Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns Q&A

Your name:

Sam, singer and guitarist.

Where are you from?

We're from the UK, the US, Canada, and Japan, but we all live in Tokyo, Japan!

Name of band:

Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns.

Who else is in your band?

We are 

Sam – vocals, guitar (Sheffield, UK)

Ju Ju – vocals, guitar (Cambridge, UK)

Yuuki – bass (Kanagawa, Japan)

Erin – trumpet, vocals (Newfoundland, Canada)

Dan – drums (Virginia, USA)

Jonny Barefoot – banjo, mandolin, vocals (ON, Canada)

How would you describe yourselves?

We always struggle with this! We've been variously described as alt-country, Americana, folk, roots, bluegrass, and acoustic rock. Recently little bits of ska and 1920s have been creeping in, too...

Who are your main influences musically?

Classics like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. More recently fun stuff like Pokey Lafarge, Lumineers, Milk Carton Kids, Avett Brothers, Tallest Man on Earth. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Above all, we like to play live, and among the live show, the festival live show is king. Based in Japan, our number one target would be playing at the Fuji Rock Festival, which is huge. 

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

We played at the Asagiri Jam festival a few years ago, which is a bit like Fuji Rock's younger cousin. We also played at Happy Farm Music festival up in the mountains of Nagano in Japan. It was a beautiful weekend. We've also been lucky enough to have had our tracks played regularly on BBC radio, and placed in NBC and CNN TV shows, and even in a couple of movies! 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Perhaps not a rock n roll answer, but nothing really! Will let you know if something happens in the future! 

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

I'm going to go with Cabin Fever. Although we have changed a lot over the last few years, at heart we're an alt-country band, and this song sort of shows what we're trying to make: a kind of danceable alt-country. 

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/jimmybinks/jimmy-binks-and-the-shakehorns-cabin-fever

Where can we find out more about your music?

Twitter - @Jimmy_Binks

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jimmybinksandtheshakehorns

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/jimmybinks

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

Nope, but we love meeting new people. If you or any of your readers are ever in Tokyo, get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and we'll show you some great live spots! Cheers for the chat!

From Apes To Angels Q&A

Your name: 

Millie Gaum.

Where are you from? 

I was born in London but raised in Brussels, returning to London with my mother when I was 13. I have lived in Sheffield since 1997. 

Name of band: 

From Apes to Angels.

Who else is in your band? 

Andrew Brassleay, who makes all our additional noises, I believe, from some kind of underground lab in a secret location.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

Re-imagined 80s synth pop. Like The Book of Love having raided Chvrches' studio and pinched all their best 21st-century keyboards.

Who are your main influences musically?

In terms of songwriting it has to be Everything but the Girl, The Cocteau Twins, Joni Mitchell, Bjork, Suzanne Vega, The Cure, The Smiths, Billy Bragg, The Velvet Underground and more recently The Album Leaf, M Ward and Sufjan Stevens. I'm a sucker for a sad song. In terms of musical genres I like ambient and dance music. 

Andrew is into artists such as Grimes, Purity Ring, and iamamiwhoami.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I love that question! I still have a childish urge to be recognised and praised and I guess I would really like for my music to be heard more widely. I will always write songs because I need to to process my feelings and I guess any achievement is a by-product of that. 

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

From Apes To Angels has only just started so we hope our highlights are still to come, although we've had a few blogs say nice things about us. But in 2011 a DJ got in touch with me, having heard me online, and asked me to do some vocals for him. I recorded a song for him which he worked his magic on and the track got picked up by a label and  remixed and is still now used in sets. I love the idea of a nightclub full of people dancing to one of my songs!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I would like to forget that time my old band and I drove, full of excitement, all the way to a recording studio in deepest Cornwall but got the day wrong and ended up standing around for hours hoping the guy might show up. We didn't have mobile phones. We managed a call from the local pub's phone but no one was in. 

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

We've only launched two into the public domain so far! There are more to come that are currently under wraps. But I like the direction our new single Perfection is taking. It has an 80s vibe, but it also feels like a modern dance record. I love the beat. You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/fromapestoangels/perfection

Where can we find out more about your music? 

https://soundcloud.com/fromapestoangels

https://www.facebook.com/fromapestoangels/

https://twitter.com/apestoangels

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

Perfection is out now at https://fata.bandcamp.com/

You can also download our first single, Head & Heart, there for free. 

Ian Britt Q&A

Your name:

Ian Britt.

Where are you from? 

Sheffield... and Manchester.

Who else is in your band?

Just me. It's lonely but much simpler.

How would you describe yourselves? 

I'm an acoustic singer songwriter. I've been putting out music for around 10 years and it's been somewhat eclectic/schizophrenic. The main threads being strong melodic content, classic songwriting structures with honest, confessional lyrics and a decent bit of wit. I'm accessible yet unique. Your mum will like it, but also your cool twit mate will find something in there that he could tip his hat too if he pierced the surface (not that your cool twit mate will have the time).

Who are your main influences musically?

Early on it was things like Paul Simon Graceland, Randy Newman, Talking Heads. Now it's anything that catches my ear. From Elbow to Ezra. The Lumineers to Led Zeppelin. If it's good with a bit of a pop ethic, I'll lap it up. (I love face melting dub-step, but sadly it doesn't find it's way into my recordings).

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I hope that my achievements in music help me build my strength towards getting my Gold Swimming Certificate. 

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

I've played South By South West and Radio One Live Weekend, which were amazing experiences. I toured in Holland extensively for around four years, supporting some big artists over there, doing national Dutch radio/TV and playing the mecca venue in Amsterdam, The Paradiso. I've also had a bunch of my music on TV and adverts. My music has been on Hollyoaks in excess of 100 times, so I'm king of Teenage Telly Boppers. I had a few huge breaks in the US and Canada on TV shows The Real L Word, The L Word and Parenthood with a song I recorded in a toilet in Manchester. As a result I gained a ton of new fans over night and the song in question has now had 6.6million hits on Spotify. Not bad for a fully independent artist. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

None of it. Every moment helped me learn something. I know that sounds totally tie-dye. But it's true. 

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

The Shape Of Us. It shows my truest, most simplest expression of my music. It's from the base of a song like that, that everything else has come and been built on. I think that song is where I got that form the most perfect. My voice has changed a lot since then and I know more about recording than I did then. But it somehow managed to capture that magic (even if I was sitting in the toilet when we recorded it!).

Where can we listen to it?

https://youtu.be/q49eyWkrac8

Where can we find out more about your music? 

http://ianbritt.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/ianbritt1

https://www.facebook.com/ianbrittmusic

https://twitter.com/Brittmusic

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/ian-britt/id73443350

https://ianbritt.bandcamp.com

https://soundcloud.com/ian-britt

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

I am releasing a new EP called "Guardians" on Nov 13th and will also be releasing 2 FREE acoustic versions of songs off the EP before then as a taster before the main course.

The first free song is available right now for free:

SEE THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/mg2NAfAtpAA

DOWNLOAD THE MP3 FREE: http://www.dmfdigital.com/releases/view/release/72

The next free song before the EP will be available on Oct 17th so join the mailing list today and don't miss out! 

http://ianbritt.com/mailing-list 

The Time Sellers Q&A

Your names:
James Bull (Singer/Rhythm Guitarist)
Adam Bull (Lead Guitarist)
Jacob Hall (Bass)
Connor Pryde (Drums)

Where are you from?
We're a Chesterfield/Sheffield based band.

Name of band:
The Time Sellers.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?
We are four working class lads. We like to make songs that people can relate to. 

Who are your main influences musically?
Our main influences vary from The Beatles, Small Faces, The Who, Nirvana, The Jam, Oasis, The Specials, Stone Roses, The Action, Led Zeppelin and many many more 

What do you hope to achieve in music?
Hopefully we'd love to make an album someday.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Releasing our latest single 'Thinking Back' and playing the single launch at the Rocking Chair.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
None, it's been great up to now.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Thinking Back, because it's our most original song yet and it carries our trademark sound. It's also had a lot of interest from radio stations.

Where can we listen to it?
https://soundcloud.com/the-time-sellers/thinking-back

Where can we find out more about your music?
twitter.com/timesellers
facebook.com/pages/The-Time-Sellers/646210995461011

Bayonet Q&A

Your name: 
Vince Ringrose.

Where are you from? 
Sheffield, UK.

Name of band: 
Bayonet.

Who else is in your band? 
Lewis Cain, Sam Chapman and Danny Higgins.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 
We're four best mates who all met at sixth form, and that shows through our music. It's young sounding, poppy and personal. 

Who are your main influences musically?
As a band were all influenced by instrument based pop music, such as Fleetwood Mac and The Smiths. But we all take different influences when it comes to the writing process. Lew's influenced a lot by American based rock such as Kings of Leon, I'm more influenced by bands like Oasis and the Neighbourhood, same with Danny, and Sam's music taste is very diverse, which is class to have as a drummer!

What do you hope to achieve in music?
I personally would be happy if we were putting out songs that we could see people connecting with, I think that's the same with the boys. I'd love to to a gig where we had 50 people singing back our tunes instead of a gig to 250 people who don't really care!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
There's been a few, we've had some pretty decent support slots with bands like Wild Child and Lisbon, and there always class because getting to play before a band we'd be paying to go watch anyway is a sick feeling!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
Probably playing songs before we'd kinda found our sound, I feel sorry for our friends and family who had to listen to some of the stuff we were playing for them!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
For me it would be a tune were putting out around August time, it's called 'I Can't Be Without You' and it was the first song we'd ever wrote that had a perfect balance of everything were about. The harmonies the boys sing on that make it a great song to play live. That, and our song 'Weekend' that were putting out too, it's very high energy and gives people a chance to have a bit of a boogie.

Where can we listen to it? 
www.soundcloud.com/bayonetofficial
http://open.spotify.com/artist/4IPoxHjVvusHmjMKa53wVJ

Where can we find out more about your music?
www.facebook.com/bayonetofficial
@bayonetofficial on Twitter and instagram!

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

Nice one for letting us do this Q&A Greg mate, it gives people a bit of a chance to get to know us a bit! cheers /x

Kat Eaton Q&A

Your name: 
Kat Eaton.

Where are you from? 
Born in Cardiff, raised in Sheffield, now living in London.

Who else is in your band?
I’m a solo artist but I have some amazing musicians who play with me. Between them they’ve worked with Tom Jones, KT Tunstall, Ray Davies and Beverly Knight so I’m pretty lucky.

How would you describe yourself?
Ultimately I’m a soul/blues singer but I love any good song regardless of genre.

Who are your main influences musically?
I’m influenced by all genres but mostly blues and soul. Some of my favourite singers are Donny Hathaway, Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Aretha, Stevie Wonder and Joe Cocker.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
To carry on making good music and playing it to as many people as possible who want to listen! The main thing I love about singing and writing is when someone tells me that my song has moved them or inspired them. The more people I can reach, the more people I will hopefully connect with and the happier I’ll be.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
Being played on Weekend Wogan on BBC Radio Two. It was the first time any of my music has ever been on national radio!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
I threw up in my mouth on stage once after eating too much. I swallowed and carried on singing! The show must go on!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
‘Giving It Up’ because it’s a song I love singing and I never get bored of it. That’s why I chose it for my single.

Where can we listen to it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I67aBsCjJSM and it’s available on iTunes pre-order now.




Where can we find out more about your music?
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/giving-it-up-single/id995436153
www.twitter.com/kateatonmusic
www.facebook.com/kateatonuk
www.soundcloud.com/kateaton
www.youtube.com/kateatonmusic
www.kateaton.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
I think you’ve covered it all ;) x

Feral Mantra Q&A

Band name: 
Feral Mantra.

Where are you from? 
Doncaster/Sheffield.

Who is in your band? 
Danny, Biff, Ash, James.

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 
Music makers/risk takers, making indie- pop-dream rock.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Marc Bolan, Ziggy Stardust with a pinch of UB40.

What do you hope to achieve in music?
World domination.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Playing music together every day.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
The moment we forgot who we were, it was brief.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
We do a fusion cover of Insomnia and Better Off Alone, two trance classics made into an energetic lucid dream, but you'll have to see us live for that.

Where can we listen to it?
Here's our latest demo It Became Sudden - soundcloud.com/feralmantra



Where can we find out more about your music?
twitter.com/feralmantra
facebook.com/pages/Feral-Mantra/187205627996550

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask? 
That's as much as we'll say... you have to come watch us play.

Prolong The Agony release new video

UK metalcore band Prolong The Agony have released the video for their track Dead Dreams.

It is taken from their upcoming EP All We Are, out on In At The Deep End Records on April 20th.

Vocalist Lawrence Welling told RealSoundsOK: "We're extremely pleased to release our video for Dead Dreams. We've put our lives into [the EP] and couldn't be happier, so make sure you check it out."

You can order the CD from here and for more on the band visit facebook.com/prolongtheagony

Debut EP from Story next month

POST-hardcore metal band Story will release their debut EP The Divide on April 13th.

The Sheffield outfit have already put out lead single Father Forgotten, which you can watch below.

They produced the five-track EP themselves to retain full creative control, with each song featuring some reference of division.

For more on the band visit facebook.com/StoryOfficialUK.

Hands Off Gretel Q&A

Your name: 

Lauren Tate.

Where are you from?

Well, me and Danny (bassist) are from Barnsley, Our drummer Laura is from Chesterfield and Sean lives in Sheffield, originally from Shannon Ireland.

Name of band:

Hands Off Gretel.

Who is in your band?

I’ve worked with my guitarist Sean McAvinue for the last couple of years, we did a lot of acoustic gigs together over the summer and wrote my first EP ‘My Reflection’ last year. Laura Moakes the drummer and Danny Pollard the bassist joined us late 2014. That’s my lil band.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

The songs have been heavily influenced by my love of 90’s grunge bands, the music does have this old-school feel but I think there is something both nostalgic and new about this project, I'm not just trying to be a copycat band.

I’d describe us as playful, we work hard, we take it serious, but we aren’t serious, we are always laughing and enjoying ourselves.. the music allows us to have fun and I’ve always wanted to be entertaining for the people watching me.

Who are your main influences musically?

LOUD women, my favourites being Courtney Love, Brody Dalle, Kathleen Hanna, Kat Bjelland and Janis Joplin, they just have these voices that cut through the music and grab you if you want them to or not. The music I’m writing has particles of them inside it, I like that.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

I want Hands Off Gretel to awaken people, give people a place to escape and make them feel part of something. We can’t get anywhere without people's support and together we can make a change.

Music comes in waves and we are ready for a change, right?

I want to look out at a sea of faces singing along and feeling as good as we do and get that feeling of oneness we’ve been working so hard for.

I know how good music has made me feel growing up and I hope our music will do the same for others. I always felt I missed out on my favourite bands, like I was never part of the scene they were in, it all feels very dated. I want to bring back that homemade ‘girl doing it all herself’ approach, I want everything hand designed and personal, to make people feel they connected with us right from the beginning. We are not a band that will be morphed into anything we are not.. no way!

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

As the band has only just started out and not played any gigs yet it’s hard to pick the highlight. The best feeling has probably been when we started to see the amazing comments about the band moments after we’d launched our music for the first time, I was so nervously excited I had to walk away from the computer chair before I threw up.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Haha! If I tell you that, the last thing people will do is forget about it.

Some things have to stay as ‘drunk moments’, I must tame myself really, I can be an idiot.

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

We haven’t released my favourite song yet, the three songs we released FREE were some of the first I wrote for Hands Off Gretel, But, I’m going to go with ‘BE MINE’. We have a video for that one.. but we are going to make colourful, fun videos for all of the songs.

Where can we listen to it? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6UHwN7SQZI

Where can we find out more about your music? 

OUR WEBSITE: www.handsoffgretel.co.uk

OUR FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/handsoffgretel

OUR SOUNDCLOUD: www.soundcloud.com/hands-off-gretel

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

We hope to make more and more of it. We want to share our journey with everyone and want everyone to feel part of it. We want to meet the people that are supporting us and have supported me for some time! There’s nothing more to say really, just that we cannot do it without people's help and enthusiasm and it is this that will drive us towards that dream!!

New look Rusbies return with Bedsit

PUNK band The Rusbies are back with two new tracks and a new line-up.

The four-piece from the Sheffield area of the UK formed in 2013.

But the band told RealSoundsOK: "We've recently undergone a line-up change and sprouted an extra pair of bollocks (we're not shit any more), which definitely shines through in this release."

The band consists of frontmen Luke Thompson (vox and bass) and Nathan Keeble (vox and guitar) with Phil Mahmoud (guitar) and Jake Rusby (drums) making up the four.

They describe new track Bedsit as "a scrappy, in-your-face number with a chorus that pins you to the wall". They add: "The narrative revolves around shagging someone in a dilapidated flat."

You can listen to Bedsit below and Stop Drop Roll here.

For more on the band visit facebook.com/TheRusbies or soundcloud.com/The-Rusbies

Kat Eaton releases Ont' Sofa EP

ONLINE music channel Ont' Sofa have released their second EP for 2014.

The five-track Kat Eaton LIVE Ont’ Sofa EP is out now and can be bought via iTunes here

The Ont' Sofa idea was born out of a desire to showcase talent from across the UK in a live setting. Ben Davis and Jason Odle - the duo behind the project - travel the country setting up pop-up gigs in not-so-typical venues and creating a live record.

Singer-songwriter Kat released her debut single Alien last year and has been building up good support around the UK touring with the likes of Sandi Thom and Nell Bryden.

You can listen to the results below and for more information visit ontsofa.com, twitter.com/ontsofa or twitter.com/kateatonmusic

The Revolvers Q&A

Your name:

James Hallam (Vocals).

Where are you from?

Sheffield, UK. 

Name of band:

The Revolvers.

Who else is in your band?

Daniel Mosforth (Lead Guitar)

James Hunston ( Rhythm Guitar)

Alex Biggin (Bass Guitar)

Dan Sammons (Drums)

How would you describe yourselves?

We're a band influenced by the best in British rock n roll, focusing on standout guitar riffs and catchy lyrics.

Who are your main influences musically?

I'd say the bands that really influence our sound has to be The Rolling Stones, Oasis, The Beatles and Kasabian. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We just enjoy doing it tonight it's the love of it all you get a real buzz from playing live. If we're to make it big great. We know it will take a lot of hard work but we're all in it for the long run.

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

I'd say it has to be hearing our demo's for the first time. The feedback we've got from them as been great. We've also managed to get some big gigs booked off of the back of them. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

I don't think there's any moment as of yet we'd like to forget. Obviously mistakes will happen but you've just got to power through them. 

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

For me it would be Alive, I just think it's a real upbeat song and people can relate to the lyrics. It's just a nice feel good tune. 

Where can we listen to it?

www.Soundcloud.com/the-revolvers-uk

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://www.facebook.com/TheRevolversUK?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/TheRevolversUK

Sit down and listen to Kat Eaton

ONLINE music channel Ont’ Sofa have announced their second live series release for 2014 with Kat Eaton LIVE Ont’ Sofa and the first single Giving It Up.

The five-track EP was recorded at a pop-up gig at The Foundry Studios in the singer's home town of Sheffield, UK.

Ben Davis and Jason Odle - the Ont’ Sofa duo - travel the UK setting up gigs in not-so-typical venues, recording the whole performance, creating a live record.

Singer-songwriter Kat Eaton released her critically-acclaimed debut single Alien last September and has been building up good support around the UK touring with the likes of Sandi Thom and Nell Bryden. 

You can listen to Giving It Up below and for more information visit ontsofa.com, twitter.com/ontsofa or twitter.com/kateatonmusic

The Rusbies Q&A

Your name:
Nathan Keeble (Guitar and Vocals).

Where are you from?
Sheffield!

Name of band:

The Rusbies (prounounced Ruzz-Bee's).

Who else is in your band? 

Tom Newton (Bass)
Jake Rusby (Drums)

How would you describe yourselves?

We're a three-piece garage rock 'n' roll band. We like to take the whole 70's punk deliverance and bang its head together with more modern indie bands such as The Libertines.

Who are your main influences musically?

The Clash, The Jam, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Fall, The Libertines.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We hope to play as many gigs as humanly possible. And release as many songs as musically possible and hopefully get a few fans along the way.

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

When our friend Billy got that drunk he got kicked out of the venue before we even started playing. That was pretty funny

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Hmmmmm, maybe when we embarked on this violently long bus journey to a gig and everyone was dying for a piss. That weren't rate good. 

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

Lead The Way. It's a song about  a guy missing a train, seeing a pretty lady. Falling in love with her, eventually leading up to getting his eyes gouged out by her. But regardless of this he is still gruesomely in love with her and asks her to lead the way, because he can’t see anything anymore because he’s had his eyes gouged out. We dig that. 

Where can we listen to it? 

https://soundcloud.com/the-rusbies/lead-the-way

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://www.facebook.com/Therusbies
https://twitter.com/TheRusbies
http://therusbies.tumblr.com/