Music In Time

Friday, 15 May 2015

Feature: Panic Island (15/05/15)

Panic Island are a North London songwriting duo, Arron Sans and Vinnie Shimia, met in Spain in 2012, during a show by The Cult and both set out to create a new rock band. Some might consider them a rock version of 'Hurts' but others hear it as a fresh take on alt. rock, bridging the gap between The Killers and QOTSA. Panic Island are now set to release their debut EP 'Cabin Fever' on 18th May (2015).

General Questions:

1. How old were you when you started getting involved in music and how?

A: I have been involved in music for about 10 years now. It wasn't something I had a lot of confidence in doing before although I always dreamed of it since I was a little kid.

V: I have been playing the guitar since I was 13, like Arron, I wanted to play since as far back as I can remember.

2. What is the most inspiring gig/concert/festival you've been to?

A: For us as a band, it would have to be The Cult gig where we met, they played La Riviera in Madrid, I remember screaming along to Fire Woman and this guy with wicked hair just sings along with me, it was one of those 'bro' moments! Haha

V: Most inspiring gig has been Aerosmith in 2006. It gave me that real, in your face, feeling of how huge a band can be, and that undeniable feeling that Steven Tyler is as much in his element as a frontman can be.

First time I went to Download Festival was also quite inspiring. It was quite surreal seeing that mass of people gathered there to listen to good rock music. It felt like a union of good-hearted rockers enjoying some of the best music of previous and current generations.

A: I remember going to see a band at a pokey little venue in Bournemouth once. It was just when I joined my first ever band. They were called My Red Cell, it was a really cracking gig! The crowd was intense. The front man was a bit crazy, had that look in his eye. They were like a punk ACDC meets White Stripes. They gave me a signed copy of the album after the show!

3. Who have you been listening to lately?

V: Royal Blood obviously caught my attention. I'm quite addicted to insane guitarist Guthrie Govan. Tame Impala as well. And I've been listening quite a bit of Wolf Alice, oddly enough.

A: I heard an amazing song by an artist called Scarlet Billham, she opened a gig with this track called 'Escape Route', I haven't heard a great pop song like that for a long time. Other than that I've been swatting up on Iggy Pop and Royal Blood too, looking forward to seeing them play Wembley Stadium this summer.

3 Questions for Panic Island:

1. Why/how did your name 'Panic Island' come about?

V: We wanted something that would reflect who we are. It represents this place within us and the energy we have.

A: Yeah, it's like the driving force of who we are. It shows the intensity of where our creativity comes from.

2. If you could only listen to three album for the rest of the year, what would they be?

A: Ouch! Why do people choose these questions? It's the most painful thing to answer...

V: Cheers! How about we ask you to pick which arm you have to have cut off? Haha!

3. What song from your EP 'Cabin Fever' did you most enjoy creating and why?

V: I think 'We Start Fires' holds a special place in my heart. It was the first song myself and Arron wrote together and I clearly remember our main goal with it was to make the most banging chorus we could possibly make. Do you think we managed to achieve that? (MIT: definitely achieved!)

A: It's a hard one for me this, we had a great time recording at Tipler's studio, so all the recordings were special, but writing them... I think 'Temples' was one that just made me think, 'this has everything' you know? As a song, drama, melody, honks, passion, pain...

Random Q:

Where in the world would you most like to visit and why?

A: Well, Vinnie being a Brazilian and having never gone there myself, I'd have to say Brazil. But I would really like to go to Iceland and see the northern lights. And visit I would love to visit Japan for the cultural differences and the sushi!

V: Arron always says he's a northerner, was born in York. He says it's nice there, so I'm intrigued, but he can talk a lot of shit, so I don't know... Is it nice there? Haha! To be honest though, there isn't one place. As with music, different places would bring different feelings and perspectives. A road trip through America is definitely in the plans though.

'Cabin Fever' EP Review:

The EP opens with 'We Start Fires', with a steady beat, growing guitars and vocals layering up the intro blends nicely into the rest of the song. If you saw this song live you'd be clapping along, then dancing hard and singing along to the chorus. 'Temples' comes next, the songs blend nicely into each other, allowing a 'Panic Island' sound to be created. Again, it's got a catchy melody and everything about it shouts 'brilliant live music' with this specific track especially. Finishing the EP off with 'City Screams', yet another brilliant track. Overall this EP has everything a great rock EP needs, gritty guitars, strong beats and shout able lyrics sung with great vocals.

Temples - Panic Island (link)

Panic Island's Links:

Cabin Fever (Bandcamp): http://panicisland.bandcamp.com/album/cabin-fever

Website: http://www.panicisland.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PanicIsland

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PanicIsland

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/panicisland

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCEDYis2Wev7L3Pe4rGwO1w

Check It Out!

Chart: Hallelujah - Panic! at the Disco
'Hallelujah' is the latest single from American pop rock band, Panic! at the Disco. It was released on 19th April (2015) through Fueled By Ramen and comes from their forthcoming fifth studio album. The track became the band's second Top 40 single and the first since 2006 when 'I Write Sins, Not Tragedies' hit the charts and became a tune! (Yeah, how was that nearly 10 years ago already?)

Live Performance: Vultures - The Ramona Flowers
Here is a live version of 'Vultures' by English 'indie' rock band, The Ramona Flowers. The band who met a university have grown over the past few years, releasing their album 'Dismantle and Rebuild' last year, as well as supporting Bastille, Bombay Bicycle Club and Alt-J on tour. Anyway, have a listen to their second single 'Vultures' and enjoy!

Vultures - The Ramona Flowers (link)

Cover: Believe - Nothing But Thieves
English band, Nothing But Thieves, cover Mumford and Sons' 'Believe'. Nothing But Thieves comprise of Conor, Joe, Dom, Price and Phil, from Southend comes a brilliant band building their way to the top. Their talent is highlighted in this cover for Radio 1 Live Lounge of 'Believe' the first single from Mumford's recently released third studio album 'Wilder Minds'.

Believe - Nothing But Thieves (link)

Classic: The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King
'The King of Blues', B.B. King passed away in his sleep aged 89. There is no question that he inspired many musicians, especially guitarists from all genres of music, across the world. King was once ranked the third greatest guitarist of all time and was also inducted into both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fusing jazz and blues on his beloved guitar, 'Lucille', the thrill may be gone but his memory and music will continue to shine.

The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King (link)

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Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Feature: The White Raven (12/05/15)

Swedish based band, The White Raven, have recently released their single ‘Keep’ whilst working on their forthcoming debut album. After releasing two critically acclaimed singles last year, ‘Headlights’ and ‘Hold On Light Up’. Their latest single has followed in the same manner after recording in some of Europe’s best recording studios they decided to return to their own studio to finalise new single ‘Keep’ which is now creating excitement around their debut album.

General Questions:

1. How old were you when you started getting involved and how?

I remember I was about seven or eight when I started singing in the mandatory choir of my school. But I didn’t “get serious” about it until I was 14 and I immediately started a band as soon as I learned(ish) to play the guitar.

2. What is the most inspiring gig/concert/festival you’ve been to?

I saw Band of Horses in 2011 in Malmö. I had listened to their album all of that summer and I was amazed by how they translated the studio album onto the stage. I loved it; their presence and sound and everything.

3. Who have you been listening to lately?

Lately, it has been a lot of The National in general, their album High Violet specifically. Cannot get enough of it.

3 Questions for The White Raven:

1. Who influences you musically and what inspires you lyrically?

Musically, I have to say that a lot of different things inspire. Could be a sound from a pedal effect I’ve found, could be a song I heard a year ago and then forgot.

In general everything could inspire to music, I remember I once wrote a song based on the beat form the washing machine in my old basement. I don’t remember it being any good, it did inspire.

2. Why did you decide to return to your own studio, to finalise your single ‘Keep’, and do you think you’ll now stay recording there for future releases, if so why?

The main reason in the beginning was actually that we wanted to record as soon as possible and we couldn’t book a studio at a soon enough date. Bu the idea to record something in our own studio had tickled in the back of our minds for quite a while.

It’s easier to spread out the time in our own studio. We are not bound to just a few days for a song; in fact ‘Keep’ took about two weeks all in all before everything was recorded. And it gave us more time and less stress to attend to the details in every part of the recording. And it’s fun to spend weeks in the studio, let’s not forget that.

We are proud of the results and we will record here again. I’m not saying we’ll never go to a big studio again, on the contrary, we hope to book one soon. But we’ll record in our own studio for a little while.

3. What process did you go through creating ‘Keep’ musically and visually?

Keep was written in a few different sessions. We wrote some parts of it during a spontaneous jam session in our rehearsing studio. I think we were preparing for a show last summer.

We all liked it, so we recorded it on someone’s phone. Maybe a week later we started to record a demo. I remember specifically that we added the into and outro after the first draft was recorded.

We played it together, getting the parts and details right. Then we recorded another demo to listen to the new stuff.

I then changed the lyrics, we all changed some details on the instruments and after we had recorded the changes, we send the demo to the label boss man, Billy. He liked it and after he’d listened to it about two times he called me and we decided to record it.

The video was planned together with two friends of ours, Robin Jansson and Kristoffer Granath. They had both done visual work with us before, Robin has filmed all our video work and Kristoffer has photographed us a few times. We like their ways of looking at things and we wanted them to join creative minds with us and make a video that was different form the ones we had already made.

They both came up with an idea each and we basically smashed them together with the vision we had. The results came to be Kristoffer’s interesting view of the world combined with Robin’s beautiful camera skills and our sort of crazy “how-is-this-even-done” type idea.

It took about three days filming; one day to film us playing, one to film the background view and then one to shoot the projections on the boxes and the back wall.

Random Q:

Favourite type of year and why? *meant to be favourite time of year*

Well that is an odd question. I guess I’d say a year where we’ll play a lot and record a lot and meet as many fans as possible and at the same time write amazing new music. Is that a fair answer? (MIT: yes definitely, yes!)

'Keep' Review:

When this song appeared in my inbox, I had a listen and honestly fell in love with it instantly. Bordering the styles of Bon Iver and Mountain Bird to create a perfect unique sound. The lyrics are emotive and honest highlighted by the vocals and guitars, backed with percussion and all the other layers that make this such a brilliant song. (Definitely in my Top 10 songs of this year, and we're not even half way through it yet). Cannot wait for a debut album from these guys. My words will never come close to giving these guys music the credit it deserves, so have a listen and let the music do its magic.

Keep - The White Raven (link)

The White Raven's Links:

'Keep' (iTunes): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/keep/id967344223

Website: http://thewhiteravenband.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhiteravenband

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wearetwr

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Enquiries: musicintimeblog@gmail.com

Friday, 8 May 2015

Feature: Man & The Echo (08/05/15)

Gaz Roberts, Joe Forshaw, Joey Bennett and Chris Gallagher make up Man & The Echo, a band from the North West of England. They signed to A&R man Jamed Endacott's rejuvenated 1965 label in November 2014 and have been in recording sessions with Jan 'Stan' Kybert, a long time Paul Weller collaborator. Having recently released their debut single 'Honeysucker' via digital release and limited edition vinyl, the band also have a string of upcoming live shows, including an appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival.

General Questions:

1. How old were you when you started getting involved in music and how?
Gaz: I've been playing instruments since I was really young. My Dad is a guitarist and my Granddad was a good singer so I grew up in quite a musical environment. I started doing little gigs and making demos when I was a teenager, I can't really remember a time when I wasn't making music.

Fush: I got my first guitar when I was 16, I had injured my ankle playing football and needed something to pass the time. As soon as I picked it up it felt natural, I asked my mate to teach me a couple of basic chords and I basically haven't stopped playing since.

Joe: I was 13 when I started getting involved with music. I took up learning the drums after my Dad got me interested in music, I wanted to learn the drums because my high school provided lessons and it was different to everyone learning guitar, and I took to learning the drums better.

2. What is the most inspiring gig/concert/festival you've been to?
Fush: Me and Gaz saw Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy) at Manchester Academy a few years back. It was inspiring to see how just one man on a stage with a piano and guitar could captivate an audience from start to finish.

Gaz: Probably one of the first Morrissey gigs I went to. It wasn't so much the performance as the effect he had on his audience. People are just drawn to him, just thrilled to be in his presence. I think it's probably to do with how authentic he is and how rich and identifiable his range of influence is. In The Smiths and his solo work you can hear the glam of the New York Dolls and T-Rex alongside the water lapping up against the side of the ferry in A Taste of Honey.

Joe: I don't know what the most influential gig I have been to is, but I was very impressed when I saw Paul Weller. I was amazed by the amount of energy and passion he and the band had on stage. When I was younger I managed to watch Babyshambles at the Ritz in Manchester which had an influence on my music upbringing.

3. Who have you been listening to lately?
Gaz: I've been listening to a lot of Jazz lately, Fela Kuti and stuff. We're writing a lot for our album at the moment and I try not to listen to stuff that is similar to us when I'm writing so I don't end up just nicking stuff.

Fush: I've just bought a Brazilian compilation from Soul Jazz called 'Topicalia' that's pretty much been playing non-stop at home. I'm also listening to Talking Heads, The Beta Band and Orange Juice. A couple of new bands I like are Blossoms and H.Hawkline.

Joe: Lately, I have been listening to the Black Keys especially the 'Brothers' album. I really liked the production on it, it was recorded using analogue equipment and recorded using old techniques. Also a lot of Frank Sinatra.

3 Questions for Man & The Echo:

1. As you’re releasing your debut single on limited edition 7” vinyl (as well as a digital release), what are your thoughts on the big vinyl comeback?

Fush: It’s great to see people are buying vinyl again. Don’t get me wrong I love the convenience of an iPod, but there really is no substitute for owning the physical product. Not only is the sound much better but I find that when you play a vinyl you actually give it your full attention, which you tend not to do if you are jogging or whatever. Record Store Day has become a major event which is great, and the emergence of the vinyl chart is a good thing. We need less café’s and more record shops!

Joe: I love Vinyl so for us to release on Vinyl is great. You can't beat putting on a vinyl and hearing that warm tone, the crackles you get. I love how Vinyl is making a comeback, with MP3 you just download it on your phone or laptop and maybe listen to it whilst on the go or having a shower, where as Vinyl you have to sit down and really take in the music, appreciate what has gone into making the music, taking in the production and effort that has been put in.

Gaz: I don’t really know, I’ve been hearing about a vinyl comeback for about ten years. I think a certain type of music lover (and I would include myself in that) is bound to prefer vinyl to a digital format because it sounds better and you have a proper sense of ownership of your records. Plus there’s the aesthetic aspect, slipping the record out of the sleeve, dropping the needle on it, looking at the artwork and reading the notes: all that is as much a part of listening to an album as the noise it makes. I’m not some vinyl head snob though, I download music as well. But I think in terms of a revival, vinyl is never going to be the number one format of choice for most people, but it will always be there for the dedicated listener.

2. Was there something specific that prompted you to write ‘Honeysucker’, if so, what was it and if not, what in general inspired it?
Gaz: Well Fush (bass player) prompted me to write the words when he came up with such a brilliant bass riff. I was thinking about how a lot of pop music has a kind of “nothing’s gonna bring me down when the sun’s shining and I can afford a sandwich” kind of message. Which I find incredibly annoying because the terrible things that are happening all over the world frequently upset me, as they should everyone. The song’s sort of saying “I’m not gonna walk around smiling my head off when we live under a corrupt government full of private schoolboys who are persecuting the most vulnerable people in society whilst letting massive corporations get off without paying their taxes.”

3. What process did you go through creating the music video for 'Honeysucker', how did you choose who to include?

Gaz: I think our manager suggested a lyric video and we didn’t want it to look naff, so we just did a bit of research, found a load of footage and then sent it to someone who knows how to edit stuff together. We were really pleased with the outcome.

Random Q:

If you could invite any three people to one of your gigs, who would it be and why?
Joe: Ringo Starr- He’s a big influence on my playing and how I listen to drums, plus he was in the Beatles!

Phil Spector- My all time favourite producer, would love to meet him although he might be mental, it would be very interesting evening.

And lastly it would be Benny Benjamin, who was the drummer for the funk brothers, who were the Motown house band. He had an amazing Groove and Rhythm which created that whole Motown sound and Feel.

Gaz: I don’t really know. I don’t want to invite three people who don’t know each other ‘cos I’d be flitting between them all night making sure they’re all having a good time. So three people who come as a three would be ideal. I’d invite Supergrass, they seem nice.

'Honeysucker' Review:

This being their debut single makes the future bright for these guys. It's a stand out song musically and lyrically, a brilliant concept created and continued. A perfect toe-tapping track, and shout-along song, this one would fit into their live set brilliantly, ah imagine the atmosphere! It's definitely worth a listen (and a few replays!) I love it!