are based either side of London but originally hailling from the same little town in Essex, Stanford-le-Hope is its name and y'all should never have reason to visit there, but if you happen to find yourself in the center of deepest darkest Essex, why not have a stroll along the sea wall to look at out derelict fertilizer factory and massive oil refinery.
Trevor Dann at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Trevor is Director of the Radio Academy, a UK registered charity dedicated to the encouragement, recognition and promotion of excellence in broadcasting and audio production. He also works as a writer, broadcaster, producer and media consultant. His first book, a biography of Nick Drake called "Darker Than The Deepest Sea" was published in 2006. He produces programmes for BBC Radio 2 and podcasts for companies including the Financial Times and Williams F1 and contributes regularly to Word magazine. He founded the imaginatively named Trevor Dann's Company in 2002.
He was previously Head of BBC Music Entertainment (1996-2000) responsible for all the corporation's in-house pop music production including Radio 1, Radio 2, Top of the Pops, Glastonbury, Later with Jools Holland, World Service pop output and international distribution. He is best known in the music industry as the man who overhauled Radio 1's music policy during the repositioning of the station in the mid-nineties. He previously worked as a local radio reporter and producer (Radio Nottingham 1974-79), a Radio 1 producer (1979-83), producer of Whistle Test and Live Aid for BBC TV (1983-88) and as Managing Editor of the BBC's London radio station GLR (1988-93) where he helped launch the radio careers of Chris Evans, Chris Morris and Danny Baker among many others. He has also run his own independent radio production company, Confederate Broadcasting (1993-96), and acted as a commercial radio consultant.
As Managing Director of Pop for Emap (2000-2), he was responsible for the Smash Hits brand on all media platforms and for the co-ordination of Emap's pop music strategy. He developed the Smash Hits Chart and oversaw the launch of both the Smash Hits TV channel and the Smash Hits Radio Show, which won a Sony Radio Academy Award in 2001. He was also responsible for the music policy on Emap's Big City radio stations and was executive producer of the Smash Hits Pollwinners Party (2000 and 2001) and the Q Awards and Kerrang Awards (2001) for Channel 4. Between 2002 and 2004 he presented BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's breakfast show.
Trevor was educated at Nottingham High School and Fitzwilliam College Cambridge. He also graduated from the Executive Program at the University of Michigan. He has been a weekly columnist for The Times and The Sunday Telegraph and contributed to The Guardian, The Independent, The Evening Standard, Q, Music Week and Mojo. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Radio Academy and a winner of several Sony Awards for radio presentation and production and a BAFTA for Live Aid. In 1999 he was awarded the Country Music Association's Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement & Promotion of Country Music Internationally. He was Chairman of Ashwell Academicals FC from 1999 to 2006.
Trevor lives near Cambridge, is married (to Maureen) and has two children, Celia (15) and Henry (13).
The Wrens at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Just after the WorldSpace Sessions 2007, WorldSpace's Bill Rock visited the legendary university of London Union, a music and entertainment venue where a legendary band from the United States took total command of the stage and crowd. The band is The Wrens. Bill actually called Ted Kelly from the ULU and let the sound of the Wrens playback through the cell while shouting "this is one of the bands for next year at Abbey Road!"Through year long conversations and logistics with Neil and Bernard of one of the U.K's premier new rock labels Lomax, the band that hails from Ted Kelly's home state made their way to Studio 2 for the 2008 WorldSpace Sessions @ Abbey Road.
Charles Bissell, Greg Whelan, Kevin Whelan, and Jerry MacDonald formed a band in the late 80sand released a seven inch under the name band name "Low." By the mid 90's , the band had morphed into The Wrens and released two albums, Silver (1994) and Secaucus (1996). Both arrived to critical acclaim and a strong following of fans. Ted Kelly described the band as the "Daniel Day-Lewis" of rock...the way Day-Lewis only makes on film every seven to ten years the Wrens deliver criticallay acclaimed work at roughly the same pace.
All of the band's members besides MacDonald lived in the same house, and they continued to write and record songs, while also keeping day jobs. Finally, in 2003, the band released its third full-length album, The Meadowlands. The new album was a resounding success for The Wrens, achieving huge critical success. The band also gained a new following after the album was released.
The band is also working hard on a follow-up to The Meadowlands and actually wrote and performed one of the songs that will appear on the upcoming album while Kevin was sitting at the "McCartney" concert grand Steinway in Studio 2. Check out The video to see the muse of Studio 2 and The Wrens at this year' WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road.
The Duke Spirit at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
During the Duke Spirit performance Ted Kelly said that he can count on one hand the number of record business execs that he would call upon for honest recommendation for band inclusion for The WorldSpace Session. The executive Ted referenced that day was Shangri-la Records Michael Plen, a legendary music man who was the shepherd of careers including Janet Jackson to the recent duet project of Jerry Lee Lewis with Springsteen and Keith Richard. Michael recommended the brilliant Duke Spirit and the upon the band's arrival at Studio 2..they came to play!
The band formed from the meeting of Liela Moss and Luke Ford at an art college in Cheltenham where they were studying painting and photography, respectively. They moved to London together and began writing songs. After a short time they convinced mutual friend Toby Butler to join the band and they began to perform under the moniker 'Solomon'. During this period they shared a flat with various other people trying to make it in their various facets of media. One of their flatmates, artist Dan Higgins (he has designed all their sleeve work to date) turned out to be a guitar player looking for similarly minded musicians to make music with. The basis of the Duke Spirit was formed and after a chance meeting with drummer Olly Betts, the band had developed as a complete unit with a new name, 'The Duke Spirit' by early 2003. The band released their first single Darling You're Mean in May and played their first gig at the Brixton Windmill later that year. The band's debut album was released with Loog Records/Polydor in the UK on the 16th of May 2005. After headlining the TMF Rock Festival (now known as Offset festival) in the UK, the album was released in the U.S. and the band found themselves touring through America for much of 2006, including a highly praised[citation needed] performance at the Coachella 2006 festival, California. The only release of 2006 was a downloadable E.P. and limited 7" single titled 'Covered In Love' (released through Velo Recordings). This was a collection of songs, recorded to 8-track by the band, written by recently deceased heroes and heroines (Arthur Lee, Desmond Dekker and Jessie Mae Hemphill). The Duke Spirit, in April 2007 to record their own second album, "Neptune."The Duke Spirit have received much acclaim and increasing success despite relatively little advertising based promotion on TV and the radio. Initially a "word of mouth" band, their heavy touring schedules have helped them to spread their music across the country and eventually into America and Europe. They have played a number of high-profile support slots for the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Mercury Rev, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Razorlight and Kasabian, amongst others.
The Hours at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
The Hours returned to Studio 2 at Abbey Road to join Ted Kelly and UPop on WorldSpace Satellite Radio, XM,AOL and DirecTV as one of the only bands ever to be invited for a second year in a row to perform. Just returning from a brief but powerful U.S. tour that included The Sotheby's Red Event in which Bono joined Ant and Martin on Stage for two blistering covers to their global hit the band arrived in their usual prompt fashion with a massive equipment load in and brilliant new percussion, guitar and additional keyboard members. We are going to leave the history of the band to a "real" story teller. Suffice to say that the charisma that the bands exudes on stage is a genuine and passionate as they sound on their recordings. Their genuine appreciation for the support that UPop and WorldSpace/XM is evident in the brilliant and very personal performance and interview video incluing a special happy birthday to XM Satellite subscriber "Judiph" who flew in for the event and had front row seats in Studio 2 for The Hours....
The Hours...read the behind a brilliant band.
There are many places this biography of The Hours could begin. It could begin in Sheffield, at the fag end of punk, where a ten-year old Ant Genn is standing at the stage door of The Top Rank waiting for The Clash to turn up so he can grab Joe Strummer's autograph. Then again, it could begin in 1999 as Ant Genn settles into a swivel chair as he clocks in for day one producing Joe Strummer's solo album.
It could start across the Pennines, in the early '80s, where another "Northern lad", Martin Slattery, is carving a reputation as a prodigious teenage jazz pianist and saxophonist player, performing in Manchester's Working Men's clubs alongside his dad, an organist. Or it could kick off in the back of a tour bus in 1995, somewhere on Planet Earth, where Slattery is earning a living as the (still prodigiously) talented keyboardist in Shaun Ryder's Black Grape, living life to its very fullest in any number of places. But not getting much sleep. For two years.
Let's start this tale on the road, where Genn is playing across the world with first Elastica and then Pulp (with whom he also played as a 16 year-old) and gradually losing his teeth to a crack and heroin habit. Too negative? Probably. We could start at the sessions for UNKLE that Genn produced, or on the road with Joe Strummer, where Slattery is an integral part of the Mescaleros, until Joe's untimely passing. How about we start on the night of their first meeting, at Metropolis Studios in London, where Ant has taken his flatmate Robbie Williams (long story) to meet Black Grape's producer Danny Sabre, but has instead met Martin Slattery and recognized a kindred spirit...
Actually, no. All that's well and good, and fascinating in its own way. But that's not where we're starting. We need to tell you why The Hours mean something, why they're driven to communicate with as many people as they can reach with big, sweeping, straight-talking and beautiful music, and why you mustn't ignore them. So we're starting at a Radiohead gig in Shepherd's Bush in 2004.
Martin Slattery and Antony Genn are in attendance and they are absolutely blown away by the power of the performance. It is, literally, awesome. So Martin turns to Ant and says, 'If I have one regret it's that I never played in my own band and we never got to that level.'
Let's do it, says Ant. Let's start a band. Martin looks at him - but what are you going to do, he asks incredulously. Sing, says Ant. I want to sing. Martin's not so sure. While Ant finishes producing a Grace Jones album and Martin continues to work alongside the gilded likes of Brian Eno, Sly and Robbie, Tony Allen, the idea begins to gather weight.
Pretty soon, their bluff is called as a studio in West London is booked for a fortnight. Nobody could've have predicted how well things would turn out.
They went into the studio without a note of music written, with Slattery thinking they'd be doing experimental stuff, messing about on the fringes for fun. Instead, they started to write huge anthems, with Slattery playing any instrument he could lay his hands on and Genn joining him on guitar - sending out his bold, occasionally dark, usually illuminating words about life, death, love and all points in between. They are both totally gobsmacked.
"I'm the spark and he's like a deep sea oil rig," says Genn. "I just drop a match on him and kaboom! He's all over it: on the drums, bass, piano, everything and it's amazing!"This is not the cockiness usually associated with a new band, because these two aren't like any old new band. They've played with great bands before and they know what that's like. They know what the competition really sounds like when you're lost in the moment playing something amazing for the first time. But as they hammer out the insistent riff of Ali In the Jungle, the dagger in the heart of Back When You Were Good or the knife's edge melody of I Miss You, they know they've stepped into an arena flooded with light. They know they've pulled off the hardest trick of all: they've written a collection of glittering pop songs that have something fundamental and important to say.
"It was really important that we communicate something with these songs," says Genn. "I want to communicate to people about reinvention, resurrection, loss, growing-up...late: The human condition. Me and him have been in groups with three of the greatest British poets and front-men of all time: Shaun Ryder, Jarvis Cocker and Joe Strummer. So, I always told myself, unless you've got something to say, mate, don't even step towards that mic."
Genn takes up the thread. "I want to see how far good songs can take you... I want a massive hit record and this is just the start.""The Hours are Antony Genn and Martin Slattery. They understand what music is for - it's for human beings to communicate with other human beings. It's that simple, it's that important. Let them into your life. You won't regret it."
Jarvis Cocker, 2006
John Domingues at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Upop 29 is heard in over 134 countries on WorldSpace, XM, AOL and DirecTV. Each year we like to invite select subscribers to join us for the once in a lifetime experience with UPop live in Studio 2 at Abbey Road. This year our subscriber was also a very accomplished and talented musician. John Domingues had a choice to make a few years back...professional musician, doctor or lawyer...The Satellite Radio subscriber and good friend to WorldSpace and XM's UPop 29 realized a lifelong passion when he joined Upop 29's Ted Kelly, Mark Daley and Tamara Taylor Studio 2 of Abbey Road and joined the over 30 bands in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Apple Record. John played some of the most loved Beatles tunes on the priceless Steinway Grand used by John, Paul and George to compose and record many of the their legendary hits. His renditions can be heard at the beginning of each of the 2008 WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road.
Check out the video and imagine yourself seated at the legendary Steinway concert grand in studio 2. Upo 29 and Satellite Radio really making our subscribers dreams come true.
Scarlatto at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
SCARLATTO is a brilliant group of musicians from the Umbria region of Italy. Jazz Pop fusion makes this a band to watch...meet Scarlatto!
Carlotta :
Carla Quadraccia was born in Rome on 03/11/1975
She began taking singing lessons in 1990.
From 1994 to 1998 she studied at the Saint Louis Music Academy in Rome.
In ‘96 and ‘97 she studied opera singing.
From ’98 to 2003 she had a production contract with Francesco Migliacci and Carosello Records with which she released 1 album and 8 singles.
Carlotta now presents the project SCARLATTO created and produced by and with :
Valter Sacripanti – drums (Nek ’94-2002. Ivan Graziani ’96. Bertè 97)
David Pieralisi – guitar (Mietta.Zarrillo)
Riccardo Ciaramellari – piano and accordian
(Tozzi.Pooh.Bertè.M°Pregadio)
Sandro Rosati – contrabass (Mogol-Lavezzi since ’98)
Scarlatto is a sponge that with time became soaked with folk music, old jazz, Italian 40’s-60’s music, love, pain, stories, and irony.
Squeezing the sponge with care, SCARLATTO songs leak out!
The project is best expressed during live concerts. That’s why the album has been recorded live at Amelia’s Social Theater (Terni),
a place that offers an ideal sound that gives way to warm and true sounds.
The first album SCARLATTO won the award for “Best Italian Production 2006” on behalf of the National Music and Information Forum musicalnews.com.
They are now recording their second album…
The Spill Canvas at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Picture your next-door neighbor, noticeably talented, quietly charming and extraordinarily friendly. You watch him growing up in the home beside your own, fostering a deep love of music, learning to play the guitar, encouraged by his father to pursue an exploration of these sonic landscapes and claim them for his own. Years pass and one day you look out the window and realize the little boy next-door has become a full-fledged musician-and the members of your small town aren't the only ones who know it.
That is the story of Nick Thomas, the singer, guitarist and mastermind behind The Spill Canvas. While growing up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Thomas recorded his first songs at age 15, funded by his father who strongly encouraged his son's evident musical talent. Although Thomas admits that results of those studio sessions were "atrocious," the fledgling singer-songwriter honed his largely acoustic-based style playing solo shows in and around his hometown. After performing with a few local bands, Thomas returned to his solo music with conviction, dubbing it The Spill Canvas.
After sending demo after demo to labels around the county, the music caught the attention One Eleven Records owner Brad Fischetti. The result of that record deal was the raw and emotive Sunsets and Car Crashes, which began to amass Thomas eager fans around the country. After officially transitioning from solo act to full-fledged rock band, The Spill Canvas recorded their dynamic debut full-length, One Fell Swoop, with producer Ed Rose (The Get-Up Kids), releasing it on One Eleven in May of 2005 to great acclaim, eventually selling over 50,000 copies.
While on tour in support of One Fell Swoop, The Spill Canvas caught the eye of Sire Records President Michael Goldstone at New Jersey's The Bamboozle Festival in 2006. Ready to take the next step forward, The Spill Canvas formed a partnership with Sire, which Thomas believes will provide the band with the promise of career longevity. The band came out with a new five-song EP tiled Denial Feels So Good in May and they are about to enter the next phase of their career with their new full-length, No Really, I'm Fine, which was recorded by Neal Avron (Fall Out Boy, The Wallflowers, Yellowcard) in Hollywood, California, last spring. "It was such an easy choice to pick Neal to produce our new record because he's consistently produced so many great records over the years," says Beck. "He brings out the absolute best in you as a performer," adds Thomas.
The result is an album that's finally as varied as the band's collective influences, which range from Van Morrison to Otis Redding. For example, the hypnotic rocker "One Thing" shows how much the band have grown as musicians since the release of their last full-length; "Bleed" has a psychedelic '70s rock feel that's effortlessly recontextualized into a pop context; and "Saved" is an epic anthem that's got a chorus so huge it's hard to believe it can be successfully encoded in ones and zeroes. "This time around we had so much more time in the studio and I think that really allowed us to blossom creatively," Thomas explains. "We got to make beats by like hitting stuff with hammers and banging pillows on the wall and stuff like that. There were no boundaries to what we would experiment with."
To date, the Spill Canvas have toured with bands like Motion City Soundtrack, Straylight Run, Mae and The Plain White T's, and graced the stages of Austin's annual music festival SXSW, New Jersey's The Bamboozle and the Vans Warped Tour in both 2006 and 2007. ("We love Warped Tour, says Ludeman. "What could possibly be better than an event that caters to such a wide variety of music lovers?") and now the legendary WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road in Studio 2. Admittedly, the the band, who was named one of Alternative Press' "Bands To Watch in 2007," may not exactly be living next-door anymore, but they have preserved the sensibility of their humble beginnings. Notorious for their personal relationship with their fans, The Spill Canvas may spend most of the year on the road, but their hearts have never left Sioux Falls.
"We come from is such a simple place and when we'd get to those coastal communities like New York or Seattle, it's almost like an oversaturation because everybody is in a band and everybody's the next big thing," Thomas explains when asked why the band members all still live in South Dakota when they're not on the road. "There's no strings, there's no flashiness to the concepts," he continues, mirroring Bruce Springsteen's attitude about New Jersey or Van Morrison's feelings toward Belfast, Ireland. "Our writing is just very honest," he adds, "almost too honest sometimes, which I think it's kind of cool."
"With this record you can definitely tell we've matured as musicians and how much Nick has improved as a lyricist; that's going to happen with as much as we went through when we were supporting One Fell Swoop," explains Beck, adding that despite the members are barely of legal drinking age, they're old souls. "We grew up really quickly over the past few years and for the first time we're experiencing life to the fullest." That said, even if the band ended tomorrow, the Spill Canvas would still be proud of their accomplishments. "I think we've already completed a lot of dreams and while we do have new ones that form every day, t I think at the end of the day you just have to hope for the best," Thomas summarizes. "I'm from South Dakota and look at what we're doing; sometimes this all feels like a dream.RossCopperman at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
The bit of America south of the Mason-Dixon Line has been romanticised by everyone from William Faulkner to Nick Cave, but who can blame them? It’s the birthplace of jazz, the blues and rock’n’roll, which is a pretty formidable heritage. In the 21st century, the South hasn’t stopped producing singular musical talent, in the shape of, say, Pharrell Williams, Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake. Which puts Ross Copperman in good company.
The boy from Roanoke, Virginia (the nearest big city is Washington DC, 170 miles north) has soulfulness and melody in his bones. He’s sung for as long as he can remember – he’ll tell you about being five years old and wailing along to the car radio with Mom. But what marks him out, in a region where even the postman sings a bit, is his ability to turn the music in his head into widescreen tunes. That’s “widescreen” as in “sweeping melodies and spacious choruses,” but his emotive, scuffed-up voice bestows an intimacy that makes each song feel as if it were written for the listener alone.
Tell him he’s not bad and he does the Southern-boy thing of shaking his head and saying, Aw, go on. But then he recounts a story about being in a high-school band with guys who wouldn’t let him sing or write songs. “They’d say, ‘No, Ross, we can’t use that,’ and I thought I probably wasn’t that good. So I did a songwriting class at college and wrote ‘Fly Away,’ and the professor said, ‘That’s pretty special’.”
What else could he do but give up all thought of being a lawyer (his youthful ambition, along with being a jazz singer) and turn music from a hobby into his 24/7 life? His parents – Dad a restaurant owner, Mom a parole officer – hadn’t been happy during his jazz-vocalist phase (which lasted a couple of years in his mid-teens), but when he directed his thoughts toward rock, and began to write strikingly accomplished songs, they realised their only son knew what he was doing.
After college, he did an internship at a New York jingle house, where he wrote advertising jingles to order. There aren’t many popsters who can boast that their first hit was a tune for a Fisher-Price toys TV ad – Ross may be the only one. But it was a start, and, newly confident, he began entering competitions. He came third out of 35,000 entrants in the USA Songwriting Competition (his swag: “$5000 and a bunch of free stuff”), and then was named Best Unsigned Artist in the Freshtrax.com contest.
The Freshtrax prize was $10,000 and a 40-date tour of America. It wasn’t exactly a five-star jaunt - “I’d be by myself, fly to each city alone and do the show” - but it was great for literally getting his act together. “It got my chops up, and I was playing and going to places I’d never have gone to, like South Beach, Idaho.” And he kept touring for the next year, on a have-guitar-will-travel basis, until publishing companies and record labels started offering him deals.
This was a couple of years ago, and by then Ross knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to come to London. Really. Despite the Virginia accent and soulful voice, he’s a true-blue Anglophile, inspired by Radiohead, The Beatles and Muse. “I like their melodies and harmonies, and the songs are better. You can hear the English influence in my songs and my articulation.” Lest he seem unpatriotic, he hastens to add that he doesn’t have much truck with Brit boy-bands: “At least American ones are talented and good-looking.” Well, that’s McFly told.
The success of The Strokes, Scissor Sisters and Killers, all of whom broke Britain first, spurred him to turn down American deals. And his faith that the UK music business would recognise a cool American talent when they saw it was rewarded. He moved to London after signing his deal, and, installed in a flat in West Kensington, is now living his dream of full-time residency in the land of innovative music and tepid Coke (he doesn’t get the thing about Brits not using ice).
“People at my shows here warm to the fact that I’m American. I’ll ask if anyone here is from Virginia and they say, ‘Yeah!’ and I’ll think, What are you cheering for? I’m only asking if you’re from Virginia! I do a cover of [Gnarls Barkley’s] ‘Crazy,’ and I say, ‘This is a song I wrote that got a little airplay,’ and people afterwards ask if I really wrote it!” Uh, he didn’t.
On the gorgeously introspective “Guilty Pleasure,” which was debute on UPop 29, for instance, the story behind the song is weirdish: he was invited to a party at the Playboy Mansion. Being a red-blooded 24-year-old, he went. “There were loads of girls around, trying to be in Playboy, and it turned out that these girls are hired to come and flirt with the guests. I felt sorry for them. Afterwards, I wrote ‘Guilty Pleasure.’”
There’s growing interest in his music in America. Ross has arrived at a time when quality young male singers are on the up (see also James Morrison and Ray Lamontagne). The door is open. A striking Southerner is walking through it.
Pistol Valve at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
UPop 29 on WorldSpace and XM was the first satellite radio channel on earth to play and program J-Pop/J-Rock music on satellite radio.. In March 2007 UPop's Ted Kelly received the latest Pistol Valve CD "Tsunamic Girls From Tokyo," Ted immediately began conversations with Tak Uchida and Garule Records in Japan and Los Angeles to bring the ten talented and pretty young women to Abbey Road Studio 2 for Thw WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road. Pistol Valve are ten unrivaled musicians. This 10-piece 'Girls Horn Rock band' as they call themselves, plays jazz, ska, blues and even hip-hop with the rhythm marked by brass instruments!
PISTOL VALVE brought all their influences to London and created one of the most unique performances that Abbey Road Studios has ever seen! and the world was listening too!
PISTOL VALVE brought all their influences to London and created one of the most unique performances that Abbey Road Studios has ever seen! and the world was listening too!
With ten high energy, talented and gorgeous Japanese girls as its members, PISTOL VALVE was created in Tokyo in October 2005. It is a surprising band, not because of the youth and clothing style and talent of the musicians, but because of their capacity for creating a unique fusion of rock, jazz and hip-hop.
The band debuted on Japanese TV with an appearance in a broadcast called The Best House 1-2-3 on FujiTV, where they created an immediate craze. The day after, "PISTOL VALVE" became the fourth most searched topic on Yahoo!Japan's search engine. The band kept on appearing on TV broadcasts, creating a strong and lasting presence in Japanese media. Now one of the most searched J-Pop bands on earth, their dazzling success is reinforced by frequent live, unexpected street gigs, in Tokyo,new York and Austin Texas!
In 2007, the band held its first concert in the US, invading the international music scene. They toured through New-York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Texas and Los Angeles, where the listeners were surprised by their eccentric clothes and catchy tunes.
After their successful performances, PISTOL VALVE came back to Tokyo, where they were heavily solicited. They signed a contract and released Tsunamic Girls From Tokyo, their first album.
In 2008, the French company J-Music Live organized their European tour that culminated in their most memorable WorldSpace Session@ Abbey Road.
Pete Du Pon at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Pete du Pon is an English singer/ songwriter described as "one of England's best new artists."Pete is making waves as an up and coming unsigned artist touted as the next James Taylor. With a voice that sends shivers down the spine and lyrics which melt hearts, Pete has has been earmarked for great things.
He has worked with the likes of Rollo, Marky Bates (both Faithless), Stuart Zender, Si katz (both Jamiroquai), Brian McFadden,Julian Gallagher (James Morrison, U2), Blair Mackichan (Lilly Allen, Will Young), Jake Schulze, Carl Bjorsell, Sebastian and Didrik Thott (all ranging from the pop world of Britney Spears to kylie etc...), Arthur Baker (all round music legend), Chris Leonard (Paolo Nutini) and a host of others.
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY:
The Dailly Mirror: "Look out for hotly-tipped singer-songwriter Pete du Pon. Rollo from Faithless and Brian McFadden are the latest to join his band of celebrity fans - we think he has what it takes."
The London Paper: "Hotly tipped artist Pete du Pon, who has been working with Faithless's Rollo."
The London Paper Cobden gig review: "Highly-rated Pete du Pon played a storming gig at the Cobden Club last night. theBuzz thinks he's going to be big news..."
The London Paper Troubador gig review: "theBuzz's hotly-tipped act for 2008."
The London Paper: " theBuzz's hotly-tipped artist Pete du Pon played a storming show for AOL at Abbey Road studios..."
Gibson.com: "One of the UK's best unsigned artists"
Pama International at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Introducing Pama International; ROOTS ROCKERS REGGAE - soul-fueled & dub-induced for the 21st century, fronted by long-time musical cohorts Sean Flowerdew (keyboards/writer), Finny (lead singer) and Lynval Golding (The Specials/Fun Boy 3) alongside members from; Bentley Rhythm Ace, Pop Will Eat Itself, Lee Perry’s band, Galliano, Manasseh and more.
To date Pama Intl have released 4 critically acclaimed albums, recorded 2 BBC Radio One Sessions, sold-out tours of Italy, Switzerland & UK, played triumphant sets at Glastonbury, Womad, Respect, Wickerman and Beautiful Days festivals plus signed deals in USA, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Mexico & Spain. Their recordings have been championed on the airwaves and sound systems the world over and now live from Studio 2 at Abbey Road with The 2008 WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road.
They've performed alongside Jimmy Cliff, Prince Buster, Lee Perry, Rico Rodriguez, The Skatalites, Toots & The Maytals, Mad Professor, Don Letts, Madness, Channel One Sound System and Easy Star All-stars, creating a huge grassroots following, with a live show that has become second to none.
“the best live roots band I’ve ever seen” FACT magazine.
2006 saw them become the first new band in 30 years to sign to the legendary Trojan Records. The resulting release boasted a classic line-up of vintage ska and reggae guests including; Rico Rodriguez, Dennis Alcapone, Dawn Penn, Derrick Morgan and the first recording since the 1970's from Dave & Ansel Collins, and immediately won global praise.
“YOU'D swear blind this CD was a compilation of forgotten reggae gems from the 70s. A wondrous revelation of an album. **** out of 5” Daily Star
"a mouth watering slice of authentic Club Ska cool for the 21st Century. **** out of 5" Music-news.com
"10 out of 10....Seriously it is that good" FFRUK.com
“Neither too modern or too retro, it blends classic ska and reggae rhythms with a double shot of dub” Record Collector
“Trojan Sessions should put Pama International firmly on the worldwide stage. ALBUM OF THE WEEK" Update magazine
"An astounding and refreshing album of top class reggae music. Reggae music doesn’t come much better than this" UK Reggae Guide
Not content to keep their sound to the music world alone six appearances on British and Hollywood film soundtracks have already been landed. The most successful of which is included on Pama Intl’s debut, the Flowerdew penned ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’, as featured on ‘Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels’.
The new "Love Filled Dub Band" album has been produced by John Collins (producer of The Specials iconic 'Ghost Town') and features guest appearances from Rico Rodriguez, Sir Horace Panter (The Specials) and Top 10 hit-maker Michie One, on the uncompromising single 'Highrise'. It also features Lynval Golding's first foray into song-writing since his days with The Specials & Fun Boy 3 on the thought provoking 'Wonder Wonder'. The album draws on the classic sounds of yesteryear, blending Stax inspired soul with Lee Perry's rockers reggae, King Tubby dub workouts with bang-on-the-button social commentary.
Neimo at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
The sound of the Parisian underground has reached our shores once again and is about to nestle it’s refined yet raw rock and roll self amongst our own indie scene.
Neïmo offer their unique sonic sphere accompanying Bruno’s husky and melodic vocals, the guitar morphs under electronic impulses – and it’s impossible to not capture your attention. Catchy, effective pop and arrogant, sensual rock come together with a resolutely Anglo-Saxon benediction. Neïmo’s main goal is to stick to the essentials. Their compositions get right to the point: the song. Simplicity and success go hand in hand, which is why the group has met with growing success for the past two years on the underground and mainstream scenes, charming its fans in nightclubs and festivals.
To bottle up their onstage energy, the arrangements, guitar solos and clever references sprinkled here, their debut album, "From Scratch", was the perfect introduction and taster towards what this band is really capable of. Neïmo is a group with high standards. This is also why the boys created their own label, Big Fields, to ensure the freedom of the group in terms of their music and approach in France.
Now with their second album “Modern Incidental” set for release next spring and after signing to US based Shangri-La Music, the new music company headed by Jeff Ayeroff (co-founder and former CEO of Virgin US, and more recently Vice Chairman of Warner Records), the lads are now ready to revolutionize and refresh rock and roll.
You’ve heard the buzz, now you must be part of this refreshing Parisian rock and roll movement about to hit embark Stateside. Vive la Révolution, indeed!
Public Symphony at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
public a. serving the people
symphony n. harmony of sounds
PUBLIC SYMPHONY are an independent British band born from a studio in London with an expansive sound that is beautiful but powerful, drawing references with Pink Floyd, Snow Patrol and Keane.
"Our self-produced and self-released album is a hi-fidelity journey through life's ups and downs. The intention of the songs is to inspire. We hope the music lifts you. We are audiophiles and we wonder if it is eligible for the Guinness Book Of World Records for most time and effort ever spent on crafting an album, all unfunded, at a time when crafted albums seemingly face extinction. Despite great acclaim from the press, we have been labouring again on the mixes towards a 2008 re-release." Public Symphony returns with their full band to the WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road and are one of a handful of bands ever to be invited back twice to the global satellite radio, on line and DirecTV broadcasts and sessions from Abbey Road on UPop 29.
ALBUM REVIEWS:
"Lush, uplifting, and self-released." Critics' Choice album of the year in The Times.
"A Pink Floyd for the Coldplay generation...some of the most soothing, beautiful sounds you will ever hear...a stunning piece of work." **** The Works
"Actually bottles human spirit...it should sell millions once it transcends the net, where it is already a phenomenon...a confident accomplished album that finds common ground between Massive Attack, Coldplay and Pink Floyd." The Knowledge ****
"A trip to Dreamworld, amid echoes, hints of choirs and Floydian effects. But what will ultimately make their release worthy of supermarket sales is the songwriting, which seeks to touch hearts and ringtills at the same time. Watch this space." Mojo ****
"It really is a beautiful record...Records this good, this affecting, dont come along very often" 8/10 - Classic Rock
"Expansive, uplifting and totally convincing... we don't offer six star ratings but, my goodness, this one is nudging it and then some. Tremendous." Get Ready To Rock *****
"Winners of Album Of The Year and Group Of The Year." Unsigned Music Mag
"From the delicate to the immense...a voyage". Q sheet
"A corking collection of real songs, arranged with imagination, taste, decent use of synths and above all, HUMAN." Blues Matters
"This album gets better with every listen." Outline
PUBLIC SYMPHONY play live with full band, or reduced and with extraordinary visuals to accompany the set. Gigs include The London Forum, Hammersmith Apollo, Bush Hall.
Message from PUBLIC SYMPHONY:
'It is frustratingly easy to be cynical. It is a challenge to be inspirational, yet we are mellow constructive souls. It inspires us to craft magic and share inspiration.
Rather than instant but disposable recordings, the albums we admire are deeply thoughtful and beautifully crafted with minute attention to detail.
You can hear complex sonic layers and detail in the songs to keep your ears discovering stimulation in a soothing, longer-lasting soundscape.
People tell us our album is a grower and gets better with every listen. That comes from putting in the studio hours (years!)
There is a progressive thread, a conceptual voyage in spite of today’s fragmented listening culture.
We have chosen to craft and release our own product but it can be nothing without you, the listener, choosing the music and sharing your discovery with others.
That is the best chance for our unfunded album to reach people who value new music which might reward them.
Our choice is to be extraordinary, to craft an album as an inspirational hi-fi journey to be discovered.'
Public Symphony are essentially Dobs (vocals, piano, guitar, programming) and James (piano, bass guitar, drum programming and production). Friends guest on the album and make up the band: electric guitar, drums, bass, backing vocals etc., including an appearance on 'Wings' by Natasha Marsh, now Dobs' wife!
Dobs previously managed a recording act James which James produced but the two started writing and clicked. A great understanding emerged.
Aside this project, James is a producer of countless dance and pop records, including twiddling the knobs behind Braund Reynolds, Soul Avengerz, Supermal etc Dobs previously managed recording artists (e.g. DJ Sasha, BT, Dido, Mozez of Zero7) and composes themes for TV.
The extraordinary videos are collaborations fulfilled purely over the internet. The conceptual animations for 'Stronger' and 'White Dove' were created by Canadian animator Theodore Ushev. These inspired US animator Kel Nelson to make a CGI fly through evolution for 'Breakthrough'. 1970's British TV hero, Mr Benn, stars in 'Anything Is Possible', with kind permission of creator David McKee and Rollo Rights.
The debut album has been critically acclaimed and is being further improved by new mixes for a 2008 edition, some of which can be auditioned at www.publicsymphony.com
Phil Marshall at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
A few facts about Phil Marshall…
Phil Marshall grew up in Hull/Yorkshire, England.
He taught himself to play the guitar by the age of twelve. By the age of fourteen, he was writing and recording his own songs.
Phil has recorded four solo albums, two of which at Abbey Road Studios in London, making him only one of a handful independent artist that have ever been allowed to record there.
U2, Nirvana, Lemonheads, Radiohead, Tom Waits, Counting Crows and The Beatles rate among his top influences.
He's made the radio charts and has knocked down virtually all of the proverbial walls in the music business. Now his satellite radio broadcast around the world on UPop, WorldSpace, XM, AOL and DirecTV is another benchmark in a brilliant career.
Phil has received airplay on many terresticle radio statons too from Alaska to California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Over the last few years, Phil has performed in sixty-four cities in six countries worldwide performing both as a solo act and with The Phil Marshall Band. Within the United States, he has performed in forty-eight cities in sixteen states including: California, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Phil has also toured extensively in Europe including the United Kingdom, Spain, the Czech Republic, France, Netherlands and Holland.
Phil has performed live for crowds up to 24,000 at the Kingston Communication Stadium in Yorkshire. And he is no stranger to world famous live music venues such as The Viper Room (Los Angeles), The Cobden Club (London), The Cavern Club (Liverpool), Cain’s Ballroom (Tulsa), Les Cariatides (Paris), Fitzgerald’s (Houston), Owl Bar (Sundance, UT), Eskimo Joe’s (Stillwater, OK), Club Da Da (Dallas), Bluenote (Columbia, MO) and Rockwood Music Hall (New York City). But regardless if he is playing at a world famous venue or a less renowned club one thing is for sure, the place will be packed with adoring fans.
He has shared the stage with bands like Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Sunshine Underground, Kula Shaker, The Longpigs, Echo’s Subcircus, Sultans of Ping and Orson.
In May of 2007, Phil released a new EP titled One Week, which features six singles. This extended play disc is so unique because he wrote it within a week, one song per day. Needless to say, the disc is very emotional.
Phil Marshall’s newest full-length album, Magnolia, is one that cannot be overlooked. Of the four albums that Phil has completed, this one fits his personal style the most. ‘The new Album delivers bright, guitar-heavy, melodic pop with Phil’s high vocals giving a shoe-gazing quality to a record that is as introverted as it is grandiose’ Matt Elliott, Tulsa World. Tulsa, Oklahoma
‘Phil is an immensely gifted singer and songwriter and one of only a handful of independent artists to work at Abbey Road.’
Collette Barber . Abbey Road Studios / EMI . London, United Kingdom
‘With Phil’s songs, the sky is the limit.’
Clay Neuman . President . Apex Music, LLC . Nashville, Tennessee
‘Phil is an extraordinary talent.’
David Rudich . Entertainment Attorney . Los Angeles, California
The Laurel Collective at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
About The Laurel Collective .. Hailing from Wales, England, Nigeria and Italy, The Laurel Collective play a schitzophrenic range of pop as diverse as their backgrounds. Fronted by the twin attack of two front men and their contrasting vocals, with the band bashing out a grooving, percussive racket - music for the short attention span, but music with depth too. Several line up changes and many gigs later, their experimental wall of sound has been trimmed to a slick, wayward pop outfit, flicking between the Juno vs Moog synth battle of songs 'International Love Affair' and the explosive samba punk of 'Gunmouth'. What has emerged for their forthcoming mini album is in fact a great showcase in song writing - 8 songs of emotional honesty, melodies infused with the bands own sonic recipe. It's already won them over a small legion of fans, so good things beckon - watch out as the mini album drops this Easter. Franz Ferdinand make music for girls to dance to- The Laurel Collective make music for girls to eat cake to. So come to a show. And let them eat cake.
Jim Boggia at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
"Jim's songs are so good, when I'm done listening, I need a cigarette" - MICHELLE BRANCH
"Jim is one of those rare artists who can play several instruments more than competently, has a great sense of melody, and can write a real sweet lyric.... I resent that!" - JILL SOBULE
Jim Boggia met Ted Kelly and John Dowling during the summer of 2007 when he had just completed producing recent American idol finalist Constantine's latest CD...The conversation led to the annual WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road and we found that Jim not only was a brilliant solo artist but he has a knowledge and appreciation of the Beatles and their time recording at Abbey Road. An invitation was extended and Jim had his pick of the historic instruments and equipment for his session, including The Challen Piano that tarted as Lennon's practice piano and was used by Paul and John on mny of the Beatles most memorable hits. During Jim's session you will also hear the "Mrs. mills piano and the mics used by Jim were the same mics used by Lennon for recording penny lane and many of the band's hits.... Jim Boggia gave one of the most memorable performance of the last three years. A real talent.
Safe In Sound could be the title of Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Jim Boggia’s life story, not just the name of his bluhammock music debut. As he often likes to explain to reporters, “I’ve been told that I was singing melodies before I started speaking words, and I started playing the guitar when I was five. I have no conception of a life before music.” Jim is the kind of hyper-kinetic guy who may never need an iPod because he’s already got instant recall of practically every song he’s ever heard and loved. Like a digital player permanently set in shuffle mode, he accesses riffs and rhymes with a sort of free-associative glee. At a recent acoustic gig, he managed to interpolate Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” into the middle of one of his own tunes; flirt with the hook of a sappy Chicago super-hit from the seventies; ably pluck out a verse of “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” on the guitar; and lecture the rapt audience on the origins of “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft.” (For the record, mysterious pop band Klaatu cut the track first, then the Carpenters turned it into a bizarre quasi-hit. Who knew?)
Jim’s unabashed love for pop music of all sorts – the cool, the classic, the corny – informs his own meticulously constructed, immediately engaging songs. But he’s more than just a facile craftsman; his songs are deeper, sometimes darker and more seriously romantic than his pop-trivia playfulness might suggest. Once you’ve finished admiring his vintage- sounding arrangements, you can start appreciating the very contemporary emotions he’s describing. Like his friend and occasional collaborator Aimee Mann, with whom he co-wrote the opening track “Shine,” Jim’s an exceptionally smart songwriter with an eye and ear for affecting details. Jim's recent Safe in Sound CD includes Guest appearances by Aimee Mann on 'Where's the Party?', Jill Sobule on 'Made Me So Happy', Wayne Kramer (MC5) on 'Underground' and Emitt Rhodes on 'Let Me Believe (Evan's Lament)'.. Jim Co-wrote 'Glory' for multi-platinum recording artist Jaci Velasquez, which went on to become a number 1 Billboard hit. Toured with Grammy Award winning artist Michelle Branch, appeared with and/or collaborated with Aimee Mann, Jill Sobule, Michael Penn, Duncan Sheik, Carly Simon, Amanda Marshall, Juliana Hatfield, and Bernadette PetersGlass Shark at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the dance floor.
Glass Shark are an explosive British power trio who want to make your feet move and your body rock. Formed in May 2006, this amazing live band have been featured on BBC radio, WoreldSpace Satellite Radio, XM,AOL and DirecTV, ITV and in the pages of the NME and Music Week.
Influences such as LCD Soundsystem, Prince and Soulwax unite in unholy metronomy, creating a dance-punk melee, rife with razor-sharp riffs, thundering disco beats and more hooks than Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
"Glass Shark straps the NYC funk-punk monster into a nadger-tight leather wet suit and lobs it off Cornwall's mightiest surf peaks. Dance? You'll not not dance" - NME
"Amazing! Who'd have thought it? The next LCD Soundsystem hailing from North Cornwall! Glass Shark are a trio of DIY-electro-pop stars to be" - PURE GROOVE RECORDS
"Taking the piston-beats of the DFA coterie, the cold steely glare of Kraftwerk and the sex fumble of Prince, (this) is the sort of thing that has trend-chasing A&R men shitting into each others’ pint glasses and weeping like little lost girls. Thankfully, GS have the top tunes to back it up, so we can only assume that deals are being signed anon" - 24/7 MAGAZINE
"If Leo Sayer were not so short already, he would bow down at the pop prowess of Glass Shark" - DFA RECORDS
"Like a filthy love match between Chic and the Butthole Surfers... perhaps the best new band to appear on the Cornish scene" - CORNISH GUARDIAN
"Quirky, punky disco pop...guaranteed to get you dancing" - WESTERN MORNING NEWS.
Gary Nock at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
Gary Nock is an acoustic singer-songwriter hailing from the West Midlands originally. Gary moved south as a child and grew up in the sleepy seaside town of Dawlish in Devon. A late starter in music, Gary first picked up a guitar at 17 years old and caught the bug. After a few quick lessons from a friend he borrowed an old Nylon stringed Spanish Guitar and locked himself away in his bedroom, and much to the delight of his Father, began noisily strumming and singing his way through book after book of classic songwriters and groups, including The Beatles, The Kinks, Tracy Chapman, The Jam and Leonard Cohen to name but a few. He also taught himself to sing merely by mimicking all the greats, including The King, of course, Elvis. Gary says - “ I only thought about it after a while of playing that I remember getting up at Christmas with the family and doing impressions of Elvis’ , ‘Love Me Tender’ and ‘Suspicious Minds‘ I used to love it!“
After honing his skills in his humble abode Gary ventured out and began playing in public wherever he could, starting with little performances in the Pubs around Devon. Slowly gaining a reputation as a “great little singer” Gary started to write his own songs - “Obviously the first songs I wrote were complete rubbish” Gary chuckled “But I just loved that I was making something, I was creating something of my own about my own experiences, after the first one, I just couldn’t stop” This trend continued well into his 20’s and at the age of 24 he decided to move back to the city where he was Born (Birmingham) to try and make something of all the years of practice. Based in his old home town, Gary began touring the country singing and playing to all sorts of crowds all over Britain from Edinburgh to Brighton. Again slowly gaining a reputation, this time not just as a singer but as a great songwriter whose heartfelt and honest lyrics rang true with both the male and female members of his ever growing audience. “ I always admired a great love song, its something everyone can relate to and it’s something I have had a lot of experience with, though not always with great success! If you can sit and watch someone sing about love and truly believe what they’re saying, that is something pretty special.”
In December 2006 Gary met up with Peter McCamley (famous for signing the Spice Girls, Craig David and Jamie Scott amongst others) after going along to see Gary live several times in the months following Peter tells how impressed he was by Gary’s voice and song writing abilities “Raw and honest, pure talent” Says Peter. And unlike many “industry” people he had met along the way, Peter decided to put his money where his mouth was! Peter signed Gary to his publishing company, P and P Songs, in July 2007, since then Gary has been co-writing with various writers and producers from across the globe and also been fortunate enough to support some great acts along the way including,- Newton Faulkner, Kate Walsh, Jamie Scott, Tina Dico. He continues to tour up and down the country and is currently in and out of the studio recording his first EP release which will hopefully be out sooner rather than later. I highly recommend going to see him live as this is where Gary really comes alive, he seems to draw you in to his world, demanding you sit up and take note. This guy is definitely one to look out for in the year ahead.
Gavin Thorpe at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
"I thought no-one was ever going to be interested in what I do. Going down the same routes as everyone else was getting me nowhere. So when I came into a little bit of money, I decided to do the album myself. I'm the one that wanted to say something. It was only fair that I created the platform to say it."
With a personal life that marries drive with disappointment and ambition with angst, Gavin Thorpe has been blessed with a vocal talent that strengthens his case for getting off your posterior and aiming towards whatever it is that makes you feel complete.
"I'm aware that living in an X-Factor generation means that some of what I'm trying to achieve is bound to get diluted, but putting my own money into this isn't too dissimilar to another artist with whom I feel a certain affiliation!"
Indeed, the comparisons in vocal ability will not have been lost on the young Bristolian. David Gray may have had his detractors, but not everyone takes the view that self-belief is a disability.
"Being patient has got me here. Not listening to anyone that expressed a doubt. So now my songwriting is more focused and better than it's ever been. I don't know if that would have been the case if things would have worked out sooner!"
Tempered by the confusion that mid -20's males seem to haul around, Gavin is at last in a position to paint his pictures in full view of a discerning public. A young man with a guitar isn't too special a deal these days, but with a voice that can break hearts from an auditorium away, Gavin Thorpe knows that the song is the essence and the only way to not be lumped in with his wannabe counterparts.
"It's all too cliched to say that I've always written to articulate my feelings. Any singer songwriter worth his corn will always have to rely on getting a battering emotionally to create something that people can relate to. Sometimes I want to tell my current girlfriend, 'Look, can you dump me? I'm having a bit of a dry patch...!'" He laughs. Dryly.
It's the same the world over. The difference here is 'the same' ain't what it used to be. Gavin Thorpe is ready to face up to his responsibilities and take the stage, blithely ignoring the spotlight and praying to the mic. It's a subtle noise but it moves. It moves you.
Electric Six at Worldspace Sessions @ Abbey Road 2008
There are a small number of American bands that have gained the distinction of being one of the biggest touring and most successful acts in Europe and regions outside of the United States. Electric Six with innovative lyrics, stage performances and video production has garnered this global fame and appreciation. UPop 29 on Satellite Radio in America and across the planet on WorldSpace and XM is the home for all of your favorite Electric Six Music. When we found out that the band would be in London during our WorldSpace Sessions, the wheels were set in motion to make their once in a lifetime performance in Studio 2 happen. Check out legendary video for Gay Bar and enjoy the photos of Electric Six at The WorldSpace Sessions@Abbey Road.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)