Italia Guitars DOTM

Design Of The Month

As I am currently working on a guitar based project on my final year at university I have been looking into lots of existing guitars. I have came across many ugly guitars and lots of copy cat guitars but one brand that are doing something special and different is Italia Guitars. The company was founded in 1998 by fellow Englishman Trevor Wilkinson and has famous clientele such as Lightspeed Champion and Nicky Wire and more. What I personally like about their guitars is the aesthetics. They have a classic almost Mod feel to them with colours taken straight out of a Vespa colour scheme and little details like the alternative pick ups and the beautifully curved main bodies. Altogether a great brand and I hope they continue producing modern classics forever more.

Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock N Roll Fun YTV

09/09/14 YouTube Video

This track is a bit of a throw back to the 2000s. Sub Pop Records are going to reissue most or all of the Sleater-Kinney back catalogue in October and to promote this, they posted the single track from their 5th studio album along with a collection their of other pieces of work on their YouTube page. I was aware of Sleater-Kinney mainly thanks to Carrie Brownstein, the guitarist in the band. Her newer band Wildflag and comedy TV show Portlandia are two brilliant things that if you haven't heard of yet you need to check them out. I think this song is great because it shows how Carrie has grown as a guitar player over the years and now playing in Wildflag. Also the band as a whole pull off a sound that still sounds so current and modern being over a decade old which is no mean feat. An awesome song by an awesome band. Enjoy!

Guitar Making/Luthier Skills

Yesterday I went to see Rik Middleton a local guitar maker from Coventry. I'm currently learning about the process of guitar making and yesterday was a great experience. I learnt about different processes, materials and their sources, equipment/machinery that is needed for the job and lots more. In the afternoon of the day he also showed me how to bend the wood for the sides of the guitar. This process was always something I was interested in learning about and I'm glad I now know how it works. 

Also, visiting Rik has really inspired me to create guitar models on CAD and start building up my workshop equipment so that when I have my own workshop space I will have all the equipment I need to start building and making.

He has also made a book about making a guitar that is available on Amazon and I for sure will be picking up a copy for myself. I look forward to visiting him again next week and learning even more things.

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!

YouTube Video Of The Week! 03/09/13

This week the video has been a really easy choice for me. I found out about the song whilst listening to a WNYC Soundcheck podcast. The particular episode, they were featuring an artist called Brett Dennen and I had had it playing in the background whilst I was playing some game or something, I don't really remember but my ears perked up when this track came on. It is super catchy and it has a real sing along chorus. I also agree with the host in its 60's style. The video just has the audio from the track but with a song this good that is all you need.

Reading Festival 2013!

So this last weekend I went to Reading Festival for the first time and it was my first festival of that large scale and also the first one where I camped over on site. I had a brilliant time and I do think it was worth the money that I spent on it. Next time I go to a festival though I will definitely know things that I would do differently like tent location, and what kind of food to bring is very important to me. I would also plan my sleeping schedule better, i.e. not waking up so early and in doing so, staying up later and enjoying more of the camp fires and general fun. I was also really nervous about leaving my tent unattended after hearing all the bad stories on the on line forums about people slashing tents and robbing the contents but after the first night and day I calmed down a bit but still carried the essentials with my in my backpack at all times. Next year I would like to go to a different probably smaller festival just because I want to experience all the different styles and venues before saying which one I like the most. I figured I should tell you what I got up to so here goes.

On the Friday bands that I saw the whole set of were:

Findlay - I was really looking forward to seeing these guys after watching a couple of their videos on YouTube and really digged their female fronted sound.

Kodaline - I heard a lot of hype around this band and everyone seemed to be saying great things but I didn't really know what to expect but I liked what I ended up hearing and really want to hear more of their stuff.

Night Engine - I saw this band whilst waiting for another act, they were all right but nothing too special in my eyes.

Half Moon Run - I liked these guys before going and they put on a good performance. I would see them live again for sure.

Parquet Courts - I have these guys début album and their songs really worked live. They got everybody jumping and having a good time. Again I would like to see these guys at a gig of their own.

Kate Nash - She really brought her energy with her for her set. Her songs are super catchy and really worked the crowd great and even got amongst it. 

The Strypes - The set they did, for me was really one of the best of the day. They all are a bunch of show men and I'm a real fan of that kind of music. Can't wait for their CD to come out.

Frank Turner - He was a perfect act for the afternoon sun. I sang along to practically every song. Great voice and personality despite back problems.

Bring Me The Horizon - I didn't plan on seeing these guys and really wish I didn't. It really wasn't my kind of music, way too much screaming and telling people to kill themselves for me.

Green Day - My other favourite for the day (perhaps obviously) they played loads of great songs and even though I was fairly far back I felt like I was part of the front crowd and felt a real connection with the band.

partial sets from:

Temples - Only heard a few songs from these boys, from what I heard they were all right. Considering giving them another listen soon.

MMX - So-so band, I wasn't terribly impressed by them and I don't think I will listen to them again.

On Saturday I saw the full set of:

Eminem - Initially I wasn't planning on seeing Eminem but after chatting with people around my camp site I figured I probably wont really see him again and he is a bit of a legend compared to the other head liners that were on on Saturday. He turned out to be pretty good and I was glad I saw him in the end.

Johnny Marr - I didn't really know what to expect from this guy but again I was surprised and I really enjoyed listening to his music. He is a real talent.

Darwin Deez - He really was a bit of fun. I liked his synchronised dancing with his band mates at intervals between the songs and he really got the crowd dancing with Radar Detector.

Foals - I was a bit disappointed with Foals tbh. I was expecting a really pumped up show but to me it all sounded a bit boring and just all on one sort of flat level. Maybe it was my location in the crowd or something but I didn't really enjoy these guys anywhere near the amount I thought I would.

Palma Violets - I really loved these guys. Great energy and great songs that kept me singing along throughout the set.

Theme Park - I was expecting a pretty standard indie band but I got a way more dancy discoy kind of music which was a surprise but I did end up loving it.

Lucy Rose - This was the second time I have seen her at a festival and she put on a good show again.

Swim Deep - I did like the music they played but they didn't really do anything standout for me.

Childhood - They were pleasant enough but I was not overly fussed with their music.

Drenge - I heard a lot of good things about this 2 piece but the music turned out to be not for me. It was a bit too heavy and like grungy for my liking.

I caught a bit of Tim Burgess who I liked despite not hearing any of his stuff before the show. He was more poppy than I was expecting him to be.

Finally on the Sunday I saw 

Fall Out Boy - These guys were really my headliners of the main stage. Every song they did killed it and for me they can do no wrong.

Editors - I had sort of forgotten how good the Editors songs were until this set. They really made me get back into them and rekindle my love for them.

We Are The In Crowd - I had seen them once before in Birmingham and their kind of Pop Punk really is my style and I enjoyed their set.

Haim - I was looking forward to seeing these girls, they didn't disappoint and it has made me crave their début CD even more.

Tribes - I had their latest album and loved it. They had a great set and I would want to see them live again after that performance.

Dinosaur Pile Up - These guys were the first act of the day that I saw. Good rock music and I also got a free pin badge so I cant complain.

and a bit of

Azelia Banks - Not really my jam but I did sing along with 212 but that's about the best I could say.

Villagers - From what I saw they were pretty good guitarists and singers but I'm not sure how much I'm going to listen to them again.

The Jim Jones Revue - I wanted to watch the whole set but due to unforeseen circumstances I had to leave for the middle section. From what I heard of them, great classic old rock and roll music. Need to get one or more of their Cd's.

Pure Love - A bit too harsh for my delicate ears but the odd song wasn't too bad :)

I had a great time with the ups and downs and below is a selection of pictures from over the weekend.

Catfish The TV show!

I have powered through most of the first season of Catfish the TV show on MTV since seeing the movie and loving it. It really wasn't what I expected. I was thinking it was gonna be like a drama show along the same kind of style as Dexter just without all the murder, but yea a fictional, gritty and dark show like that would be really good but it turned out to be a reality show with the kind of format that has been used on plenty of different shows in the past. Even though it wasn't what I expected, I do enjoy the show and would recommend it to anybody.. 

And thanks to the playlist MTV play alongside the show, I'm currently liking The Barr Brothers (below) after being played Beggar In The Morning on one of the episodes. More channels should showcase what songs are being played during a show. It could help bands to be discovered easier.

Katy Perry & Catfish

Over the past couple of days I have watched the Katy Perry movie Part Of Me and the movie Catfish.

Part Of Me I found semi-interesting. It really showed how much time she is on tour and performing. She really puts her all into her shows and making sure her fans have a good time, but it really is at a detriment to her health and mental well being, you have to have those breaks. The movie logged her touring schedule over the California Dreams tour and it also includes the relationship and breakup between her and Russell Brand. The amount of information you find out about her life present day isn't really a great deal but I was interested to learn about her rise to stardom and in particular her time as a Christian rock musician, also her time struggling to be herself when everyone wanted her to be someone else. I definitely think its one for the fans and I wouldn't waste that time again personally but if the information next time was more personal I would probably enjoy it more.

Catfish was recommended to me by my step mom. Going into it I didn't really know what the movie was about but I was soon lead to believe it was about a young artists rise to fame but boy did that opinion change. After the main person got more involved with the said young girl and her family across Facebook and by phone he got into a relationship with her older sister called Megan. After some time passed the main guy and a couple of his friends decide to visit Megan and her family in person. I won't spoil it for you or anything but if you like really good, interesting modern documentary type things you should watch it. There is also a television show with the same name that I am gonna start watching, hopefully it is as good as the movie.

Currently I am watching The 1975 perform at Lowlands Live festival via YouTube live streaming service. You gotta love YouTube always pushing into new ground.

Back And Forth - Foo Fighters

Just finished watching the movie Back and Forth. Its a movie primarily about the Foo Fighters life up until and including the making of Wasting Light. At the start of the movie there is some history about Nirvana and how Dave Grohl brought Pat Smear from Nirvana to play for the Foo Fighters. I found it interesting how many different versions of the band there has been over the years. There has been a range of different rhythm guitarists and a couple of different drummers, in fact there has only been two people from the original line-up, the lead singer and the bassist. It was pretty cool seeing them recording Wasting Light with Butch Vig producing in Dave Grohl's garage basically. I think this kind of recording shows how much of a normal guy he is and the fact he wanted to record onto tape and have it sound real rather than digitally and have it all manufactured and 'perfect' sounding. There was also moments of real emotion shown from various members of the band, one memorable time being when recounting Taylor's trip to hospital after a particularly hard drug session and it was really up in the air if and how well he would recover. Overall I enjoyed watching the film and after seeing all the live performance footage I would love to see them in concert. I also have a couple more music related films ready to be watched so I hope they are as well made.

Back From Holiday!!

Last night I got back from Cornwall in quite speedy time considering all the fog and crazy drivers. I had a great time relaxing and despite lack of internet and recorded TV shows to watch I managed to keep myself entertained by going to a few nice local towns like Newquay and Falmouth and also over the course of the holiday I managed to completely read Rod Stewart's autobiography from cover to cover and also carry on with reading World War Z. I really liked reading Rod. He has lived quite an exciting life and it was nice to hear about his younger life, his time with The Faces where I found out that some of the members were from The Small Faces which I guess I really should have known, hearing about his love for football and more specifically Scottish football and mostly his love for the women throughout his life. He definitely has been with plenty of ladies and in doing so has built up quite a family. The pictures included in the book are quite nice to see, showing his offspring and also himself through the decades and seeing how his clothing style started and changed through the eras. It really was a brilliant book. 

World War Z is going pretty well, it has taken me quite a while to get into it but I think I am finally there and only have about 20% left of the book. I'm glad I will finish before the film comes out and hopefully it will be as good and as properly laid out as the book is turning out to be. I'm also really looking forward to going back to Cornwall in the next holiday break I get. I will for sure visit Newquay because that place is the best town in my opinion mainly for the shops, but I will also want to visit Falmouth again, Truro and maybe Plymouth maybe? I dunno but we will see when we get down there. :) I figured I will end on a Rod Stewart tune and I have chosen one of his earlier songs. You Wear It Well footage from Top Of The Pops, you can really get a sense of his fashion at the time, Mad!

   

The Wild Boar Acoustic Night!

Last night I went to an acoustic event at The Wild Boar pub in Warwick. I haven't been to one of these before yesterday in what feels like years and I was pleased by the quality of the performers who played. The majority of singers seemed to be females but all the singers had different singing and playing styles which kept things interesting. The singer I liked the most was one of the featured artists of the night, a lady who went by Miss Ellie (https://www.facebook.com/MissEllieMusic). She played a range of her own material and covers. Over the night I can definitely say I preferred listening to songs the singers had written themselves. It just seemed that there was an extra something that was brought out in the playing of the song. Recently I can say I have had enough of listening to people doing covers of pop/top 40 songs on an acoustic guitar and thinking it is totally out there and different, I have heard enough of them and sometimes I just want to listen to a song that was made for acoustic guitar. Overall, it was a good night and next time I would like to stay later and see all of the acts. Great little venue, staff and location were brilliant.

Bruce Springsteen Live at Ricoh Arena Coventry!

Last night I went to see Springsteen with my papa at the Ricoh Arena. This was my first stadium sized show I have been to and let me tell you it was brilliant. Driving there and back was a proper ball ache due to the amount of traffic but once we got inside the venue all was good. It was quite easy to get a decent spot in the crowd and we didn't have to wait too long before the main man came on stage. I was impressed with him not having a support act and doing the whole set which was roughly 3 hours long just himself and the band. He has so much energy, running all over the stage and putting so much effort into singing and guitar playing, it really is amazing. With The E Street Band I was sort of expecting a backing band like The Roots are on Jimmy Fallon's show but I was dead wrong. It was much more of a partnership, those guys are so talented and brilliant musicians and I was particularly impressed with the saxophonist, some of his solos really stood out for me. Another thing I really liked about the show was Bruce's interaction with the audience, either by picking people to come join him on stage or getting handmade signs from audience members he particularly likes, more bands should learn from this guy. On the set list side of things I think he had a decent mix of older tracks and stuff from the new album, there were both songs for me and my dad to sing along to. I can honestly say he kept me excited and pumped up the whole way through compared to some bands in the past where at points my interest wavers. He was easily worth the money paid for a ticket and I would for sure see him again.

1 Year Old

I really wanted to get a post out on the first of may seeing as at that point my blog would have been 1 year old but due to uni deadlines I have been crazy busy and only managed to find the time now.
A few days ago now I went to see Never Shout Never and We Are The In Crowd play at The Institute Birmingham. NSN were on first and played a large handful of songs. It seemed to be over pretty fast as they stopped playing at like 5 past 8. I enjoyed Christopher Drews playing of various different instruments and in doing so, showing what a talented guy he is. Also the random banter that him and his bandmates had was fun to watch. I would like to see them as headliners sometime, I think they would put on a great longer show.

WATIC also were a full of energy group, the female lead I really like and I think I particularly enjoy female vocals with rock music. There is something about it that works really well. As for seeing them again live I don't think I would be that bothered, something about the sound they made was very samey to me that a lot of bands could reproduce. But I still enjoyed it.

To sort of commemorate my year I have purchased the latest Frank Turner album Tape Deck Heart on vinyl which if you remember my first post is the best way to listen to the dude.

Reading Festival

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm gonna talk about the Reading Festival, the line up and what's going to be happening. Obviously there is still a load more acts to be announced but I figured I'll go with what they got so far on the main and NME stages and hope things can only get better than it already is.

I guessed the easiest way to talk through the bill would be day to day so here goes:
Fridays acts that I really don't want to miss on the are Main Stage Green Day and Frank Turner, I've seen New Found Glory before and System Of A Down aint my jam. On the NME Stage I couldn't give a toss about seeing Skrillex, and am not that fussed about A$AP ROCKY, but I wouldn't mind seeing Bastille, Peace and Deap Valley if the mood takes me.

Saturdays acts on main stage that I'm really interested in tbh is Foals and White Lies,. I have a small want to see Eminem but I'm not going crazy for him. But the NME stage have really cracked it on Saturday night. All of the artists playing I'm interested in seeing, especially Jake Bugg and Palma Violets. Both which début albums have packed a punch for me.

Sunday on the main stage, the big names like Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy are a big draw and The Lumineers I also really want to see, after The Civil Wars gig being cancelled made me miss my chance. On the NME stage nothing in particular is interesting me greatly. Possibly Haim but I have seen them before and want to see as many new bands as I can over the weekend. With everyone else I'm not that fussed about.

But on the whole, so far so good, lets keep the acts coming R&L!!