Acoustic showcase 1
For every artist that gets a lot of publicity, there’s many more who are struggling to earn a living and to get their music heard. In the past most would have relied on local gigs and word of mouth to gradually build up a fanbase and help them to get that all important record contract. All that is still important, but now there is also myspace. It seems that almost every band or singer has their own myspace page where you can listen to a few of their songs and find out a bit more about them. And the more I explore myspace, the more I realise how much talent there is out there yet to be ‘discovered’ – but now instantly accessible to a much wider audience through the wonders of the internet.
My acoustic showcases will highlight some of my personal picks from my ramblings through myspace : artists who may have sold few records if any at all, and in most cases won’t have recorded any videos of their songs.
The theme for this showcase is young and talented singer songwriters from the UK and Ireland. Just click on the artist’s name to go to their myspace page. The recommended songs are all currently (October 2008) there to listen to on the myspace pages. Two of the eight artists featured have had some success, and for them I also give links to youtube videos.
Ain
His debut EP Close to Cotton was released in January 2008. I can’t improve on this review of it in the Guardian : “Information on Aindriu Conroy is hard to come by – partly, one suspects, because this young Irish blues excavator aspires to the murky coolness of his inspirations, Mississippi John Hurt and Skip James. He describes his music only as ’songs in the key of D’, and Close to Cotton is just that: a six-track, 18-minute mini-album composed primarily in one key and sung in one register. But if Ain ploughs a narrow furrow, he does it well. Sleepily plucking an acoustic guitar, he commands attention by the old gambit of being the quietest person in the room. There’s a bit of Neil Young to his raw-boned croon, and more than a bit of the Bad Seeds to the lurid pictures he paints of his ‘dead-eyed mistress’. Excellent listening for the bleak midwinter.”
Recommended : Sunday
Terry Emm
Terry Emm is a 20 year old singer songwriter from a small village in Bedfordshire who brings a touch of poetry and slowly strummed guitar to his melancolic songs. His debut album will be released on Longman Records in early 2009.
Recommended : Blossom
Natalie Findlay
She’s an unsigned 17 year old singer songwriter from Stockport in Greater Manchester. She writes about subjects like teenage love with a witty perspective, a nice turn of phrase, and a beautiful voice.
Recommended : New Tricks
Roddy Hart
The Glaswegian songwriter’s 13 track debut album Bookmarks was released in 2006. The Sunday Mail compared him to “a young Willie Nelson or Bruce Springsteen. Great songs… that will restore your faith in songwriting.” He has now finished recording his second album.
Recommended : Life and times of Joseph Rowe
“I don’t know if Joseph Rowe is my alter ego, but his identity shall remain unrevealed,” he says with a laugh. “That song was inspired by The Band and Jackson Browne’s early stuff. There’s piano, bass, drums, and there’s these big harmonies in the chorus. It was just a song I wrote in 5 or 10 minutes and just loved it. There are about 10 verses for that song, and only 2 or 3 verses made it to the final cut. I redrafted and redrafted, so there’s probably a few bootleg versions of that song going about. It’s a great song, and I wanted to do a song that had subtleties, a kind of stripped down arrangement. It was always just a no-brainer that was the opener for the album. It really set the tone.”
Kaya
Kaya Herstad is from northern Norway, but since 1999 has been living in Liverpool where she now hosts a couple of acoustic nights. Her songs are intensely personal and intelligently crafted, and she has a distinctive dramatic singing voice. Her album Balloon in a Cactus field on Ultimate Fake Music will be released as part of Liverpool’s Nordic art and culture festival NICE08. The album launch is on 20th November and all are invited !
Recommended : Pick me up or let me fall
Laura Marling
18 year old singer from Hampshire nominated for the 2008 Mercury music prize for Alas, I cannot swim. Until May 2008 she was a member of indie band Noah and the Whale, and performs on their recently released debut album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down. In my opinion she’s up there alongside Amy Winehouse as one of the most talented British female songwriters in recent years. New Romantic is a fantastic song which sends shivers down my spine whenever I listen to it. Her next single is Night Terror, which comes out on 27th October.
Recommended : My Manic and I – youtube video
Lee Mitchell
He’s from Bangor in Northern Ireland, now living in Coventry. He’s unsigned, but released an EP called To Proceed; Leave All Mistakes Behind in January 2007, which is available on itunes. And most importantly, he has some heartfelt soulful songs.
Recommended : Heart over Head
Kate Walsh
Kate Walsh is a 24 year old classically trained pianist from Burnham on Crouch, turned guitarist and singer songwriter. In 2007 she recorded her second album in a friend’s bedroom, and as his name was Tim Bidwell, named the album Tim’s House in his honour. After itunes were persuaded to take the album it became an unexpected download sensation. The homespun feel proved a hit with so many people that it went to the top of the itunes download charts, outselling the likes of Take That and the Kaiser Chiefs. The Guardian reviewer said that “her angelic voice and guileless charm make this album a breath of fresh air”. Her third album is scheduled for release in early 2009.
Recommended : Your song – youtube video
