The Heavy at the Rainbow

After a short break from performing due to me moving house and not having a place to practice for a little while I was given the opportunity by the fine folks at the 444 Club to support an amazing band at the renowned Rainbow in Digbeth Birmingham. ¬†I can tell you now I couldn’t have wished for a better gig to get back into the swing of things. I took my time putting my set together to compliment the headliners,¬†I bust a gut to sell tickets,¬†I turned up nice and early ¬†and it all paid dividends.

I was up first, I started with a new instrumental intro I’ve cooked up called Patchy, I didn’t know what to expect from this as it was it’s first live outing but it went over really well. The rest of the set went smoothly and I can’t give sound guy Jimmy Forster enough credit because people complimented me on the sound afterwards and I’m adamant he’s to blame. Next up were ska/indie/punk powerhouses At The Zoo these guys are amazing, they play upbeat fast paced tunes that are so catchy they’re borderline infectious. In fact they’ve just released some tracks on iTunes on an e.p called Nouveau Popular click this link and it can be yours for a very nominal fee but remember just because it isn’t expensive doesn’t make it cheap, this shit’s legit!

And now to our headliners. The Heavy are a hard act to describe, imagine one part James Brown, one part Curtis Mayfield, one part The Specials with the riffs of Rage Against The Machine and you’d be confused but you’d be close. I can honestly say hands down the best gig I’ve seen in Brum for a long time. The front man Swaby absolutely ruled the crowd with the band playing music that can only be described as tighter than a tight thing on a tight day. The whole night was perfect, the sound was good, the crowd were great, the music was awesome and I have well and truly got the buzz on for playing gigs.

Jumble-Jam/The Yard Bird

The Jumble Jam was an event put together by U.K hip hop group Unfriendly Neighbours, I’ve played a few shows with these guys and it’s always fun but I was curious to see what a gig at a bigger venue with a more eclectic line up would bring. I was up first, I’ve played the Assembly Rooms on umpteen times in the last year and a half and it’s given me mixed results. With my set up there’s so much that could go wrong, but I’ve¬† put a lot of time into fine tuning the levels of each song and it paid off, hands down the best sound check I’ve ever had at that venue and a good set on the night. Next up was Carousel Circus, these guys are good friends of mine and I’m really happy to say that after some setbacks earlier in this year they’re back on form and firing on all cylinders. Last up were the masters of ceremony The Unfriendly Neighbours, they played well using their resident beat-boxer Debo to add variation as well as some very heavy produced beats but by far the most entertaining element of thier set was when they were accompanied by Carousel Circus for a few tracks, it just added so much more energy.

The very next evening I found myself getting ready to play the Yard Bird in the center of Birmingham. I’ve walked past this place so many times and caught a glimpse of what went on in there and always promised myself “One day I’m gonna play that place” I was sharing the bill with an amazing acoustic performer by the name of Jake Morgan and the indie blues funk outfit Anyone For Shark?

Jake Morgan was a real breath of fresh air, imagine Johnny Cash mixed with Dillon and a little bit of Iron and Wine and you’d be getting close. Very well played.

Anyone For Shark were awesome! a healthy mix of blues, funk and rock n roll with some truly edgy vocals, I thoroughly enjoyed them and they were a fine bunch of lads to prop the bar up with too.

I have to say a massive thank you to Laura Rowson who payed me the most massive of compliments by coming to see me play at the Yard Bird after having seen me support De La Soul in June. Made me feel really good about what I’m doing. That said I must also thank Ms Daniels, Geo and Thom for coming out to see me play this one as they have done many times before.

JUMBLE-JAM

Everybody likes jam, but with so many varieties out there it can be hard to decide on just one flavour. If only there was something out there that contained all of your favourite ingredients blended together in just the right way. On August 1st you will be able to sample just such a product at Tamworth Assembly Rooms. It contains one part rock n roll in the form of Carousel Circus and one part Hip Hop courtesy of Unfriendly Neighbours and pinch of random funky goodness from Smileymic. Not only does it provide an eclectic taste of musical goodness that puts a smile on your face and a bop in your step but it has also been clinically proven to release endorphins, lower cholesterol, improve digestive transit and speed up your metabolism. Ladies and Gentlemen come on down and sample some JUMBLE-JAM

Say DE LA DE LA DE LA!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever had one of those moments where have to ask your self how the hell did I end up here, doing this? Well that’s pretty much what I was thinking on Wednesday night as I was sat outside Tammy Wynettes silver trailer in the artist backstage area at The Leamington Assembly with Pos, Dave and Maseo sat chilling a mere 3 feet away.

This was by far my biggest gig to date, as the afternoon unfolded I wasn’t feeling anything out of the ordinary. If anything I had a mild case of “let me at em!!!” but other than that I wasn’t feeling nervous. That changed the second I went out on stage to last minute check and saw the two level hall absolutely packed with 900+ people. My heart started racing! I had to have a quiet word with myself, “Stop flapping and just f*$¬£ing do it!”¬†

So I stepped out on stage and some loyal Smiley followers made some noise for me and I triggered my signature attention grabbing intro and off I went. The second I finished Smiley-skit the crowd let me know they were on my side and it was a relief! I played my new song “Crunch” and messed up the first loop but I only noticed after I added the second and third. I tried to play the chords in a way to cover it up but it wasn’t happening. My internal dialogue was ticking over “What are you gonna do?, this is very obviously not going right, errrrrrrrr?”

Stopping a song once your a good 45 seconds in is something you’re not supposed to do but I couldn’t think of any other way of handling it. ” I’m sorry but this is the biggest F%$¬£ing gig of my life and if I’m gonna play this I’m gonna do it properly, is that cool with you” I asked the crowd and they let me know in abundance that I’d made the right call. I finished the set with Rappers Delight (it only seemed right) and thanked the crowd for being an outstanding audience and I was off. I proceeded to dance my ass off with my friends to one of the best live hip hop sets I’ve ever seen.

I later found myself posing for the photo you see above, completely perplexed at how I arrived there doing that.

There are some people who have helped me along the way in my musical career and as this was my biggest gig to date I think this is the best time to thank all of them. Sara you are the most patient and supportive girl I have ever known. John Mostyn and Claire Burgess at C.I.D Music. Dave Smith for sorting my website and printing out. Kris Halpin for being an amazing producer and even better mate. Colin Brown, Ian Clarke, Jim Warrior, Tompz and Baldy you have all given me much appreciated musical input and advice and I’m a better performer because of it. Dephect clothing for flowing me cool t shirts to perform in, Skullcandy for flowing me headphones for playing live with and finally my friends and followers who came to support me at this show or any other gig for that matter, it means the world to me that you’re there cheering me on.

I really can’t believe I’m typing this but on the 10th of June, I will be opening for hip hop legends DE LA SOUL at the Leamington Assembly!!!! This was a combination of right place right time and the other age old cliche “It’s not what you know but who you know” coming into play. I was literally bouncing off the walls when I found out I got this. I am gonna practice my ass off for this one. ¬†Get your tickets here

The Hare & Hounds

 

On the 20th of May I made my way into Birmingham and over to Kings Heath to the Hare & Hounds to Support Son of Dave. This is one of the best live venues in the city and has played host to some very well known acts. I’ve wanted to play there for a long time, so to be asked to play there supporting someone like Son of Dave was a big break. Sound check went well and just as it finished people started to gather outside and took a second to get a bite to eat. There’s a chip shop just opposite the Hare & Hounds do yourself a favour….avoid it!

I really wasn’t sure how well I’d go down with the crowd, which was made up of a peculiar mix of old school blues fans and the younger crowd you’d expect to see at a Birmingham show. They were great! I played my new song “Crunch” ¬†and kept the rest of the set more instrument based rather than play beaty stuff and everyone seemed to dig it. Son of Dave was a real showman, creating¬†weirdly¬†recognisable settings, painting audio landscapes using his looper and making sound effects in a beat box style. It was interesting to see another one man band work in a different way.

Just like old times…

So it’s been a long time since me and producer Kris Halpin have managed to hook up and get some work done in the studio. Since we last worked together Kris has joined the team at Unit 58 recording studios which has given us access to a lovely collection of microphones and audio units to make the guitar and the beats sound very, very good.

Considering it’s been months since we last worked on a track I had expected it might take us longer to find our flow but here we are 4 hours in and all of the loops for a track called 5:00 AM are recorded. As soon as my throat is better I can lay down the vocals and then Mr Halpin can start tweaking each loop to make the whole track sparkle.¬†

This afternoon has not only been really productive but a lot of fun, if things keep going this well then recording is going to be a very painless process.

I’m supporting Son of Dave!

I’ve been asked to support Son of Dave on the 20th of May at the Hare & Hounds. I’m really excited about this one as when I was asked to do the gig my first thought was ” I’ve heard of him…” It’s ¬£9.00 on the door but if you click here and confirm your attendance on this facebook event then you’ll be able to get in for ¬£6.00.

 

Been up to much?

The last two weeks have flown by and for the most part they’ve been alot of fun. So on the 24th of April I played the Live & Free event at The Adam & Eve in Digbeth organised by Mr Elephant. It was the first gig for me in a run of three shows in five days and ¬†I could not have asked for a better start, the crowd were really receptive, levels were the best they’ve been so far and some set up tweaking gave me more volume. I got loads of good feedback from people in the venue and other acts. After some choice DJing from Marc Reck came¬†Playing Django¬†who are a sharply dressed 5 piece jazz band who play up-beat yet mellow music that really is something to behold. ¬†The final group to play was Munchbreak. Now I’d heard of these guys but hadn’t heard their stuff or seen them play, I knew as soon as I witnessed the sound check (and participated in it) that I was going to see something good. Imagine a dish made up of ¬†one part DJ Format one part Jurassic 5 three parts The Roots for added funk with a large smattering of brummie bravado. They tore the place apart with their blend of live funk and scratching. I really hope I get to play with these guys again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The night was capped off by Marc Reck playing some up-beat reggae and ska and a little bit of last chance to dance funk. I love playing gigs with Marc he’s an amazing DJ and a positive person I look forward to playing with again.

The next gig on the 26th saw me play a set at The Waterfront in Dosthill. This was a private party that saw some alcohol induced carnage on the crowds part. I played the same set and it went just as well as the gig on Friday. We all danced and marveled at the level of intoxication reached by a chosen few.

The last gig in this stint was the Now 15 event at Tamworth Snowdome. This was the 15th Aniversary bash for the slope and it absolutely went off. The riders all wore 90’s style outfits and prizes were given out for old school styled tricks. ¬†Everyone piled into the bar at half time and I played a slightly altered set that went down well. This time however I had some help to get the crowd going in The Trinity Warriors breakdance crew. These guys are amazing and hopefully I’ll get to work with them again soon…Watch this space.

I’ve had an absolute blast this last week or so, I’m enthused and ready to get back to work. Next week I should be heading back into the studio with Kris Halpin and will be making a start with some new video stuff to put out online. ¬†I’m gonna try my best to keep the momentum going.

Quite simply buzzin!!!

I’m feeling good, I mean really good, HEY EVERYONE COME HEAR HOW GOOD I FEEL!!! Ok so as you might expect trying to forge something that resembles a music career has its ups and its downs. Just recently the latter have been ganging up on me and calling me names and making me question what it is I’m trying to do. That is until this week. This week I’ve been playing around with my set up and in doing so I’ve come to understand how to make it do exactly what I need it to do. I’ve been jamming on new numbers and old dancing around my bedroom like a loon whilst doing so and getting myself really excited about the gigs I’ve got lined up over the next few days. I might have got it all wrong, it might go tits up but right now I don’t care. Whatever happens happens and right now I’m looking forward to it happening!!!!