#songeist

Songeist Presents - Arrows Down 'Smooth Tongue of The Adulteress'

It's called Songeist, and I joined on a limb, but I've spent some quality time with it this evening and actually started to fall a little in love with it.

You can link facebook, twitter, specific youtube videos. You can upload music, which uses the paypal system in order for you to gain profit (I haven't explored that too much yet though)

And you can link people to your paypal and pledge to them to help you fund certain things.

Seems like a cool hub for musicians. You can join as an artist or as a fan and search emerging artists and stuff :)

obsessed with this guy's voice. lucky for us he is one of our founder artists.

Written by: Jessie Shane

Songeist’s Jessie got the chance to ask our first metalcore band, Vera Grace, a few questions. You can listen to their track, Dark Hearts on Songeist now to get a feel for what they do. Here at Songeist we're all about promoting and empowering bands of all genres. We always have our ear to the ground for new sounds, and new styles of music we haven't experienced before. Vera grace tell us a bit about the metalcore genre that they feel so passionate about.

Vera Grace

The band are currently working on a second E.P named ‘The Lucifer Effect’ which is set for a late 2012 release. The band take their influence from such bands as Underoath, Oh, Sleeper, Oceana, Architects, Misery Signals, Confide and many more. Members: Stephen Nulty - Vocals Jonjo Williams - Guitar Chris Thirtle - Guitar Aaron Godfray - Bass Josh Williams - Drums. Jessie Shane: Hi Vera Grace! How are you today? Vera Grace: We’re very good thank you! Cheers for asking.

"Metalcore is a combination of metal and hardcore. Of course it’s evolved as a genre since then, but that’s the basics of it, haha. It’s heavy, fast and energetic really." Vera Grace

JS: First I’d like to say that I love your music. We’re so glad to have you on Songeist! What inspired your track on Songeist ‘Dark Hearts’? Vera Grace: Thank you very much, always nice to hear! Steve (vocals) finished studying his philosophy ‘A’ level this year and some of the concepts he learnt about in that are what lead to the lyrics in ‘Dark Hearts’. Subjects like the concept of a God and evil within the human race went into it. These same themes are carried across into our new E.P too!

Written by: Jessie Shane

On Friday night our Songeist web designer Lucie and I headed to Shepherd's Bush for Pete Into Orbit's new gig night at Ginglik www.ginglik.co.uk, 'The Ace Time Continuum'. It was one of those exciting times where you have no idea what's in store and the evening holds an exhilarating sense of promise. The serendipitous nature of the evening was further heightened by the factors that had lead to our foray into the Ace Time Continuum.

Pete Into Orbit

At the very beginning of Songeist, when we were busily recruiting artists for what is now the pre-launch site at www.songeist.com, my dad ran into Pete at an English National Opera event. It was a 'mini opera' competition where writers were asked to produce the lyrics for a short opera and the winning words were put to music. John, my dad, being a passionate wordsmith, had furiously put pen to paper and produced about a dozen of these little operas. God knows where he found the time, but he started chatting to Pete who said he was a musician, which prompted the Songeistian referral.

"Whenever we need cheering up, Pete Into Orbit is there with his crooning voice and original lyrics to save the day..."

I had no idea this meeting had happened at all, and was therefore completely unaware of any personal connection with Pete Into Orbit. When he uploaded his song 'Ache In My Heart' into the unflatteringly titled 'backend' of our pre-launch site we all loved it.  To understand the next bit, you will need a bit of background into what goes in to starting a major website from scratch. You'd think you would just tell the designer what to do, they would design it and… VOILA! There's your website! But it's not that simple...

You have to figure out every single possibility/technicality in the way users will interact with your program before it even goes into the design stage. It can be pretty fiddly work.  Why am I mentioning this? One particularly stressful day, the web designer Lucie (who by the way I have known since I was 8 years old) and I were feeling a bit wired up and down in the dumps. So Lucie said, "Hey! I know something that will make us feel better!" and pulled up the Songeist pre-launch site to Pete Into Orbit's song.  We were soon singing along loudly to the chorus "WHY DONTCHA COME AROUND AND PICK ME UP, PICK ME U- UP? WHY DONTCHA COME AROUND AND PICK ME UP, PICK ME UP" and we started to feel miraculously better again. We were forced to stop, unfortunately, when someone from the adjacent office came in and said that they were having a meeting and could we keep it down a touch. The embarrassment we suffered was totally worth it. This started a tradition which continues to this day. Whenever we need cheering up, Pete Into Orbit is there with his crooning voice and original lyrics to save the day.  When Lucie spotted that he was going to be putting on a new gig night called the 'Ace Time Continuum' she bought us tickets on the spot and we were totally psyched, or 'stoked' as our US cousins would say. In preparation for the gig we listened to his whole album, to get to grips with songs other than 'Ache In My Heart', although this was obviously still our favourite. We were also excited to read that the night was going to be a new 'twist' on a traditional gig. Pete says he gets tired of events where people show up just to watch their friends and then slink off to the bar as soon as the next performer comes on. He wanted to create a night where every act was truly entertaining and watchable and people stay to the end.  The blurb on the ticket website was as follows: "A new performance art night featuring one of the world's leading beatboxers Grace Savage, quirky Singer/Songwriter Pete into Orbit and show choir The Starling Singers. There will also be some of the finest sketch comedy fresh from the Edinburgh Festival and a quiz to test your morals." 'What have we gotten ourselves into?' we said as we crossed the street towards Ginglik, a quirky underground venue that seems to have been built in a section of the tube subway. As we entered the place, though, we were pleasantly surprised by the shabby-chic style of the place. The stage was set in a big room with a few comfy chairs dotted around, and lots of fun looking people were excitedly readying themselves for the evening ahead. We shuffled over to the bar which had a great selection of cocktails (and food!) and grabbed ourselves a couple of Brambles - a kind of fruity gin & tonic.  The Starling singers, an awesome show choir, started off the proceedings. They looked like they were having such an awesome time it made me want to get up and join them. I'm now actually considering signing up! Check out their website www.starlingarts.com. 

Then there was a very difficult music quiz. I think we got 6/20 questions right - Lucie will probably be annoyed that I'm telling you that! The best thing about the quiz was the delivery which was done by a compere with a very posh voice. Maybe Pete can tell us where we can find out more about him - he was really good fun! There was some great sketch comedy by two girls that was very reminiscent of one of my old favourite 'Smack The Pony'. (I hope they won't mind that comparison!)… It was hilarious.  Another number from the Startling singers and a drink break later, the amazing Grace savage took to the stage with her awesome beatboxing. Pete said we were probably lucky to see her there as she is 'going to be BIG' and I agree. Not only can this girl beat box like a pro but she can also sing and she's gorgeous. I got a bit of a girl crush, which is a mixture of admiration and envy. 'Why can't I be the UK's leading female beatboxer..?!!" It was seriously awesome, though, and we loved every minute.

AND FINALLY on came the great PETE INTO ORBIT! We had been waiting for this moment all evening and obviously being the groupie gals that we are we started screaming 'ACHE IN MY HEART! ACHE IN MY HEART!' to which the bass player gestured that it was going to happen in 2 songs. When it was time for the big finale Pete gave us and songeist.com a major shootout which we LOVED and there was more shrieking from us followed by a lot of singing along (probably out of tune)… The other audience members thought we were a bit mad! Here's the evidence:

Written by: Jessie Shane

We see the Songeist music community as a place where like minded people can come together and share ideas on music and creativity. This music community is not limited by geography or race, but an open forum where people from different cultures can engage in an exploration of the creative process. It always cheers me up, then, when I see productive dialogues going on elsewhere in the music community.

Image: www.thelondonist.com

This morning, as I awoke bleary-eyed to face another day, my mood was lifted by a feature on BBC Breakfast about an amazing project for the London 2012 festival, put together by an an awesome musical collective which was co- founded by Blur and Gorillaz front man Damon Alban. Africa Express have filled a train with dozens of guest artists and will tour the UK playing shows in Middlesbrough, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol and finally in London.

"It's great that the UK is highlighting African artists and bringing them to the forefront of our cultural consciousness. We are all interlinked in this global society and it's time our collective culture reflected this…"

"Hailed as the most revolutionary force in popular music," says the London 2012 website, "Africa Express brings together African and Western musicians to inspire each other and explore musical frontiers. Founded six years ago, there have since been a series of legendary shows including Glastonbury Festival, Place de l’Hotel de Ville in Paris, a Spanish beach and a nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria. Often up to seven hours long, each event has been filled with one-off spontaneous moments such as Amadou and Mariam playing with Johnny Marr, Rokia Traoré with Damon Albarn, Flea with Femi Kuti, Franz Ferdinand with Bassekou Kouyate and Vieux Farka Touré.

Now as part of London 2012, Damon Albarn is taking The Africa Express on a tour of the UK. As part of this unique musical journey, a train filled with dozens of emerging and world-famous artists will travel England, Scotland and Wales, playing unexpected gigs in unexpected places. New music will be created along the way – each day, each town, each show seeing something different and new. After visiting homes, schools, factories, shopping centres and stations, the adventure will culminate in a finale concert in London’s Granary Square – a collaborative epic that defies musical and geographical boundaries. Damon Albarn, Tony Allen, Amadou & Mariam, Baaba Maal, Baloji, Carl Barât, Bassekou Kouyate, Hatim Bensalha (H-Kayne), Afel Bocoum, Charli XCX, Toumani Diabate, Fatoumata Diawara, Nicolas Jaar, Jack Steadman (Bombay Bicycle Club), Jupiter & Okwess International, Kano, Krar Collective, Kyla La Grange, M1 (Dead Prez), M.anifest, Spoek Mathambo, John McClure (Reverend and the Makers), Noisettes, Nneka, The Temper Trap, Marques Toliver, Rokia Traoré, The Very Best (Soundsystem), Rizzle Kicks and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will all be joining the 'Africa Express’, which departs London on 2 September, as part of the London 2012 Festival." WOW! I will definitely checking out the performance in Kings Cross on Saturday! How exciting! I love to see different cultures working together and challenging each other. There are so many brilliant African artists and it's great that the UK is highlighting them and bringing them to the forefront of our cultural consciousness. We are all interlinked in this global society and it's time our collective culture reflected this. Here's a lineup for the Africa Express Festival. Go and check it out if you can! TONIGHT 5 September MANCHESTER The Ritz Tickets: £15 plus booking fee bandonthewall.org / 0845 2 500 500 6 September CARDIFF Solus (Cardiff University) Tickets: £15 plus booking fee seetickets.com / 02920 230130 7 September BRISTOL The Big Top@Creative Common Tickets: £17.50 plus booking fee colstonhall.org / 0117 922 3686 8 September LONDON Granary Square at King's Cross Tickets: £20 plus booking fee  barbican.org.uk / 0207 6388891 Africa Express Video – The Story So Far

Written by: Ben Childs. Introduction by Jessie Shane

Ever wondered what it would be like to tour the U.S. with your band? We’re so excited to have been given exclusive access to the KillBillies’ tour diary. Ben Childs of South Florida’s KillBillies has diligently documented every move of the band’s first major tour, starting in Savannah Georgia. You can read what it’s really like to take a band from town to town, stopping off in all kinds of interesting places. They are living the dream!

For those of you not familiar with the band, KillBillies was formed in January 2011, and is made up of Ben Childs, Luke Pennell and Micah Scott. Based in West Palm Beach, South Florida, they are all touring veterans who have come together through a shared love of rowdy, rootsy music that speaks to the soul and has something to say. Their combined mission is simple, to stand on the shoulders of musical giants of the past to see the future.

"It was cool to be in NY. I hadn't been to the city for a while and it is so alive with things to see and do..."

Playing banjo, mandolin, guitars, dobro, upright bass, tin whistle, saxophone, and a foot percussion rhythm section, they draw on their knowledge of Celtic music, Bluegrass, Folk, Punk, Rock and Country to create their sound. With a wealth of traditional material, covers, party favorites & original material, KillBillies will play for hours if left to their own devices! Playing Irish bars to rock clubs, street corners to festivals, private functions to concert halls, KillBillies get the party started. These boys make a lot of noise for three people.

Written by: Ben Childs with introduction by Jessie Shane

Ever wondered what it would be like to tour the U.S. with your band? We’re so excited to have been given exclusive access to the KillBillies’ tour diary. Ben Childs of South Florida’s KillBillies has diligently documented every move of the band’s first major tour, starting in Savannah Georgia. You can read what it’s really like to take a band from town to town, stopping off in all kinds of interesting places. They are living the dream!

For those of you not familiar with the band, KillBillies was formed in January 2011, and is made up of Ben Childs, Luke Pennell and Micah Scott. Based in West Palm Beach, South Florida, they are all touring veterans who have come together through a shared love of rowdy, rootsy music that speaks to the soul and has something to say. Their combined mission is simple, to stand on the shoulders of musical giants of the past to see the future.

"The show looked at first like it was going to be poorly attended but then people steadily showed up over the course of our three hour set until Luke was holding the mic out to screaming kids and the place was rocking..."

Playing banjo, mandolin, guitars, dobro, upright bass, tin whistle, saxophone, and a foot percussion rhythm section, they draw on their knowledge of Celtic music, Bluegrass, Folk, Punk, Rock and Country to create their sound. With a wealth of traditional material, covers, party favorites & original material, KillBillies will play for hours if left to their own devices! Playing Irish bars to rock clubs, street corners to festivals, private functions to concert halls, KillBillies get the party started. These boys make a lot of noise for three people.