Ralph's chart 2.3.13

OK bands you know the score.....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans, the higher you go.....

So tweet it, Facebook it.....

and generally expose yourself.....

Now Snuggles and me have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each bands blog to see who's got which place.  

So here it is.....

The Top Ten Blogged Band Chart .....

No 1..... The Folk Remedy

Getting tired of Mumford and Sons churning out the same ole same ole? Then do what I did and take a look at The Folk Remedy from Manchester whose diversity and musicality is as refreshing as it is highly listenable.  These three musicians have merged their own different musical backgrounds into one sound, which brings out their individual personalities whilst staying true to their folk roots.

No 2..... Steve Heron







What's the connection between Johnny Marr and Edinburgh singer/songwriter Steve Heron I hear you ask?  Well I'll tell you...They both play guitar and Steve Heron likes Johnny Marr who's just brought out a solo record and a video after 25 years and Steve's about to release his new single 'Picturesque' and a video at a launch party in Edinburgh's Sneaky Pete's on the 29th of March...what's the chances?

No 3..... Calm As The Colour

So you've got to ask yourself how a band that's putting out consistently fine music and pulling in accolades from press and radio alike, still aren't quite finding their place in the hearts of the Scottish music buying public.  Calm As The Colour from The Kingdom of Fife are such a band and whilst they've only been together just under two years they've garnered compliments and airplay from the luminaries of Scottish radio and beyond.

No 4..... Tingle In The Netherlands

After checking out Scottish Electronica producers Plum and Fiona Soe Paing Ralph thought it was time to turn his attention to some electro/pop a bit nearer to home so here's Tingle In The Netherlands from Manchester.  If you're expecting doom 'n' gloom heavy synths think again.  

No 5..... Bird

Three piece Liverpool band Bird is the creation of Adele Emmas (singer, songwriter) Sian Williams (guitar, harmonies) and Alexis Samata (drums) Together they create dark, haunting, atmospheric music which will entice you in to their magical, other worldly universe. With beautiful, siren-esque vocals, tribal, hypnotic drum beats and spellbinding guitar work, Bird are refreshingly unlike anything that's currently on the music scene.

No 6..... Plum

Back in July last year I acquired a taste for fine female voices after listening to Kathryn Marsh so I turned my nose in the direction of Plum, the alter ego of Edinburgh based Shona Maguire.

So what's the latest...well she's just been and gone and got herself nominated in the Best Electronic category of The Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2013.....

No 7..... Ded Rabbit

Now Ralph's never been averse to something a bit different, so when he caught a snippet of Ded Rabbit recently he decided to investigate further.  Four brothers from Yorkshire who've made their way up to the Highlands of Scotland and had a major dose of The Average White Band rub off on the way.  They're probably the freshest, funkiest thing on the Scottish music scene at the moment bringing us everything from Indie Jazz  and Alt Rock interspersed with a liberal dose of old school Funk.

No 8..... Wullae Wright

Everybody likes to make a comparison about artistes and Ralph's old man is no exception. He heard Wullae Wright's 'Halo Effect' playing on my laptop and next thing he was wiping the dust of his collection of vinyl, dug out Led Zeppelin I and stuck it under my nose muttering....."Babe I'm Gonna Leave You".  Chance would be a fine thing some would say, however I had a listen and low and behold Wullae Wright is capturing the same raw intensity of vocals that an early Robert Plant did. 

No 9..... Wishes

Ralph's now got his own Unsigned Indie Mix show on French station Radio Kaos Caribou every Sunday 5 - 6 pm and it's thanks to listening to their eclectic mix of music that he came across Paris based band Wishes

No 10..... Paul Freeman

Paul Freeman has spent over ten years in the music business but as far as his current project is concerned he can be considered a 'new' artist.  He's releasing a solo album in the spring called 'The King of False Alarms' and it will be the first of two which will feature both his acoustic side and a more solid band based tracks

Paul Freeman

Paul Freeman has spent over ten years in the music business but as far as his current project is concerned he can be considered a 'new' artist.  He's releasing a solo album in the spring called 'The King of False Alarms' and it will be the first of two which will feature both his acoustic side and a more solid band based tracks

So what's he been doing for the last ten years?  

Well he's been very much in demand in the US as Jeff Barrett the Heavenly recordings supremo took him under his wing.  As a result, even before his 18th birthday, Paul was moving within some of the most intimate, and influential, circles in the music industry in America. 

By 20, he and a friend, Findlay Brown, had formed a group, Boedekka, a band that had started out as a kind of modern day Simon & Garfunkel, but that soon turned into something louder, heavier and more psychedelic. They signed to Boy George’s More Protein label, and were steadily going places when Paul’s songwriting reputation began to precede him. After three years of working with Brown, he suddenly found himself penning songs for a post-Take That, pre-comeback Mark Owen.

Paul said “It was a fascinating period for him as back then, Mark was trying to reinvent himself, and make an individual statement.”  They wrote a couple of Top 20 hits together, as well as hatching ideas that Owen would later see to fruition on Take That’s The Circus album. By now, Paul had relocated to Los Angeles, where he played guitar with Shania Twain and later James Blunt, the latter requesting his services on a song of his called 'You’re Beautiful'.


“That kept me in rent money for several years…you can have your own opinion about his music – everybody does! – but James is a lovely, lovely human being.”
Paul was also at work on a selection of his own songs, which he eventually self-released as an EP. For something that didn’t have the weight of a major record label marketing team behind it, the EP nevertheless went out far into the world and proved a steady seller, a regular on the US iTunes chart, and eventually topping an impressive 60,000 sales. 



Clive Davis signed him to BMG in early 2009 and as he was exiting BMG a year later, he kindly released Paul from his contract, and with the master tapes in his possession, he was now able to start afresh. “A major relief,” he says.  He sacked his manager in favour of self-management, and heading out on a succession of US tours, opening for the likes of Los Lobos, Brandi Carlile,Joe Cocker and Todd Rundgren-who said "If there was any justice Paul Freeman would be a household name,but then so would I-so there’s no justice."


He's toured Southeast Asia then returned home, to Santa Monica, to regular games of golf and football and ended up knocking a few balls around with fellow Brit Robbie Williams, who he became friends with. Life was good.  But momentum for his music was building, and Paul began to crave a return home.In mid 2011 , he signed to U E R in the UK (“to make the album I always wanted to make”) and was handpicked to support Roger Daltrey on his British and US tours which took him through to the end of 2011.




In late March 2012 Daltrey asked Paul at short notice to fill in for his usual guitar player at a charity show in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.  Paul flew in from Los Angeles,rehearsed the next day learning around 20 songs, ,and the following day found himself onstage at a packed Albert Hall, perfoming his new single Tightrope and then backing Roger Daltrey, Amy McDonald, Steve Winwood and jamming with Ronnie Wood.



That brings us full circle to now, with Paul's album release imminent and his assault on the UK music scene about to start, perhaps he may be considered a 'new' artist but he's got the pedigree of a seasoned professional.  At the moment there are no gigs announced, however as soon as I know you will!