Posts
Well, we have had a short break from updating our blog, however we are now back to hurl a big old bag of crazy at you twice a week. Hazar!
Not much new stuff has been going on in ATC-world. Just a nice bit of hard gigging. We have had some fantastic gigs recently, with perhaps the best being at the Icaurus Club at The Station Hotel in Lewisham. However, much to our sadness (but perhaps my wallet's joy) tonight is our last sojourn into London for a while, where we are playing at the Half Moon in Putney in a rather stacked line up that contains a bit of a who's who of the London acoustic scene. If you like spontaneous trips to Putney, come on down tonight.
After tonight, we are bouncing around the glorious South East of England (a full list of gigs is of course up at www.myspace.com/atcuk) and doing some radio stuff. We are also starting to put a definite emphasis on writing some new material, which is always fun. So it means that you might catch something new from us. Keep your ears open!
On a personal level, not much is going on. I've scared the rest of the band after sharing a dream I had, Adrian is still trying to work 25 hours a day, Phil is still a bit of a bastard, Emma is still wonderful and Gethin is still regularly surprising us with random acts of genius.
And now we are back sharing it all with you. In the words of General Melchett – Baaaaaaaaa!
Monday, 20 July 2009
Monday, 13 July 2009
New gigs confirmed
So, back after a weekend (well, Thursday and Friday, that almost counts) of gigging in London, and we've got some more gigs confirmed for all of you lovely people:
Sat 15 August - The Bull, Bracknell - Playing a slot at our guitarist Adrian's pub. Other acts TBC.
Thurs 22 October - Folking Live @ The Cellar Bar, Bracknell - 30 minute set opening the night alongside great roots acts Eddy Johns and Lewis Garland & The Kett Rebellion.
Mon 9 November - Good Intentions, Puttenham - Playing a 25 minute featured slot at the great Good Intentions night near Guildford.
Hopefully we'll see some of you at these, and please check out our full listings as well!
Sat 15 August - The Bull, Bracknell - Playing a slot at our guitarist Adrian's pub. Other acts TBC.
Thurs 22 October - Folking Live @ The Cellar Bar, Bracknell - 30 minute set opening the night alongside great roots acts Eddy Johns and Lewis Garland & The Kett Rebellion.
Mon 9 November - Good Intentions, Puttenham - Playing a 25 minute featured slot at the great Good Intentions night near Guildford.
Hopefully we'll see some of you at these, and please check out our full listings as well!
Friday, 10 July 2009
When it all goes to plan
It can be tough sometimes. Rehearsals can go badly, you can turn up to a gig to be told you have to make do with 2 microphones and no sound tech, or even worse trek halfway across the country for a gig just to play to three people and a cat. We've been in all of those situations in the past (I might have invented the cat), and it does make you wonder why you're in a band. But then, once in a while, you have a gig where everything runs smoothly, everyone plays well, and a great time is had by all, and you remember why you put up with all the crap.
Last night was one of those gigs. I have to admit, we had all been dreading it slightly as, being in South East London, it was going to be a bit of a nightmare for all of us to get there. But we persevered, and despite detours to Maidstone and broken Sat-Navs we all managed to get there just about on time. And from the minute we walked in, we knew it was going to be great.
It was in a great pub called 'The Station' in Hither Green, near Lewisham. A proper old-school London pub - high ceilings, a long bar selling good ale (we're all getting a bit old you see), slightly battered but comfy seats. Then we saw where we were going to be playing - as one of the other acts commented, "it's like playing in someone's living room". And it was - a big wooden fireplace, pictures on the walls, everyone gathered round sat on sofas and old-fashioned chairs. Even the tealights on the tables seemed to work, rather than being the acoustic music cliche that they usually are!
And then the music started - 3 other great acts (whose names I'm afraid I can't remember, but should be up on the promoter's blog at http://icarusclub.blogspot.com at some point), all top-notch musicians, playing everything from intricate acoustic ballads to country to traditional blues. We played two pretty good sets as well, but that almost seemed besides the point - it was the warm atmosphere, helped no end by Andy the promoter and compere (from Icarus Music), and the fact that everyone was there just to play and enjoy great music in great surroundings.
So - we've now just got to hope that our next few gigs are up to the same level! We're playing at The Spice of Life in Soho this evening, and last time we played there it was a great night, so we've got our fingers crossed... Pop along if you're in the area, and see what happens.
Last night was one of those gigs. I have to admit, we had all been dreading it slightly as, being in South East London, it was going to be a bit of a nightmare for all of us to get there. But we persevered, and despite detours to Maidstone and broken Sat-Navs we all managed to get there just about on time. And from the minute we walked in, we knew it was going to be great.
It was in a great pub called 'The Station' in Hither Green, near Lewisham. A proper old-school London pub - high ceilings, a long bar selling good ale (we're all getting a bit old you see), slightly battered but comfy seats. Then we saw where we were going to be playing - as one of the other acts commented, "it's like playing in someone's living room". And it was - a big wooden fireplace, pictures on the walls, everyone gathered round sat on sofas and old-fashioned chairs. Even the tealights on the tables seemed to work, rather than being the acoustic music cliche that they usually are!
And then the music started - 3 other great acts (whose names I'm afraid I can't remember, but should be up on the promoter's blog at http://icarusclub.blogspot.com at some point), all top-notch musicians, playing everything from intricate acoustic ballads to country to traditional blues. We played two pretty good sets as well, but that almost seemed besides the point - it was the warm atmosphere, helped no end by Andy the promoter and compere (from Icarus Music), and the fact that everyone was there just to play and enjoy great music in great surroundings.
So - we've now just got to hope that our next few gigs are up to the same level! We're playing at The Spice of Life in Soho this evening, and last time we played there it was a great night, so we've got our fingers crossed... Pop along if you're in the area, and see what happens.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Reviews
Well, first BBC Radio 2 airplay and now a really good review posted on Folk and Roots - http://www.folkandroots.co.uk/reviews9.html#allthings. We haven’t made a bad start to the album promotion!
It’s a strange feeling, opening up your work for other people to critique. It’s like opening your front door and letting people who you’ve never met before loose in your house, picking fault with things, expressing their loudest opinions about your choice of curtains or the state of your carpets (well, unless of course you’re a Z list celebrity who seem to welcome that sort of thing).
Granted, we’ve made a hugely positive start, but for every positive opinion – there is the likelihood that somewhere down the line there will be a person who isn’t going to like what we’re doing and are going to document that fact. It will be interesting how we react to that. Part of me hopes we take the view that a review is a review, and that one person’s opinion doesn’t mean everyone is going to think like that. That you just need to brush the negative views aside and concentrate on impressing the people that are in to what you are doing. That is the correct way to deal with it.
However, like any act – we’ve spent a considerable amount of time and money creating, honing, recording, mixing and mastering these tracks, and we’re pretty attached to them. Yeah, like anything we could look back and think we could have done this and that better. We’re sure we could have done more in the mixing but time was short. On the whole though we’re pleased with the product, happy it portrays us and the music in a positive light and believe it is a good representation of what we are currently about. So, the fact that someone could slate it is likely to be quite a hard pill to swallow – even if it is just one opinion.
Being a reviewer of folk based artists myself, I know of multiple big names in the genre that have blacklisted certain reviewers (myself not included) after they gave them bad press. However, unless you put your record out there, open it up for critique and take the hit if it is panned, not only do you never improve, you’ll never make any money – as without people commenting on your material whether good or bad, you’ll never get any publicity.
So, we’ll wait and see. So far, we’re very very happy. We’ll hope that it’ll all be positive, but as soon as the first negative one hits the web – we’ll be on here to rant about it! At least then it’ll be out of our systems and we can get on with things……
Gigs this coming week by the way are a short set at The Farnham Maltings tomorrow (Friday) at about 10pm. Next week we are in the capital for back to back gigs at The Station Hotel in Lewisham on Thursday 9th as part of The Icarus Club nights and then the following evening we’re in Leicester Square for a return to The Spice of Life.
Be good to see you at any of those.
It’s a strange feeling, opening up your work for other people to critique. It’s like opening your front door and letting people who you’ve never met before loose in your house, picking fault with things, expressing their loudest opinions about your choice of curtains or the state of your carpets (well, unless of course you’re a Z list celebrity who seem to welcome that sort of thing).
Granted, we’ve made a hugely positive start, but for every positive opinion – there is the likelihood that somewhere down the line there will be a person who isn’t going to like what we’re doing and are going to document that fact. It will be interesting how we react to that. Part of me hopes we take the view that a review is a review, and that one person’s opinion doesn’t mean everyone is going to think like that. That you just need to brush the negative views aside and concentrate on impressing the people that are in to what you are doing. That is the correct way to deal with it.
However, like any act – we’ve spent a considerable amount of time and money creating, honing, recording, mixing and mastering these tracks, and we’re pretty attached to them. Yeah, like anything we could look back and think we could have done this and that better. We’re sure we could have done more in the mixing but time was short. On the whole though we’re pleased with the product, happy it portrays us and the music in a positive light and believe it is a good representation of what we are currently about. So, the fact that someone could slate it is likely to be quite a hard pill to swallow – even if it is just one opinion.
Being a reviewer of folk based artists myself, I know of multiple big names in the genre that have blacklisted certain reviewers (myself not included) after they gave them bad press. However, unless you put your record out there, open it up for critique and take the hit if it is panned, not only do you never improve, you’ll never make any money – as without people commenting on your material whether good or bad, you’ll never get any publicity.
So, we’ll wait and see. So far, we’re very very happy. We’ll hope that it’ll all be positive, but as soon as the first negative one hits the web – we’ll be on here to rant about it! At least then it’ll be out of our systems and we can get on with things……
Gigs this coming week by the way are a short set at The Farnham Maltings tomorrow (Friday) at about 10pm. Next week we are in the capital for back to back gigs at The Station Hotel in Lewisham on Thursday 9th as part of The Icarus Club nights and then the following evening we’re in Leicester Square for a return to The Spice of Life.
Be good to see you at any of those.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Radio 2/Jackson RIP
Well, Ben wrote the blog entry for today, a brilliant piece about the sad departing of Michael Jackson last night - however before we get to that, some really good news about the band.
On Wednesday night, our track Clear Your Conscience was played by the great Steve Lamacq on his BBC Radio 2 show. We're stupidly chuffed and owe a huge thank you to David Scott who put us forward after buying the album and liking what he heard. Thanks mate - we all really appreciate it.
You can hear the show again for the next few days by using the BBC iPlayer on the main BBC Radio 2 site - www.bbc.co.uk/radio2 and selecting Steve Lamacq's show.
Anyway - on to todays post.
Well, when I volunteered to do today's blog posting I didn't expect this. In case you have been living under a rock for the last 12 hours, Michael Jackson has died aged 50. I'm sure one or two of the others will chuck their own views in on him, but I just want to say this.
Michael Jackson is a musical genius. He came from an era of pop music where artists weren't just people who turned up for a half day of vocal recording on songs that their management had already signed off on. He was a true musician, writing parts and pushing boundaries. He was was the first black artist widely played on MTV when even that media behemoth was still heavy with racism. He wrote some of the most loved songs in the modern era. He was a genius.
On a personal note, I can't imagine music without Jackson. Its just not something that I can comprehend. I was excited about his run of concerts this summer. I was excited about seeing Jackson's redemption. I was excited about seeing this spectacle put on by one of the few geniuses of popular culture. Two of his songs are within my all time top 20. That is double that of anyone else. Same way my folks may remember where they were when Elvis died, I will be able to tell my kids where I was when Jackson died. To those who said he couldn't manage it, he physically dwarfed Dermott O'Leary, who is no small chap, and has been a dancer for 40 years. If the Rolling Stones can do it at nearly 70, he could do it at 50.
What I have noticed, though, is already the press are determined to tarnish his memory. I've been flicking between CNN, BBC and Sky News and what I've seen so far is a collection of people who have all claimed they were in his “inner circle” but ended their interviews “but I haven't spoken to him in a few years.” Uri Geller is the worst offender, and while I don't doubt his friendship to Michael he hung up on BBC News claiming to be too upset while about 8 minutes later he appeared live on Sky News doing an interview. Then an hour later he was back on the Beeb telling the same stories. Unsurprisingly, there is a direct correlation between the celebs which have been on the news tonight and their reputation as self promoters.
Lets not let the public spectacle of his later years tarnish the 40 that preceded it. The man was a genius, he created amazing music and has sold more records than anyone else. In every feasible measurable category, he is top. I hope that the morbid surge in record sales that will accompany his death mixed with the release of any new material he allegedly has worked on will push him over the 1bn records sold threshold. I also hope that all of his dates at the O2 aren't canceled and a fitting tribute is put on.
But, I fear, although his musical skills are winning at the moment, someone will make a quick buck off of his recent reputation. For someone who has survived two child molestation charges, changed skin colour and has his personal trainer as The Incredible Hulk someone will. I actually had a sizeable amount of money on Jackson not completing all 50 gigs at the O2. I burned the betting slip. I fear that the media, eventually, won't be so kind.
On Wednesday night, our track Clear Your Conscience was played by the great Steve Lamacq on his BBC Radio 2 show. We're stupidly chuffed and owe a huge thank you to David Scott who put us forward after buying the album and liking what he heard. Thanks mate - we all really appreciate it.
You can hear the show again for the next few days by using the BBC iPlayer on the main BBC Radio 2 site - www.bbc.co.uk/radio2 and selecting Steve Lamacq's show.
Anyway - on to todays post.
Well, when I volunteered to do today's blog posting I didn't expect this. In case you have been living under a rock for the last 12 hours, Michael Jackson has died aged 50. I'm sure one or two of the others will chuck their own views in on him, but I just want to say this.
Michael Jackson is a musical genius. He came from an era of pop music where artists weren't just people who turned up for a half day of vocal recording on songs that their management had already signed off on. He was a true musician, writing parts and pushing boundaries. He was was the first black artist widely played on MTV when even that media behemoth was still heavy with racism. He wrote some of the most loved songs in the modern era. He was a genius.
On a personal note, I can't imagine music without Jackson. Its just not something that I can comprehend. I was excited about his run of concerts this summer. I was excited about seeing Jackson's redemption. I was excited about seeing this spectacle put on by one of the few geniuses of popular culture. Two of his songs are within my all time top 20. That is double that of anyone else. Same way my folks may remember where they were when Elvis died, I will be able to tell my kids where I was when Jackson died. To those who said he couldn't manage it, he physically dwarfed Dermott O'Leary, who is no small chap, and has been a dancer for 40 years. If the Rolling Stones can do it at nearly 70, he could do it at 50.
What I have noticed, though, is already the press are determined to tarnish his memory. I've been flicking between CNN, BBC and Sky News and what I've seen so far is a collection of people who have all claimed they were in his “inner circle” but ended their interviews “but I haven't spoken to him in a few years.” Uri Geller is the worst offender, and while I don't doubt his friendship to Michael he hung up on BBC News claiming to be too upset while about 8 minutes later he appeared live on Sky News doing an interview. Then an hour later he was back on the Beeb telling the same stories. Unsurprisingly, there is a direct correlation between the celebs which have been on the news tonight and their reputation as self promoters.
Lets not let the public spectacle of his later years tarnish the 40 that preceded it. The man was a genius, he created amazing music and has sold more records than anyone else. In every feasible measurable category, he is top. I hope that the morbid surge in record sales that will accompany his death mixed with the release of any new material he allegedly has worked on will push him over the 1bn records sold threshold. I also hope that all of his dates at the O2 aren't canceled and a fitting tribute is put on.
But, I fear, although his musical skills are winning at the moment, someone will make a quick buck off of his recent reputation. For someone who has survived two child molestation charges, changed skin colour and has his personal trainer as The Incredible Hulk someone will. I actually had a sizeable amount of money on Jackson not completing all 50 gigs at the O2. I burned the betting slip. I fear that the media, eventually, won't be so kind.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
This week
We kick on with our album promotion this evening (Tuesday) with a gig in Basingstoke at The Haymarket Theatre. None of us really know the score with this one, so it’s certainly going to be a case of turn up and see….
Basingstoke is one of those places that if you love ring roads and roundabouts, you’ll have a field day. You can always see the town to either your left or right – but can never actually reach it. In the early 90’s it was billed as a ‘whole new shopping experience’, or so the cheesy radio jingle said. I’m not actually sure if anybody actually found it to discover if they were telling the truth.
Either way – we’re looking forward to it. With no rehearsal last week we’re very keen to get back in the swing of things, especially with the Big Day Out festival coming up on Saturday. We played a mid afternoon slot last year – to probably our biggest crowd of the year. We’re on similar time this year – on a bill where the acoustic acts seem to be on first before the ‘louder’ bands take over. We’ve got no issue with that – the weather is looking like its going to be good, and so we’ll take advantage of the chilled out vibe.
So – if you can make either of these gigs – they are both free and will both be entertaining in one form or another. After Saturday, we’re in Farnham next Friday before a stint as London’s resident acoustic roots band with 4 London slots in a row. Well, if we’re going to crack the place, may as well have a damn good go!
Basingstoke is one of those places that if you love ring roads and roundabouts, you’ll have a field day. You can always see the town to either your left or right – but can never actually reach it. In the early 90’s it was billed as a ‘whole new shopping experience’, or so the cheesy radio jingle said. I’m not actually sure if anybody actually found it to discover if they were telling the truth.
Either way – we’re looking forward to it. With no rehearsal last week we’re very keen to get back in the swing of things, especially with the Big Day Out festival coming up on Saturday. We played a mid afternoon slot last year – to probably our biggest crowd of the year. We’re on similar time this year – on a bill where the acoustic acts seem to be on first before the ‘louder’ bands take over. We’ve got no issue with that – the weather is looking like its going to be good, and so we’ll take advantage of the chilled out vibe.
So – if you can make either of these gigs – they are both free and will both be entertaining in one form or another. After Saturday, we’re in Farnham next Friday before a stint as London’s resident acoustic roots band with 4 London slots in a row. Well, if we’re going to crack the place, may as well have a damn good go!
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Internet Piracy
One of us just wrote this up to the BBC website. We aren't telling you which one, and this isn't the official band stance or anything, however it is both music related and food for thought. Let us know what you think.
"I first started downloading illegally in the Napster era. Then into the Kazzaa, then Limewire and now into the Torrent era.
In my experience, although there will always be a hardened core who will, music downloading is no longer a big issue. Back when albums cost £15 for their first 6 months of release it was rampant, however with ease of delivery and better pricing, music downloads aren't a major issue. The only downloads of Music I have made in the last few years has been to replace albums that have been lost, stolen or damaged.
The problem with downloading TV & Film, which is what the lions share of modern downloading is, is caused by two underlying problems and both of them are at the studios end.
The first is odd program scheduling. If a film is released in the UK a week, or even at all, after a USA or Japan release then studios cannot expect hardened audiences to wait for a release when the film will be available online. The same for television, as most series are broadcast in the UK 6 to 12 months after the USA, and so asking audiences to wait when the media is available online is highly naive.
The second is archaic delivery techniques,an issue that the Music industry took far too long to correct. Instead of fighting hard to keep current distribution channels open, they need to embrace new ways to spread, and profit from, their product. Any look at the number of seeders and downloaders on a torrent site shows how popular they are, along with the viewers on streaming channels.
However, this is the crux of where the problem lies. US Studios do not have agreements in place with distributors to allow them to broadcast better online, and they do not have good deals in place with Unions in terms of online royalties. They have tried to meet halfway, with sites such as Hulu, however it simply won't come to pass. End users do not want to catch up on last weeks show, or see selected clips, or see an advert for next weeks. They want to watch their show, whether it be the the latest episode or the first ever broadcast. Turning a profit from advertising embedded in online film and TV should also be much easier than the failed attempts to do so with media, as audiences are used to seeing advertising on television.
Changing the culture will also be harder. Music acts finances aren't as widely known, and musicians are generally more respected artistically than actors. Unlike when prominent bands such as Metallica spoke out against music piracy, actors will not find the same sympathies. Especially when the struggling student, low paid shift worker and debt ridden post grad hears a lead actor who earnt $20m for a movie asking not to download it for financial reasons.
It is also harder for ISPs to crack down, as before they could act based on high download and upload figures for an IP addy. However, with the rise of digital delivery for software and online gaming, it can be hard to distinguish a genuine high traffic user from a rampant pirate.
I am not defending what I do. I know that legally it is wrong, however the crime is viewed by many with an amount of non-chalance. This is how I choose to view my media, and it is not provided by official channels. Film and TV studios need to see the struggle record labels went through before realising they needed to embrace, and not fight, new distribution channels and business models. There are those who do steal because they don't want to pay, but many others do it as a matter of convinience.
Although, as most studios have no intention of adjusting themselves to suit customers needs, the only way to control the current form of media sharing would be to laws similar to prostitution. Do not make it a crime to download, however make it a crime to solicit. Each time an illegal stream is caught broadcasting copyrighted material, and each time a poster places a torrent file to copyrighted media, punish them. This will lead to fewer users risking uploading, providing less chances for those to download and start to put studios back in control."
"I first started downloading illegally in the Napster era. Then into the Kazzaa, then Limewire and now into the Torrent era.
In my experience, although there will always be a hardened core who will, music downloading is no longer a big issue. Back when albums cost £15 for their first 6 months of release it was rampant, however with ease of delivery and better pricing, music downloads aren't a major issue. The only downloads of Music I have made in the last few years has been to replace albums that have been lost, stolen or damaged.
The problem with downloading TV & Film, which is what the lions share of modern downloading is, is caused by two underlying problems and both of them are at the studios end.
The first is odd program scheduling. If a film is released in the UK a week, or even at all, after a USA or Japan release then studios cannot expect hardened audiences to wait for a release when the film will be available online. The same for television, as most series are broadcast in the UK 6 to 12 months after the USA, and so asking audiences to wait when the media is available online is highly naive.
The second is archaic delivery techniques,an issue that the Music industry took far too long to correct. Instead of fighting hard to keep current distribution channels open, they need to embrace new ways to spread, and profit from, their product. Any look at the number of seeders and downloaders on a torrent site shows how popular they are, along with the viewers on streaming channels.
However, this is the crux of where the problem lies. US Studios do not have agreements in place with distributors to allow them to broadcast better online, and they do not have good deals in place with Unions in terms of online royalties. They have tried to meet halfway, with sites such as Hulu, however it simply won't come to pass. End users do not want to catch up on last weeks show, or see selected clips, or see an advert for next weeks. They want to watch their show, whether it be the the latest episode or the first ever broadcast. Turning a profit from advertising embedded in online film and TV should also be much easier than the failed attempts to do so with media, as audiences are used to seeing advertising on television.
Changing the culture will also be harder. Music acts finances aren't as widely known, and musicians are generally more respected artistically than actors. Unlike when prominent bands such as Metallica spoke out against music piracy, actors will not find the same sympathies. Especially when the struggling student, low paid shift worker and debt ridden post grad hears a lead actor who earnt $20m for a movie asking not to download it for financial reasons.
It is also harder for ISPs to crack down, as before they could act based on high download and upload figures for an IP addy. However, with the rise of digital delivery for software and online gaming, it can be hard to distinguish a genuine high traffic user from a rampant pirate.
I am not defending what I do. I know that legally it is wrong, however the crime is viewed by many with an amount of non-chalance. This is how I choose to view my media, and it is not provided by official channels. Film and TV studios need to see the struggle record labels went through before realising they needed to embrace, and not fight, new distribution channels and business models. There are those who do steal because they don't want to pay, but many others do it as a matter of convinience.
Although, as most studios have no intention of adjusting themselves to suit customers needs, the only way to control the current form of media sharing would be to laws similar to prostitution. Do not make it a crime to download, however make it a crime to solicit. Each time an illegal stream is caught broadcasting copyrighted material, and each time a poster places a torrent file to copyrighted media, punish them. This will lead to fewer users risking uploading, providing less chances for those to download and start to put studios back in control."
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