a review of a local Leeds band called Excenteric Legs

Hello everyone

again another short post as it is a limited word count

Executive legs:

When you first hit play with this band you will hear the fast, heavy, funky keyboard beats that are heavily apparent throughout the whole E.P. “comics” leads you in with a sound that would be heard at a funfair as you were walking round. Singer Gwen’s voice is punchy, with a subtle screeching to it, which is a good contrast with the Casio funk beats they are pumping out. Once you have heard the first few songs you can hear how they are going to continue to sound throughout the rest of the E.P. “Ride a horse” is a battle with sounds and lyrics as they each bounce off each other rather than working together, strangely enough this works and you can’t help but have a bit of a dance. If you like Brody Armstrong’s voice mixed with Eurovision, then band are for you.

a review of a local Leeds band called Local girls

Hello everyone,

only a short one as i know have to work to a word limit but thought i would still post them up here as weel.

Local girls:

They describe themselves as posh girl vocals; this certainly is not an understatement, with the lead singer having vocals that, would normally be heard on a west-end stage.  enlightening the listeners about the trails and tribulations of love and life as a girl. The first song “polished,” sets the tempo for what is to come from this band, implying how “IT” girls actually act. Apart from the stereotypical lyrics, this band makes sure they have loud, piercing guitar riffs, which will entice the listener in and make them want to listen further. Track 3 is interesting upon first listen, as you will hear an argument between a couple it is very amusing at first, and then you hear the acting between the singers. Overall the music of this band is good, and promising it will leave you craving more.

charlie sheen - riches to rags

Carlos Irwin Estevez also known as Charlie Sheen, is currently hitting all the headlines and not for the right reasons. This has seemed to have countries hooked on the public breakdown of this TV and film star. Fans and followers have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the saga that has been unfolding before all of our eyes. The question that needs to be asked is “is it right for the media to keep publicising this breakdown?” the answer to this question will differ from one person to another, some say they have the right to know what is going on, others state that he should have the right to be able to deal with his problems in private.

Sheen’s career has spanned over 3 decades with accomplishments such as Wall Street in 1987 to both the Hot Shot’s! Films. On top of the films came the TV career such as spin city, which was on from 2001-2002, where he won a golden globe for best actor. After this he shortly landed the role of Charlie Harper in Two and a half Men that has won a hole handful of awards, which started in 2003 and is currently still running although filming, has ceased since the sacking of Sheen due to his breakdown, it is not clear whether filming will resume with a new cast or when Sheen is better. In 2010 Sheen was one of the highest paid actors in business raking in £1.6 million per episode.

So what has caused this fortunate mans breakdown for the entire world to see? Was it a case of too much too young? Was it a cry for help? Attention seeking maybe? Or is it that Sheen is it just that sheen is a troubled soul who needs help and looking after. Whatever the problem is deep down the huge following that he has acquired at the moment is down to nothing but people finding happiness and self-contentment with other peoples downfalls and problems in life. The Media have kept the show wagon that is Sheen’s life alive, by following him around waiting for his next crazy comment to be captured, to then put out to not just the nation but to the world.

Some parts of the media will give Sheen the ammunition he needs to flare up and give the world something else to talk about. This was evident a small radio station who was desperate for some publicity thought it would be a good idea to hire a plane and have a sign trailing a banner that announced their love for him and included the stations phone number. It also read, “call us 4 ur nxt role” Charlie being in his current mental state did this. With parts of the media doing this it’s no wonder that he carries on and plays up to them even more.

So who will sort out Charlie Sheen and help him out of this web of mental destruction that he seems intent on keeping going. If the media carry on one of the worlds most loved comedy actors will no longer be with us, only a distant memory and what will be left will be the bad memories and the crazy comments he has recently come out with.    

bringing the sound of folk to the youth

Some say that the age of folk music is dead; whilst others will disagree, it is hard to ignore the new wave of folk that is coming through the current music scene, such as Mumford and Sons. It is not something that you will read about often unless you buy the specialist publications but it is still a very popular type of music genre here in ol’ blighty. Although two of folk’s most renowned performers are from across the pond (well one and a half John was born in England and moved after attending university) they do like to spread their wings and come to England and do a tour.

 The current tour of Debra Cowan and John Roberts has got the attention that is needed. The pair are not duo, but they do perform together on stage. They have been in the UK doing a small tour that see’s them going all over the country entertaining people who appreciate the sound of folk music. With 15 dates under their belt in the UK getting the sound across will be easy for this pair. Although Debra very rarely works to a set list (only when she has other instrumentalist with her) and John never works to a set list, John says that “at least one of you must know what you are doing”. This only brings more spontaneity to the show that will be happening right in front of you, giving you value for what you paid for.

This was ever so more evident when the pair descended on the Leeds City College Technology campus for a small press call. Whilst giving the audience a captivating interview where they learnt about how folk came about and how they both got in to it, they gave an “experimental” performance where Debra was playing guitar to “where the drunkards roll” and John suggested going up a fret whilst picking up his concertina. Although they were put on the spot and the key change came in to play they pulled it off with ease, giving the students and other faculty members a very good show. Throughout the remainder of the press call, students were given the opportunity to ask questions, questions hat would give them more insight in to this old genre of music that was different form today’s current chart toppers.

Debra also does not write any of her own songs as she has set the bar too high for herself, also she says there are “better writers out there.” When she does take on a new song she makes it her own she “see’s the movie” when she sings it. This is ever more so when she sings “alcohol” by Ray Davies from the Kinks. The performance she gave to the college was both entertaining and enlightening, for if you have heard the original then you will hear how Debra has made this her own. You can hear her own influences run high all the way through her album version, which again creates her own folk sound and takes it away from that Kinks sound that it originally had.

It is important that today’s youth still get to hear this type of music as in theory it is what inspired today’s chart toppers to get inspired and make something unique, that will get people interested in and talking. This is what Debra and John will go on doing over and over, year after year as it is what they love and feel passionate about. By giving this gift to the youth will get them heard by new potential fans, to them though this is about making people realise the power that folk music holds, whether you write your own songs or not.           

Muse - Overrated or justified of their place in the rock and roll hall of fame

I have been an avid fan of Muse for many years. I first heard their unique sounds and astonishing riffs on the origins of symmetry album in 2001, I was hooked instantly. I soon wanted to know more about this so called “posh” British band and went and purchased the debut album, showbiz and yet again I was blown away. From that moment I was soon eagerly awaiting more news and music, from the band that had me fairly excited about the new sound that was breaking through the music at that point.

Although I am a major Muse fan I can only say that I have only had the opportunity once to see them live, this was more recently on the resistance tour. When I seen them live I was even more blown away than normal. In my own head I have always had a list of bands that have out done themselves at gigs, and in my own opinion I couldn’t even put Muse into that list as they were just too good. The stage presence and energy that they put into giving their loyal fan base a good time, is just immense. They have always been known for their stage shows and crowd interaction but until you actually see them live then it is actually to hard to understand what it is like.

The size of the resistance tour shows how such a small local following can turn in to world domination. This is mainly down to the fact that they are always changing what they set out to do and defy what is expected of them. They change from album to album but still keeping that Muse theme running strong through them all.

So to me whenever people say that they do not like Muse or don’t think that they talented then, as an avid music fan I feel the need to challenge them, find out why they feel that way. Some people find that they don’t differ live to what they do on their albums (something I strongly disagree with). More recently with the confirmation of a headline slot at Leeds festival and the announcement of playing Origins of Symmetry in its entirety think they are over rated, some even feel that it’s a waste of a headline slot. Upon hearing all of these comments it still doesn’t deter me from seeing them play again or buying their albums (good or bad).  To me it shows that Muse can be described as Marmite you either love them or hate them and for me I will always love them and many other Musers will agree. Muse certainly deserves their place in the rock and roll hall of fame if not for their music, then their live shows alone.

a whole new experience in the world of journalism.

hello people

sorry it has been a while since i have done a blog. I have been trying to aim for as much work experience as i possibly could get and  now, i have finally had some. Not only has this helped me out and gave me a boost of confidence, it has given me things i can now actually say i have done. If many budding journalists read this then they will understand the painstaking agony you go through in trying to obtain this experience. I know from when i have turned work experience people away what goes through the employers head as i have often thought the exact same thing, which is I just don't have the time to go through and show you what you need to know. Now that i am looking for this experience my self i now regret thinking like that and in the future will not think that and try to help the people when they need it.

Anyway slightly off track, on Friday i was asked to review and interview 7 bands. To me this was a huge opportunity as i want to be a music journalist so i found this to be the a step in the right direction. one thing that i did find when i was researching the different bands were the lack of info that is around on new and upcoming bands. As this to me was a major issue i was starting to panic thinking i was unable to carry them out efficiently and more importantly to me professionally. After the sheer panic had started to fade I soon thought that as long as i had some basic background info on them i would be OK and then lead on the questions further with some of the answers that they supplied me. I will be honest at first i was nervous and scared, my mind even went blank so had to start them again at some points. As the night went on though (and a few ciders later) i was in full swing and felt that the interviews were going really well. some of the bands did make it easier for me and giving me the answers so i could lead on further. i think as the night went on I felt less under pressure and learnt to enjoy the interviews more and more and was fairly disappointed that i was unable to do more.

I think one of the best interviews i did on the night was with secret sirens. Narrelle the singer let the interview flow with ease and was really chatty, which helped out further. the other one i felt went well was with young British artists. This was mainly because they again felt at ease and took some of my questions with a pinch of salt with regards to their name. overall I now feel that little bit more confident in myself that i can do this and I am not going to be a journalist who just wants to be at her desk, I now want to be out there and getting these recordings and interviews. I think it's easy enough to say this now as i still feel on top of the world now i have done them, but what would i be like if i was to interview massive bands and ones that i genuinely looked up to (Liam Fray) I would possibly need to have a bit more experience as a would be a quivering mess.

As i have now done these interviews i will possibly do more of them off my own back so that i am able to gain more experience. Overall though it was a smashing evening and i hope that i am able to do it all over again at the next event they do. well i will certainly be putting my name down to do it again that is for sure.

well for now peeps i will speak to you later

different music for different moods

hello there

 i did say that i might not write these things all the time so for me i don't think that i am doing to bad with keeping up with it, well for my standards anyway.

i don't know about any of (or if) you people that read my blog have different types of music for the many different moods that can occur within life. Well i do and let me tell you sometimes even i can come up with the most obscure types of play lists for when i want to relax or for when i need to get college work and most times to prepare me for my shifts. but today i have created a very weird play list even for me. Its a mix of chilled out to the happy indie to the heavy rock, i can only think that this has represented my day as a whole. As the sun was shining i was hoping that this would carry on throughout the day and it did. I started out with the likes of the libertines then moved on to ramones then to Mumford and sons who with their relaxed new age folk music unexpectedly helped me to get a hell of a lot of work done today. after being slightly angered by someone (we will not name names) i decided that my choice of music needed to represent the mood that, that certain person had created for me which ended up being a mix of rage against the machine, muse (the origins of symmetry album) and some old school green day just for good measure.

once i had sort of calmed down i say sort of as i still irritates me as i right this now listen to said obscure play list, my choice of music changed to the upbeatness of two door cinema club (who by the way are amazing and highly underrated listen if you get a chance). my whole point is not the fact this person annoyed me but how fast and sporadically your choice of song can change within minutes even seconds and its according to your mood or activity that you can be doing. It is also what your choice often changes to it is usually a complete different genre to what the last one was. i might even post one day what one of my so called inspirational play lists consists of and you can all have a look and see what you think and maybe shed some light on it all as it has baffled me all day.

looking back on today's events and music choices i feel that i am luck to have a mp3 player that can hold up to 8000 songs as without it i don't know how i would have coped without having to scream out loud. it would be great to see if other people have varied play lists according to their moods as i know people that go to the gym who have fast paced music as they feel that this makes them work faster and harder. people who like to do their cleaning to old school music so that they can have a dance and a good old sing song even people that do their cooking to said music and then people like me who as standby have a music play list for things that will probably never occur in life to a play list that i can even start to sing the next song before it even starts.

maybe this is just the way my music minded mind works and will most likely work for the rest of my life but this is what makes me happy and keeps me going and i love to play around making weird and wonderful play lists to help me along and will continue to do so until they have come up with some other form of play list for me to abuse

well that's it from me for now i will be back soon enough though for another good rant as i call them