The Kundalini Genie Q&A

Your name:

Robbie Wilson.

Where are you from?

Glasgow/Cumbernauld, Scotland.

Name of band:

The Kundalini Genie.

Who else is in your band?

Julia McTiernan.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

Psychedelic blues and experimental electric Indian classical music.

Who are your main influences musically?

We both have many influences in music and too many to name but for this project our main influences are Ravi Shankar and George Harrison, for our psychedelic blues stuff The Sizlacks are a massive influence and so is The Black Keys' album 'Thickfreakness' and a lot of White Stripes stuff and going back to 50's blues and such.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

A complete revolution in the music scene.

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

A solo sitar gig where there was maybe 30-50 people and everyone was dead silent and I was playing electric sitar and there was a real magic in the air, every bend and flourish was captivating the audience and there was a deep spiritual connection.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Not a lot really, maybe a stolen microphone.

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

It's hard because we have two main styles and both are so different. On one hand you have electric sitar and ambient guitar and the other you have electric fuzz guitar and drums. We have an electric sitar song which is a sarcastic take on Anton Newcombe's 'Pol Pot's Pleasure Penthouse' called 'Raving Ravi's Raging Ravioli' which is a 13-minute sitar piece.

Where can we listen to it?

https://the-kundalini-genie.bandcamp.com/track/raving-ravis-raging-ravioli

Where can we find out more about your music?

On Facebook and Twitter under The Kundalini Genie and bandcamp under the same alias

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

Dig!

The Valkarys Q&A

Your name: 

Scott Dunlop.

Where are you from? 

Edinburgh, Scotland.

Name of band:

The Valkarys.

Who else is in your band?

Sarah Ross, Craig Birrell, Kier Lavin, Colin Brennan and Wayne Hoy.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

We play psychedelic music, and garage music. Sometimes far-out psych and sometimes more poppy. 

Who are your main influences musically?

The Beatles, Velvet Underground, The Byrds, Brian Jonestown Massacre. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I just want to keep making records. We have four records out now - two albums and two EPs. I want to create a large body of work that stands up against all my heroes. 

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

There's been a lot of highlights, too many to mention, but the most important one is we are still creating new music and releasing records. We have never had anyone help us out or give us money etc, but we have released four records and play shows. That's the highlight for me. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Nothing. Even the bad shows or the bad times are a learning curve. 

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

Storyteller. It's a cool song, psychedelic, with a great groove to it. 

Where can we listen to it? 

http://youtu.be/Eb0zBwD65ro

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.facebook.com/thevalkarys 

www.twitter.com/thevalkarys

www.soundcloud.com/thevalkarysofficial 

www.youtube.com/skeetsvalk 

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

No, I just want to say thank you for your interest in the band. I appreciate it. Peace and love.

Starling Q&A

Your name: 

Dan.

Where are you from? 

From all corners of England actually: London, Edinburgh, Bradford and Somerset. We’re mainly based in London.

Name of band: 

Starling.

Who else is in your band? 
Craig (drums), Sol (bass) and Vanessa (keys).

How would you describe yourselves? 
We’re a four-piece anthemic rock band with an orchestra next door.

Who are your main influences musically? 
We all come from such different backgrounds musically, I come from a rock background but I am greatly influenced by Bob Dylan, Elgar, The Ink Spots, Aretha Franklin, Chopin, Jimi Hendrix, Liszt, The Beatles, Nirvana, Dvorak, Rage Against The Machine, U2, Peter Gabriel, Incubus, John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Debussy, just to name a few.
Although I also feel that all things inspire your own expression of art from the books that I read to the sculptures that I enjoy all expand the space within to cultivate ideas. In the band we have Vanessa who comes from a film music background and brings the John Hopins and Thomas Newman influences, Craig who also comes from a rock background and Sol who is too big to fit in any bracket.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
My personal dream is to live out my fullest potential as a person and spend my time doing things that I do best which is writing and recording music, as long as I can do that with integrity then I have won.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Dan: Just before going on stage to do the album launch of ‘Public Service’ the crowd were chanting our name and we came out and played my favourite ever show.
Vanessa: We all had a shared moment of, “This might just be the best time of our lives” when we were living and recording the album at Parr St Studios. It was fulfilling in every way even before anyone had heard the material.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Last year when we were stolen from and lied to by members of the music industry.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Lights is a good example that covers most aspects of our sound and it’s all about how when the s**t hits the fan, you know who your friends are.

Where can we listen to it?
www.youtube.com/starlingband




Where can we find out more about your music?
www.starlingband.co.uk
www.facebook.com/starlingband
www.twitter.com/starlingband
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/starling/id909053356

Mo Evans Q&A

Your name: 

Mo Evans.

Where are you from?
I'm from Scotland!

Name of band:
I call them the nonsense, but generally speaking the band and I are under Mo Evans.

How would you describe yourselves?
I'll leave that to the listeners I think. Quite honestly I don't know how I'd describe myself...confused?

Who are your main influences musically?
Influences? Album wise at the moment I've really loved Bombay Bicycle Club's new album, or Ben Howard's, quite recently got into Gillian Welch too. However my most common comparison is Jeff Buckley, which is nice as I'm a pretty big fan of his.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
I'd like to have people enjoy listening to my music. Would be nice to do it for a living.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Highlight of my career would probably be the lovely people I've met through it. There is some amazing talent out there and I've had the pleasure of working with some of the best, both personality and musically.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
The moment I want to forget? Working in retail.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Well, that's tough as you will have only heard four songs of mine. I'm always changing the way I write so I couldn't tell you. But let's just say the second track of my EP 'Close My Eyes' purely because I've really enjoyed performing it live recently. How's that?

Where can we listen to it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n39ap2ewCmc

Where can we find out more about your music?
www.moevans.com
www.facebook.com/MohanEvansMusic
https://soundcloud.com/moevansmusic
https://twitter.com/moevansmusic
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/mo-evans/id936763656

Halloween Jack Q&A

Your names: 

Adam Camm (vocals) and Ian McEwan (bass).

Where are you from?

The band is from all over the place! We have a half-German drummer, a Kiwi for a guitarist, Bristolian singer, half Scottish bass player and keyboardist from Ireland. We’re like the UN. Only with less arguments.

Name of band: 

Halloween Jack

Who else is in your band?

Nigel Tait (guitar), Sam Kerins (keyboards) and Al Branton (drums).

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

Adam: We have a good sense of humour and like a laugh. I think that comes across in our music

Who are your main influences musically?

Adam: We all have varied tastes that impact on the sound but as one of the songwriters I suppose bizarrely it would be my Dad, who indoctrinated me as a child with videos of glam rock acts from his youth! I was brought up on a diet of Bowie, T-Rex, Slade, Roxy Music etc. The Stones are another massive influence as are the Britpop bands of the 90s like Oasis and Pulp. I always try to bring an element of funk/soul into my songs too. I like music you can dance to and I believe that comes across in a lot of our songs.

Ian: In terms of the actual playing, I like trying to channel some of the enjoyment and energy I get from bands like Sparks and The Police, for example, as well, to give some breadth and dynamic to the sound.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Adam: I think the opportunity to be able to do something you love for a living is the ultimate goal. 

Ian: Agreed! I think we have a fair while to go before we hit the Greatest Hits circuit, so anything we do in the meantime continues to be exciting and new, so to keep it that way for us and the good folk who come to see us is a proud achievement.

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

Adam: The last few months have been a highlight really. We’ve played our biggest gig to date, shifting about 80 tickets. We’ve released a new single and have the album almost completed. Plus we’ve started getting more attention through people such as yourself. It’s happened organically too which has been really positive for us.

Ian: Not only playing our biggest gig to date, but knowing in advance that the next one booked is even bigger has been the highlight so far for me. Really exciting!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Adam: Driving home at 7am after being awake for 27 hours straight after recording our album! The recording was great fun, the drive back was hard! 

Ian: Having to deal with a bad promoter when you’ve worked so hard for a show is very draining. Fortunately, we tend to get on well with the good guys so such moments are rare.

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

The Streets Come Alive. Very tricky question this. Both Ian and I plumped for this track. Ian probably because it’s driven by the bass and myself because I like the dynamics and I think we’re a pretty dynamic act within our songs.

Where can we listen to it?

http://www.halloweenjack.co.uk/shotofjack/ - This is a sampler of our soon-to-be-released album which you can stream from our website.

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.facebook.com/halloweenjackrecords

www.twitter.com/halloweenjackre

www.halloweenjack.co.uk

www.youtube.com/halloweenjackrecords

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/halloween-jack/id324104763?uo=4

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

Adam: I think the fun and the sense of mischief has been lost a bit from modern music. Everything seems to be a bit serious now. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We’re serious about our music for sure, but we buzz from having fun and seeing our audience having fun too. I like music to be a form of escapism from day to day life and it’s something I hope people can identify with us.

Kerr Donnelly Band Q&A

Your name: 

Kerr Donnelly.

Where are you from?  

Originally from Scotland.

Name of band: 

Kerr Donnelly Band.

Who else is in your band?

Marty Holland on lead guitar and Andy Purcell on drums.

How would you describe yourselves? 

UK's No#1 original country/rock n roll songwriting band. 100% original.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Elvis Presley, Raymond Froggatt. All country rock n roll artists and songwriters.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

We have reached our 28th Year in 2015 and hope to reach our 30th annniversary in 2017. Also we are in the process of Releasing our 24th Album "Kerr Donnelly Band No#1's Volume One " in the spring/summer.

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

Our 48 No#1s on various download charts and having our songs on DUST (2001) MOVIE Soundtrack (UK), Lucky Chance TNT TV Series USA Soundtrack and Hollywood movie JUNKIE (2014) Soundtrack. Reaching 28th year  and joining CEI Events Management Agency with Charlotte Board and releasing our 24th album of original songs.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

Can't Remember forgot it.

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

Alone At Night. True country song which I know touches the listener.

Where can we listen to it?

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11681275

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://www.facebook.com/kerr.donnelly.band 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=714666

https://twitter.com/kerrdonnelly

http://www.reverbnation.com/kerrdonnellyband

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/kerr-donnelly-band/id476483930

https://www.youtube.com/user/KerrDonnelly

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/KERRDONNELLYBAND

https://soundcloud.com/kerr-donnelly-band

https://play.google.com/store/music/artist/Kerr_Donnelly_Band?id=Arhywsse7gobemd3t5tkjhwj4jy

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

Just come along to a great night of original country and rock n roll music and believe in originality. 

The 23's Q&A

Your name: 
Blair Ramsay.

Where are you from? 
Musselburgh just outside Edinburgh, Scotland.

Name of band: 
The 23's.

Who else is in your band? 
Ben Clark (rhythm and lead guitarist), Lee Anderson (bass) and Michael Ferguson (drums). My role is frontman, rhythm and lead guitarist. 

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 
As a band i would describe ourselves as confident and open. We are always up for making a scene about things and that's what we intend to do in future. Our music comes across a few different types of genres so we never really give ourselves a specific one but our mixes are rock n' roll, indie and possibly alternative. 

Who are your main influences musically?
We take a lot of influence from the likes of Oasis, Libertines, Kasabian, BRMC etc. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?
What we hope to achieve is certainly a record deal at some point but right now all that matters is getting our music heard. It's too early to make a call on our future cause we have only been a band for two and a half years, but we certainly dream of playing the big stages with the big names. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
We have a few highlights but selling out Electric Circus and Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh when we started as a band were big moments, so early in our time as a band as well. Also playing our first show in Glasgow at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut at the end of last year supporting The Blue Dawns was a big highlight. Definitely a band worth looking out for. Nice bunch of lads too.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
There's been a few gigs where myself and Ben have got completely fucked before even getting on stage and having a poor gig because of it. We are still bad for it to this day but we have controlled it a lot better now.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
Our latest single She's Trouble is a big favourite for our fans. It's 7:04 long but doesn't disappoint. 

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/twenty-threes/shes-trouble


Where can we find out more about your music?
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/The23sband/
Twitter - @23sband
Instagram - @the23sbandofficial 
ITunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/shes-trouble-single/id963230125
SoundCloud - soundcloud.com/twenty-threes

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
Spread our name about as much as you can.

Missing Focus Q&A

Your name:

Toby Erskine (lead guitar/backing vocals).

Where are you from?

Glasgow, Scotland. 

Name of band: 

Missing Focus.

Who else is in your band? 

Nick O'Hare (lead vocals/rhythm guitar).

How would you describe yourselves and your music?We are an acoustic duo act that write music about love, life and all things the heart can relate with. We write our songs full of feeling about personal experiences in the hope that those who turn to music for answers will find our songs and help them through whatever life throws at them. 

Who are your main influences musically?

Most things acoustic really. Artists such as City and Colour, Dashboard Confessional, Goo Goo Dolls, Charlie Simpson, Bon Ivor, Ben Howard, This Wild Life. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Mainly just that our music reaches the right people, those that can relate to it, and that it can help them get through the tough times in life, the same way that music helped me get through. 

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

Last winter we teamed up with a few other musicians we knew and wrote and recorded a brand new original Christmas song and released it for charity. It was a great experience for all of us and all for a good cause in the end. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

We played an outdoor local summerfest one year and in the middle of the first song the generator blew and we lost all power to the stage and were made to continue to keep entertaining the crowd, but was just a disaster instead, and to top it all off it was just non-stop raining all show. 

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

I would say Why I'm Not Where You Are. It is the title track of our first EP and I think it sums up the overall feel and sound of our music. Lyrically it was a turning point in our music, instead of writing mostly about missing someone, it was more of a getting over someone song, which has the feel for a lot of our newer material. 

Where can we listen to it?

On Soundcloud at www.soundcloud.com/missing_focus/why-im-not-where-you-are
Or live on YouTube at http://youtu.be/XOQv6prjn4Q

Where can we find out more about your music?
iTunes

www.soundcloud.com/missing_focus
www.facebook.com/pages/Missing-Focus/167901423238742
And find us on Twitter @missing_focus

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?
No matter how far our music takes us in this world, our fans will always be the most important thing to us. 

Debut single from Elle Exxe

LIE To Me is the debut single from Elle Exxe.

The dirty pop singer, from Edinburgh, is gaining momentum with support slots for the likes of Professor Green, MNEK and Jess Glynn, as well as her own headline slot at the 229 club in London last month.

Have a listen to the track below and for more info visit facebook.com/ElleExxe

New video from The Phantoms

INDIE rockers The Phantoms have released the video for their new single Wasting Time.

The boys from West Lothian have been winning a few fans since the launch of debut EP This Is How It Should Be and have earned support slots alongside Catfish And The Bottlemen and We Were Promised Jetpacks.

The four-piece are made up of Colin Simpson (vox, rhythm guitar), Colin McKillop (lead guitar), Peter Stewart (bass, backing vox) and Blair Cullen (drums).

Watch the video below and visit facebook.com/TMATW for more on the band.

Third album out from Stanley Odd

ALTERNATIVE hip-hop outfit Stanley Odd have released their third album A Thing Brand New via A Modern Way Recordings.

The Edinburgh-based group have also shared their track Her Name Was Hip Hop as a taster.

Frontman MC Solareye - aka Dave Hook - told RealSoundsOK: "The death of hip hop is not a new topic. Almost every generation of rapper declares 'hip hop is dead' as soon as a new generation appears.

"This is just my take on an established concept in hip hop culture, while allowing me to make comments and observations about some of the more negative effects of its commercialism."

You can listen to Her Name Was Hip Hop below and for more on the group visit www.stanleyodd.com

Dog On A Swing set Personal Worst

SCOTTISH folky outfit Dog On A Swing have released new single Personal Worst.

Ed Ritchie from the "cross between a solo project and a band" told RealSoundsOK about the song.

He said: "A close friend of mine is a sprinter and I'd often hear him talk with other athletes about their PBs (personal best times etc.). 

"The song itself was inspired by bus commutes during rush hour. Most of the other songs from the forthcoming EP began on those journeys to and from the outskirts of Edinburgh.

"Funnily enough, Personal Worst is one of the more upbeat songs I've written! There's a melancholy b-side to redress that balance."

You can check out the single below and for more visit dogonaswing.co.uk

Debut EP on the way from The Indos

SCOTTISH rockers The Indos will release their debut EP 50 Shades Of Blue on November 3rd on Twin City Records.

The band - Michael Knowles (guitar/vox), Jamie Gilchrist (guitar), Robbie Gilchrist (bass), Dando Myrillas (guitar) and Greg Atkinson (drums) grew up together in North Edinburgh.

They got together a year ago through their love of bands like Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes, with their main influences coming from The Yardbirds, The Kinks and The Who.

The EP will be available to buy from twincityrecords.com and to download from the usual places.

For more on the band visit facebook.com/TheIndos

Nieves Q&A

Your name: 

Brendan.

Where are you from? 

Glasgow.

Name of band: 

Nieves.

Who else is in your band? 

Herre de Leur (keys and production).

How would you describe yourselves? 
Dark piano-driven folk. We're pioneering the 'Misery Pop' genre!

Who are your main influences musically? 
Bright Eyes, The National and Elliot Smith to name a few.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
Just people enjoying what we write and coming to see us play. We don't ask for much.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
The positive reactions we've had from online music press and the interest from the industry has been my personal highlight.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Sweatbox practices with three other men in the world's smallest practice room. Part of me enjoys it actually....

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Straight Line....simply because it's new and we're excited about it.

Where can we listen to it? 
Soundcloud at the moment, but it'll be on our debut EP released next month. 

https://soundcloud.com/nievesglasgow



Where can we find out more about your music? 
All the usual places- the soundcloud above, 

Facebook- facebook.com/NievesGlasgow 
Twitter - www.twitter.com/NievesGlasgow 

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?
EP out in October.

The Trend Q&A

Your name: 
Derek Greig.

Where are you from? 
Glasgow, Scotland

Name of band:
The Trend.

Who else is in your band?Ryan Malone (lead vocals, guitar), Sean Kerr (bass, backing vocals) and John Brown (drums).

How would you describe yourselves?Straight up, no gimmicks rock n roll.

Who are your main influences musically? 
90s Britpop and classic British rock n roll such as The Clash, The Jam, Primal Scream.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
To keep playing for as long as venues/promoters will book us. Would love to play one of the major festivals and eventually put an album out.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Supporting tribute band The Complete Stone Roses in front of a packed out O2 ABC Arena in 2013. During the years of the Stone Roses hiatus, the Complete's were the only chance to see the Roses stuff being played live and they are the best cover band of the best band! We also had a lot of fun filming our first music video "Keep On Prayin'" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnlqDWlgNAU 

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
We've always had a good laugh and enjoyed every gig but there are one or two early ones that performance wise would be best forgotten about, usually due to one or all of us being too drunk to play properly but we've started taking it a bit more seriously since the gigs have started to get bigger and better! 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
We open up most of our gigs with Act of God because we feel the opening lines kind of define us. It's a kind of in your face song.

Where can we listen to it?
https://soundcloud.com/thetrend-1/act-of-god

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.facebook.com/thetrendglasgow

www.twitter.com/thetrendglasgow

www.soundcloud.com/thetrend-1

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

We gig all the time and have upcoming dates booked all over Scotland... Come and see us!