Eyjafjallajokull. How did you say that it your head? The impressive word refers to the glacier on top of the volcanic mountain (remember the ash cloud?) in Iceland. Understanding the perils of uninformed pronunciation, ordervisit this Icelandic native Eliza Newman, viagra approved wrote a little song on how to actually pronounce the word. It featured on the Al Jazeera News channel and has since become one of Al Jazeera’s most popular news pieces ever.
Ta daa:
But there is far more to Eliza (Geirsdóttir) Newman than chuckling at our pronunciation shortcomings. She plays violin, ukelele and piano, and is also a trained opera singer. Her song; ‘Ukelele Song for You’ was one of the most popular in Iceland in 2009. The tune is about ‘attracting trouble’, ‘broken promises’ and forgiveness. With ukelele strumming and high pitched notes, it’s lighthearted in its sound, contrasting with the seriousness of the topic. This is refreshing and conjures up thoughts for me, of Blue Valentine, and the heartbreak within the love and jovial moments. The uke can be (in a touching folky way) deep! It’s a pleasure to listen to:
Previously Eliza was the lead singer of girl group, Bellatrix and the rock band, Skandinavia. Through Bellatrix, Eliza and Co. released four albums on Björk’s Bad Taste label, signing to Fierce Panda for their fourth album release. They also headlined the Carling Stage at the Reading Festival and co-headlined a tour with Coldplay. These days Eliza is a solo artist and promotes Icelandic female artists by being part of the Trubatrix movement, which encourages gigs and album releases around Iceland.
Eliza’s second album, Pie In The Sky, is out on April 4, on Lavaland Records . Watch out for my review. For now here’s a little interview with Eliza:
Could you describe your music? Its beyond words, like touching heaven with your inner ear! Or just a kind of quirky pop style sweet on top but dark underneath muhahaha!….
Do you write your own music? Yes I write all my stuff and have always done , that’s the only way to go.
What is your inspiration?
Cats.
How do you feel about having one of the most popular songs in Iceland, ‘Ukulele Song For You’?
It feels great , very unexpected and a pleasant surprise. Icelandic people have good taste in music!
You play many instruments and are a trained opera singer, when did you start playing music and singing?
I started playing the violin at seven and studied that until I was 15 then I started a band and didn’t feel like practising violin any more. I started singing the day I started my first band. Never sung a note before then! Later I went on to study opera and I learned the piano, guitar and ukulele on the way.
What’s you favourite instrument, musical style? My favourite musical instrument is the harpsichord and the hurdy-gurdy, I really would like to get my hands on those two instruments to play! My favourite musical style is kind of pop rock indie opera classical hip hop and easy listening : )
Could you tell us about your former band, Bellatrix? Bellatrix was my first band, we were an all girl band and started quite young, got signed and released five albums both in Iceland on Björk‘s Bad Taste Label and later with Fierce Panda in the UK. The music developed from a punk rock sound to electro pop and we did loads of cool stuff like tour the world, headline Reading and do a tour with Coldplay. Fun and games!
What were the highlights of being in the band?
Headlining the Carling stage at Reading and Leeds Festival and travelling the world.
What about Skandinavia?
Skandinavia was my venture into heavy rock! Loads of fun. I was studying opera at the time in London and wanted to do some epic rock music inspired by opera. We recorded an album and did a UK tour and it satisfied my longing to do a heavy rock album, so that box is ticked now!
How does being a solo artist differ from being in a band?
It’s very different because as a solo artist you have to take all the responsibility which is both good and bad. You have no one to blame but yourself haha! You get more freedom to do your own thing as a solo artist but in a band you get more feedback and have to compromise sometimes, both things have their advantages. Having said that, I am very much a band person and enjoy working with others, so I would not rule out joining another band at some point.
And how is your own music different?
My music is more relaxed then the band stuff I did, I have calmed down quite a bit!
How is the new album in comparison to your last album, Empire Fall (Series 8 Records)?
The new album is more hopeful and has a lighter tone to it with ukuleles, synths and various fun instruments mixing it up. Empire fall was more minimalist and had a darker undertone.
Where do you want to go now in your career? I would like to go to Japan and play, also keep writing and finding new interesting ways of expressing myself through music, yeah and learn the hurdy-gurdy!
END. Thank you so much Eliza. Helen x
Written by Helen Martin on Monday February 7th, 2011 1:55 pm
Laura J Martin sets out her wares in the album title track and single The Hangman Tree, the sweetest of vocals twirling around languid drums, hand claps and a noodling kazoo. The beat builds to a flute embroidered finale which leads into the stunning Fire Horse, where upon Laura J Martin‘s favourite wind instrument takes precedence with unusual and beautiful results. Other standouts on the 16 track album include the bouncy Jesse, the frantic spitfire interludes to the lilting Spy and campfire crackling meets rap of Kissabye Goodnight. You read our recent review of her live gig at the Lexington, and now it’s time to catch up with Liverpudlian musician Laura J Martin as she gears up to release her much anticipated debut album. The Hangman Tree is a gorgeous medley of folk, oriental and jazz influences that needs to be on your stereo soon.
You are a multi-talented musician with a range of musical instruments at your disposal. How many do you play?
My main instruments are flute and piano, but I dabble with the mandolin and other pipes too.
You have said that the flute is your main instrument of choice – has it ever been hard to accommodate a wind instrument and voice in your songs: how do you prioritise what works best?
Aha! Well the loop station was brought on board because of this reason. I have recently incorporated piano regularly into my live shows and recordings as it does more naturally support the vocal, but I do love layering up the flute especially when I go Mellotron / Strawberry Fields style.
What has inspired the lyrics to the tunes on your debut album The Hangman Tree?
Tributes to good people I know and have known, pets, stories relating to my gypsy heritage and flawed relationships.
You grew up in Liverpool: how did this urban environment produce someone so bohemian? Did your parents encourage your music and if so in what way?
Well I grew up in one of the dullest suburbs of Liverpool so we were forced to make our own entertainment. My parents have always been pretty supportive. They followed the Catholic tradition of having more than 2.4 kids so they probably lost focus with me maybe! In all seriousness they have been very encouraging, my Dad is sometimes my personal caddie too. Music has always been important to the Martin family. My Grandad was a pianist so he planted the seed.
The tracks on your new album bear more than the usual folk influences… for instance Fire Horse sounds vaguely Oriental. Where do these inputs come from? Kung Fu and Samurai films mainly and I do have a soft spot for the likes of (Argentine composer) Lalo Schifrin. The flute is a particularly oriental sounding instrument. If you took the same pitches and played them on another instrument such as, erm, the didgeridoo, well it might sound less eastern, not that I’m complaining about the link!
The Hangman Tree has been some time coming: we’ve been championing you for over 2 years on Amelia’s Magazine. Has it been hard to get the album out and what have the biggest frustrations and joys of the process been?
Yes, tell me about it!! The joys of the process are creating the songs and the satisfaction of completing them and being able to perform them live. It can be frustrating having to wait that length of time before releasing an album, but if you leave songs to settle you are able to pick out the strongest ones and ruthlessly erase the ones that don’t cut the mustard.
How did you hook up with record label Static Caravan?
Through Marc Riley, I have a lot to thank him for. Well saying that I met Marc through Euros Childs and Norman when touring with Jonny. Those fine chaps saved my life!
Where can our readers see you perform live in 2012?
Well some dates are coming together in the UK. Please see my website for details: laurajmartin.com I have also been working with Richard James so there should be some dates on the board for that soon too.
Any top tips for other musical acts to look out for this year?
I’ve been digging out some old stuff to be honest. Geoff from Static Caravan gave me a Johnny Harris LP for christmas and it’s a beast! New stuff? I think Y Niwl are terrific, Serafina Steer, Clinic have just released a new album which I am looking forward to listening to.
The choice of music you hear and the surroundings you hear that music in have always acted as unconscious bedfellows for appreciation. Back in the 70s Brian Eno popularised a dialogue between recorded music and listening surroundings with his Ambient works, now in October 2009 I am having my very own, accidentally arrived at synergy.
The music: second album from Nancy Elizabeth, a UK folkster who since debut Battle and Victory has been cementing her reputation with collaborations as diverse as James Yorkston and Susumu Yokota.
The location: my folks’ place.
The favourability of this review may be in no small part be down to current personal circumstances. I am lying up recovering from the worst virus of my life in exile from the city in remotest, deepest Dorset. The experience of listening to Wrought Iron – an album seemingly made to fill the vast, damp and natural spaces of an autumnal countryside – echoes my current sensibilities.
Is it a surprise the press release makes a big deal of the isolated manor of the album’s writing process in rural Wales, Spain and the Faroe Islands? It is a strange, muted album, best listened to without a great deal of volume, although not to suggest Elizabeth has made an album of background music in any sense: this is music that has actively reproduced an atmosphere.
Piano led, mostly beat less. Occasional brass, xylophones and other acoustic instruments play firm supporting characters, bucking up but never stealing the limelight from her piano and her often dry recorded voice.
I first put the CD on a week ago, lying back on a sunbed surrounded by trees and in constant gratitude the Indian summer is holding out for another day. The bird singing is real, around me, but could be part of the recording. On branches near me spiders are frantically spinning webs and the bees are trudging around on their last searches for fresh fauna to pollinate. I am living in a virtual reality of this album.
A week passes, the virus comes and goes, phasing in and out like an unwelcome guest refusing to leave a long finished party. It’s raining. Autumn has set. The grass outside is filling up with apples too lazy or ripe to hang onto the browning trees. The album takes on new levels of melancholy; there’s something of the wistfulness of Nick Drake, in the lovely way Tow The Line descends into its chorus. It dips, like its revealing a truth that is only safe to mutter. The Act has a guitar line and brave sparsity that conjure Talk Talk at their most victorious, that played with any more force, would evaporate its minor key beauty out of existence.
This is music that hangs in open spaces and small corners so long as both are bereft of people. It is an isolated one on one dialogue with surroundings.
It is also another small victory of quality for The Leaf Label, who for well over ten years now have acted as a bastion of the more accessible end of what a Wire subscriber’s CD buying money goes on.
Written by Paul Hanford on Tuesday October 6th, 2009 4:52 pm
How did you meet and how and why did you decide to make music together?
D: I was bicycling one night and saw Eleni sleepwalking outside of the little village we lived in. So I guided her home. I knew where she lived, had seen her at school and knew she was a great dancer. That’ s why I assumed she would be a great singer, too. When I finally dared to ask her if she could sing she said: I can scream! That’ s how our punkrock band Jumbo Jet started.
Why the name Evropi?
E: It’s Greek for Europe. We had a three year tour across Europe going on with 600 shows in 22 countries where we also started writing the songs for the new album. We were inspired by the music we caught and the conversations we had with young people whose ideas of how Europe could be were very similar.
How did you hook up with wave machines producer Tim Bruzon and what was it like making the album in Liverpool?
E: We met Tim in Stuttgart while he was joining his girlfriend on tour and ever since we’ve stayed in contact with him. He told us about his project Wave Machines and that he’s also into mixing.
So we had this track we were working on and we were kind of stuck with it in the mix. We send the track to Tim and were so excited about how our song turned into something really cool that we decided to
work on our album with him. I was really amazed about his anarchistic approach and that he had zero respect for the material he got from us. The way how he acted like a third band member.
I really liked that. He’s very experimental and there is no German Angst in him.
What kind of music inspires you, do you have different tastes?
E: I’m always inspired by music where artists create their own cosmos and genre. How do you describe the music of Kate Bush or Prince or DJ Shadow or Arvo Pärt? It’s music that just those people
are able to do and no one else.
Who played the traditional greek instruments on the album?
D: I played them. I spent months in Greece, listening, watching and understanding those instruments. I usually don’ t practise instruments cause observing very close is enough and you still keep your own approach to a strange instrument that way.
What inspired the lyrics on the album?
E: My own family history. It’s the story of three women and their journey from Asia Minor to Greece, Germany and back across Europe. But you could easily change the names and make your own
story out of it.
How do you feel about the current migration issues across Europe and beyond?
E: Half a year ago 34 young men from Gambia arrived in our village. I was touched by our little communitiy’s willingness to help. They organized a lovely welcome party for the refugees so we could
easily get to know each other. As for myself I’d rather help without a big fuss than talk about it. So I started to give German lessons at my house and Daniel started to organize excursions where
a lot of the young men joined us.
What can we expect from your live show?
E: The effort to sound like a seven-piece band even though it’s just the two of us.
Find Evropi on tour with Duke Special here:
> Oct 15 – Apex, Bury St Edmunds
> Oct 16 – BOTW, Manchester
> Oct 18 – Fibbers, York
> Oct 20 – Flowerpot, Derby
> Oct 21 – Louisiana, Bristol
> Oct 22 – Copper Rooms, Warwick
> Oct 23 – Boileroom, Guildford
> Oct 24 – The Convent, Stroud
> Oct 25 – Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea, Portsmouth
And they are playing in London on 27th Oct at The Finsbury, with Flights of Helios and Business Lunch.
Sea + Air is out now on Glitterhouse Records/Shellshock.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday September 24th, 2015 11:59 am
It was never a good idea to make an effort to see a support band without first checking up on them. This I really should know after many years of gig going. But sometimes you just don’t learn, help you know? So it was that I found myself facing the most excruciating half naked squall in the upstairs venue at The Lexington in Islington. I had rather presumed that as the support band for the Jeniferever Silesia album launch These Monsters might echo their soporific post rock nuances, prescription but their particular brand of ‘Regressive Rock’ could not have been more different. So I removed myself from the noise and waited in the downstairs pub until it was time to return for Jeniferever.
I first profiled Jeniferever in Amelia’s Magazine many years ago, and I remember well the band asking me if I knew of anywhere for them to stay as they set off on a tour of UK cities, an anecdote which demonstrates well their tenacious nature. They are now onto their third album, Silesia, which was recorded in the wake of the death of singer Kristofer Jönson’s father, and was named for the former name of Berlin’s Ostbahnhof because he was nearby when he learnt of the news.
From the moment it opens with the deeply reverberating echoes of Silesia it’s clear that we are on familiar territory – hypnotic vocals wrapped around a simple but deeply engaging tune. The following tune Waifs and Strays feels like a protracted yearning, but The Beat of Our Own Blood moves the familiar Jeniferever sound onto an altogether different level, the curling melody a sure fire contender for mainstream radio play where even the lyrics “goodbye to bright spotlights” are discernible.
A Drink to Remember starts with the simple pickings of a guitar but nearly seven minutes later finishes with an incredible wall of sound. Deception Pass is frantic, all shadowy reflections as Kristofer traverses “the darkest hours of hope”. By Dover there is a lighter feel, a sense of climbing out of troubles… moving forward with the help of friends. The album finishes on the slightly more pensive and questioning sound of Hearths.
Jeniferever at The Lexington, all photography by Amelia Gregory.
For their album launch Jeniferever peppered new songs with a smattering of older goodies, each member effortlessly swapping between instruments. Guitarist Martin Sandström swung his asymmetric blonde hair elegantly against the beautiful ruby red backglow as I drifted off to Jeniferever land, the emotions reverberating across the floor and up through my legs.
Guitarist Martin Sandström.
Jeniferever have always done it their way, and Silesia is no exception: it’s a must have album for anyone who loves the otherworldly end of the musical spectrum.
Emma Hamshare is a designer and textile artist who graduated from London College of Fashion with a first and a scholarship to create her debut collection. After winning a place on the Creative Crafts programme at Cockpit Arts in Deptford she has begun to set up her label äelska from her studio space.
Image styled by Lorraine Bailey
Her inspiration, deceasepills she explains, purchase comes from phonetic units such as text or musical notation. “I spent a lot of time in libraries researching my graduate collection, remedy and developed an interest in the theory of how we read words, and the interconnecting nature of all these symbols to form words or music.”
The resulting graduate collection was a mix of simultaneously delicate and strong lace collars, trousers and dresses. Emma explains she was interested in trying to manipulate a delicate material like lace to behave in a stiff nature. To achieve this strong yet fragile effect Emma uses lost of interfacing to create a thick, durable material. She then uses laser cutting technology to create the intricate lace like patterns. During this process the edges of the fabric become slightly singed with the heat, which adds a lovely, antique effect to the lace.
Her biggest selling items are the collars. “One woman came in and gasped, she said it reminded her of her childhood school collar.” Resembling Victorian items of this nature, the collars make a perfect addition to a plain top and come in either a rounded or pointed variety.
However the pièce de résistance is a pair of spectacularly huge trousers. These trousers were inspired by Emma’s research into perspective drawings, and the Bauhaus dances, in which the dancers wore large geometrically shaped costumes and as they twirl they resemble wooden tops spinning.
Emma also designs T shirts complete with a black pointed collar printed onto the neck. She explains that she wanted to stick with the motif of the collar to gauge whether people would respond well to her aesthetic. “My mind works on a very grand scale, and my plans are huge” Emma admits, “so I have to be disciplined and start small.” However she is keen to experiment on a much larger scale in the future, and would like to move into public artwork. “I love the idea of the juxtaposition of minute and huge, minute intricate lace but in a huge sculpture.”
Emma’s collection of abstract yet pretty pieces strike a harmonious note, and a breath of fresh air in an industry saturated with middle of the road, safe clothing. I would wager äelska is a name to watch out for in 2010.
The Guardian and The Sunday Times have both given them glowing reports and that one from Coldplay that’s quite famous is a fan. I’m not sure how to continue this introduction… since all I have in my head is “avoid the words shoegazery/dreamy/mellow” because I don’t want to anger The High Wire lot…”Ecstasy Pop” is something I have read, visit this site let’s go with that? I met Tim, here Stuart and Alexia. I’ll just let them introduce themselves…
L: Me first? I love how convenient the ladies first thing is! When it serves the right purpose! My name is Alexia, but everybody calls me Lex, so it’s always funny seeing my full name in articles. And I am from Vancouver Island, an Island an hour and a half west of Vancouver and its full of surfers and hippies and pot smokers.
S: My name is Stuart, I play guitar in The High Wire and sing… I can’t think of a fun fact….
T: Do we have fun facts?
L: We are a fun band!! Come on guys!
What was your first pet called?!
S: It was Cindy
L: Cindy with an “I” or a “Y”
S: Cindy with a “Y”, With that you can do your porn name can’t you..
L: What is your porn name?!
You take your first pets name and your mums maiden name…
S: Cindy Bound. I’d be blonde and busty and… stuff.
T: Im Tim and my porn name is Goldie Weaver!
How long have you guys been together?
L: February, Valentines day, 2008, so a year and a half.
T: Before that there was a brief bit where I was on my own and then Stu joined, We also have a drummer and a bassist who play with us. But for a while it was just the three of us, kind of acoustic.
How did you come together? You have been across here a while Lexi?
L: I have been here for 5 years, So I have been here a little while now. How we met was pretty random…
T: So, I met Stu through the guy who was producing the first album we did. And Lex we met because she was in another band who knew and we went to see and we kinda…
Stole her?! That atrocious!
S: It’s the best way to get band members!
L: It’s like auditioning without knowing it!
So, you guys have provided support for Coldplay, is that correct?
All: Yeah
Is that something that you get annoyed about being asked about?
S: No, not at all!
L: It was an amazing experience!
T: A guy called Richard who helped mix an earlier single of ours and actually helped us finish of the album, he does work with Coldplay aswell and he heard a bit of us and the connection was there they said “We think you should do some dates with us”
That must have been scary…
T: We said no at first because we thought it would be too scary, but they came back and said “We don’t think that you are going to be doing anything more interesting”
L: We agreed!
T: So we caved!
L: Dam, I missed that pub quiz on Tuesday!
T: It became less scary than the normal gig, you can’t see anyone, and it was exciting!
S: It was far easier than any smaller show, – you’re almost in a bubble that you get moved around and plonked on a massive stage
T: And its black in front of you and you don’t see anything…
L: The only time I ever realised just the immensity of it- was when, you get on stage and you can see a face- and your standing up there and suddenly you see a flash of a camera that seems to be coming from 5 miles away, then you think “OK… this seems a bit big”
S: When we were doing our sound check at the 02, Tim and I walked up to the the back of the venue, looking down…
T: Yeah, sound checks are more nerve wracking than the gig because you can see how big it actually is!
S: Once you get on stage and start playing the songs apart from the exit signs and a few rows you can see anything.
T: Also I think that our egos needed that sort of space.
Did you do the whole of the UK?
T: We did half the UK tour, up in Manchester and across in Ireland.
Where were the best crowds?
All: Dublin
T: Everyone was really up for it and got into our set.
S: It was quite lucky, all the dates were pushed back until the date before Christmas Eve, So the whole Irish spirit with Christmas was great fun, It was really good to be over there and playing these shows.
What’s the dream destination for your music to take you?
T: Well, we have been over to New York for CMJ last year and it was so cool, we didn’t realise that people had heard of us over there and we turned up and we were playing to a packed venue and the whole reaction over there seemed so good- kinda desperate to get back, it feels like they aren’t so cynical compared to London as well – I think it’s the same if you’re a New York band and you come over here, we get really excited if a NY band comes over here…
L: Makes it seem exotic!
Your sound is pretty chilled laid back, but I want to know what annoys you guys…
T: Now, that annoys me!
S: Being called “mellow”!
T: We try to make it heavy on record, and there are some songs on the album, that for some reason we will turn everything up, it never comes across heavy – We are a lot heavier live!
S: I think that if people hear something and if its got lots of echo on it or stuff, you kinda immediately think of it being a chilled out record, a quiet, or a slower record , where as if you listen to The Libertines –it sounds like its live, its quite an intimate, brash, harsh record..
T: I think Lex makes it sounds mellower!
L: Yeah, Blame it on me!
The new album is called “The Sleep Tape”
S: Yeah, its out in March. We finished it a long time ago!
T: We finished it in the summer, and we have been going over the track listing.
But its all set now, Everybody pleased?
All: Yeah.
S: There there were more songs in that period of recording than obviously can go on the album, we tried to ram all these songs on the album, but we couldn’t do it. Its difficult that when you are in the middle of recording it is so personal to you, you have this big opinion about it and the further away it goes and the more people hear it you loose attachment to it and becomes something else and you cant really have a personal attachment to it
T: In a way, it’s like if you are dropping that song it feels like what it is about or if its about a person, it is like your dissing it. That became a difficult thing- trying to edit ourselves.
So what should we expect from “The Sleep Tape”…
T: Really heavy!!
S: Not mellow!
T: I think because of the last record and this last single we do often get this shoegazing lable which we are not gonna argue against but we think that wen people hear the whole record there are a lot of different styles and it is really varied.
Are you guys goin to tour to support it?
T: Yeah, We are planning it now, but we don’t have any details yet.
So whats in store for Christmas?
L: I’m flying back home to Vancouver Island, which I’m excited about! For a couple of weeks. So just relaxing. Reading loads of books, drinking wine…
S: Will it be snowing?
L: You think that because its Canada, but we rarely get snow on Vancouver Island, just rain. Lots of it. Kinda like here!
T: Mine is just going to sound really boring. I’ll be in London. I might go out to the country for a day. Not quite the other side of the world
S: Pretty much the same. Go back to the folks. Hang out there, and when I get there wanna come back again. I didn’t say that..
L: Your mums gonna read this!
S: You know, its like when we came off tour last year, and we went direct into Christmas, We had been quite busy and just really wanted to have a rest and the day after you just want to be out on tour again!
T: You’ll be 2 days out of London and after dreaming of getting out your like “Gotta get back, Gotta get back!”.
So until they get back to touring in the new year with “The Sleep Tape”, the first single from the album “Odds and Evens” available now!
Written by Rebecca Milne on Tuesday December 15th, 2009 2:06 pm
This screen print by Franz Vesolt accompanies the release of Wild Nothing’s ‘Evertide’ EP.
Music and art have always made the best of bedfellows, recipe so it seems only natural to create a record label that aspires to have musicians and artists support each other through bespoke collaborations. Here’s the premise: each full Warmest Chord release consists of three exclusive tracks and a limited numbered A3 screen print designed by an independent illustrator in direct response to the music. Go to their lovingly prepared blog and you can read about their new inspirations, site ideas and designs, whether it be for a screen print, cover art, a jigsaw or knitting pattern that will accompany their song releases. (And it was a real treat for us to see that the Warmest Chord logo and headermast was created by the illustrator Hannah Warren, whose work featured in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration). We talked to Becky Randall, one of the founders of Warmest Chord to learn more about this highly creative endeavor.
Tell me the premise behind the idea of the Warmest Chord Record label.
The label was pretty much born out of a desire of wanting to collaborate, create something from scratch, and to offer up something a little different from the standard somewhat cold digital download. We wanted to play around with some ideas and explore other possibilities by adding a craft and handmade element into the mix of download releases. We felt it was only right to offset downloads with beautiful physical artwork that you can own, admire, hang and create attachment and a visual counterpart to the music.
For the second release we introduced downloadable liner notes and also Warmest Chord ‘Calling Cards’ which are handpicked images from scrapbooks, old publications, vintage community magazines, old postcards etc. Each one is a one-off and handstamped by Warmest Chord. We do an edition of 50 per release and we put them in at random with purchases of the screen print. This visual and physical element is really important to us and we want to create a trusted home for new music adding different art ephemera and collectibles with each release.
Who do you have signed at the moment and what type of music are you hoping to sign in the future?
Warmest Chord is still very much a fledgling label as we’ve only had two releases out so far. Our first was the ‘Evertide’ EP from Wild Nothing coupled with a phosphorescent screen print from French illustrator Franz Vesolt. Our second release was from newcomer Slow Talk hand-in-hand with a print from Micah Lidberg. The overwhelming support and little messages from well-wishers and fans was really positive and highlighted just how open music lovers can be to new ideas and combinations. As for the future, our doors, eyes and ears are truly open.
Tell us a little about the artists that you are working with on the screen print side.
For the Wild Nothing release we brought Franz Vesolt on board, an illustrator who focuses on characters and figures, and has an unerring ability to stir up the emotions with a simple line drawing. We felt that he complimented and aestheticised the emotive music of Wild Nothing perfectly. And in comparison to that, there are the bold songs from Slow Talk with just a hint of menace and vulnerability in the mix, which illustrator Micah Lidberg aptly manifested with his twisted vision of nature run wild with colour.
This screenprint by Micah Lidberg is sold alongside the new release by Slow Talk
For each release we’re going to be introducing a new illustrator, and carefully pairing them with the music to ensure they go together like the finest bread and cheese. We also invite them to make-over our logo/ headermast to essentially ‘christen’ each release. Each run of screen prints is limited to just 100, and we endeavour to make each one a beautifully crafted piece of collectible custom-made art that adds value and attachment to the music.
Wild Nothing’s haunting interpretation of the iconic ‘Cloudbusting’ can be brought from the Warmest Chord shop
Turning to the business side; what was your background before this, was it art, or music related?
A little bit of both actually! I studied art at university, tried to write for a living but got very very poor in the process, worked in music promotions then at a couple of labels big and small. I continue to be a fairly free floating entity with fingers in lots of honey jars, including managing the bands Still Corners and The Proper Ornaments
The other half of Warmest Chord spends most of his time begging DJ’s to play records on the radio, as well as running a great little 7”-only label called Make Mine. We both kind of landed on our bellies into the world of Warmest Chord and we’re very pleased that we did.
How was this label set up, did you receive funding? And is this a full time job for everyone at Warmest Chord?
We’re both based in London, and had to dig deep into our pockets, bumbags, piggy banks and sofa cushions in order to make Warmest Chord happen. There are just two of us at the label and we wrap it around our day jobs using every stolen moment we can fit in our Warmest Chord swag bag in order to indulge another little facet for the label.
What is your long term goals with Warmest Chord?
To keep Warmest Chord a very free and mutable entity, keep building on the craft and visual element, provide a forum for interesting music and always keep an open mind and a flirtatious eye. We’re currently busy working on our next rather special release. But we’re fond of surprises so won’t say any more or the broth will be ruined.
Another example of Micah Lidberg’s stunning illustrations.
So Saturday morning – day two of London Fashion Week – started off brilliantly. It was p*ssing it down, website like this the tyre on my bike had deflated itself twice and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Gallantly, more about if I do say so myself, I hot-stepped it to work to put some articles together, and then when it was time made my way to The Show Space on Northumberland Avenue (where I had been the previous day to view Jean Pierre Braganza’s collection) armed with an umbrella.
Unfortunately, the rest of London’s fashion population were also armed with umbrellas (despite wearing some outfits best saved for hot Summer evenings – gah) and queuing was a bit of a nightmare. Luckily I bumped into my pal Sabrina from The Science of Style, and we huddled together in the queue and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Eventually a call was made for orange stickers and we were ushered inside, and while we waited even more for the show to start, Sabrina filled me in on the gossip with some of the front row-ers.
I’ve always liked Bernard’s aesthetic – always vibrant with an exotic feel. This time around didn’t disappoint, and his signature architectural pieces were on form along with some other softer, flattering designs. Blinding hues of magenta and bursts of orange lit up the catwalk (and our cold, damp hearts) which appeared on hooded dresses and were welcomed on on shift dresses with flamboyantly embroidered patterns that looked like heart-monitor graphs, cutting muted grey dresses in half.
This being autumn/winter, there was a unsurprising amount of black in the collection (a bugger to photograph alongside acid brights), with one of my favourite pieces in the collection being an enormous cocoon-like knee-length jacket with exaggerated shoulders and geometric details – confirming Chandran’s status as a showman. Other black jackets were sexed up with neon tights and accessories.
Strutured dresses focussed on waists with details with dresses meeting there and extending away from the body – Chandran creates silhouettes that flatter the fashion-forward woman.
The collection progressed with feathered showpieces in rich reds and bright orange – a pure delight – and a red expertly-embellished onesie. But it was back to black to close the show – an all-in-one covered in delicate feathers and jewels – reminding us of Bernard’s exotic heritage and innate attention to detail.
So Saturday morning – day two of London Fashion Week – started off brilliantly. It was p*ssing it down, prostate the tyre on my bike had deflated itself twice and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Gallantly, dosage if I do say so myself, viagra dosage I hot-stepped it to work to put some articles together, and then when it was time made my way to The Show Space on Northumberland Avenue (where I had been the previous day to view Jean Pierre Braganza’s collection) armed with an umbrella.
Unfortunately, the rest of London’s fashion population were also armed with umbrellas (despite wearing some outfits best saved for hot Summer evenings – gah) and queuing was a bit of a nightmare. Luckily I bumped into my pal Sabrina from The Science of Style, and we huddled together in the queue and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Eventually a call was made for orange stickers and we were ushered inside, and while we waited even more for the show to start, Sabrina filled me in on the gossip with some of the front row-ers.
I’ve always liked Bernard’s aesthetic – always vibrant with an exotic feel. This time around didn’t disappoint, and his signature architectural pieces were on form along with some other softer, flattering designs. Blinding hues of magenta and bursts of orange lit up the catwalk (and our cold, damp hearts) which appeared on hooded dresses and were welcomed on on shift dresses with flamboyantly embroidered patterns that looked like heart-monitor graphs, cutting muted grey dresses in half.
This being autumn/winter, there was a unsurprising amount of black in the collection (a bugger to photograph alongside acid brights), with one of my favourite pieces in the collection being an enormous cocoon-like knee-length jacket with exaggerated shoulders and geometric details – confirming Chandran’s status as a showman. Other black jackets were sexed up with neon tights and accessories.
Strutured dresses focussed on waists with details with dresses meeting there and extending away from the body – Chandran creates silhouettes that flatter the fashion-forward woman.
The collection progressed with feathered showpieces in rich reds and bright orange – a pure delight – and a red expertly-embellished onesie. But it was back to black to close the show – an all-in-one covered in delicate feathers and jewels – reminding us of Bernard’s exotic heritage and innate attention to detail.
This screen print by Franz Vesolt accompanies the release of Wild Nothing’s ‘Evertide’ EP.
Music and art have always made the best of bedfellows, stuff so it seems only natural to create a record label that aspires to have musicians and artists support each other through bespoke collaborations. Here’s the premise: each full Warmest Chord release consists of three exclusive tracks and a limited numbered A3 screen print designed by an independent illustrator in direct response to the music. Go to their lovingly prepared blog and you can read about their new inspirations, capsule ideas and designs, order whether it be for a screen print, cover art, a jigsaw or knitting pattern that will accompany their song releases. (And it was a real treat for us to see that the Warmest Chord logo and headermast was created by the illustrator Hannah Warren, whose work featured in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration). We talked to Becky Randall, one of the founders of Warmest Chord to learn more about this highly creative endeavor.
Tell me the premise behind the idea of the Warmest Chord Record label.
The label was pretty much born out of a desire of wanting to collaborate, create something from scratch, and to offer up something a little different from the standard somewhat cold digital download. We wanted to play around with some ideas and explore other possibilities by adding a craft and handmade element into the mix of download releases. We felt it was only right to offset downloads with beautiful physical artwork that you can own, admire, hang and create attachment and a visual counterpart to the music.
For the second release we introduced downloadable liner notes and also Warmest Chord ‘Calling Cards’ which are handpicked images from scrapbooks, old publications, vintage community magazines, old postcards etc. Each one is a one-off and handstamped by Warmest Chord. We do an edition of 50 per release and we put them in at random with purchases of the screen print. This visual and physical element is really important to us and we want to create a trusted home for new music adding different art ephemera and collectibles with each release.
Who do you have signed at the moment and what type of music are you hoping to sign in the future?
Warmest Chord is still very much a fledgling label as we’ve only had two releases out so far. Our first was the ‘Evertide’ EP from Wild Nothing coupled with a phosphorescent screen print from French illustrator Franz Vesolt. Our second release was from newcomer Slow Talk hand-in-hand with a print from Micah Lidberg. The overwhelming support and little messages from well-wishers and fans was really positive and highlighted just how open music lovers can be to new ideas and combinations. As for the future, our doors, eyes and ears are truly open.
Tell us a little about the artists that you are working with on the screen print side.
For the Wild Nothing release we brought Franz Vesolt on board, an illustrator who focuses on characters and figures, and has an unerring ability to stir up the emotions with a simple line drawing. We felt that he complimented and aestheticised the emotive music of Wild Nothing perfectly. And in comparison to that, there are the bold songs from Slow Talk with just a hint of menace and vulnerability in the mix, which illustrator Micah Lidberg aptly manifested with his twisted vision of nature run wild with colour.
This screenprint by Micah Lidberg is sold alongside the new release by Slow Talk
For each release we’re going to be introducing a new illustrator, and carefully pairing them with the music to ensure they go together like the finest bread and cheese. We also invite them to make-over our logo/ headermast to essentially ‘christen’ each release. Each run of screen prints is limited to just 100, and we endeavour to make each one a beautifully crafted piece of collectible custom-made art that adds value and attachment to the music.
Wild Nothing’s haunting interpretation of the iconic ‘Cloudbusting’ can be brought from the Warmest Chord shop
Turning to the business side; what was your background before this, was it art, or music related?
A little bit of both actually! I studied art at university, tried to write for a living but got very very poor in the process, worked in music promotions then at a couple of labels big and small. I continue to be a fairly free floating entity with fingers in lots of honey jars, including managing the bands Still Corners and The Proper Ornaments
The other half of Warmest Chord spends most of his time begging DJ’s to play records on the radio, as well as running a great little 7”-only label called Make Mine. We both kind of landed on our bellies into the world of Warmest Chord and we’re very pleased that we did.
How was this label set up, did you receive funding? And is this a full time job for everyone at Warmest Chord?
We’re both based in London, and had to dig deep into our pockets, bumbags, piggy banks and sofa cushions in order to make Warmest Chord happen. There are just two of us at the label and we wrap it around our day jobs using every stolen moment we can fit in our Warmest Chord swag bag in order to indulge another little facet for the label.
What is your long term goals with Warmest Chord?
To keep Warmest Chord a very free and mutable entity, keep building on the craft and visual element, provide a forum for interesting music and always keep an open mind and a flirtatious eye. We’re currently busy working on our next rather special release. But we’re fond of surprises so won’t say any more or the broth will be ruined.
Another example of Micah Lidberg’s stunning illustrations.
This screen print by Franz Vesolt accompanies the release of Wild Nothing’s ‘Evertide’ EP.
Music and art have always made the best of bedfellows, check so it seems only natural to create a record label that aspires to have musicians and artists support each other through bespoke collaborations. Here’s the premise: each full Warmest Chord release consists of three exclusive tracks and a limited numbered A3 screen print designed by an independent illustrator in direct response to the music. Go to their lovingly prepared blog and you can read about their new inspirations, site ideas and designs, ailment whether it be for a screen print, cover art, a jigsaw or knitting pattern that will accompany their song releases. (And it was a real treat for us to see that the Warmest Chord logo and headermast was created by the illustrator Hannah Warren, whose work featured in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration). We talked to Becky Randall, one of the founders of Warmest Chord to learn more about this highly creative endeavor.
Tell me the premise behind the idea of the Warmest Chord Record label.
The label was pretty much born out of a desire of wanting to collaborate, create something from scratch, and to offer up something a little different from the standard somewhat cold digital download. We wanted to play around with some ideas and explore other possibilities by adding a craft and handmade element into the mix of download releases. We felt it was only right to offset downloads with beautiful physical artwork that you can own, admire, hang and create attachment and a visual counterpart to the music.
For the second release we introduced downloadable liner notes and also Warmest Chord ‘Calling Cards’ which are handpicked images from scrapbooks, old publications, vintage community magazines, old postcards etc. Each one is a one-off and handstamped by Warmest Chord. We do an edition of 50 per release and we put them in at random with purchases of the screen print. This visual and physical element is really important to us and we want to create a trusted home for new music adding different art ephemera and collectibles with each release.
Who do you have signed at the moment and what type of music are you hoping to sign in the future?
Warmest Chord is still very much a fledgling label as we’ve only had two releases out so far. Our first was the ‘Evertide’ EP from Wild Nothing coupled with a phosphorescent screen print from French illustrator Franz Vesolt. Our second release was from newcomer Slow Talk hand-in-hand with a print from Micah Lidberg. The overwhelming support and little messages from well-wishers and fans was really positive and highlighted just how open music lovers can be to new ideas and combinations. As for the future, our doors, eyes and ears are truly open.
Tell us a little about the artists that you are working with on the screen print side.
For the Wild Nothing release we brought Franz Vesolt on board, an illustrator who focuses on characters and figures, and has an unerring ability to stir up the emotions with a simple line drawing. We felt that he complimented and aestheticised the emotive music of Wild Nothing perfectly. And in comparison to that, there are the bold songs from Slow Talk with just a hint of menace and vulnerability in the mix, which illustrator Micah Lidberg aptly manifested with his twisted vision of nature run wild with colour.
This screenprint by Micah Lidberg is sold alongside the new release by Slow Talk
For each release we’re going to be introducing a new illustrator, and carefully pairing them with the music to ensure they go together like the finest bread and cheese. We also invite them to make-over our logo/ headermast to essentially ‘christen’ each release. Each run of screen prints is limited to just 100, and we endeavour to make each one a beautifully crafted piece of collectible custom-made art that adds value and attachment to the music.
Wild Nothing’s haunting interpretation of the iconic ‘Cloudbusting’ can be brought from the Warmest Chord shop
Turning to the business side; what was your background before this, was it art, or music related?
A little bit of both actually! I studied art at university, tried to write for a living but got very very poor in the process, worked in music promotions then at a couple of labels big and small. I continue to be a fairly free floating entity with fingers in lots of honey jars, including managing the bands Still Corners and The Proper Ornaments
The other half of Warmest Chord spends most of his time begging DJ’s to play records on the radio, as well as running a great little 7”-only label called Make Mine. We both kind of landed on our bellies into the world of Warmest Chord and we’re very pleased that we did.
How was this label set up, did you receive funding? And is this a full time job for everyone at Warmest Chord?
We’re both based in London, and had to dig deep into our pockets, bumbags, piggy banks and sofa cushions in order to make Warmest Chord happen. There are just two of us at the label and we wrap it around our day jobs using every stolen moment we can fit in our Warmest Chord swag bag in order to indulge another little facet for the label.
What is your long term goals with Warmest Chord?
To keep Warmest Chord a very free and mutable entity, keep building on the craft and visual element, provide a forum for interesting music and always keep an open mind and a flirtatious eye. We’re currently busy working on our next rather special release. But we’re fond of surprises so won’t say any more or the broth will be ruined.
Another example of Micah Lidberg’s stunning illustrations.
This screen print by Franz Vesolt accompanies the release of Wild Nothing’s ‘Evertide’ EP.
Music and art have always made the best of bedfellows, sildenafil so it seems only natural to create a record label that aspires to have musicians and artists support each other through bespoke collaborations. Here’s the premise: each full Warmest Chord release consists of three exclusive tracks and a limited numbered A3 screen print designed by an independent illustrator in direct response to the music. Go to their lovingly prepared blog and you can read about their new inspirations, ideas and designs, whether it be for a screen print, cover art, a jigsaw or knitting pattern that will accompany their song releases. (And it was a real treat for us to see that the Warmest Chord logo and headermast was created by the illustrator Hannah Warren, whose work featured in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration). We talked to Becky Randall, one of the founders of Warmest Chord to learn more about this highly creative endeavor.
Tell me the premise behind the idea of the Warmest Chord Record label.
The label was pretty much born out of a desire of wanting to collaborate, create something from scratch, and to offer up something a little different from the standard somewhat cold digital download. We wanted to play around with some ideas and explore other possibilities by adding a craft and handmade element into the mix of download releases. We felt it was only right to offset downloads with beautiful physical artwork that you can own, admire, hang and create attachment and a visual counterpart to the music.
For the second release we introduced downloadable liner notes and also Warmest Chord ‘Calling Cards’ which are handpicked images from scrapbooks, old publications, vintage community magazines, old postcards etc. Each one is a one-off and handstamped by Warmest Chord. We do an edition of 50 per release and we put them in at random with purchases of the screen print. This visual and physical element is really important to us and we want to create a trusted home for new music adding different art ephemera and collectibles with each release.
Who do you have signed at the moment and what type of music are you hoping to sign in the future?
Warmest Chord is still very much a fledgling label as we’ve only had two releases out so far. Our first was the ‘Evertide’ EP from Wild Nothing coupled with a phosphorescent screen print from French illustrator Franz Vesolt. Our second release was from newcomer Slow Talk hand-in-hand with a print from Micah Lidberg. The overwhelming support and little messages from well-wishers and fans was really positive and highlighted just how open music lovers can be to new ideas and combinations. As for the future, our doors, eyes and ears are truly open.
Tell us a little about the artists that you are working with on the screen print side.
For the Wild Nothing release we brought Franz Vesolt on board, an illustrator who focuses on characters and figures, and has an unerring ability to stir up the emotions with a simple line drawing. We felt that he complimented and aestheticised the emotive music of Wild Nothing perfectly. And in comparison to that, there are the bold songs from Slow Talk with just a hint of menace and vulnerability in the mix, which illustrator Micah Lidberg aptly manifested with his twisted vision of nature run wild with colour.
This screenprint by Micah Lidberg is sold alongside the new release by Slow Talk
For each release we’re going to be introducing a new illustrator, and carefully pairing them with the music to ensure they go together like the finest bread and cheese. We also invite them to make-over our logo/ headermast to essentially ‘christen’ each release. Each run of screen prints is limited to just 100, and we endeavour to make each one a beautifully crafted piece of collectible custom-made art that adds value and attachment to the music.
Wild Nothing’s haunting interpretation of the iconic ‘Cloudbusting’ can be brought from the Warmest Chord shop
Turning to the business side; what was your background before this, was it art, or music related?
A little bit of both actually! I studied art at university, tried to write for a living but got very very poor in the process, worked in music promotions then at a couple of labels big and small. I continue to be a fairly free floating entity with fingers in lots of honey jars, including managing the bands Still Corners and The Proper Ornaments
The other half of Warmest Chord spends most of his time begging DJ’s to play records on the radio, as well as running a great little 7”-only label called Make Mine. We both kind of landed on our bellies into the world of Warmest Chord and we’re very pleased that we did.
How was this label set up, did you receive funding? And is this a full time job for everyone at Warmest Chord?
We’re both based in London, and had to dig deep into our pockets, bumbags, piggy banks and sofa cushions in order to make Warmest Chord happen. There are just two of us at the label and we wrap it around our day jobs using every stolen moment we can fit in our Warmest Chord swag bag in order to indulge another little facet for the label.
What is your long term goals with Warmest Chord?
To keep Warmest Chord a very free and mutable entity, keep building on the craft and visual element, provide a forum for interesting music and always keep an open mind and a flirtatious eye. We’re currently busy working on our next rather special release. But we’re fond of surprises so won’t say any more or the broth will be ruined.
Another example of Micah Lidberg’s stunning illustrations.
So Saturday morning – day two of London Fashion Week – started off brilliantly. It was p*ssing it down, drugs the tyre on my bike had deflated itself twice and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Gallantly, here if I do say so myself, I hot-stepped it to work to put some articles together, and then when it was time made my way to The Show Space on Northumberland Avenue (where I had been the previous day to view Jean Pierre Braganza’s collection) armed with an umbrella.
Unfortunately, the rest of London’s fashion population were also armed with umbrellas (despite wearing some outfits best saved for hot Summer evenings – gah) and queuing was a bit of a nightmare. Luckily I bumped into my pal Sabrina from The Science of Style, and we huddled together in the queue and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Eventually a call was made for orange stickers and we were ushered inside, and while we waited even more for the show to start, Sabrina filled me in on the gossip with some of the front row-ers.
I’ve always liked Bernard’s aesthetic – always vibrant with an exotic feel. This time around didn’t disappoint, and his signature architectural pieces were on form along with some other softer, flattering designs. Blinding hues of magenta and bursts of orange lit up the catwalk (and our cold, damp hearts) which appeared on hooded dresses and were welcomed on on shift dresses with flamboyantly embroidered patterns that looked like heart-monitor graphs, cutting muted grey dresses in half.
This being autumn/winter, there was a unsurprising amount of black in the collection (a bugger to photograph alongside acid brights), with one of my favourite pieces in the collection being an enormous cocoon-like knee-length jacket with exaggerated shoulders and geometric details – confirming Chandran’s status as a showman. Other black jackets were sexed up with neon tights and accessories.
Strutured dresses focussed on waists with details with dresses meeting there and extending away from the body – Chandran creates silhouettes that flatter the fashion-forward woman.
The collection progressed with feathered showpieces in rich reds and bright orange – a pure delight – and a red expertly-embellished onesie. But it was back to black to close the show – an all-in-one covered in delicate feathers and jewels – reminding us of Bernard’s exotic heritage and innate attention to detail.
Religious to Damn‘s lead singer is Zohra Atash, page a cool lady with a batwingged 70s style, a voice a bit like Alison Goldfrapp and Natasha;Bat For Lashes, and an excellent (seemingly well behaved) fringe. The Brooklyn band’s album, Glass Prayer, is out now on M’Lady’s Records. I caught up with Afghan-American Zohra, and asked her a few questions.
Hello, could you introduce yourself for us please?
My name is Zohra Atash, I’m a singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter. My primary project is Religious to Damn.
Could you describe what your music is like?
I try to make music that’s atmospheric and elegant, thoughtful and melodic. Some people have said that it’s cinematic and evokes a certain sense of expansiveness, which I’d agree with.
Where are you from?
My parents are Afghan, but I was born in Florida and grew up in Virginia. But I’ve been in Brooklyn for quite some time now.
How does London compare to New York? Do you like England?
I’ve been in love with British culture and art for years. I may have had my raising in south, but I lived in a house full of British records – from 60’s British invasion rock, to my sister’s collection of new wave and post-punk. My favorite bands in high school were Lush and Pulp…. I really wanted to move to London and start a band!
Why the name; ‘Religious to Damn’?
I write the music, but I wanted to avoid the stigma that goes with being a singer-songwriter. The name came up in a rather fiery conversation I was having with Josh about people who seem to be attracted to religion primarily so that they can condemn others to hell. We both liked the multiple meanings, (from) Religious to Damn(ation), as in a span, and Religious (in order) to Damn, so it stuck.
Tell us about Glass Prayer?
I wanted to make a record you could really immerse yourself in, something with really grandiose imagery. There are a lot of layers. It’s subtle at times, and heavy on the drama as well. It’s meant to reveal itself after multiple listens. We’re inspired very much by artists that maximized the possibilities of production, but the thing about them was that they didn’t beat you over the head with every last sound and idea. Some things may be out in front, but others are buried, carefully placed, left in soft focus. And that’s why they reward multiple listens, because new nuances emerge gradually, and one day you notice things you may not have noticed before. It’s a gamble to make a record like that these days, given how saturated the world is with new music. But we went for it anyway.
And when will you next be on tour…?
We’re planning to be in the UK/Europe this year, hopefully sooner than later. I’m very excited.
Who would you like to sing with in an ideal world – dead or alive?! Bryan Ferry
How did you all meet?
Josh and I knew each other for years before we started working together. We had a similar aesthetic. Charlie was a classically trained percussionist, but also just an amazing rock drummer. He has an incredibly full range of capabilities to realize the diverse aspects of the music. Allegra played in a band in Portland called Magick Daggers, as well as The Portland Cello Project, and we had mutual friends, so when she moved to New York, she came on board. And Lea was Charlie’s bandmate in a Balkan punk band, and she’s also a classical musician, so she rounded out our current lineup.
How did you get the position you’re in now?
We put a lot of heart and muscle into getting to the place we’re in now. I dedicated my whole life to this. It’s a labor of love…. it’s what I wanted to do my whole life. We’ve certainly put up with our share of obstacles. Sadly no stories that don’t fall into the category of boring rock doc cliché. It’s not an easy business and New York’s not always a kind town. But we got to where we are through perseverance and the belief that we had something worthwhile to offer to the musical landscape.
How do you see your future?
We’re excited to bring our live show to as many people as want to see it. Believe it or not, the next record’s almost written, and we’re planning on recording it later this year. I’d say the future will be at the very least, eventful. I’ve got lots of ideas, and am always eager to write new songs and record new records. I see a future filled with lots of Religious to Damn music!
Written by Helen Martin on Tuesday March 8th, 2011 3:31 pm
Being a wee bit literary, approvedsale I have a penchant for poetry, visit this site so it was with some expectation and enthusiasm I went along to the Poetry Night at Coffee And Corks coffee shop in Canterbury last night.
This poetry night is a weekly affair, held every Tuesday evening, but last night’s was different, in that it was being held in conjunction with the Airplot initiative. What’s Airplot, I hear you all clamour? Well, it’s a project that’s been dreamt up by Greenpeace to help stop the building of the third runway at Heathrow Airport – put simply, the NGO and a group of celebrities have bought a plot of land that is slap-bang in the middle of the proposed runway site. Members of the public can buy a share in the plot and therefore become a ‘beneficiary owner’ of the land.
Coffee And Corks: it doesn’t just do coffee, there’s alcohol too – now that’s the stuff
As such, the evening was kicked off with an introduction from Greenpeace’s John Hallyday. “Climate change is having – and will continue to have – a massive effect on our species and every other species on the planet,” he said. “If we allow the third runway to be built at Heathrow, the UK won’t meet its greenhouse gas targets set last year. Plus, 500 people’s homes will be demolished in the village of Sipson, which stands in the way of the proposed site.”
After giving a plug to Canterbury’s upcoming Climate Fair, John’s final words were borrowed from the beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as he read a poem written by the latter while aboard a Greenpeace ship chasing whalers on the high seas. It’s fair to say it set a good vibe for the night to come. And it was immediately followed by the handing out of cards that those in attendance (poet participants, listeners or those just enjoying a coffee; all were welcome) could fill in for a prize – three hours’ free recording time at Canterbury’s West Track Studios. Not missing a trick (and why should they?), the organisers also ensured that by filling in a card and entering the raffle you also signed up to the Airplot campaign.
And so to the evening’s poetry itself. To say that there was great variety in what the poets – many regulars, some new – performed would be an understatement; to say that some of it was risqué and rather personal would be a vast understatement. However, I must admit, the vast majority of the poems impressed me, as did the pluck many of their authors had to stand up in front of people (some of whom, like I said, had only come in to sip a late latte) and deliver their thoughts, feelings, wit and wisdom through verse. I must give special mention to the middle-aged Adrian, whose ‘The Web Of Life’ was a lyrical, eco-friendly missive, and Rick, a self-proclaimed coffee-shop-culture-punk resplendent in a Mr Happy t-shirt, whose delivery owed much to the beat poets of old and whose entertainment value was only equalled by the title of his final poem, ‘Don’t Eat Dodgy Food In Foreign Countries’.
What a fine sentiment – especially in a coffee shop
All in all then, this was a great evening that hopefully drew attention to and created new converts to Airplot, as well as highlighting the good work of the Skillnet Group Community Interest Company in the Canterbury community, in conjunction with West Track Studios. I tip my hat – or rather my beat poet’s cap – then to the organisers, in particular Helen Long who it was that brought Greenpeace, West Track Studios and Skillnet all together on this chilly evening in a caffeine-fuelled fun-filled event. Rick the punk poet does his thing
Being a wee bit literary, drug I have a penchant for poetry, so it was with some expectation and enthusiasm I went along to the Poetry Night at Coffee And Corks coffee shop in Canterbury last night.
This poetry night is a weekly affair, held every Tuesday evening, but last night’s was different, in that it was being held in conjunction with the Airplot initiative. What’s Airplot, I hear you all clamour? Well, it’s a project that’s been dreamt up by Greenpeace to help stop the building of the third runway at Heathrow Airport – put simply, the NGO and a group of celebrities have bought a plot of land that is slap-bang in the middle of the proposed runway site. Members of the public can buy a share in the plot and therefore become a ‘beneficiary owner’ of the land.
Coffee And Corks: it doesn’t just do coffee, there’s alcohol too – now that’s the stuff
As such, the evening was kicked off with an introduction from Greenpeace’s John Hallyday. “Climate change is having – and will continue to have – a massive effect on our species and every other species on the planet,” he said. “If we allow the third runway to be built at Heathrow, the UK won’t meet its greenhouse gas targets set last year. Plus, 500 people’s homes will be demolished in the village of Sipson, which stands in the way of the proposed site.”
After giving a plug to Canterbury’s upcoming Climate Fair, John’s final words were borrowed from the beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as he read a poem written by the latter while aboard a Greenpeace ship chasing whalers on the high seas. It’s fair to say it set a good vibe for the night to come. And it was immediately followed by the handing out of cards that those in attendance (poet participants, listeners or those just enjoying a coffee; all were welcome) could fill in for a prize – three hours’ free recording time at Canterbury’s West Track Studios. Not missing a trick (and why should they?), the organisers also ensured that by filling in a card and entering the raffle you also signed up to the Airplot campaign.
And so to the evening’s poetry itself. To say that there was great variety in what the poets – many regulars, some new – performed would be an understatement; to say that some of it was risqué and rather personal would be a vast understatement. However, I must admit, the vast majority of the poems impressed me, as did the pluck many of their authors had to stand up in front of people (some of whom, like I said, had only come in to sip a late latte) and deliver their thoughts, feelings, wit and wisdom through verse. I must give special mention to the middle-aged Adrian, whose ‘The Web Of Life’ was a lyrical, eco-friendly missive, and Rick, a self-proclaimed coffee-shop-culture-punk resplendent in a Mr Happy t-shirt, whose delivery owed much to the beat poets of old and whose entertainment value was only equalled by the title of his final poem, ‘Don’t Eat Dodgy Food In Foreign Countries’.
What a fine sentiment – especially in a coffee shop
All in all then, this was a great evening that hopefully drew attention to and created new converts to Airplot, as well as highlighting the good work of the Skillnet Group Community Interest Company in the Canterbury community, in conjunction with West Track Studios. I tip my hat – or rather my beat poet’s cap – then to the organisers, in particular Helen Long who it was that brought Greenpeace, West Track Studios and Skillnet all together on this chilly evening in a caffeine-fuelled fun-filled event. Rick the punk poet does his thing
Being a wee bit literary, about it I have a penchant for poetry, buy so it was with some expectation and enthusiasm I went along to the Poetry Night at Coffee And Corks coffee shop in Canterbury last night.
This poetry night is a weekly affair, held every Tuesday evening, but last night’s was different, in that it was being held in conjunction with the Airplot initiative. What’s Airplot, I hear you all clamour? Well, it’s a project that’s been dreamt up by Greenpeace to help stop the building of the third runway at Heathrow Airport – put simply, the NGO and a group of celebrities have bought a plot of land that is slap-bang in the middle of the proposed runway site. Members of the public can buy a share in the plot and therefore become a ‘beneficiary owner’ of the land.
Coffee And Corks: it doesn’t just do coffee, there’s alcohol too – now that’s the stuff
As such, the evening was kicked off with an introduction from Greenpeace’s John Hallyday. “Climate change is having – and will continue to have – a massive effect on our species and every other species on the planet,” he said. “If we allow the third runway to be built at Heathrow, the UK won’t meet its greenhouse gas targets set last year. Plus, 500 people’s homes will be demolished in the village of Sipson, which stands in the way of the proposed site.”
After giving a plug to Canterbury’s upcoming Climate Fair, John’s final words were borrowed from the beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, as he read a poem written by the latter while aboard a Greenpeace ship chasing whalers on the high seas. It’s fair to say it set a good vibe for the night to come. And it was immediately followed by the handing out of cards that those in attendance (poet participants, listeners or those just enjoying a coffee; all were welcome) could fill in for a prize – three hours’ free recording time at Canterbury’s West Track Studios. Not missing a trick (and why should they?), the organisers also ensured that by filling in a card and entering the raffle you also signed up to the Airplot campaign.
And so to the evening’s poetry itself. To say that there was great variety in what the poets – many regulars, some new – performed would be an understatement; to say that some of it was risqué and rather personal would be a vast understatement. However, I must admit, the vast majority of the poems impressed me, as did the pluck many of their authors had to stand up in front of people (some of whom, like I said, had only come in to sip a late latte) and deliver their thoughts, feelings, wit and wisdom through verse. I must give special mention to the middle-aged Adrian, whose ‘The Web Of Life’ was a lyrical, eco-friendly missive, and Rick, a self-proclaimed coffee-shop-culture-punk resplendent in a Mr Happy t-shirt, whose delivery owed much to the beat poets of old and whose entertainment value was only equalled by the title of his final poem, ‘Don’t Eat Dodgy Food In Foreign Countries’.
What a fine sentiment – especially in a coffee shop
All in all then, this was a great evening that hopefully drew attention to and created new converts to Airplot, as well as highlighting the good work of the Skillnet Group Community Interest Company in the Canterbury community, in conjunction with West Track Studios. I tip my hat – or rather my beat poet’s cap – then to the organisers, in particular Helen Long who it was that brought Greenpeace, West Track Studios and Skillnet all together on this chilly evening in a caffeine-fuelled fun-filled event.
The second album by Damien DeRose, website like this aka acoustic act Peasant, there is one for the summer. It’s overwhelmingly (or should that be underwhelmingly?) gentle, a collection of stripped-down folk Americana that bears resemblance to the recordings of groups like Fleet Foxes and Megafaun, albeit on a much more intimate scale. Recorded in attics and in bedrooms, ‘Shady Retreat’ would be unremarkable if not for Peasant’s tin whisper of a voice bringing to mind the dust of cabins and the homeliness of a romanticised rural America – it doesn’t take long for postcard images of kids on tire swings down by the ol’ swimming hole to flash through the mind. There’s Ma, frying up some catfish for the young ‘uns. Pa’s whittlin’ a new spoon on the porch, etc. etc. The liner notes credit, “an old stone house from the 18th century,” that survives in downtown Doylestown, Pennsylvania as a major inspiration – like an old stone building these songs already sound almost timeless in style, a mix of jaunty piano and folk acoustic guitar that contains echo and disrepair in equal measure.
Within seconds of pressing play, you’ll get “Thinking”’s refrain fluttering out of the speakers, at odds to the piano that accompanies it. It’s a somewhat lacklustre declaration that, “we just can’t go on without thinking/maybe we’re wrong/I’ve been thinking” – this is as close to a statement of intent for the album as there is. This isn’t anything like the angst of someone like Bon Iver, or even a Ryan Adams, as it’s just far too restrained. It’s the kind of regret that comes with, roughly, six months of introspection about and dissection of (maybe more, maybe less) a failed relationship – emotionally muted, and now only slightly bitter. Example lyrics: “Keep up your looks/Got you as far as they could,” on “Pry”, or “Tell me that I look like I’m gone/when I’m around … Why you got to treat me this way?,” on perhaps the most upbeat song here, “Well Alright”. Peasant’s entire philosophy seems to be a shrug.
His delivery, though, is always, always kind. The lack of specifics, the reduction of the target of these songs to vague descriptives, keeps everything in the inoffensive realm of the folk ditty. His vocal style is laid back, withdrawn, intimate, willowy – the effect is as if he’s in the room down the hallway, just knocking out some tunes casually and carefully, but nothing ever stands out or intrudes upon the rest of life.
Therein lies the problem – whilst there are a few standout songs (“Well Alright”, “Tough”) on ‘Shady Retreat’, taken as a whole it’s more of an extended mood. It is the perfect soundtrack for, say, drifting downstream on a sweet, hazy summer afternoon (you can’t help but think that DeRose does exactly that whenever he gets the chance). These are the kinds of songs that pass the time around campfires, the kind that are a gentle strum in the background of a day spent relaxing in the shade of some oak. They are, to put it succinctly, lovely. However, that is part of their weakness, as ‘inoffensive’ can often be a synonym for ‘forgettable’, and there’s little here to justify heavy rotation. Whatever stream Peasant likes to float down, it’s not a particularly deep one – and that’s fine, for a while. He’s got to return to land sometime, and when he does I’ll be waiting to see what changes it brings.
Written by Ian Steadman on Thursday March 4th, 2010 1:56 pm
Eyjafjallajokull. How did you say that it your head? The impressive word refers to the glacier on top of the volcanic mountain (remember the ash cloud?) in Iceland. Understanding the perils of uninformed pronunciation, ordervisit this Icelandic native Eliza Newman, viagra approved wrote a little song on how to actually pronounce the word. It featured on the Al Jazeera News channel and has since become one of Al Jazeera’s most popular news pieces ever.
Ta daa:
But there is far more to Eliza (Geirsdóttir) Newman than chuckling at our pronunciation shortcomings. She plays violin, ukelele and piano, and is also a trained opera singer. Her song; ‘Ukelele Song for You’ was one of the most popular in Iceland in 2009. The tune is about ‘attracting trouble’, ‘broken promises’ and forgiveness. With ukelele strumming and high pitched notes, it’s lighthearted in its sound, contrasting with the seriousness of the topic. This is refreshing and conjures up thoughts for me, of Blue Valentine, and the heartbreak within the love and jovial moments. The uke can be (in a touching folky way) deep! It’s a pleasure to listen to:
Previously Eliza was the lead singer of girl group, Bellatrix and the rock band, Skandinavia. Through Bellatrix, Eliza and Co. released four albums on Björk’s Bad Taste label, signing to Fierce Panda for their fourth album release. They also headlined the Carling Stage at the Reading Festival and co-headlined a tour with Coldplay. These days Eliza is a solo artist and promotes Icelandic female artists by being part of the Trubatrix movement, which encourages gigs and album releases around Iceland.
Eliza’s second album, Pie In The Sky, is out on April 4, on Lavaland Records . Watch out for my review. For now here’s a little interview with Eliza:
Could you describe your music? Its beyond words, like touching heaven with your inner ear! Or just a kind of quirky pop style sweet on top but dark underneath muhahaha!….
Do you write your own music? Yes I write all my stuff and have always done , that’s the only way to go.
What is your inspiration?
Cats.
How do you feel about having one of the most popular songs in Iceland, ‘Ukulele Song For You’?
It feels great , very unexpected and a pleasant surprise. Icelandic people have good taste in music!
You play many instruments and are a trained opera singer, when did you start playing music and singing?
I started playing the violin at seven and studied that until I was 15 then I started a band and didn’t feel like practising violin any more. I started singing the day I started my first band. Never sung a note before then! Later I went on to study opera and I learned the piano, guitar and ukulele on the way.
What’s you favourite instrument, musical style? My favourite musical instrument is the harpsichord and the hurdy-gurdy, I really would like to get my hands on those two instruments to play! My favourite musical style is kind of pop rock indie opera classical hip hop and easy listening : )
Could you tell us about your former band, Bellatrix? Bellatrix was my first band, we were an all girl band and started quite young, got signed and released five albums both in Iceland on Björk‘s Bad Taste Label and later with Fierce Panda in the UK. The music developed from a punk rock sound to electro pop and we did loads of cool stuff like tour the world, headline Reading and do a tour with Coldplay. Fun and games!
What were the highlights of being in the band?
Headlining the Carling stage at Reading and Leeds Festival and travelling the world.
What about Skandinavia?
Skandinavia was my venture into heavy rock! Loads of fun. I was studying opera at the time in London and wanted to do some epic rock music inspired by opera. We recorded an album and did a UK tour and it satisfied my longing to do a heavy rock album, so that box is ticked now!
How does being a solo artist differ from being in a band?
It’s very different because as a solo artist you have to take all the responsibility which is both good and bad. You have no one to blame but yourself haha! You get more freedom to do your own thing as a solo artist but in a band you get more feedback and have to compromise sometimes, both things have their advantages. Having said that, I am very much a band person and enjoy working with others, so I would not rule out joining another band at some point.
And how is your own music different?
My music is more relaxed then the band stuff I did, I have calmed down quite a bit!
How is the new album in comparison to your last album, Empire Fall (Series 8 Records)?
The new album is more hopeful and has a lighter tone to it with ukuleles, synths and various fun instruments mixing it up. Empire fall was more minimalist and had a darker undertone.
Where do you want to go now in your career? I would like to go to Japan and play, also keep writing and finding new interesting ways of expressing myself through music, yeah and learn the hurdy-gurdy!
END. Thank you so much Eliza. Helen x
Written by Helen Martin on Monday February 7th, 2011 1:55 pm
Poster on Dutch posters SM 1968
Illustration by Mina Bach
We trudged through the mud. The boys were hungry and desperate to hit the falafel joint, search whilst I was yanking on my boyfriend’s arm, website telling him I really wanted to catch ‘this sweet singing lady’. Stomach comes first is his life’s motto, but I assured him that he had heard of her and she was folky, acoustic goodness. Tick, tock – wait for his response. I’m walking… slowly…Excellent! And there we stood in a big top candy striped tent. This is to be the first time we saw Alessi’s Ark, a few years ago at a festival. Wearing a full length, high necked, pastel coloured dress, she was late and a bit flustered, but this only added to her utterly likeable self. Full of ‘umm’s and little stories, she goes from timid to devoted singing and playing. Alessi is beautiful, sweet and a very good musician. We have since seen her several times, and she has got better with each performance. Not even 21, her voice is quirky, shy and vulnerable sounding, but also holds a confidence in her musical abilities. She has gusto, charm and modesty wrapped up in one. Here’s an interview with Alessi Laurent-Marke:
Could you introduce yourself please?
Hello there! I’m Alessi.
Where are you from and where do you currently reside?
I live in Hammersmith, West London, where I was born and raised.
What sort of music do you create?
It’s handmade and hopefully keeps others good company.
Where else do you get your inspiration from?
All kinds of things and there’s a whole world more to discover still.
The people I’m closest to inspire me and most things I listen to,read and watch slip into the songs in one way or another. Here are some people,books and films that I’ve found inspiring and excite me ; Angela Carter’s book ‘The Magic Toyshop’, the films ‘Rumba’, ‘Puppentanz’ and ‘L’argent de poche’, Leonara Carrington’s paintings, Zora Neale Hurston‘s book ‘Their eyes were watching God’…there is so much out there.
Wire, taken from Alessi’s forthcoming album, Time Travel, out in April, on Bella Union.
What’s your music background?
Going right back to the start and being honest ; I learnt the recorder and steels pans in primary school, the drums in secondary school and picked up the guitar at home when I was fourteen. I have an autoharp that I bought shortly after leaving school and have made a pact to start playing it again.
Do you feel free to create the music you wish, or is there pressure to be ‘mainstream’?
Yes I do feel free. The main pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself.
Do you enjoy performing on stage?
Yes I do for the most part. Sometimes waves of nerves can stir in the stomach but usually after a song or two, they settle and roll away.
And tours/festivals – what are the like for you?
Festivals are good fun but can be very muddy in the U.K! Touring is a gift from making music that can be at once solitary and amazing ; you’re given the chance to share the songs as you travel through places and meet people you might not have done without your craft. I feel grateful to have experienced the tours I have done so far and feel lucky to have touring more on the horizon.
How do you relax?
By talking, writing to and spending time with close ones, reading, walking, drawing, sewing, visiting the seaside or by trying not to think at all.
Do you enjoy being in England? What does it means to you?
England is where my family is and where they are is home and very special. It’s a small island in the grand scheme of things that has been home to so many brilliant inventors, writers, musicians and so on.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I can’t see so far.
Alessi‘s Album: Time Travel is out on Bella Union in April. You can find her tour listings here. Alessi appeared in issue 10 of Amelia’s Magazine, still available to buy online here.
Written by Helen Martin on Tuesday March 29th, 2011 5:20 pm
