Amelia’s Magazine | Lemonade – An Interview

On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, sildenafil over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, adiposity indigenous communities are being dispossessed, ask land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, order over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, web indigenous communities are being dispossessed, land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
efterklang performing parades

The sonically cinematic Danish outfit, symptoms Efterklang, release a live recording of their stunning 2007 release, Parades. I know what you’re thinking, apart from the obvious few, (MC5 – Kick Out The Jams, Mogwai – Government Commissions, Take That – Beautiful World Live, The Who – Live At Leeds) live albums are rubbish. They packages of inferior versions of songs a fan will already own, bought only by completists and maniacs. Who really needs MadonnaConfessions Tour Live, for example? They are usually self indulgent, gratuitous, mercenary money-grabbing affairs.

AnaBenaroya_painting1-1

All illustrations are by Ana Benaroya

Performing Parades is none of these things. It is an inventive and truly beautiful re-telling of the stories told on 2007’s Parades. The presence of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra adds depth and a certain verisimilitude to the songs. Though comparisons to the band, Hood, still stand, the complexity of this album edges them toward Sigur Ros levels of grandeur.

AnaBenaroya_painting2

Perhaps lumping together two northern European bands with a shared fondness for wide-screen sounds is lazy, but to my mind it is the easiest way to convey the sound. But here goes another way. It is vast, it is enormous, it is icy grey seas crashing against black rocks, music to lose your self in, to walk in wind and rain to.

Remember the first time you heard Svefn-g-englar? Remember how amazed you were that this music had existed without your previous knowledge? Remember how hurt you were that you were not the first to hear it? That is what you have in store if you haven’t heard this Efterklang. This is astoundingly, for a live album, a fantastic starting point, a great way to lever this band into your life. Your life will thank you for it.

AnaBenaroya_painting3-2

The accompanying DVD is not so much an afterthought but an essential part of the package. Gifting you with a selection of music videos from the original Parades album including the charming animated Mirador, the wonderful Caravan and the slightly freaky Illuminant. The piece de resistance is the 55-minute Performing Parades concert film – see clip below. It is not only a live performance, but thanks to director Benjamin Hesselholdt, a recreation of the live experience.

In short, if you only buy one hypnotic northern-European post-rock album in your life, buy Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Ros. If you buy two, buy this one as well.

Performing Parades is out on 19th October on The Leaf Label.

Efterklang will celebrate the release with a major concert at London’s Barbican in which the orchestral version of Parades will be staged with The Britten Sinfonia.
The sonically cinematic Danish outfit, look Efterklang, release a live recording of their stunning 2007 release, Parades. I know what you’re thinking, apart from the obvious few, (MC5 – Kick Out The Jams, Mogwai – Government Commissions, Take That – Beautiful World Live, The Who – Live At Leeds) live albums are rubbish. They packages of inferior versions of songs a fan will already own, bought only by completists and maniacs. Who really needs MadonnaConfessions Tour Live, for example? They are usually self indulgent, gratuitous, mercenary money-grabbing affairs.

Performing Parades is none of these things. It is an inventive and truly beautiful re-telling of the stories told on 2007’s Parades. The presence of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra adds depth and a certain verisimilitude to the songs. Though comparisons to the band, Hood, still stand, the complexity of this album edges them toward Sigur Ros levels of grandeur.

Perhaps lumping together two northern- European bands with share a fondness for cinematic wide-screen sounds is lazy, but to my mind it is the easiest way to convey the sound to those who have yet to hear it.

It is vast, it is enormous, icy grey seas crashing against black rocks, music to lose your self in, to walk in wind and rain to. Remember the first time you heard Svefn-g-englar? Remember how amazed you were that this music had existed without your previous knowledge? Remember how hurt you were that you were not the first to hear it? That is what you have in store if you haven’t heard this Efterklang. This is, astoundingly for a live album, a fantastic starting point, a great way to lever this band into your life. Your life will thank you for it.

The DVD accompanying this release is not so much an afterthought but an essential part of the package. Gifting you with, among other treats, a selection of music videos from the original Parades album including the charming Mirador, the wonderful Caravan and the slightly freaky Illuminant. The piece de resistance however is the 55-minute Performing Parades concert film, not just a live performance, but thanks to director Benjamin Hesselholdt, a recreation of the live experience.

In short, if you only buy one hypnotic northern-European post-rock album in your life, buy Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Ros. If you buy two, buy this one as well.

On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, thumb over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, information pills indigenous communities are being dispossessed, land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
On Monday evening as the sun set and the lights from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) blared onto the street, website like this over a hundred protesters gathered to call for an end to government subsidies on biofuels.

agro1

Agrofuels are seen as a green alternative to conventional oil but cause even more damage, information pills indigenous communities are being dispossessed, land that was used for food is being handed over for the production of palm oil. The production of biofuel contributes the the acceleration of climate change through deforestation and its twin results of water and soil degradation . This ‘green’ subsidy is even starting to need carbon offsetting for it to meet government agenda.
Due to protests against biofuels power stations, plans to build have already been stopped at Ealing and Portland among others. However protests are still needed to push the government into action, currently agrofuel power is awarded double the number of subsidies compared to offshore wind farms.

agro2

Joining the demo were a range of musicians that kept up spirits and entertained with witty biofuel songs, as well as several speakers highlighting the issue.

agro5

John Stewart,Fight The Flights, spoke about the aviation industry plans to incorporate biofuels. Companies like BA complain about the increasing tax on fuel consumption using the inequality agenda as an argument. But when considering how agrofuels are largely made by exploiting poor countries while the rich benefit, their argument is quickly invalidated.

agro6

The demo was also held on the International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People, which ironically falls on the same date Columbus discovered the Americas. A large group, part of ‘Global Mobilisation for Mother Earth’ called by Andean indigenous peoples joined us outside DECC and a speaker highlighted the problems faced by indigenous peoples in Latin America.

agro7

The police set up a pen as per usual, making sure the left hand side pavement wasn’t blocked which would obviously have a huge detrimental effect. Instead they crammed us all inside the narrow fences; health and safety you know, can’t have a protest stopping people from having to cross the road to the other pavement to get passed. Anyway we all managed to listen and rally in any little space we could find and as darkness fell continued to put pressure on the energy department in the 100-watt bulb luminous lit rooms above.

Agro4
lemonade band by-andrew-eisberg

Lemonade are Callan Clendenin, look Alex Pasternak and Ben Steidel, order three gents from San Francisco who brought their party to Brooklyn shores, in search of dance music domination, toeing the line of eclecticism somewhere between oft-improvised Gang Gang Dance and !!!. Entrusted with wizardly producer, Chris Coady, who has previously twiddled knobs for TV On The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the aforementioned !!!, the trio have made an album that’ll spread their rapturous spirit across to this continent, where they’ve already got Rob Da Bank‘s backing. The band speak to Amelia’s Magazine through the powers of electronic mail about studio time, aspirations and good old fashioned partying.

You have an eclectic mix of sounds in your music, which individual members have brought which elements to the table?

We just all liked all the elements and contributed quite equally despite each other’s expertise. We began the group during a period of massive musical exploration, and were listening to so many new things, so a lot of different sounds and ideas ended up in the music. We used to say that Alex brought the Middle Eastern and Latin sounds, Ben brought the techno and house elements, and Callan brought the more conceptual and new age-y stuff but that isn’t really all that true because everyone brought everything really.

What do you feel is the perfect track length?

That is funny, because all of our songs on the record are quite long. When we wrote them we just wrote them for dancing, and we wrote until the groove climaxed or whatever and they came out long. As a band though we tend towards patient listening, long tracks, minutes of intro, like LCD Soundsystem’s E2E4.

lemonade2

Tell me about you in the studio…

We sequence electronics rather crudely on a laptop. It usually starts with one person’s idea, then everyone sorta messes with it. Once it’s done we have added all our ideas. Then we teach ourselves to play to it, filling in the gaps with live bass and percussion and vocals. Once it is barely ready we start playing it live on different systems. Then based on the reactions to it, we adjust it accordingly.

Which track of yours was the hardest to finish and why?

If they were hard to finish we probably dumped them. Usually if we like a track it writes itself. We can feel if it’s just flowing out of us and if its not flowing really quickly it doesn’t get far. Big Weekend was probably written in one session.

How and why did you form a band?

We all have backgrounds in music so it was inevitable that we would do something somewhat serious with it, but the fact that it was Lemonade was a nice surprise to us all. We formed the band when we were all in San Francisco and someone asked Alex “hey you are in a band, do you want to play a show?” We had a band name, so he said yes, and we played a show after just a few practices. It was pretty primal and there was a lot of excitement and wild dancing.

lemonade3

Which act did you aspire to be like when you were teenagers?

When we were teenagers we listened to indie rock and hardcore punk and stuff like that. We certainly didn’t think that dance music was cool and actually thought that ravers were totally lame. Nobody that we went to high school with expected us to end up playing club nights and writing epic piano breaks, though given our interests in extreme music and DIY communities, it kinda makes sense that we ended up at such antipodes.

Which current music acts are you particularly liking at the moment?

Brackles, Shortstuff, Joy Orbison, Delorean, Glasser, Girls.

Are there any particular individuals that you are thankful to?

We have had great relationships with the people at our labels – True Panther in the States and Sunday Best in England. We are thankful for all that they have done for us. We are thankful to Chris Coady, who gave so much of his time to record us simply because he believed in us. Also all the people who used to bug out and dance at all of our early shows and for those who still do.

What is the last gig you went to that you weren’t playing at?

Alex: random free jazz show at work last night- does that count? (yes)
Ben: I saw Twitch from Optimo DJ recently and that was pretty rad. Apparently I left before he played Human Resource’s “The Dominator”, which is a bummer.

What are you geeks about?

Ben loves snack foods and diet soda. All of us are record geeks, though some of us don’t really buy vinyl anymore.

Do you have any bizarre tour bus habits?

We make music on our laptops and text really inane questions to a question answering service.

Lemonade

Describe your ultimate party…

The ultimate party is a place where everyone is on the same level, and everyone is communing with one another and sharing an experience. Your usual friends are there but everyone there is your friend too.

Which countries have the best party spirit and why?

Spain has the party. Brazil has the party. Latin and tropical countries are way more likely to have a street party with tons of drummers and dancers. The best party spirit is certainly not in the states, but that is what is so good about throwing a great party in America is that people really remember it, and it feels so different and new.

What are your aspirations as a band, short-term and long-term?

In the immediate we just want to stop working any other jobs that keep us from realizing our potential as artists… and to eat well whenever we want. In the long run we all want houses with decks and stuff like that, but I think more importantly we want people to have really meaningful connections to our music, even if it is just remembering a great party where they got really loose.

Lemonade’s self titled debut album is out now.

Categories ,chk chk chk, ,Gang Gang Dance, ,girls, ,lcd soundsystem, ,lemonade, ,new york, ,rob da bank, ,San Francisco, ,TV on the Radio, ,yeah yeah yeahs

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Amelia’s Magazine | Festival Preview: Bestival & Camp Bestival

twoofhearts_sheltercardquilt_lesleybarnes
seven little houses

When Lesley Barnes found out about the 4th Annual Animboom Awards animation competition in conjunction with Sesame Street (Blimey, ampoule try saying that fast!), viagra 60mg she just knew she had to work with fellow illustrator Thereza Rowe. The results of their collaboration is this wonderful piece: Seven Little Houses. You can watch the video here.

Seven Little Houses clouds
Seven Little Houses bottles

Lesley Barnes describes how they approached the Aniboom competition:

One of the competition categories was to design an animation that would help children learn about either colours, viagra 60mg shapes, numbers or letters. We chose the number seven as it seemed to give us scope to do a bit of counting without it being a huge number for kids to deal with and for some reason we both agreed that there was something special about an odd number.
We gave the animation a circular feel by creating it around the idea of a day, with the sun at the beginning and the moon at the end. Repetition was key so the narrative turns around lots of groups of seven; the idea being that children will get used to counting 124567 and begin to repeat it. As well as having the numbers on screen we included groups of seven objects; seven houses, seven bottles, seven clouds, etc. because it’s easier to visualise the numbers as objects.
The animation was mostly done in after effects and took about a month to finish. My friend Al Paxton, who is a musician in Brooklyn, provided the sound. It was his idea to have the voices (him and his girlfriend) shouting out 1234567 and I think it’s really important because it encourages children to shout out along with the animation.

twoofhearts_sheltercardquilt_lesleybarnes
Lesley Barnes’ illustration for the Shelter Card Quilt.

Thereza Rowe Shelter Card Quilt
Thereza Rowe’s illustration for the Shelter Card Quilt.

Lesley first got in touch with Thereza after admiring the playing card that she designed for my Shelter House of Cards Quilt in 2009, and since then they’ve kept in constant contact via email and twitter. I asked them to write down a few words about each other.
 
Lesley Barnes on Thereza Rowe:
 
We both had cards included on Amelia’s final Shelter Card Quilt and Thereza‘s goats – although she now tells me they are deer – were my favourite! Amelia’s Magazine has given us such a great platform for our work: we have been in touch ever since and knew that we wanted to do a collaboration at some point… When I saw the Aniboom Sesame Street competition I thought that Thereza’s textures, colours, shapes, illustration style and personality (including her love of pink milk and bendy straws) would be perfect for it. We started work with Thereza‘s house illustrations and from that we both designed a selection of characters. There were far too many in the end, so the final seven characters were a bit of an amalgamation of our work.
Working with Thereza was ace and the best thing was all the colour that she brought into the animation – my animation can sometimes get a bit monochromatic so it was such a pleasure to work with such a great selection of colours and textures. I also think that Thereza‘s lovely upbeat personality comes through in Seven Little Houses.

Seven Little Houses umbrellas

Thereza Rowe on Lesley Barnes:

When Lesley contacted me for the first time with some nice words about my work and a suggestion that we should collaborate in a future project I was so excited because as soon I set eyes on her stunning animation and illustration work I knew that we would eventually produce something really good together. Since then we have kept in touch whilst keeping an eye out for interesting briefs which would suit our ideas of a collaboration… and so the Aniboom competition came about!
Working with Lesley has been an ongoing joy as she’s creative, diligent, determined and hands on. We both share a similar sense of humour which is very important because it makes the working process a pleasant experience. As the project developed I was amazed to see how the aesthetics of our work just gelled together effortlessly, almost like magic. Surprisingly we have not met in person yet, although it feels like we have….
I am really proud of how she made our illustrations move in such a graceful manner and we’ve been receiving some lovely responses from people who have seen the animation. I’d also like to echo Lesley’s thoughts on the constant support and appreciation of the work we produce that we get from Amelia’s Magazine.

seven little houses people

I also wanted the girls to talk about the importance of Twitter to their collaboration, as I often see conversations between Lesley and Thereza passing through my own Twitter feed: it’s how I found out they were collaborating on the project for Aniboom, and it’s a medium I feel strongly that all illustrators should engage with.

Lesley on Twitter:
Twitter is an easy way of staying in touch and see what each other is up to. When you are a freelancer it’s great for reminding you that you are not completely alone in the world and means you can check out what’s inspiring other people, collaborate with them, get feedback and generally just have a bit of a chat.

Thereza on Twitter:
Using Twitter helped make the collaboration go more smoothly because Lesley and I were always tweeting bits of work in progress to each other and teasing other about what was coming next. I used to be very resistant to using Twitter but now I’m a self proclaimed addict because it’s enabled me to engage with some ace collaborations that otherwise might not have happened.
Twitter is probably the best current social tool for illustrators in terms of networking and establishing links with both the industry and peers as it provides an open channel for direct communication and it’s fab for promoting your own work and the work of others. I love the fact that Twitter is free of advertising and has a nice layout which allows you to customize your page background nicely. I’m really fussy about such factors…
Also, the job of an illustrator can often be a lonely one as we spend a great deal of time confined in our workspaces, well, working… so I tend to have my twitter page open through the day, so it almost feels like having lots of nice people around 🙂 

Both Thereza Rowe and Lesley Barnes appear in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration.

Photo: Ben Gold

It’s the day before the general election and the concluding part of Amelia’s Magazine interview with Think Act Vote’s Amisha Ghadiali. Tomorrow you have a chance to vote. Use it.

Why do you think if “politics were a brand, ed no one would wear it!”?

This statement is about Westminster politics, in many ways the system we have is out of date for the world we are living in now. I don’t see people wanting to “wear” it as it is. This is why I really support the work of campaigns like Vote for a Change that focus their around how we can make the system work better for us.

How can fashion be used to engage people in Politics?

I think that fashion plays a key role in how we express ourselves and we use it to communicate things about ourselves or messages that we care about. The campaign t-shirt has become iconic as a phenomenon. At the beginning of the campaign, we ran a competition to design the perfect campaign t-shirt, which was a great opportunity for up and coming illustrators to showcase their work. The winning design by Jesson Yip was selected by a judging panel that included Katharine Hamnett and Daisy de Villeneuve. The symbols represent each word, with different fonts to represent different people’s voices. The design was then printed onto Earth Positive Eco T-shirts and is now on sale.

Through working in the ethical fashion industry I see fashion as a key way to think about sustainability. We all wear clothes, and the fashion industry affects so many people across the world as well as the environment. I work closely with Ethical Fashion designers at EFF and am one myself with my jewellery label. As an ethical designer, you don’t just have to make sure that your collection looks and fits great, but you spend a huge amount of time researching new fabrics, new technologies and finding out who is telling the truth about their labour standards or production methods. You need to be pioneering and inquisitive as you think through your entire collection and its impact on the environment and people at every stage.

Ethical Fashion designers are always pushing boundaries and are extremely passionate about what they do. I wanted to include this talent in the campaign and asked leading ethical fashion designers to create a show piece or an easy DIY customisation using a Think Act Vote t-shirt and off cuts from their collections. The designers that took part included Ada Zanditon, Junky Styling, Traid Remade, Tara Starlet and Beautiful Soul. The pieces that they created in just a week are stunning.


Photo: Dominic Clarke

Think Act Vote discusses the negativity imbedded in modern politics – Were there any particular examples that spurred you into action?

There are loads of examples, just try and think when the last time you heard something positive about politicians or about changes in our communities. We are always focusing on people’s failings and the ‘fear’ out there. Just last week the country spent two days focusing on the story about Gordon Brown saying a woman was a bigot.

Is this negativity the reason, do you think, for the decline in the number of votes?

Not the only reason. Things have changed a lot over the last few decades. I think two features of the neo-liberal British political landscape are related: the rise of consumerism and the demise of traditional participation. I think that the way we express who we are is different now, not that many people are lifetime members of political parties. Political identity is no longer inherited.

As mentioned before I don’t think the political system reflects who we are, which makes us lose interest.

Have you been watching the Leader’s Debate?

I have seen bit of them, but not all the way through as have been doing talks and events most evenings in the past few weeks. I think it is great to have the leaders on TV, as it has really helped getting people talking about the election. I am not sure how much of their personalities and policies we are really seeing as the whole things does feel a little over polished. I think it would mean more if we had a vote on who was PM as well as on our local MP. I would also like to see some of the smaller parties be given this platform too.

Will you be voting this election?

Yes I will be voting, I think this is vital. I haven’t decided who for yet. I will decide on election day. I am deciding between three parties but then I went on Voter Power and saw that my voter power in my constituency is only 0.039. It is an ultra safe seat. So I am thinking about voting through Give Your Vote. It is a fantastic campaign about Global Democracy which allows you to give your vote to somebody in Afghanistan, Ghana or Bangladesh. It is an act of solidarity with those who do not have a say in the decisions that affect them.

Join Amisha tonight at: The Future I Choose with Live Music, Poetry, Fashion, Photography ??
The City and Arts Music Project, 70-74 City Road, London, EC1Y 2BJ?
5.30pm til 9pm


Photo: Dominic Clarke

It’s the day before the general election and the concluding part of Amelia’s Magazine interview with Think Act Vote’s Amisha Ghadiali. Tomorrow you have a chance to vote. Use it.

Why do you think if “politics were a brand, online no one would wear it!”?

This statement is about Westminster politics, there in many ways the system we have is out of date for the world we are living in now. I don’t see people wanting to “wear” it as it is. This is why I really support the work of campaigns like Vote for a Change that focus their around how we can make the system work better for us.

How can fashion be used to engage people in Politics?

I think that fashion plays a key role in how we express ourselves and we use it to communicate things about ourselves or messages that we care about. The campaign t-shirt has become iconic as a phenomenon. At the beginning of the campaign, patient we ran a competition to design the perfect campaign t-shirt, which was a great opportunity for up and coming illustrators to showcase their work. The winning design by Jesson Yip was selected by a judging panel that included Katharine Hamnett and Daisy de Villeneuve. The symbols represent each word, with different fonts to represent different people’s voices. The design was then printed onto Earth Positive Eco T-shirts and is now on sale.

Through working in the ethical fashion industry I see fashion as a key way to think about sustainability. We all wear clothes, and the fashion industry affects so many people across the world as well as the environment. I work closely with Ethical Fashion designers at EFF and am one myself with my jewellery label. As an ethical designer, you don’t just have to make sure that your collection looks and fits great, but you spend a huge amount of time researching new fabrics, new technologies and finding out who is telling the truth about their labour standards or production methods. You need to be pioneering and inquisitive as you think through your entire collection and its impact on the environment and people at every stage.

Ethical Fashion designers are always pushing boundaries and are extremely passionate about what they do. I wanted to include this talent in the campaign and asked leading ethical fashion designers to create a show piece or an easy DIY customisation using a Think Act Vote t-shirt and off cuts from their collections. The designers that took part included Ada Zanditon, Junky Styling, Traid Remade, Tara Starlet and Beautiful Soul. The pieces that they created in just a week are stunning.


Photo: Ben Gold

Think Act Vote discusses the negativity imbedded in modern politics – Were there any particular examples that spurred you into action?

There are loads of examples, just try and think when the last time you heard something positive about politicians or about changes in our communities. We are always focusing on people’s failings and the ‘fear’ out there. Just last week the country spent two days focusing on the story about Gordon Brown saying a woman was a bigot.

Is this negativity the reason, do you think, for the decline in the number of votes?

Not the only reason. Things have changed a lot over the last few decades. I think two features of the neo-liberal British political landscape are related: the rise of consumerism and the demise of traditional participation. I think that the way we express who we are is different now, not that many people are lifetime members of political parties. Political identity is no longer inherited.

As mentioned before I don’t think the political system reflects who we are, which makes us lose interest.

Have you been watching the Leader’s Debate?

I have seen bit of them, but not all the way through as have been doing talks and events most evenings in the past few weeks. I think it is great to have the leaders on TV, as it has really helped getting people talking about the election. I am not sure how much of their personalities and policies we are really seeing as the whole things does feel a little over polished. I think it would mean more if we had a vote on who was PM as well as on our local MP. I would also like to see some of the smaller parties be given this platform too.

Will you be voting this election?

Yes I will be voting, I think this is vital. I haven’t decided who for yet. I will decide on election day. I am deciding between three parties but then I went on Voter Power and saw that my voter power in my constituency is only 0.039. It is an ultra safe seat. So I am thinking about voting through Give Your Vote. It is a fantastic campaign about Global Democracy which allows you to give your vote to somebody in Afghanistan, Ghana or Bangladesh. It is an act of solidarity with those who do not have a say in the decisions that affect them.

Join Amisha tonight at: The Future I Choose with Live Music, Poetry, Fashion, Photography ??
The City and Arts Music Project, 70-74 City Road, London, EC1Y 2BJ?
5.30pm til 9pm

seven little houses

When Lesley Barnes found out about the 4th Annual Animboom Awards animation competition in conjunction with Sesame Street (Blimey, link try saying that fast!), treatment she just knew she had to work with fellow illustrator Thereza Rowe. The results of their collaboration is this wonderful piece: Seven Little Houses. You can watch the video here.

Seven Little Houses clouds
Seven Little Houses bottles

Lesley Barnes describes how they approached the Aniboom competition:

One of the competition categories was to design an animation that would help children learn about either colours, approved shapes, numbers or letters. We chose the number seven as it seemed to give us scope to do a bit of counting without it being a huge number for kids to deal with and for some reason we both agreed that there was something special about an odd number.
We gave the animation a circular feel by creating it around the idea of a day, with the sun at the beginning and the moon at the end. Repetition was key so the narrative turns around lots of groups of seven; the idea being that children will get used to counting 124567 and begin to repeat it. As well as having the numbers on screen we included groups of seven objects; seven houses, seven bottles, seven clouds, etc. because it’s easier to visualise the numbers as objects.
The animation was mostly done in after effects and took about a month to finish. My friend Al Paxton, who is a musician in Brooklyn, provided the sound. It was his idea to have the voices (him and his girlfriend) shouting out 1234567 and I think it’s really important because it encourages children to shout out along with the animation.

twoofhearts_sheltercardquilt_lesleybarnes
Lesley Barnes’ illustration for the sShelter Card Quilt.

Thereza Rowe Shelter Card Quilt
Thereza Rowe’s illustration for the Shelter Card Quilt.

Lesley first got in touch with Thereza after admiring the playing card that she designed for my Shelter House of Cards Quilt in 2009, and since then they’ve kept in constant contact via email and twitter. I asked them to write down a few words about each other.
 
Lesley Barnes on Thereza Rowe:
 
We both had cards included on Amelia’s final Shelter Card Quilt and Thereza‘s goats – although she now tells me they are deer – were my favourite! Amelia’s Magazine has given us such a great platform for our work: we have been in touch ever since and knew that we wanted to do a collaboration at some point… When I saw the Aniboom Sesame Street competition I thought that Thereza’s textures, colours, shapes, illustration style and personality (including her love of pink milk and bendy straws) would be perfect for it. We started work with Thereza‘s house illustrations and from that we both designed a selection of characters. There were far too many in the end, so the final seven characters were a bit of an amalgamation of our work.
Working with Thereza was ace and the best thing was all the colour that she brought into the animation – my animation can sometimes get a bit monochromatic so it was such a pleasure to work with such a great selection of colours and textures. I also think that Thereza‘s lovely upbeat personality comes through in Seven Little Houses.

Seven Little Houses umbrellas

Thereza Rowe on Lesley Barnes:

When Lesley contacted me for the first time with some nice words about my work and a suggestion that we should collaborate in a future project I was so excited because as soon I set eyes on her stunning animation and illustration work I knew that we would eventually produce something really good together. Since then we have kept in touch whilst keeping an eye out for interesting briefs which would suit our ideas of a collaboration… and so the Aniboom competition came about!
Working with Lesley has been an ongoing joy as she’s creative, diligent, determined and hands on. We both share a similar sense of humour which is very important because it makes the working process a pleasant experience. As the project developed I was amazed to see how the aesthetics of our work just gelled together effortlessly, almost like magic. Surprisingly we have not met in person yet, although it feels like we have….
I am really proud of how she made our illustrations move in such a graceful manner and we’ve been receiving some lovely responses from people who have seen the animation. I’d also like to echo Lesley’s thoughts on the constant support and appreciation of the work we produce that we get from Amelia’s Magazine.

seven little houses people

I also wanted the girls to talk about the importance of Twitter to their collaboration, as I often see conversations between Lesley and Thereza passing through my own Twitter feed: it’s how I found out they were collaborating on the project for Aniboom, and it’s a medium I feel strongly that all illustrators should engage with.

Lesley on Twitter:
Twitter is an easy way of staying in touch and see what each other is up to. When you are a freelancer it’s great for reminding you that you are not completely alone in the world and means you can check out what’s inspiring other people, collaborate with them, get feedback and generally just have a bit of a chat.

Thereza on Twitter:
Using Twitter helped make the collaboration go more smoothly because Lesley and I were always tweeting bits of work in progress to each other and teasing other about what was coming next. I used to be very resistant to using Twitter but now I’m a self proclaimed addict because it’s enabled me to engage with some ace collaborations that otherwise might not have happened.
Twitter is probably the best current social tool for illustrators in terms of networking and establishing links with both the industry and peers as it provides an open channel for direct communication and it’s fab for promoting your own work and the work of others. I love the fact that Twitter is free of advertising and has a nice layout which allows you to customize your page background nicely. I’m really fussy about such factors…
Also, the job of an illustrator can often be a lonely one as we spend a great deal of time confined in our workspaces, well, working… so I tend to have my twitter page open through the day, so it almost feels like having lots of nice people around 🙂 

Both Thereza Rowe and Lesley Barnes appear in Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration.

Another weekend on the festival calendar that has readily established itself as one of the more well-regarded events around is Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank‘s Bestival, more about which takes place every year in the late summer on Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. This year’s event takes place from the 9th to the 12th of September, pill and having such a late date every year marks it out as being perhaps the last significant camping festival to take place on these fair isles before autumn’s cold, unhealthy clammy hands take a grip of the countryside.

It’s been running since 2002, but in 2008 its ‘little sister’ spinoff, Camp Bestival, was launched. Based at Lulworth Castle in Dorset, Camp Bestival is a much smaller, and more intimate, affair (10,000 capacity versus the 43,000 of Bestival), specifically designed as a more child-friendly event, and taking place much earlier in the year (in mid-July). It conjures up much of the same ethos and atmosphere as its older brother, but there’s more of an emphasis on making it a happy environment for the kids – which is a splendid idea, really. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to reach middle age only to find that the annual road trip mashup bangin’ weekender at Reading becoming less practical with a newborn baby on the backseat.

Like a lot of smaller, more ’boutique’ festivals, Bestival offers more than just a music lineup. The Saturday of the festival is usually designated the day for dressing up in costume (in 2005 they attempted to break the Guinness World Record for most people in fancy dress at one time), and there’s a heavy focus on political and environmental causes. It’s not uncommon to find artists interrupting their sets to declare their opposition to some military action in some far off country, or to promote vegetarianism (there’s a lot of vegetarian food on offer at Bestival), or merely to lead a chant for peace.

The organisers also try to make the festival carbon neutral, which includes offsetting those things that they can’t control (like the petrol burnt to get everything to the site) but also by promoting recycling and sustainability on site.

Camp Bestival is similarly-focused, but the main difference between the two (apart from the size) is that the focus is much less on the music. A large number of comedians perform at the festival, and there are also tents for poetry readings and theatrical performances. This makes sense, when you consider that up to 5,000 kids can attend on top of the 10,000 adults, and parents will no doubt love a chance to sit and relax, not having to chase small bundles of energy around.

Bestival’s musical lineup this year includes the Prodigy, Flaming Lips, Dizzee Rascal, Roxy Music, the xx, Fever Ray, a solo set from Jonsi of Sigur Ros fame, and a rare festival appearance from LCD Soundsystem (who will most likely disband at the end of this current tour, so catch them while you can). You’ve also got Gil-Scott Heron, Echo & the Bunnymen, Chase & Status, Simian Mobile Disco, and even Rolf Harris will be putting in an appearance.

Campe Bestival’s lineup is less prestigious, but still worth a shout – headlined by Madness, Friendly Fires, and the Human League, with appearances also from the legendary George Clinton & Parliament, as well as the slightly-less legendary Lee Scratch Perry, and also Calvin Harris, Marc Almond, Billy Bragg, and a host more.

So, taken, together, you’ve got a couple of pretty decent ways to bookend your summer on the south coast. Just make sure that, if you go, you do recycle – a new study out today has shown that festivals are emitting over 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. Every little helps, eh?

Categories ,bestival, ,Billy Bragg, ,Calvin Harris, ,Camp Bestival, ,Chase & Status, ,dizzee rascal, ,Echo & the Bunnymen, ,Fever Ray, ,flaming lips, ,Friendly Fires, ,George Clinton, ,Gil-Scott Heron, ,isle of wight, ,Jonsi, ,lcd soundsystem, ,Madness, ,Marc Almond, ,parliament, ,rob da bank, ,Rolf Harris, ,Roxy Music, ,sigur ros, ,Simian Mobile Disco, ,The Human League, ,the Prodigy, ,The XX

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Amelia’s Magazine | Live Review: Laura J Martin at the Lexington

Laura J Martin by Sam Parr
Illustration by Sam Parr

At a time of year when live music is usually thin on the ground, Fortuna Pop’s trio of Winter Sprinters at the Lexington gave the grateful gig-goer a chance to shelter from a damp and dismal early January evening. Nestled on a first night’s set list, between the rockabilly of the Werewandas and the acerbic laments of the Singing Adams, was the gifted Laura J Martin.

YouTube Preview Image

I’d first caught Laura J Martin last year, supporting Hannah Peel at the Windmill and then Misty’s Big Adventure at 93 Feet East, and both times was amazed. She’d subsequently picked up ringing endorsements from DJs Marc Riley and Rob Da Bank (having already graced the pages of Amelia’s Magazine), and a chance to see her play live again (with the added bonus of an impending album release) was not to be missed.

Laura J Martin by Gareth A Hopkins
Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Things got underway with the sprightly Doki Doki, as a swirling, stomping Martin built up looped layers of flute. She is an engaging performer, with a fragile voice rather reminiscent of a young Kate Bush, and she deftly switches between flute, mandolin and keyboards whilst backed by assorted samples and her trusty loop station. Martin may be from a folk background, but her music is infused with contemporary influences (as her collaborations with Canadian MC Buck 65 and former Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci frontman Euros Childs show). A new piano-based number gave way to Fire Horse, inspired by Martin’s time living in Japan and learning of the story of Yaoya Oshichi. A Lalo Schifrin-esque flute intro announced the arrival of the slinky Spy, whilst Martin entranced the crowd with the lilting Tom. She closed her set with Salamander, switching between mandolin and flute and building to a hypnotic finish.

YouTube Preview Image

As she heads off on a mini-tour and with her album, The Hangman Tree, hitting the stores in a couple of weeks, it looks like 2012 will be the year that Laura J Martin will astound an even greater audience!

Categories ,93 Feet East, ,Buck 65, ,Euros Childs, ,folk, ,Fortuna Pop, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, ,Hannah Peel, ,japan, ,Kate Bush, ,Lalo Schifrin, ,Laura J Martin, ,Marc Riley, ,Misty’s Big Adventure, ,rob da bank, ,rockabilly, ,Sam Parr, ,Singing Adams, ,The Hangman Tree, ,The Lexington, ,the Werewandas, ,The Windmill, ,Winter Sprinter, ,Yaoya Oshichi

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Amelia’s Magazine | Camp Bestival 2014 Review: Mr. Tumble, Trolleys, Caravans and Mud Pies

Camp Bestival by Maia Fjord
Camp Bestival by Maia Fjord.

My final festival this year was Camp Bestival, which we travelled to on our way back from Cornwall. I went to the first ever Camp Bestival in 2008, when the idea of a boutique festival especially aimed at families was a fairly novel idea and it was a much smaller affair. I was there as a performer with the band that I helped to cofound, Cut A Shine, which has long since mutated into a sprawling folk dance collective with only the original cofounder Joe Buirski at the helm. This summer I returned as a parent for the full Camp Bestival experience.

Camp Bestival
Camp Bestival
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival is by far the biggest festival that I have been to in recent years… which meant long treks across rolling campsites, stinky portaloos (though the compost loos near the main stages were a winner) and a seething mass of families carting their kids around in heavily souped up trolleys – this has surely become a thing only in the past few years? And of course a huge variety of activities, music and food to keep both adults and children entertained. Our journey to Dorset took far longer than expected, so night fell as we introduced a boggle-eyed Snarfle to the sights surrounding Lulworth Castle. It was a lot for a little one to take in!

Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
There were many highlights; I loved spending quality time with Snarfle in the woods, rigging up a play dough electrical circuit with Technlogy Will Save Us and learning how to make a cunning wildlife camera trap with Nature Bytes (both in the Science Tent) and listening to little known acoustic acts at the on the outer reaches of the site, where a camp fire was held in the evenings. Snarfle strummed along on his imaginary guitar whilst we waited for the most excellent wood fired fayre from the Pizza and Puppetry stand: cheapest good food we found and very much worth the long trip across the festival. The Farmer’s Market was also a great place for tasty nosh. As expected Mr. Tumble rocked the largest crowd of the festival, with a sea of toddlers held aloft on their parents’ shoulders. There were little discoveries to be made around every corner… one afternoon we chanced upon the two remaining members of Pan’s People teaching dance to all comers in the pink glow of the Bollywood tent, then we watched a vulture demonstrate his flying skills with Haven Falconry. We sadly missed out on daily discos for mini ravers in the same space, but I caught up with Natasha from Big Fish Little Fish this week and I hear the crowd was jumping.

Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
I adored the creativity of the Caravanserai bar area constructed by Monsieur Bateman, where punters could sit in sawn off caravans below a miniature train constructed out of prams, one still with it’s romany floral arrangements intact! The same guy was behind the fantastical Oberon’s Observatory which we sadly did not enter, and a smaller installation consisting of two old French vans topped with fairytale turrets connected by a bridge.

Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Cut A Shine were curating activities at the Travelling Barn, where Toucan Uke taught Snarfle the proper way to strum a ukelele whilst singing about penguins.

Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival had copious sponsors including Yorkshire Tea (Snarfle is now a confirmed fan of milky tea), Duplo, where kids played with piles of brightly coloured bricks before receiving a small gift to take away (the ice creams were a real winner!) and Piriton (free bright yellow sunglasses, yay!)

camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
Project Wild Thing held nature based activities in the ‘Dingly Dell’, where a huge amount of children enjoyed the mud kitchen, making mud potions and digging for treasure. Other nature based activities included building fires, making dens, identifying birds, climbing trees and crafting clay animals. Rob da Bank’s desire to get children away from their screens is admirable and this area proved such a success that the woods were seething with people, and I relished the stillness that we found deeper under the trees.

camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
I enjoyed bits of the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop from the woods (think live rendition of the Doctor Who theme tune) and introduced Snarfle to Cut A Shine, who dedicated a new version of the Circassian Circle dance to Rob da Bank: stepping into the centre of the ring with guns in the air to “rob da bank”. Sophie Ellis-Bexter sang beautifully in a lovely red dress and admitted that her 10 year old son was standing at the side of the stage looking at his phone “what does a mum have to do to get their attention?!” I didn’t get to hear many of the ‘headliners’ because we don’t own a trolley so I was tucked up in our tent by 10pm. There were a plethora of interesting speakers in the Guardian Literary Tent and Snarfle was amazingly tolerant whilst we listened to the voluble and entertaining Kate Tempest chat about her career.

camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
At a festival of this size there are a zillion entertainment possibilities and so of course we barely scratched the surface, but when a festival gets this big it can be a real trek to get around the site, especially with a toddler who refuses to walk. I swear I lugged him miles on my hip over the course of the weekend. Josie and Rob da Bank have done an admirable journey of translating the original anarchic Bestival spirit into something family friendly, and the mass of people testified to a winning formula. For slightly older kids (from about the ages of 6-11) this place must seem like heaven.

Categories ,2014, ,bestival, ,Big Fish Little Fish, ,Camp Bestival, ,Caravanserai, ,Castle Stage, ,Circassian Circle, ,Cornwall, ,Cutashine, ,Dingly Dell, ,Dorset, ,Duplo, ,Farmer’s Market, ,festival, ,Guardian Literary Tent, ,Haven Falconry, ,Joe Buirski, ,Josie and Rob da Bank, ,Kate Tempest, ,Lulworth Castle, ,Maia Fjord, ,Mini Castle Stage, ,Monsieur Bateman, ,Mr. Tumble, ,Nature Bytes, ,Oberon’s Observatory, ,Pan’s People, ,Piriton, ,Pizza and Puppetry, ,project wild thing, ,Radiophonic Workshop, ,review, ,rob da bank, ,Science Tent, ,Snarfle, ,Sophie Ellis-Bexter, ,Technlogy Will Save Us, ,Toddler, ,Toucan Uke, ,Travelling Barn, ,Yorkshire Tea

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Amelia’s Magazine | Live Review: Laura J Martin at the Lexington

Laura J Martin by Sam Parr
Illustration by Sam Parr

At a time of year when live music is usually thin on the ground, Fortuna Pop’s trio of Winter Sprinters at the Lexington gave the grateful gig-goer a chance to shelter from a damp and dismal early January evening. Nestled on a first night’s set list, between the rockabilly of the Werewandas and the acerbic laments of the Singing Adams, was the gifted Laura J Martin.

YouTube Preview Image

I’d first caught Laura J Martin last year, supporting Hannah Peel at the Windmill and then Misty’s Big Adventure at 93 Feet East, and both times was amazed. She’d subsequently picked up ringing endorsements from DJs Marc Riley and Rob Da Bank (having already graced the pages of Amelia’s Magazine), and a chance to see her play live again (with the added bonus of an impending album release) was not to be missed.

Laura J Martin by Gareth A Hopkins
Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Things got underway with the sprightly Doki Doki, as a swirling, stomping Martin built up looped layers of flute. She is an engaging performer, with a fragile voice rather reminiscent of a young Kate Bush, and she deftly switches between flute, mandolin and keyboards whilst backed by assorted samples and her trusty loop station. Martin may be from a folk background, but her music is infused with contemporary influences (as her collaborations with Canadian MC Buck 65 and former Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci frontman Euros Childs show). A new piano-based number gave way to Fire Horse, inspired by Martin’s time living in Japan and learning of the story of Yaoya Oshichi. A Lalo Schifrin-esque flute intro announced the arrival of the slinky Spy, whilst Martin entranced the crowd with the lilting Tom. She closed her set with Salamander, switching between mandolin and flute and building to a hypnotic finish.

YouTube Preview Image

As she heads off on a mini-tour and with her album, The Hangman Tree, hitting the stores in a couple of weeks, it looks like 2012 will be the year that Laura J Martin will astound an even greater audience!

Categories ,93 Feet East, ,Buck 65, ,Euros Childs, ,folk, ,Fortuna Pop, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, ,Hannah Peel, ,japan, ,Kate Bush, ,Lalo Schifrin, ,Laura J Martin, ,Marc Riley, ,Misty’s Big Adventure, ,rob da bank, ,rockabilly, ,Sam Parr, ,Singing Adams, ,The Hangman Tree, ,The Lexington, ,the Werewandas, ,The Windmill, ,Winter Sprinter, ,Yaoya Oshichi

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with singer songwriter Roxy Rawson


Roxy Rawson by Matilde Sazio.

Roxy Rawson isn’t your average singer-songwriter, no. For a start, there’s her quirky lyrics which cover topics as diverse as throwing apricot trees out of windows, philanthropy, pixies, cooks and thieves. Then there’s the entertaining use of her onstage instrument of choice, the violin, to create compelling sounds, which include her using a pen to ‘play’ it or treating it in the same way as one would a guitar. And when the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is not in the studio or on stage flexing her musical and vocal muscles, she is working as a political activist, developing programmes on how to improve the infrastructure of African countries with the London-based NGO Justice Africa. Intrigued by this impressive young woman? So you should be.

A classically trained musician who studied at the Paris Conservatoire, Rawson first discovered her voice through joining an African choir (more on this later) and has since been wowing pretty much everyone who has had the privilege of seeing her on the gig circuit. Describing her own sound as “plucky, percussive, emotional-ballsy”, Rawson has built a loyal fan base over the years with her unconventional lyrics and sound, which continues to grow.

Bursting with creative energy and genuine talent with a warm, sincere and gentle demeanour, the angelic-faced Rawson has the qualities of someone who deserves to be very successful indeed. Already counting Rob da Bank and BBC Radio 6 as her fans, 2012 spells big things for the London-born songstress who spoke to Amelia’s magazine about some of her musical influences, being compared to Regina Spektor and her aid work.


Roxy Rawson by Matilde Sazio.

You trained as a classical musician. How do you think this has influenced your musical style?
I think of chords in quite a classical way as in from the actual classical period when Mozart and Haydn were writing. The chords are quite uncluttered and not as nuanced as much as later music – but I’m starting to want more dissonance, colour and violence in the chords… similar to what you hear in modern jazz, Liszt and Brahms.

What did you listen to when you were growing up? 
There was a lot of popular music from the ‘60s and ‘70s in the background on my mum’s record player; also art house rock and folk: King Crimson, Joni Mitchell, The Police, The B52s, The Proclaimers, The Eurythmics, early Rod Stewart, The Kinks, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, loots of David Bowie (my mum was a BIG fan). Also jazz and funk like Prince, Stevie Wonder and reggae like UB40 and Bob Marley and older songs by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Jacques Brel and few bits of classical, Debussy and Bach.

When did you first realise you could sing? How did you “find” your voice?
I was in the choir at school and completely loved it, but was never brave enough to put myself forward for solos. When I was studying in Paris, I joined an African choir and had to learn some songs to sing for one of my classes. I remember really enjoying working on those songs and that the choir had primed me for it as well. From then on, I’d walk around the Parisian streets humming and singing to myself. I had a friend that loved jazz standards and I remember walking and singing in Paris all day with her…

At which point did you decide you wanted to pursue a singing career?
I knew I wanted to sing during the year I had my finals exams for my degree and started to write songs afterwards. At the time, I didn’t realise it could be a “career” per se as I just wanted to sing and compose for myself (after years of rendering other people’s music, great as it was). But then in 2008, Ambiguous Records contacted me through listening to my music on Myspace, which is when I realised I could, perhaps, make a career out of it.

You have often been referred to as the British Regina Spektor. Why do you think people draw this comparison and does it annoy you?
When I first started experimenting with making music, I listened to her a lot. I found it really refreshing to hear someone sing songs in the same kind of way I wanted to produce music and it gave me the courage to keep experimenting. The comparison doesn’t annoy me at all because I love her. I think we are similar in that we like to make quite stripped down music and are willing to be a little eccentric, but we’re quite different in other ways – her songs tell stories and though they are well constructed and lovely to listen to on a musical level, the emphasis is on the words and the stories she tells. My words have started to have more emphasis and some of them have stories – but the stories aren’t clear in their language. They are quite dreamlike / hazy and about conveying emotion. I like to convey the emotion through texture, dynamics and timbre – the types of sounds that can be put together, rather than an emphasis on the words.

Who are your greatest inspirations?
Hard life lessons (which can be alchemised through music) and opposites in feeling and in the physical world – light / dark, hard / soft, colours and black – I like to see these things in music and when I listen, I often see those things.

Any guilty pleasures?
Beyonce! Pop music with bounce! I love it.

What has been your most memorable gig to date and why?
St Barnabas Church in Soho. Because everything went awry before, my drummer couldn’t make it, my cello player stormed out of rehearsal – I didn’t know who was coming…it was a disaster. But I took myself off back stage and ignored them all, to de-stress myself before going on stage and somehow it all came together, the drummer turned up just in time, I felt enveloped by the warm audience and we played better then we’ve ever done.

You have a lovely, genuine and engaging onstage presence – have you always approached being onstage in your stride?
I have atrocious stage fright most times I play! It happens every time but it depends on how I deal with it. Sometimes I just play and ignore it, sometimes it’s difficult! But I think I’ve been starting to surmount it this year.

What have you found to be the biggest challenges of being an artist on the current music scene today? What things frustrate you?
The relentless self-promotion that you have to be doing these days if you want to get anywhere. You could spend most of your week tending to your music web pages if you do it all yourself… I don’t like computers so I tend to not to do that enough!

Aside from being a musician, you also work for the NGO, Justice Africa. How did you get involved in this?
I started volunteering for them a few years ago and they offered me a job. Since returning from Paris, I felt more aware of global inequality as I met people from all diff countries and walks of life. I studied an evening course in development, I travelled further to Africa and China and knew if I was going to work a day job, I wanted to work in development. But I wanted to work for an innovative NGO that didn’t dictate development needs. I wanted to work for a responsive organisation.

I can imagine working in this field must bring you into contact with some very depressing things. How do you deal with it and how has it influenced the way you live your life?
It can be depressing – yes – really distressing actually. My ex-boss’ family were caught up in the conflict in South Kordofan in Sudan recently. But I think it depresses me more if I’m not doing something that might in some way contribute to difficulties I’m aware of. I believe in what the organisation I work for does and so that is in itself quite uplifting.

What do you like to do to unwind? What puts you in a peaceful state of mind?
Reading, meditating and taking long walks in nature.

What’s next for you? 
My new album is due for release in 2012. There’s lots of work to do for that and I’m planning a pledge campaign to try to fundraise for the remaining funds I need to raise to finish! I’m also gathering ideas and listening to lots to inspire me to write the next round of songs.

Roxy’s next gig is on 1st December 2011, at The Hawley Arms. For more information, click here.

Categories ,Ambiguous Records, ,Art House Rock, ,Bach, ,BBC Radio 6, ,beyonce, ,Brahms, ,Classical Music, ,Debussy, ,folk, ,Haydn, ,Jacques Brel, ,jazz, ,Joni Mitchell, ,Justice Africa, ,Kat Phan, ,King Crimson, ,Matilde Sazio, ,Mozart, ,Paris Conservatoire, ,Regina Spektor, ,rob da bank, ,Roxy Rawson, ,South Kordofan, ,St Barnabas Church, ,The Hawley Arms

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Amelia’s Magazine | Laura J Martin single review: The Hangman Tree

Laura Martin
laura_hangman
The Hangman Tree artwork by Jess Swainson.

This week I popped a single CD into my computer to copy it over to my hard drive, pilule as I do with every music CD that enters my house. And then I played said single – wondering if I’d heard the name, Laura J Martin anywhere else before. It looked a bit folky and seemed a bit familiar. You know, there’s a lot of great Lauras doing the folky thang these days… Laura Marling of course, the under-rated country tinged songstress Laura Cantrell, the sweeter than sweet Laura Groves, of Bradford UK – and now there’s Laura J Martin.

Laura J Martin

Laura does melodic folk backed by an array of classical instruments: flute, mandolin, harmonica, xylophone and more: most of which are played by her own fair hand and mouth. She self produces most of her music; a deliciously catchy mix of folk, electronica and jazz influences. The Hangman Tree swings along catchily with girlish harmonies layered over a backdrop of hand claps and kazoos, but the B-Side of the single is totally unexpected: a playful cover of the popular Chaka Demus & Pliers tune, Tease Me, played with the languid sensuality that only a female can bring to the tune.

Laura Martin

Now’s the day I should start doing single reviews I said to myself, or at least start to get a bit more on top of the flood of brilliant music that I listen to on a daily basis. And then I noticed who does Laura’s PR – none other than Cari, my brilliant ex earth editor (and right hand woman for the six months that she was here in 2009) who loved music so much she often moonlighted for that section of Amelia’s Magazine. Cari set up Superelectric PR a few months ago because she was so frustrated by the lack of exposure for unsigned acts like Laura J Martin despite plaudits from the likes of Rob Da Bank, who called her “musically gifted, addictive and sodding brave”. Cari has been blethering on about Laura J Martin to me for some time, (in a good way) and she wrote about her in this very blog back in December but it’s only in actually listening to the single that of course I see her point. So not only am I very happy to give a plug to Laura J Martin, but to Cari’s new venture. Check out her other act: Amber States. With bands like this Superelectric PR should get off to a flying start.

The Hangman Tree is released on Squirrel Milk (uh, what’s that pray tell? Do squirrels have mammaries? I suppose they must do…) as a download on May 24th 2010. You are also invited along to her launch party at the Duke of Wellington in Dalston on Thursday 27th May, where you will be able to get your paws on a limited edition yellow vinyl 7″. Facebook event here.

Categories ,Cari Steel, ,Chaka Demus & Pliers, ,Flute, ,folk, ,Harmonica, ,Indie, ,Kazoo, ,Laura Cantrell, ,Laura Groves, ,Laura J Martin, ,Laura Marling, ,Mandolin, ,rob da bank, ,Single Review, ,Squirrel Milk, ,Superelectric PR, ,The Hangman Tree

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