City Showcase went very well, I ended up running an extremely succesful night at a church in Charing Cross road, met some great friends, befriended a few artists and learnt an incredible amount.
So my new job at ISH (better get used to seeing that) is just amazing. My first day went as first days generally do - uneventfully. I've got my own desk in a great office with spray paint art all over the walls. There are 6 of us in the events office and it's a really young, vibrant place to work. On Tuesday, I was acting Co-ordinator for our venue which played host to a fantastic new band that are getting a lot of play on XFM and 6 Music recently - Florence & The Machine. Basically, if Charlotte from The Subways was the lead singer but with a bit of hippy harp and keyboards thrown in. They were incredible and in such a small venue, their passion and energy spread throughout the room like wildfire.
Then on Thursday, I was involved in the running of the Gnarls Barkely gig, helping out with sound checks and setup during the day and then wristbanding in the evening.
Perhaps the saving grace of the role was reading their Riders list:
1 bucket of chicken
1 large cheese pizza
4 cans of sugar-free red bull
1 bottle of pinot noir red
1 jar of smooth peanut butter
1 pack of magnum condoms
1 jar of grape jelly
What an aftershow party that is.
So anyway, I suppose I should talk music for at least a little bit but I do have some stunners to mention today. As part of my role, I get to put on nights at the venues and we pride ourselves in showing acts just before they hit the big time so this is my proposal for my first night there, please please please let me know what you think of these acts in the comments bit below or on facebook or drop me an email or something as I want this night to be a success.
Support - Ayanna Witter-Johnson - http://www.myspace.com/ayannawitterjohnson
One of the discoveries from City Showcase, this talented jazz/soul singer and cellist comes from London and is receiving an awful lot of attention for her soulful demeanor and quirky song structures. Reminiscent of Nina Simone, Ayanna's innocent take on love songs enages and captivates her audience all with a smile on her face. She's been chosen by Massive Attack to play as part of their Meltdown festival so there's much potential there.
Support - Kal Lavelle - www.myspace.com/kallavellemusc
I was actually Kal's PA at City Showcase and we got on like a house on fire. Originally from Dublin, now living in London, Kal's supported James Brown, The Beach Boys and was contacted by Damien Rice just to say how much he loved her songs and her voice. Sadly, her myspace recordings are less than adequate and it's kind of hard to describe her without using the stereotypical "the female Damien Rice", especially when that's exactly what she is. Interesting chord structures, delicate delivery, charming manner, Kal was playing in a Coffee shop window at City Showcase and people were stopping in the street outside just to stand and watch her play - in the rain. She was drawing a lot of attention and deserves every bit. Try Breakfast At Tiffany's on her myspace but I can't emphasise enough how much better she is live.
Headline - Jamie Woon - www.myspace.com/jamiewoon
Sadly not a City Showcase participant but luckily a close friend of Lauren's so shouldn't be too hard to get hold of. This guy is stunning. It's him, an acoustic guitar and an incredible talent with a loop pedal and a delay pedal. I know, it's been done before, KT Tunstall, Get Cape blah blah blah but... Wait until you hear him sing, hear the emotion he can pull out of his acoustic with dynamics and bends and hammer-ons and the lot, he is both technically and creatively very intelligent. I saw him play on Friday with Ayanna coincidentally as support on the South Bank and he pulled in a crowd of over one hundred middle-aged men and women and all were captivated instantly. Highlight of the set for me would undoubtedly be his cover of Wayfaring Stranger - an old American country song using just his voice and the loop pedal. Building the beats and melodies with breathy vocal lines, Jamie improvises over the top as the song broods and develops, only stopping to add in more lines and more delay. It really is an incredible thing to witness so part with 79p on iTunes for his iTunes live performance, well worth it, I bought every song of his on iTunes based on seeing him perform once so I'm sure you'll do the same.
Perhaps the saving grace of the role was reading their Riders list:
1 bucket of chicken
1 large cheese pizza
4 cans of sugar-free red bull
1 bottle of pinot noir red
1 jar of smooth peanut butter
1 pack of magnum condoms
1 jar of grape jelly
What an aftershow party that is.
So anyway, I suppose I should talk music for at least a little bit but I do have some stunners to mention today. As part of my role, I get to put on nights at the venues and we pride ourselves in showing acts just before they hit the big time so this is my proposal for my first night there, please please please let me know what you think of these acts in the comments bit below or on facebook or drop me an email or something as I want this night to be a success.
Support - Ayanna Witter-Johnson - http://www.myspace.com/ayannawitterjohnson
One of the discoveries from City Showcase, this talented jazz/soul singer and cellist comes from London and is receiving an awful lot of attention for her soulful demeanor and quirky song structures. Reminiscent of Nina Simone, Ayanna's innocent take on love songs enages and captivates her audience all with a smile on her face. She's been chosen by Massive Attack to play as part of their Meltdown festival so there's much potential there.
Support - Kal Lavelle - www.myspace.com/kallavellemusc
I was actually Kal's PA at City Showcase and we got on like a house on fire. Originally from Dublin, now living in London, Kal's supported James Brown, The Beach Boys and was contacted by Damien Rice just to say how much he loved her songs and her voice. Sadly, her myspace recordings are less than adequate and it's kind of hard to describe her without using the stereotypical "the female Damien Rice", especially when that's exactly what she is. Interesting chord structures, delicate delivery, charming manner, Kal was playing in a Coffee shop window at City Showcase and people were stopping in the street outside just to stand and watch her play - in the rain. She was drawing a lot of attention and deserves every bit. Try Breakfast At Tiffany's on her myspace but I can't emphasise enough how much better she is live.
Headline - Jamie Woon - www.myspace.com/jamiewoon
Sadly not a City Showcase participant but luckily a close friend of Lauren's so shouldn't be too hard to get hold of. This guy is stunning. It's him, an acoustic guitar and an incredible talent with a loop pedal and a delay pedal. I know, it's been done before, KT Tunstall, Get Cape blah blah blah but... Wait until you hear him sing, hear the emotion he can pull out of his acoustic with dynamics and bends and hammer-ons and the lot, he is both technically and creatively very intelligent. I saw him play on Friday with Ayanna coincidentally as support on the South Bank and he pulled in a crowd of over one hundred middle-aged men and women and all were captivated instantly. Highlight of the set for me would undoubtedly be his cover of Wayfaring Stranger - an old American country song using just his voice and the loop pedal. Building the beats and melodies with breathy vocal lines, Jamie improvises over the top as the song broods and develops, only stopping to add in more lines and more delay. It really is an incredible thing to witness so part with 79p on iTunes for his iTunes live performance, well worth it, I bought every song of his on iTunes based on seeing him perform once so I'm sure you'll do the same.
Anyway, please let me know what you think of the artists or if you have any suggestions.
Also, enjoy The Music's new video for Strength In Numbers that came out this week, album tomorrow, exciting times for a band I've always loved and am finally seeing the hard work pay off.
No comments:
Post a Comment