Gold Teeth

www.myspace.com/goldteeth only fired up last year (2008. Their MySpace site seems to be doing all the heavy lifting of getting them noticed.

Hey it worked for me.

Electronics, Afrobeat, great rythms and yummy guitars. Think Madness meets Blu… “Everybody” and “Confused Blue” are my faves.

“Confused Blue” feels rythmically like a rework of  Bob Marley’s Jammin’, lyrically though it’s a lot lot darker. Lots of paranoia, alienation and suburban dark corners.

“Everybody” is just fabulous the direction of the music, all bright and poppy is totally at odds with the lyrics.I love the weird guitar though.

Give this band half a chance and they will suck you totally in. Highly Recommended

Website atwww.myspace.com/goldteeth

100 Monkeys

100monkeys are a band that aren’t perfect. Far from it but they are interesting. Every track is one take. No safety net , no “we’ll fix it later”. It’s all there warts and all and as a result it has a honesty to it’s performances that I find wonderfully refreshing.

There are the odd moments of musical awkwardness (read bum notes) but they add to the performance. They are literally making it up as they go. Words, music , arrangement. – listen carefully because it will never sound like this again.

Here is a live clip froma recent gig.

The Hundredth Monkey Effect generally describes the instant, paranormal spreading of an idea or ability to the remainder of a population once a certain portion of that population has heard of the new idea or learned the new ability….hmmm. Look it up at Wikipedia

Not for everyone but HighlyRecommended

Website at www.myspace.com/these100monkeys

A work colleague pointed me in the direction of this band Brightwater. They are a contemporary folk band writing and performing their own music and located in Melbourne, Australia.
From their website:

Award winning songwriters, ‘Brightwater’, have been playing folk clubs, acoustic music venues, bush dances and festivals from Port Fairy to Loch Sport since 1993.

The group includes husband and wife duo Elaine and Phil Young, plus Rick Sidgwick, Reid Stevens and recent addition, Cherie Baxter. Their repertoire covers traditional and modern folk and acoustic songs, plus some country flavoured pieces with a large percentage of original compositions.

These are performed on instruments ranging from Acoustic Guitar, through Banjo, Mandolin and Accordian, to Cello and Harmonica with strong multi-voice harmonies and a variety of lead vocalists. CD ‘Follow The Moon’ available.

Here is the MP3 version of their song “Loch Torridon” a story about the four masted iron barque of that name that was one of the fastest sailing ships of the time.

Håkan Jorming is an unsigned singer and songwriter from Stockholm in Sweden. He performs a variety of acoustic indie songs that are gentle and sweet accompanied by finger style acoustic guitar or piano.

“Let Me Into Your Heart” is pretty standard emo fodder underpinned by solid kick and rhythm guitar. “Things Will Happen” bears the melancholy refrain; “There are things that are beautiful and they die, there are things that are sweet and they die”. “In Shadows” despite the somber title is an uptempo piece with a lovely melody and groove.

You can find these and other tunes on MySpace. StumbleAudio has the whole self produced album “Mirror In The Mirror” to listen to. Buy it from CD Baby – they have a great line in after sales service. Enjoy his video of the track “Phoney Star”.

Jools spotted this one and sent it along for my entertainment. I love it. I cant tell you a lot about The Ghost Orchid apart from what’s on the MySpace site.

The Ghost Orchid was formed in late 2006 as a collaborative side project with the intention of combining a collection of songs, ideas, and instrumentals from the visions of two independent artists from different genres of music. The Ghost Orchid seeks to create a sound that encompasses the intensity, beauty and sorrow of the human experience by translating these emotions as soundtracks for everyday life.

What I can tell you is that their music is captivating. There is such an air of innocence and simplicity about the tracks that you can hear. I love the arpeggiated “toy piano” sounds on “Warm”  and the discrete use of ambient sound in “Upstairs“. The compositions remind me a bit of the way Penguin Cafe Orchestra would approach a melody. Layers and restraint.

Lots to interest, Recommended.

Website at www.myspace.com/TheGhostOrchid

Irya Gmeyner’s song “My Angel” has been bouncing around on my MP3 player since around October last year. It’s a tricky one, I haven’t been able to make my mind up about it. There is no doubt that she is a talented songwriter, has a killer band and a really interesting voice (I keep thinking it reminds me of Nico and the Velvets meets Blondie).

She spent her early years in Newcastle, England; then moved with her English parents to Sweden and returned as a teenager, making a living as busker playing balalajka in the streets. In the evenings she played at the local pub, Acorn in York. Then after a year or so it was back to Sweden to start a band.

What I now find amusing is that while I have been dithering about whether or not I like the song, she has gone an released an EP of arguably better songs, that’ll teach me to not be a bit more decisive.

I have finally released my new EP “The Basement Takes From Textilgatan 7″ on my own label Byker Wall together with Universal Music.

“The Basement Takes From Textilgatan 7″ is a pun between Bob Dylans world and the basement in Stockholm where we actually recorded the songs.

Most of the songs are taken from the very first demo sessions. We kept everything that we thought had the right expression and feeling and then we played around with it and added sounds and what we thought was necessary for the song.

Head over to her MySpace site at www.myspace.com/iryamusic and listen to “I Know What I Want” it’s a nice piece of pop production, the guitar drives it along and the electronics provide a suitably European atmosphere. I really am a sucker for this stuff.

Recommended.

Her websites are at www.myspace.com/iryamusic or irya.se/

That’s right and they do it very well too. Aggressive guitar licks, rock steady bass and drum and vocals that manage to nail the spirit and the top notes ala Robert Plant.

Since 2005 they have been penning their own words in Italian and they have now released an EP CD of 5 original tracks in Italian called “SonoRO CKe Spingo”. This is a band best live I suspect and it likely would kick. Enjoy.

From Bergamo, Italy come these rock and roll heroes Claudio Brolis providing full throated vocals, Marco Mazzucotelli on guitar, Daniele Togni on bass, Nicola Tironi also on guitar and Fabrizio Ravasi hitting those skins.

The band website sadly doesn’t have any working links to their music and the flash website while very striking is a pain to use.

Artist: No Quarter
Website: www.myspace.com/noquarter70 and www.noquarter.it
Track Name: Vivo di sogni
Playback: flash
Download?: No

It’s been awhile between drinks as they say, but today finds us back in Scotland with a great little indie band called The Last Corinthians. The lads are a hard working four-piece from the Southside of Glasgow. They are unsigned but seem to be building a following.

“Same Old Feeling” is the first track over at their MySpace site, as near as I can work out these tracks are just demos. But I really like the raw, unpolished sound and it’s really grungy  garage rock. We have the usual guitars, vocals and great rhythm section in attendance and the lyrics aren’t all that bad. “Asylum” is the second track and it’s a rocker like you have heard a million times before but it manages, in the chorus to carve out it’s own space. I love the chorus.

I think the honesty of these demos is what keeps attracting me to Scottish indie bands (actually all indie artists), the fact they will just have a go. Worth a look.The bands websites are at www.bebo.com/thelastcorinthians or www.myspace.com/TheLastCorinthians

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.

Lydia Phiilips seems to have impacted on pepoles conciousness as a singer-songwriter at the 2003 Port Fairy Folk Festival. Since then she has done the grind of festivals, concert halls and horse races(?), performed solo in the USA and released her debut EP ‘Hibiscus January’ which is unsuprisingly scoring some community radio support.

The track “Please” attracted me mainly because of the guitar, her voice is also interesting as she wrangles her evocative lyrics. Lydia and her band, consisting of guitarist Tim O’Donnell, bass player Jeremy Staples and drummer Dan Angelini are launching the EP tonight Thursday 18th October at the East Brunswick Club
280 Lygon St, East Brunswick 03) 9388 9794
Tickets are $12 at door if still available

Sorry for the short notice.