Birthday Covers: Taylor Dayne

NEXT, in the series of Birthday Covers...

At my next gig on 7th March @ The Islington, it's Taylor Dayne's birthday and I'll be covering her first single from 1988, "Tell It To My Heart".  I remember I bought a double vinyl with this track on it when I was but a tiny childlike creature - it was called something like 'The Greatest Hits of 1988'.

I've no idea how popular this song is or how many people know it... but it got to number 3 in the UK and I've loved this for many years now so I can't wait to get composing a remix/cover for it.

Here's the track in its original synthy fantastically 80's glory (plus some very appropriate clothing, hairstyles and dance moves). Unfortunately I won't be covering these too haha

--
25th Feb UPDATE: So the song is ready now and it's going to be a mash up between me covering Taylor Dayne's 'Tell It To My Heart' with samples from Tori Amos' i i e e e and Missy Elliott's Get Ur Freak On.

Come down to the gig to hear it!

Taylor Dayne - Tell It To My Heart

Tori Amos - i i e e e

Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On

Join the Facebook events here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1545945535667799/?fref=ts (Web Sheldon)
https://www.facebook.com/events/809080812509660/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular (Crhøma)

Gig Preview: Tango Pirates + New Opera Hero + Crhøma + Web Sheldon + The Boom Dogs @ The Islington (Saturday 7th March 2015)

Click the play button and listen to the bands whilst reading a little about them too.
Facebook Event for The Islington on Saturday 7th March.

New Opera Hero

"Post electro-rock and driving electronica inside the head of a giant baby.

This five piece band from London has extraordinary ideas of what an audiovisual concert should be like.  N.O.H perform post electro/rock inside a virtual world of holographic projections and interactive technology. In their award-winning shows they take to the stage as brain cells inside the head of a giant baby as he tries to master his new life. N.O.H combine the energy of a live band with a continual narrative using animated characters, like a 2013 version of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" meets Gorillaz."

Influences: Apparat, James Blake, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, yo yo ma, Crystal Castles, Sleighbells, Eric Satie, Nero, Amon Tobin, Moderat, Battles (see more)

Members: Steff Ungerer and Michael Wilson.

"New Opera Hero are a completely new vision for live bands” J.Lewis, Project Manager, Manchester Lowry Theatre.

New Opera Hero - Visit http://newoperahero.com/index.html for original photo)

Web Sheldon

I play a mixture of electronic/trip hop/alternative pop armed with my voice, laptop and my guitar. 

I've been writing vocal/acoustic guitar songs for many years so my electronic songs are pretty vocal based but now they centre from hip hop beats and electro synthesisers.  I write mostly about my thoughts on modern life in London; consumerism, living (not just 'surviving') keeping a positive outlook (in what can be a pessimistic city) and through to anything from minority rights to religion.

Influences: Björk, Brodinski, Yoko Ono, Missy Elliott, Emilíana Torrini, Portishead, Sarah Vaughan.

Members: Web Sheldon (Vocal / Ableton Live / Guitar / Bongos)

Web Sheldon - Live @ Dublin Castle, 4th Feb 2015.

Crhøma

"A 5 piece alternative, electro, indie outfit hailing from London, CRHØMA creates a unique and intricate sound, that combines electronic and sample based instruments to produce a diverse, ambient, groove-based, energetic set of songs."

"CRHØMA are currently working on releasing their 1st double A-side single featuring 'Break Out' and 'Close Your Eyes' to be available on a variety of digital platforms.  Their first video for 'Close You Eyes' quickly hit over 1000 plays on YouTube and recently received its first TV broadcast on Sky MusicTV.

Along with some continues radio play on BBC London and Amazing Radio, CRHØMA are excited to play some new material at their upcoming shows.  Having already headlined iconic London venues such as The Garage and The Barfly, the band are looking forward to a busy few months."

Influences: ALT- J, Radiohead, Little Dragon, Cinematic Orchestra

Members: Biancajay Lewis, Kyriacos Michael, James Waldron, Tom Waldron, Leon Cave.

Crhøma (visit https://www.facebook.com/crhomamusic/ for original photo)

The Boom Dogs

"London's freshest funk rock band."

Influences: Funkadelic, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, James Brown, Jamiroquai.

Members: Poonhound69, J-Bronx Sampson, Blazehound and Slim-Dog.

The Boom Dogs (visit https://www.facebook.com/theboomdogs/ for original photo)

Tango Pirates

"Tango Pirates: A term invented by the New York establishment in the 1920s, for the early blues and jazz musicians, who were seen as a threat to the youth of the day, seducing them to the devil’s music, sex and drugs."

TANGO PIRATES formed in 2011 by Danny Fury (Rogue Male, Lords of the New Church, Kill City Dragons, Vain etc) and Vera Wild (Wild at Heart/ Jelly) and joined by Dave Tregunna (Sham 69/ The Wanderers/ Lords of the New Church/ Cherry Bombs etc) and Timo Kaltio (Arthur Cane, New York Dolls)/ Hanoi Rocks/ Peckham Cowboys etc).  Back on Track EP was recorded in 2011. The launch finally came in 2014 to widely critical acclaim. The band are currently in the studio recording material for their 2nd EP to be released later in 2014 followed by their debut album in 2015. early this year...there was a line up change, but all plans will still be carried out by the new crew now. 

Influences: Stiv Bators / Iggy Pop / early Stones / Alice Cooper / David Bowie / New York Dolls / Aerosmith

Members: Danny Fury (Vocals), Jack Flint (Guitars), Carl Donoghue (Drums), Cass Callaghan (Bass)

Tango Pirates (visit http://tangopirates.co.uk/ for original photo)

I wasn't able to find Tango Pirates on Soundcloud but you can watch their video 'Monsters In My DNA' below.

Gig Review: Cadence + Bad Names + Web Sheldon @ The Workshop, 18th Feb 2015

Cadence + Bad Names + Web Sheldon @ The Workshop.

Stage @ The Workshop (+ the very attractive and alluring guitar Dahlia. She is looking at you seductively. Yes.)

As my grandma would have said, I am 'in the wars' this week.  I had a 2 day hangover (my fault, I know!) and since I got over that, I've been on the sofa wrapped in blankets with a ManCold.  I'm using the term 'ManCold' without actually *really* knowing what it is though.  Is a ManCold inferior to regular human colds? Or are they equal? Hmmm.

I was worried how I was going to play the gig last night and was planning to sing the songs an octave lower or do it Phoebe from Friends style...my sticky shooooes...why you stick on me...ba-a-beee.. but thankfully my vocals chords had got their shiz together by yesterday afternoon.  I should have had an emergency Hot Toddy in a hip flask prepared for the occasion though...just in case.

Web Sheldon

There were 5 minutes to go and I was due to start playing at 8pm, and there was still only me, the bar man, and another guy sat at the bar..(hiii 'guy sat at the bar' if you're reading this and sorry I didn't talk to you... did you pick up a flyer I left near you? :-/ ) so yeah, I was starting to get worried! I had been stood outside the venue till the last few minutes before the gig having a rollie and trying to get a few people in. In the space of 5 minutes though, friends arrived, people started to come downstairs and I had a pretty decent audience to play to.

Correction - the audience last night were not decent, they were awesome! Chatting to me on stage (even if that did involve talks of sexual acts with my guitar Dahlia *and* a possible threesome with a mic stand.. lol), dancing and shouts of an encore! And in the last few lines of my Yoko Ono cover (in celebration of her 82nd birthday yesterday), there wasn't a sound in the bar other than my a capella. Big thank you to everyone for listening with such attention last night.  It was a gig to remember :)

Next gigs:

• Saturday 7th March @ The Islington; with New Opera Hero (Post Electro Rock) + CRHØMA (Electronic Indie) + The Boom Dogs (Funk Rock) + Tango Pirates (Glam Rock 'n Roll).
• Tues 17th March @ The Fiddler's Elbow - St. Paddy's Day Bash! With City Strays (rock) + Michael Foxall-Smith (Acoustic/Folk).

Ps. Click here to go and 'Like' my Facebook music page and be updated on all future gigs!

Web Sheldon @ Roadtrip & The Workshop. Weds 18th Feb 2015.

Bad Names

Bad Names are a 4 x piece rock'n roll band from London. First of all, I need to say that I think their song 'Mary' is pretty awesome. It reminds me a bit of early Radiohead (circa Pablo Honey) with the reverb of the lead guitar, and the playful weaving of melodies between the bass and vocal in the verses.  Before the chorus starts, the band stop and the vocal goes 'baby don't you worry cos...' and then the chorus kicks in with the full band and the lead vocal goes into his head voice to sing 'I couldn't leave you if I tried'.  The way its done, those elements make it sound sincere to me - and thats important for me in music; to have the link between the lyrics, the melody, the delivery and the band.  I want to hear that all the elements are working in unison - a song should be a single unit of delivery for me.  I think these guys are good at this; their individual parts work well together.  Great to see these guys on stage, the music works well recorded as it does live.

Next gigs:

• Proud Camden TONIGHT! (Thursday 19th Feb).
• Roadtrip & The Workshop - Thursday 26th February. With The Flowerscents (rock/alternative) + Salt + Seven Red Lions (Funky Space Rock) + Duncan Etwart.

Bad Names @ Roadtrip & The Workshop. Weds 18th Feb 2015.

Cadence

Cadence were the headliners for the night; a 4 piece alternative rock band from Greenwich with influences such as Muse and Placebo.  I'd agree with the influences there but I'd also throw in Mew as well - there were some stacatto rhythms played by the guitars and bass with the vocal layering over the top that took me back to 'Frengers'.  My favourite song from the set was 'Sweet Asphyxiaton' - with an amusing introduction as different members of the band and the audience attempted to pronounce 'asphyxiation' - some more successfully than others.  There was a friendly and lighthearted atmosphere at this gig and I must give an honourable mention to Kuba's T-shirt with the words 'I'D RATHER BE AT A ONE DIRECTION CONCERT'.  I want one! haha

We had some nice harmonies going on in many of the songs (Rozâ is a classical singer) and you could tell Micah was really feeling the words as he was singing - this is a big plus for me, being a vocalist myself.  A nice touch in the middle of the set, was a quick 1 minute break to say thanks to the audience for coming, for the other bands playing and for the promoters for putting on the night. This is what playing unsigned gigs should be about; having fun, supporting each other, and trying to pronounce difficult words together when slightly tipsy. These guys had a lovely set of fans too!

You can buy their debut EP here. (iTunes link)

Next Gigs:

• TBC! Follow their Facebook page for updates.

Cadence @ Roadtrip & The Workshop. Weds 18th Feb 2015. (L to R: Kuba, Alessandro, Micah, Rozâ)

For more pictures from the night, head over to the album on my Facebook page.

Gig Preview: Cadence + Bad Names + Web Sheldon @ The Workshop - Weds 18th Feb

Tomorrow night at The Workshop, free entry and a mixture of rock and electronic music courtesy of 3 acts!

Click play to listen to the Soundcloud playlist whilst reading a little about the bands below.

Cadence

4 piece alternative rock band from Greenwich, drawing influences from bands such as Muse and Placebo.

Micah Rose-Trespeuch (voice, keys, guitar)
"Composer/writer/musician from south-east London.  Brought up in a French/English household that has a passion for music, love (and France!)."  Micah has indulged in playing classical piano from the young age of four and more recently in terms of composing, has moved the focus from piano to guitar, putting his music into a band setting.

Rozâ Kalnins (voice, bass)
"While Roza's initial launch into music was through the history of music through the 20th Century, her recent endeavours have taken her to Classical singing as well as rocking out on the bass - a combination that has resulted in Cadence having a slight Rasputina/Portishead feel to it. With her bass and voice she brings a female touch to the band that is felt despite her 5'3" in height..."

Alessandro Vitiello (drums)
"On drums, Alessandro "Alex" Vitiello has brought a new sound to Cadence with his love and pride of his wonderful drumkit "T-Rex". A wonderfully Neapolitan expat, this hot blooded Italian drummer is so full of fire he can still kick ass in rehearsals after a 12 hour shift and always has a hilarious wisecrack to boot."

Jakub "Kuba" Opitek (guitar)
A recent addition to Cadence and I haven't got any info to post here for Jakub which means you have to go and speak to him and say Hi on the night :D

Facebook / Soundcloud / Tumblr / Twitter / Songkick (get notified when they book a new gig!)

Jakub and Alessandro (Middle and Right)

Cadence - first photo shoot (right to left Rozâ, Micah, Alessandro)

Info and photo's taken from the Facebook and Soundcloud pages.

Bad Names

Bad Names have played a whole bunch of great London venues including Barfly and Underbelly Hoxton and last year had their track 'Sister Sister' featured on the Unsigned Guide monthly spotlight blog.

Official Website / Soundcloud / YouTube / Twitter

Bad Names - Photo from https://www.facebook.com/badnamesuk

Web Sheldon

I play a mixture of electronic/trip hop/alternative pop armed with my voice, laptop and my guitar.  She's called Dahlia...I can introduce you tomorrow..she's kind of aloof and mysterious though!

I've been writing vocal/acoustic guitar songs for many years so my electronic songs are pretty vocal based but now they centre from hip hop beats and electro synthesisers.  I write mostly about my thoughts on modern life in London; consumerism, living (not just 'surviving') keeping a positive outlook (in what can be a pessimistic city). and through to anything from minority rights to religion.

Official Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Songkick (get notified when I book a new gig!)

Back to tomorrow... it's free entry, door open at 7pm! Get down before 8 if you don't want to miss any music!

The closest Underground stop to the venue is Old Street - see the map below.

Live Review - Nambucca Launch Night

Kazzey + Lewis Olden + Web Sheldon + Bones + The Librarians + The Carnations at Nambucca Launch Party, Sat 14th Feb 2015.

If there's one thing I *won't* be doing the night before a gig again, that is going out on a drinking session - of any size or variety. Although in fairness, the Friday night drinks were meant to be 'just one or two'.  Famous last words.  By the time Saturday night I arrived, I was still feeling pret-ty delicate.

Kazzey @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

Luckily for me, we had a gentle start to the night with the soothing voice and free spirited indie pop of Kazzey.  His songs had catchy melodies, interesting chord structures and some memorable hooks too.  In particular I remember the song with the line 'so so so so so cute' because the chords in that part had me hooked, and then a song where he would stop playing and talk for a second - I like random stuff like this! He's recording his debut single at the moment and planning on a string of single releases going forward.  A website is on its way soon too, but in the mean time you can follow him on his Soundcloud and Twitter accounts.

Lewis Olden @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

Lewis Olden was the next man up with his distinct swaggering singing style, stories about every day life and his quick paced acoustic accompaniment. I particularly enjoyed his song with the line 'freedom is never free'.  I'm trying to listen to his Soundcloud account at the moment to find the song name but the Starbucks internet is not being my friend.  You can check out all his songs online here though on his Soundcloud account or follow him on Twitter.

Web Sheldon @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

Next up was me (Web Sheldon). I started off with a song from last autumn called P's & Q's - it's not a song that will be on my EP but it usually goes down well live and I thought this indie-side of my electro would fit in well for this night.  The rest of the set was all songs from the EP including the trip-hop/dub/turkish influenced 'Purple Steeple', about my love of life in the city.

If you liked my set, go and be a fan of my Facebook music page - and help me boost my likes to 1,000 before the end of the year! ;-)

Bones @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

Bones @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

I grew up on rock and female singers.  And even though I don't listen to quite so much rock nowadays, Bones completely blew me away.  For 3 people, the sound was massive, hard hitting, and the kind of stage presence where you stop 'watching' and find yourself just enjoying the experience with the band.  One thing I'd already noted during the gig was how together they sounded - in terms of the written parts they were playing and how they performed and bounced off one another. I found out afterwards it was the drummer's first gig with them.  I would have had no idea.  If you get chance to see them live, DOIT. Next London gig: Friday 20th February at The Monarch. They also have a couple of songs up on Soundcloud: Bones (UK).

The Librarians followed on from Bones.  I was listening to a Soundcloud playlist of the bands in the week leading up to the gig and one of their tracks 'The Ballad Of Carl' had been spinning around my head on repeat, so I was hoping that hearing it live might get it out of my head! Unfortunately not. lol I'm not complaining really though, I love that song!  It reminds me of the kind of vibe I felt when listening to The Libertines' first album, and the lead singer's voice (Thomas) fits well with this style.

The Librarians @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

What I found interesting about their set was how percussive lead the music was - lots of drums driving the songs and being a prominent feature - I liked this element of The Librarians and it'll be interesting to see how it develops.

The Librarians @ Nambucca. Loving the smoke machine!

The headlining act was awesome London 4 piece band The Carnations.  The floor filled up quickly as these guys took to the stage.  For anyone who likes some good old fashioned rock 'n roll, you can't go wrong here.  Their music has got a very 60's vibe to it; they know what they're doing and they do it well. The crowd were loving it too; jumping, dancing and happily posing for drunken shots for the photographer.  Have a listen to their Soundcloud page here, close your eyes, and imagine you're listening to the radio in 1969 ;-) Next gig: The Dublin Castle on 21st February.

The Carnations @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

The Carnations (through dancing arms!) @ Nambucca. 14th Feb 2015.

That's all from me... my next gig is on Wednesday this week (18th Feb) at Roadtrip & The Workhouse in Hoxton.  I'm be continuing my 'Birthday Covers' thang by covering a Yoko Ono song for her 82nd birthday... See you there!

http://www.websheldon.com

Gig Booked: St. Paddy's Day Bash @ Fiddler's Elbow, Camden

Just booked a gig for St. Paddy's Day at Fiddler's Elbow! I wanted to find a picture of Athlone with some Paddy's day celebrations (I used to live there) to put on the FB event but couldn't find anything at the moment...maybe I have some on my computer home.

More bands to be announced soon!

Facebook Event
Fiddler's Elbow Website

I found out on the venue website that it used to be called Old Mother Shipton and was built back in 1845.

This Old Mother Shipton girl sounds pretty interesting (see link above) - said to be a fortune teller/prophetess and possibly foretold the Great Fire of London.

I love stories of mystical people, prophecies etc.

Visit my Facebook Fan page here, I’m trying to get 1,000 likes by the end of 2015 :)

New Song - Electric Shock

I'm writing songs for my debut EP at the moment and this was one from the last few weeks too. As it grew up though, it started to veer more towards the house side of electronic music... so I let it follow its path as it wished (cos songs have rights too you know) ...but now it doesn't match the sound for the EP, so I'm letting it out into world all by its lil self...

There'll be a few more random tracks like this released before the EP comes out too :)

Lyrics:

I can see a power in you

I can see a life crushed by the outside

Ripping out your insides

I can feel a fire in you

You can feel it in yourself too      

New inception

Sparkle in the action

Electric shock inside

Prime connection

Deeper interaction

Simmering behind disguise