Raising Maisie - The Difference a Day Makes

The Difference a Day Makes

Raising Maisie talk about what a difference a chance like supporting McFly can make.

Supporting a band like Mcfly is a feather in the cap of any emerging artist and with that mission successfully accomplished, Raising Maisie are looking forward to an ever growing list of great shows and festivals throughout the summer.

If the old adage about money making more money could be applied to higher profile gigs, the bands selection by the McFly management appears to prove the rule, with not only The International Pop Overthrow in Liverpool inviting them to play the Cavern Club as part of the celebrated Pop festival, they are also set to play alongside The Kaiser Chiefs on the main stage at The Guernsey Festival in June

Charlie Joseph, keyboard and vocalist, explains what a difference a year can make in the life of emerging bands.

“This time last year we were struggling to get arrested, Redfest were the only festival that offered us a slot, since then we have grown a lot as a band and our music has developed and through building a loyal fanbase we have managed to push our heads above the trenches and people are starting to take note. It’s been a hard year but slowly we are beginning to see opportunities opening up and our audience grows with every show.”

Raising Maisie will also be performing as part of the Alternative Escape Festival in May, with fellow Pop conspirators, The Special K’s and new boys on the block, Daniel and the Scandals, in a night at The Latest Musicbar, dedicated to the traditional pop revival the boys have been so keen to champion from the beginning.

“We deliberately set out to be a pop band, not an indie band, a pop punk band or anything else, just melodic hook driven pop”, continues Charlie, “It has made it harder for us in some respects, as we don’t automatically fit in with what everyone else is doing and so it’s harder for promoters to place us, but now we have our own following and some industry recognition, things are getting easier.”

Next on the schedule is the release of their fourth video, this time for Photobook, one of the tracks off the Change EP released earlier in the year. Written as a tribute to Charlie’s grandad, Photobook’s lyrics allude to simple everyday life events that define who we are, with a Beatlesque melody readily complimenting the song’s feel good sentiments.

It going to be a busy year for Raising Maisie, with over nine festival dates already confirmed, their own shows and recording their next album in the autumn, plus a strong possibility that this is just the start of very successful run for the Brighton boys.

Don't forget about the music!

Writing for us on occasion Andrew Nicholls is our new, unofficial resident blogger. With publishing credits in magazines near and far (Metal Hammer, Hevypetal, SQ, BN1, East, Source, XYZ, The Grapevine, Fan the Fire, Gorilla, MTM radio) he certainly seems to know his stuff, and isn’t afraid to get his claws out.

“I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs, and ideas into my brain. Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music.

George Eliot certainly had a way with words, it’s just a shame that so many today don’t share her ideal.

Obviously back then music was a little different; the populace worshipped great composers- Frédéric Chopin, Alfred Bruneau- and listened in silent wonder as conductors brought together strings, woods and brass. Nowadays standards seem to have slipped; glow-sticks have replaced batons, and great theatres have given way to nightclubs, sweat dripping from skin and walls.

It might seem elitist, and it may be a tired thought, but with brain devouring parasites like Pitbull, JLS and Lady Gaga invading the charts it’s becoming clear that music, like Marmite, is slowly becoming an acquired taste.

Talent, if you know where to find it, still exists in abundance but, as modern music gradually morphs into nothing but a sideshow act, it can be easy to lose track of what was important in the first place; the sound.

For many music is a vocalist and a band, but thanks to all the costumes, the drugs and the scandals the face of music in the new millennium is an ugly one, stained with welts and boils. Mozart didn’t become famous because he took style tips from the pages of Clowns & Clowning. Stevie Wonder didn’t claim his fame with exposed flesh as currency. What happened to passion? To heart?

Making it big in the music industry is an arduous task filled with pitfalls and dead ends, or at least it used to be. Today it seems you only have to sign up to a tired talent show, or spend your life as a tabloid wet dream. Sure, many bands still graft, and yes getting famous is still next to impossible for most, but why do so many jesters get through on novelty when even more with real God-given talent get left behind?

Money. Of course money is the answer, and sex. Sex sells. Scandal sells. Record execs don’t seem to want to gamble on a gifted rock band with a solid fan base of six when there’s a plastic faced Barbie up for grabs that sounds like she sings out of her vagina.

But with that being the case one has to wonder why the powers that be don’t just do away with music all together, and fill the radio waves with easily digestible tabloid dog food instead.

Of course it isn’t all new- artists have always loved their drugs, and scandal has always been craved- but in this digital era who’s slept with who and who’s off the wagon is seems to be becoming more important.

We live in a world damned by the Cowell virus. On the one hand the birth of recent talent shows like The X-Factor and The Voice has allowed many undeniably gifted artists to rise from obscurity when they wouldn’t otherwise of been able to, but then they all seem to care more about humiliating the misguided and capitalising on the mediocre than nurturing real talent.

And speaking of talent it’s certainly out there to be found, and comes in many shapes and forms, from husky voiced girls with guitars to big bands with big sounds and rappers with metronomes. The world just seems to be against them.

So, it has to be said, switch off your radio, throw your television in the trash, allow yourself to be lifted by the music all around you. Do that and maybe the music won’t be forgotten. Maybe, just maybe.  

Twitter reminds musicians why they should be tweeting

Twitter has launched a new section of its site: Twitter for Musicians and Artists.

It aims to encourage artists to get tweeting, while providing some best-practice examples of how musicians are using the service. 

“A Twitter connection tells fans how much you appreciate them, and it also enables you to tailor your messages. The fact is, Twitter provides more authenticity and creative control than any other online medium. Tweets come straight from you, and go right to your followers all over the world, in real-time.” 

Tips include how to use hashtags, why replying to fans is a good idea, the benefits of running fan-interviews on Twitter, posting photos and live-tweeting big events. It also provides some advice on how to run band accounts on Twitter with multiple members.




Via Music Ally
http://musically.com/2012/03/16/twitter-reminds-musicians-why-they-should-be-tweeting/

The Dirt - With Mark Ede

My lovely daughter Sophie visited me recently and being a stylish and creative young lady (she takes after her mother, clearly!) I took her to i gigi, the wonderfully stylish, beautifully presented, general store and Cafe near Brunswick Square in Hove. One Earl Grey tea and jammed scone (me) and a hot chocolate and piece of cake (Sophie) later and my wallet was over £17 pound, yes £17 pound(!) lighter! And I thought Teddy's in Shoreham was outrageously expensive! And to think there is a recession on? You'd never know it at those prices. I'm taking Sophie to the Grand next time...it's likely to be cheaper. PS Mark Ede's book 'a grumpy man's guide to tea and toast prices along the Sussex coast' will be out in paperback soon. Or not, as the case may be.

Anyhow, April is here and at BiGiAM towers, like for many of us Brightonians indeed, this the month of calm before the storm that is the month of May. May not only signals the start of summer, which itself brings the 'blow ins' (the tourists and day trippers etc) but also, of course, the Great Escape (new music) festival as well as the Brighton Festival and it's even more unruly cousin, the Fringe.. But, it's all good even if the trend seems to be the sunnier it gets, the harder we have to work.

Talking of sun, our friends at Yellow Fish Music Group are setting up studios in Portugal, and possibly South of France too. At the moment it's top secret but this is a gossip column right? So, it's just gossip until you hear it officially right? Right. The idea is band members will all chip in to fly to some sunny spot, get away from local distractions and actually get something done. I think the swimming pool, sunshine and night life might blow a hole in this theory but I suspect they'll be quite a few takers anyway. Meanwhile, at the Lewes branch of the Fish, the odd rock god has been seen recording there as has a top five artist from..er, France. Maybe there's some kind of cultural exchange going on? Watch this space.

Talking of Rock God's, I see Roger Daltrey turned up unexpectedly to perform at our very own Ropetackle, Shoreham, as lead vocalist for the Simon (brother of Peter) Townsend's band. For those readers who do not know who these people are - Who? I hear you ask. Yes, that's right 'The Who' - then ask your Dad. Or Grandad.

I've also just heard Gary Hutchins, of Hutchins guitars, has gone into the wine trade. Why? I don't know I'm a column writer (allegedly) not a psychiatrist. But there are bottles of red, bottles of white, with labels featuring guitars and everything. I shall do some suitably in-depth research and report back accordingly.

Meanwhile, well done local producer Al Scott whose album with June Tabor and the Oyster Band picked up four awards at the BBC folk awards. Apparently Al's hangover is just about worn off.

The ping pong table has disappeared from the Latest Music Bar and President Obama gives a present to David Cameron on the latest State visit. A co-incidence? I think not.

Adele moves to Brighton, Jo Harman moves to London. A co-incidence? Er...probably. 

Till next month, keep it steady, and follow us on twitter @bigiambrighton or info@bigiam.co.uk