Thursday 31 January 2013

Vote for Your Favourite!!

Okay, so I'm going to try something different today. I'm not sure if this is done anywhere else (I'm sure it is) but here's how it will go: I'll put up songs from a few different submissions I have recently received and the bands with the most votes will get a full write up on the blog. It's a win-win really because you're band gets mentions anyway but full write ups always get more attention, so get your fans over to vote for you. To cast your vote, see the left side (that's <-- that way) and select the band you want to win.

First up, we have 80's Bad HairCut. Their song Cheese on Bread! is taken from their upcoming EP.


The second artist is Nakota who is an unsigned Atlanta based musician, branding himself as inter-genre-pop which is completely true given the broad range of instruments used, with synth being at the forefront. Listen to his new single Territories. 



Next up is Norwich based indie poppers Maglia Rosa Group. Their brand new single is call Nighthawks and features lead singer Daisy singing and dancing throughout.



Now onto Lori McTear, a Scottish singer/songwriter. After a successful year supporting the likes of Newton Faulkner and The View, Lori is looking to continue her success into 2013 with her single Freedom and Machine Guns.


That's it for this edition and, if successful, I may try this again. So get voting for your favourite band/artist and share the page to help them get more votes! 

Thursday 24 January 2013

Hymnalaya

So I've only done a couple of 'Ones to Watch' sort of thing in the past - and I haven't done one for 2013 yet, - but one of the bands that would be on this list is Hymnalaya. They are an Icelandic band consisting of 3 main members, but are then accompanied by a whole host of others that play in the brass section, the rhythm section and strings and organ sections. Think of them as a modern orchestra. Currently, there is one single released called In My Early Years. A full album is due for release on the 8th of February which will be available to download completely free from their website http://www.hymnalayamusic.com/ where you can also download In My Early Years, again for nothing.



I don't know what it is about Iceland, but they seem to have a constant stream of musical talent- much like here is Scotland. From Sigur Rós to Múm, Ólafur Arnalds, Seabear and Of Monsters And Men, Hymnalaya have joined the ranks in Iceland in the hope of making it, and their quiet, yet passionate style of music is impressive and purely just lovely to listen to. They don't need to shout about their talent, the music speaks for itself.

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Fluorescent Hearts

Fluorescent Hearts have only been around for a year, but the Glasgow band are already making great strides after the release of their debut album Anthem. They have quickly gathered a loyal following of fans who flock to see them at the various venues around Scotland to hear the powerful pop rock, which wouldn't be out of place the the United States. It's hard to place Fluorescent Hearts in one genre category however due to the array of music they cover. Below is the song Gasoline, which I first heard on the beloved Amazing radio. It's a great song; catchy and full of great riffs! If I was doing a 'Ones to watch in 2013' Fluorescent Hearts would definitely be there. Expect much more from these guys.

Monday 14 January 2013

Chartburst- Helping bands connect to major labels

Chartburst is a brand new service that connects unsigned musicians with the worlds biggest records labels via their user-voted, genre-specific charts.

Chartburst was created as there is currently nowhere that unsigned musicians can get their music heard by the major labels. The service has been made to be user friendly, cheap and efficient for musicians to get their music to the ears of the people that matter when it comes to getting their 'big break'.

 There are ten charts (one for each genre) that cover the musical spectrum (from Hiphop to House). Users vote on their favourite tracks and twice a month the top 5 submissions from each chart are forwarded to A&R (talent scouts) at major record labels for guaranteed, structured review and deal consideration.

It's free to create an account if you are using Chartburst to vote for your favourite bands, but musicians pay £5 per month (£2.50 during beta) to upload to the charts where they can potentially be heard by the labels.

All the major labels are involved: Sony Music, Warner Bros, Atlantic Records, Columbia Records etc.

The beta is due to be launched today (January 14th).

This blog has been selected by the Chartburst creator so that my readers can have a free trial of the beta. This will operate on a first come first served basis. 200 free trials will be available out of 1000 overall so there will be a fair chance for you to get a code, but do be quick. And if you're a musician then obviously the quicker you sign up, the more chance you will have of getting the most votes and your music sent to the major record labels.
 To get one of these free trials, head over to http://www.chartburst.com/ and type in the following code: OTRIMEARLYBIRD

If you think this will interest friends or bands, please let them know and share the link to this page. You could help them strike a deal with a major label and expand the band as a whole. 

Sunday 13 January 2013

Brave Young Red

If you have a good memory (or an impeccable taste in music) you may recognise the name Folé. Well Folé is no more, but not to worry, it has evolved into a full band who go by the name Brave Young Red. The original member James Foley has joined forces with Angus, Erin and Michael to explore the potential these musicians hold. February 28th is a date marked in the bands diary, as this marks the release of their upcoming EP Roots. There will be a launch show on said date at 13th Note in Glasgow which will include music from rising star Anna Sweeney, and Matt Scott from Kilmarnock who holds the Doors and Bob Dylan as his influences.

Brave Young Red have released the song Roots ahead of their debut EP on BandCamp. Roots is a perfect example of the expansion from Folé, with added female vocals and piano harmonising  the voice of James- along with light bassline and percussion to create a whole new sound, but with Folé at the core. The song is available as a free download, so check it out and if you like it, why not give them a like on Facebook or follow them on Twitter

Thursday 3 January 2013

Coming up.....

I have an exciting venture just round the corner- stay tuned.