music in Enfield realy seems to have had a kick up the arse recently, with the Rock For Change gigs showcasing bands, strong acts like Paris Rabone, Deeds Of The Dying and Kids Uncanny shining through, and more gigs upcoming, like the second Sel-Out @ Bar Form, 9 Blind's album launch @ The Bush Hill Park Tavern and Rock For Change's big gig at Millfield
and so we proceed, with another submitted Enfield Advertiser article and another Enfield talent...
Those Handsome Animals @ Bar Form 19.02.10
Bob Dylan sang that 'The time's they are a-changing'
Thomas Millet sang that 'i hope tonight's the night that she won't have a headache'
in just a few short years, Retro Crooks had become an Enfield mainstay, and it was usual to find me and my girlfriend drunkenly dancing by the front of the stage whenever they played their anthem of teenage yearning, 'Waiting Games'.
but like Robert Allen Zimmerman reminds us, things can't always stay the same, and Retro Crooks called it a day last December.
despite this, Thomas Millet has been hanging around the Enfield music scene like schoolkids will always hang around outside McDonalds after half three on a schoolday.
Music is an itch he needed to scratch, and helping to give him a good rub are Crooks former drummer Gary Batt and ex-Waterloos guitarist, Gavin Hankins.
together they formed Those Handsome Animals.
The obligitary myspace and facebook group has been set up, a couple of demos are online already and everything was building up towards unveiling their new material live at the new band's very first gig.
Those in attendance were treated to a short set of songs detailing the price of following trends, the collonising of mars and liasons with a lady of the night, as well as their newest new song that was barely 2 hours old, all delivered with the usual dry English humour and wit that Retro Crooks fans had come to expect.
Millet's familiar yelping singing style still stands firm, backed by an 80's esque alt-indie-pop sound that brings to mind Orange Juice and The Cure, but given a post-modern tilt when the vocal delivery leans towards that of Art Brut's Eddie Argos.
squeeling surf punk guitars ring out and the drums pound, the frenetic energy is dizzying as songs slip from a rock n roll standard into chaotic assault on the ears and the joyful pop sheen is torn asunder by ravaged guitars.
And those gathered in Bar Form have witnessed the return of Thomas Millet and the birth of Enfield's newest musical hope.
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
fridge freezer
i seem to be in danger of losing my girlfriend's interest in my blog due to the heavy dosage of large music articles that have sprung up over the past couple of weeks, i do try to keep the blog fairly general but i had noticed myself that my pieces for the Advertiser had started to dominate recently
and i'm guessing that she probably wasn't too thrilled with the comics related posts that went up earlier this week either (edit: she wasn't)
ok, i've got another music review that i was thinking of posting up tomorrow but for now let me try and find something slightly random to fill the gaps
hmmmmmmmm.....
how about a japanese advert for noodles featuring robocop?
stay tuned for the beach workout and the robocop dental hygene kit that may or may not have anything to do with noodles... all i know is i want one for my bathroom!
is that enough random ish to keep you happy?
why don't we try this as well?
a twilight 'manillow'
oh god, the sight of this thing actually makes me feel a little bit ill... it's horrible!
urgh, check out the other images from the listing, she really seems to be getting cosy, with not one, but two of them ?!
and it has sold out!!?
if me and the girlfriend are getting a place together i'm all for the robocop addition to the bathroom but there is no way i am having one of those creepy 'manillow' things in the 'painted french furniture with pink walls' ideal bedroom she is dreaming up
and i'm guessing that she probably wasn't too thrilled with the comics related posts that went up earlier this week either (edit: she wasn't)
ok, i've got another music review that i was thinking of posting up tomorrow but for now let me try and find something slightly random to fill the gaps
hmmmmmmmm.....
how about a japanese advert for noodles featuring robocop?
stay tuned for the beach workout and the robocop dental hygene kit that may or may not have anything to do with noodles... all i know is i want one for my bathroom!
is that enough random ish to keep you happy?
why don't we try this as well?
a twilight 'manillow'
oh god, the sight of this thing actually makes me feel a little bit ill... it's horrible!
urgh, check out the other images from the listing, she really seems to be getting cosy, with not one, but two of them ?!
and it has sold out!!?
if me and the girlfriend are getting a place together i'm all for the robocop addition to the bathroom but there is no way i am having one of those creepy 'manillow' things in the 'painted french furniture with pink walls' ideal bedroom she is dreaming up
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
maybe this week. maybe next week
ok, so the official story is that the arts editor of the Enfield Advertiser had been away, which meant the articles i've been submitting got a little waylaid and are running a bit behind schedule.
so that the articles don't become hopelessly irrelevant i thought i'd get them posted on my blog ahead of publication, this weeks edition features my Tinnitus Awareness article, and keep an eye out for the following piece coming soon...
Rock For Change vol.4 @ The Hollybush 15.02.10
It's half past 7 and an eager queue of youngsters has amassed outside The Hollybush as local gig organisers, Rock For Change, host another successful night in town.
The campaign to get under 18s into local gigs has clearly struck a chord as both legal age drinkers and those resigned only to soft drinks mingle in the pub's backroom waiting for the bands to start.
Opening act Black Danny come from a clear lineage of brit-rock acts that owe a certain debt to Oasis, evident in the swagger and posture of their lead singer but these lads were more than just pure cliche, starting with a moody instrumental piece before moving on to tight laddish rock with heart.
Deeds Of The Dying stuck out like a sore thumb on the bill, but kicked as hard as a mule. It was quite clear that they had brought there own metal-loving following as the venue swiftly turned into mass of flailing limbs while the charged screamo band revelled in the chaos unfolding around them.
While the moshers went to take a bit of a breather, The Anonymous played a set heavily bolstered by cover versions, taking in Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age and 'Misirlou', aswell as offering up a small smattering of their own material before inviting up gig campaigner Mehmet Imamzade for their final track, a runthrough of Muse's 'Hysteria'.
It seems to me that tonight's headliners, Kids Uncanny, are seriously running the risk of outgrowing their name, as they and their indie-rock sound have matured so much every time I have seen them.
Playing in support of their re-released EP and ahead of the unveiling of new material, they remain a thrilling band to watch and are still adding to the fanbase they have been amassing over the past few years of hard work.
and it seems the intimate back room can't contain Rock For Change's ambition, with the next gig being their biggest yet announced at Milfield Arts Centre on 21st March, featuring Enfield's Red Monday and Double A and headlined by Brighton based, The Auteur.
credit where it's due:
all photos by Laura Harvey
so that the articles don't become hopelessly irrelevant i thought i'd get them posted on my blog ahead of publication, this weeks edition features my Tinnitus Awareness article, and keep an eye out for the following piece coming soon...
Rock For Change vol.4 @ The Hollybush 15.02.10
It's half past 7 and an eager queue of youngsters has amassed outside The Hollybush as local gig organisers, Rock For Change, host another successful night in town.
The campaign to get under 18s into local gigs has clearly struck a chord as both legal age drinkers and those resigned only to soft drinks mingle in the pub's backroom waiting for the bands to start.
Opening act Black Danny come from a clear lineage of brit-rock acts that owe a certain debt to Oasis, evident in the swagger and posture of their lead singer but these lads were more than just pure cliche, starting with a moody instrumental piece before moving on to tight laddish rock with heart.
Deeds Of The Dying stuck out like a sore thumb on the bill, but kicked as hard as a mule. It was quite clear that they had brought there own metal-loving following as the venue swiftly turned into mass of flailing limbs while the charged screamo band revelled in the chaos unfolding around them.
While the moshers went to take a bit of a breather, The Anonymous played a set heavily bolstered by cover versions, taking in Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age and 'Misirlou', aswell as offering up a small smattering of their own material before inviting up gig campaigner Mehmet Imamzade for their final track, a runthrough of Muse's 'Hysteria'.
It seems to me that tonight's headliners, Kids Uncanny, are seriously running the risk of outgrowing their name, as they and their indie-rock sound have matured so much every time I have seen them.
Playing in support of their re-released EP and ahead of the unveiling of new material, they remain a thrilling band to watch and are still adding to the fanbase they have been amassing over the past few years of hard work.
and it seems the intimate back room can't contain Rock For Change's ambition, with the next gig being their biggest yet announced at Milfield Arts Centre on 21st March, featuring Enfield's Red Monday and Double A and headlined by Brighton based, The Auteur.
credit where it's due:
all photos by Laura Harvey
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
i feel cheated
hang on, according to that timeline Wonder Woman came to man's world 4 years prior to the events of Zero Hour.
so how on earth was she around in the 1940s?? i give up!
(actually i won't, i'm about ready to read infinite crisis now)
so how on earth was she around in the 1940s?? i give up!
(actually i won't, i'm about ready to read infinite crisis now)
Monday, 22 February 2010
is it any wonder?
i think i'm finally coming to terms with the fact that i am getting older, i don't like it one bit, and it has been very hard for me to deal with, and with all things considered i still don't feel like an adult
and aging is a part of my latest gripe, obviously since i am now an adult and extremely grown up i have been reading an awful lot of comics recently (obviously!), trying to catch up with events in the DC universe, and i have just finished Infinite Crisis tie-in 'The Return of Donna Troy' from back in '05
The character was created in 1965 as Wondergirl (45 years ago) and has had her own back-story changed numerous times since to keep up with an everchanging retconned universe and has had her history tied (and then untied - and then tangled?) to that of Wonder Woman, who herself suffered retcon woes at the hands of higher editorial powers
in their 1994 attempt to untangle any existing mess and lay everything in order, DC devised Zero Hour, which culminated in everything being hunky dory and even printed a definitive time-line
So Donna Troy began operating as Wondergirl 8 years ago, according to 1994s Zero Hour retconned time-line, with the Teen Titans forming a year later (which makes the years in question 1986 and 1987 respectively).
In the story i've just read (from 2005) Donna comments that she has two failed marriages and she's not even 25
so lets put this in a little perspective then, Donna Troy was created before i was born but in some crazy comics continuity (possibly like dog years i'm guessing) she has only been operating since i was 3, when she would have been a teenager and then eight years elapsed between then and the events of zero hour in 1994.
i read Zero Hour when i was 11 (by which point Donna would have been 20-ish?)
and then in a 2005 story (published 11 years after Zero Hour) she was probably 24, which means that at that time Donna Troy was a couple of years older than me.
which leaves me startlingly disturbed that i seem to be hurtling further towards my eventual demise while the characters that i have read about are now enjoying a slow aging process.
ok, anyone still with me after that bizarre little alienating rant?
it must be a comics thing.
stay tuned for some more music talk...
and aging is a part of my latest gripe, obviously since i am now an adult and extremely grown up i have been reading an awful lot of comics recently (obviously!), trying to catch up with events in the DC universe, and i have just finished Infinite Crisis tie-in 'The Return of Donna Troy' from back in '05
The character was created in 1965 as Wondergirl (45 years ago) and has had her own back-story changed numerous times since to keep up with an everchanging retconned universe and has had her history tied (and then untied - and then tangled?) to that of Wonder Woman, who herself suffered retcon woes at the hands of higher editorial powers
in their 1994 attempt to untangle any existing mess and lay everything in order, DC devised Zero Hour, which culminated in everything being hunky dory and even printed a definitive time-line
So Donna Troy began operating as Wondergirl 8 years ago, according to 1994s Zero Hour retconned time-line, with the Teen Titans forming a year later (which makes the years in question 1986 and 1987 respectively).
In the story i've just read (from 2005) Donna comments that she has two failed marriages and she's not even 25
so lets put this in a little perspective then, Donna Troy was created before i was born but in some crazy comics continuity (possibly like dog years i'm guessing) she has only been operating since i was 3, when she would have been a teenager and then eight years elapsed between then and the events of zero hour in 1994.
i read Zero Hour when i was 11 (by which point Donna would have been 20-ish?)
and then in a 2005 story (published 11 years after Zero Hour) she was probably 24, which means that at that time Donna Troy was a couple of years older than me.
which leaves me startlingly disturbed that i seem to be hurtling further towards my eventual demise while the characters that i have read about are now enjoying a slow aging process.
ok, anyone still with me after that bizarre little alienating rant?
it must be a comics thing.
stay tuned for some more music talk...
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
the answer
another article that i decided to write for The Enfield Advertiser after getting thoroughly excited about discovering a new band, followed by the bitter taste of hindsight.
i don't know if the Advertiser will have the balls to print this, but i also submitted it to Glasswerk who i am considering renewing my journalistic 'career' with...
if Richard D. James ever had a nightmare about Aqua and Vanilla Ice after gorging himself on cheese all evening and watching District 9, it would be just like this.
as comparisons make easy reference for the uninitiated to understand an unheard musical artist, this is perhaps by far the weirdest yet. but when you have seen and heard the band you will truly understand.
i don't know if the Advertiser will have the balls to print this, but i also submitted it to Glasswerk who i am considering renewing my journalistic 'career' with...
if Richard D. James ever had a nightmare about Aqua and Vanilla Ice after gorging himself on cheese all evening and watching District 9, it would be just like this.
as comparisons make easy reference for the uninitiated to understand an unheard musical artist, this is perhaps by far the weirdest yet. but when you have seen and heard the band you will truly understand.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Eh?
i have submitted this to be published in The Enfield Advertiser, but i thought it too important to wait for publishing
the more people that are aware of tinnitus, the better
and i only hope that my article will persuade people to start wearing hearing protection before it realy is too late
the garage. may 2004
The Futureheads, supported by The Cribs.
gig-going had become a ridulously regular part of my social life and i was here to see two bands touring in support of acclaimed debut albums released earlier that year. the venues would only get bigger from here.
it was a loud place to be, just left of the moshing and right infront of the speaker stack. i left with my ears ringing, and the next morning i woke up with my ears still ringing.
a day and a half later and the ringing finally subsided, but this was my first scare, the first time i realised that maybe i was doing damage to my hearing.
i wish that somebody had told me back then the risks of exposure to loud music.
The British Tinnitus Association recently appointed Xfm DJ Eddy Temple-Morris as an ambassador of their cause, who in turn brought together a number of peers and fellow sufferers to raise awareness with a free event held at Cargo in Shoreditch.
kicking off the night were live band, Burn The Negative, a swaggering cross between Editors and Kasabian being kicked to the curb by Primal Scream that had made the long trip down from Carlisle purely to play a short set in support of a good cause.
and when they were done, the soundclash began.
the plan. to gather more than 20 DJs and musicians to play just one tune each to create a constant two hour mix of music.
London rapper MC Chickaboo was first up, performing a song detailing her own experiences of damaged hearing, before the DJs took over.
Drum n Bass, breakbeat, house, dubstep, electronica and more made up the 2 hour long mix featuring DJs, producers and bands with tunes being dropped by Adam F, Jon Carter, Jagz Kooner, Babyshambles' Adam Ficek, Lottie, Loose Cannons, Xpress-2 and Eddy TM's own Losers among many many more.
as a tinnitus sufferer myslef it was important to me to see such a strong campaign that i can spread the word on myself.
and its also important to me to carry on going to gigs and clubs without damaging my hearing further, as i have been using ear protection of varying costs for the past six years.
my first pair of earplugs cost me £6 online and were delivered in a matter of days, just before the next gig i'd booked tickets for. My next pair of earplugs, a custom fitted pair that cost an awful lot more than my first plugs are now an essential whenever i fill my pockets before heading out.
as Eddy TM explains 'If you're on a tight budget, then you can get decent off-the-peg earplugs for less than a round of drinks, and even those yellow spongy ones are better than nothing. They're not ideal sound-wise because they tend to muffle things, but that's got to be better than getting tinnitus'
the more people that are aware of tinnitus, the better
and i only hope that my article will persuade people to start wearing hearing protection before it realy is too late
the garage. may 2004
The Futureheads, supported by The Cribs.
gig-going had become a ridulously regular part of my social life and i was here to see two bands touring in support of acclaimed debut albums released earlier that year. the venues would only get bigger from here.
it was a loud place to be, just left of the moshing and right infront of the speaker stack. i left with my ears ringing, and the next morning i woke up with my ears still ringing.
a day and a half later and the ringing finally subsided, but this was my first scare, the first time i realised that maybe i was doing damage to my hearing.
i wish that somebody had told me back then the risks of exposure to loud music.
The British Tinnitus Association recently appointed Xfm DJ Eddy Temple-Morris as an ambassador of their cause, who in turn brought together a number of peers and fellow sufferers to raise awareness with a free event held at Cargo in Shoreditch.
kicking off the night were live band, Burn The Negative, a swaggering cross between Editors and Kasabian being kicked to the curb by Primal Scream that had made the long trip down from Carlisle purely to play a short set in support of a good cause.
and when they were done, the soundclash began.
the plan. to gather more than 20 DJs and musicians to play just one tune each to create a constant two hour mix of music.
London rapper MC Chickaboo was first up, performing a song detailing her own experiences of damaged hearing, before the DJs took over.
Drum n Bass, breakbeat, house, dubstep, electronica and more made up the 2 hour long mix featuring DJs, producers and bands with tunes being dropped by Adam F, Jon Carter, Jagz Kooner, Babyshambles' Adam Ficek, Lottie, Loose Cannons, Xpress-2 and Eddy TM's own Losers among many many more.
as a tinnitus sufferer myslef it was important to me to see such a strong campaign that i can spread the word on myself.
and its also important to me to carry on going to gigs and clubs without damaging my hearing further, as i have been using ear protection of varying costs for the past six years.
my first pair of earplugs cost me £6 online and were delivered in a matter of days, just before the next gig i'd booked tickets for. My next pair of earplugs, a custom fitted pair that cost an awful lot more than my first plugs are now an essential whenever i fill my pockets before heading out.
as Eddy TM explains 'If you're on a tight budget, then you can get decent off-the-peg earplugs for less than a round of drinks, and even those yellow spongy ones are better than nothing. They're not ideal sound-wise because they tend to muffle things, but that's got to be better than getting tinnitus'
Sunday, 14 February 2010
love. me?
Hunchbakk doesn't do love songs
but inspired by the ridiculous sentiment of valentines day i thought i'd have a crack at something slightly different
a cover of a love song
but this is Hunchbakk so this isn't your Steve Wright standard
now my musical skills leave a lot to be desired and the end result is far from perfect but i love it for it's imperfections
composed almost entirely with my kaoss pad, i present to you
Hunchbakk - vcr (the xx cover)
but inspired by the ridiculous sentiment of valentines day i thought i'd have a crack at something slightly different
a cover of a love song
but this is Hunchbakk so this isn't your Steve Wright standard
now my musical skills leave a lot to be desired and the end result is far from perfect but i love it for it's imperfections
composed almost entirely with my kaoss pad, i present to you
Hunchbakk - vcr (the xx cover)
Friday, 12 February 2010
change
so i was expecting this article to be published in this weeks Enfield Advertiser, i thought instead of keeping anyone waiting any longer for it i'd post up the article now so that it serves as a taster of the upcoming gig this coming monday (15th)
Rock for Change vol.3 @ The Hollybush 29.01.10
making my way through the doors into the backroom of an Enfield boozer and into a gathered throng of youngsters and music fans i kick myself as Leon Avenida introduce their last song and curse the surprisingly punctual gig .
once again the Hollybush in Lancaster Road is holding host to a boroughs reaction to dissatisfaction, campaigns to bring live music to the grass roots community have come and gone and now another generation is taking up the baton as Rock For Change sets up a new residency.
between set chat about Leon Avenida's performance and cover of Dizzee Rascal's Fix Up Look Sharp is soon hushed as the second band promptly begin.
Jonny Quits quite clearly channel the spirit of a certain Kurt Cobain and wear their grunge influences on their sleeve before The Minorities excite their loyal local following, playing a mixture of covers and original material that prompts near riotous responses from the crowd, swiftly turning to a mini-mosh pit that is soon upsetting the venues security.
The puerile humour of Blink 182 and Bloodhound Gang is writ large across the songs of Double A, and though i suspected the vulgarity would soon grate i was proved wrong as the band have great entertainment value, all delivered tongue in cheek and with most jokes made at the expense of their own bassist.
rounding off the evening were Indecisive, providing a change of pace and style and delivering a well honed performance of cover versions and a handfull of their own tracks, but still holding the interest of the crowd that surged further forward to be a part of the action, and then all too quickly it was all over, with security insisting the music curfew was strictly adhered to.
and with that it seems that the facebook campaign, Rock For Change, have settled in and have their sights set on the next event, with another four local bands playing this coming monday (15th).
facebook listing for the next gig... next monday (15th) at The Hollybush
the Rock For Change facebook group
credit where it's due:
photos by Laura Harvey
Rock for Change vol.3 @ The Hollybush 29.01.10
making my way through the doors into the backroom of an Enfield boozer and into a gathered throng of youngsters and music fans i kick myself as Leon Avenida introduce their last song and curse the surprisingly punctual gig .
once again the Hollybush in Lancaster Road is holding host to a boroughs reaction to dissatisfaction, campaigns to bring live music to the grass roots community have come and gone and now another generation is taking up the baton as Rock For Change sets up a new residency.
between set chat about Leon Avenida's performance and cover of Dizzee Rascal's Fix Up Look Sharp is soon hushed as the second band promptly begin.
Jonny Quits quite clearly channel the spirit of a certain Kurt Cobain and wear their grunge influences on their sleeve before The Minorities excite their loyal local following, playing a mixture of covers and original material that prompts near riotous responses from the crowd, swiftly turning to a mini-mosh pit that is soon upsetting the venues security.
The puerile humour of Blink 182 and Bloodhound Gang is writ large across the songs of Double A, and though i suspected the vulgarity would soon grate i was proved wrong as the band have great entertainment value, all delivered tongue in cheek and with most jokes made at the expense of their own bassist.
rounding off the evening were Indecisive, providing a change of pace and style and delivering a well honed performance of cover versions and a handfull of their own tracks, but still holding the interest of the crowd that surged further forward to be a part of the action, and then all too quickly it was all over, with security insisting the music curfew was strictly adhered to.
and with that it seems that the facebook campaign, Rock For Change, have settled in and have their sights set on the next event, with another four local bands playing this coming monday (15th).
facebook listing for the next gig... next monday (15th) at The Hollybush
the Rock For Change facebook group
credit where it's due:
photos by Laura Harvey
Thursday, 11 February 2010
stop the presses
once again the powers that be at the Enfield Advertiser (you know who you are) seem to have passed on my article that i thought would be in this weeks edition, presumably appearing in next weeks instead
it was to be a review of a small local gig that was trying to make a big difference from a couple of weeks ago, now the timing of gigs and publishing deadlines and other such stuff usualy means that no matter how punctual my submitting of an article is, it will still be published about a couple of weeks after the event - but this flaw in timing would have actually been great to highlight the venture's next gig this coming monday
but thats not realy gonna happen now
so i'm thinking instead of letting it go stale i'll post the full article up tomorrow and in the meantime provide you with a couple of links
first up is the Rock For Change facebook group
and second is the facebook listing for the next gig... next monday (15th) at The Hollybush
oh... and here is a tiny flyer
it was to be a review of a small local gig that was trying to make a big difference from a couple of weeks ago, now the timing of gigs and publishing deadlines and other such stuff usualy means that no matter how punctual my submitting of an article is, it will still be published about a couple of weeks after the event - but this flaw in timing would have actually been great to highlight the venture's next gig this coming monday
but thats not realy gonna happen now
so i'm thinking instead of letting it go stale i'll post the full article up tomorrow and in the meantime provide you with a couple of links
first up is the Rock For Change facebook group
and second is the facebook listing for the next gig... next monday (15th) at The Hollybush
oh... and here is a tiny flyer
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Eddy says...
so let's keep this blog moving.
i was gona post up something else, i was considering posting up my own experiences of tinnitus, but EDDy TM's little article from The Remix Update mailout was so passionate and so spot on that i thought it rude not to share his words of wisdom on tinnitus
I remember the carefree days of going to a gig, blasting my eardrums with glorious and beautiful music, then getting home with a ringing in my ears. How long it lasted depended on the volume, I guess. I'd always have trouble getting to sleep, but it would almost always be gone by the next morning or the day after that. I thought it was just part and parcel of going to a gig. Van Halen at Birmingham Civic Centre Coliseum in Alabama set an unbeaten record of about a week, but it always went away eventually. Then, one day, about a decade ago... it didn't.
I have a constant high-pitched tone in one or both of my ears, and it's something I carry with me always, wherever I go. I don't notice it in the day, there's too much ambient noise in London, even at night. It's when I go somewhere really quiet, in the countryside, that it really affects me. I lie down to sleep and, with the absence of planes, trains and automobiles, I realise the awful truth that I cannot hear the silence. That lovely sense of total quiet, of blissful peace, is something I will never experience again. Please don't let this happen to you. It's so easy to prevent it, just get some earplugs. Please.
If you're a musician, a DJ, a producer or if you simply go to a lot of gigs or clubs, then you MUST invest in a pair of fitted earplugs. It's the best £175 I ever spent. I never get that ringing after gigs anymore, and my tinnitus hasn't got any worse since I started wearing them, it's even got a little better.
If you're on a tight budget, then you can get decent off-the-peg earplugs for less than a round of drinks, and even those yellow spongy ones are better than nothing, and you can get them for about as much as a bag of crisps. They're not ideal sound-wise because they tend to muffle things, but that's got to be better than getting tinnitus.
The whole point is to raise awareness. The British Tinnitus Association, who have bugger all funding, yet still manage to pay for a phoneline so people who are having a hard time dealing with their tinnitus have someone to turn to and talk to.
As long as I have the power to do something about it, I'll communicate, pressure, evangelise, talk, listen, rant, and anything else I can think of to make sure that you don't find yourself in the same position as me and all these other huge hearted artists on the bill, of never hearing silence again.
Much love,
eddy X
www.tinnitus.org.uk
credit where it's due:
the article was half-inched from CMU
i was gona post up something else, i was considering posting up my own experiences of tinnitus, but EDDy TM's little article from The Remix Update mailout was so passionate and so spot on that i thought it rude not to share his words of wisdom on tinnitus
I remember the carefree days of going to a gig, blasting my eardrums with glorious and beautiful music, then getting home with a ringing in my ears. How long it lasted depended on the volume, I guess. I'd always have trouble getting to sleep, but it would almost always be gone by the next morning or the day after that. I thought it was just part and parcel of going to a gig. Van Halen at Birmingham Civic Centre Coliseum in Alabama set an unbeaten record of about a week, but it always went away eventually. Then, one day, about a decade ago... it didn't.
I have a constant high-pitched tone in one or both of my ears, and it's something I carry with me always, wherever I go. I don't notice it in the day, there's too much ambient noise in London, even at night. It's when I go somewhere really quiet, in the countryside, that it really affects me. I lie down to sleep and, with the absence of planes, trains and automobiles, I realise the awful truth that I cannot hear the silence. That lovely sense of total quiet, of blissful peace, is something I will never experience again. Please don't let this happen to you. It's so easy to prevent it, just get some earplugs. Please.
If you're a musician, a DJ, a producer or if you simply go to a lot of gigs or clubs, then you MUST invest in a pair of fitted earplugs. It's the best £175 I ever spent. I never get that ringing after gigs anymore, and my tinnitus hasn't got any worse since I started wearing them, it's even got a little better.
If you're on a tight budget, then you can get decent off-the-peg earplugs for less than a round of drinks, and even those yellow spongy ones are better than nothing, and you can get them for about as much as a bag of crisps. They're not ideal sound-wise because they tend to muffle things, but that's got to be better than getting tinnitus.
The whole point is to raise awareness. The British Tinnitus Association, who have bugger all funding, yet still manage to pay for a phoneline so people who are having a hard time dealing with their tinnitus have someone to turn to and talk to.
As long as I have the power to do something about it, I'll communicate, pressure, evangelise, talk, listen, rant, and anything else I can think of to make sure that you don't find yourself in the same position as me and all these other huge hearted artists on the bill, of never hearing silence again.
Much love,
eddy X
www.tinnitus.org.uk
credit where it's due:
the article was half-inched from CMU
Monday, 8 February 2010
not too loud
if you're like me, you love music.
and if you love music you should probably love your hearing.
and if you love music and your hearing so much i hope you've been using protection!
today is the start of Tinnitus Awareness Week in the UK, and it is something i feel very strongly about, since i already suffer from tinnitus.
exposure to loud music is something that music fans will always have to deal with, but the ringing left in your ears shouldn't be.
kicking off this awareness week is a charity event at Cargo in Shoreditch tonight, curated by Eddy TM and featuring a ton of DJs and artists that have been affected by tinnitus throwing down one tune each.
so this is a brief heads up about the event and about the cause
more info can be found on:
www.tinnitus.org.uk
facebook event page
and on the cargo website
and if you love music you should probably love your hearing.
and if you love music and your hearing so much i hope you've been using protection!
today is the start of Tinnitus Awareness Week in the UK, and it is something i feel very strongly about, since i already suffer from tinnitus.
exposure to loud music is something that music fans will always have to deal with, but the ringing left in your ears shouldn't be.
kicking off this awareness week is a charity event at Cargo in Shoreditch tonight, curated by Eddy TM and featuring a ton of DJs and artists that have been affected by tinnitus throwing down one tune each.
so this is a brief heads up about the event and about the cause
more info can be found on:
www.tinnitus.org.uk
facebook event page
and on the cargo website
Sunday, 7 February 2010
secure
hey! i thought i would be able to a carve a niche for myself as a spoken word artist! - i thought this could be the perfect solution to my love of words and my lack of musical ability
and so i am in awe and envious when Akira The Don (who is already muli-talented and good at lots of stuff) goes and drops this beautiful spoken word version of Security from his new mixtape that has been stripped back to the words alone and also complemented by a highly atmospheric and apt video
damn, i need to be doing videos - i definitely need some sort of presence on youtube, i also need to find the time and shoestring budget to make this ambition a reality
i have no hard feelings of course - i have a lot of love for anything ATD
and i would whole heartedly reccomend you take the couple of clicks it would take you to download the new mixtape, via akirathedon.com
Akira The Don - ATD20 mixtape
and so i am in awe and envious when Akira The Don (who is already muli-talented and good at lots of stuff) goes and drops this beautiful spoken word version of Security from his new mixtape that has been stripped back to the words alone and also complemented by a highly atmospheric and apt video
damn, i need to be doing videos - i definitely need some sort of presence on youtube, i also need to find the time and shoestring budget to make this ambition a reality
i have no hard feelings of course - i have a lot of love for anything ATD
and i would whole heartedly reccomend you take the couple of clicks it would take you to download the new mixtape, via akirathedon.com
Akira The Don - ATD20 mixtape
Saturday, 6 February 2010
hellblazer
i've been sat making mixtapes for people and clicking through facebook when i should realy have been working on a cover version i've been recording.
and so goes the story of my life.
how easy it is to become distracted. i've been trying to get back into working on music with a bit more dedication, i'm also trying to cook more often, and i keep picking up my acoustic guitar determined it will not defeat me. and you know what, i seem to be writing less poetry when i'm so bloody busy with everything else. or maybe i've just been too content.
so i thought i'd dig something out to share.
I haven't exercised my demons yet,
they are still slothenly slumped in the
corner of my room on a pile of dirty clothes,
gorging themselves on dust bunnies and
discarded toe nails
and so goes the story of my life.
how easy it is to become distracted. i've been trying to get back into working on music with a bit more dedication, i'm also trying to cook more often, and i keep picking up my acoustic guitar determined it will not defeat me. and you know what, i seem to be writing less poetry when i'm so bloody busy with everything else. or maybe i've just been too content.
so i thought i'd dig something out to share.
I haven't exercised my demons yet,
they are still slothenly slumped in the
corner of my room on a pile of dirty clothes,
gorging themselves on dust bunnies and
discarded toe nails
Thursday, 4 February 2010
sweet menace
this article felt very right at the time, I'd heard Hurt You once on NME radio and was instantly intrigued and inspired. writing came easy and i'd soon knocked out a kick-ass article to kick off 2010, both reflective and forward looking at the same time.
then it didn't get printed til yesterday.
oh well, it's here now and it still makes a great read and in the meantime it seems She Is Danger have realy got about, having remixed Groove Armada, Delphic and Massive Attack
the digital version of the paper is online (page 28) or read below
She Is Danger
or as the paper titled it
Atmospheric Haunting Of Dubstep Vibe
Two defining sounds of 2009 were the seemingly overnight success of La Roux and the acceptance and assimilation of dubstep into the mainstream.
Both of these can certainly (though not exclusively) be traced back to one man.
Skream.
It was his 'Let's Get Ravey' remix of In For The Kill that spliced genres, raising both awareness and the profile of dubstep. The brooding, slow building version gaining almost as much airplay as the original.
Now imagine if the Croydon based producer had taken control of La Roux's entire output.
If you want to follow this train of thought then I would advise that you check out She Is Danger.
It was latest single Hurt You, that caught my attention, a blending of Burial style haunting beats and powerful Kosheen vocals that creates a striking sound distinctly at odds with twee radio-friendly indie and male dominated electro.
The strong sense of identity carries through in their artwork and visual style, all carefully controlled and designed by the creative pair comprising She Is Danger.
Lena Cullen, a multi-instrumentalist and singer, has teamed up with British-Japanese producer, DJ and spoken word artist, Maya Jane Coles to form a bass trembling creative duo that hold enormous promise.
Other tracks playable on their myspace reveal more of the same sparse atmospherics that the cutting dynamics of the vocals intertwines with and build upon with sweet menace.
The most obvious points of reference would be the early ‘90s trip-hop defining output of Massive Attack and Portishead, while the breathy vocals are also reminiscent of the former’s collaborator, Tricky and his acclaimed work with Martina Topley-Bird.
Bearing these influences from the past, they blend them seamlessly with the minimal and low end sonics of dubstep to great effect.
And they are already making waves and all the right connections, having supported dance legends The Orb and remixed hotly tipped artist for 2010, Ellie Goulding.
While trends in music and fashion are cyclical, She Is Danger take a sound from Bristol circa '94 and make it something entirely now.
then it didn't get printed til yesterday.
oh well, it's here now and it still makes a great read and in the meantime it seems She Is Danger have realy got about, having remixed Groove Armada, Delphic and Massive Attack
the digital version of the paper is online (page 28) or read below
She Is Danger
or as the paper titled it
Atmospheric Haunting Of Dubstep Vibe
Two defining sounds of 2009 were the seemingly overnight success of La Roux and the acceptance and assimilation of dubstep into the mainstream.
Both of these can certainly (though not exclusively) be traced back to one man.
Skream.
It was his 'Let's Get Ravey' remix of In For The Kill that spliced genres, raising both awareness and the profile of dubstep. The brooding, slow building version gaining almost as much airplay as the original.
Now imagine if the Croydon based producer had taken control of La Roux's entire output.
If you want to follow this train of thought then I would advise that you check out She Is Danger.
It was latest single Hurt You, that caught my attention, a blending of Burial style haunting beats and powerful Kosheen vocals that creates a striking sound distinctly at odds with twee radio-friendly indie and male dominated electro.
The strong sense of identity carries through in their artwork and visual style, all carefully controlled and designed by the creative pair comprising She Is Danger.
Lena Cullen, a multi-instrumentalist and singer, has teamed up with British-Japanese producer, DJ and spoken word artist, Maya Jane Coles to form a bass trembling creative duo that hold enormous promise.
Other tracks playable on their myspace reveal more of the same sparse atmospherics that the cutting dynamics of the vocals intertwines with and build upon with sweet menace.
The most obvious points of reference would be the early ‘90s trip-hop defining output of Massive Attack and Portishead, while the breathy vocals are also reminiscent of the former’s collaborator, Tricky and his acclaimed work with Martina Topley-Bird.
Bearing these influences from the past, they blend them seamlessly with the minimal and low end sonics of dubstep to great effect.
And they are already making waves and all the right connections, having supported dance legends The Orb and remixed hotly tipped artist for 2010, Ellie Goulding.
While trends in music and fashion are cyclical, She Is Danger take a sound from Bristol circa '94 and make it something entirely now.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
trippin'
another wednesday and another day wondering if my article will be dropping in the paper this week, so in preparation for that possibility here is a video and a couple of downloads from the subjuct of the article, that was actually written at the end of december
so keep an eye out on the letter box and don't forget to check out the She Is Danger Myspace page
and if you like that, you can get it for nought, aswell as a remix of groove armada's latest single by clicking below, via NME.com
She Is Danger - Hurt You
Groove Armada - Paper Romance (She Is Danger remix)
so keep an eye out on the letter box and don't forget to check out the She Is Danger Myspace page
and if you like that, you can get it for nought, aswell as a remix of groove armada's latest single by clicking below, via NME.com
She Is Danger - Hurt You
Groove Armada - Paper Romance (She Is Danger remix)
Monday, 1 February 2010
love. you.
haven't got an awful lot of time for blogging right now since i've had a weekend of gig going, DJing and tea parties and now i've gotta knuckle down to finish my next review.
but i did notice the valentine geared adverts clogging up the telly last night trying to flog you a nice Peter Andre covers album or whatever other loverly compilations are out there, and i had decided already that this february i wanna show you guys reading some love.
no soppy ballads right here i'm afraid tho, i just thought it would be nice to re-up some of the tracks that people have shown love for (tedious, i know, but i realy am a caring sharing guy)
so now i offer to you my biggest hit to date.
my re-working of Radiohead's Nude
Radiohead - Nude (Hunchbakk's Towerblock Dub remix)
Free file hosting from File Den
but i did notice the valentine geared adverts clogging up the telly last night trying to flog you a nice Peter Andre covers album or whatever other loverly compilations are out there, and i had decided already that this february i wanna show you guys reading some love.
no soppy ballads right here i'm afraid tho, i just thought it would be nice to re-up some of the tracks that people have shown love for (tedious, i know, but i realy am a caring sharing guy)
so now i offer to you my biggest hit to date.
my re-working of Radiohead's Nude
Radiohead - Nude (Hunchbakk's Towerblock Dub remix)
Free file hosting from File Den
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