Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

As a rule I don’t listen to a lot of Soul and Funk acts but it’s more a case of “so many bands, so little time” rather than any dislike. So when I loaded Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings on to the MP3 player I didn’t figure it would last long.

I was so wrong. This is really good stuff. You can read their history over at www.daptonerecords.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings.html but really, you should just head to www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings and have a listen to “100 Days 100 Nights”, it’s a killer. Such a killer funk track.

The band is so tight and Sharon’s vocals have that gospel based blues feel, sh just nurses words around the groove and is just amazing. This band just oozes honest performance, there isn’t a lot of studio trickery here, just killer performance.

Highly Recommended

Websites at www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings and
www.daptonerecords.com/

I was handed a copy of the New Zealand band (until they get famous and then they will be an Australian band) The Aviators first CD and told to have a listen. I am so glad I did. Stroll over to their myspace site at www.myspace.com/aviatorsnz and listen to “Funky Holiday“. They certainly play Funk and Yep. Sly Stone would drop into this band and feel right at home.

The groove “Funky Holiday” has is just fabulous, killer guitars, super tight horns, a rhythm section to die for and the vocals are just so spot on. Oh yes this will be staying on my MP3 player for awhile. I truly had forgotten how much fun listening to funk was.

While you are at the MySpace have a listen to “Movin Live” as well. More of the same but just a bit rawer and they seem to be pushing the edges a bit harder. The drummer also gets a bit more room to stretch out and they seem to head off in some interesting directions.

I believe that they are trying to decide whether to come to Oz or goto Germany (that has to be a “no brainer”), if we a lucky enough to get them for a while they are well worth keeping an eye out for.

Recommended.

Meet Eoin McDonagh, he’s a musician from Dublin in Ireland. At just 19 years of age he is beginning to show a strong songwriting talent with tracks like What’s Left, you’ll find the self produced mp3 below. Add to the melodic equation minimalist piano accompaniment and a voice that can give Justin Timberlake a run for his money.

Listen to “What’s Left”

He is out there shaking the bars of the MySpace community, showcasing what is shaping up to be a promising career as a performer. He works by day in retail, gigs and socialises by night and studies his craft in between.

In his early teens he began singing publicly at smaller venues and concerts showcasing a progressing talent and as time went on this talent developed. He bagan taking music quite seriously in his later years of secondary school always taking up any possible opportunity to perform. Within the last two years he has been writing and performing and has won competitions such as ‘STAR SEARCH’ and ‘STARS IN YOUR EYES’.

I spotted Eoin’s MySpace site and liked what I heard so I asked him to answer a few questions.

To begin, I asked him to describe how he puts together his songs.

(EOIN) Usually when I attempt to write songs and plan it things, just get completely screwed up and I get nowhere. So I’d much rather on a lazy day, just say ‘oh I think I’ll mess around on the piano for a few minutes’ and usually that’s when my songs are written.

Usually when it happens they are done within 10 minutes; once I get an idea in my head the lyrics start flowing and I like to get it all done there and then otherwise I will NEVER finish it.

I use my own feelings and experiences to create my songs as well as those of my friends but always there’s something that’s personal to me. For example ‘What’s left’ I wrote in, I’d say ten minutes, about two of my friends.

I love a great bridge and although my songs don’t all have one, I do try to include one and a good hook is always good too, but overall there’s how my songs are put together.

Tell me something about the instruments, technical equipment or tools you use?

(EOIN) I started playing piano when I was about eight and was purely classically trained At the beginning I loved it and I was great with my practice and all was good, but as years went on, that went out the window. I begged and begged to quit, but it my granny who was my teacher so I didn’t want her to be offended. I was the only grandchild taking any interest in music or with any musical ability, the others hadn’t a note hahaha.

When I was about 13 my granny had a stroke and I gave up playing. Then a couple of years later I took it back up and really began enjoying it again as I was using it to accompany myself while singing which was a first for me. When I mastered that, then, I was so grateful having learned how to play.

Now I think my piano skills need some major tuning and practice, I’m very basic and simple with my accompaniments mostly plain and simple chords but sometimes I find it works best, “less is more”.

What are your future plans or dreams as a musician?

(EOIN) At the moment I am studying music performance in Kylemore College in Dublin which is just a one year course so I will be finished in May. Basically it’s just about being in an environment with other young musicians and spending the year writing and developing. After that I would like to record a bit more, continue to write and gig and start getting videos on YouTube and get more people interested in my MySpace with the hope of being noticed and signed.

What do think of “giving your music away” Any thoughts on Radiohead’s decision to release an album on its own?

(EOIN) I thought at the start “giving music away” was something very bad for the music industry. I thought it was ridiculous whether it was unsigned artists making all their produced material downloadable for free or whether it was signed artists whose material had leaked for free downloading on the net.

Now my opinion has changed in some ways, I feel that it is excellent publicity for artists to have their music downloadable for free, it shows record labels and scouts how determined the artists actually are to make it and also demonstartes their passion for music. I believe it isn’t about the money, it’s about doing what you want to do and living out the dream and if that’s to have millions of people listen and respect your music then you can have that.

Just because you are giving it to them for free doesn’t mean they enjoy it any less or that you are less successful and also then if you release your next album or even the same one it will have had so much publicity that it will be booming, people will want to pay money for it. As for signed artists the same goes, it will only publicise them and promote further material which they release as well as ticket sales for gigs and concerts.

As for Radiohead I am not too opinionated on their decision to release the album on its own but I think that a lot of it is for publicity after all I think a lot of people have lost count of the number of albums they have had. I think they need to make an impact somehow and this is certainly one way to do it. Also if people like them but are of the opinion that they don’t like them enough to risk buying the album then they can pay less for it or just have it for free. I mean in one respect it’s very intelligent, in another I’m not so sure but I don’t really know enough to have a long winded opinion on it.

What do you think of the music industry today?

(EOIN) I think the music industry today is finally recognising unique talent more. There was a time where only white artists of a certain stereotype and genre were even considered for radio play and record deals. Now the more different you are the better, provided you’re marketable of course. I mean look at Beth Ditto, she is a massive icon, she just has such a ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude and people love it as well as the fantastic material she produces with her band Gossip.

Obviously less and less deals are being handed out and they are very, very scarce. I don’t know, maybe the amount of talent out there these days exceeds the amount of space there is for artists in the industry. That’s hard to believe when you hear some of the artists in the charts these days who seriously cannot sing.

What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music?

(EOIN) Outside of music I love to socialise, A LOT. I love seeing my friends and going out whether it’s just a drive in the car where we have all the laughs or whether we go out on the tear.

I love the cinema and DVD’s, I don’t watch the tv too much but I am totally hooked on ‘Lost’ and I am dying for the next series to come out. I also like the odd bit of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’ and the ‘X Factor’ and ‘American Idol’ too.

I love to travel especially anywhere hot but snow is good too once I can ski, best hang over cure EVER! I used to have horses and did some show-jumping but when I decided on music as a career I gave up and sold my horse but I will always have an interest there.

And most importantly what’s on high rotation on your MP3 player at the moment that we should know about?

(EOIN) Obviously going to gigs and I’m so looking forward to seeing Amy Winehouse in Dublin in December, that girl better show up, she Is hilarious and so talented, a great inspiration to me at the moment. She is on constant play on my ipod, in my car wherever I can get a sneak of a tune haha. Rihanna is also getting some love at the moment as well as James Morrison and Timberland, now that’s an album!

So there it is – Eoin McDonagh – make a note of the name, you’re sure to hear it again. Oh and check out his other two tracks on MySpace.

B-Side Players from San Diego California have just snuck their way in under my radar with the soulful track Fire In The Youth a combination of syncopated salsa rhythms and Marley inspired Jamaican reggae vocals.

The music of the band’s frontman, and songwriter Karlos “Solrak” Paez explores diverse beats from many styles of music including funk, afrobeat, reggae roots and latin to mention just a few. The band is backed up by a fine percussion and horn sections.

Since 1994 this eight piece band have been playing their politically thoughtful and inspiring music. Their latest release is their first to be released on a major and is a great example of the cultural and musical endowment that these multicultural musicians can bring.

Highly recommended and hopefully the beautiful and uplifting music won’t be overlooked. Just a quick note from Billboard:

Who can throw down references to Emiliano Zapata, Victor Jara and Che Guevara on the opening track of an album and make it sound like a war cry for the most fun party of revolutionaries ever? Though the B-Side Players’ first release on Concord Records … is deadly serious about lifting up La Raza, the music is never secondary to the message.