Tags: Ben Falinski, Bon Jovi, Ivyrise, Jason Nevins

Melodic pop band Ivyrise start a UK Tour soon that will be no doubt be rustling past your front door. After supporting Bon Jovi and Jason Nevins, Ivyise are going it alone in an attempt to garner support of their own. Vocalist and pianist Ben Falinski joined us on the Shout4Music sofa for a few words on the bands plans for the rest of 2009. Following chart success in 2008 Ivyrise entered Konk Studios in North London to write and record with celebrated producers Alan Moulder (The Killers, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins) and Ben Mason (The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight). Read on to find out the producers molded Ivyrises uplifting melodic sounds into the finished article…

Hey Ben, what are you up to at the moment?

I am currently in London preparing for a show with Vula from Basement Jaxx down at The Bedford. About to go for a nice spicy Thai soup for my lunch.
 
Describe Ivyrise’s sound in four words for our readers please… 

Big catchy British tunes!
 
You have your album coming out later this year. You’ve got Alan Moulder and Ben Mason onboard to produce the album, you guys must have been stoked about that? 

I’m not sure the exact date for the release but we were really happy to have Alan and Ben onboard to produce ‘1000 Feet’. Alan is a proper heavyweight rock producer and Ben is an exciting young producer with lots of good ideas. It was a really good combination for the record!
 
What have they brought to the record do you think?

I think theyve brought a mixture of experience and youth to the record. And a clear vision for which direction these types of songs should go.
 
How did you come around to getting Jason Nevins remix your single ‘Disguise’?

Jason and I are friends. We got in contact and he said he loved the song. We asked if he would do a remix and he got straight onto it. I think it came out really well, and there are plans to work with Jason towards the end of the year in the UK and New York.
 
What should we expect from Ivyrise this year?

Expect us in a town near you, as we will be touring up and down the country until December. You can buy tickets online at www.seetickets.com PLUG PLUG!
 
 
Your favourite ‘Disguise’?

I have an excellent Santa’s elf outfit that I don at Christmas each year. Keep your eyes peeled to see it at a live show in December
 
The last time you were ‘Over The Moon’? 

When Kimi Raikkonen won the Belgian Grand Prix and I won massive at the bookies.
 
The gig you guys are looking forward to the most on your forthcoming tour?

Playing a sold out show at Shepherds Bush Empire with Jason Nevins on 28th October!
 
What was it like supporting Bon Jovi?

It was the greatest thing we have ever done as a band. Meeting Jon and Richie and chatting to them about our show was the spark we needed to ignite the Ivyrise dream! We will never forget that tour.
 
If you weren’t boasting about how good Ivyrise are, you would be telling everybody about who? 

The Angry Rabbits. Spandex and  grey beards all over the place. I think theyre going on a world tour early next year starting in Osmotherley Town Hall, their “ancestral home.” Check them out!!

Tags: the hickey underwolrd

If you’re looking for a new filthy rock band to help you spend your lonely nights with, listen up now! The Hickey Underworld are the best thing to come out of Belguim since Phillipe Albert’s tash, and quite frankly, that was some tash. Tashes aside for a second, or two, The Hickey Underworld are the new Strokes-y, garage rock band on the scene, but one things for sure these boys are damn good. Just don’t call them The Hickey Underground, they may get a little agitated! Oh, and similarities to Keane please…we fuckin‘ hate those bores unlike these noiseniks. So we joined Jonas from the band for a little Q&A session.

Enlighten me and our readers please; is this your first headline tour guys?
Pretty much. We did a little club tour through Belgium last year, and supported dEUS for a few gigs in France, but that’s it. So we’re obviously stoked…

How was it starting up the band in Antwerp?
A long and arduous process. But we finally came into our own. Sisters.

Looking forward to starting the European Tour?
Sure. We’ve been ‘starting’ this tour in Belgium for the last 15 years, and the travelling has made us weary.

The show on the tour your most looking forward to playing?
Pukkelpop, the best Belgian summer festival in our opinion: we’re playing together with our heroes The Jesus Lizard, who are back together after ten years.

The country your looking forward to visiting?
Wallon, because that’s where our one fan Thierry The Whore lives.

How would you describe The Hickey Underground sound using three words?
Grossly Misspelled Bandname .

Haha! I do apologise!

What bands have you on tour with you?
In Holland, we are playing a few shows with our good friends of Das Pop, who also produced our debut album. Should be an interesting combination.

What do you think to some of The Strokes comparisons coming your way?
Not as bothersome as the Keane, U2 and Muse comparisons.

Tell me what inspirations you took from the Belgian music scene and have subsequently put them into The Hickey Underworld sound?
When we started out, we didn’t pay much attention to Belgian music. We were mostly listening to American stuff on record labels like Dischord, Touch & Go and Quarterstick. There are a lot of great Belgian bands around now, though: acts like Dead Sets, Drums Are For Parades, and dEUS, ofcourse, who were kind enough to take us on tour with them a while ago.

The bands biggest achievement to date?
Not splitting up in times of economic peril.

The last time you woke up with a ‘Mystery Bruise’?
It’s not technically a bruise, but Jimmy, our drummer, once fell asleep in a tattoo shop and had 35 little stars tattooed on his face (instead of 3). Luckily, his skull is so freakishly huge you hardly notice them.

I bet! You watch too much news and maybe do I too

What were you doing at ‘Zero Hour’ last night?
Trying to get drunk on lousy local beer after a show in Rotterdam, Holland.

If you were to invent a ‘Future Word’ what would it be?
Zipleck, which will be the successor of BluRay.

Do you dream in German, Dutch or English?
Dutch. I have a recurring dream of an evil clown chanting, ‘Lekker opgetrede, stelletje fuckbandjes?’

Readers; work it out…

You should get out and see the Hickey Underworld because?
Because they give a 110 percent… EVERY TIME! Which is about 28 percent per band member. Or maybe more around 27 percent. And a half.

Tags: redtrack

London indie-punk band RedTrack have been variously described as “my favourite band” by Pete Shelley, “infectious” by Storm magazine and, memorably, “perky indie punk scuffles!” by NME. RedTrack’s three members Billy Wright, (vocals), Phil Blake, (bass) and Andy Perry, (drums) are indeed perky and on the evidence of their latest single, ‘Pole Dancer’, released on Northern Blue, and are more than capable of living up to the promise of the so called indie-punk scuffles they do so brilliantly! Formed in late 2006, the band suffered one major setback when bassist Phil Blake was attacked with a meat cleaver and literally couldn’t play because his arm had no feeling. However, they soon perked up and the self-proclaimed love child of Cheryl Cole and Joe Strummer are have joined Shout4Music for an evening of intense questioned, well a little chat anyway…

How are things in RedTrack world?
It’s all going really well! We’re in the studio, adding the finishing touches to our debut album and it sounds great. We’ve also been on the road a lot recently. We’ve just come back from a few dates in Holland and Scotland, there have been some amazing gigs.

Any plans once the tour’s over?
Our plans are probably to go on tour again. Now that the album is done, our main aim now is to keep making our fan base bigger and bigger. We’ve also just signed a booking agent deal for Germany, which means we’ll be touring there soon. And with Berlin being the modern home of punk, we’ve cant wait to get out there.

Phil got attacked in 2007 and it nearly put pay to you recording. Do you feel lucky to be where you are today or did you get doubtful after the attack incident delayed recording your first single?
We’ve always felt really lucky that Phil could learn to play again after he got attacked. The meat cleaver cut through a lot of nerves in his arm so he still hasn’t got all of his feeling back and sometimes it can make playing a bit difficult. But he’s pulled through and the experience made us all stronger and better friends. We were all doubtful after the attack, but sometimes shit happens and you’ve got to learn from things and make the best out of your circumstances.

Listening to ‘Pole Dancer’, I spotted many influences but what are your main influences when recording?
Pete Shelley had a massive influence on how that record sounded. He is a very clever bloke and it was really interesting watching him come up with ideas and melodies for the song. Out of the studio I listen to a lot of The Clash and Girls Aloud when I’m writing music. The internet is a great tool to use when you’re coming up with production ideas for a song in the studio. But sometimes it’s just as productive to turn it off and completely isolate yourselves for a few days and see what happens then.

What would be your best day ever?
It’d be spent on a boat with The Saturdays. I’ve heard that Frankie is from Southend so we’ve already got a lot in common.

What’s your favourite word in any language and why?
Arduous. The first time I fully appreciated it was in a Bright Eyes song, but now I probably say it too much. This interview is NOT arduous. I’ve never thought about favourite words so now I will spend more time doing this. Thank you!

As with everything, being in a band can have ups and downs. What are the best and worst things about being in a band?
The best thing is playing great gigs to loads of people that are singing back your lyrics. The worst bit is reading music magazines in the studio and caring what people will think of a song you haven’t even finished writing yet. Or the lack of knowing what you’re going to “be” if the band doesn’t “make it”.  Our drummer Andy is sorted though, he’s been into taxidermy for a few years, so he’ll just go into that if this doesn’t work out.

Imagine the world was about to end and you had but a few minutes to justify your existence on Earth. How would justify your existence? Pointless. But at least we have a great time and DO WHAT WE WANT!

Name a record you consider God like and convince me to buy it!
Elbow, ‘Seldom Seen Kid’, I haven’t stopped playing it in my car since I stole it from a friend. It’s it truly amazing and the perfect driving-around-in-the-sun, record. If you own a car and live near some long straight roads, buy it! But ask me on another day and I’ll say another record. Spotify helps a lot. There’s an amazing amount of music on there.

Watching the video for ‘Pole Dancer’ I sense a certain sense of fantasy in your lyrics. When was the last time you really did something like that and is fantasy a big part in your song writing?
‘Pole Dancer’ is about someone I’ve known. So it wasn’t a fantasy. The way things play out in reality is usually not that interesting, so when you’re telling a story in a song, you’ve got to change it slightly. Everything I’ve written about has happened to us or someone that we know.

I love the video for Cigarette. Is it based on reality and what was the inspiration for the video?
Getting this video was an amazing stroke of luck for us. I was looking at an Arctic Monkeys video on YouTube, and got in touch with the guy that made it. It turned out that he really liked us and made us this video for free! It’s the best thing I’ve seen for one of our songs so far. The film maker said that he was inspired by the lyrics, because everyone has a mate that has sacked them off for a girl.

You were recently on BBC Introducing with Tom Robinson. How did it feel to be on a show that could potentially get you into more people’s heads than before?
It always feels really strange hearing one of your songs on the radio. But we were really happy with the great feedback that we got from loads of people afterwards. He mentioned us again the other night, but I think that’s only because my Mum texted in to the show. She’s such a drunk!

You say on your MySpace page that you sound like “the estranged love-child of Cheryl Cole and Joe Strummer”. Care to explain?!
We’re massively influenced by The Clash, and also by the people who write Girls Aloud’s songs. You can’t get more a bigger difference in music and ideals. But I love that about their careers; both bands changed and adapted their sound. Joe Strummer is probably my biggest influence at the moment.

Also concerning MySpace, apparently you have 17,441 friends! That’s almost a friend everyday for life! What do you think of the rise and rise of social networks like Twitter, Myspace etc?
I think that it’s going to come round full circle and ruin itself. MySpace is just too impersonal now and people are starting to realise and stop using it. We are always looking for new ways to interact with our fans and keep them on their toes. Musicglue.com is the newest one I’ve found. It gives fans a free download in return for the location and email address.

Is there anywhere you’ve been while touring that seriously disappointed you?
We played a prom once and literally people didn’t even acknowledge we were playing, so we played 4 songs, stole 4 bottles of champagne and had a fight. That isn’t true.

What is the RedTrack vision of an ideal world?
I wish I could grow more facial hair like Andy has. Or if everyone lived in a big bubble like in Logan’s Run. It’d be like Paul McCartney once said, “I can’t live, if livin’ is without you”.

Some musicians have unusual sidelines to their music work. How  about Red Track, any secret passions that would surprise us?
Andy is well into taxidermy. I have 4 nipples. And Phil is probably better at Guitar Hero than he is at bass.

Finally, a silly question. If there’s any song that annoys you the most, what is it and why?
Any song by an English band with a bad American accent annoys me. There’s too many to name!

Any last words?
This has literally taken 3 weeks to do! I should concentrate harder.

Tags: new education

New Education reside out of Stoke On Trent, and with the guys currently knee deep in their first UK headline tour, it‘s understandably exciting times for the quartet. Their sound follows a simple indie formula, but, if honest, Shout4Music are enjoying the New Education‘s new material. While The Twang are still doing their rounds and still being embraced by their adoring public, these likely lads have a market to get their sound across too. Ryan Dooley very much sounds like The Twangs Phil Etheridge and there‘s some neat guitar work in the mix. Let‘s hope they can teach us some new lessons in the coming months, eh?

Hey New Education, what are you guys up to right now?
We’re currently in the middle of our U.K. headline tour, leading up to the release of our second single ‘Another Miracle’.

How’s the touring going?
Mega. Some nights are more hectic than others, but generally we’ll get stuck into any gig.

I see you have a gig supporting The Longcut in Newcastle, those dudes really know how to knock out some tunes. Have you played with those guys before?
No we haven’t, we actually have some mutual friends with The Longcut which is why they’re playing a pub just down the road from us in Stoke, we’ve both got good fan bases round our way so it should be a good one.

Any festival appearances in the pipe line?
We’re thinking of doing a few things in the summer, but 2010 looks to be the big one for festivals.

If we go back to the start of New Education, and before, were you in different bands at first? And, how did the band come together?
Me and Ryan have been in bands since we were at school, then in our last band we got our drummer John Bradbury in. That all went to seed but myself, Ryan and John stuck together and got Dave in on guitar. This was early 2008, when New Education began.

How was the Stoke On Trent music scene when you were starting out?
There’s no doubt Stoke’s got some big talent, especially for the size of the place. It often gets overlooked which is why it’s best to get yourself out there, which is what we’ve done.

Your first gig as a band?
Stoke Sugarmill, March 2008. Also our guitarist Dave’s first time on a stage, he managed to get through it unscathed.

Your favourite local venue?
The Underground.

How’s album coming together? Where is it being recorded and by who by?
The album will hopefully be ready to go for the break of 2010 or thereabouts. We’ve got the majority of the tunes for it which we’re really happy with, but we’re working hard on other things so when it does come out the time will be right.

How’s your label KIDS been with the whole process, have they just left you to it?
Completely, which has worked because a few of the songs that are looking like future singles were written after we became involved with them.

Have you had the chance to tour with any of the other bands on the KIDS roster?
We met with Silent Film Project on one of our first tours and have kept in touch since, we had them on at our first single launch for ‘Today’ too. They’re now on Kids so no doubt we’ll be seeing each other again soon..

If you weren’t bragging about how good New Education are, you’d be telling everyone about who?
Model Radio who are from round our way, are top draw and well worth checking out, The Sport as well are quality who are also from Stoke . A group of lads from Derby called Young Guns have also caught our eye and we’ve done a few gigs with them.

The band member who can’t handle his drink?
This one’s gonna cause a few arguments! Ryan knows how to get things going. He takes the night and runs.

The last musical orientated dream you had?
We’re all living one right now, aren’t we?

The last band you went to see as a band?
We obviously see bands all the time when we’re on tour, when we toured with The Rifles we watched them every night. The Music are another band we’ve seen quite a lot together.

Who spends the longest prepping their barnet before putting it on public showing?
I’m afraid I’d have to hold my hands up to that one. It’s all the cameras everywhere these days..

The drink you seem to have discovered on this tour?
Thai red bull. It gets you more than going.

Your favourite festival as a paying customer?
Glastonbury, no contest.

Your fondest memory of a New Education gig?
Last night of the tour in Glasgow with The Twang, pints slung, tour bus party with The Twang lads, disappearing acts…That night had the lot.

New Education live show is…
…Something you should see for yourself.

The best thing to come out of Stoke On Trent is…
There’s little gems to be found everywhere. It’s a place of character, not beauty.

The best band you’ve toured with so far?
The Twang, they’re a proper sound lot and every night we had a good un with them. The Rifles were cool too.

The musician that made you change the way you dressed?
All my heroes are weirdo’s, so I try to avoid it…

Maybe a hidden !!! (Chk Chk Chk) song title there, eh? Or maybe not!

And, finally, your aspirations for the rest of 2009?
Same as ever, keep gigging and getting people involved. We want everyone.

Tags: the thermals

Portland, Oregon is quite the musical lava pot at the moment, overflowing with raucous rock bands and butter-sweet pop music that has many bouncing around losing their inhibitions. So, with Portland the place to be, we thought we’d get The Thermals in for a chat as they do seem to get Shout4Music’s attention quite frequently. And with them soon to breach the Atlantic divide and play on our shores once more, we thought we’d see what they had to say about their new album, the last 12 months, The Cribs but more importantly the best looking God-like rocker; Johnny Marr. Ooh we do have a little soft spot for The Thermals, can you tell?