Halloween YouTube Video! 2013

Happy Halloween!

To celebrate, here is a video from Bleached with the track Love Spells. It is off their brilliant album Ride Your Heart. This video has everything you could want for a great scary night: walking dead cheerleaders, vampires, mummies and hot gothic chicks. Sorted!

 Love the twangy/summery guitars on this song, it goes with the vocals nicely and it is part of a great album. If you don't have it yet where have you been? Go get it.

Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer!

I wasn't planning on blogging today but I have just watched Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer and it has really inspired me to promote their cause even in the small way that I can. I have heard about it vaguely in the news, media and in magazines but up until watching this documentary I didn't really understand what they were fighting for or more specifically what they were fighting against. I am now up to date with most of the activities from this group but am still learning more. I am also interested in promoting their cause even further and I am really behind what their fighting for. I may be a little bit behind the wave that is the media storm but with two original members still in prison for just under a year and still things to fight for, any time is a good time to raise awareness and make a change. Do it!

YouTube Video Of The Week! 29/10/13

This week I have decided to post a couple of videos just because I have had a hard time deciding which video is better and figured why not just do them both. My first one is Los Campesinos! with a track called Avocado Baby. This is the first I have heard of them since their album We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed and I really think they have came back very strong. They still have that unique vocals that I remember but they have got a more rock guitar sound which I love. Super catchy and you don't get bored with the rhythm, it stays pumped and driving the whole way through. More of the same please :)

My second video is from an artist called Courtney Barnett. I don't really know a great deal about this Melbourne artist except she makes beautiful songs with simple and yet meaningful lyrics. I found out about her in the latest issue of Q magazine, my favourite music monthly. I really enjoy hearing her accent so clearly in her songs and something about her song writing really makes me sit up and take notice of the words she sings. Definitely hoping for her to produce more great songs like this one.

New Design Of the Fortnight Feature (D.O.T.F.)

I have recently had a new idea for a fortnightly feature. Basically on Thursday every 2 weeks I will post a Design Of The Fortnight. It maybe graphic design such as gig posters or album covers. It could also include particular guitar designs I am currently diggin' or pretty much anything musically themed that has been designed. It should be a good little Feature.

For this week I would like to feature a couple of guitars from one of my favourite guitar brands, Gretsch.

The first guitar is a signature model for Patrick Stump from Fallout Boy. I like the relatively simple design and just a couple of stripes for a decal on the front face gives an impression of creating a square shape without having to draw all the lines. I also thought it was interesting seeing it had 3 pick ups. I learnt a bit more about it from watching the video Patrick did on the Gretsch YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rWOWXEhfG8) It was pretty interesting for me, especially because I love a bit of FOB.

And from the brand new to the very old. In fact this model below is from 1954. It is called the Gretsch Electro II, one of the first guitars Gretsch produced. From the get go you can tell they had style and a kind of look/presence that they have included throughout the years.I would hope the guitars that I produce eventually have this much style or anywhere even close.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 22/10/13

Last night I went to see Nina Nesbitt live. I watched her at what is fast becoming my favourite venue to see artists, The Library in The Institute Birmingham, perfect size not too big not too crammed in. And that is where I heard Olivia Sebastianelli. She was second support out of 3 and in my opinion, the best. Live I really like her voice, it's got that gravely/raspy sound that you can't really hear on the YouTube tracks but you can still tell she is a talented singer with a beautiful voice. If there is ever a chance I would recommend seeing her live. I have chosen a cover of a Biffy track, it's the closet to hearing that vocal sound. Enjoy!

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

So the 2014 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been announced. They are:

-Kiss

-Nirvana

-The Zombies

-Yes

-Deep Purple

-Linda Ronstadt

-Peter Gabriel

-Cat Stevens

-Hall & Oates

-The Meters

-The Paul Butterfield Blues Band

-LL Cool J

-Link Wray

-Chic

-N.W.A.

-The Replacements

Well this is the first time I have actually paid attention to who the nominees are for the Hall of Fame. Its never really been that widely announced in England. First off, I wasn't sure how much rap/hip hop music is in the Rock accepted Hall of Fame but I definitely think N.W.A. should be included in my opinion, by their influence on other artists alone. I don't feel so strongly about LL Cool J . On the rock side of things I honestly think the likes of Hall & Oates and Kiss should be accepted and I expected Nirvana to already be included seeing that in my opinion they have done so much and made such an impact in the small time they were around. I have heard bits here and there about the other artists but in my perhaps naivete I don't think they have done enough to deserve a place in the Hall of Fame.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 15/10/13

This weeks choice has definitely got the late summer sound to it which is perfect timing. Its from a band called The Creases which I found out about again through the NME Radar section. One thing I like is the main guitar riff. It has a slight surfer guitar twang and coupled with the lyrics it makes for a great song. So far this is the only song on their YouTube account but seeing as its only been two weeks since this upload hopefully they will post more stuff soon.

I am trying to post more different blog posts but I'm slightly struggling on time whilst at uni but I will try harder.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 08/10/13

This weeks track is from a band called Catfish and the Bottlemen. I found out about this artist through the NME Radar feature. I have listened to all 4 videos they have posted on their YouTube account and this video is the most entertaining, featuring a love story about a sperm that is trying to get to the egg. No spoilers but it does end in a lightsaber fight against a rival sperm. As for the music, it is the kind of music I love. I could literally listen to this kind of music for days on end and never get bored. Catchy, good guitar playing and decent lyrics and I imagine they would be great live.

YouTube Video Of The Week! 01/10/13

So it's the start of October and I'm back at uni for the second year of my product design course. Lots of work is expected to come and also experimenting with clay which should be fun stuff. Anyway as you know last week I went to see Paramore and this week my video is from said band Paramore. A track called In The Mourning. I never heard it before I saw it performed live and now I'm in love it. A nice slowish song with what I hear to be a country music kind of sound. I have been listening to this song on repeat since last week, such a beautiful song. Enjoy!