Motorheadcase are coming back to Birmingham on the 29th of April
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Roadhouse
Wharfside Leisure Complex, Lifford Lane
Stirchley, Kings Norton
Birmingham, United Kingdom B30 3DZ
8:00pm – £5 door, £4 adv – All Ages
£5 on the door, £4 tickets bought online at www.theroadhousebirmingham.co.uk
The Music Network Meeting Minutes 28th January 2010
Introductions:
Simon Howes, Robert Edwards, Saurabh Thomas, Gwen King, Jamiee Hewitt, Dan May-Miller, Jack Kennerly, Simon Evison, Vince O’Malley, Karl Tippin, Kevin, Tom Prottey, Jack Perry, Aidan Laverty, Darren Roberts, Rob Heaton, Tom, Clare Edwards, Joe Blanks, Doug Blanks, Colin Tippin, Marcus Dellicompagni, Scott Sheppard, Phil Mountford.
Apologies: Mark Sampson, Andy derrick, Anthony Hughes.
New Points:
Karl from Musical Exchanges talked about www.musicalexchanges.com – which has now gone live! This brand new website is social networking site, diary and recruitment site designed for anyone working in the music industry.
Marcus Dellicompagni – Doing a PHD and researching the power relationships in music industry of Birmingham has started by looking at Urban music concentrating on Lozells but now wants to widen the scope to other genres and areas.
Robert Edwards – working in own TV studio making a range of shows from games shows and children’s tv. Interested in finding musicians who can produce theme tunes, perform on the station and help the children presenters develop their own band! To find out more go to www.lovemedialtd.co.uk or contact email: Robert at lovemedia.co.uk
Tom – Jam night from the Roadhouse looking for a new venue as they’ve had to move on from the Roadhouse. Looking for a venue with some backline equipment already – the night attracts about 20 performers and had a good momentum. And is usually a Thursday. If someone knows a venue contact Tom Richardson 07956 368998
Tom – interested in starting offering his services paid and free apprentice work doing almost anything in the music industry. 07956 368998
World Unlimited, Folk night at the Hare and Hounds – Yeah Sparrow performs on 31st January. Also playing are the Kings of Spain and Alex Moir and its £3 in! Also he is playing for Silent Filter Promotions gig at the Wagon Horses in Digbeth and they are trying to set some new nights there supporting local bands. http://www.myspace.com/yeahsparrow and http://www.myspace.com/silentfilter
Simon Howes – Social Media Café is tomorrow (Friday 29th Jan) at 10am at Coffee Lounge and every last Friday of the month – a good way to meet other social media types in the city and get ideas and ask questions http://www.birminghamsmc.com/
Rob Heaton from Wolverhampton – looking to start up a business offering music production, on location recording, audio editing and mixing. Contact Rob on 07858 520318
Gwen King – is looking for someone to write theme music for her TV show and other musicians who can compose good songs email: gwen at gwenking.co.uk
Clare Edwards – updated everyone on Music Central which is a new project probably starting in April 2010 which will be designed to support music industry companies and individuals eg, managers, labels, promoters etc through a programme of mentoring, seminars, networking and a conference. Go to clareedwards@mac.com after April for more details.
Stafford based studio and staff currently mostly taken up by one band – ‘The Tunics’ – no website but you can get a message to them via www.joeblanks.com
Jack Perry – The Razorbax have just made their first record. Go to www.therazorbax.co.uk for more details. Dave Midson has mastered it – they are now looking for contacts for distribution, promotion and getting gigs.
Next meeting Thursday 25th February 2010 4pm – 6pm. Special thanks to Clare Edwards for leading the January meeting and at short notice. If anyone else wants to lead a Music Network meeting get in touch, you know it has to be a good thing to do for local music.
Andy Roberts mailed to draw attention to something of interest. Have you seen the Capsule forum recently on the subject of local audiences? The forum comments raise some interesting issues and some of the comments make interesting reading.
http://www.capsule.org.uk/blog/2010/01/28/engaging-regional-audiences-how-do-we-do-it/#comment-33475069
Andy has added a comment already, you are invited to do the same. He said it’s a disappointment to see so many negative comments about attendances at gigs in Brum, when lately he’s been to a number of really well attended local shows. Not the case always, but he suggests it’s really creating an imbalanced view of the city’s music scene. What do you think?
A fantastic evening of acoustic, folk and blues music is lined up on the 3rd Monday of each month at The Boat Inn, Newbold-on-Avon, near Rugby.
This Monday (15th February) will see more first-class acoustic, folk and blues music lined up.
Resident trio BorderLine Crossing (Chele Willow, Pete Willow and Dave Cook) present a special guest each month. In January the amazing singer-songwriter Rob Halligan played and this month’s special guest is the superb electric fiddle-player Joe O’Donnell with a unique ‘unplugged’ format of his band Shkayla.
Born in Limerick and now based in Coventry, Joe has rocked the Irish and UK music scene since the 70s, not least through his work with East Of Eden, Terry and Gay Woods and the guitar legend Rory Gallagher.
Named after the Gaelic word for ‘stories’, his Celtic fusion band, Shkayla recently released its long-awaited album, Celtic Cargo which has picked up stunning reviews from Europe’s top music publications for its powerful rock and funk rhythms and arrangements of songs and tunes from Ireland, Scotland and Brittany.
Monday’s line-up will feature Shkayla’s versatile keyboards-player Martin Barter and Coventry guitarist Si Hayden who enjoys a huge reputation in his own right for his impressive fingerpick and flamenco-style playing.
I didn’t know O’Donnell’s music before and I was amazed by the splendid mix of folk, rock and jazz, that distinguishes the album. These guys have developed an awe-inspiring sound and they managed to put these old tunes and songs in a fresh and airy dress. Folk World magazine, Germany
The very best in Irish-based folk rock: thoughtful arrangement and powerful settings of jigs, reels, ballads and songs, sometimes delivered with a jazzy feel, sometimes as hard-edged rock. Fiddle On magazine
Folk rock of the highest calibre highlighted with O’Donnell’s storming violin playing. FRoots magazine
Further details from Pete Willow 01788 832608 or 07887 552896 www.myspace.com/borderlinecrossing
The music starts around 8.30pm and admission is free – but have some change handy for the raffle and guest collection! Set your satnavs to CV21 1HN.
The club meets on the 3rd Monday of each month. Next month’s featured act (March 15th) is Three Dollar Tag (Howard Lincoln, Pete Jackson, Bob Powell and Mick Shaler)
From last months club:
Rob Halligan: Regarded as one of the finest unsigned performers on the scene, Rob’s latest album, Best Thing That’s Happened was produced by Wet Wet Wet’s Graeme Duffin and Sandy Jones.In the late 1990s Rob was playing indie-pop-rock with his band, Goldsmiths. His life took a new direction after the death of his father during the 9/11 attack and this would be evident in his writing. His songs challenge faith, politics and complacency and are delivered with a rough spirituality, brutal honesty and tested to be true.
‘Dancing With Seagulls’ was Rob’s first solo project, produced by Simon Goodall (Cliff Richard) and widely praised in the folk and rock press. Radio 2 presenter, Paul Gambaccini, commented, “These are some of the strongest songs I’ve heard for a while”. The album had airplay on BBC1 TV, BBC Radio 2, and a host of local TV and radio stations.
Rob has now played at some of the finest acoustic venues and festivals in the UK including the MAC in Birmingham, The Norwich Arts Centre and The Lot in Edinburgh. He has twice headlined at the Godiva Festival and played the Acoustic Festival of Britain. He also sings with 1980s hit makers After The Fire and often tours with the acclaimed singer and guitaristGareth Davies-Jones.
“If Rob Halligan gets the recognition he so richly deserves, I advise to book him now, because I predict that very shortly, this extremely talented singer songwriter is going to become very ‘big-time’!!” Chris Tobin – Covfolk
The club meets on the 3rd Monday of each month. Future dates for your diary:
February 15th – Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla Unplugged
March 15th – Three Dollar Tag (Howard Lincoln, Pete Jackson, Bob Powell and Mick Shaler)
1. In your view, what is the current state of the region’s “Independent Music Industry?”
There are a small percentage of clued up people, building local, national and international networks, in order to create and market music in the face of adversity.
2. What do you think are it’s immediate needs with reference to the areas that you are most familiar with?
To create sustainable, (ie NOT an acoustic night every night of the week in every pub), live music events where the acts, promoters, and venues all benefit equally in terms of financial remuneration, (pay), and where new audiences are developed.
3. As far as the region’s “Independent Music Industry” is concerned, what do you think shows the greatest potential for the next few years?
Strong, trusting networks that work via the “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch your’s” theory.
4. In recent years, there has been a range of initiatives and projects designed to support the development of music in Birmingham. Can you list 5 projects or initiatives that you think have proved beneficial to the “Independent Music Industry?”
Creative Pathways showed some potential. As someone who helped run a course under it’s umbrella, I might be biased! However, I’ve recently met people who went on the course, and they have developed as working musicians as a result of it, benefiting from modules on Self-Promotion using New Media, and Recording Techniques.
5. Can you list any projects or initiatives that you think have proved “of little use or benefit” to the “Independent Music Industry?”
Gigbeth – At the first one, at the opening ceremony, there were more people in the form of the band, the staff and security than there were in the audience. Many of the stewards were from London, so they had no local knowledge to help people get from one stage to another etc.
ArtsFest – There’s always a huge song and dance about how it’s Britain’s biggest festival. Is biggest best? There is a patronizing assumption that from the start of the booking procedure that acts will play for free, (payment or non-payment is never mentioned at all). If the event is meant to be for the benefit of artists, then how about sending out well-designed, well-branded press pack to relevant industry people?
The publicity for ArtsFest is shocking-The website held info for the 2008 event until a WEEK before the 2009 event. And the design elements-They use Clip Art!!!!! For the biggest festival in the UK…
6. With regard to your answers to questions 4 and 5, do you think Birmingham should continue to pursue the idea of more initiatives and projects designed to support the development of music in Birmingham?
Yes, definitely. But Birmingham City Council should identify and consult music event organisers to run the events who have proven experience in booking artists, designing and distribution of publicity, dealing with venues and everything that goes with running events. Or at least, they should work in conjunction with them, employing them as well-paid consultants.
7. If you could make any changes to, or include any new ideas for, any “strategy for supporting the development of music in Birmingham” what would your top priorities be?
With regards to festivals like ArtsFest, my suggestion would be:
Contact The Drum, Capsule, Bohemian Jukebox, The Other Woman’s Club, Moseley Folk Festival, leftfoot, Birmingham Promoters and Seven Inch Cinema, and identify some others. Give each a budget to run a stage. Between them they have the experience and know-how to make it work.
8. If you were given the task of evaluating whether a project or initiative had been successful, what would you suggest as the best indicators of success, failure, benefit or disaster for the “Independent Music Industry?”
Did the project improve the long-term earning capability of the artists involved?
Were audiences introduced to art that they would not have usually encountered?
Did people walk away with enriched souls?
Was art of a high standard created?
9. As far as your knowledge or understanding of the region’s “Independent Music Industry” is concerned, what are it’s greatest strengths, and what are it’s greatest weaknesses?
The strengths are that there are some truly amazing bands. The weakness is that the bands are often self-deprecating (A Birmingham ‘tradition’), dis-organised and unable to understand the theory of supply and demand for their music.
10. If you could do anything to “support the development of music in Birmingham” what would you do and why would you choose to do that?
I ran 180 live Post-folk, Anti-Folk, and Alt-Folk music events between October 2003 and January 2010. (Bohemian Jukebox). I thought that might be enough to support the development of a certain type of music in Birmingham, and it was for a while.
I chose to do that because there was a need for well-organised music events for acts playing those genres.
I’m now concentrating on Bohemian Jukebox Recordings to bring some of Birmingham’s music talents to an international audience. I’ve chosen to do that, as I’d now rather concentrate on developing a few acts of quality via the power of recorded media, rather than dealing with lots of acts in the context of live music events.
Ben Calvert
The Music Network was contacted in January 2010 by a group drawn from Birmingham City Council and the Arts Council England to begin to determine an overview of the current state, needs and potential of the “Independent Music Industry” in Birmingham.
The Music Network invites people with an interest or active role within Birmingham’s Independent Music Industry to answer 10 questions.
If you wish to get involved read 10 Questions for Birmingham’s Independent Music Industry and send your completed responses by email to: info at birminghammusicnetwork.com – Thank You.
Simon Howes has created an easy to use google survey for these questions here too.
All completed questions will be published here unless you state otherwise. Please be sure to include your full Name, brief biography or information about who you are and what you do, and any links to your website or blog so you can be credited in full as the author of the response. Views from all sides are sought so don’t be afraid to speak your mind. We may learn something.
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