Passport Back to Our Roots

Artists announced to raise money for (and in!) grassroots live music venues. More t.b.c.

Passport: Back to Our Roots has partnered with Music Venue Trust to raise much needed funds to safeguard the futures of grassroots music venues struggling to survive the COVID-19 crisis. 

Faves of TheZineUK team, The Slow Readers Club, join Elbow, Everything Everything and Public Service Broadcasting as the first names announced. They’ll play one-off, intimate shows at Safety-First led dates (to be confirmed) in 2021, once physical distancing is no longer needed.

Like loads of other bands, acts or performers, grassroots music venues were there to give us a stage when we first started out, so to be part of this cause to ensure they survive and thrive makes total sense. It’s the least we can do. 

We’re buzzin to be going back to Hebden Bridge Trades Club. Low stage, crammed in crowd, bouncing and sweaty…. proper old school. We can’t wait.” – The Slow Readers Club

Gigging 4REAL! Huge kudos to all who give back to the essential spaces.

Win win! Please donate £5 minimum to the campaign (1) to #SaveOurVenues and (2) for a chance to attend the show of your choice (plus a guest)!  Entry is via the prize draw which runs for two weeks from Monday August 17th 2020

via crowdfunder.co.uk/passport-back-to-our-roots.

Elbow will return to Manchester’s Night & Day, three decades after they first performed there. “This is a simple way of looking after the very roots of British music, and will result in some powerful, joyous shows when we can at last see each other again. I’m very proud to be involved.” – Guy Garvey. 

Jennifer Smithson of the venue (a recurring location thread of our doc) added; “We are thrilled and honoured to have Elbow returning to Night & Day.” 

“Like all artists worth their salt, we came up through smaller rooms and tiny stages, learning our craft as we went. So often these vital venues are run on a shoestring, but what they provide to their community socially and artistically is invaluable. 

The Back to Our Roots project is helping grassroots music venues back on their feet after these testing times. We wanted to come to Esquires [in Bedford] as it’s exactly the sort of gig we’d have done ten years ago, but actually never had the opportunity to. It’s our pleasure to be involved.” – Jez, Everything Everything

Small venues feed future heritage. Most are multi tasking community centres, too. TheZineUK (created in the Amersham Arms) bears witness.

“We’re delighted to be taking part in Passport: Back to Our Roots and taking the chance to play at The Amersham Arms. We never actually managed to play there when we started out so it’ll be great to do so, finally, and in support of such a good cause. See some of you there as soon as it’s safe – we can’t wait.” – J.Willgoose, Esq. Public Service Broadcasting

The #saveourvenues campaign:

“…has been very successful so far in raising funds and awareness to support grassroots music venues who have been hit very hard in recent months, but we are not complacent and are under no illusions that there still many challenges to overcome . 

There remains lots of work to do to safeguard the future of our venues and Passport: Back to Our Roots is an excellent and timely initiative that will help keep a spotlight on what still needs to be done while raising desperately needed revenue. 

Live music will be back and when it is we are going to make sure it comes back with experiences people will never forget.” – Mark Dayvd, Music Venue Trust Founder/CEO

80% of all money raised will go to the Music Venue Trust, who in turn will distribute half oto the host venue and the remainder to their Crisis Fund, benefiting all venues in need of financial support. 

The remaining 20% goes to Inner City Music, the charitable organisation that operates Manchester’s multi-award winning, not-for-profit, historic music venue Band on the Wall (which is responsible for the administration of the project and will cover its overheads).

Seeing established artists perform in an intimate setting that holds real significance for them, is at the heart of the Passport: Back to Our Roots campaign. It aims to capture the true essence of the live music experience and the unique bond between artist and audience. 

They say:

“It’s incredibly exciting to see artists supporting the grassroots venues that form the foundation of the UK’s live music industry, acknowledging their importance and celebrating the unrivalled experience of watching your favourite bands up close and personal, surrounded by friends and united in appreciation for live music in all its loud and sweaty glory.” (Sally Cook) 

“These shows will be awe-inspiring for those fans who are lucky enough to win the prize draw and also a joy for the artists who participate knowing they are helping keep live grassroots venues alive”. (Stephen Budd)

passportbacktoourroots.org

As a collective of artists and allies, TheZineUK team say, Freaking AWEsome (and much appreciation!)

VIDEO PREMIERE: ‘GEORGIA’ BY FAMILY JOOLS

Britain’s grooviest trip rock band, Family Jools, have a new single, ‘Georgia’ for the first of August 2020’s five weekends. They were set for this year’s SXSW Festival, perfect for their Wild West (Bristol) Americana sound but continue to forge new futures, with this dreambeat new release (and it’s cosmic lockdown video).

"Treasure this cosmic heat...it sounds like sunset on a summery outdoor festival day" - THE ZINE https://open.spotify.com/album/7M7QmGFuwCRN4elD0AO0YC

Having startled last year’s Sound City and The Great Escape in 2019, Family Jools were in festival demand this year, pre Covid. Alongside a few select live sessions, the band have been writing steadily. ‘Georgia’ is the first track from those writing sessions.

Support for the band has come from all directions including Fresh On The Net, Radio X and BBC Radio 6 with Steve Lamacq noting that their sound “sets it apart from a lot of things happening now.”

They have already been compared to various greats including The Band and Gram Parsons. As critics attempt to classify their impassived live shows, The Beatles, Big Star and the vibes of classic Northern Soul have been mentioned. I have been so lost for words having caught them quite a few times, that I said they sounded “High Purple and Orange”.

I imagine that in a parallel universe, Carole King and James Taylor are blissing out together while listening to funky ‘Georgia’. Gorgeous pop that fans of the Beta Band can appreciate, it sounds like sunset on a summery outdoor festival day.

Our last Family Jools live joy moment was in November. This is one of the back stories of TheZineUK doc – where artists develop into something spectacular, organically while rising under the radar. We are not a Fertile Envoronment in name only. Treasure this cosmic heat:

Listen to Georgia on Spotify. Family Jools · Song · 2020.

Words: Caffy St Luce

FONTAINES D.C. – ‘A HERO’S DEATH’

‘A HERO’S DEATH’, the second album from Fontaines D.C. is out now on Partisan Records and it’s a heroic legacy

For many, maybe nearly everyone, the perception of time has changed rapidly in the last year. Everyone’s going through their own paces visibly, and behind the scenes. Yet again, in the face of adversary, a loss in income, security and earnings, many artists are using that as fuel to continue creating, to continue sharing their gifts with the world. That is very much the case, for the Irish band, Fontaines D.C.

They haven’t just jumped out from the music scene, but since the release of their debut album ‘Dogrel’, their visibility has expanded exponentially. From a world tour (which sadly – but understandably – has been postponed in some places, to receiving a Mercury Prize nomination, the legacy this band is creating has a solid and stoic foundation.

I think most of us can agree, that when a debut release from an artist has amazing success, there’s pressure (from within and without) to carry on maintaining that standard. There are many one hit wonders on the scene, and Fontaines D.C. are anything but. Their second album ‘A Hero’s Death’ has taken a new direction, evolving the poetry, the messages, while weaving in aspects of their solid signature sound. 

This album is explosive.

‘A HERO’S DEATH’ is currently in a chart battle with Taylor Swift’s latest LP, again, solidifying their mark. I think it’s hilarious, that some of Taylor’s fans (not fair to assume some of her listeners don’t listen to other genres), will be getting irked, seeing this dynamic punk band making Ms Swift sweat by the hour, realising she has serious competition. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the work Taylor has put into her work as an artist, but the messages conveyed in the songs from Fontaines is more honest, more potent, more direct. 

Considering the unstable, unusual and transformative time period that we’re all currently living and experiencing, I think many are seeking music that will be candid about the human experience, our perception of the world and psyche; wholesome, but with lots of hope, potential and possibilities. 

Whether you’re sitting indoors listening to the rain and reading a book, or seeking some nature and sunshine, this is definitely an album that encapsulates all the elements and factors that have led us to where we currently are. 

Side note: this is displayed in their recently published manifesto. So profound, you can read it left to right, vertically down, or vertically up, revealing a new layer of comprehension each time.

‘Dogrel’ was the album of initiation. ‘A HERO’S DEATH’ is the album of introspection; what you’d expect to perhaps hear on the pilgrimage of one’s soul. The band’s heritage and their pride for it certainly shine through. Their ancestors have heard the call. Don’t be surprised if you feel your own ancestors around you, when you listen too. It’s time we rise. Together. As one. 

I promise you, buying a ticket for their upcoming tour will be worth every penny. And remember, life ain’t always empty.

‘A HERO’S DEATH’: I Don’t Belong, Love Is The Main Thing, Televised Mind, A Lucid Dream, You Said, Oh Such A Spring, A Hero’s Death, Living In America, I Was Not Born, Sunny, No – Buy/Stream: https://www.fontainesdc.com/ahd/

KYLE KRONE ‘ALONE IN PARADISE’

Interview with charismatic, award-winning purveyor of bitter-sweet melodies). New single ‘Alone In Paradise’, shimmers with a true story, eloquently. 

As founder and frontman of indie rock band The Shys, musician, composer and producer, Californian, Kyle, took LA by storm, then joined his musical hero’s (incl Talking Heads, The Cure, and The Smiths) on Sire Records. Krone’s songs featured on multiple TV and movies. The Shys also topped Billboard’s US Garage Rock Charts.

After extensive touring, a solo career and sonic shift earned new fans (Kings Of Leon included), impressive record sales and myriad co-writing partnerships. A good soul, Kyle Krone is on some musical ride! Kelly Munro joins in…

Kelly : “Tell us, how long have you been making music?

Kyle : “Twenty three years”.

What have been some of your highlights so far on your musical journey?

“Making music is an enduring highlight for me. Music is my angel, saves me over and over again.”

Your latest single is called ‘Alone In Paradise’, who would you pick to be alone in paradise with – and why?

“My loved ones… 

When you dedicate your life to something like music, its enormously significant to have supportive friends and family around you because like anything worth doing its no easy feat to attempt to make this thing your life and make a living doing it. So I derive a great deal of joy from all the people around me who are supportive encouraging and understanding.”

Tell us more about that single. Is there a story behind it?

Listen to Alone in Paradise on Spotify. Kyle Krone · Song · 2020.

“It’s this bitter-sweet love letter to my life in Central America. I think anyone who has moved to a foreign country on their own will understand this particular kind of loneliness. 

Its a long story but the cliff notes go something like this… After many years of living on the road and in the studio I needed a change of pace, I wanted to move to a foreign country and live a different kind of life, more peace, more nature, more quiet. Sort of a live off the land type thing…

I found that in a little remote fishing village in Central America for the better part of three years. I lived simply, little apartment on the beach, an old motorcycle, a nylon string guitar, a couple surfboards and a lot of books and journals. Life there can almost feel like going back in time, technology and status has a much less significant impact on daily life and you’re surrounded by raw natural beauty and you find yourself with a lot more free time just to think, feel, read and write, for the lack of a better description life is just a lot more simple there for me. You find yourself more in tune with yourself.

You slow down, the noise dissipates and its like you can hear a lot more clearly and you get a deeper sense of what really matters. There also exists this sort of bittersweet element of missing all your loved ones or experiencing all this beauty on your own and then you have visitors and you share it and its incredible and then they leave and its its own kind of emotional challenge.

The song was born out of those experiences and musically inspired by the landscape culture and geography. There is this kind of emotional inventory you take on yourself and there’s some voice in me that drives me to keep pushing with my music, I have too many ideas, too many things to say, I feel too much and it’s as if life in the tropics just let me rest and recuperate and eventually I kind of felt like that life let me go and I feel all this desire to come up here to California and surrender myself to my music”.

We hear you’ve lived in Los Angeles. Tell us about life there…

“I moved there when I was eighteen, for a little while and ended up back down south at the beach. The city life thing has an early expiration date with me. I prefer a slower pace, less people and more of a natural environment. I lived there off and on from twenty to twenty-five, mostly because of music. 

I like the east side, the little neighborhoods, the cafes, the record stores, the bohemians, artists etc. The beach is also cool, Topanga, certain parts of Malibu. Every-time I lived there it was about music, making records there, playing shows there. It can be really exciting all the action that comes along with it. Most days were spent in the studio when I lived in LA and then the nightlife of playing shows and going out on the town. These days I visit to surf.”

What albums do you never get tired of listening to?

“Anything from Astrud Gilberto, Louis Armstrong, Stan Getz, Robert Francis, The Strokes, Scott Walker, Bob Marley, Leonard Cohen.

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of French stuff. Polo And Pan, Parcels, Benjamin Biolay. I found this amazing playlist called Cote’D”Azur cause I had written a song with that title and wanted to see how many others were out there and came across this insane playlist and its so good.”

What can we expect from you this year?  

“I started a new band called Casual Vice with my very talented friend Brandon Hoogenboom and we recruited more talented friends Danny Franks and Billy Yarbrough. 

We have some singles out and our debut EP comes out in early August. I am in the studio every day writing recording and playing and making art and visuals. I work with my friend Wes Chiller on most of his stuff, we’ve got a new single coming out, its one of my favorite collaborations. I co-wrote a song with Eagle Rock Gospel Singers for their new album. Mark Batson and I have made a lot of new music for various film and tv projects that will hopefully see the light of day sooner than later. I am making this blissed out instrumental music under the name Floating Islands kind of in the vein of Brian Eno stuff and I’ve been releasing new solo singles. 

I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. For the past three or four years I’ve essentially been working every single day on music and its been insane and pretty amazing, I’d like to claim that I have some kind of otherworldly work ethic but the truth is I am just obsessed to to achieve the stuff I hear in my head. I’m excited, I feel really positive about the future, feels good that folks are listening.”

Pre-save Casual Vice‘s EP (out August) on Spotify

https://kylekrone.info/

Words: Kelly Munro

BLAB: ‘R.I.P.’

Heeoojazfuq single!

Released on the Essexual Cool Thing Records, ‘R.I.P.’, the debut single from Blab, has got the ROCK swagger of myriad main stage strutters with youth’s literate suss rapping over with bite. Ice-cool as Johnny Marr guitar. BOLD never gets old. This rock is boulder.

Kinda liked it from first listen. Kinda freaking LOVE it, ‘cos I went back, and again. Ha ha. That first listen evoked a memory of Polly Harvey (from Yeovil in the black leather jacket and docs) when she debuted on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and a hundred thousand jaws dropped at P.J.Harvey’s bright pink cat suit. I enjoy being vintage but am thrilled that new heritage is being made. Blab is definitely a 50ft Queenie.

The musicians who are a product of two decades of popular culture amplified by the world wide web have no boundaries of inspiration. Music, Art, Books, Politics and working things out for themselves into new thrills and hope for us all. Dystopian pop twisted into The Streets with punk’s DIY arsekick. 

Aah, that sign off line…

Having supported Rat Boy as a teen, composer, vocalist and guitarist Fran Murray a.k.a. Blab is building her own reputation (rapidly) with this real contender. It’s a year of artists having to stand up, gig-less, on the strength of their skills, charisma and creativity. Straight on the must-catch-a-show bucket list! 

Lyrically a knowing wit-spit of frustration, ‘R.I.P.’ is a helluva way to debut. As isolation creation videos go, this is DIY beyond lockdown’s inhibitors;

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

I wish Earth could say RIP to billionaires and other planet/humanity fuckers. The reality of everything could drive you screeching crazy if, every now and then, you don’t listen to massive freakers like ‘R.I.P.’ – People, turn up this medicine!

Added to TheZineUK’s #NewerWave Rocks Spotify Playlist, too.

Words: Caffy St Luce