Further to my last post announcing the sad untimely passing of one of modern musics greatest heroins, I wrote a song titled 'Dear Amy...' It is obviously inspired by the news events of the last couple of days, and has a slight 'slow jazz' feel to the music... I hope you enjoy it, and appreciate it for what it is - a tribute to one of musics finest...
Monday 25 July 2011
Saturday 23 July 2011
A SAD DAY FOR MUSIC... RIP AMY WINEHOUSE
A day tarnished with the untimely death of a beautiful talent in the music world....
Paramedics were called to Amy Winhouses flat at around 3.45pm in north London (Camden), where the singer was pronounced dead at the scene...
It is not yet known the cause of the death, but is highly suspected to be a toxic combination of a drink and drug overdose. She joins a handful of other talents who lost their lives (mainly through similar battles) at the too young age of 27 ... Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix to name a few. It unfortunately appears that rock n rolls 27 club is still alive and kicking...
Its a very sad day for the world of music, Amy Winehouse was such a fantastic talent, and a breath of fresh air into a very dull music scene... Im not saying she was a role model, but a fantastic talent, and will be sorely missed by music fans all over the world...
Id just like to take this time to say I find it highly disrespectful that people are ultimately slagging off a 27year old woman who has lost her life. She was someones daughter, someones friend, someones family member, and no matter what she has done, that should NOT be disrespected. The old proverb prevails... 'If you have nothing nice to say, dont say anything at all...'
I send my deepest condolences to her family, friends and fans, and just hope that people will learn a lesson from this terrible death... drugs only lead to one thing.
Rest In Peace Amy Winehouse, you will be missed x
Sunday 17 July 2011
RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS... THE ADVENTURES OF RAINDANCE MAGGIE
So, as a lot of you will know, I am a MASSIVE RHCP fan, like, MASSIVE! They can do no wrong in my eyes! So when i heard their new single 'the adventures of rain dance Maggie,' I instantly fell in love....
The Peppers are well know for their 'bassy' rock tracks, and this is no exception, awww little fleas done a great job on the bass, as usual! This song, if you've not heard it, is pretty 'groovy,' and heavy on the bass and guitar in the verses and bridge, but it so works. I can imagine them playing this at a gig and everyone just jumping around and singing along, which lets face it, makes a gig...if you cant jump around and sing, there's no atmosphere!
Obviously I'm totally biased and was going to love it anyway, but I'll leave you with this snippet and you can see for yourself what its like...
The album is set of release on 30th August 2011, IM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS!
The Peppers are well know for their 'bassy' rock tracks, and this is no exception, awww little fleas done a great job on the bass, as usual! This song, if you've not heard it, is pretty 'groovy,' and heavy on the bass and guitar in the verses and bridge, but it so works. I can imagine them playing this at a gig and everyone just jumping around and singing along, which lets face it, makes a gig...if you cant jump around and sing, there's no atmosphere!
Obviously I'm totally biased and was going to love it anyway, but I'll leave you with this snippet and you can see for yourself what its like...
The album is set of release on 30th August 2011, IM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS!
Friday 15 July 2011
NEW KEYBOARD... NEW COVER ... BIRDY 'SKINNY LOVE'
So, I hadn't heard of this young lady who goes by the name of Birdy until earlier this week when a friend heard her song 'skinny love' and suggested I do a cover...
My first thoughts when I heard the song were 'jeeez, what a haunting voice...' then I listened more closely to the lyrics and became even more depressed!! But I thought the song and her voice was fantastic, and as I had a new keyboard on order due to arrive later in the week, I thought it'd make a great first keyboard cover!
I might also like the point out the song is originally by Bon Iver, just because I know their fans get very offended when they don't get the credit they deserve... so anyway...
I bought a Yamaha NP30, I just wanted something decent but cheap, which I could learn to a better standard on (I originally had a very old keyboard my Dad bought in the 90's). I'm so impressed with it - RRP currently is around the £200-250 mark, and for that price you really cannot go wrong! The speakers aren't great on it, but I already have an amp which I can use as a speaker, and it doesn't have many voices, but I was after a grand piano 'sound-a-like' I could use to record and gig with, and for this, I cannot recommend the NP30 enough!!
Anyway here's the cover... I hope you like it!!!
My first thoughts when I heard the song were 'jeeez, what a haunting voice...' then I listened more closely to the lyrics and became even more depressed!! But I thought the song and her voice was fantastic, and as I had a new keyboard on order due to arrive later in the week, I thought it'd make a great first keyboard cover!
I might also like the point out the song is originally by Bon Iver, just because I know their fans get very offended when they don't get the credit they deserve... so anyway...
I bought a Yamaha NP30, I just wanted something decent but cheap, which I could learn to a better standard on (I originally had a very old keyboard my Dad bought in the 90's). I'm so impressed with it - RRP currently is around the £200-250 mark, and for that price you really cannot go wrong! The speakers aren't great on it, but I already have an amp which I can use as a speaker, and it doesn't have many voices, but I was after a grand piano 'sound-a-like' I could use to record and gig with, and for this, I cannot recommend the NP30 enough!!
Anyway here's the cover... I hope you like it!!!
Monday 11 July 2011
NUSIC DOES ROCK CITY, NOTTS - THE WINNER PLAYS SPLENDOR FESTIVAL!
My first gig review in a while, so please bare with me here!
The date was Sunday 10th July 2011, at the infamous Rock City in Nottingham, where anyone who is anyone has played at one stage in their career...and i should explain why the hell we were there...
The event was the final of 'Nusic' The future sound of Nottingham, which in a nutshell, meant that the hundreds of entrants for bands and singers across Nottingham had been whittled down to the final 6, and these guys, and girls, had to battle it out for the top spot...and the chance to play on the main stage at Splendor Music Fest! WOW!!
So, the bands, who were they? well, id only heard of two of the bands before i turned up, 'the money' who i was rooting for, and 'the tastebuds' - a Mansfield based punk style rock band. But, i was pleasantly suprised when all the rest of the bands and singers were just as great!
Lets get down to business here then, 6 bands, one audience, and some highly qualified judges (6?) ...the votes were split: half went on the amount of decibels the crowd made with cheering for the band, and the other half went on judges votes.... so in order of play....
The Harli Kings
Wow their following made me feel old, and I'm only 19 (20 in less than a month), and they had some lungs on them, enough to scream the place down on a few occasions!! But anyway, the band themselves were fantastic, reminiscent of 'the calling' in their style, with kind of pop rock influences. The band consisted of just one singer with no backup so it was pretty impressive that just one guy was doing the vocals along with guitar, and that left the other 3 members to concentrate on their instruments (bass, lead, drums)... Fantastic!
Austin Francis Connection
An absolute breath of fresh air, i cant think of anyone else at the moment doing anything at all similar to these guys, which is fantastic as it means they stand a great chance of getting very very far, and far they will go if this performance is anything to go by. They describe themselves as 'hip-hop' acoustic, and are made up of 3 guys : the singer (who introduced himself to the 'rowdy boys' at the front as Eddie, was chanted through the set by them, very amusing to watch!), the guitarist, and the beat-boxer (Hobbit i believe his name is), (WHO WAS FANTASTIC!!!). Well i can tell you from tonight that they found themselves a new fan! I was on the front row, bopping away, thinking i can dance, you get the picture! Anyway, i cant hype these guys up enough, when they came on they looked like half of a barber shop choir and just a random local they picked up outside, BUT, a book should never, ever be judged by its cover right...RIGHT! Very clever if you ask me, because as soon as they started beat-boxing and rapping/singing, the audience was totally stunned, take a listen...
Opie Dieno
Aww what a lovely girl with a big big voice, she was fantastic and really won the crown over too, so well done to her!! Very acoustic, folk rock in style (very much like myself), but she was, edgy? is that the right word? i loved her style, her little habits and the way she spoke was quirky, and, aww i just loved her.
The Money
Kurt Martinez
He had a lot of fans! Either that, or he has one hell of a family! I seriously thought this guy was going to win on the sheer amount of screams he received. There were mosh pits breaking out left right and centre (i was lucky enough to be on the edge of one, but after a few scowls to some 14 year old lads, they soon calmed down...hey i may only be 5ft 3, but i can look mean when i want to be!)
Anyway, yes, I don't know how id describe his style to be honest, something similar (but not as hardcore) as pendulum and Chase and Status. He was great, had the whole crowd jumping along with his dance rock music, yer the guy was great!
Finally...
The Tastebuds
My local band really, which is why Iv heard so much about them (although id like to point out I'm not from Mansfield, as I'm from Derbyshire, BUT these are pretty hot around where I live)... My friend described the lead singer as having something 'Russell Brand-esque' about him, she clearly found him rather attractive...i will say nothing...Anyway! The music! Very old school rock in style (60s/70s), which hey, Im a sucker for so I bloody loved it!! The dress sense and style, the funny mini Angus Young jumps across the stage the lead singer had a tendency to do, and the fact they'd incorporated just about every instrument meant i had massive admiration pretty much before they started!! A great end to a great free event, so congratulations guys (and girl)! Youll have a made some loyal fans from the night, myself included....
So, after my little review i guess your all dying to know who won!? First id like to give you MY TOP 3 before the actual top 3:
3rd: The Tastebuds
2nd: The Austin Francis Connection
1st: The Money
THE REAL TOP 3, AND THE WINNER WHO WILL PLAY SPLENDOR MAIN STAGE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS TIME...
3RD: THE HARLI KINGS
2ND: THE TASTEBUDS
1ST: THE MONEY!!!!!
So i got two out of three that's not bad right!?! Anyway a massive congratulations to everyone who played and especially the Money, a well deserved win, and next stop Splendor...
Thank you to all those involved in putting on an absolutely fantastic night! Ill leave you with The Moneys music video for their sing 'looks like rain,' enjoy.
The date was Sunday 10th July 2011, at the infamous Rock City in Nottingham, where anyone who is anyone has played at one stage in their career...and i should explain why the hell we were there...
The event was the final of 'Nusic' The future sound of Nottingham, which in a nutshell, meant that the hundreds of entrants for bands and singers across Nottingham had been whittled down to the final 6, and these guys, and girls, had to battle it out for the top spot...and the chance to play on the main stage at Splendor Music Fest! WOW!!
So, the bands, who were they? well, id only heard of two of the bands before i turned up, 'the money' who i was rooting for, and 'the tastebuds' - a Mansfield based punk style rock band. But, i was pleasantly suprised when all the rest of the bands and singers were just as great!
Lets get down to business here then, 6 bands, one audience, and some highly qualified judges (6?) ...the votes were split: half went on the amount of decibels the crowd made with cheering for the band, and the other half went on judges votes.... so in order of play....
The Harli Kings
Austin Francis Connection
An absolute breath of fresh air, i cant think of anyone else at the moment doing anything at all similar to these guys, which is fantastic as it means they stand a great chance of getting very very far, and far they will go if this performance is anything to go by. They describe themselves as 'hip-hop' acoustic, and are made up of 3 guys : the singer (who introduced himself to the 'rowdy boys' at the front as Eddie, was chanted through the set by them, very amusing to watch!), the guitarist, and the beat-boxer (Hobbit i believe his name is), (WHO WAS FANTASTIC!!!). Well i can tell you from tonight that they found themselves a new fan! I was on the front row, bopping away, thinking i can dance, you get the picture! Anyway, i cant hype these guys up enough, when they came on they looked like half of a barber shop choir and just a random local they picked up outside, BUT, a book should never, ever be judged by its cover right...RIGHT! Very clever if you ask me, because as soon as they started beat-boxing and rapping/singing, the audience was totally stunned, take a listen...
Opie Dieno
Aww what a lovely girl with a big big voice, she was fantastic and really won the crown over too, so well done to her!! Very acoustic, folk rock in style (very much like myself), but she was, edgy? is that the right word? i loved her style, her little habits and the way she spoke was quirky, and, aww i just loved her.
The Money
These guys were the reason i was at rock city... Quirky, funky indie rock with catchy lyrics and riffs you'll be singing in your head all day, and i have been singing their song 'feels like you saved me' all day! I'm so pleased i stumbled across them a month or so ago because they're now one of my favourite bands! I happened to be playing a gig at the Maze in Nottingham on the same night as the guitarist Jake (check him out on YouTube (Jake Buckley), some very clever songs!!), heard he was in a band, did a bit of stalking to find out who they were, and voila, I'm the new biggest fan! The songs remind me of something by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, its that sort of style, and they're one of my favourite ever bands so... Instantly catchy, easy to bop and sing along to, i mean what more could you ask for!? I also loved the set opening, where they played the famous sound clip from Jerry McGuire 'show me the money...' and i also loved how they adapted the song 'Ride with me' so that Jake sang the main part of the song, and the crowd had to sing back 'hey, must be the money.' Such a simple idea but it worked really really well, and i think probably helped them to win! Anyway, here's one of their songs...
Kurt Martinez
He had a lot of fans! Either that, or he has one hell of a family! I seriously thought this guy was going to win on the sheer amount of screams he received. There were mosh pits breaking out left right and centre (i was lucky enough to be on the edge of one, but after a few scowls to some 14 year old lads, they soon calmed down...hey i may only be 5ft 3, but i can look mean when i want to be!)
Anyway, yes, I don't know how id describe his style to be honest, something similar (but not as hardcore) as pendulum and Chase and Status. He was great, had the whole crowd jumping along with his dance rock music, yer the guy was great!
Finally...
The Tastebuds
My local band really, which is why Iv heard so much about them (although id like to point out I'm not from Mansfield, as I'm from Derbyshire, BUT these are pretty hot around where I live)... My friend described the lead singer as having something 'Russell Brand-esque' about him, she clearly found him rather attractive...i will say nothing...Anyway! The music! Very old school rock in style (60s/70s), which hey, Im a sucker for so I bloody loved it!! The dress sense and style, the funny mini Angus Young jumps across the stage the lead singer had a tendency to do, and the fact they'd incorporated just about every instrument meant i had massive admiration pretty much before they started!! A great end to a great free event, so congratulations guys (and girl)! Youll have a made some loyal fans from the night, myself included....
So, after my little review i guess your all dying to know who won!? First id like to give you MY TOP 3 before the actual top 3:
3rd: The Tastebuds
2nd: The Austin Francis Connection
1st: The Money
THE REAL TOP 3, AND THE WINNER WHO WILL PLAY SPLENDOR MAIN STAGE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS TIME...
3RD: THE HARLI KINGS
2ND: THE TASTEBUDS
1ST: THE MONEY!!!!!
So i got two out of three that's not bad right!?! Anyway a massive congratulations to everyone who played and especially the Money, a well deserved win, and next stop Splendor...
Thank you to all those involved in putting on an absolutely fantastic night! Ill leave you with The Moneys music video for their sing 'looks like rain,' enjoy.
Over and out! x
Saturday 9 July 2011
THE WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED...
Ok so inline with my new little business the Bekl Motivation Bracelets, i was giving away 3 motivation bracelets to promote my new business. There were 4 entries, so unfortunately one person missed out, but the bracelets are still available on my website for just £2.99 including postage, so a real bargain!!!
Congratulations to the winners, i will email them to inform them of the good news!!! The winners were all picked at random by my brother so there was no bias. So the winners were...
1.sjmwell
2. Emma
3. Lisa
Well done ladies!!! I hope you enjoy your bracelets when they arrive!
Bek x
Congratulations to the winners, i will email them to inform them of the good news!!! The winners were all picked at random by my brother so there was no bias. So the winners were...
1.sjmwell
2. Emma
3. Lisa
Well done ladies!!! I hope you enjoy your bracelets when they arrive!
Bek x
Friday 1 July 2011
BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!
After all the interest and veiws on my blog in the past day due to my new little mini business 'Bekl Motivation Bracelets...' www.beklmotivationbracelets.co.uk i have decided to do a giveaway. The prize? A Bekl motivation bracelet...
If your new to the concept, heres our little 'moto' for the bracelets...
"Tie me around your wrist,
And i'll continue to persist,
To encourage you through, and sow the seed,
To help you in your life succeed...
When i start to weather and fray,
Cut me off at the end of the day,
And see that problem fly as light as a feather,
You'll have learnt a lesson to stay with you forever..."
I will be giving away 3 of the bracelets, and all you need to do to enter is comment on the post below, simply saying 'enter me' ... or something to this effect!!
After only being released yesterday, the bracelets are already getting big blog reviews on sites which receive thousands of hits a day!! And we have a celeb fan in Gabriella Ellis (Made in Chelsea)...and im sure she wont be the last at this rate!
THE WINNERS WILL BE PICKED AT RANDOM!!!! COMPETITION CLOSES ON 8TH JULY 2011!!!
Dont forget to enter!!! You can also follow us on twitter @beklbracelets, and facebook: Bekl Motivation Bracelets
GOOD LUCK XXX (open to all European Countries, the US, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand)
P.s the bracelet will be either as shown above, the liquorice allsorts design, blue/white or pink/white (similar to above)...
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