Saturday, 13 September 2014

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 13.9.14

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 Mr 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 .....













Photo courtesy of Emma Marshall

Listening to North London band One Eyed Wayne is like having a flashback to putting on a Blockheads record (one of those round, flat, black vinyl things) that's been re-mixed with a bit of UK Subs and no small amount of humour. A case in point is their latest release After The Break and accompanying video. It's fast and furious social commentary at its televisually cynical, clever and punky best!





No 2.....TITORS INSIGNIA 




Photo: It's Finally Here Folks, 

Our long awaited 2nd album "GET YOURSELF A NAME" is set to be released via any digital download site on 11.08.14 and hard copys to follow

recorded at JARAF HOUSE STUDIO and cover Sleeve photo by Legendary Photographer BRIAN CANNON your gonna love it.

Track Listing - GET YOURSELF A NAME

1. Kiss like a Rattle snake
2. Lay it on the Line
3. Closing Time
4. Wake up Wake up
5. Forgiving Kind 
6. I Need the Real Thing
7. Movin on
8. Beg, Plead & Pray
9. Get yourself a Name
10. Born this Way (but that's ok)
11. The Sky's The Limit

We would like to thank every one who has supported T.i over the past 6 years we have been rocking the country and a Special Thanks to 

Angelica Fenney for Hair & Make-up & for all her hard work in managing us through blood sweat and tears, and a broken down car on the way to a scotland gig.... lmfao xx

John Kettle from Jaraf House Studio for producing the epic songs and giving us the opportunity to record a few of his own & his wife Virginia Kettle songs we have recorded with him tracks 1, 5, 6. and all the Coffee we made for him but not like slutch (he says in a wigan voice)

And to the brilliant famous photographer Brian Cannon for taking the album sleeve shot & Noreen Osborne for Modeling for it, its gonna blow your minds..also Brian and having the patients to ways around for a 3 hours late band member, there's always a story when it comes to a Titors Event...

Jp Braddock from Formation Audio Post Production & Mastering

Location of sleeve, the sleeve was taken in the cinema bar in St. Helens. A massive thanks to Kev & Andy for letting us use there venue. Quality lads. 

Also to our sponsors Classy Cuts, Mandy Shandy Miller & Anarchy Tattoo Studio, Ste Cliffe for making us look the part and supplying us with great tattoos.. x
x

Thanks 

Much Love & Peace

T.i

Well it's finally here, St Helens band TITORS INSIGNIA are releasing Get Yourself A Name - their long awaited,11 track follow-up album to Fair City Riots tomorrow. It includes their rock it out classic track Beg, Plead and Pray which featured on the Ralph's Life CD for mental health charity Rethink.







No 3.....Jingo


Black Flowers
With the majority of unsigned bands pushing their music via the EP recently it's nice to see that a band has the confidence in their songwriting ability to produce a complete album of twelve tracks in order that the listener can get a real handle on their music.

London based, four-piece alt rockers Jingo have done just that with the release today of The Art Of Loving. Comprised of husband and wife Jack and Katie Buckett along with friends Chris Smith and Joe Reeves they've compiled some delightfully mean and moody music that highlights Katie's crystal clear vocals.









Ralph's recently been listening to a lot of 'proper' music for 'grown ups' and in this category comes the recently released EP King Of Crows by Sheffield band Braver Than Fiction. It's a collection of four live tracks that set off vocalist Mel's bluesy infused vocals against some snazzy Steampacket-esque Hammond organ-ising.







No 5..... Wullae Wright


Displaying Superhero-finished.jpg
Ralph's previously blogged Wullae Wright and it's proved to be the most well read of any over the last couple of years. Needless to say it was good news when Wullae Wright got in touch to say he was releasing 'Superhero' as a single. The story of the song is no less poignant than Wullae Wright's plaintive vocal which, overlaid on subtle acoustic guitar with an orchestral background is just as heart wrenching as the single's message. 





No 6.....Feral Five



FERAL FIVE - 3D
Ralph's been up to his ears in Gunk this week! No not the stuff for cleaning car engines...'Gunk' is a portmanteau of Geek Punk and it was celebrated in style on the 5th-7th September at the Music Tech Fest in London...and Ralph's chums Feral Five were at the forefront with a live performance prior to the launch to celebrate the official release of 3D Print Me single on 12" Vinyl on September 17th in the East London Design Store.









No 7... Steel Threads





Ralph played the Steel Threads track It Goes On during this weeks Indie Show on Radio KC and such was the interest via his social media in the kennel that he was moved to take a closer look.

Describing themselves as 'An original acoustic band playing their own unique blend of Rock and Folk' and with influences as diverse as Led ZeppelinCrowded House and Fleetwood Mac, they are multi-talented duo of Neil Wardleworth (drums/guitar/vocals) and Laura Wilcockson (violin/vocals).






No 8..... Fragile Creatures 



Fragile Creatures EP

Brighton seems to be producing a wealth of musical goodness of late and Fragile Creatures are pushing their way to the forefront of that trend after an enforced hiatus due to tragic circumstances. After a successful start to 2013; including starting to record an album, David Vatchnadze, their mentor and founder of Indie record label DNVMusic sadly passed away.








No 9.....Villiers




Ralph's been keeping an eye on Lancashire lads Villiers for a bit now and, with the imminent release of a Double A Side single (You're Not Alone/Nowhere Left To Run) as a follow up to the excellent 'Dancer', this seemed as good a time as any to spread the good musical word. They're very much in the same mould as London electro boys Thumpers or Resonate from Sheffield, but with a bit of a mean and moodier edge as shown on 'Dancer'.









Photo: Our EP Howlin' is out now and available for download on iTunes and amazon worldwide
UTRRalph's featured Birmingham band Broken Witt Rebels a couple of times now on his Radio KC Indie Show and always to some great feedback, so it was with great interest that he checked out their newly released EP Howlin'.

Released this week, it's five tracks of bluesy, gutsy and downright nasty rock 'n' roll in the style of Bad Company or Family from back in the day. Lean, mean, punch you in the face and buy you a drink after tunes, proper music for grown ups.










Tuesday, 9 September 2014

Feral Five


FERAL FIVE - 3DRalph's been up to his ears in Gunk this week! No not the stuff for cleaning car engines...'Gunk' is a portmanteau of Geek Punk and it was celebrated in style on the 5th-7th September at the Music Tech Fest in London...and Ralph's chums Feral Five were at the forefront with a live performance prior to the launch to celebrate the official release of 3D Print Me single on 12" Vinyl on September 17th in the East London Design Store.

It's already been played by Steve Lamacq on his BBC 6 Music Recommends show and of course Ralph's given it a spin on the Radio KC UK Indie Show.


More on Feral Five later, but first...the science bit! Music Tech Fest; launched two years ago by Stromatolite, showcases the latest academic research, experimental devices and commercial applications focusing on music search and music making. 

Originally industry leaders such as Spotify, Wired, BBC, Soundcloud and Ninja Tune converged to talk music, technology and the future of sound. It brought together bands, DJs and companies at the cutting edge of sound, design and technology in the stunning location of Ravensbourne College. This year the festival was about 'making music with anything you can find' and 'turning everything into an instrument.









Feral Five's involvement this year saw them hook up a 3D printer as an instrument in a live performance that included PiL's Lu Edmonds.


3D Printing is here to stay, but what of the future? They predict a world where not just body parts, but whole beings are made to order. A benevolent act or has humanity created a monster?



Photo: Here's the full geek punk all stars line up at Music Tech Fest! Ferals, Lu Edmonds from PIL, Lewis Flude, @Book of Sound, Fakebit Polytechnic, @museumoftechno. What a night!
The full Geek line-up at Music Tech Fest

Feral Five’s dystopian vision features 3D Printer samples as percussion, as well as a hook-laden mix of growling synths, bass and guitars. The release also includes dance remix 3D Ether Mix, and stark percussive heartbreak track Invisible. 3D has been featured in the US tech press who called it an anthem.






Feral Five at the Ralph's Life CD Launch in Proud Camden
The vinyl is available to pre-order at Rough Trade and will be in other record stores and shops including the East London Design Store. The digital tracks are available on iTunes, Amazon & other download stores. 

It's Feral Five at their best with its evocative, disco-esque synth-ings, brash guitar and catchy vocal hook. With only 300 copies available of the 12" vinyl version, snap it up, it's a classic!



3D Print Me will be out on limited edition 12” vinyl, with original artwork by tribal pop artist Camille Walala, and a 3D design brought to life by the Ferals’ own 3D printer. 

Designer Walala has worked with Nintendo, XOYO, and Land of Kings. The tracks were mastered and cut by Nick Watson of Fluid Mastering.









Steel Threads


Ralph played the Steel Threads track It Goes On during this weeks Indie Show on Radio KC and such was the interest via his social media in the kennel that he was moved to take a closer look.

Describing themselves as 'An original acoustic band playing their own unique blend of Rock and Folk' and with influences as diverse as Led Zeppelin, Crowded House and Fleetwood Mac, the multi-talented duo of Neil Wardleworth (drums/guitar/vocals) and Laura Wilcockson (violin/vocals) are proving to be a force to be reckoned with.






Steel Threads formed in 2011 and they pride themselves on their strong songwriting and energetic performances.The debut album Timing Is Everything, released in 2012 saw the band gigging regularly throughout the UK and building a strong following. The strength of support ensured the second album For Those Who Are Left pledge funded by fans reached its target quicker than expected.







Steel Threads have worked with and supported such luminaries as The South, Hugh Cornwell and New Model Army whilst festival slots have included The Great British Folk Festival, Clennell Hall Folk Festival, Les-Fest in Scotland, Welfest in Welford on Avon and Northwich Music Festival along with many of the established venues in the UK.






The 7 track Live EP is officially released (available to pre-order) on the 7th October and I can thoroughly recommend it. It features live versions of songs from the first two albums plus a brand new track, Over Before You Begun.




It's an ideal introduction to Steel Threads as it not only captures the energy of their live performances, but also their innate song writing ability and musicality. Over Before You Begun in particular exemplifies this with it's poignant yet gritty lyric overlaid on countrified violin and sympathetic guitar. You can pre-order the Live EP by clicking on this link.








Monday, 8 September 2014

Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 6.9.14

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 Mr 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.....TITORS INSIGNIA 




Photo: It's Finally Here Folks, 

Our long awaited 2nd album "GET YOURSELF A NAME" is set to be released via any digital download site on 11.08.14 and hard copys to follow

recorded at JARAF HOUSE STUDIO and cover Sleeve photo by Legendary Photographer BRIAN CANNON your gonna love it.

Track Listing - GET YOURSELF A NAME

1. Kiss like a Rattle snake
2. Lay it on the Line
3. Closing Time
4. Wake up Wake up
5. Forgiving Kind 
6. I Need the Real Thing
7. Movin on
8. Beg, Plead & Pray
9. Get yourself a Name
10. Born this Way (but that's ok)
11. The Sky's The Limit

We would like to thank every one who has supported T.i over the past 6 years we have been rocking the country and a Special Thanks to 

Angelica Fenney for Hair & Make-up & for all her hard work in managing us through blood sweat and tears, and a broken down car on the way to a scotland gig.... lmfao xx

John Kettle from Jaraf House Studio for producing the epic songs and giving us the opportunity to record a few of his own & his wife Virginia Kettle songs we have recorded with him tracks 1, 5, 6. and all the Coffee we made for him but not like slutch (he says in a wigan voice)

And to the brilliant famous photographer Brian Cannon for taking the album sleeve shot & Noreen Osborne for Modeling for it, its gonna blow your minds..also Brian and having the patients to ways around for a 3 hours late band member, there's always a story when it comes to a Titors Event...

Jp Braddock from Formation Audio Post Production & Mastering

Location of sleeve, the sleeve was taken in the cinema bar in St. Helens. A massive thanks to Kev & Andy for letting us use there venue. Quality lads. 

Also to our sponsors Classy Cuts, Mandy Shandy Miller & Anarchy Tattoo Studio, Ste Cliffe for making us look the part and supplying us with great tattoos.. x
x

Thanks 

Much Love & Peace

T.i

Well it's finally here, St Helens band TITORS INSIGNIA are releasing Get Yourself A Name - their long awaited,11 track follow-up album to Fair City Riots tomorrow. It includes their rock it out classic track Beg, Plead and Pray which featured on the Ralph's Life CD for mental health charity Rethink.











Ralph's recently been listening to a lot of 'proper' music for 'grown ups' and in this category comes the recently released EP King Of Crows by Sheffield band Braver Than Fiction. It's a collection of four live tracks that set off vocalist Mel's bluesy infused vocals against some snazzy Steampacket-esque Hammond organ-ising.










Photo courtesy of Emma Marshall

Listening to North London band One Eyed Wayne is like having a flashback to putting on a Blockheads record (one of those round, flat, black vinyl things) that's been re-mixed with a bit of UK Subs and no small amount of humour. A case in point is their latest release After The Break and accompanying video. It's fast and furious social commentary at its televisually cynical, clever and punky best!





No 4..... Wullae Wright


Displaying Superhero-finished.jpg
Ralph's previously blogged Wullae Wright and it's proved to be the most well read of any over the last couple of years. Needless to say it was good news when Wullae Wright got in touch to say he was releasing 'Superhero' as a single. The story of the song is no less poignant than Wullae Wright's plaintive vocal which, overlaid on subtle acoustic guitar with an orchestral background is just as heart wrenching as the single's message. 





No 5.....Jingo


Black Flowers
With the majority of unsigned bands pushing their music via the EP recently it's nice to see that a band has the confidence in their songwriting ability to produce a complete album of twelve tracks in order that the listener can get a real handle on their music.

London based, four-piece alt rockers Jingo have done just that with the release today of The Art Of Loving. Comprised of husband and wife Jack and Katie Buckett along with friends Chris Smith and Joe Reeves they've compiled some delightfully mean and moody music that highlights Katie's crystal clear vocals.




No 6..... Fragile Creatures 



Fragile Creatures EP

Brighton seems to be producing a wealth of musical goodness of late and Fragile Creatures are pushing their way to the forefront of that trend after an enforced hiatus due to tragic circumstances. After a successful start to 2013; including starting to record an album, David Vatchnadze, their mentor and founder of Indie record label DNVMusic sadly passed away.







No 7.....Villiers




Ralph's been keeping an eye on Lancashire lads Villiers for a bit now and, with the imminent release of a Double A Side single (You're Not Alone/Nowhere Left To Run) as a follow up to the excellent 'Dancer', this seemed as good a time as any to spread the good musical word. They're very much in the same mould as London electro boys Thumpers or Resonate from Sheffield, but with a bit of a mean and moodier edge as shown on 'Dancer'.










Photo: Our EP Howlin' is out now and available for download on iTunes and amazon worldwide
UTRRalph's featured Birmingham band Broken Witt Rebels a couple of times now on his Radio KC Indie Show and always to some great feedback, so it was with great interest that he checked out their newly released EP Howlin'.

Released this week, it's five tracks of bluesy, gutsy and downright nasty rock 'n' roll in the style of Bad Company or Family from back in the day. Lean, mean, punch you in the face and buy you a drink after tunes, proper music for grown ups.












Back in October of last year it was with a heavy heart that Ralph reported on The Invisible Ray, an album that was to be the swansong of The Low Countries (mainly comprised of Nigel Parrington and Els D'hooge). Ralph had a chat with Nigel at the time and he reported that he felt 'all songed out'.












Sonic Hearts Foundation - 'Afterlife'

Seeing as Ralph's heading on a road trip home soon, it's about time a few Scottish bands were featured. The first being Sonic Hearts Foundation from Glasgow, who Ralph gave a spin on last Sunday's Indie Show on Radio KC. They're releasing a new Single 'Afterlife' on August 11th and it's a follow up to their critically acclaimed 'Into Forever' EP.