Music Network Meeting Thursday 26th June at 4pm

Are you coming to the Music Network meeting Thursday 26th June 4 til 6pm at The TIC?

The Birmingham branch of Musicians Union will be supplying luxury chocolate biscuits and good coffee for all. There’s food and drink afterwards supplied by the creative networks lot too. Come and talk about what you’re up to and meet some new people, you know it makes sense.

The Music Network organises a NETWORKING EVENT on the last Thursday of each month, 4-6pm at The BCU Technology and Innovation Centre(TIC), Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG. (directions/info tel: 08712 262725)

The meeting is open to all involved in Birmingham Music who wish to network.

The Music Network organises the meeting for the benefit of music related businesses in the West Midlands region. If you have news to report, a presentation to give, an event to promote, any new points for discussion, a pitch to make, business cards or flyers to hand round, an appeal for help, advice or guidance or even if you just want the free tea and biscuits and some quality entertainment…you are all invited.

Joseph Arthur Birmingham Glee Club Fri 13th June 2008

The Market Tavern has closed, The Jug of Ale has gone but, the remaining venues and promoters in Birmingham are putting up a good fight to make the best music available at reasonable door prices.

Markus Sargeant and The Glee Club are yet another example of what is possible on a budget you can stick under a glass. Many years ago I gave Markus a tape of two Joseph Arthur albums and suggested he may be worth booking to play. Markus gave the tape a listen and promptly phoned the agent and booked Joseph Arthur to play. Ever since then, whenever Joseph has been in the Country Markus has given him a stage. It was also Markus that worked so hard to support David Gray when no one else could afford to give him a gig in the Midlands in the early 1990’s.

If you go to one gig this month, give Markus a break and go and see what he gets up to at The Glee Club, Joseph Arthur is a genius and Markus has brought him to Birmingham again. The Glee Club is an amazing music venue. Don’t Miss it.

www.josepharthur.com
www.realworldrecords.com
www.myspace.com/josepharthur

JOSEPH ARTHUR TAKES OVER 2008 WITH FIVE NEW RELEASES

Four EP Series Unfolds With ‘Could We Survive’
(March 18th / Lonely Astronaut) and
‘Crazy Rain’ (April 15th)

Additional EPs in June and July

Full-length ‘Temporary People’
To Be Released September 16th

“One of our most emotionally revealing and
talented singer-songwriters” – Vanity Fair

This spring marks the return of maverick songsmith Joseph Arthur with the release of two EPs - the raw, atmospheric pop of ‘Could We Survive’ (March 18th / Lonely Astronaut), followed by the near-techno and wonderfully chaotic ‘Crazy Rain’ (April 15th). Arthur and his own label, Lonely Astronaut Records, will be releasing a series of four EPs this year, leading up to the full-length ‘Temporary People’ (September 16th). The final two will be available nationally June 10th and July 8th.

‘Could We Survive’ and ‘Crazy Rain’ are the follow-ups to Joseph’s two critically acclaimed full-length albums, both released in 2006 - ‘Let’s Just Be’ (“it’s a ride and it’s a good one” – NY Times) and ‘Nuclear Daydream,’ hailed by Paste Magazine as “endlessly ponderable and disturbingly beautiful.”

An acclaimed painter and Grammy-nominated visual artist, Joseph often creates his artwork while taking breaks during writing and recording. He has written, performed and produced nearly all of the music on these five albums and recorded most of the material in his newly opened Brooklyn art gallery, the Museum of Modern Arthur.

Catch Joseph Arthur at SXSW and on tour throughout the spring and summer, and visit his ongoing exhibition at the Museum of Modern Arthur, like you should.

‘Could We Survive’ track listing: 1) “Rages of Babylon,” 2) “Morning Cup,” 3) “Shadows of Lies,” 4) “Could We Survive,” 5) ”Walk Away,” 6) “King of the Pavement”

Joseph Arthur…

‘A driven, visionary character… he might just be a genuine mad genius’ Guardian

‘A talent worthy of taking seriously… a gripping spectacle’ Evening Standard

‘A song writing beacon ****’ Mojo

Joseph Arthur’s lyrics are charged with pure feelings that writhe uncomfortably beneath the tough skin of backstreet imagery and big city attitude. The music is disjointed, but it hangs together with a wired nonchalance; rhythms shuffle along, heads tucked into a world of their own as melodies surge and tumble around them. The guitar sounds like it’s had a pretty rough time and is on the verge of snapping, yet when Joseph’s voice expresses all over it, a frazzled beauty arises.

www.glee.co.uk
All agents, artist, promoter, management enquiries to markus_sargeant(at)yahoo.com 07973 121 958.

300×250 Banner Ad

If you want to advertise on The Music Network here’s how it works:

1. Supply a 300 x 250 Banner Ad

2. Supply a brief one sentence pitch on how you support, promote and encourage new music in the region.

3. Supply a Declaration that your advert refers to something that has never had any form of funding or government support(’cos that’s cheating isn’t it?) and that you do not wish to pursue any in future for the purposes of making your event or music thing happen.

4. The Music Network will review and decide which adverts get the slot for whatever period of time it chooses to put the banner advert up.

5. The advert is FREE

Have a look and see the current advert up on the site and you will get the idea if you don’t have a clue what this is all about.

Reviews wanted

If you have a review for posting on The Music Network Site and it’s under 250 words and can supply a picture as a jpeg or similar, get in touch. Reviews can be anything related to music and West Midlands Region.

May 2008 Music Network Meeting Minutes

The Music Network
May 2008 Meeting Minutes

Present:
Mark Badger (The Music Network / Iron Man Records), Zak (Music Journalist), Gary Seeney (Bham Yamaha Music School). Lee Phillips (Corner Studios / Rebelion records), Natasha Whalley (TIC student), Simon Howes (TIC Student), Anthony Hughes (TIC), Rob Horrocks (Einstellung / Cellar Dor), Jadecandi-Faid, K.Rueban - Kantae, Rob Taylor (Impatient management), Andy Derrick (Musicians union), Aldo Costa (Musician), Bob Ubhi (ekta usic project), Abigail seabrook (Musician), Clare Edwards (Gigbeth), Haleigh Power (Dont Call Us regional filmaker)

Apologies:
Sue Buckler

Introductions:

New points:

Anthony Hughes - creative networks:
Mentioned the free food at 6pm and detailed the talk scheduled from Pete Ashton and Stef Lewandski
[Read more]

The people who control the Funding are damaging the Creative Industries in The West Midlands

Funding as a concept and the funding and economic redevelopment projects aimed at supporting ‘creative industries’ has actually become a system supporting government ‘intervention’. That policy has either intentionally or inadvertently become a controlling factor in the human act of creativity and now acts in a legislative, often excluding manner and is often damaging for the industries it claims to ‘support.’ Anthony Hughes puts an opinion in the open on some important issues that have probably had impact on all of us in recent times whether we are aware of it or not. Leave a comment if you have any constructive opinions on the issues raised, I think this one needs some debate. Read the full article here.

Read more on the subject of Local Funding and Creative Industry here

Get your Music News onto The Music Network site

If you would like to get your music news and information onto this site there are two ways to do it.

1. Come to our Monthly Networking Meeting on the last Thursday of each month, 4-6pm at The BCU Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC), Millennium Point, Birmingham, B4 7XG.

The Monthly Networking Meeting is an ideal place to present your information and meet others who will be doing the same.

If you have news to report, a presentation to give, an event to promote, any new points for discussion, a pitch to make, business cards or flyers to hand round, or if you wish to make an appeal for help, advice or guidance then the meeting could be useful to you. Any points raised in the meeting will be included in the minutes and posted to the site and you will meet plenty of interested people who may want to question you further or get involved.

2. If you can’t get to a meeting you can email your information. Send no more than 250 words and a picture(jpg) with your contact details and a link to your own site or relevant page. You can also upload the document to Scribd (it’s free) and send the link. [Read more]