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Rockin For The Children Festival 2017

NLC & ORANGE Amplifiers Rockin For The Children Festival 2017-05-06

The Maze, Nottingham, Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th April

 

As the dust settles on the 7th NLC Festival it is time to look back and try and remember what actually happened, every year gets bigger, more insane, more fun and it takes things further than I could have ever imagined back in 2011.

Arriving at the venue Saturday morning knowing myself and Kieran (Son and Stage Manager) had the full back line to set up and stage to dress in under 2 hours certainly filled me with dread, I’m not getting any younger you know, oh and Orange Amps are so well made (read, heavy LOL). We had decided this year to make the stage huge so not only did we have 3 Cabs and 3 Heads for guitars we also added dummy cabs plus a 8 x10 bass cab and head, it looked awesome with our Bright Orange drums sat neatly in between, we knew that bands would love it. Set up and first Band sound checked in plenty of time, first mission of the weekend accomplished.

Saturday we had 11 bands lined up including our after show party Band The NLC All Stars who had the one rehearsal booked for during that day, at least they did one this year.. It would take too much to go into every bands set so let’s just say each and every one were on fire delivering set after set of awesome Rock n Roll that kept a packed Sold Out venue Dancing and Rocking for 9+ hours solid, thank God the Venue had fitted Air Con this year, it was needed. It was a day when smiles and laughter filled the Venue, when the crowd mixed with bands and met old friends. Many Bands came for the whole weekend which is amazing and became part of the whole event. Saturday finished with a huge party and a little late but hey we won’t talk about that, It was home with aching limbs and the thought of 6 hours sleep before we had to go again.

Sunday is Party Day at NLC fest, a day when everyone knows things are going to get louder, faster, hotter and just a damn fun day, with 11 bands once again ready to give 150% we were off on time and a packed room at 1pm, the room never went quiet all day or evening and again the bands were Electric, creating an atmosphere that I had never seen before at the past events, there was something very very special in the air that I wish I could bottle and sell. There was a lot of emotion around, good emotions as we knew something good was happening and that records for our fundraising were going to be made, oh and The Venue Bar takings that is another story.

As the final band The Main Grains played their set it was time to gather flight cases ready to dismantle what had been an outstanding back line, with more bands using the Orange Rock Verbs than ever before, it had certainly delivered on all fronts and made a lot of new fans. Stood looking at those cases it was like being at a Major gig at a huge venue, a pretty proud moment. 30 minutes and the stage was clear, the supporters were in the Bar and 2017 had been brought to an amazing close.

This Festival is run to raise awareness and funds for Child Abuse and Autistic Children via our very own project NLC for Autistic Children and Rock Against Child Pornography and Abuse UK, every band that plays does so freely and give up their travel costs to be with us, these guys are the Rock that builds this platform so we can do what we do each year along with our supporters who come back to party each year.

We knew that funding records would fall but by how much I could never have dreamed, the total that was raised was a huge £6000 which smashed the previous year by two grand. This will now go to help Abused Children and the fight against child abuse and also to help Autistic children have a better education via I Pads etc and to also help them be able to enjoy life as equals in a safe environment.

A huge thank you must go to Neil at Orange Amplifiers for believing in what we do and letting us put the Orange name out there and also to Richard at STS Touring for their brilliant service with delivery and collection of the back line.

Bands that played:-

Saturday : Fear Lies, Saints of Arcadia, Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters, Daylight Robbery, Chasing Dragons, Doomsday Outlaw, Thirteen Stars, Fireroad, Knock Out Kaine, Stone Broken, The NLC All Stars

Sunday: Black Rose Cadillac, Scream of Sirens, Blacklist Saints, Psychobabylon, Heartbreak Remedy, The Midnight Dogs, Theia, The Senton Bombs, The Idol Dead, Drama Club rejects, The Main Grains.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1510080792585097/

coming soon: www.nlcfestival.com

Charity : www.racpa.org

At the time of writing this one week on from the close of 2017 we are now 65% Sold Out for 2018, things just keep getting crazier …

 

Dave T

 

Thanks to Steve Russ for the videos.

 

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Desertfest London – Day 3

Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters

Sunday, the grand finale! As I arrived in Camden, I met up with the guys from Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters as my hair braiding services had been requested before their show at The Black Heart later in the evening. We sat camp at The Blues Kitchen, they cracked open their flight case of make up, and we got going. Three grown in tie dye men having their hair done while applying layers of corpse paint, at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. A sight for sore eyes, to say the least.

Elephant Tree

As I finished my duties in the beauty department, I ventured over to the Underworld for Elephant Tree. This was the third time I’ve seen them, and they continue to blow me away. They sounded absolutely immense, and the Underworld was the perfect fit for them – their heavy sound bouncing off the walls in the underground bunker. As they finisher their set, we headed back out into the daylight, and across camden for Saint Vitus at the Roundhouse. Sadly, Saint Vitus were a bit of a let down after Elephant Tree, so again, fucking well done Elephant Tree!

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Saint Vitus finished, and it was back to the Underworld, which has pretty much been my home away from home over the weekend, for Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs. The New Castle band with the band name that puts your tongue in a twist. And again, yet another band that killed it at the Underworld! They’re great on record but that still doesn’t do them justice at all as they’re absolutely mind-blowing live.

As Pigs x 7 ended, it was getting late and time for me to face my inner demons – would I go see Sleep at the Roundhouse, or Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters at the Black Heart, followed by Samsara Blues Experiment at Underworld? I went with Chubby and Samsara, and god damn I’m glad I did! Chubby was a big ol’ sweaty mess of riffs, tie dye, corpse paint, cowbells and bubbles, and just one big party – and Samsara? Well, they were sensational.

Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters

Samsara Blues Experiment

So – if I were to summarize this weekend, I’ll have to say it’s the most fun I’ve had in a very long time. The line up was absolutely sensational, and I’m currently suffering from severe post Desertfest blues. Roll up Desertfest London 2018 – it’s only a year away, but who’s counting?

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Desertfest London – Day 2

The Groundhogs

Ah, day two of Desertfest! As mentioned in my previous post, I started day two on a staggering hangover, but managed to make my way to Electric Ballroom to catch The Groundhogs at 2.30 – there was no way in hell I was gonna admit defeat and miss out on THE Groundhogs, who’s 1970 album ‘Thank Christ for the Bomb’ has been on repeat for the last couple of months. The Groundhogs came, played, and did not let me down – they pretty much tore shit up and blew me away! Musically I reckon they’re proabably one of the best acts at the entire festival, and it baffles me that they were on so early as they’re a pretty damn hard act to follow.

Post Groundhogs, we ventured the The Black Heart to catch some of Iron Witch, before having a three hour long sit-down and beer break while waiting for Turbonegro. As a Norwegian, I think of Turbonegro as a national treasure – I’m raised on their denim death punk, and until last night, I had not seen them since 2007, let alone with Tony Sylvester fronting them. Having a frontman replaced can be scary, heartbreaking and gut wrenching, and I wasn’t sure what to expect as Hank left pretty big boots to fill… All of my fears, worries and concerns, disappeared in the split second Tony strutted out on stage in his tight, cropped sleevless tee, combined with some outrageously tight denim cutoffs, a hat, and his trade mark make up. It was, in a way, the campest and most masculine thing I had ever seen, all at once. They’re a party band of a different dimension, and they were fucking sick. I left the venue sweaty and stoked in my newly acquired Turbonegro ‘Taste it & Get Wasted’ t-shirt that I will live my life by and wear like a badge of honour til my dying day. Also totally applying to join Turbojugend, asking myself why I haven’t done so years ago.

Turbonegro

After Turbonegro I made a half hearted attempt of queuing to get into The Black Heart afterparty, but decided to call it a day so I’d wake up fresh and fine for the grand finale. Not one from learning of my mistakes, but as I’m sat here feeling fresh AF, well rested and rejuvenated, I’m feeling pretty good about myself and ready to take on the day.

The Black Heart //  2.45pm – 3.30pm – Venomous Maximus
Underworld // 3.30pm – 4.15pm – Elephant Tree
Roundhouse // 4.45pm – 5.45pm – Saint Vitus
Underworld // 6.30pm – 7.30pm – Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
The Black Heart // 8.30pm – 9.15pm – Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters
Roundhouse // 9.15pm – 10.45pm – Sleep
Underworld // 10.30pm – 11.30pm – Samsara Blues Experiment

I have my heart set on seeing all of the bands above, but am coming to terms with the fact that I’m gonna have a nervous breakdown at around 8.45, trying to fit in Chubby Thunderous, Sleep and Samsara. Shit.

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Desertfest London – Day 1

The Well

The first day of Desertfest is done and dusted, and I’m about to look into ‘Creative writing for dummies’ as I’ve had about 3 hours of sleep and am currently recovering from five thousand pints – but hey, that’s ok, because yesterday was pretty amazing – well worth it.

As planned, I started the festival checking out Texas three piece The Well at the Underworld, and they did not did not let me down – quite the contrary, they were god damn great! They set the bar for the whole shebang really high, and I reckon they’ll be one of the highlights of the festival. Left Underworld to find a bunch of familiar faces drinking outside The Black Heart – big Ben Ward from Orange Goblin, Daniel from RidingEasy Records, Leigh from Riff Rock Records and Jimi from RIDDLES. Stayed for a bit, until I had to rush off to Electric Ballroom to catch 1000mods. They were also pretty rad, and as they finished their set I ventured back to The Underworld for Vodun to find front woman Chantal Brown working her magic like a witch doctor and Zel setting fire to her cymbals.

The Well

Then – Lowrider. Who despite having not released anything since their debut album ‘Ode to IO’ in 2000, managed to pack out Electric Ballroom, and for good reason. They were absolutely brilliant, and at this point I decided it was time to venture into the pit. Got knocked over, picked back up, and decided it was time to leave the pit. Last gig of the night was Slo Burn, before heading over to Black Heart for bad decisions and more beer.

As I write, there’s a mere three hours until things kick off again, and I’m in for yet another day of sick bands. Have not figured out time travel yet, but if I do, these are the guys that’ll please my ears today;

Underworld // 1.15pm – 2pm – Sonic Gypsy
The Black Heart // 1.45pm – 2.15pm – Samavayo
Electric Ballroom // 2.30pm – 3.30pm – The Groundhogs
The Dev // 8pm – 9pm – Welcome Back Delta
The Black Heart // 8.15pm – 9.15pm – Stubb
Electric Ballroom // 8.30 – 9.45 – Turbonegro
The Dev // 10pm – 11pm – Chron Goblin

 

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Desertfest London – A Preparation and Appreciation Post

So, it’s that time a year again – a time where people venture to various venues around Camden for their mutual appreciation of heavy riffs, distorted guitars, beer, and stoner rock. A time where it’s acceptable (and likely) to find grown men crying and singing along to ‘Ace of Spades’ at The Black Heart at midnight (true story told by my friend Ellen) – it’s Desertfest London. A weekend a lot of people, myself included, have been outrageously excited about for months. I’m pretty sure my heart skipped a beat when they released the full line up and stage times earlier this year – mostly with excitement, but also because the line up is so good I’m not sure how I’m gonna manage to catch all the bands I want to see. (Full line up and stage times here)

Below I’ve put together a playlist as well as a list of the bands I’m determined to catch this weekend, which means I’ve got three days to invent time travel as that’s be the only way I’d actually be able to catch ’em all. In a perfect world, you’ll find me at Roundhouse Sunday night watching Sleep, crying in awe to a shirtless Matt Pike – in reality I might be suffering some sort of strain injury or mental breakdown drinking whiskey at The Dev, only time will tell. Pack yer earplugs, this might get loud.

Friday:
Black Heart // 2.45pm – 3.30pm – Blown Out
Underworld // 3.15pm – 4pm – The Well 
Electric Ballroom // 5pm – 6pm – 1000mods
The Dev // 5.30pm – 6.15pm – Ledfoot
Underworld // 5.45pm – 6.45pm – Vodun
Electric Ballroom // 6.30pm – 7.30pm – Stoned Jesus
Underworld // 8.15pm – 9.15pm – Lowrider
Underworld // 8.45pm – 10pm – The Picturebooks

Saturday:
Underworld // 1.15pm – 2pm – Sonic Gypsy
The Black Heart // 1.45pm – 2.15pm – Samavayo
Electric Ballroom // 2.30pm – 3.30pm – The Groundhogs
The Dev // 8pm – 9pm – Welcome Back Delta
The Black Heart // 8.15pm – 9.15pm – Stubb
Electric Ballroom // 8.30 – 9.45 – Turbonegro
The Dev // 10pm – 11pm – Chron Goblin

Sunday:
The Black Heart //  2.45pm – 3.30pm – Venomous Maximus
Underworld // 3.30pm – 4.15pm – Elephant Tree
Roundhouse // 4.45pm – 5.45pm – Saint Vitus
Underworld // 6.30pm – 7.30pm – Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
The Black Heart // 8.30pm – 9.15pm – Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters
Roundhouse // 9.15pm – 10.45pm – Sleep
Underworld // 10.30pm – 11.30pm – Samsara Blues Experiment

 

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Interview: Blood Youth’s Chris Pritchard

Hey man, who are you and what’s your deal?
My name’s Chris Pritchard, and I play guitar in Blood Youth. I actually wasn’t allowed music or music lessons when I was a kid because I’ve got ADHD, so when I wanted to get into music, my teachers at primary school and stuff wouldn’t let me, I had to kind of make my own way about that. I had a guitar at home, which was really bad, so when I started showing interest in that I eventually got a cheap guitar for Christmas, a Squier. I started playing that, but then swapped over to drums, which I played for about ten years. I actually studied that in UNI, and that’s what I wanted to be, a drummer. Eventually I decided I have to much energy for the drums, to sit there and be kept away, so I fell back into playing guitar. I’ve always loved that, and I think that’s my main thing.

That’s so odd though about your teachers, because surely you’d expect them to be excited for you to have this creative output?
It was probably the fact that they worried I’d use it to distract the other students, they just weren’t having any of it, so I would love for them to see what I’m doing today!

What kind of music sparked your interest and got you into playing?
I wasn’t really allowed to listen to the music I wanted to listen to – I wasn’t allowed Kerrang Magazine because they’d might have Slipknot in them, I wasn’t allowed anything with swear words or parental advisory on them. My mum would always listen through a record before I could have it, and I was so intrigued by Slipknot, KoRn, System of a Down, and all those early era Kerrang bands, and I’d end up paying my older sister to go into town to buy me Slipknot records and sneak them in without my mum knowing. My mum would always find them though, and hide them so I couldn’t get them. So, obviously having had all this kept away from me for all these years, my interest just grew stronger and stronger, so when I was actually allowed it was like this massive explosion where everything just hit me all at once. There was no smooth transition into anything like checking out one or two songs, it was full on binge listening and being blown away, and that was it, I’ve never looked back.

Well, I guess you must be preeeeeetty stoked about being endorsed by the same amp company as KoRn and Slipknot then?
Oh definitely, and Mastodon as well, I love them. I’ve been watching so many rig rundowns, and I especially love the Orange ones. Before I had the endorsement with Orange and I’d end up using rented backlines, every time it was Orange they’d always sound so, so clear, and would compliment distortion and this heavy tone so well, and I knew I wanted it straight away. I’m looking to get another Orange amp as well, but at the moment I’ve got two Orange PPC412 cabinets, and they sound sick – they are by far the heaviest things I’ve ever lifted though, totally worth it though. Plus they look killer! I want stacks of them, that’s the dream.

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The Jonesing Jams

We’re excited to be teaming up with The Jonesing Jams, a new live music concept in London where musicians are hand picked from different bands to form a ‘one night only supergroup’ for a heavy 70’s psych rock jam – guitarist from one band, drummer from another – that whole shebang, ya know?

The first Jonesing Jams will take place at London’s 93 Feet East this upcoming Thursday 20th of April, and features guitarist Matt Reynolds of ‘general extreme noise’ band HECK and rock ‘n’ roll two piece HCBP, bassist Ben Kenobi-Marflar of eastern inspired psych band GNOB and psychedelic doom band Sonic Mass, Jonny Halifax of greasy noise and distorted blues bands Honkeyfinger and Jonny Halifax and the Howling Truth on lapsteel and harmonica, and powerhouse drummer Marco Ninni of psychedelic experimental rock band Swedish Death Candy. Together they’ll bring a whole specter of genres and influences, which resulted in the night being called ‘Worlds Collide.’

The idea behind’ The Jonesing Jams’ came from late nights spent at friends rehearsal spaces where everyone would tune in and jam, and all this amazing music would come out of it – all this amazing music that no one ever got to hear, so now we’re taking the jams out of the studio and onto a stage in front of an audience, and who know’s what’ll happen? To get in the mood for the jam, each artist as well as support band Shaman Elephant picked ten of their favourite tunes which has resulted in a gooey and great mix of genres and generations;

So, if you’re in London and fancy coming down for a free gig, heavy riffs and psychedelic jamming, doors open at 7pm, and things kick off at 8 – see you there!

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White Mystery: A Day In The Life Of…

 

Brother-sister rock’n’roll duo White Mystery have been on a “forever” tour since 2008, and drop a new album every year on 4/20. Experience the glamor and horror of touring as Miss Alex White, Orange Amplifiers artist, with her Fireglo Rickenbacker 330 axe, Orange Rockerverb MKIII 50 watt head and super special 4×12 white Orange 117-pound cabinet. This “day-in-the life” features White Mystery on the road with fellow Chicago rockers Twin Peaks, and all-girl pop group Hinds from Spain.

Pre-order the new explicitly titled White Mystery album on iTunes here. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/f-y-m-s/id1222107021

And on vinyl here. http://whitemysteryband.storenvy.com/collections/20071-all-products/products/19078981-vinyl-f-y-m-s

 

 

10am Wake up in Vancouver, British Columbia. Need shower.

11am Drink coffee at Fraser’s house. Talk about Legos with his niece.

12pm Wash off the filth. Put on the craziest clothes possible in preparation for crossing the border back into the USA.

1pm Go to Whatsup Dog hot dogs for breakfast. Cuz ya know, we’re from Chicago.

2pm Cross back into the USA, dressed as Captain America and Lady Uncle Sam. With a stroke of luck, I re-entered the United States the day my passport expires— April 10, 2017. Close call!!!

3pm Listen to Dwight Twilley and La Peste.

4pm Sit in Seattle traffic. Needless to say, it’s raining.

4:30pm Visit Solstice Cannabis to see how weed is grown. Check out the free smells!!! (Remember: It’s legal here kids!)

 

 

 

6:30pm Roll up to sold out Crocodile show in Seattle. Twin Peaks boys are on the sidewalk. Load in.

 

 

6:45pm Order spicy pepperoni & pineapple pizzas, plus cheeze bread and good ol’fashioned Coca Colas.

7:30pm There’s a line down the block that wraps around the corner of wet kiddos in the Seattle drizzle.

8pm Sound-check under 5 minutes. Venue staff is delighted. Just blast the Orange cab, share the Ludwig Vistalites with Hinds + TP, request slapback on vocals for the house, and amplify vocals only (and as loud as possible) in the monitors.

 

 

8:30pm People file into the room and rush to the barricade for front row spots.

9pm Rage through a 30 minute set of 13 songs. Sing the White Mystery “Birthday” song for Colin, keyboardist of Twin Peaks. The crowd bops into a frenzy.

 

 

9:30pm Run off the stage and sell merch. Tom Jenkot from Wizards of the Coast, who we met in Japan, delivers a booster box of Magic the Gathering cards for my brother Francis. We love gifts, thank you!

10pm Hinds from Madrid, Spain perform for their adoring fans!

11pm Twin Peaks turn up the audience. Crowd surfers!

11:30pm Sneak to the bar next door and sing karaoke. “Gimme Shelter” usually brings the house down.

11:45pm Sell White Mystery coffee by Metropolis to a dude named David who works at Starbucks corporate headquarters. Patent pending!

12am Twin Peaks encore with “Dead Flowers” by the Rolling Stones.

1am Party in the green room. Hang with my Seattle pals Johnny & Pete, plus my brother/bandmate/best friend Francis Scott Key White. Load out as a team.

1:15am Realize we are almost out of gas and squeak into a gas station.

1:25am After-party with Twin Peaks at rock’n’roll bar called the Screwdriver. Ran into a childhood friend and former bandmate from Chicago on the sidewalk in front of bar.

1:30am Rock AC/DC Pinball. Multiball and an extra game, though the bar closes before I can play the freebie.

1:45am Split ways with Fran, then walk across the street to the Ace Hotel to knock boots.

11am Wake up and eat hardboiled eggs + ice cream for breakfast.

 

 

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Make The Most Out Of Your Endorsement

Look, man, I can’t come see your show. Not tonight, not at that festival in a month, and not in Japan (although thanks for the invite…but seriously how did you expect me to afford that?)

It’s not that I dislike you. It’s that I’m not in the mood to listen to your band play music. Because I don’t like the music your band plays all that much. In fact, I don’t even like the genre of music you play. And I consider myself a genuine connoisseur of music. That’s probably one of the main reasons I work in music actually.

But your band? No. It’s not my style. It was maybe my style 10 years ago. My tastes have changed.

The fact is, I go to lots of shows already. I’m out a couple of nights a week (though I’ve slowed down recently). I have a family. My wife doesn’t exactly love it when I stay out until 1 AM. But it’s reached the point where she’s subscribed to the Orange YouTube so she can be sure I’m actually doing interviews with artists and not just using my job as an excuse to get out of the house.

In other words: we’re going to have to figure out a different way to make the most of this endorsement. Because I’m not finding a reward in moshing with 19 year olds and there’s nothing in it for me to stand side stage without a reference monitor. Your live show is not enough to make me like or support you.

There’s a bit of a misnomer when it comes to artist relations reps. Everyone seems to think we like all the bands we work with. Well, we don’t. I mean personally, sure, I think they’re cool people and I admire all of the hard work they’ve put into becoming full-time musicians. But that doesn’t mean I want to listen to their music. In fact, I’d rather get electrocuted by the power transformer from a Thunderverb 200 than listen to some of the bands I support.

I just spilled the beans and admitted my disdain for the music of bands that not only do I support, but that also support me. Their loyalty to Orange is the backbone of our brand. How will they take the news I may not choose their music for my long Sunday drives?

Well, if they’re professionals, they’ll tell me to get bent and then we’ll get a beer together. And they do this all the time actually. They do it because we’re friends.

My opinion is pointless. It’s so loaded with the cynicism of a failed musician who just hates for the sake of hating that I wouldn’t want my bands to ever be affected by it. No matter what I think of their new album, or how far they’ve strayed from their “core sound,” or how the snare is mixed on “that one track,” or how the singer’s hair has changed for the worse, I am not qualified to judge ANYTHING about these bands other than their guitar playing and their love of Orange amps. I’d be shitty at my job if I did.

What I’m laying out for you is a path to getting the most out of your endorsement. You need to be friends with your artist relations rep. You need to ignore my tastes and my subjective opinions. You need to learn how to work with me as much I need to learn to work with you. We don’t all like every band we endorse. Coming to your show isn’t necessarily the most enjoyable thing for us. Coming to see YOU is where we often derive the most reward.

Some quick tips when it comes to having an artist out to your show:

  • Remember where we live and remind us about your concert a couple of weeks in advance.
  • Invite us to your soundcheck. This is a great time for us to get some one on one time on stage in front of your rig. We can snag pictures and video clips of you talking about your gear in a more relaxed environment.
  • Please give us All Access passes. Aftershow passes are usually pointless (and many of us can’t stay to hang out anyways). We want to be able to get great content for social media and marketing purposes. All Access ensures we can move around freely and capture awesome B-Roll footage. If you’re worried about your Artist Rep having All Access because you don’t trust them, then you need to reevaluate your relationship.
  • Feel free to put us off on your tech or TM if you’re busy. Artist Reps love the crew. They are usually the ones we work with most often for logistics and support anyways. Plus, the crew is a great resource for us when it comes to meeting other bands, since many of them work with more than one band.
  • Let us drink your free beer. Maybe we’ll buy you hard liquor with our company credit card.

Take some time with your Artist Rep to understand their company. You play their brand on stage, but do you really know how the company operates? If you don’t, then you are probably either A) the type of artist who complains about not being supported enough, or B) lazy. I know this because if you had taken the time to learn the inner-workings of the company you’re dealing with, you’d be cross-promoting your relationship with them right now instead of reading this article.

Music instrument companies come in all shapes and sizes. It just happens that about 98% of them come in Size Extra Small. We’ve all got minimal operational budgets, 10-30 employees, and one Facebook page. What I’m trying to say is that the bulk of the work is often up to you. You truly have to make your endorsement what you want it to be.

Put me on your email list, send me the link to like your social media pages, and send me pics or videos of you playing live when they feature the product you endorse. Let me know when you’ve got a tour, music video shoot, or PR scheduled. Going into the studio? Let me know. Coming into my hometown and want to invite me to a show? Yes, absolutely. Even if I can’t go, it’s always worth asking. Because when you keep me in the loop I’m able to line up YOUR plans with MY marketing promotions and product releases.

There’s only one of me working with 1000 of you. Every AR guy feels this way. Try to be their friend and keep them up to date. They don’t have to love your music. They just need to love you!

 

 

We are a partner in this year’s Firestone Battle of the Bands, a competition that gives unsigned acts the chance to showcase their musical talents and be in with a chance of winning a great set of prizes.

Entries are now closed but 6 spotlighted artists have been chosen by us and campaign partner PMT and a public vote to choose the 3 finalists opens on Monday 13th November.

Keep an eye on our social media and Firestone’s Facebook, vote, share and #BeHeard

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Interview: Psyence’s Stephen & Jamie

Hey guys, what’s up, what’s up – who are you, and you give us the lowdown on the band you’re in?
Stephen: My names Stephen Pye, I sing and play lead guitar in Psyence and have been since 2012. We also did some stuff together before Psyence when we were still in school.
Jamie: I’m Jamie Bellingham, and I play bass. And yeah, we have done some stuff before Psyence, some stuff that we don’t talk about, remember…?

Well, obviously now you’re gonna have to tell us…
Stephen: Well, when we were about 14, we were in this school variety show, Jamie on bass and me on guitar, and we covered ‘I bet that you look good on the dancefloor’ by Arctic Monkeys. Somewhere out there there is a video, and it’s hilarious. Obviously nothing we’d ever let you use in this interview though.

(Ok so I will totally search the darkest corners of the internet until I find this video.)

You just released your latest EP ‘A New Dawn’, which is awesome, and also quite different from your older stuff which seemed to be a bit heavier. Did you guys purposely change direction or did it happen naturally?
Stephen: Two of the tracks on that EP, ‘Cold Blooded Killer’ and ‘The Bad Seed’ has that sort of generic ‘Psyence sound’, then we’ve got ‘Falling in Love Once Again’ which is a bit spacey, a bit of a loose jam and kind of a mix, then what I wanted to do personally for the EP was to get a really slow tune on there, because a lot of my favourite bands from over the years have always had slower tunes on their records, so we did ‘A New Dawn’, which worked out really well, to be fair.

Personally I’ve never been to Stoke-On-Trent, but I know it’s not exactly the biggest and most buzzing city in the UK – how is the music scene up there?
Jamie: It’s perking up and there is a lot of aspiring new bands.
Stephen: A lot more bands now than when we first started, and we’re obviously not the first ones to be doing what we’re doing in Stoke, but a lot of bands similar to us did appear after we started gigging. We really, really pushed the band, and since that it’s become this whole new scene.

You originally started out as a five piece, then turned into a four piece, until having second guitarist Jamie Cartlidge join the band last year, how has it been for you two having a second guitarist back in the band?
Stephen: Basically, we went as a four piece for about two years, and in the studio I would lay shit down five times, to then realize ‘how the fuck do I do this live?’
Jamie: We got to a point where we realized we couldn’t replicate what we did in the studio when playing shows, so it’s taken a lot of the pressure of the two of us, and has given us more freedom. I mean, he’s a bit of a prick, but fair enough, he’s a decent guitarist…
Stephen: He’s definitely still on probation.

So he’s like the new kid being bullied?
Stephen: Yes, he is and he will continue to be for a while. On a serious note though, going back to being a five piece, has been a lot easier than it was being a five piece in the past.
Jamie: And to be fair, most of what he says is comedy gold, he’s a good guy, Jamie.

Obviously you’re both using Orange, so can you tell us a bit about your history and experiences with the brand?
Stephen: I remember first time ever seeing an Orange amp, and although I don’t remember which one it was, I just remember being so attracted to the bright colour. I’ve been through various amps over the years, Fenders, Marshalls, what so ever, but the Orange sound is just massive. Besides from them sounding awesome, I just love looking back when we play and seeing them, it looks mint! I’ve got a Rockerverb MKII, and it sounds amazing. I definitely want an Orange extension, and I’m never going back to another brand now.
Jamie: I think the first time I ever saw one was when watching The Enemy, and it was just like a beacon on stage, I just couldn’t keep my eyes of them until I got one. I had two Ashdowns and I blew ‘em, had a Peavey which I set on fire, so then I decided to splash out and got myself an Orange and I never looked back. I’ve got OBC212 cab and the Terror Bass 500, and I do want to get another cab as well.

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