I need to go to 'Busker's Anonymous'

I’m beginning to think this blog has made me a ‘Buskaholic’! All I seem to think about is when the next Busker’s Night is and what new songs I could learn before then. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing!

It all started a few weeks ago when we were in The Borough. The manager Grant, who we’ve got to know over the past year, came up to me and started talking about busking. He had spotted my facebook profile picture, which is of my buskin’ at Paddy Whacks and asked me to come to his busker’s night. He had heard that my night at Paddy Whacks was quite successful (thanks Lisa) and wouldn’t take no for an answer about me coming to his.

I couldn’t disappoint him and honestly, I was actually looking forward to my next opportunity. It must have been about 10pm last night when I randomly decided to head to The Borough but it was worth it. Arriving a bit late, I only got to play two songs but despite that, it was great fun. I played ‘We Are Broken’ by Paramore and also ‘Stop and Stare’ by One Republic, a song that I haven’t been playing long.

I was a little bit disappointed with the guitar though. I thought there was a bit of a weird sound coming from it and the lighting wasn’t exactly the best. But despite that, I got on with it and even though I was still a bit nervous, it was fun. Thanks to my ‘camerawoman’ Lisa Ovenden for leaving her work to come down with me. I guess I've got to thank her for giving me that ‘kick’ to get up there in the first place. Now I can’t seem to get enough of it.

Knowing me, I’ll probably be buskin’ again before I leave Sunderland for the summer so if I am, I’ll let you all know. But for now here are the videos for ‘We Are Broken’ and ‘Stop and Stare’. Apologies for the lighting and that ‘crazy’ guitar and I hope you enjoy!

My BOTM

I've been home for a week now and I'm loving the fact that I've got Sky TV and the selection of music channels at my fingertips. I guess that is one thing I miss about Sky (not counting Sky Sports), the fact that I'm never up to date with new video releases from my favourite artists and of course some new ones. I've had to keep up-to-date with everything from my brother but now, after a week of updating myself, here are my Bands Of The Moment.

The first band I'm going to mention have started making a name for themselves in the past few months. One Night Only have been together since 2003, gigging around and about their home town of Helmsley, North Yorkshire. They released their debut single 'You and Me' in October 2007 but it wasn't until their second single was released that they started turning some heads. 'Just For Tonight' was released in January 2008 and has proved to be their biggest hit so far, reaching #9 in the UK singles chart. It was also known as the theme for the European 2008 Qualifiers as well as the occasional Ford Super Sunday. (Or so I've picked up on by watching too much football at the weekends.)


One Night Only's album 'Started a Fire' was released in February and has proved quite popular following the success of 'Just For Tonight'. Their first two singles are on the album along with a range of songs that have this originality and addictive sound. The classic melodic bounce is great and they are definitely worth a listen. Check them out on Myspace, Bebo and their website. They are due to release their third single 'It's About Time' on April 28th and if their previous is anything to go by, this is due to be a success. Here is a youtube video of 'It's About Time', I hope you enjoy.





I kind of have to give my best friend Mark a bit of credit for this one. I think it was summer last year he mentioned Elliot Minor to me. I think we must have been driving or something when he played me a song of theirs. I did take note to look into them but never did. But the past month all I've had is Elliot Minor Fever.


The band has something different compared to other bands and I guess this is what makes them stand out. Their music is kind of like a combination of classical music and rock and it seems to gel perfectly. I personally love their use of harmony, which is completely unique. They started off in 2005 and released their first single 'Parallel Worlds' in April 2007.


After several top40 hits later, the band re-released ‘Parallel Worlds’ again, a year after the original release in April 2008. This was the first song from their debut album, released a week later on April 14th. The album ‘Elliot Minor’ debuted in at No. 6 in the Album chart. They’ve announced that their next single to be released from the album will be entitled ‘Time after Time’, another upbeat tune typical of the Elliot Minor sound.This is a youtube video of ‘Parallel Worlds’, in my opinion, their best song by far. It’s a tune that can become easily addictive.




I guess I can’t take credit for One Republic either as they already made a name for themselves as ‘that band’ featured in the Timbaland hit ‘Apologise’. I guess with the success Timbaland has been having, it was a great move for One Republic to remix ‘Apologise’ with him. ‘Apologise’ gave them the mainstream attention that they undoubtedly deserved.


They formed in 2004 and since the summer of 2006, they’ve been known as one of the ‘myspace musical acts’ due a lot of online promotion. But it wasn’t until ‘Apologise’ in 2007 that they were officially in the spotlight. The single has now gone triple platinum and has no doubt become one of those ‘unforgettable’ tracks of this era.


Their album, Dreaming Out Loud, has sparked just as much attention, selling over a million copies worldwide. It was released in America in November 2007 to coincide with the release of Apologise. The album was released in the UK on March 10 a week after their second single ‘Stop and Stare’ was released. The album debuted in at No. 2 in the album chart, with ‘Stop and Stare’ reaching No. 4 in the singles chart. Here is a youtube video.

Dreaming Out Loud, in my opinion, is one of those rare albums that each track affects you in a different way. No track is similar to the one that it follows. I rarely find an album that I can listen to straight through without skipping. This is it by far.

Lead singer Ryan Teddler’s vocal ability is mesmerising. He is also a producer, after being taken under the wing my Timbaland himself. He has worked with many high profile artists, producing some amazing tracks, one example being Leona Lewis’ ‘Bleeding Love’, which he co-wrote. (One thing which makes him my idol is that he majored in PR before getting kicked out for skipping too many classes because he was busy writing songs.)

I would honestly recommend this album to anyone. I can’t get enough of it. I love it so much; I couldn’t help but learn some of my favourite tracks on the album. I hope you enjoy and I hope you find time to listen to the bands I've mentioned.

Apologise


Stop and Stare


Come Home


Say (All I Need)

Youtube's finest

This is perhaps a little off-track compared to your normal run-of-the-mill mainstream artists but I believe that what I've stumbled upon is the future.

Well, if truth be told, I didn't stumble upon anything. It was more of a push in the right direction by a classmate. Andrew sent me a youtube link of this guy, telling me it would be great to post on my blog. Normally I don't believe a word that comes out of Andrew Lisgo's mouth, I just assumed it to be a joke. Turns out Andrew is a genius (who would have thought) as the video he sent me is probably the best thing I've seen in ages.

Introducing to you all the amazing talent that is Nick Pitera. When I first listened to his video that Andrew sent, I'll admit in saying I died of laughter. I just never expected what I was about to hear! But as I went through the videos on his youtube user account, I actually realised that he has a brilliant voice. I really recommend you check more of his work, you'll be amazed. You can also check out his myspace page. This guy seems to have a lot of fans by posting his songs on youtube and it seems to be paying off. Anyway, here is the video Andrew sent me. It's Nick's version of A whole new world from the Aladdin movie.





After the sensation that was Nick Pitera, it got me thinking. I started scanning through the related results (as you do) and came across a few other aspiring artists who have also found youtube a great way of getting their music across.


This next woman has become a 'micro-celebrity' because of her youtube success. She has had over 700,000 views on her videos already and that count is increasing daily. Her name is Diana Rein. Her music has a kind of blues/country feel but it's her covers that are amazing. She has taken some amazing songs and made them her own. You can check her out on her youtube page, along with her website and myspace page. But here is my favourite video of hers. It is a total arrangement of Stronger by Kanye West. She has created a melody to go with it and in my opinion, I think it is great. I hope you enjoy.





My next video is of a 22 year old called Ricardo Munoz. This guy lives in Holland and is now a singer/song writer. Check out his youtube page and his myspace. He has a lot of his own material but I quite like his cover of Apologise by One Republic. He's released this version in Holland. This is the official released video for it.





These last two videos are of just two guys who aren't necessarily out to make it as recording artists but just like the covers they are singing. The first guy is called Phil Schawel, check out his youtube page and his myspace. This guy is actually quite popular, having nearly 700 subscribers on youtube. What I like about him is that he has this amazingly unique voice. He's covered quite a few of my favourite songs but You and Me by Lifehouse has to be my favourite because his voice grabs the emotion of the song.




Finally, I'm pretty sure this guy is from Northern Ireland as his accent is quite like mine. He hasn't posted his name on his youtube page, but he's 21 and definately from the UK. All of his covers are really good and also quite varied. I thought I'd post up this one though as I've already mentioned it to Lisa Ovenden. This is a cover of New Shoes by Paulo Nutini.




Overall, it's amazing how many people watch people's videos like this and become fans. If the artists are lucky, it could make their career. But if not, at least they are sharing their talents with people who appreciate it. In a world where very few talented artists get the chance to break through into the music scene, is Youtube the future in finding such hidden talents?!

I thought I'd jump on the Youtube generation bandwagon and post a few videos of my own. Watching the previous artists, I can say my covers lack serious quality... and a full sized guitar. But I'm having a laugh I guess. I'm not going to be playing gigs anytime soon, so playing to an online audience seemed easier and I've actually gained a few subscribers/fans of my own! Check out my youtube page for some other videos I've uploaded, but I'll leave you with a random chosen one. I particularly love this song because it's one of my Mum's favourites. This is my cover of Angel by Sarah McLachlan. (Apologises for the bad sound quality.)