In the performance week 2 I took part in as many activities as I could. I have attended the Rock Choir that performed two songs on the Christmas concert: All I want for Christmas is you and Rockin around the Christmas tree. In the two following weeks, the Choir worked on a couple of songs, Ezekiel saw the wheel and Nightingale. Being at the Choir is a great opportunity to improve my sight singing and it gives me a chance to sing songs that I would probably not sing anywhere else.
I have also attended the song-writing workshop. I love writing songs and it was really interesting listening to other people’s ways of writing songs, or methods that some people have. One of the things that I thought was a brilliant idea was recording new ideas, chord progressions, melodies and lyrics. I have had so many ideas that I haven’t written down and that I ended up forgetting. I realised that I was doing most of the things that were mentioned in the workshop and I do other things my own way. When I am trying to find a nice chord progression I try to follow the sound I’m playing and sometimes I come up with some chords I didn’t know.
During this week I decided that I wanted to do a lot of composition. I tried to push myself a little bit and after a few hours I had my first song written on the piano with lyrics. I have been working on that song since then and it is nearly finished. As it was the end of the Rock and Roll block, we had a morning in the studio. We have rehearsed a few days before, as we wanted to be tight for the live recording. The song we recorded was No particular place to go by Chuck Berry.
I have also attended a workshop by Guitar Guitar which I didn’t find very interesting. There were a few guitars that were presented and a few amps but I don’t think it was really useful for me as a singer and songwriter. I think it would have been good if they had shown more things such as effects and other kind of material. It would have been good to know more about different microphones and effects for voice.
I have also spent some time working for my solo performance. We had our assessment and I think I could have done better. I think that I haven’t warmed up as well as I should have. I had some feedback and I will work hard to improve my singing technique.
The rhythm style known as Reggae is used in a wide range of musical styles. Some of the most influent and successful reggae bands include Aswad, Toots and the Maytals, and Bob Marley and the Wailers. Some famous British artists, such as The Police, The Clash and UB40 have been influenced by this musical genre.
Reggae is either played in 4/4 time or swing time, because the symmetrical rhythmic pattern does not lend itself to other time signatures such as 3/4.The rhythmic emphasis of reggae revolves around the bass-line which is often more predominant than in other genres. The guitar part consists of very sparse chord chops (known to reggae musicians as skanks or drops), which are played on beats two and four rather than the main beats of the bar. The aim is to create a very steady, even rhythm, with the bass and guitar parts complementing each other. Click here to learn more about how to play guitar and bass in Reggae. The chord drops are usually played using down-strokes. In order to get a crisp sound, they should be played staccato. Long guitar solos are not normally a feature of Reggae, with most guitar lines in reggae music consisting of short licks or improvisation based on the melody line. It is very common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican Patois, Jamaican English and lyaric dialects. Vocal harmony parts are often used throughout the melody (with vocal groups), and as a counterpoint to the main vocal line (backing vocals). Many singers use tremolo (volume oscillation) instead of vibrato (pitch oscillation). In Reggae, effects such as reverb and delay are often used. Another characteristic of reggae is the toasting vocal style, which is the act of talking or chanting over a rhythm or beat. It differs from rap mainly in that it is generally melodic, while rap is more a spoken form without melodic content. Lyrically, Reggae usually relates to social criticism, social gossip, personal subjects and socio-political content that include Black Nationalism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, anti-capitalism. Many Reggae songs promote the use of cannabis, considered a sacrament in the Rastafari movement. Some artists also utilize religious themes in their music. Playing 'Three Little Birds' and 'Sweat' We decided to play Three Little Birds by Bob Marley because Marley was one of the main icons of Reggae. It was great learning this style and understanding the feel in this genre. The other song that we played was Sweat by Inner Circle as it is a different with a different feel. Lesley sang the harmonies in both songs and we used reverb and a bit of delay in the vocals.
Reggae is a form of popular music which originated in Jamaica. According to Oxford Music Online, the origins of reggae are found in Mento in the late 19th century. Mento is an indigenous Jamaican rural folk form in which music, words and movement are closely linked, similar to the Afro-Cuban rumba but sung at a slower tempo. It served its large audience as dance music and as an alternative to the hymns and adapted chanteys of local church singing.
The urban migration and the social changes that accompanied industrialization in the late 1950s, created a demand for a faster and electrified dance music. By 1959, Jamaican musicians would develop a native rhythm called Ska which is a mixture of Mento, Jazz, quick-time rhythm and blues and Rastafarian rhythms. Ska primarily originated with the Skatalites. The group´s line-up consisted of piano, three guitars, bass, drums and a horn section (alto saxophone, tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, trumpets and trombone). In Ska, a staccato guitar is used to accentuate the upbeats of its distinctive double-time shuffle rhythm in simple quadruple metre. The horn section represented youthful emancipation as Jamaica celebrated its independence. The Skatalites quickly became local celebrities as they began to identify with a new religion spreading through the shantytowns of western Kingston, the Rastafarians.
By 1967, the ska tempo had slowed to almost half its early metre, and Jamaican music changed again. Horns faded from the texture, replaced by monochromatic guitar figures, and the drum and the bass-line also became locked together. This new genre was called Rock Steady, which bears traces of resurgent American soul music, with new sounds from Latin America, especially Bossa Nova and Samba Nova from Brazil. The lyrics in the songs of this genre included social commentary, in the form of increased calls for justice and equality. The electric bass became the most important instrument of the rock steady ensemble. Rhythmic statement and strength took priority over melodic and harmonic considerations. As the foundation of the reggae bass aesthetic, the electric bass was a talking drum that played a definite rhythm, but did not necessarily play a distinct melody line.
Reggae developed in about 1968, particularly as a result of the Maytals' Do the Reggay. It also became closely associated with the Rastafarian religion. In the 1970s, Bob Marley and the Wailers would achieve worldwide success as a result of the dissemination of their music by Island Records. Marley's style of reggae is considered to be the classic form and is usually referred to as the roots of reggae. Since Bob Marley’s death in 1981, Reggae has changed and influenced other forms and genres such as Rockers, Militant, Bam-Bam and Ragga. It has also contributed to the development of Rap and Techno.
Sun Records was founded by Sam Philips in February 1952. This independent label was named as a sign of Sam’s optimism: a new day a new beginning. He rented a small space in Memphis for his own all-purpose studio and Sun Records would soon gain reputation throughout Memphis as a label that treated local artists with respect and honesty, providing a non-critical and spontaneous environment that encouraged creativity and vision.
Sun Records website describes Sam Philips as a patient businessman that was happy to listen to almost anyone who came in off the street to record. Memphis was a place with a huge diversity of genres such as gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie and western swing, and Sun was happy to record them all. However, in Good Rocking Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records we get a different impression of Philips. Some artists felt that Philips had been responsible for their lack of success and that he wouldn’t give the same attention an support to all of the Sun artists.
In 1954 Sam found an energetic artist that was able to perform with the excitement of the blues and could reach across regional, musical, and racial barriers. His name was Elvis Presley. Elvis attracted a number of other artists to Sun Records. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. These four artists would achieve international fame and become known as the Million Dollar Quartet. Other artists such as Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Bill Justis, Harold Jenkins and other artists would sell on Pop, R&B and Country charts and eventually grow to international fame.
Watching Good Rocking Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records has given me the motivation to look for some independent record labels in the UK that sign artist with similar genres of music as Skinny Rhino, my band. We have recently recorded a demo and we are planning on recording our first EP in February 2012. Once we have it recorded we are planning on sending it to a few labels such as Domino Records, XL Recordings, Marshall Teller Records, 1965 Records, Lab Records, 14th Floor Records. We will also send it to promoters, BBC Radio 1 and to as many places as we can.
Nowadays there is much more competition and I think that you can't stop trying. There is so much more bands can do by themselves that some have achieved success by doing everything on their own. However, being signed to a label has its advantages and I believe it is the dream of most emerging artists.
On the 2nd of February 2012 I attended a seminar organized by Born To Be Wide. This seminar was devoted to music festivals and the opportunities they offer to emerging acts. Focusing on emerging acts, the seminar gave an insight into the selection procedure, fees, what artists are offered in terms of promotion and how to make the best use of a slot in the event of being booked.
The panel guests included Dave Corbet (DF Concerts/ organiser of T In The Park and The Edge Festival), Katch Holmes (organiser of Knockengorroch Festival), Gordon Reilly (organiser of Insider Festival), Shaun Arnold (organiser of Go North and stages at Wickerman, Belladrum, Wizard and Loopallu) and Jim Mawdsley (organiser of Newcastle’s Evolution and CEO of the Generator music development agency).
As the member of a recently formed band, I thought it was important to know more about the whole process of applying for a slot in a festival. First of all it is extremely important to have a strong online presence. Although it is about the music, at the end of the day this is a business and if you don’t bring people to your concerts you won’t be given a slot. Having a significant number of ‘likes’ on your Facebook page, a high number of ‘views’ on YouTube or ‘plays’ on your songs is a sign that you have a strong fan base. Festival organisers give a lot of importance to bands that do a lot for themselves. Having an EP recorded or an album is essencial.
When applying for a slot, a brief Bio of your band should be given, a band photo and a link to your band page or to your music. It is important to send them a song that will catch their attention straight away. It is crucial giving a first good impression. Festival organisers usually listen to all the music they are sent but a metal or rock band might not be given a slot in a folk festival. You should apply for festivals that suit the genre of music you play.
Once you are given a slot in a festival you must promote your act. Bear in mind that if you are playing in a big festival, the stage where you perform will be a secondary one. There is a lot going on and you want people to know where and when you are playing before the festival. Once you are in the festival there is a lot you can do to promote your band. There have been a few ideas mentioned that can get you noticed such as getting some of your friends to wear a t-shirt with your band name and the time your act is on; having someone gathering emails from people to expand your mailing list; or playing acoustic sets near the hot dog van or near the entrance for the toilets.
It is always a good idea to apply for these slots. You never know who is going to listen to your music and the people they know. There have been a few cases in which the promoters of a festival feel that your band is not ready for a festival. However, they might see your potential and someone they know could help you developing your band and your music.
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