#estuary songwriting

[luuurien]

For Tracy Hyde - Hotel Insomnia

(Dream Pop, Shoegaze, J-Rock)

For Tracy Hyde’s latest album is a vital snapshot of them as a band in fantastic volatility, each member trying new things alongside the commitments they have to one another. Hotel Insomnia’s broad range of styles and unending energy makes for a sometimes bewildering, always riveting listen.

☆☆☆☆☆

Hotel Insomnia is both nothing like what For Tracy Hyde has released in the past, and their most potent thesis statement as a band so far. The Tokyo shoegaze/indie rock outfit initially made their name known through just how big their albums could be in scope: early releases like Film Bleu and he(r)art took their cover art’s aesthetic stylings from film promotional photos, and the music itself followed a narrative from beginning to end as well - some songs huge and rapturous, others minute and fragile. Hotel Insomnia, the band says, is more akin to “...a collection of short films, with each song having its own particular gravity,” every moment exploding to life with huge guitars and pristine singing from lead vocalist Eureka as the “short film” format provides the opportunity for the band to explore everything from Japanese hip hop to darker noise rock to Shibuya-kei style indie rock and 90s madchester, loosening up their approach to high-drama dream pop without sacrificing the huge sound and colorful instrumentation that’s made them such a force in Japanese indie rock. Hotel Insomnia is a vital snapshot of them as a band in fantastic volatility, each member trying new things alongside the commitments they share with one another and making some of their strongest songs to date in the process. Produced by Mark Gardener of Ride fame, Hotel Insomnia thrives off its ability to toe the line between retro shoegaze nostalgia and a surprisingly fashion-forward take on the genre, inspired by everything from My Dead Girlfriend to Cymbals in For Tracy Hyde’s pursuit of a magnificently dark realm of indie pop bliss. Though the band have said the album is inspired by the eclectic Shibuya-kei scene of 90s Tokyo, it’s less in the original sound of it and more in its spirit: The First Time (Is the Last Time) and Natalie borrow Beach Boys-style backing vocals for an even lusher Wall of Sound feel to them, while the anxious alt-rock opener Undulate or jangle pop indebted highlights Friends and Subway Station Revelation kick the album into sixth gear with fantastic tension and release sections that fully take advantage of the condensed “short film” form the band so beautifully embrace across these thirteen tracks. Each song gets its own world to fully color in however it wishes, be it in the mystic atmospheres of Estuary or Milkshake’s growling lead guitars; For Tracy Hyde know how to tell a story, and that hasn’t changed in the slightest with the stylistic shift they take here. But tension is also a major part of what makes Hotel Insomnia such an interesting album, For Tracy Hyde’s four members being pulled in different directions that all become a part of the album one way or another: bassist MAV tries his hand at a rap verse on House of Mirrors, a surprising but fun left turn atop the song’s bouncy electronic groove with vocalist Eureka’s chorus as a soothing balm if the band’s take on Japanese rap isn’t to your liking; Azusa Suga’s time writing for bands like the similarly-styled RAY and AprilBlue give him the opportunity to experiment more with the form and feel of his songwriting, Sirens a brooding noise pop jam à la Sonic Youth while Leave the Planet and Lungs hit a sweet spot between soaring pop and the payoff of expansive, ever-growing shoegaze like few other bands have in recent years. The thing that takes Hotel Insomnia all the way to the finish line is not just its excellent sound palette, but in how its songwriting and structures bend around every jagged guitar line and soft synth bed to create music that can be both easy to latch onto and impossible to capture in its totality, an elusive endlessness always hanging over For Tracy Hyde’s neon-lit skies. For how far removed Hotel Insomnia can get from For Tracy Hyde’s usual cinematic shoegaze, it’s no less wonderful an experience and the first time all their songs have held similar weight and landed with such strong punches again and again. While they may be more fractured as a group with each member’s new ambitions peeking through the cracks, it’s getting to experiment with these new ideas and be a different band than they’ve been in the past that allows Hotel Insomnia to be such a thrilling ride through everything that makes them such a strong and heartfelt force in modern dream pop. As tangled the paths and as sharp the turns they take throughout, there’s not a moment where Hotel Insomnia’s explorative and explosive world of shoegaze storytelling loses its spark.

This review is part of the ALL I MISSED: 2022, where I review all the albums I didn't get to from last year.

[bbbrianjones]

Hi emmi I hope you're having a good day!! <3

Can I get a ranking of songs from Born Sandy Devotional please?

cara, you have literally made my entire day, my entire week, fuck it, you've probably made my entire life by asking this question! can i just say, this album is absolutely a no-skips album - every single song deserves to be number one because they are seriously no flops. david mccomb, you wonderful man, i can’t believe you’ve done this! anyway let’s get down to business <3

10. stolen property i feel bad for this song because i haven’t given this song a real good listen mostly because i, a simpleton, can’t really get into a song that goes for longer than five minutes. and this song is 6:47. rip. i am a product of my time i know but i am sure once i listen to this song fully in the proper mood i will be in love with it. i mean it’s one of steve kilbey’s favourite songs and i’d trust that man with my life when it comes to music!

9. chicken killer

i do really like this song, it’s a pretty goofy song. i’m sure if you look closely at the lyrics there are plenty of references to love and literature that i am too blind to see. i’d like to imagine this is one of those songs where if i pick at it i can notice small things which to be fair is the real joy of music. being able to notice those things you wouldn’t normally see and create something from them.

8. lonely stretch

again i really do like this song! there is a real riders on the storm by the doors vibe to this song but it has been completely flipped on its head. it feels like you’re driving out and you take a wrong turn and the dread and worry and anxiety just builds up throughout the song as you slowly descend into madness along the highway. this is the reason i feel like dave gets a lot of credit for being a fantasic songwriter, you can imagine yourself just feeling lost with this song - not even in a geographic sense but in a ‘what am i suppose to do now with my life?’ sense.

7. life of crime the dark and foreboding sense in this song, the imagery through both the lyrics and music is incredible. i love the slight western feel to has to it, if that makes sense?? david's voice is commanding and masterful, he almost becomes a preacher and you almost gets a sense of what his voice was capable of in later albums. 

6. personal things that organ and bass line hook playing that almost carnival/carousel waltz just grabs you and refuses to let go. again the sotry this song tells, he listed off items that his former lover owned, he described such small almost insignificant details such as what colours she wore but he teases the listener but not relieving all of the colours. why??? why would not tell us the colours?? again it’s the way that david pulls the listener in as you realise what this song is about, the breakup of a relationship that he doesn’t want to break up. it’s so conflicting which i think is the reason it’s so good

5. tarrilup bridge yeah yeah baby!!!! jill birt coming in to save the day!!! i am so glad david got her to sing this song because her voice almost becomes a part of the song and world he has created. she is literally the character of this woman i love the story this song has, it could almost be told as a ghost story! it reminds me a lot of early kate bush such as wuthering heights or hammer horror with these ghostly figures and disembodied voices telling these spooky stories about themselves. it sends shivers down my spine, especially towards the end how the disembodied voice just repeats ‘and i drove off the edge of the tarrilup bridge’… just so haunting ! it’s like the ghost of this woman just slowly pulling you down to the underworld!!!

4. estuary bed i have a soft spot for this song because it does remind me very much of my home town which was very coastal and that feeling of walking home. again i hear this song and i am transported into a world, either my own or david’s. all the credit to mister mcomb here, he has such a way of creating an atmosphere in a song. it just takes you back to those carefree days walking in the blistering sun and creates a landscape that you can picture so vividly.

3. the seabirds this song is a masterpiece. i almost hate it that it is third because it is more than just that. it’s more than it will ever be. all the elements add something to this song to create, for me, an overwhelming sense of sadness. that guitar just causes such an ache in my chest that i almost feel like going to explode.i think the lines ‘she said "what's the matter now, lover boy, has the cat run off with your tongue? // are you drinking to get maudlin or drinking to get numb?"’ are some of the greatest lyrics ever written, and i hope david is proud of himself for those. speaking of lyrics i almost can’t listen to the lyrics of this song because if i focus too much on them i kinda get emotional??? in the end, this man has died and he’s so wrecked that even the sea birds refuse to come and eat him - and then he turns on us as the listener asking where were we? why weren’t we there to stop the suffering?. this song is a tragedy and that is the beauty of it.

2. wide open road here we go lads. i mean this song,,,, what can i say about this song? it’s honestly one of the best songs written, dare i say it’s the best song ever written. it is such a simple song but that is where it’s so complicated. the way that david has created this world about the breakdown of this relationship while creating a landscape through words is a little short of amazing. i mean ‘i wake up in the morning thinking i’m still y your side // i reach out just to touch you, then i realise it’s a wide open road….” just jesus fucking christ. you’re causing me serious pain here david!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it’s just so brutally honest, in both the emotions and vulnerability he shows but also the anger and hurt - “i drove out over the flatlines // hunting down you and him’. also that petal steel mixed in with that drum machine to create the space atmosphere again just perfect. you can not record this song in any other way, you just would not get the full meaning of it - everything in this song is perfect and shouldn’t be touched. there is a reason this song deserves all the hype in the world it gets, it’s just beautiful, and it’s well done.

1. tender is the night (the long fidelity) the perfect end to the perfect album <3 i totally get why people see this song as one about mr mcomb himself. whether that was the intention or not, i don’t know but i find it very hard to hear this song without thinking about him. again everything about this song is perfect and if you were the remove even the slightest bit from it just would not be the same song or make the same impact this song does. i just adore the line "where you are it will just be getting light", as graham lee said poetically “an amazing way to in so few words say you’re not here and i miss you”, which you can see in so many different ways and that is the wonderful part about music. also the part ‘he never asks after her anymore, he made a point of losing her address // and every trinket that she ever touched he keeps locked away and just burns up in the furnace of his chest” is so fucking beautiful, and anyone who has been in love can relate which is the most heartbreaking part about it. all the lyrics are just a goldfield of emotion and heartache, plus with the music and that petal steel mixed with jill’s sweet voice creates for a perfect cry fest </3 thank you so much david for all the work you left us, you make it feel like everything is ok.

[burlveneer-music]

Gilroy Mere - Bicycle Ballet - from his forthcoming Clay Pipe Music album Gilden Gate

Oliver Cherer is back with a new Gilroy Mere record which follows on from his other much lauded Clay Pipe releases (The Green Line, Adlestrop and last year’s D Rothon collaboration, Estuary English). Over the last two decades Ollie has released numerous collections of music in an ever shifting array of modes, from folktronic, singer-songwriter styles through psychogeographic electronica to jazz-tinged, confessional ghost-pop and most recently, the “guitar tainted machine rock disco” of Aircooled.

Gilden Gate is an album of two halves. Side 1 ‘Rising’ celebrates the sun-drenched beaches, pastures and heaths of rural Suffolk, whereas Side 2 ‘Falling’ explores the underwater world of the lost city of Dunwich and its five church spires.

[americanahighways]

REVIEW: Curtis McMurtry “The Pollen & The Rot”

REVIEW: Curtis McMurtry “The Pollen & The Rot” @curtismcmurtry @charliebigsky @americanahighways #americanahighways #thepollenandtherat #americanamusic #newmusic2024 #musicreviews

Curtis McMurtry – The Pollen & The Rot Austin singer-songwriter Curtis McMurtry’s The Pollen & The Rot – the first of four season-themed albums he’s releasing – is something to behold. It’s an album that pays tribute to spring, but as McMurtry puts it, is also “full of twisted, spiteful songs about greed, revolution and stagnation.” Recorded and mixed by Evan Kaspar at Estuary Recording Studio…

[yorkcalling]

New Music: Evie Balfe - Toxicity

New Music: Evie Balfe – Toxicity

Evie Balfe is a dream pop singer songwriter now based in London, but originally from a little closer to home – the other side of the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire. She first came to my attention earlier this year through her moody track Wearing A Crown, and now she’s back with a new one exploring her struggles with sexuality. It’s called Toxicity. (more…)

[seaglassandeelgrass]

Tagged by @tam--lin to do their custom-crafted bespoke tag game wherein our cozy little tumblr backwater is actually the target demographic.

What sort of music were you into circa age 12?

An unholy amalgam of my parents’ music libraries, so old-school punk ala The Ramones and The Undertones, folksy singer-songwriter ala James Taylor, John Denver, and Peter Paul & Mary, and 80′s poprock ala Billy Joel and Cyndi Lauper

Favorite fantasy or sci-fi thing media released in the last 5 years:

Uh, I just came to the galaxy-brained realization that Weird West is a niche genre in its own right that combines all the best things about fantasty, sci-fi, steampunk, alternate history, speculative fiction, and pulp westerns, and also everyone should go read Sarah Gailey’s books; their American Hippo novellas are great fun.

I also really enjoyed Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series; it was the first specifically sci-fi thing I had read in a long while (sci-fi as a genre unduly Intimidates me)

Favorite pair of boots:

Bean’s Katahdin Iron Works Engineer Boots; they were an INVESTMENT which I am going to wear for the rest of my LIFE

Song you blare loudly, windows-down, that confuses fellow drivers:

Most of my music tbh. Queen of Argyll by Silly Wizard? Casey Jones (the Union Scab) by Pete Seeger? All you Fascists Bound to Lose by the Tillers? Sacred Harp hymn Idumea? All of which have been broadcast at speed and volume to assorted rural NE rtes

A thing you don't understand about US dating culture:

All Of It. Also how in the joe hill are multiple of my former classmates/colleagues married with actual human children wtf

Vests, y/n:

Yes. I should wear more of them tbh; my two faves of mine are my tincloth down vest and a vintage-ish herringbone tweed waistcoat

Underrated musical artist you think we should listen to:

I need to listen to more of Peggy Seeger’s work, I’ve been remiss in fully appreciating my lady protest folk singers and need to make an effort to fix that.

You have to give up one forever: oceans or mountains. (Personally. You do not affect the world in any way.)

This is a inverse Burridan’s Ass paradox; both choices are EQUALLY HEARTRENDING how am I to choose. O-oceans; PROVIDED I can use brackish estuaries and other liminal tidal zones as a loophole and, if needed, resort to becoming a Great Lakes sailor to fill the GAPING VOID in my soul

Unpopular food opinion:

Ketchup on things as a condiment is bad actually.

Also I willingly drink and enjoy Moxie. OH ALSO liquorice is GOOD y'all are just cowards

Favorite museum:

Port Clyde Marshall Point Lighthouse museum, from a nostalgic point of view. I also quite like the Peabody Essex Museum. I’d really like to go to Chicago’s Field Museum though

How many swords have you owned in your life:

Discounting childhood handmade stick-swords, one(1)- my great-great grandfather’s light cavalry sabre Civil War officer’s sword, which lives under my bed at home

Most obscure word you know in a foreign language you don’t speak:

montgolfier is hot-air balloon in French

Dream cosplay(s):

I never really got into cosplay; all my recreational costuming was RevWar reenactments back in high school. Although there was a Generic Steampunk Person With Surplus Soviet Welding Goggles And Superfluous Belts one year for Halloween in middle school, so someone from Girl Genius could be fun

(actually no, my Theodore Tugboat costume lovingly-crafted by my parents for Halloween when I was three can never be surpassed)

Would you shoot a man to save public libraries, y/n:

If libraries are funded in perpetuity, we can kneecap him, just a little bit?

[estuarysongwritingproject]

Feature on BBC Radio

The lovely Mike Brocken has featured Leigh Folk Festival and its 25th anniversary vinyl release (which features exclusive music from the Estuary Songwriting Project) on his ‘Folkscene’ BBC Merseyside show. You can listen again here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05330gh

[gatheredinamber]

Terrascope reviews this Leigh Folk Festival compilation, which features his Jamie Foyers, as well as a contribution to the Estuary Songwriting Project.

[newshuntermag]

Kofi Kinaata Explains Why It’s Needless To Declare Castro Dead

Kofi Kinaata Explains Why It’s Needless To Declare Castro Dead

Ghana’s best songwriter, Kofi Kinaata, has said it’s needless to declare Castro dead. It will be seven (7) years on July 7, 2021, following Castro’s disappearance. If you would recall, Castro and Janet Bandu went missing when they went cruising with a Jet Ski at the Ada Estuary in 2014. Efforts to find them have not yielded any positive results. According to The Evidence Act of 1975, Section…

[orbemnews]

Little Island Announces Resident Artists A long-term residency at Little Island will give the theatermakers Tina Landau, Michael McElroy and PigPen Theater Co., as well as the tap dancer and choreographer Ayodele Casel, the chance to build the new public park’s performance arts programming from the ground up. The selected artists, announced on Wednesday, will craft, curate and perform for three seasons at the outdoor space, which is currently under construction in Hudson River Park near West 13th Street. “They all share this sense of joy and adventure and a real passion for embracing the things that might be possible in this public space,” Trish Santini, the park’s executive director, said in an interview. The residencies were planned before the coronavirus pandemic struck, but the ongoing performing arts shutdown has lent them greater importance: Little Island plans to begin performances in late spring — before actors, dancers and musicians are likely able to return to the city’s indoor stages. “There is a sense of urgency right now — for artists to be able to do their work, to have a voice in shaping how that work manifests in a new public space,” Santini said. The scope and level of artist involvement distinguish the Little Island residencies from some of their counterparts elsewhere. Not only will the artists direct and perform work, they will also cultivate relationships with the park’s community partners and organize festivals and others events over the course of multiple seasons. It’s a chance that McElroy, an actor, music director and leader of the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, is relishing. “There’s an investment in artists and you can tell that because of the length of the residency,” he said. “It’s not a one-and-done. It allows me to dream big.” His plans include creating new musical-theater work, organizing a community-based initiative focused on the experience of seniors and providing opportunities for other musicians and singer-songwriters. The other three resident artists gravitate toward boundary-breaking work, as well. Landau, the Tony-Award nominated director of “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical,” began her career making site-specific works with En Garde Arts, including “Orestes” at the Penn Yards and “Stonewall: Night Variations” on Pier 25 on the Hudson River. Since 2005, Casel has been blending tap dance and storytelling to shed more light on the art form with her “Diary of a Tap Dancer” series. And PigPen, whose musical “The Tale of Despereaux” debuted the Old Globe Theater in 2019, is known for nimbly blending music, film and theater. The resident artists have already begun to shape the park’s offerings. They recently helped review submissions from local performers looking to contribute to Little Island’s inaugural season. Selections will be announced this spring. When it’s completed, Little Island will contain three open-air performance venues: a 700-seat amphitheater, a garden space for small-scale productions designed to accommodate 200 visitors and an open plaza that will host educational activities. This flexibility will afford Landau, McElroy, Casel and PigPen’s seven members options for how to devise and present their work. It should also make safely staging performances easier during the pandemic. Little Island has overcome several obstacles since it was announced in 2014. Legal challenges and soaring costs led Barry Diller, the park’s sponsor, to temporarily scrap the venture in 2017. It was revived later that year after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo convinced its opponents to drop their lawsuits by agreeing to complete Hudson River Park and protect the local estuary. Source link Orbem News #announces #Artists #Island #resident

[tetesdaily-blog]

I am working on the intro, right at this moment. This part is very tricky. I am trying not to be boring but fun. _ #singersongwriter #singing #intros #songwriter #songintro (at Oakland-Alameda Estuary)

[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.85 / singer-songwriter Natasha England with Mark Watkins. 

MW : What were you like at school sports and things of that nature?

NE : I was the captain of netball and captain of the swimming team. I was in the “Speed Club” for swimming & diving - winning many gold medals for my school. I swam competitively for my region in South Lanarkshire. 

I was captain of the relay team - winning sports prizes several times in primary and grammar school incorporating sprints of 100 metres, 300 metres, High Jump, Long Jump and Hurdles. 

At one time, I thought I might be a gym instructor. I was a member of a gymnast team called The Flying Angels. I was a member of an athletics club and played a lot of badminton. I’ve roller-skated, ice-skated, canoed, played some tennis and rode bicycles.

From an early age, I’ve “worked my passage” and ridden horses competitively at Show jumping and Cross-country events - winning many rosettes.

At one stage, I had thought of being a riding instructor. I could have done this had I not got even more involved in music. 

I was lucky enough to spend much quality time with my father walking and fly-fishing on the River Spey and other salmon and trout rivers, and lochs, and estuaries. My father was a very good Fly-Fisherman so I was brought up on a diet of wild salmon and trout. 

As you can see I excelled at sports, and have a great love of nature and the outdoors.

MW : Do you enjoy football?

NE : Yes, I love football! I played a lot of football in my youth. However, I was not allowed in the school teams as I was a girl (boys only then!) so I played football with the boys outside school.

MW : You were born in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic or Rangers?!

NE : I have been to both Rangers and Celtic matches, mainly over my time growing up in Scotland and to a few over the years since. I don't buy into the catholic/protestant divide. I have friends who support both teams, and fans who support Arsenal, Chelsea - and Spurs!

MW : Tell me how you won your “Spurs”...and how football lead to music...

NE : When I came to London the guy (Bob England) whom I went on to marry was a Tottenham Hotspur fan.

I was a season ticket holder at Tottenham for many years and throughout the FA Cup campaign that led to an eventual win in a replay over Manchester City at Wembley in 1981 (1-1 draw, then 3-2 win).

I’ve worn a Spurs strip to help promote Tottenham Hotspur’s official records, 'Ossie's Dream' (1981) and 'Tottenham Tottenham' (1982) - both produced by Chas and Dave (who I managed) and released on Towerbell Records (our record label).

I joined players Glenn Hoddle and Garth Crooks on Top Of The Pops with the football squad performing 'Tottenham Tottenham' just a few weeks prior to the release of 'Iko Iko' (1982) and my own appearance on the show.

If you have an original, vinyl copy of 'Ossie's Dream' look closely, and you should see written on the inside ring of the record 'The year of the Cockerel 1981’. I scratched this message on the original acetate which was the template for all the records pressed.

In the 1980's, I had a music biz five-a-side called “Leggy Five” and we played in many music biz charity games.

MW : What would improve the UK's chances of winning Eurovision (again) after so many years in the wilderness?

NE : I’m not sure that the UK will ever have the chance to win this competition again as the judging over these last years has proved beyond any doubt to be politically driven and this will get no better when we leave Europe.

This is now an extravagant spectacle of bad taste, pantomime dames and dodgy outfits and songs - nevertheless compulsive viewing! 

Sir Terry Wogan (RIP) - as the UK's commentator made the show, and now Graham Norton does an equally fabulous job of taking the mickey out its whacky songs and artists. 

In the present political environment there is no point in the UK competing. Very few of the winners go on to have any longevity in the music business with obvious exceptions, Abba - being the most successful since ‘Waterloo’ in 1974, Sandie Shaw (1967 winner), Lulu (1969 winner), Brotherhood of Man (1976 winner), Johnny Logan (1980 & 1987 winner), Bucks Fizz (1981 winner) and Katrina and The Waves in 1997. 

So, I think it would be best for the UK not to put another artist through this humiliation. We would have to have 'The Song' and 'The Artist' that would blow everyone away and leave no doubt in people's minds that it was the deserving winner. Even then, you would have to deal with the politics, so I don't think it is worth it, I’m afraid.

MW : Which newspapers do you read?

NE : I don't buy newspapers anymore. I get most of my news online.

I try and stay as informed as I can on all topics including politics. It’s a minefield out there, but you have to know what your up against. 

If only news agencies and politicians would tell the truth instead of pushing their own agendas to twist and distort the truth to deceive, influence or sensationalize.

MW : What was the first record you bought?

NE : My older sister, Evelyne, started her record collection before me, so I continued the record-buying trend, but instead of being into just pop, I loved folk, blues, rock, jazz, soul, Tamla Motown and Stax.

I purchased the 'Gutbucket’ blues album - which remains a favourite of mine. It has a selection of songs from all the best folk & blues players of the time - all household names now.

I bought a lot of Motown and Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, along with Pink Floyd, Free, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac (original) and many others. 

Everything that I enjoyed back then are now in The Hall Of Fame.

https://www.rockhall.com

Free were my favourite rock band and Peter Green was my favourite blues guitarist/singer of the time.

MW : Which books do you enjoy?

NE : Any Buddha-based book. I love everything about Buddhists and their ideology. 

Every book about animals, horses, marine life, insects, birds, fish and nature that I can get my hands on. 

‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell. Life imitating art of art imitating life? Power and order.‘1984’, again by Orwell - we’re living it.

‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley - what foresight.

‘The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe’ by C.S Lewis. I loved this book so much that I called my first band in London, 'Aslan'.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, ‘The Tale Of Two Cities’, ’The Hobbit’, ‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘The Canterbury Tales’....and so many more books. 

MW : Share your thoughts on keeping animals in zoos...

NE : Some smaller animals, insects, reptiles, birds etc can live quite happily in a well maintained enhancing environment but larger animals need space to roam. If we have to contain animals for education and breeding programmes we need to give these larger animals more space and a suitable enhancing environment. 

I’m more in favour of Wildlife Parks, where the animals have much more land to roam. Zoos are important for breeding programmes to help keep our endangered species alive but we should be building all zoos along the lines of Safari Parks.

MW : Why are animal rights close to your heart?

NE : I adore all animals and I’ve a very strong affiliation with them. I’ve lived and worked around various animals all my life. I assisted a vet when I was younger. I’ve rescued and mended many animals, birds and wildlife throughout from  childhood to adulthood, so another profession I may have taken up had I not chosen music as a career. 

I have kept all sorts of animals and I train dogs and horses. Animals have served us all well throughout history, in wars, in agriculture, down mines, for transport and in life. We owe so much to animals, so anyone who is cruel to a defenseless animal is sick and will go on to be cruel to humans.

I would dearly love to have an animal sanctuary to help and rescue animals and to rehome them and to educate children on animal welfare and training and most importantly the love, companionship and loyalty that these animals can give to their human friends and the great benefits that humans get from being around animals and nature.

I’ve done much charity and therapy work with horses, dogs and other animals to help enhance children’s lives and mindset and to help them overcome illness and disabilities and contributing to their wellbeing.

So, I would love to be in a position to continue this valuable work i.e combining animal and music therapy.

MW : Money or health?

NE : Health every time - in the world we live in money can be the difference between life and death for so many of us.

You may not be able to buy health, but if you are unfortunate enough to need help with your health, whether medically or mentally, having money will get a quicker service (which could save your life). 

It should not be this way, but it is, and it’s so unfair and unjust.

MW : Tell me about setting up Towerbell Records...

NE : Towerbell Records was set up after I left Good Earth Promotions. Prior to leaving Good Earth I had spotted Darts at the Rock Garden in Covent Garden, London. I went there with Jon Moss of Culture Club. Jon was working for me as a booker at Good Earth. After seeing Darts perform I signed them to (our)   management. Darts were signed to Magnet Records (record label). 

Darts were extremely successful and made Magnet Records money and I believe kept the label afloat at a time when Magnet really did not have much talent on the label. Bob (England) and I found ourselves doing a lot of the work for this record company, so it was always going to be the obvious move to create our own label i.e Towebell Records.  

We then signed Chas & Dave to management and we wanted to have our own label and have both Darts and Chas & Dave on this label. We were unhappy with Michael Levy (now Lord Levy) and Magnet Records. We felt he was penny pinching with regards to Darts’ campaigns, videos and promotion. Given that Darts had made so much money for Magnet the band were very unhappy with the label too, as they felt as I did that Michael was holding them back. I did not like Michael and his practices and both Bob and I wanted the band released from Magnet.

Bob and I discussed this and the terms of this release from Magnet that we wanted for the band. As I say, I did not like Michael, and I would not pander to him so I after discussing what we wanted for Darts, Bob and I decided that Bob did the negotiation with Michael. Everything would have be fine if Bob had stuck to the plan. Unfortunately, the release deal was very much in Michael's favour and the release clauses made it extremely difficult for Darts to function with all the restrictions that Michael Levy had put upon them. It was a very restrictive release contract with Michael continuing to benefit. Michael eventually sold the label and all of Darts’ catalogue to Warner Bros.

Michael made this process very difficult with his demands and delays. The outcome was disastrous for Darts - because of the time taken on the release contract and unreasonable release clauses. Michael effectively ended Darts’ career.

We did go on to set up two labels, Rockney Records for Chas & Dave releases and Towerbell Records for other artists including myself, Snowy White, Amazulu and others.

We were very successful as an independent record label, but I was unhappy in my marriage and I left Bob and the label in 1984.

Bob was not so successful without me. He made some bad decisions. He ended up leaving the UK a year or so later caught up in a blaze of publicity at Miami Airport (on route to Antigua) owing millions to various artists.

I had nothing to do with his downfall. A large part of his debt was still owed to me for PRS and other fees that were generated when I had Top Ten success and other chart album and singles. I had trusted him but he effectively punished me for leaving him. I was by then financially and contractually screwed. He promised he would pay me what I was owed but he never did.

MW : Share some experiences of managing Darts...

NE : Darts were a breath of fresh air amidst an uprising Punk scene. Don't get me wrong there were a couple of bands, The Sex Pistols, 999 and a few others that made an impact but Darts were different.

They had an element of punk but they could all play their instruments and all four singers could sing. They were performing doo-wop and they were their own best promotion. Den Hegarty could be a bit of a handful but otherwise a great bunch of people. I just knew that this band would be successful and they were.

I’ve many great memories of touring with Darts in the UK and abroad and being in the studio with them They were all very down to earth people and consummate musicians. Darts had major success back then and should have continued in this trend but there were problems with Magnet Records, as I’ve said earlier.

Fortunately, Darts still do several choice gigs a year and they are still one of the most entertaining bands around. 

MW : How did you react to the passing of Chas Hodges?

NE : I had been diagnosed with cancer a few months before Chas was diagnosed. I was so sad when I heard the news of his death, for him, his beautiful wife, Joan and for his loving family, his children and his grandchildren, it was a shock. 

Apparently Chas had gone fishing with Dave (Peacock) the day before he died and he seemed fine and in good spirits but he was dead by the next morning.

He is so loved and is missed by all. I was sad for a long while. Although we’d spoken on the phone and made plans to meet, unfortunately this was never to be as Chas died the week before we were due to meet up.

I have many great memories of Chas and I’m so pleased that I played a part in his story. He was an amazing man and a consummate musician who could play many instruments.

MW : How did you know / judge which records to release?

NE : I have always been quite good at spotting a hit and had this talent from when I was very young. I would hear a song once on the radio and would immediately know it would be a big hit. More often than not - I was right! 

It’s a sound, a voice, a hook, an instrument, a band with originality, or the combination of all of theses factors that makes you want to dance, sing, laugh, think, reflect or be quiet. 

It’s when something in the mix reaches in and touches you and inspires you. It’s the overall sound of what is being conveyed and how this sound makes you feel. 

Originality is always a star quality in the mix.

MW : Your solo career. Tell me about your big hit ‘Iko Iko’ and the chart battle with The Belle Stars...

NE : I’d been in the process of recording an album with Tom Newman when I decided to do a version of ‘Iko Iko’ using Richard Branson's 'Barge Studio'. Rita Ray from Darts suggested the song and she sang backing vocals on the track.

I was familiar with the song and would sing this song and 'The Clapping Song' as a little girl. I also loved loved Dr. Johns' version. When we recorded this, it just felt right and it had such a good vibe that Tom and I just knew it was a hit. We recorded it in February 1982 but as it was a summer record we sat on this until the June release. My then record plugger, Alan James, had secured some BBC Radio 1 airplay as a white label a week prior to the release date and there was a real buzz on the record.  

I was in the studio recording a session for the BBC when my then husband, Bob England, called me from Towerbell Records saying that Paul Conroy (who I knew well and was general manager of Stiff Records) had heard ‘Iko Iko’ being played on BBC Radio 1 on the week prior to its official release date. Paul said that he loved it and asked for a copy.

Bob went on to say that he told Paul that he would put a copy in the post when Paul said that he happened to have a scooter-messenger in the area of our office and this messenger could pick this up, which he did pretty sharpish. When Bob told me this I knew immediately that Paul was up to something, as Paul had The Belle Stars signed to Stiff, and they and other artists had previously released ‘Iko Iko’. So, I checked out every artist/band that had ever released ‘Iko Iko’ as a single. The Bodysnatchers were one band who did - they later became The Belle Stars!

I suspected that The Belle Stars had plans to release another version of ‘Iko Iko’ and they wanted my white label version to compare to theirs. As it turned out, The Belle Stars and their then producer Martin Tench sat in the music room at Stiff Records playing my version of ‘Iko Iko’ over and over again against several different mixes they had of their ‘Iko Iko's’ - they were obviously trying to decide which of their versions to release. Co-incidentally when Bow Wow Wow released 'Go Wild In The country' produced by Tench soon after you will notice the distinct similarity with the drums to the drums on my 'Iko Iko'.. 

After speaking with me, Bob immediately called Paul and confronted him. Paul admitted that The Belle Stars had indeed recorded a version of ‘Iko Iko’ and intended to release this in a few weeks. Paul went on to say that Stiff would not now be releasing their version as my version was out the following week. I did not believe them, and I was right not to believe Paul, as Stiff went on to rush release The Belle Stars version to come out on the very same day as my version.

Fortunately, my version of ‘Iko Iko’ was the favoured version being played on BBC Radio 1, and all the other main and regional radio stations up and down the country and abroad. The press had a field day - playing both myself and The Belle Stars off against each other, intimating that their was bad blood between us. This was not true at all. I did a TV show where both myself and The Belle Stars performed our own versions of ‘Iko Iko’. There was seven of them and me and my Great Dane called Fury on the same show.

I had nothing against the girls, I knew it was Stiff Records stage managing all of this. I wished the girls well with their version but my version was out selling theirs from the off.

My version went on to be the highest New Entry in the charts and the Highest Climber in the charts along with Video Of The Month.

The Belle Stars got to No.37 and then dropped out of the chart whilst I went on to have a Top Ten hit. In fact, I had several really good singles out before I released ‘Iko Iko’ in 1982 : - ‘I Can't Hold On’, ‘Strangest Feeling’, ‘Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache’ - all good songs which all got great reviews and responses when played at clubs but I did not get the airplay that I needed.

MW : Tell me about your new music...

NE : I have recently brought out a new album 'Somehow' and I released a single of the same name at the same time.

Music videos for 'Somehow' and 'Hook Line & Sinker, the two tracks off the album so far are on You Tube. The website has all the information on all my music, past and present, that I have released and details on how to get physical, as well as digital copies, of this music. Photos, discography etc...

www.natashaengland.co.uk

The album and single received extremely great reviews, but the problem has been getting significant airplay for this music. I feel, it’s deserving of airplay - but the powers that be - who control playlists - seem to have their own agenda. New music on independent record labels has a hard time getting airplay, plus there is ageism to overcome.

You can have the best voice, band, song in the world - but if you are trying to establish yourself, or re-establish yourself, in the music industry and you are not on a major label, it is more or less impossible, and (youthful) looks do count.

Until you get airplay you don't get heard and you don't seem to exist. That said, I will continue to write record and perform.

Keep the passion and let the love and the music play on...

© Mark Watkins / April 2019

[spirit-of-chelsea]

This weekend, the Port Eliot estate will open its doors once more for the annual Port Eliot Festival. For four days over the final weekend in July, festival goers have more or less entirely free reign over the stately home and gardens. They can get lost in the garden maze, swim in the estuary, or wander down to where the Black Cow Saloon sits nestled beneath a Roman Viaduct, trains rattling overhead on their way to Penzance. In the morning the good people at Sipsmith’s Gin might rouse attendees with a Bloody Mary (if they’re that way inclined), delivered to the campsite in the back of Mary’s Bloody Ambulance. All that, and we haven’t even gotten to the programme yet.

Port Eliot is, of course, a celebration of words and music. This year’s headliners are pop legends Saint Etienne who take over The Park on Friday evening to play tracks from over the course of their 25-year career and recent album Home Counties. The bill also includes South London troubadour Matt Maltese, singer songwriter Karen Elson, indie pop artist Rose Elinor Dougal, and Melt Yourself Down, who will bring their amalgamation of post-punk, jazz and North African musical styles to The Park on Saturday night. Other musical highlights of the weekend include sets from Flamingods, Dead Pretties, This is the Kit,Girl Ray and Hooton Tennis Club, as well as The Libertines’ John Hassall with his band The April Rainers. (photo above by Alain Bib).

Text purloined from the very fine God is in the TV site.

[chorusfm]

Mappe Of – The Isle of Ailynn

For those unfamiliar of the band Mappe Of, you are in for a musical journey not easily found on a sophomore effort. On The Isle of Ailynn, singer/songwriter Tom Meikle is as captivating as anyone in the indie music scene right from the first notes of the record. Kicking off the set with the musical landscape of “Estuary,” it’s clear that Meikle is not afraid to take some calculated risks with his music. From falsetto vocals, to carefully plucked guitars, Mappe Of has a lot going for it on their second record. Mappe Of sounds to me like a mix between some acoustically-driven Coheed & Cambria tracks, with some elements of jazz, and dream pop in the style of bands such as Beach House. Overall, Mappe Of are at their best when they allow their songs to breathe and let the music flow through them. It makes for a hell of a ride for the listeners’ experience, and I would recommend listening to this album through a good set of headphones not to miss any of the intricate moments found here. Other essential tracks on the record are the tender ballad, “Thessalon,” which is filled with some brilliant acoustic guitar blended with some beautiful piano interludes that complement Meikle’s vocal delivery nicely. “Unkno” was the first single released from the record, and for a good reason, it does a great job of encapsulating what Meikle is capable of creating on this sprawling album. The single also allows him to showcase his impressive vocal range with some well-placed falsetto that hangs with the best singers in the indie rock scene. Overall, The Isle of Ailynn is not a record that you can throw into a playlist and casually listen to it. Instead, it’s much more appropriate to immerse yourself into Meikle’s world created here by playing it from start to finish, just as he intended. Under the right circumstances, and by avoiding any outside distractions during your listening experience, you should come to appreciate what Mappe Of has put into existence. --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/review/mappe-of-the-isle-of-ailynn/

[mydietarea]

Beluga Charms British With Impromptu Check out

Enlarge this imageMembers on the general public hold out to catch a glimpse of a beluga whale inside the River Thames close to Gravesend, east of London on Wednesday.Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Imageshide captiontoggle captionDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty ImagesMembers from the general public wait around to capture a glimpse of a beluga whale from the River Thames near to Gravesend, east of London on Wednesday.Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty ImagesDave Andrews couldn't believe that what he was viewing. And afterwards he could not feel what he was tweeting."Can't believe that I am penning this, no joke - BELUGA from the Thames off Coalhouse Fort," the Norfolk, England, resident posted on Twitter Tuesday.Are not able to think I'm https://www.bucksedges.com/Vin-Baker-Jersey scripting this, no joke - BELUGA in the Thames off Coalhouse Fort @RareBirdAlertUK pic.twitter.com/6VtrJ1PVc6 Dave Andrews (@iPterodroma) September twenty five, 2018 The ecologist and ornithologist, as described on his Twitter account, experienced spotted a beluga whale swimming from the River Thames east of London, significantly from its normal habitat. A beluga swimming from the Thames is unquestionably exceptional, along with a social websites frenzy ensued.Sky News caught the animal on digicam from the helicopter previously mentioned the river. A beluga whale has actually been caught on digicam within a uncommon sighting from the Thames. For more, head below: https://t.co/SmxvSFtBRB pic.twitter.com/ZIqcWJwwzc Sky Information (@SkyNews) September twenty five, 2018 Soon following that, the Purely natural History Museum in London quoted their whale specialist as stating, "The white physique color, absence of a popular dorsal fin, bulbous forehead and general swimming movement all counsel very strongly this is a beluga whale."Museum whale expert Richard Sabin, says, 'The white physique color, absence of the prominent dorsal fin, bulbous forehead and common swimming motion all propose incredibly strongly that this is actually a beluga whale.' https://t.co/u6OLzJwWys Pure Background Museum (@NHM_London) September 25, 2018 On Wednesday, the whale was even now during the river and were offered a reputation, Benny.'Benny' the beluga whale found from your air as @ORCA_web clarifies the opportunity threats it faces though stranded in Thames https://t.co/fSTu5PEFvL pic.twitter.com/HRP2cYarqO BBC News (United kingdom) (@BBCNews) September 26, 2018 No rescue is important at this stage.Teri Charlton in the British Divers Marine Lifetime Rescue a corporation specializing while in the rescue of maritime wildlife in distre s explained to NPR that whilst the group is anxious which the beluga is so far faraway from the place it ought to be, the animal remains to be swimming strong. "We will keep track of it for now and keep track of its movements," she said.The British Divers Marine Daily life Rescue independently confirmed it's a beluga. Enlarge this imageA diverse beluga whale swims below ice for the Arctic Circle dive heart in northern Ru sia.Barcroft/Getty Imageshide captiontoggle captionBarcroft/Getty ImagesA Khris Middleton Jersey various beluga whale swims le s than ice for the Arctic Circle dive heart in northern Ru sia.Barcroft/Getty Images"The deficiency of a dorsal fin was a giveaway," Charlton claimed.Beluga's genus identify, Delphinapterus, interprets to "dolphin and not using a fin," in line with NOAA Fisheries. They absence a dorsal fin to ensure they can far more conveniently swim underneath ice, and that is a typical fixture of their Arctic and sub-Arctic atmosphere. Experienced belugas have teeth and so are recognized for his or her range of vocal appears, earning them the title "canary in the sea." Belugas are normally an Arctic species that, in Europe, are usually present in the seas of northern Norway and Ru sia, Phillip Clapham, director from the cetacean software on the Maritime Mammal Laboratory at the Alaska Fisheries Science Heart, explained to NPR. He has worked with whales and dolphins for nearly forty many years, he advised NPR, but he isn't going to know accurately why this beluga is to date south. Animals Baby Beluga, Swim So Wild And Sing For Me "With lots of species, you are going to get these animals that just type of wander outside of their vary, and there's no rhyme or cause to it. They might be shed, they may be just exploring, they are frequently while they aren't usually younger animals who are inexperienced. So, could po sibly be any of those people points," he reported. He would not believe any conclusions is usually drawn that are applicable or pertinent for the broader beluga populace from this rogue behavior. "You can not study too much into these shed or wandering animals," he reported.Belugas are known to become quite social animals; and so the reality this just one is by itself can also be strange. While Clapham said a sighting such as this is "very" uncommon, sightings of beluga whales in not likely locations have occurred.Clapham famous a beluga sighting off Cape Cod in 2014. He also cited a bunch of belugas which was usually spotted from the coastline of recent Jersey in 2015. Europe The River Thames, A Not-So-Secret Treasure https://www.bucksedges.com/Glenn-Robinson-Jersey Trove The species can occupy river estuaries, where river water and seawater satisfy, like where by the whale was noticed while in the Thames. Clapham stated there may be a long lasting population within the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. The populace there occupies the estuary on the Saguenay River, which Clapham claimed lies with a similar latitude as London."It's at forty eight levels north, and that is actually regarding the similar latitude as London London's 50. But it truly is pretty different oceanographically there, I signify it truly is colder, which population's resident," he advised NPR.Which has a thick layer of blubber that accounts for 40 p.c with the whale's body pounds and aids them continue to keep heat in freezing waters, the wandering in the Thames beluga into the south of its regular habitat most likely can not be attributed to weather transform. "This just about absolutely has practically nothing to carry out with weather modify," Clapham stated. "What we are observing with climate adjust from the Arctic in the Pacific Arctic, wherever we do the job, up off Alaska is warming temperatures, and we are commencing to check out some species, just like the humpback and fin whales moving the choice of those people animals is extending farther north."All belugas are secured underneath the Maritime Mammal Protection Act within the United states of america, and in Alaska, one beluga populace is detailed as endangered. The Two-Way Dozens Of Beluga Whales Trapped By Bering Sea Ice "The endangered Prepare dinner Inlet beluga whale population has declined by almost seventy five percent since 1979, from about one,300 whales to an estimated 328 whales in 2016," NOAA Fisheries reports.Neverthele s, globally, NOAA jobs belugas might variety during the many hundreds of countle s numbers.Benny the River Thames beluga has probably manufactured a a lot even larger splash than any of people others, neverthele s. To quote the kid's songwriter and singer Raffi in his song "Baby Beluga," this "little white whale" has undoubtedly been "on the go."

The post Beluga Charms British With Impromptu Check out appeared first on MyDietArea.

[estuarysongwritingproject]

Feature in EFDSS Magazine!

We were lucky enough to be featured in the English Folk Dance & Song Society magazine thanks to artist Kate Waterfield.