Calling all the local heroes
Jul 23 2008 By Pete Chambers
TOWARDS the end of next year, the stunning new Herbert will play host to a music exhibition that goes all the way back to the birth of rock 'n' roll.
Provisionally titled More Than Two Tones, it will tell the tale of music in Coventry and Warwickshire. It is planned to include many angles of this great scene of ours.
The team behind the project is working on ideas and concepts, all aimed to bring the whole thing to life. It promises to be spectacular, but partially reliant on what exhibits we can obtain.
This is where you, my Backbeat friends come in; I'm asking people to be part of this by contributing to the exhibition. Be you an amateur or professional musician, a player or a fan, in a band now or an artist in the past six decades, we are looking for your help.
So what are we looking for? Well, anything with a musical connection. Be it with a national, international or local connection.
* RECORDS: What would music have been without all that lovely black flat vinyl? Yes long before we had the curse of the innocuous MP3, music had a bit of a fun factor about it, even in its packaging. I for one, recall the ride home with that new LP. Delicately removing the inner sleeve from the cover, and the joy of discovering that a lyric sheet was included.
So now is the time to drag out that almost-forgotten record box, and find that special album. We are not looking for your common garden LP, EP or single. We want something that has a tale behind it. Maybe it was your band on the disc, or as a fan you met the record's artists and got it signed.
* POSTERS: Probably the most highly-priced music collectible these days. I've seen Beatles posters outselling a complete set of the Fab Four's signatures. The very essence of a poster was to promote that one-off event, then discard it. The clever ones did no such thing, and hey presto, a collectible is born.
I have a few local posters in my collection, Covaid, Blitz Kreig Zone 2020 and Attrition. You may have one from a Coventry Theatre show, or Tiffany's, or even more exciting from the Orchid Ballroom. Remember, it doesn't have to be advertising a local artist; the exhibition will focus on any music that has a connection with the area. Including acts that played the city.
* CLOTHING: This is always an exciting one, you can roughly deduce what records and posters are likely to be available. Not so with clothing. Already we have pledges of some very interesting items. Such as Paul King's famous red suit, an amazing military-style coat from Edgar Broughton, and Tom Long has offered us the chance of borrowing his blue Gino of Will Brookes tailored stage jacket he wore when he was a member of the hit Rugby band Pinkerton's Assorted Colours.
You may have an original teddy boy drape coat, or have kept hold of your stage costumes, or even some 70s platform shoes that you wore to a gig. We are looking for many types of interesting clothing - male or female.
AWARDS: An interesting one; I'm talking about gold discs and the like.
I know that we already have people such as Coventry's Mark Rattray who is happy to loan his precious Opportunity Knocks Trophy. Cov legend Hazel O'Connor has pledged the loan of gold discs and her Best Soundtrack BAFTA she got for the Breaking Glass movie. Producer Roger Lomas is on the committee, so we may even get to exhibit the Grammy award he won for his production of the Lee Perry album Jamaican ET.
* EPHEMERAL ITEMS: Literally means lasting just one day. Like posters, this section will include throwaway items that never were thrown away, such as flyers, hand-bills, postcards, business cards and ticket stubs.
* PHOTOGRAPHS: The key to any exhibition. I'm happy to have a large picture collection of local music as part of my job as a local music historian. Though many of those images have already been seen, and I'm excited by what other photographs exist out there. So now's the time to get the photo box out, and have a good look at what you may have.
* INSTRUMENTS: Grand pianos and church organs don't really fit this bill. Guitars certainly do though, and maybe an odd drum kit (or a bass drum at least). Some may have concerns at lending such precious irreplaceable items. The Herbert has assured us that, as always, all items will be stored securely and will be well looked after in gallery conditions.
* GO ON SURPRISE US: Above is a broad outline of what we are likely to see, what we really want is the public to surprise us. To offer something we had never thought of.
I have every faith in the great Coventry public and I know we are going to get at least a few items in this category.
So what happens next? OK, what we want right now is a rough description of the item (or even better a photo), please don't send anything in at this stage. Letters can be addressed to me: Pete Chambers, at the Coventry Telegraph, Corporation Street, Coventry, CV1 1FP, or via my e-mail at tencton@hotmail.com
Gimme a V! Gimme an O! Gimme an X! What's that spell? VOX!
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Helloo,
Yep, I dissappeared for a while. I'm in the process of moving both office and home at the moment, I think I'm a glutton for punishment.
Someone else is organising storage space around the office so I've had to be very creative with stuff under my desk. I never liked putting my feet under the desk anyway.
High Street Kensington seems like a nice enough place, lots of shops and the like. Plenty of eateries which is all I care about.
My new work phone scares me as it resembles a car dashboard with satnav. Luckily I don't use the landline very often, only to accept calls and I think I've worked that out. Hopefully.
The new house I've moved to is a mouse-infested dive, poorly mainted and a bit smelly but I love it as it's in the centre of Camden and I can know get anyway in a short amount of time. I'm in the process of making it proper nice, painting, disinfecting etc etc.
Music-wise there's been so much going on I can't really keep track of what I've done. Caught up with The Chapman Family last week. They'd just finished recording a Radio1 session at Maida Vale. Momentum is really building for them now and I need to decide on what my stance is as regards what they're doing. I think it's fantastic and love what I see live, but I wonder if it's too left of centre for a major?
It's an annoying fact but worth considering, if I love a band for whatever reason I have to think of they're capacity to generate revenue. 40k units for a major wouldn't be considered a hit but if a smaller label shifted that amount it would be considered a big success by them.
Currently I like what they've got recorded as I know how it turns out live, so I have a pre conception when listening to their music. However, someone who knows nothing about the band, having a listen may not win them over as it could be a bit inaccessable. Saying that, I've heard some new mixes of existing material which I hope will edge them further towards the mainstream.
I came accross Cats and Cats and Cats last week through the myspace page (soon to be developed and intergrated into the existing platform). I always like listening to something a bit different in the way of 'band-based' music. Ie, not something that sounds like a low-calorie Libertines or 8bit Killers. The first act that springs to mind on listening to is 70's prog-rockers The Nice, except they don't have an organ, or Keith Emmerson. But apart from that, they're very similar...?....:-s
I think it's Ben George's vocal that feeds that idea into my head. I like the fact they can create a large, grandiose sound without cliche reverb and bizarre extended intro's. A very English-upbeat Sigur Ros or Arcade Fire perhaps? Hypnotic layers of melody and the relentless stopstart drums from Doug Jenkins make for quite emmersive and engaging tracks. I'm really interested to see what they're like live. Once I get a night going again maybe I can get a booking out of them.
Other than that all is pretty good in the world over here. Let me know what's happening with you.
Hope all is well with you.
Delia Derbyshire famously arranged Ron Grainer's Dr Who theme electronically and
produced the first form of modern
dance music more than two decades before it became a popular cultural phenomenon.
In Godiva Rocks, Coventry music journalist, Pete Chambers wrote -
"Delia Derbyshire was one, if not the most important pioneers of electronic music..Delia was born in Coventry in 1937. She attended Coventry Grammar school and went on to achieve a degree at Cambridge in Mathematics and Music. A perfect combination for her chosen career. Originally rejected by Decca records in 1959 because they didn't employ women in their studios, she went on to join the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop. Her most famous work was arranging a Ron Grainer composition - the Theme from Dr Who. Such was her ability though, Graiger was astounded to hear what she had done with his composition, asking her 'Did I really write this?' It is of course one of the most famous theme songs in history.
Throughout her career she was to mix with the creative minds of the 60's (Brian Jones, Paul McCartney, George Martin and the great Karl Heinze Stockhausen) The 70's (Pink Floyd, John and Yoko, Jimi Hendrix). Right up to the new breed of electro artists with her influences on such forward thinking artists as Sonic Boom and the Chemical Brothers. her two most definative releases are : An Electric Storm (1969) under the name White Noise (released on Island Records, the world's first all electronic group) and BBC Radiophonic Music 1971. Delia sadly passed away in Northampton 2001 aged 64. Her legacy lives."
More recently Delia, who struggled for recognition of her talent, has at last been been celebrated in the media with the discovery of some of her lost works. On July 18th 2008 the Guardian ran this article Here claiming -
"A long-lost collection of tapes representing the legacy of the musical genius who arranged the Doctor Who theme has been rescued from irreversible decay by a team of academic musicologists."
"Her experimental work fell out of fashion following the advent of the synthesizer but, in recent years, she has enjoyed a revival of interest especially among bands like The Chemical Brothers and Portishead to whom she is a legendary figure."
The Guardian tells us that a collection of 267 tapes, correspondence and scores were found.
"The material had languished unheard for 30 years until it was passed to Manchester University’s School of Art, Histories and Culture to catalogue and preserve. The material, in poor condition, had to be played on a 1960s Studer A80 tape machine lent by the BBC’s Manchester studios before it could be digitised."
"Ms Derbyshire was also a woman of her times, clad in Biba or Mary Quant, her hair in a Vidal Sassoon bob, a fixture at the parties of Swinging London where she was known for her chaotic but exuberant love life. She worked with Brian Jones, the late member of the Rolling Stones, Yoko Ono and Jimi Hendrix and met Paul McCartney to discuss an opportunity to work on Yesterday"
"She left the BBC a disillusioned woman. She and struggled with drink and a series of unsuitable jobs, including radio
operator. At one time she married an out-of-work miner but eventually settled in the Midlands where she lived in relative obscurity and would rail, between drinks, against her lack of critical recognition."
"The composer, who always kept a book of logarithms in her back pocket, used a combination of musique concrete techniques including the tape manipulation and electronic gadgetry to create her sounds. Her favourite instrument was a green lampshade which she would strike and then manipulate the resulting sound to achieve the desired effect."
The BBC News site have uploaded examples of Delia's earlier work including a piece from the late 60's that is a proto dance music track.
BBC achive of rare Delia Derbyshire sound bites
"A hidden hoard of recordings made by the electronic music pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme has been revealed
- including a dance track 20 years ahead of its time.
Delia Derbyshire was working in the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop in 1963 when she was given the score for a theme tune to a new science fiction series.
She turned those dots on a page into the swirling, shimmering Doctor Who title music - although it is the score's author, Ron Grainer, who is credited as the composer
Most unexpected of all, however, is a piece of music that sounds like a contemporary dance track which was recorded, it is believed, in the late sixties." Here is a direct link to the dance track - Delia's Dance Track from the late 60's
From this biography site Delia Derbyshire Bio we read - "she created by
recording the individual notes onto bits of tape and then assembling the song by hand. On hearing the finished piece, Grainer asked: "Did I really write this?" "Most of it," Delia replied. Yet despite Grainer's
In 1966 she formed the group Unit Delta Plus with Brian Hodgson and Peter Zinovieff. Though the group existed only for a year, they staged some of the earliest concerts consisting entirely of electronic and tape music. Famously, the group performed at the Million Volt Light and Sound Rave in 1967 at the Chalk Farm roadhouse in London, a four-day electronic music event which featured Paul McCartney's sound collage Carnival of Light (now lost in a vault somewhere).
In 1968 David Vorhaus enlisted Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson (also at the Radiophonic Workshop) for his psychedelic electronic music project White Noise, releasing the seminal album An Electric Storm in 1969."
From her Obituary in the Guardian -
"Among her outstanding television work, one of her favourites was composed for a documentary for The World About
Us on the Tuareg people of the Sahara desert. It still haunts me. She used her own voice for the sound of the hooves, cut up into an obbligato rhythm, and she added a thin, high electronic sound using virtually all the filters and oscillators in the workshop.
"My most beautiful sound at the time was a tatty green BBC lampshade," she recalled. "It was the wrong colour, but it had a beautiful ringing sound to it. I hit the lampshade, recorded that, faded it up into the ringing part without the percussive start.
"I analysed the sound into all of its partials and frequencies, and took the 12 strongest, and reconstructed the sound on the workshop's famous 12 oscillators to give a whooshing sound. So the camels rode off into the sunset with my voice in their hooves and a green lampshade on their backs."
Link to her album - Electrosonic
by Delia, Brian Hodgson, Don Harper - Glo-Spot
And a review
Review
ALBUM OF THE WEEK- Delia Derbyshire/ Brian Hodgson/ Don Harper- 'Electrosonic' LP
Something a bit special for those of you that care about the evolution of music. The force that is electricity revolutionised the ways that sound could be produced and there were many pioneers. Among these were the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop who were instrumental in creating sounds that never existed. Sounds from other worlds, planets, time and space. Among the equipment used to produce these strange futuristic sounds were modular synthesisers. Huge things with cables and twiddly knobs everywhere. Basically if you dig this kind of early synth stuff then 'Electrosonic' is an essential piece of musical history that deserves a place in your collection. The music is composed by some relatively unknown colleagues of Delia Derbyshire (The White Noise, BBCRO) nameley Harper/ Russe/ St. George which we're guessing are pseudonyms for Delia Derbyshire/ Brian Hodgson/ Don Harper. This was previously only issued by KPM in 1972 as on obscure library record. If you enjoyed the 'Tomorrow People' record on Trunk or like Pauline Oliveros' early work then I suspect you'll be wanting this gorgeous chunk of extremely limited green vinyl released on Scottish label Glo-Spot. I'm not even going to attempt to describe the sounds on here. Light years ahead of their time. Ace.- Ant x
Andrew Wagner's tribute -
Andrew Wagner's tribute and pop art painting
http://www.adrianwagner.com/awgalleryPopArtGallery.html
Delia was a guide and an inspriation to me in all the many years I knew her and I miss her more than I can possibly express. I met her at the age of 18 years and she took me in hand and pointed me at many directions in Electronic Music. She was a true genius and her love and passion infected everyone who knew her. This is a very special painting of her and, I hope, reflects her many dimensions in the prime of her creativity. (She his pop art portrait of her on his site).
Delia Derbyshire in the Scotsman
"Drew Mulholland, a Glasgow-based composer and musician who got to know Derbyshire in the last five years of her life. "She was a hero, a pioneer," he says. "She was a completely unique, one-off composer. Her stuff sounds ahead of its time even now, never mind in 1965. When you realise she was just beavering away at the BBC in Maida Vale with the most basic equipment, it is amazing."
Susan Mansfield
"WHEN THE DR WHO THEME MUSIC beamed out into the living rooms of Britain for the first time, in 1963, it began a
new era in sound. The unearthly whines, throbs and howls seemed to come from the future. In a way, they did. The great British public was getting its first taste of electronic music.
While the theme went on to become one of the most recognised in TV history, Delia Derbyshire, who created the eerie futuristic soundtrack, is virtually unknown. Yet she was one of the pioneers of electronic music in Britain. Among Derbyshire many credits is the music for a film by Yoko Ono.
Now the fascinating, often turbulent, life and tragic death of Derbyshire will be brought to a wider audience for the first time in Standing Wave: Delia Derbyshire in the 1960s, a theatre production being developed at the Tron in Glasgow by Reeling & Writhing Theatre Company, with a script by Nicola McCartney. Each performance will be followed by a programme of new electronic music composed in Derbyshire memory by Scottish contemporary composers.
Derbyshire was born into a working-class Catholic family in Coventry in 1937. She would later say that growing up to the sounds of air-raid sirens and the clatter of clogs on cobbles first awakened her lifelong fascination with sound. She studied piano to performance level and graduated in mathematics and music from Girton College, Cambridge.
She excelled, demonstrating an instinctive grasp of sound which enabled her to find extracts of orchestral music simply by studying the grooves in an LP. As soon as she could, she sought an attachment at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, created in 1958 to supply music and sound made with the day "new technology". Although the secondment was for a maximum of three months, Derbyshire stayed for ten years.
..........................
Link to the Radiophonic Workshop with Vid
Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.
Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.
In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.
The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.
You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.
And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)
Do you live in or around Cincinnati, Ohio? If so, you're in luck because Scott and the Queen City Voxers Group have organized a Vox user meetup!
WHERE: Ault Park Playground. 3600 Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. "We'll look for each other at the playground marked by the red X below. If it's raining, head for the shelter to the north of the [red] X."
To RSVP (which is not essential, but is appreciated), reply to Scott's announcement or send him a private message. All Voxers, as well as their friends and family, are welcome to attend.
If you do attend the meetup, have a great time and please take lots of pictures and send them to me so I can post them in Team Vox for everyone to see!
Thank you so much to Scott for organizing this meetup. Wish I could be there!
Nope, Broken Hand isn't a new band. Though I do think it's a good band name.
I manage to royally mess up my hand playing djembes in a jam session last night. Went a bit drumcrazy and attempted some kind of pseudo-latino thing and manage to acheive stupido-fracturedhando instead. Kinda hurt at the time but my mate Chalky took me out for a few medicinal beers before coming home to a rather amazing lasagne. This morning was a different story, could barely grip my muffin.
(that's not slang, I had breakfast muffins this morning)
Anyhow, damaged body parts aside. I went to see Josh Weller playing upstairs at the Lock whilst medicating myself. I'd forgotten how much I like his quirky stylings, observant lyrics n such. He played a favourite of mine 'What Would My Girlfriend Say'. At least I think that's what it's called. It's not on the myspace at the moment. I had a brief chat with him after whilst he was surrounded by young pretty scenester girls (I really miss gigging). He seems to be developing well as an artist and taking it all in his stride. What does suprise me is the lack of deal. I would have thought an indie would have got an EP out of him at the very least by now. Last time I heard he was touring with Lightspeed Champion, he mentioned another peachy support coming up but I can't remember what he said. Think that was the medicine kicking in.
Anyhow, I have to do desk tidying in preparation for moving offices and also I will be getting a work experience assistant. THis is something I'm really looking forward to as it means I can spread the load a little and start exploring new avenues as regards talent tracking both in here and further affield. I'm talking to the digital creative guys about the changes being made to the pages today too. So that should be good fun.
Ran into one of the guys from Melody Nelson last night too. Great band well worth seeing if you like balls out retro riff driven rock. He did ask if I ever check my Vox which probably means there's a message unanswered for some time in my mail box. I do get quite a lot so it's difficult for me to get through them all. I must admit if it's entitled 'Check This Out' it kind of goes to the bottom of the pile as I will check it out anyway if it's in the A&R group. The tracks are simply added to a queue and I pile through them.
Anyhow, I think I'm waffling now. So I should get on with my tidying and maybe get me a special K bar in the process.
Hope all is well with you.
Our first episode documenting our first day at the Motor Museum in Liverpool is now up.
You could go to youtube and search for it but why both when its right under this already (how did you not notice that yet?)
Episode two of our second day there will be up soon.
Trev Teasdel's Interview with KRISTY GALLACHER - July 2008
Kristy, you seem to be highly regarded and popular on the Cov Scene but how did you get started - what inspired to give it a go?
I just love playing and playing a few open mics at the age of 16 seemed to lead from gig to gig and i haven't really stopped since. Having just turned 22 i'm enjoying it more now!
You have a great guitar style or rather styles. How did that develop, what were your influences?
I think just playing in general will shape and develop your own style. I learnt with Clive Layton a truely brilliant Coventry musician for 7 or so years, teaching me songs i love and different techniques. In the last year or so i have been playing with Dave Bennett a fantastic and well respected ragtime player based in Coventry. Dave has had me listening to Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, Joan Baez just to name a few and i have enjoyed experimenting mixing them all and playing in a completely different sytle out of my comfort zone.
You have a distinctive songwriting style, as if the listener is privy to an interesting but private conversation, or even the receipient. It kind of draws you in and involves you in the song. Tell us about how that developed, the influences etc.
From the Music i enjoy listening to, Tori Amos, Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega they all have very distinctive writing styles and certain 'tricks' that pop up from song to song. It's quite a natural develpoment for me, i don't think you can force that type of writing because everyone's style is different and if it is forced it doesn't sound natural and therefor untrue. I write from the heart from things i have experienced or have witnessed.
You have a folk style delivery in your live performances but on your new album - Emotional Gun - I noticed a developing jazz ballad style delivery that was full of potential. Is that a conscious direction or influence?
The Jazz style tracks on the album were all written in the same time period where i was listening to a lot of Madeleine Peyroux and Diana Krall at the time learning their songs and this was reflected in my writings at the time.
You've obviously worked hard on your live performances, how hard has it been to get regular gigs and build up your reputation, and does yet extend outside the Coventry area?
Like i said before i have been very fortunate and one gig seems to lead to another, venues in the area are constantly changing and am very thankful for the support that has built up in the West Midlands area of people coming to gigs. I am branching out further though and have a gig at the Regal Rooms, Hammersmith, London on the 29th August.
What would make a difference now, both in terms of the Coventry scene and in career opportunities for your music?
I have just graduated from a Music Composition Degree at Coventry University and am now set up as a full time Professional Musician so in career terms i am very fortunate to be able to do what i love doing. I am also a promoter in Coventry and have two weekly nights, one at the Earlsdon Cottage and one at the Tuns (details at <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm15c3BhY2UuY29tL2tncHJlc2VudHM=">www. myspace. com/kgpresents). The Coventry scene has been very kind and supportive to me and by putting nights on in the city i hope to be giving a little back.
Lastly, where can people buy the album? (The shameless plug question!)? Go for it!
It's available to buy from <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmtyaXN0eWdhbGxhY2hlci5jb20=">www. kristygallacher. com or http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3Lm15c3BhY2UuY29tL2tndW5wbHVnZ2Vk">www. myspace. com/kgunplugged or come along to a gig and buy one. They are £7 and some tracks from the album and new tunes are up on the myspace.
Made pizza with the gf last night. I decided it would be cheating to buy ready made bases. I stubbornly stuck to my guns after it being explained to me that it might be easier. 3 hours and three failed pizzas later I was in a kebab shop in Camden contemplating the benefits of pizza bases and nostaligically looking back at the recent gigs I had attended (see how I linked that, good eh?)
I went to see Glass Shark the other day. I was completely off my face on legal over-the-counter cold remedies convining myself that I didn't have a cold and it was hayfever. Glass Shark is a punk disco three piece who make much of very little in the way of sound. The drummer is the main vocalist/front man which makes for an interesting stage show. Historically, I've never liked the whole drummer/front man thing as it tends to look crap and be the product of a drummer not being happy at the back of a stage. If you want to be a front man, do it, if you want to be the drummer do that.
Anyhow, for me this group is the exception to the rule. I liked the stage set up too as it seemed they had though about how they were going to be perceived. Their mic stands were decorated with strip lights which gave the them a stark monochrome/80's discoteque feel.
Vocally and sound-wise they remind me a little bit of Lightningtype in places (one of my favourite bands from last year). Also the drummer/singer had a really sparse kit. One snare, Bass, Hat/crash and a couple of small roto toms which played a heavy part in the songs. The guitarist was armed with a couple of cowbells and another tom in addition to his guitar. This let them go a bit crazy with percussion sections in their tunes and there were moments of LCD Soundsystem in there for me (though that may have been the beechams) as well as a more distinct sound they could call their own.
As a unit they were really tight, great backing vocals and really use what they've got to the maximum potential. This doesn't mean firing on all cylinders throughout the set. They use clever arrangements, breakdowns and write disco tunes rather than being a tired indie band playing at it for a new angle.
Falsetto vocals, thumping 4 to the floor drums and tongue in cheek belters are the order of the day for Glass Shark. 'Toni Collette' was one of my personal highlights. Be sure to see them live as the myspace doesn't necessarily do them justice. If you want the full experience be sure to take masses of sudafed, beechams, zinc suppliments and dyorlyte when attending.
The showcase at the studio went really well. It's a great place. There's several studios dotted around the residential streets of the area. The one I put the band in is known as the Cottage. As it has a lounge reminiscent of my nan's attached and a little patio area outside. It was a lovely day so met the band outside with manage and crew (engineer and roadie). Was great to sit in the sun and talk about the various festivals they're involved in an such. Chewed the fat, discussed the set they were going to play then headed back to the office to prepare to take the label head over there.
Whilst at the office I think I was probably more nervous than the band were as I really want them to do well. I was seriously full of cold and everything that came out of my mouth that wasn't a sneeze, was some nonsensical faux muso comment that just made me look like a tit infront of the boss. Damn. Have had several cringeworth recollections of that day since.
They hammered through the set and really blew all in attendance away. Plus they really showed the depth of their material which is important. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them. Leaving the studio a colleague and I agreed that we've probably got one of the more fun jobs out there.
Think I might head back home as I feel like something has hatched in my head.
Hope all is well with you.
IB