James Poole Q&A

Your name:

I've been called a great many things but James Poole is the one my parents prefer.

Where are you from? 

The Norfolk broads, various little villages. It's like the Shire only with more village cooperatives and goal posts with no nets.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

Blue-eyed soul at the heart with a hint of pop. As for me, well, find out for yourself, I'm always on Twitter.

Who are your main influences musically?

They vary. I like listening to a bit of everything. Depends on my mood as well. Often, I listen to music which will help with what I'm trying to create. So, as an example, recently, I needed some intense atmospheric drums on a track, so I listened to a lot of Lorde, whose engineer is a drums wizard, then when I work on my own drums production I can compare it to what is popularly seen as the very best.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I have a great many specific goals but generally, I'd like longevity, versatility and to feel that at the end of it all, I'm leaving behind a recognised legacy that I can be proud to call my life's work. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

On an academic level, teaching myself how to produce. Before Summer 2014, I'd only written toplines, hooks and melodies. Now I feel more creative, limitless and in much better control of my art and what I release.

Arguably more important are my loyal and passionate fans. They are a constant highlight, with me through everything. They mean the world to me. They're probably, definitely reading this - HIIIIIIII GUYS! 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

None really. We all meet plenty of fools in whatever career we choose but often surviving ensures winning. Don't let anyone ever be the reason you drop out or give up.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

I couldn't pick a song from the first EP. It'd be like having a favourite child. The next release will be the title track of my second EP - I think that represents who I am right now.

Where can we listen to it? 

Here's a link to my debut EP:

'For Your Ears Only'

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPba4t36yauB1SkFOcyaa3zoOpb_JxD93

Like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and you'll soon get a taste of the second EP.

Where can we find out more about your music? 

www.twitter.com/JamesPoole_

www.facebook.com/JamesPooleHQ  

www.youtube.com/jspvoice

www.instagram.com/james_poole_ 

New track from Hours

POP-rockers Hours have released their new single Crossfire.

The track was premiered on Johnny Doom's Kerrang! Radio show and the Norwich-based band have been picking up support across the UK since their debut single Casino Lights last year.

Hours went back to Outhouse Studios to work with producers Ben Humphreys and John Mitchell (You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis, Enter Shikari).

You can watch the video for Crossfire below.

L.D.C.N Q&A

Your name: 

Louie Baker.

Where are you from?

Norwich, Norfolk, UK.

Name of band: 

L.D.C.N.

How would you describe yourself? 

I am a producer of sorts, mainly just a bedroom producer if you had to give me a label. However I plan on changing that soon. 

Who are your main influences musically?

Boards of Canada, Larry Fisherman, Aphex Twin, Lacey, lots of different stuff mainly from the hip hop genre at the moment, although I am inspired by a lot of ambient and general chill-out music such as Tycho or Bonobo.  

What do I hope to achieve in music? 

I plan on working on big projects such as producing albums and helping to produce the tracks for my own written material. I'd also like to be in a position where I could tour places and work with many other artists and producers, collaborating and creating new music.  

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Releasing an album and then being contacted by the BBC, which has led to me an interview in September.  

And  what's the moment you want to forget?

Releasing an EP titled "Floating" as a Christmas present. The thought was there as it was a free Christmas present, but only one of the four tracks was actually any good. 

If you had to choose just one of your songs to represent you music, what would it be and why?

Probably It's Going to be Okay for the reason that it really captured the mood of how I was when I made the track and also because it sits right in the heart of the album Away From Here. It just really captures the journey. But because of that it was also a low key type of track in that it was too personal almost and didnt get a ton plays, although the people who did hear it loved it!

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/l-d-c-n/its-going-to-be-okay-awake

Where can we find out more about your music?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LDCNmusic

Bandcamp: https://ldcn.bandcamp.com/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/l-d-c-n

Tumblr: http://l-d-c-n.tumblr.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LDCNmusic

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/L.D.C.N.music

Anything else that you'd like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

My latest release "Summer Rain" was released on the 19th of July and is out on Bandcamp for free (with the option to donate). The download includes a few extras including a PDF booklet. 

Bandcamp - https://ldcn.bandcamp.com/album/summer-rain-ep

Soundcloud Set - https://soundcloud.com/l-d-c-n/sets/summer-rain-ep-free-on

The BeauBowBelles Q&A

Your name: 
Bertie Anderson.

Where are you from? 
We all live in London but we are originally from Norfolk, Leicestershire, Dorset and Kent.

Name of band: 
The BeauBowBelles.

Who else is in your band?

Ros Wilks, Emma Price and Marcus Daborn.

How would you describe yourselves? 
Swing folk.

"The BeauBowBelles are a four-piece band of foot stomping, harmony singing swing folkers. They dragged themselves from their classical roots through the earth of folk, the dusts of country and the fires of gypsy swing- gathering them all to their breasts before entwining and weaving them into a new blaze of sound."

Who are your main influences musically? 
Yizers, this is always a hard question! As four individuals we have a hugely eclectic record collection and so our influences are wide and varied from Dolly Parton to Fleetwood Mac to Rachmaninov! Contemporary bands we have been compared to are Kaztenjammer, Molotov Jukebox and The Staves. 
Maybe due to our classical background and immersion at a young age into many styles of music we try not to pigeonhole our song writing and allow ourselves to be inspired by everything. This does mean that we touch on many different genres within our songs.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
To keep writing and performing and pushing ourselves creatively. We have just started work on our album and we are very excited about this as we are bring in some of our hugely talented friends to play on it so the album is gonna be even bigger and even more dramatic than our first EP. 
The three of us girls make a living as freelance musicians but unfortunately to be able to make a living from playing your own music is a whole other thing. Money isn't everything and it is definitely not why we are in a band, but we also have to pay the rent so we work doubly hard to make sure our music is as good as it can be- we are all extremely dedicated in this band!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Being in the studio last year and recording our EP "To The Moon" and more recently starting work on our album. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
If there have been bad times then we have forgotten them! It's always good in the world of The BeauBowBelles! 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
Our first single 'These Days' is a proper folk romp which definitely represents our upbeat stomp vibe but the song that gets most attention at gigs is 'Alien Tango'.

Where can we listen to it?

Soundcloud- These Days & a clip of Alien Tango- https://soundcloud.com/thebeaubowbelles
music video for These Days-  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x128mz6 

live film of Alien Tango- http://dai.ly/x16sbr8

Where can we find out more about your music?

http://thebeaubowbelles.com/
buy our EP here: https://thebeaubowbelles.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thebeaubowbelles
https://twitter.com/beaubowbelles
https://www.instagram.com/thebeaubowbelles
http://www.dailymotion.com/thebeaubowbelles

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

We are playing at various festivals and venues over the coming months (all info on our website) including: Alderney Festival, Southwell Folk Festival, London Folk Festival, Glastonbury (Sensation Seekers stage & Bread & Roses stage).

Nina Baker Q&A

Photography by: Rob Bridge

Your name:

Nina Baker.

Where are you from?

I am from a family of Londoners. I grew up in Norwich and currently live in Warwickshire.

Who else is in your band?

I am a soloist, though I have a range of wonderful musicians that I play with.

How would you describe yourselves?

Quiet flame-haired pianist who loves tea, cake, but put me on stage and I turn into a bit of a demon.

Who are your main influences musically?

I would say that my main musical influences stem from Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Kate Bush and Tori Amos. I love each of these artists unique vocal sound and style in performance. As a classically trained pianist there is a huge classical influence in all of my music as well. Artists like pianist Lang Lang completely mesmerise me in their technique and showmanship when performing and I am driven by those classical chord structures and harmonies when composing.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I would love my music to reach places and people I currently cannot see. If my songs can provide solace and comfort for an individual, or an anthem for a room of people to go crazy to, or inspire someone to want to learn the piano then that will be success.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

It would be very easy to say the recognition that I have received through the MTV Brand New Unsigned competition or exposure through BBC Introducing, but at a personal level, completing my debut album ‘Quite Frankly’ has been the highlight. 

And I don’t mean because of where we have made the record, at the likes of Rockfield, The Church and Abbey Road Studios, I mean actually completing it. A lot of care, attention to detail and passion has gone into this record, it is brilliant to actually see it finished.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I would like, in time, to forget the personal loss whilst making the album, and that I was in studios when I should have been other places.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

That is a VERY difficult question! My songs are so diverse, bridging a range of genres, but a common thread is that they take you on a journey musically & lyrically. 

A track such as “Breaking Every Rule” epitomises this, starting as a piano vocal, talking about some very raw subjects, and just when you are getting comfortable and have a certain expectancy, there is a very sudden mood change and the track finishes very differently. That is a Nina Baker track.

Where can we listen to it?

'Single Bed' will be the first release from my debut 'Quite Frankly' and is due for release on all digital outlets on November 4th. The album ‘Quite Frankly’ will be available digitally from 6th.

Where can we find out more about your music?

For all updates, posts, music links, music videos, behind the scenes sneaky bits, you can find me on:

www.facebook.com/ninabakermusic

www.twitter.com/ninabakermusic 

www.youtube.com/ninabakermusic

www.ninabakermusic.co.uk

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

Keep an eye on my YouTube channel for the official video of my first single “Single Bed”. It is an animated video by renowned digital animator Steve Jones. It has been six months in the making and is a really funny video, which with your help, it could do well. Xx

I Was Once A Dinosaur Q&A

Your name: 

Matt Beauchamp.

Where are you from? 

North Walsham in Norfolk, England. 

Name of band:

I Was Once a Dinosaur.

Who else is in your band?

Isaac Crass.

How would you describe yourselves? 

We're an eccentric comedy duo who write silly songs and have fun.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Both of us have a pretty wide taste in music and I think we draw influences from everywhere to be honest. We don't really tend to think about stuff like that when we're writing, we just go with whatever comes out I guess! 

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

We do it purely for the love of playing music. All though it would be nice, I don't think either of us are expecting it to ever go anywhere. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

I'm pretty sure we would both agree on when we went down to Cambridgeshire for a battle of the bands. We were up against a lot of really good acts, most of which were full bands and we still managed to come third place despite my guitar being completely out of tune. It was the most we'd ever travelled for a gig at the time so it was all really exciting and we camped out in a friends back garden afterwards as well which was cool.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

There's been a few awkward gigs where people just really haven't understood us or our sense of humor but I wouldn't say I want to forget them as we learn what works and what doesn't from every gig we play and it's just character building in general I guess.

If you could choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

White Van Man is usually the one I send in when we enter competitions and things like that just because it's probably the funniest one, lyrically, but it's definitely not my favourite one we've written and there are a lot of better ones on our new album which is coming out in May this year. 

Where can we listen to it? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0We_ZcQvoA

Where can we find out more about your music?

Best place to go is our facebook: www.facebook.com/iwoad and if you go on the 'about' section you'll find links to all our other sites. 

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask? 

We have a brand new full length album called 'Chicken Pie' coming out on the May 20th which will be available for download on our bandcamp: www.iwasonceadinosaur.bandcamp.com as well as physical copies which will be available from our bigcartel: www.iwasonceadinosaur.bigcartel.com

The December Theory Q&A

Your name: 
Matt Beauchamp.

Where are you from? 
Norfolk, UK.

Name of band: 
The December Theory.

Who else is in your band? 
Loren Day.

How would you describe yourselves? 
Acoustic Folk Punk. 

Who are your main influences musically?
Probably Frank Turner for what we are doing in terms of genre and style but I know Loren's favourite band is a pop punk band called 'Say Anything' and my favourite bands are 'Gnarwolves' and 'While She Sleeps', who aren't really anything like what were doing but definitely influenced me in playing music.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
To have as much fun as possible. I'm a strong believer of the theory that if you want to do something, you should go for it and not let anything get in your way. Even if you never reach your goal, you still tried and if it's something that you really enjoy doing and you loved every second of it, then I believe, you're actually more successful than most people. In a lot of ways though I do consider myself to be in the 'dog chasing cars' scenario where I wouldn't actually know what to do with myself if I got there. I'd love to get recognised for what I do and be able to make a living from playing music but the idea of being famous doesn't particularly appeal to me. I do actually enjoy doing all the self promotion and small local shows. I love the community side of being in the music scene just as much as I do the music its self. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
The highlight of my time playing music so far, I think, was actually with my other band (I Was Once a Dinosaur) when we went down to Gamlingay, which is in the Cambridgeshire area, to play a battle of the bands. It was my favourite gig I've ever played and it felt amazing to be so far from home and playing to people I'd never met before. We came third place, won ourselves some money, and made a lot of new friends down there. Everything about it was really cool. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
Again, with my other band (I Was Once a Dinosaur). It was an acoustic evening that the college we were attending at the time had organised and it was our first ever show. We had a very short set of three songs. It lasted about 10-15 minutes but I can tell you, it felt like a hell of a lot longer. There was a fair few people there but it was just dead. There was no sense of community or any real passion for music. Everyone was just there to watch their own kids perform and didn't give a shit about any of the other acts. Also, it was our first ever gig, so I am willing to admit we may have just been a bit crap.

If you could choose one of your songs as an advert for your music, what would it be and why? 
Well with 'The December Theory' we only have our Christmas song out at the moment but we've almost finished writing our EP which we are hoping to record and have out as early as possible in the new year. 

Where can we listen to it? 
Our Christmas song is online for free download at www.thedecembertheory.bandcamp.com 

  

Where can we find out more about your music? 
Best place to go is facebook.com/decembertheory and follow us on twitter @DecemberTheory. We also have a tumblr blog: www.thedecembertheory.tumblr.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask? 
Not that I can think of but I will just take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us so far and we look forward to seeing what the future holds!