While these days, rubbing shoulders with well-known faces at events such as Cannes Film Festival may be commonplace, Bury-born Joel Rothwell’s down-to-earth nature and clean-cut image have stemmed from the family around him nurturing his long-harnessed dream to become a chart-topping success. With a stylishly crafted formula of honest story-telling accompanying his guitar-driven electro-pop sound, the first of 4 inspired songs recorded with Brighton producer Toby Scott – ‘Just Don’t Know’ tells the story of a chance encounter, forbidden attraction and the inherent dilemma faced from within.
Rooted from a childhood spent with his eldest sister Rebecca imitating their musical heroes, the stars have never seemed too far out of reach, which has led to formulating a creative partnership which has seen them writing together for a number of years. More recently, through his father’s film company, Joel was able to enhance his credentials as a multi-talented performer in his latest film project SKINNED, which also featured his songs ‘Satellite’, and the as yet unreleased ‘Animal’.
It was recording and preparing to release his debut album under the Steelworks Studio label, under the support of songwriter and producer Eliot Kennedy (famed for working with the likes of the Spice Girls, Bryan Adams, Lulu and Take That), that led to Joel taking part in his biggest gig to date. The Vulcan Experience aircraft hanger at Robin Hood airport in Doncaster was host to a sell-out charity event that raised over £65,000 for Help for Heroes, in which he shared the stage in following none other than Gary Barlow.
From being wrongfully expelled from Bolton School until the age of 16, it was at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Blackburn where he nurtured his ability and pursued his dream of a career in music. Joel is now based at a studio in the vibrant Spinningfields area of Manchester, while also having spent time writing and recording at Tileyard Music in London alongside chart musicians such as Sigala, Mark Ronson, and Ella Eyre. Through a blend of passion, talent, and determination, Joel firmly believes he has what it takes to stand out in such a competitive industry and match the ambition of his dreams.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/thatjoelrothwell
https://www.instagram.com/thatjoelrothwell
https://twitter.com/joelrothwell
http://joelrothwell.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQN6VLKZZ6M
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Piles – Drones and Piles
‘Drones and Piles’ emerged as a reinterpreted live version #13 of a composition from ‘Drones and Drolls’, with 12 previous versions first appearing on the concept album ‘Le Batteur Est Le Meilleur Ami Du Musicien’ by Piles drummer Guigou Chevenier.
Based in the French cities of Nancy and Avignon, Piles is comprised of Guigou Chevenier (Etron Fou Leloublan, Volapük), Anthony Laguerre (Filiamotsa, Club Cactus, Myotis), and Michel Deltruc (Isle-Adam 95, NAJA Nancy Jazz Action). In 2016, Chevenier had the idea for Piles to continue his musical work with experimental trio ‘Les Batteries’ between 1985 and 2000. This drum trio also involved British drummer Charles Hayward and American drummer Rick Brown. Piles’ three drummers have long and rich careers.
‘Una Volta’ is a knock-out record of eight drum sound compositions, revealing secrets of the universe that are written in light. Abstract instrumental, this collection of tracks was created by three friends who teamed up especially for this recording.
Piles’ sound is a free fall into the universe of energetic beats, rhythm, dynamics, repetition of the unexpected. It is an adventure that reveals the hidden depths of their sound spectrum of acoustic drums.
Piles’ drumming is shaped by their individual musical roads by life, architecture, landscapes, nature, politics, film, art, dance and theater. By seeing and hearing the rhythm in all that surrounds us. Taking inspiration from krautrock, free jazz, and improv, they are also influenced by Can, Dave Grohl, Arvo Part, Drumbo (of Captain Beefheart), Robert Wyatt, Abe Cunningham, Jimmy Chamberlain, Jon Theodore, Joe Baron and many others.
Piles ‘Una Volta’ CD is accompanied by a 32-page booklet based on the graphic stop-motion video ‘Drones and Piles’, created by graphic artist Bas Mantel. The visuals were created to the music in the same way the scenes of Eisenstein’s1938 film ‘Alexandre Nevski’ was directed totally based on the rhythm of the music of Sergei Prokofiev.
The rhythmic and fragmentary style of the black and white images exposes the art of dance with Lettraset, dots-dots-dots, molecules transmitting life and death, cells constructing shapes and graphic radiowaves translated into frequencies and velocity, repetition in electromagnetic patterns, and the isolation of getting lost in outer space.
Like Piles’ drum-based sound, these graphic designs are frightening, direct, loud/quiet, raw, layered, fragmentary, abstract and experimental. REV. Lab founder Bas Mantel felt Piles would be a perfect fit for the REV. Lab. series, released jointly with Aagoo Records.
‘Una Volta’ is a limited release of 300 copies, including a CD with book carefully packed in a semi-transparent glassine bag. As of September 21, it will be available via online stores and streaming platforms, but can already be ordered from Aagoo Records’ website and digitally via Bandcamp.
LINKS:
http://www.revlaboratories.com
https://www.facebook.com/revlabrecords
https://revlabrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.soundcloud.com/revlab
https://www.vimeo.com/revlab
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCorO-e4Y06ICQ67dhV6LsNA -
Postcards from the Moon – Wish You The Best
Fresh off the release of their violin-driven pop punk single “Just Make Sure You’re Happy,” Texas-based quintet Postcards From The Moon are back with a new music video and single called “Wish You The Best.” Violinist Rolando Valentin Ramon sets down the high-pitched instrument and picks up a guitar for the finely tuned ballad.
“Wish You The Best” comes from the band’s new EP, Me Without You, out now on all online platforms. The song begins with quick and sweet piano riff before launching into a swaying groove and lyrics that could be the millennial anthem for a failed friendship.
“I wrote this song about an ex-friend of mine,” says vocalist Caleb Rangel. “It’s about me not holding grudges for the way things ended and simply wishing her the best. I only want her to be happy. The lyrics were influenced by a Snapchat story. Another friend of mine was going through something similar and was posting photos with captions that really got to me. I used a lot of her original words as lyrics in this song, after getting the ‘okay’ from her of course.”
Me Without You is the sophomore EP from the self-proclaimed “Sad Boys of San Antonio” and is mostly a reflection and acceptance of things we cannot change. It was produced by Kevin W. Gates (Never Shout Never, Stephen Jerzak, The Ready Set).
LINKS:
https://www.pftmband.com
https://www.facebook.com/pftmband
https://instagram.com/pftmband
https://twitter.com/pftmband -
Nova Flares – Gut Splinter
Nova Flares is the solo project of Jason Wagers, whose music as a solo artist cleverly combines shoegaze with neo-psychedelic and surf rock. Nova Flares is the solo project of Jason Wagers, whose music as a solo artist cleverly combines shoegaze with neo-psychedelic and surf rock. The result is mighty fine bedroom jangly surf pop packed with flowing dreamy harmony and charming, lo-fi goodness. This hypnotic guitar shimmer packs the magic punch intended.
Hailing from Berea, Kentucky, he moved to Louisville at 18 where he played in various bands until deciding to put out his own album under the name The Corridors. Writing, recording and producing all tracks in his apartment studio, Wagers released the debut album in April 2017, only to be crushed by a British record label claiming to represent a band by the same name, who demanded he cease using this name. By that time, Wagers was eager to start a solo project in a completely new direction, inevitably creating a very specific atmosphere in his new compositions.
This music is heavily influenced by neo-psychedelic bands of the 90’s through to those currently active, such as Black Market Karma, Mystic Braves, Holy Wave and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Jason Wagers has dubbed his sound “surfgaze”, the style borrowing gazey elements that can be traced back to My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Beach Fossils and The Jesus and Mary Chain, while also being influenced by surf and beach-goth-psych bands like The Growlers, La Luz, The Warlocks and the Allah-Las.
The bright, reactive sound of this music inspired the project’s name ‘Nova Flares’. A nova is an astronomical event causing the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently ‘new’ star that slowly fades from view. This involves an interaction between two stars and causes a flare up, which is perceived as a new entity that is much brighter than the stars involved. Ironically, this new project was also born from the destruction of The Corridors.
“The songs I create through Nova Flares are supposed to be very cinematic and capture memories and feelings from situations I’d experienced in my childhood and adult life, but these songs are also meant to be left open-ended so that the listener could have their own personal sensory experience as well,” says Jason Wagers.
Playing in bands and writing music since the age of 14, he eventually learned enough in the music sphere to start producing his own records, appreciative of the freedom and ability to record his own songs and release his own records. Growing beyond guitar to also bass guitar, drums, and piano and also dabbling with vocals over the years. His Nova Flares project provided the perfect opportunity to develop his skills even further.
“Nova Flares is my next step up as a project. I am more excited than ever to share my new music with the world! These songs are past experiences expressed through sound. Each song is applicable as a personal sonic memoir to the listener,” explains Wagers. “I imagined video sequences while recording every song for this project and, as a result, all of the songs sound very cinematic and picturesque.”
While ‘Gut Splinter’ will be released on March 9 via online stores and streaming platforms, it is already available for pre-order via Bandcamp.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
http://www.novaflares.com
http://www.facebook.com/NovaFlaresMusic
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzWnmNOsho0FcVdC8xSLqbw/videos
http://www.instagram.com/novaflares
http://twitter.com/Nova_FlaresBand
http://novaflares.bandcamp.com