It’s annoying you.
I can tell.
It’s ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ by Queen. The song seems appropriate at the moment for a variety of reasons but I won’t let that ruin my moral – although that seems to be non-existant after a week from hell. However, something more important has struck the little bubble that I live in.
Change. Continue reading
I have realised that most of my blog posts begin along the lines of ‘since I started uni…’ and well, this one is no exception.
It’s safe to say that since moving down to where I am now, music has been an ever-growing importance to me and well, a wonderful invention called CDs have made it something more. Perhaps now I have too many? Or I’d argue not enough, but regardless of how many I’ve somehow managed to squeeze on my shelf – isn’t it wonderful?
After purchasing a lava lamp Wednesday, I’ve noticed my mood chill out. The blue bubbles of lave bounce off each other in a kind of boring but weirdly relaxing way and have somehow inspired me to actually do something.
Considering the fact that my end of year exams are only a week away, you’d think that I’d do some revision, right?
No.
Well I’ll be honest and admit that I’ve been a little distracted. Continue reading
Those six months went by fairly quickly with tonnes of end of year coursework and a dragged-out breakup but I made it to the door and rang the bell on the Monday morning ready to start work. I had no idea what I’d be doing and who I’d be meeting, so I was dressed smartly and prepared for anything. Or at least that’s what I thought. James met me at the door and showed me into a meeting room. We discussed what would be happening throughout the week and said that Metallica would be coming down on Wednesday and a phone interview with You Me At Six on Friday on top of the generic work experience jobs like sorting out the mail. Luckily for me, making cups of tea wasn’t a job in my task book!
WIN!
The mail job sounded pretty easy. Sort the post into piles of who’s they were before dishing them out accordingly. The only problem was, this is a music based radio station, that has a very popular unsigned show. This was also notably the peak time in the year for unsigned releases as they were sending in their demos ready for the summer and festival period. Postal sacks, yes, multiple, landed on my desk and I began to dig deep. It didn’t take me long to be overwhelmed with identical jiffy bags form unsigned bands trying to stand out from the crowd. Kind of ironic really. Continue reading
Twelve months ago, I had my first work experience in commercial radio.
It was offered to me six months earlier in the weirdest of ways and despite it only been a week or so in duration, there are things which I learned there that I could not have been taught elsewhere.
I received a text from one of my then-teachers saying that there was a gaming careers talk at the other college campus, which meant nothing to me. Why on earth would I be interested in a talk about how to get a career into game design and the world of COD? My teacher replied back with a ‘lol’ before explaining that one of the guest speakers was ‘someone who ran a local radio station’. The message came days after he found out my passion for radio was a hell of a lot bigger than making podcasts for an independent record label and so he made a call and I was there.
Being honest, I hadn’t an idea what was going on and had my mind on a recording session the following morning at a recording studio in central Birmingham. I still hadn’t properly learned the song (typical for a guitarist…) and here I was, sitting in a hot and stuffy room, listening to a bunch of men talk about gaming. That was until the radio dude stood up. I sat forward and took out my little jotters pad and pen ready to make notes on anything interesting he says. Continue reading
Having spent £9,000 on my first year at uni, you’d think I’d have learned a lot wouldn’t you?
Well, actually, I have.
As I begin to contemplate revising for my end of year exams, I came to realise that I learned way more than what was taught in lectures and seminars. In fact, putting the food poisoning to one side, I believe that I have become a different person.
For example, the embarrassment of having the lyrics to Grease Lightening blue-tacked to my mirror seen by girl has made me more socially awkward and having nearly been shot outside MI6, well that’s made me realise that you can’t take pictures of their building at midnight, wearing all black, half an hour after a terrorist attack in America. Continue reading
For the first time in a while, I am really struggling to sum up the kind of week I’ve had.
Mixed feelings doesn’t really begin to describe it, but it goes like this.
Having been single for the best part of eighteen months, (and to the obvious question on that, I’ll answer ‘no’ with a cheeky grin and a wink…) it was difficult for me to break the ‘work mode’ I have endured since my last break up. You could argue that being single for so long has helped me get to where I am now, with an amazing job opportunity in my email inbox and near completion of my first year at uni, but when it came down to telling someone how I felt, I obviously screwed up. Continue reading
If I’m being honest, Brighton isn’t really my scene…
My reason for travelling down to the coastal town was for an interview, just a couple of questions with someone representing a company. I figured that by going the extra mile, or so, I’d be able to give myself a great opportunity for the assignment. Once the interview was over, it was my intension to explore and to visit somewhere new.
The train I was on arrived into Brighton station an hour and a half early and after briefly popping into an internet café, took a stroll to the beach where I spent some time taking photos and walking up to the pier. I noted the old pier too, which appeared abandoned and cut off from the shoreline. I remember seeing it in a presentation based on hyperlocal websites, where one of my classmates chose a site local to Brighton and a banner on the home page was a picture of the old pier. Continue reading
Today is a good day. It’s official.
The sun is out, I can’t hear any birds but that’s okay because it’s a great day.
For me, the day had been set in my diary as one that was going to be terrible because of an expected rota change at work, however after turning up at my new time, I figured that actually it wasn’t going to be so bad after all. Despite the stock-take happening tomorrow, the panic I was told to expect was fairly minimal as the senior staff shared out their checklists and left me training a new guy in hard-drives. In all honesty, I’m not sure how long he’s going to last as well, in a job where human interaction is well, necessary, he seems to not understand the concept of speaking.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt though, for now, as I guess he’s nervous. We all were when starting the job and yes, he’s a lot younger than anyone in the store – trumping my spot as the youngest kid in the team – but still, to not say a word? While introducing myself, all he did was nod and even after asking him for his name, I had to check the rota what it was. But he seems a nice lad, as you can tell he’s quiet, but nice. Continue reading
I’ll begin by admitting my current state of existence.
I am sat on a green stool at a wobbly table along the main corridor at university. I have a bottle of coke to my right, and floor to ceiling windows to my left, overlooking the only patch of grass I know of in London. Northampton Square. I’m staring openly into my screen, awaiting for inspiration and that alone, kind of inspired me. If thats what you want to call it.
If nothing is expected, what is there to prove wrong? But on the other hand, if too much is expected, what is there to well, prove wrong? If that sideways view of looking at the world makes sense, who are we? The answer, nobody knows. I’m not even too sure where this is going, but it seems to make sense. Continue reading
I’ll be honest, I’m a little exhausted.
From the 2nd of January, working has become a part of my natural routine. Whether I be preparing reviews, or writing blog posts. I’ve directed a music video, podcasted for 12 weeks as well as producing a new radio programme. Featuring regularly too on the CityOnAir news bulletins, studying full time on a demanding course and then, nailing down a part-time job at weekends – yeah, it’s been interesting.
A lot of people ask how I do it, how do I cope?
I think I’ve always said that I don’t cope, but then I think I have. Continue reading
Tonight I have decided that I am really mean.
I know.
There are two things that really stand out in any argument I have with myself or my closer friends on the matter and usually end with the conclusion that yes, I’m a mean guy. The first of these is slightly self inflicted. I have a way of bullying myself into thinking that working lots is fantastic and leads to great success, but all its done so far is given me a shift-change and broken my natural body clock so much that sleep? Well, that’s not a word in my dictionary. Continue reading
The point of doing anything is the end result of personal satisfaction, apparently.
For me, however, not everything seems to satisfy me and instead, satisfies the needs of others around me for what only appears to be a short term basis before they begin to degrade my response. My situation isn’t unique. Personally, I’d describe it like a series of steps. I share a particular step with a few, or on a larger scale of thing, a lot of people. Each of us have our own agenda, our own ambitions and ultimately, we are all different people. My person, or the person within me, is not only looking up at the next step and figuring out how I can get there, but also looking at the step below and lending that helping hand to those who need it. Continue reading
The Stereophonics are set to release their 8th studio album, Graffiti on the Train, this coming Monday. Despite three of the songs being released as singles already, you can listen to the entire album on the Telegraph website.
Along with many other fans of the band, I have been waiting for a number of years since Keep Calm and Carry On for this new album and after listening to it online, I am not disappointed. The standard version, and the deluxe edition, are both on pre-sale in many places but In A Moment, Indian Summer and Violins and Tambourines are all out now and offer a great idea as to what the album entails.
The band are best known for hits including Dakota, Superman, A Thousand Trees, Vegas Two Times, Moviestar, Have A Nice Day and a duet with Tom Jones in his Mamma Told Me Not To Come.
It is with great excitement that I can write about the upcoming Rock and Pop Festival this year organised by the Solihull Music Service.
Backstage at last year’s festival
The Midlands based festival is set up by music teachers in Solihull so that young musicians have a platform to build confidence under the limelight and there’s been no better venues than the ones this service has found.
Apart from the festival, smaller gigs are run throughout the year in preparation for the bigger stages. In the time that I was a member of the service, I was doing regular gigs at venues across Birmingham and some of them included the Town Hall and NEC. I was even lucky enough to travel to Liverpool a couple of times to take to the stage at the Cavern Club – famous for the Beatles.
With the economy being the way it is, the future for these gigs and the festival has been a slippery slope but to hear that the festival is returning this year is more than fantastic and the announcement of its new venue, the O2 Academy Birmingham, is excellent.
More information on the festival can be found on their website, and for the music service itself you can find that information here. Tickets for this years festival will be available to purchase for £9 (£7 concessions) very soon but keep that date free in your diary!
Something which I failed to mention in my previous article, which is slightly important and thats the whole business side of things.
Back in 2011, HMV had 19.1% of all music sales in the United Kingdom. At the same time, Apple’s iTunes had 17.9 – a close battle indeed but HMV were still ahead, just. Amazon managed to take up control of online CD sales by a LOT but these are companies that aren’t based in the UK, unlike HMV. Continue reading
Music is an industry that cannot die for many reasons – not just the fact that I love the stuff. Music is everywhere and as well as being a form of entertainment, it is used as a commodity, a way of messaging and a way of brainwashing people. Everywhere you turn, music is following your every move. It watches you sleep and is the hand that grabs you when you’re in the shower. It is everywhere.
Actually, unlike that creepy hand in the shower; it is in shops, on the bus, on the tube and in your head. It’s on the television, radio (of course), the laundrette and probably your mums kitchen too. Continue reading
Unfortunately I’ve had to take an unexpected break from writing on here, but I am back with just as much flavour to treat your empty stomaches. Or something like that anyway, but as ‘they’ say, people come and go – life goes on and through.
Without a shadow of doubt, things have gotten weird – in both logical and practical ways as I continue weekly life as both a student, part-timer et un amoureux de la musique. Yeah, my french exam earlier this afternoon worse than expected, but you can’t say I didn’t try!
If you ignore the actual working elements of the diary, university has been extraordinary. A recent night at ‘the Jazz Market’, thanks to Chaos Theory, was all I needed to keep on top of things. The night began with a glass of top shelf white which begun the hole into what was a replenished wallet after payday. My debit card dug deeper into my overdraft throughout the night with the purchase of my first cocktail – an Apple Martini. The flavours took over my tongue through my second, third and fourth before I tried the Porn-Star Martini. That too played with my mind, begging for more. It was unfortunately, the end of the night.
It is sometime before my next endeavour into the basement at The LUXE, where the jazz market is homed. In the meantime, I sit firmly at my desk writing what should be an essay due Friday, but instead is another couple of draft articles for the site – oh and before I leave you tonight, news that Angelo Uccello will be featuring in another review isn’t surprising, but gossip tells me that this is also going to be the announcement for some very exciting news.
Be strong, be vibrant. To be or not to be is not the question, but being is definitely an answer…
As you sit back in your chair and watch Saturday night ‘entertainment’ on the television, just ask yourself why…
This video was brought to me by Band Crusade on Facebook, who promote healthy music to it’s followers – promoting good music and pushing it back into the UK charts. Join the campaign by supporting real music.
