Michael Jablonka

Michael Jablonka is a musician so prolific that you may think he devotes every waking hour to his art and, if the fantastical nature of many of his songs are anything to go by, several hours of his dreams as well.
In addition to performing as Michael Kiwanuka’s chosen guitarist; a role that has found him touring arenas and festivals worldwide this summer. He has been fine-tuning his own powerful 21st-century take on bluesy alt-funk and soulful indie-rock. Michael Jablonka’s gifted, intricate guitar skills bely the no-frills anthemic intent of his rootsy songcraft.

Born and bred in the capital, 27-year-old Michael Jablonka has been gigging since the tender age of 14 as an in-demand guitarist for hire. Those to have enjoyed his dextrous services include Charlie Brown, Stooshe, Shakka and Delta Maid before fellow North Londoner and Brit-soul sensation Michael Kiwanuka came calling.

Around the same time, he decided it was time to blaze his own trail as a bandleader and songwriter, collating a set of crack musicians and intense yet universal alt-rock’n’soul tunes that scream for wider appreciation.

I Found You was one of the first tunes he wrote as a solo artist though it took a while to manifest - "I had writers block" - he explained - "and a chorus with nothing much else. I imagined the verses to be a constant build up and wanted the chorus to be that break free moment."

We'll be playing I Found You on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show on Sunday 17th December so remember to tune in from 5-7pm on rkc.noip.me Internet Radio playing in 162 countries worldwide.

Ali Ingle

Once again Ali Ingle has proved his pedigree as one of the UK's most promising singer songwriters with the release of his delightfully retrospective new single Saintly and we're delighted to be giving it an exclusive premiere here on Ralph's Life.

"I'm really proud to exclusively show you my debut video release with Coconut Creatives They are a cool bunch of people who together make up a London based creative content agency."

"Working alongside new and established artists and designers, in both music and fashion, they seek out brands and musicians who are really cool and look hugely fun to work with."

Photo courtesy of Dave Turley Photography

Ali Ingle also had this to say about the inspiration for Saintly and working with Coconut Creatives...

"I first had the idea to create the music video for Saintly when I saw a video of the great William Shatner performing Rocket man at a Sci-fi Award show. As soon as I saw it I felt it captured all of the humour, sadness and beauty that I try an express in everything I do.

After seeing how stylish and effortlessly cool Coconut are, I was confident they could give it the look and feel it needed. I can't even begin to express how much fun and how brilliant all these guys are. They took a crazy idea and made it real. Ultimately, this is the beginning of a journey through time."


Suhayla of Coconut Creatives had this to say about working with Ali Ingle...

"Working with Ali was so much fun. I met him in London a few months ago and he told me about his idea for a music video and the inspiration for it. I really liked it and I also loved the track for it so I suggested that Coconut work on it and it all went from there really.

We sat down as a team and thought about how best to bring it all to life and how to really make it Ali's own and I think it's turned out pretty great and I'm super excited for people to see the finished piece. I know we all love it at Coconut Creatives."

Mia Mackintosh

SOCIETY is a 3 track EP which is the debut release from Nairn resident Mia Mackintosh. Her ability to mix soulfulness and melody with a harder edge to her guitar playing has led to her music being compared to a range of artists such as Tracy Chapman and The Cranberries.

After her achievement of winning the Moray Firth Radio One to Watch award in 2016, she recorded 3 of her own songs with acclaimed producer Marc Clement and is delighted to be able to present them as her SOCIETY EP on the 28th of April 2017.

SOCIETY is available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and more from tomorrow and Ralph's giving I Will Be Good it a spin on next Sunday's Radio KC Indie Show.



SOCIETY is an excellent fist dip into the music of Mia Mackintosh and lead track We R Mysterious shows a songwriting maturity beyond her tender years. That being said I Will Be Good is; for me, the more radio-friendly of the three tracks on SOCIETY whilst the poignant She's Resting With The Best Of Them immediately connected with me as a listener.

Mia Mackintosh is writing contemporary songs with an old soul and I for one can't wait to hear what she has to offer as a follow up to SOCIETY. If you're up in Inverness on May 14th you can catch her live in The Ironworks supporting another hugely talented young Scottish singer/songwriter Tamzene.

Mia Mackintosh taught herself guitar after taking an interest when she was 10 years old. After losing two of her grandparents when she was 12 she started writing her own songs as a way of dealing with her emotions.

“I found it very tough to deal with but I found music and writing songs gave me a focus to express my grief“

Supported by family and friends she started performing live in 2014 and by 2015 she made it to the last 16 in the Belladrum Festival Bellas Got Talent competition.

Mia Mackintosh has participated in the Scottish Music Centre’s Music Plus project in 2016 and aided by their mentoring scheme, started working with Marc Clement who has collaborated with many great scottish musicians, performed extensively as an acoustic guitarist and pianist plus was a founding member of Blazin’ Fiddles and a member of Session A9.

“Music Plus has been great. I’ve learned a lot, and learned there is a lot more to learn. Collaborating with Marc Clement as producer has been a real eye-opener. He has added real depth to my songs“

Graham Marshall

It's fair to say we're fans of Graham Marshall here in the kennel, not only due to his infectious glass-gargling voice but also due to the tenacity of the man in what is for many, a long and difficult path to achieve anything close to recognition, never mind fame and fortune. 

His struggle has been long and it has been hard, however it has led to him releasing Mr Complicated, an album of meaningful songs that captivate and engage the listener, encouraging them to become part of his musical journey as every word in every track gives an insight to his past, present and future in this beguiling, introspective and retrospective gem.





This is not just an album created by Graham Marshall, this album is his life set to music with contributions from Fernando Perdomo, Durga McBroom, The Rosannah Sisters, Jensen Forshaw & Linda Perhacs, this album follows no trends, instead it offers an eclectic mix signifying his non-conforming attitude towards music. From love, loss, survival & humour, this album offers a welcome diversion from the usual Singer/Songwriter trend. 



Graham Marshall has featured directly in Ralph's life too as back in 2013 he donated his single Freedom Call to become part of the Ralph's Life CD of 40 tracks to raise awareness and funds for the Rethink Mental Illness charity.


Last year he travelled down from his home in Sunderland at his own expense to St Helens and took part in the Ralph's Life charity event for Musicians Against Homelessness and played a storming set in Zoo Bar.



The album is available now to download on itunes and Bandcamp and I'd highly recommend it for any serious music lover's collection. Needless to say Ralph will be giving a track from Mr Complicated a spin soon on the Radio KC Indie Show so make sure you tune in every Sunday from 5-7pm GMT on rkc.noip.me. and hopefully we'll see Graham Marshall hitting the road soon and not just in his 40' ASDA delivery truck.

The Indigo Palms

Welsh singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist The Indigo Palms (Johnny Boon, previously known as The Lost Embers) is soon to release his brand new single, Live It Up. 

Live It Up is the first taster of The Indigo Palms forthcoming new album Future Proof which is set for release in September. 

Inspired by artists such as Prince, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Radiohead, The Indigo Palms has recorded a work that celebrates the extremities of pop music without losing the hooks and love of melody. 

The single and album are a deliberate move away from The Indigo Palms previous more lo-fi recordings and sees him turn his gaze towards the lyrical themes and sonic adventures of those inspiring artists from the eighties and nineties. 

For me, the result is a Counting Crows like feel, comfortable and yet slightly edgy as he's bolstered up his sound.

Seek out The Indigo Palms album Future Proof when it's available you won't be sorry and Ralph will be spinning Live It Up on next Sunday's Radio KC Indie Show, so tune in from 5-7pm.

Scott Dean

Ralph is delighted to be featuring the new Scott Dean single Lucky Seven on the blog this week. It's taken from his highly impressive Neon album and it doesn't dissapoint with deliciously reverb-laden guitar and his atmospheric vocal giving the track an anthemic feel. 


It'll be getting a spin on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show on Sunday the 19th of June and Scott will be playing shows in support of the single and album this summer. The lyrics of Lucky Seven were inspired by a brief period working as a croupier and explore the effects of obsession & addiction in society. 






This hard-hitting subject matter is paired with soaring guitar riffs, evocative soundscapes and a soaring chorus that display the range of influences and abilities of Scott Dean. 

London-based, Scott Dean has been a musician since picking up his first guitar at ten years old, his early musical development was heavily influenced by virtuoso guitarists Joe Satriani & Gary Moore which led to him recording his first songs at the tender age of fifteen. 

Following this, he expanded his musical toolkit with spells in various grunge & rock-influenced bands before moving to London in his early twenties. Working as a professional composer for TV & the video game industry & finding fresh inspiration in the city’s vibrant open mic scene, Scott decided to refocus on his solo work as a vocalist and singer-songwriter able to craft hook-laden songs across guitar, piano & keyboards. The album Neon is his first official release, and is a strong set of diverse songs from a versatile musician.

Chris Flynn

Manchester singer/songwriter Chris Flynn has spent many years performing with bands, but is now releasing solo material of an extremely high quality. 

His work has attracted a fair bit of high profile attention too, including I Am Kloot's Peter Jobson.

So Ralph thought it'd be a good time to find out about the changes in his life and songwriting.

Ralph: How's the 'solo' life?

Chris: I've enjoyed the whole band/collaboration thing but 20 years of it has affected my songwriting and I want to bring that almost cathartic process to everyones attention, although writing the album has been a slow (two years) process.

Ralph: The video for Dumped looked fun to make and great to have Maxine Peake on board?

Chris: Yeah it was, it was partly filmed in The Kings Arms, Salford with a lot of mates in the cast, spending four hours in a pub, what's not to like. Maxine was great too, I love what she stands for and the way she supports local artists.






Ralph: There seems to be an introverted approach to some of your tracks, how much has your own life affected your songwriting?

Chris: The new album actually features a lot of 'character songs' with invented scenarious. It's allowed me to be a lot freer with the whole process and it's been very cathartic. There's much more to come too, you've not heard the best yet!




So there you have it, Chris Flynn is like the proverbial great wine, very much improving with age. Dumped is a stylish, well crafted track in the style of Robert Wyatt backed by an atmospheric, well directed video. If there's more and better to come, then we're in for a real treat! 

There are some small acoustic shows coming in September before the album is finished so watch this space.

31/08/15 CHARITY GIG (BURY HOSPICE), GLASTON - BLIND TIGER, BURY, 9PM

14/09/15 ACOUSTICA @ APOTHECA, MANCHESTER, FREE ENTRY

Lost Embers

Ralph's been checking out Cardiff singer songwriter Lost Embers as his album The Borders Of Winter is due for worldwide release on April 27th.

Having played guitar and written music since an early age, playing in a number of bands around the Welsh valleys, the next logical step was to perform as a solo artist so Lost Embers was formed in 2013. Since then songs have been written and recorded with important thought to location and space. These recordings gave way to the first full length album The Borders of Winter. 

The Borders of Winter, recorded by Lost Embers in a farmhouse overlooking a church in Cowbridge over the period of September 2014 to January 2015, is a primarily acoustic album with inflections of heavy rock, folk and even dance. 

It's a record which offers up homage to the indie rock albums of R.E.M. and the ambience of Draco Rosa. 

Thematically, The Borders of Winter crosses borders life, love, birth, death and existence, as the title suggests, and was written at a time of change, development and renewal outside of the music. All of which contribute to an album by Lost Embers which is chilled, acoustic, rocking, mellow and thought provoking in equal amount.

Having listened to some of the tracks from this delightfully lo-fi album it gives a glimpse into how insightful and cultured a songwriter Lost Embers is as he takes us on the musical journey through his thoughts and feelings.

He's currently using Pledgemusic to fund it and you can pre-order The Borders Of Winter from THIS LINK.

Millie Manders

The latest piece of musical goodness to find its way into the kennel is the new release and video by Singer/Songwriter and Ukulele player extraordinaire Millie Manders. 

Having met the effervescent Millie Manders at the Ralph's Life All Day Charity gig in Proud Camden it seemed like the release of 'Little Big Mouth' was as good a time as any to ask a few questions and see how and why her music matches her outgoing personality.

Ralph: The new video is catchy, quirky and in your face...how much does that reflect your personality?

Millie: I think it reflects me well. I've never been the one to 'fit in'. Apparently I've been carving my own crazy paving path since I could walk- according to my parents any way!

Ralph: You've always got earphones on...what's the current listening and does it influence what you're writing now?

Millie: Music is a continual influence. I write reviews for The Punk Archive so I always have something new in my head. My preferences are underground hip hop and punk genres but I listen to anything. I've just reviewed an amazing nu punk band called Riskee and the Ridicule but I also recently pledged for the new K-Flay album (awesome indie/hip hop) and I am really enjoying Dan Le sac vs Scroobius Pip's latest record.

Ralph: How much does past/present experiences influence your songwriting?

Millie: Yes all the time. Being hurt is a wonderful motivation for music so a lot of my bad experiences are in my lyrics - I use it as a therapy. I also use people watching, politics and other things too though. I love to "write what I see" as well as what I feel.

Ralph: Why the ukulele?

Millie: I wanted to expand my musical experience. I started on instruments, and I often get frustrated by being able to sing a melody but not relate it back to chord sequences, so Uke was a good choice for me. I've been able to translate the skills to the guitar, it's really good for ska and calypso songs, diversifies my sound and ticks the boxes for song writing too.

Ralph: Live performance or video/studio?

Millie: Live! Live live live!! I love being on stage. Recording is great because I get to reach more of my friends and fans who can't get to gigs, but there is nothing like feeding off of and giving back energy to your band, your audience and your soul! I love bouncing around and relating the emotions of each song out into the ether. Seeing people enjoying it with you, singing along, feeling your pain/joy/frustration... Nothing beats that.

Ralph: Burger or Pizza?

Millie: Neither. Ha ha! I very rarely touch food like that. I'm a raw vegetables and fruit fiend. Sugar snap peas are one o the most awesome things on God's green earth! If I really crave naughty stuff it's usually chocolate, biscuits or crisps.

Ralph: Your shows seem to be London oriented, any plans for world domination?

Millie: I'm playing a fair amount outside of London too - I try to hit a different town once a month, so in the next few I've got Kent, Manchester, Wales and Norwich... Looking at another return to Birmingham soon too! Truth be told the place I really want to get to is America. Warped Tour is like the ultimate dream....

Ralph: Now you've put out the 'Demon' EP to critical acclaim last year, any plans for an album?

Millie:  I am definitely looking at an album. Funding can be a huge problem in this game, but with careful planning I'm hoping to get an album out at the beginning of next year. Prior to that I'll be looking to get a full band demo out as a give-away/promo tool.

 

Ralph: Band or solo?

 Millie: BAND! More fun, more energy, more ROAR!!

Ralph: Wimbledon or The World Cup?

Millie: Neither. Sorry, I'd rather pull my eyes out. Sports to me is like paint drying only the workers are over paid.

Ralph: Is keeping true to your 'Indie' roots important or would you do the X Factor?

Millie: I actually got headhunted for X Factor 2013. I followed it through to really see how it worked from the inside.  It's not something i ever would have pursued without being asked but it was good to see if my suspicions were true. 

I hated it before. I loathe it now. I'll never do it again. There's so many musicians, myself included, that work so hard to perfect their skills, hone their style and deliver quality, unique music. 






All those shows want are quick fix, R'n'B or Pop one hit wonders to line the pockets of the creators and work the "artists" to the bone for almost minimum wage. It's an ugly price to pay for minimal amounts of time in a very dodgy, contrived spot light.... Now let me tell you how I really feel, yeah?







Upcoming dates.....

18th July: “Come To The Cabaret”, Orchard Spot, Maidstone, Kent

20th July: Old Queens Head, Angel, London – Ukulele solo gig

25th July: The Red Lion, Aspley, Watford

27th July: Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, The Kings Arms, Salford, Manchester

2nd August: Rhondda Rocks Festival, Wales

2nd August: The Golden Lion Hotel, Carmarthen, Wales

8th August: Boom Town Fair – Guest vocal. TBA!

6th September: The Finsbury, Manor House, London – FULL BAND