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8 October 2010

Suzanne Vega - Up Close and Personal - Cardiff

SUZANNE VEGA

Close-up and personal in the Welsh capital with leading songstress.

Pioneering American singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega returns to the UK this Autumn with her gentle, yet powerfully political acoustic pop. With just a couple of UK dates announced, she stops off at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on Monday 1^st November. Suzanne’s career began with hit songs such as 'Marlene on the Wall', 'Luka', ‘Small Blue Thing’ and the hugely successful album 'Solitude Standing' which brought her unique style of music to a global audience. Her career received an extra boost in the early 90's when UK-based dance duo DNA released a remix of a cappella song 'Tom's Diner', which charted world-wide.

Suzanne was born in Santa Monica, California in 1959. She grew up in an Hispanic neighbourhood in New York City. As a teenager, Vega attended the High School of the Performing Arts, where she studied dance. Teaching herself to play the guitar, she began to write songs, fuelled by discovering the music of Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed. At the age of 19, she had abandoned her plans to become a dancer and performed her own songs in student cafes and the folk clubs of Greenwich Village.

In April 1985, her debut album, Suzanne Vega, was released, produced by Lenny Kaye and her co-manager, Steve Addabo. Its collection of self-penned literate and understated songs, showing only a passing resemblance to neo-folk, received universal critical acclaim, Suzanne came to be regarded as the vanguard of a new generation of female singer-songwriters. The album reached No. 11 on the U.K. album chart and provided her first major singles hit, "Marlene on the Wall." The release of her follow-up, Solitude Standing, was buoyed by the huge success of the single, "Luka," which broke new ground in the pop charts, written, as it was, from the viewpoint of a child abuse victim. The song was to bring her numerous awards from organisations, fighting child abuse, for the recognition it brought to the issue. It also garnered a Grammy nomination, and an MTV award for best female video.

Suzanne Vega has continued to inspire a generation of female singer-songwriters such as KT Tunstall, Tracey Chapman and Alanis Morissette and now with the release of a recent album 'Beauty & Crime’ and her second CD in her “Close-Up Series”, Close-Up Vol. 2 ‘People & Places’, in stores on October 12th, she is ready to inspire thousands more around the globe on her new tour and recordings.

"Story-telling was made for Suzanne Vega - perfection"
Manchester Evening News

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

SUZANNE VEGA

Cardiff St David’s Hall, The Hayes, Cardiff, CF10 1SH

Monday 1^st November, 7.30pm

Tickets: £25.00

How to Book: In person at Cardiff St David’s Hall or alternatively call 0292 087 8444 or click www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

She also performs London’s Cadogan Hall on Tuesday 2^nd November.

4 October 2010

Lost Boy aka Jim Kerr - Liverpool O2 Competiton

LOSTBOY! is the self-titled debut album from (new artist) LOSTBOY! AKA JIM KERR, the musical alter-ego of Simple Minds’ legendary singer/songwriter. It is released in the UK & Ireland on 17th May 2010on earMUSIC, the international pop rock label of Edel Group, distributed by Absolute via Universal.

Produced by Jez Coad (Simple Minds last 2 albums) and featuring Charlie Jones on bass (Robert Plant,Page & Plant, Goldfrapp) alongside long-time Simple Minds drummer Mel Gaynor, Lostboy! showcasesa new musical alter ego for Jim, whilst retaining strong links with his 40-million selling, 33-year career with Simple Minds.

Lostboy is playing Liverpool O2 Academy on the 22nd November and we at MusicMafiaUK have 5 pairs of tickets up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning a pair just answer the following question.

The song " Alive and Kicking" was featured in which popular 80's movie based around a group of pupils in detention?

Please email your answers with your name and contact number to
musicmafiauk@gmail.com

Winners will be notified by email prior to the gig.
GOOD LUCK!!

Sandriver - EP Review

Hailing from Durham in the Northeast of the UK has entirely no reflection on the music the sandriver band compose and sing. The music they conjure up is more likely to remind you of the Mississippi and the deep south of America than a city in England. The sandriver band consists of Si Robinson on Guitar and vocals and Guy Siviour on Drums / percussion and their mix of blues and folk influenced music will definitely leave you wanting more.
We were lucky to be invited by the band to review their self titled E.P Sandriver.
Consisting of 6 songs the variation in sounds between them is vast. They cover blue grass, indie, blues, and folk and though at times very derivative they bring a unique and fresh outlook to the music. The slow and melancholy sounds and lyrics of songs such as Love will have you slipping back and wishing of an open log fire to crawl to. Where as in songs, like the reprisal and Kid Dust, are complete contrasts to this and make you want tap your feet and clap your hands. Though, as mentioned before, the songs can be derivative of other musicians, as in the song Letter to the Lovers which sounds not far off a Radio Head track, Si Robinson brings his own unique vocal talent to it so you are soon you are oblivious to any similarity that it may have had.

Over all this was a well rounded EP with much variation on each track so that you don’t become bored listening to it. It opens a new sound to many listeners who may not be familiar with blues and folk and puts a nice slant on the familiar sounds created in this genre

The EP can be downloaded at the site below

http://sandriver.bandcamp.com

http://www.myspace.com/sandriveruk

30 September 2010

The Sand Band - All through the night CD Giveaway

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (Ltd Edition CD Give-away party)

The Sand Band, John Head (Shack), Jack Joseph, DJ Johnny Thieves.

The Sand Band will be performing their debut album, All Through The Night from start to finish, ahead if its much anticipated (and long over-due) release on Deltasonic Records early next year. Everybody who buys a ticket will receive a free Ltd edition Sand Band CD, with unreleased tracks. This won't be available before or after the show, so get your hands on it while you can.

The Sand Band is songwriter/producer David McDonnell and long time musical partner Scott Marmion.

The debut album was written, recorded and mixed by them at home and is influenced by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Jackson C Frank, right up to more modern day stuff such as Spiritualized, The Verve, Elliot Smith and Calexico among others.

The Sand Band Is about truth and melody. Their dark love songs will break and mend your heart. They are achingly beautiful and completely individual, awash with psychedelic atmospherics.

The band’s forthcoming limited edition mini album entitled ‘All Through The Night’ promises to both amaze and surprise your willing ears whilst hopefully propelling the band to new and undiscovered levels of success and brilliance.

The Sand Band are David McDonnell - Guitar and Vocals, Scott Marmion - Pedal Steel, Jay Sharrock - Drums, Max Goldberg - Guitar, Ben Curtis - Organ and joining them will be special guest bass player, Pete Wilkinson who’s record with Echo & The Bunnymen and Shack amongst others ensures we will be in the finest of company.

Support comes from Shack hero, John Head. Not much else we can say about John, other than his solo stuff and with his new band, The Streams, is up there with anything Shack have done in recent years, and he's not long ago supported Gil Scott-Heron at the Philharmonic. Plus we also welcome all the way from sunny London, who proves that honest hearts and songs are still where it's at.

DJ Johnny Thieves will also be on hand to provide obscure beats long in to the night.

8 til LATE, Saturday 16 October @ The Static Gallery, 23 Roscoe Lane, Liverpool, L1 9JD

Tickets are available priced at the princely sum of £8adv from Probe Records (School Lane), ticketline.co.uk (0844 888 9991) and skiddle.com (0844 884 2920)

www.myspace.com/thesandband
www.shacknet.co.uk
www.myspace.com/jackjosephmusic
www.mixcloud.com/johnnythieves/

28 September 2010

LIVERPOOL MUSIC WEEK 2010

LIVERPOOL MUSIC WEEK 2010

FREE SHOW HEADLINERS ANNOUNCED!

Artists announced for 2 week extravaganza include-

DARWIN DEEZ, SLEIGH BELLS, LOS CAMPESINOS!,

CHAPEL CLUB, MILES KANE, CAST

The UK’s biggest indoor winter music festival kicks off on 29^th October and we are pleased to announce details for this year’s Liverpool Music Week free show agenda.

This year LMW HQ has delivered one of their most cutting edge line ups ever, which will feature performances from the likes of Leftfield, Efterklang, Chase & Status, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Warpaint, Hadouken, Beardyman and K’naan. To wrap up proceedings, we’re thrilled to announce Warp Records’ !!! Chk Chk Chk is the final ticketed show to be announced for the run of this year’s debut shows at The Stanley Theatre and their first Liverpool show in over 7 years on 31^st October.

However this year the multi-venue festival - that this week has also been nominated as Best UK Metropolitan Festival in the UK Festival Awards - is proud to announce one of the most exciting free line-ups in the event’s 8 year history, with a selection of the UK’s freshest artists at the one of the city’s most lively young music hotspots - MOJO.

After their sell-out debut Liverpool show in May, Darwin Deez return to open the festival’s activities at MOJO. After huge success with the first single releases from their debut album – and already a firm favourite with the Liverpool crowd, the Deez gang will bring their music, moves and Radar Detectors to kick off the festival free shows in style on Friday October 29^th.

The free music agenda has always been an integral part of the festival’s blueprint, and this year audiences will also be able to get the chance to see exciting new acts such as Sleigh Bells, Field Music, Egyptian Hip Hop, O Children, Chapel Club, and Los Campesinos! all taking place at MOJO between 29^th Oct – 15^th Nov.

Also at MOJO is what will be one of the most anticipated of our free shows. Miles Kane will make his Liverpool solo debut, since his international success with The Last Shadow Puppets. This show takes place on Thursday 11^th November..

Another serious highlight of the free show agenda comes from one of Liverpool Music Week’s favourite sons. John Power will return with Cast to play in the performance space at BBC Radio Merseyside. John has a special affiliation with the festival since his legendary show back in 2005 where he was joined on stage with La’s bandmate Lee Mavers. This unique performance from Cast, especially for LMW, will precede their full UK tour including 3 sold-out o2 Academy Liverpool dates later in the month. Again, please check the LMW Facebook for further announcements on how to gain entry.

LMW Director Mike Deane said “We are delighted at the agenda we have pulled together for 2010. Important headline artists will fly in (out of festival season) from all over the world to play alongside the city’s most important Scousers of today. To have Cast and Miles Kane playing the type of shows that are intrinsic to how the festival works, is a perfect example of how we mix it with the music’s hottest new artists such as Darwin Deez, Egyptian Hip Hop & Sleigh Bells. I’m very much looking forward to the free MOJO shows at this year’s festival.”

You can access more information on these shows by checking the festival Facebook page - www.facebook.com/officialliverpoolmusicweek

If you are looking to go to MOJO free shows, please be advised to attend early. Doors at 7pm each show. We will announce ways of guaranteeing entrance on the Facebook page. The full agenda for the free shows will be announced in the next 2 weeks.

Liverpool Music Week has been nominated for Best Metropolitan Festival, Best Grassroots Festival and Best Family Festival in this year’s UK Festival Awards, to vote go to http://uk.festivalawards.com/

Tickets on sale now / Info: www.liverpoolmusicweek.co.uk / Tel: 0151 707 1309

DATES ANNOUNCED:-

MOJO FREE SHOW AGENDA

in association with BIDO LITO!

DARWIN DEEZ

Friday 29^th October

Mojo – Back Berry Street