The summer of 2012 saw Gerry Sheridan and Simon Usher begin their songwriting partnership, which progressed to become Traveller in January 2016 when they were joined by Martin Yves on guitar and Brian Socha on bass.
By spring 2016 the band had written and recorded their debut EP at Chamber Studios in Edinburgh. Taking just four days to complete, ‘All This Time’ enabled Traveller to connect to an ever-growing fanbase who are drawn to their Anthemic Rock wall of sound.
Gerry started out playing violin and piano focusing more on Classical music before teaching himself guitar and concentrating his efforts on more contemporary music; his songwriting is influenced by bands such as The Stereophonics, The Beatles, Crowded House and Travis.
Simon started playing the piano and taught himself both the piano and drums from an early age by listening to artists such as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Elton John, Sting, Pink Floyd, Crowded House, as well as Coldplay and U2. Drummers such as Steve Gadd provided the initial inspiration for him to focus on his writing and playing.
Martin remembers seeing his dad play the harmonica that sparked the inspiration for him to dedicate himself to music and a lifelong appreciation for all styles of music though he’s particularly passionate about the late sixties to early seventies Rock, especially the sonic experimentation and sound of Pink Floyd.
Brian’s influences are very diverse from Rock and Pop to Jazz, Funk and Soul, from Frank Zappa to Pink Floyd, Brian’s bass playing provides a solid foundation for the band’s music.
“There’s a sonic harmony that is often created by the band during rehearsals and it’s often from this that sparks the imagination to write” explains Simon. “We write about life’s journey, from the people we meet along the way to all the various experiences that we have, both good or bad…”
LINKS:
http://travellerband.com
https://facebook.com/travelleruk
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An Exclusive Interview with David J (The Week in #Indie Segment)
With the release date of his upcoming album ‘Missive To An Angel From The Halls Of Infamy And Allure’ right around the corner (October 18th, 2019) and his upcoming shows with his original band Bauhaus, David J is a man who obviously has his plate full. And that plate has been full for a while now. With cofounding credits to both Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, among other things, David has a more than ample solo career spanning three decades and fourteen albums (including singles compilations) and the soon-to-be fifteenth aforementioned ‘Missive’ album.
In today’s Jammerzine Exclusive interview, we get to talk with David about the new album as well as his frequent collaborations and his signature musical style. We also get a glimpse as to where he is taking his solo career (you will be surprised!) and other things you do not want to miss.
Check out our review of David J’s single ‘Migena And The Frozen Roses’ HERE.
Check out our review of David J’s video ‘The Auteur (Redux/The Starlet’s Cut)’ featuring Rose McGowan HERE.
LINKS:
http://www.davidjonline.com
https://www.facebook.com/mcnightshade
https://twitter.com/davidjhaskins
https://www.instagram.com/davidjhaskins
https://davidjofficial.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/aviddj1919/videos
https://www.patreon.com/davidj
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2EftfRcBC3whzGDBGOwIVG
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/david-j/3032724 -
An Exclusive Interview with Ashton Nyte (The Week in #Indie Segment)
Ashton Nyte has recently released his album and companion book titled ‘Waiting For A Voice’. This is a wonderful interview, to say the least. More of a conversation, actually. What we get is that voice we’ve all been waiting for. And that voice is the type of voice we need in this day and age. I’m not talking phonetically. I mean spiritually. Musically.
Both the album and book are from the mind of someone who observes and interprets. The songs are the music that sews the heart to the sleeve and the book is a brilliant and compassionate collage of lyrics, poetry, and autobiographical segments. And the result is a medium of solitary substance that, I hope, the listener inherits as much as they ingest.
And what we get today is that deep conversation with Ashton, where we talk about the album and book ‘Waiting For A Voice’ and get in-depth about both an introverted human being giving the world a voice we’ve been needing but also that inspiration that we can use to move forward.
Take a look at what ‘Waiting For A Voice’ is and get a copy HERE.
Check out our other features about Ashton Nyte HERE.
Click HERE to watch Season 6 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 5 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 4 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 3 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 2 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.
Click HERE to watch Season 1 of Jammerzine’s ‘The Week in #Indie’.ASHTON NYTE’S ‘WAITING FOR A VOICE’
Dubbed the “lovechild of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave” by NPR, the new work sees Nyte blending poetry with haunting acoustic minimalism, animated by his rich, diverse baritone voice. Waiting For A Voice, Nyte’s 7th solo album was largely written and recorded after his 36 date European tour with Wayne Hussey (The Mission) concluded in October last year and features his most personal songwriting to date.
The album contains 11 original songs, written, performed, and produced by Nyte, along with an intimate rendition of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” dedicated to Nyte’s father, who passed earlier this year. The accompanying 134pg book expands on themes explored on the album, and is available in hardcover and paperback, along with vinyl, CD and digital versions of the album.
“In quiet desperation, I pulled the words aside To cover up the violence That blurred my aching my mind. And gazing through the portholes Deafened by the noise I spoke into the ocean I’m waiting for a voice.”
– (Waiting For A Voice – Ashton Nyte)Now based in the USA, Ashton Nyte is a South African born composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and writer. He has released 7 solo albums, in addition to 9 albums as The Awakening, one of South Africa’s most prominent alternative rock bands. He has also contributed lyrics and vocals to several projects – most recently Beauty In Chaos, which features members of The Cure and Cheap Trick among others.
Ashton has written and performed in theatrical productions and organized philanthropic events including his Rock Against Rape concert series, and presenting a lecture series at US universities focusing on tolerance and acceptance. He is a prolific songwriter, with a released catalog of over 250 songs, including an Afrikaans-language album, “Moederland” (2014) which was named one of the top 10 albums of the year by Netwerk24 in South Africa.
Ashton has toured extensively and headlined festivals in the US, Europe, and South Africa, including Ramfest and the Oppikoppi Festival to over 30 000 people.
Last year also saw Ashton working on the score of “Don’t Let Go,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. He is currently working on a number of album re-issue projects, along with on-line performances, and will tour the new book and album when it is safe to do so.
ABOUT ASHTON NYTE
The artist has released 7 solo albums as Ashton Nyte, and 1 as Ashton Nyte And The Accused, in addition to 9 albums as The Awakening, one of South Africa’s most prominent alternative rock bands. Now based in the USA, Ashton Nyte is a South African born composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer. Nyte’s signature style focuses on his uniquely rich and widely diverse vocal abilities, while his instrumentation ranges from minimalist acoustic guitar ballads to epic arrangements.
Ashton is considered to be the “musical chameleon” of South Africa and has been described in the major press as “Johannesburg’s Bowie” for his widely varying music styles and theatrical performance style. With a released catalog of over 250 original songs, Ashton has had dozens of top ten singles and airplay on major independent radio stations around the world.
Nyte’s works have been featured on NPR/PRI in the USA, and he has performed live in-studio to 125 million listeners on the international radio show “Border Crossings” (Washington, DC). Nyte has toured extensively and headlined music festivals in the USA and South Africa to upwards of 30 000 people.
Ashton has written and performed in theatrical productions and organized philanthropic events including his “Rock Against Rape” concert series, and presenting a lecture series at US universities focusing on tolerance and acceptance. His first Afrikaans-language album, Moederland (April 2014) was named one of the top 10 albums of the year by Netwerk24. From 2016 – 2018 Nyte completed a 17 date tour, spanning 12 European countries, as well as a national US tour and smaller European tour.
He contributed vocals and lyrics to new albums by MGT (guitarist for Peter Murphy, The Mission, Gary Numan) as well as Michael Ciravolo’s “Beauty In Chaos” project, which includes members of The Cure, Cheap Trick, Ice-T and many more. The Nyte / Ciravolo composition “Bloodless And Fragile” was featured in the television program “The Purge” on the USA network in 2018. Nyte released a new album, “Chasm” as The Awakening on 26 November 2018.
2019 saw Ashton working on the score of the movie “Don’t Let Go” with composer Ethan Gold. The movie stars David Oyelowo (Selma), Storm Reid (A Wrinkle In Time) and Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump) and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. Ashton also contributed to the second and third Beauty Chaos releases and completed a 36 date European Tour with British indie artist Wayne Hussey (The Mission) in September / October 2019. Nyte released “Waiting For A Voice”, his 7th solo album and the first book of poetry, short stories, and musings, on 20 July 2020.
Featured image by Christian Fraude.
LINKS:
https://ashtonnyte.com
https://facebook.com/ashtonnyte
https://youtube.com/ashtonnyte
https://instagram.com/ashtonnyte
https://twitter.com/ashtonnyte
https://theawakening.com
https://facebook.com/theawakeningofficial
https://youtube.com/theawakeningsa -
Klammer Releases ‘Being Boiled’ Single (The Week in #Indie Segment)
Klammer is a band with, not only a rich history in music but an even richer knowledge of music. They not only know what works, they are what works. And this is none more present than in their new single titled ‘Being Boiled’. With a thick beat, wonderfully decadent guitars, and the rich deep and pound vocals of Paul (Poss) Strickland leading the way, ‘Being Boiled’ is that special drive and sonic assault that give a rush of adrenaline to the brain while staying steady enough to remain in your mind long after that initial listen. We have a brilliant anthem for the summer.
‘Being Boiled’ dropped June 3rd, 2019, on all digital platforms, including Bandcamp and their official store (more links below).
About Klammer
Hailing from Leeds, Klammer draws on the members’ shared love for all things angular, dark, loud and melodic. Previously described as the love child of XTC and Gang Of Four, they offer an enticing contemporary twist on the post-punk attitude, blending elements of goth rock, punk rock, and darkwave, all with dark pop sensibilities. You’ll find plenty of hooks and dark and edgy broodiness coursing through their sound.Formed by UK Producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure/The Mission/Jane Weaver) in 2014, they have already released 3 albums to great critical acclaim, with last years ‘You Have Been Processed’ receiving fantastic reviews across the board. The singles ‘Modern God’ and ‘Spiral Girl’ off the album, both received airplay on 6 Music.
Having consistently played up and down the country both as a headline act and in support of some big-name bands (including The Skids, The Undertones, Richie Ramone, Chameleons Vox, Penetration, and The Membranes), they have also played at Rebellion for the last two years and The Great British Alternative Festival. Klammer is intent on consolidating their position as one of the country’s finest live Post Punk acts.
LINKS:
https://www.klammer.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/klammerband
https://twitter.com/klammerband
https://klammerband.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/klammer
https://www.instagram.com/klammerband
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsOn5ov6NDaBtgdf-iA3LqQ/videos
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/klammer/id579352463
https://open.spotify.com/artist/25buSKBb5QaT31p8vKpxTV?si=JCDN3D5nQniIo0y71ASqAA