Screaming Citizens - at the Wardrobe, very cool.

Despite a random drunk gentleman from Crete and the world slowest bar (seriously, I nearly left without my Flaming something or other) I took the misuss out for her birthday to the Wardrobe, a small bar close to the Leeds Playhouse and the BBC, excellent spot and 4 member funky rock group were playing - The Screaming Citizens, I have to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from the name ...

The started with an all time favourite of mine, though this is usually a bad move - (nothing worse than a good song done badly) but in this instance it was awesome - "Play that funky music", seriously my foot didn't stop tapping for the evening, there is one pre-requisite for that track, getting the bass line right, and it was spot on.

The 4 members are made up of the usual drums, bass guitar, another guitar and then the lead singer - who is also an awesome flautist (yeah, plays the flute) - which oddly enough mixes in really well. It is unfair to single out any of the four for special mention - but Kev Mooney on the bass was pretty damn brilliant (not the same bass guitarist from Adam and the Ants though, not sure if he is any relation) ...

Honestly though the evening was made all the more better by some drunk Salsa dancers, think they were Crete, but wasn't quite 100% about that...

Anyhow a few links -
Screaming Citizens on MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/screamingcitizens
the Wardrobe - http://www.thewardrobe.co.uk/
and the Wardrobe on Twitter - http://twitter.com/wardrobeleeds

If you can - definently try and see them ...

Eurovision 2009 - Conclusion

Another Eurovision song contest came and went, of course it was as glitzy as ever, but were the songs any good... Well our own song frankly was a bit naff - like a Disney song from a 'straight to video' sequel... Despite this, Jade did a damn good job and so the UK came a respetable 5th.

Norway stormed into the lead, but I am unimpressed ... it was an impressive performance, visually but I am not struck on the singing or the song! Greece, despite looking more like a dodgy George Michael video, was pretty good - but I felt that the German, Swedish and the Azerbaijan entries all had more merit...

Still it is over for a year, and hopefully Andrew Lloyd Webber will be off our screens for a while (nothing against the TV shows, I just find him, and crap reality tv a bit annoying!)

Last FM feeling Festive ?

Oddly we noticed a few new Christmas tracks sneeking into the Reccomended by Last FM player, the way Last FM works is mainly on comparing what you listen to, to what everyone else listens to.

So are the people at Last FM feeling festive? - Well, they are but they aren't the ones doing this (so they said in an email) - it is the listening public, who are scrobbling the odd festive song ... - so if the people you are similar to in your music tastes are feeling festive - then it is potentially contagious! your going to have the odd festive, but hopefully in line with your taste, track in the mix!

Thanks to the guys at Last FM for clearing this up and to the listeners of Last FM for spreading hte Christmas cheer!

Videos not working ?

If you find a video or two isn't working - don't panic - its good! It turns out that we need to upgrade our servers a little - unfortunately some of the videos are going to be offline for a day while we catch up with the new locations ...

Don't worry, we are still here and of course all videos will be back up!

Loving my new iphone

It has to be said, I am convert - oddly I was arguing about how bad iPhones were and how they were truly overpriced and dated in certain directions (web connection is slower (3mb/s compared to other modern phones 7mb/s, cameras a bit rubbish, no video) but what a package! This moved was fuelled as much by a need to get away from Three and their appalling customer service and a breakdown in trust as it was for an iPhone ... But now I have one I am singing the praises at every opportunity - why ?

Well, I am sitting here listening to the Last FM radio streamed music based on my personal music taste, derived by scrobbling from places such as Winamp etc...

The iPhone is an awesome multimedia player, the screen is excellent - significantly it is usable in a way that other devices aren't ... It is no secret that we are talking about developing a mobile web version of Mixit.TV but now the question is should we make it a iPhone web app or something that will work with everything ??? we will probably end up doing a mixture of both, but thats still down the line ....


Seriously, take my word for it - if your a multimedia lover, and a camera isn't vital to you give it a try - the device ticks more boxes than you can imagine.... if only I could still touch'text!

N95 for sale ... anyone?

Gerry
(the resident geek)

Reeperbahn Festival - any good ?

Its has to be said - the best way to see a music festival isn't always as out of our face as we were (the others on the stag weekend and I), that said the Reeperbahn Festival was absolutely awesome. I am not saying British festivals are over priced, but this was damn cheap - I have a feeling I will return with a Mixit.TV crew next year, maybe less alchohol fuelled! We saw only about 6 or 7 bands in total, but two British bands stoof out - the first was most definently The Corteeners - the room was small but packed, moshing up the front when they performed some top tracks, the sound was perfect: Found this on YouTube - not taken by us though, I tried taking some video but it didn't come out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hQXqDXjS-k course, this is a band we would to interview ....

Next came a more 'accoustic set' from The Subways, or more a Subway, as William Lunn said on his blog

"...(Mr. Steve Gurney - sound engineer/tour manager extraordinaire) and I were off to rock Hamburg armed with...my acoustic guitar...watch out, Hamburg! We arrived and made our way to the venue to commence soundcheck."So it's just you?" said the stage manager."Yes! Little old me. I'll still blow your socks off. Just
without a distortion pedal. Don't worry..."

He did, seriously - this was a complete different room, the from a room barely able to fit a hundred this room was massive probably a thousand+ crammed in - and a solo accoustic set by William Lunn blew us away - if your not familiar with The Subways, they were recently featured in the film RocknRolla ... If any of these guys wants to come in for an interview we would love to hear from you, seriously top performance in Hamburgs redlight districts international music festival.... Looking forward to a more sober visit next year ...!

Reeperbahn - off to Germany

Would love to pretend that this is a Mixit.TV endevour, but the reality is that I am going with some friends to say goodbye to his unmarried life, us gents are going to say farewell to his hedonistic ways that tried to see him through his uni life (and his other 20 something years), otherwise known a stag weekend.

Of course thats no excuse not to see some of the top acts on, at the Reeperbahn festival, and whilst I have never heard of half the line up that isn't to say they are bad, they will just be singing in German! http://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/index.php?lang=en

Should the weekend not be excessivelybeer fuelled expect a 'comprehensive' review, or a long moan about a massive f****** hangover....

Thats it - I am quitting 3

I have always been an advocate of the mobile phone network '3' but the time has come for me to hang my old phone up and embrace something different, what caused this? Being told its "not my problem" by their support team after they sent out the wrong phone to a customer (my mother) and that because she had started using it, she was stuck with it. Honestly, I didn't expect to win the discussion, but I was unprepared for the rudeness, email to the boss man in the morning I think!

Question is what next? I have to say I am not seriously tempted by the iPhone - which is almost unthinkable as I blasted it only a year ago as overhyped and technically dated! A few flaws (no A2DP, so can't play it on my bluetooth car stereo, or with bluetooth headphones, neither of which I have, no video taking ablility)... I would love to stay away from the Cult of the Mac syndrome so many techy geeks fall into, but it has to be said I am drawn to the device! Will I succumb? Watch this space ... I am a techno geek and it seems to fit certain requirements ....!

All I know is that after the treatment of my mother by Three, the lack of decent 'incentives' to be a loyal customer' (currently due an upgrade and they keep telling me what I should buy as opposed to listening to what I want...

I am not holding out much hope for staying with them!

Social animals (online) that we are ...

We now have a Myspace and a Facebook page, the most important question is which logo do you prefer? we have a different one on each! We have been trying to figure out a decent logo and discussions have heated up - so if you do find us on MySpace or Facebook please let us know which logo you prefer.

Course we release some secretive information on each, so its worth finding us on both simply to keep upto date.

http://www.myspace.com/mixittv
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/MixitTV/

And as a special prize, the 5,000 friend we get on MySpace will get an ipod nano

Feedback needed!! - Music in your home

We're in the middle of writing a few articles on freeing the music, so please drop in the comments any experience you have had getting your digital music to where ever you are, either in the home (via wifi?) using different storage devices, and of course out of the home... The articles are going to be divided up into various areas including listening to music in the home, on the move and in the car.

If you have the perfect setup, or been surprised at how bad something can be then please post a comment!

yo yo

went to yo yo"s venue in notting hill fantastic [live] club highly recommended the band city reverb absolutely a must see check it out

Salsa in the Mix

Salsa Revolution have been lucky enough to have Carmelo Dance Company, one of London's hottest up and coming Latin dance groups perform for them this Thursday.

Performing and debuting their brand new salsa show, before it travels around the world. So this is my chance to be amongst the first in the world to see it and best of all its right on my doorstep.

"I've been lucky enough to see them in rehearsal and they work really hard, I was out of breath and my muscles started aching just watching them rehears. I forget how many times I said WOW and I hadn't even seen the finished version."

Chunky
www.salsarevolution.co.uk

Salsa & Latin lifestyle

I have had a lot of request for Latin lifestyle, I have been ask to feature salsa dancing, music & fashion, as a keen salsa dancer myself I have not got a problem with that, you can expect to hear about the hotest dance clubs in the UK & about bands, Congreses, dance shows, I have some videos from the Salsasplash down in Hayling Island last week & some great review, so watch this space.

Don One

Aint No Sunshine Now He's Gone.... Ike

Isaac Hayes died yesterday(10 August 2008) aged 65 and so passes another legend in the pantheon of music(dom). His name will be remembered and his works live on and on. I had the good fortune to meet the great man and sit down and rap with him on several occasions. He was indeed an imensely humble character and a gentleman of the first order. He was an inspiration to me and a giant in the industry. He told me many stories about his exploits which I would love to share with you all at some more appropriate time in the future. The nature of these are such that this would be an inappropriate time to recount them here and now. Let us all give a big sigh, wipe that tear from the eye and celebrate the works of this great man now sadly deceased.

I Stand Accused Isaac Hayes

url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GWWNxBNlyQ

King King

WE'RE ON THE MOVE

My peoples! Construction of the site is going great... i LIE! It's going absolutely fntastic! We have developed a number of really cool features that you are just going to love. I have been sworn to secrecy; but I can tell you that over the coming weeks you are going to see a dramatic increase in the content material that we will be featuring on this site. We have some exciting new bands and individual artists who will be plying their beautiful musical wares and regaling us with excellent original and cover material, that I know you are all going to love. (Well most of you at least) In all we have some 350 new videos/acts sitting in the archives being written up as we speak and this will mark an important landmark in the progression of the best of unsigned and new material available to you in any one place on the net. I kid you not my "peops" they represent the very best of what is out there on two of the five continents. The other three landmasses are being scoured for material as I write this and we will be presenting them to you as and when they come in.

I would like to take this oportunity to say a big Hello to our viewers/readers/listeners/lookers and friends in Mexico. We value your patronage and intend to feature loads and loads of artists, bands and material from your neck of the woods in the not too distant future.

I am in the process of compiling some really interesting material that is not specifically music related but still excellent entertainment and I hope you will tune into the king@mixit.tv section which will be coming onstream shortly. This will represent my personal view of things available on the net including: dance, theatre, poetry, politics, philosophical and cultural debate, humour, scandal, outrage, film, video and essentially those things that I enjoy that will give you a little insight into what makes me tick. I don’t expect you all to understand or even subscribe to the things that I enjoy but for those of you who do... We are going to have a blast. And Hey... Lawyers at Mixit... Chill... This ones all down to me. Tell the fuddy duddy’s NaySayers and the inheritors of the MaryWhitehouse brigade to address their writs to King@cyberspace.cum... Dig it. HaHaHa Lets get this show on the road.

KingKing

Frank Zappa interview - for censorship ?

Came across this interview sent to me by a friend, very interesting, I think it shows three things - the attitude of Frank Zappa, the intelligence of Frank Zappa and finally how 'America' used to be so hot passionate about these subjects -

I am a great believer in free speech within a certain limit, its always a question of who can set the limit where it has to be drawn and where the limit is derived from. "greater good" "religion of the people how set the law", or something else.

Gerry

Drumming - better than ... well, for keep fit

To look at me you wouldn't believe it, but I am on a bit of a keep fit fad, my gym membership is paid up and I have even looked over the class time tables, but I was surprised to read recently that drumming is better for you than almost any sport, including a full 90 minute football match!!!! So when the new game comes out on the Wii it will hopefully be a good enough incentive for me to buy a new Wii (not that their is anyything wrong with my Xbox 360- gamertag dergal btw) ...

So those of you thinking about learning and instrument and getting fit, well there is only one choice! If anyone is selling a soundproof room and a drum kit - I think you might find it on my Christmas list!

Gerry - a fat keyboard player

MOZES AND MOUNTAINS

The enigmatic Mozes of Mozes and the Cameras is an intriguing, charismatic character who is a thoroughly down to earth and humble man. He is the complete antithesis of what his name evokes or implies. Mozes is full of passion and laughter with the most disarming, self effacing charm. Although he is deadly serious about his music he is really relaxed about himself. He says that what you see is what you get and winks cheekily.

When it comes to talking about his music he does so passionately. He knows exactly what he is about and has a whole philosophy about what it is he is doing. He calls his music "Black Folk music " and adds that that description is both "of" and "by" pausing for me to fill in the blanks. He is inspired by diverse influences from whom he drawa energy and vibrations: the likes of Fela Kuti, Mahler, Curtis Mayfield, Van Morrison, Gill Scott-Heron, Beethoven, Richie Havens, Bjork, Maria Callas, and Tracy Chapman.

Mozes is fiercely independent and knows exactly what he wants. He wants the lot and wants it on his terms. A nice thing about my meeting with him was that he remained constantly alert to ensure that I was following the thread of his argument and comfortable with what he was saying. Mozes is such a nice chap it was a pleasure being in his company and I look forward to watching what happens with the new acoustic album he is about to record. Good Luck Mozes. You are the salt and pepper of the earth my man. Music is your medium, The stage is your pulpit You're half way up the mountain. and I hope you get to share your vision of life with a greater audience out there. I think you have important things to say and will win lots of friends in saying them.

As Mozes left he turned and said "I'm gonna "Moze" over to catch the number 1 bus now to get to Covent Garden to do some busking. See you on the Main stage at Glastonbury in June next year bro. You can give me the Paxman interview next time"

Checkout Mozes on Mixit.TV


Additional Information about Mozes by Mozes:

Mozes and the Cameras sound like Mozes & the Cameras however if you must compare... the sound is an inspirational gumbo of Richie Havens, Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Jon Lucien, Hootie & the Blowfish to name a few... and yes it is folk music but with a punchy left hook!

"A folky melodically organic international rhythm.."

Mozes' Influences:

Beethoven, Nat King Cole,The Killers, Studio One, Vernom Bush,Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Seal, Tom Wait, Geoff Buckley, Hendrix, Bjork, Maria Callas, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Amy Winehouse, Thin Lizzy, Muse, Radio Head, imagination, Lee Scratch Perry, Jah Shaka, Snoop Dog, Public Enemy, frank Sinatra, Van Morrison,The Wailers, Mahler, Arethe Franklin, Beatles, to name but a few


KING KING

BRITAIN'S GOT DA BLUES

Tom Colborn sometimes known as Delta Tom or Bluesman Tom is the real deal feel it in your bones, rhythm and sounds in deep tissues, from the Mississippi Delta to east coast Ragtime blues belta. This man plays his brand of bottleneck blues guitar in the old style troubadour tradition of what blues was in "dem good ol' days". You know back in the day' when blues men were the musical scribes, Griots and messengers of conscience within their community and travelled around from hamlet to town giving up social commentary on what was happening in their little corner of the universe. Tom is one a those guys reincarnated for twenty first century Britain got-da-blues. But Tom's not singin’ duh: "Oh My baby's gone I'm so alone" type blues, duh: “ I wanna slit my throat”, “You got my goat" type blues He's hollerin' the up beat "rag time" "jump jolly," Jelly roll".... "Funny thing happened to me the other day" type 21st century Millennia Blues.

I first saw Tom in an open mic acoustic session at the Durrel in Fulham when he was doing a sound check warm up before the session started and I was busily chatting away to my friends as you do ignoring the musicians go through their warm up session when this tall thin lick of a man got up on the stage with his guitar and started strumming away and almost right from the very first belt of his (really handsome acoustic) guitar stopped the conversation at my table and the next and the next stone cold dead and transfixed us with a force fusion of lyric and beat. He threw down some of the most brilliant steel guitar I have heard in a long time. Gotta tell you it was just a warm up but he got a standing ovation at the end of it and I know that everyone in the place knew that that was just a prelude to big treats yet to come. By the time the session got under way and the two other artist before him had done their thing there was an air of excitement and expectation when he took the stage.

I'm not going to bore you with the details. Suffice to say that he didn't disappoint. He stormed through his set with brio. Fantastically fresh lyrics and threw in a maestro quality string picking bottle neck sliding expertly delivered steel guitar instrumentals. punctuating each number with little witticisms. Tom Colborn is in my opinion one of the most accomplished exponents of the genre practicing in Britain today. If you like the blues? I mean the real deal Cajun type, railroad riding, String bending raw rending blues then I thoroughly recommend you go and see him do his thing. I promise you you will not be disappointed.

PS: One of the most profound things I’ve heard from an exponent of this music that I love so much came from a conversation with Tom. I quote:

“if you take the blues form as a philosophy of story telling that you can use to express your own concerns, desires, aspirations etc, and those of your peers. Without personal input, in lyrical and musical content, this music would simply be a dusty museum piece, and its vitality and relevance is so obvious as to need no advocacy from modern day me's.
A guitar workshop ad I once read ran 'today, the blues belongs to everyone'. Wrong. It doesn't belong to anyone - you belong to the blues. You give yourself to it, and in so doing connect with a tradition which has its roots in Africa over a thousand years ago. As with the ancients who worshipped their ancestors, the blues connects you with the past, enables you to address and reconcile the problems of the present - and therefore light the way to the future. ”

My Peoples! You understand why I am Biggin'Up dis Tom Colborn Bluesman Tom fella so much.... Don’t you my peops?

PPS: HOT OFF THE PRESS BLUESMAN TOM LIVE AT LITTLE TARDIS STUDIO WILL BE UP ON THIS SITE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS TIME



KING KING for Mixit.TV

Photo provided by www.charles2ndphotography.co.uk

don't RIP Don Bingo & Yoda...

Where have they all gone ? Yoda & Don Bingo ? I spent my formative university years in Sheffield Hallam Uni - occasionally attending the odd lecture and of course frequenting what was the best live music venue around - an old swimming pool called the deep end.

I saw some truly awesome. and some truly awful bands not only there but in the students union ... disapointingly not only has the deep end sunk, but so have these top bands! Don't get me wrong, Sheffield has produced some of the better bands - it is just that too much quality has sunk without a trace (so has the Deep End, with a bit of scandal).

This morning on my mobile, a song by a group formerly known as Don Bingo brought a smile to my face, they imagine Crash Test Dummies but a English Northern version (think US 'the Office' vs the Gervais original)

"Living in the open sky.."

If anyone knows what happened to "Yoda" or "Don Bingo" or that band where the white guitarist had dreadlocks and the lead female perpetually bounced (definently she needed de-caff)
I am just a tad disapointed that so much talent in the worlds gone today... Mixit is all about helping raw talent - shame we can't revive the dead.